DIY: Jewelry

Let me begin by trying to convince you all that I AM NOT the artsy type. Honestly, I have the handwriting of a 3rd grader, the painting skills of a toddler, and the drawing skills of an average cat. So this DIY necklace project is one that anyone can handle.

I took a trip to Michael’s Craft store (tools and products can also be found at Joann’s and Hobby Lobby), and picked up the following:  assorted beads, bead stringing wire (gold), and 72 inches of gold chain. I already had flat head pliers and wire cutters at home. 

To begin, I picked out which beads I wanted to string, and set them aside.

Next, I measured out about 21 inches of chain, and cut it with the pliers (yes, I probably should have used the wire cutters, but I picked up the pliers instead and they worked fine – so if you don’t have wire cutters, don’t worry). Because I wasn’t using a clasp with this necklace, I had to make sure that I could fit the necklace over my head – make sure to do the same before cutting your chain! This project works great without jewelry clasps, but I also tried a few necklaces this weekend WITH clasps and that worked great also. If you can spare an extra $4, I’d get the clasps!

I also cut about 5 inches of the wire using the pliers, and tied one end of the wire to the last link of the chain. I made 2 or 3 knots, and then cut off the remaining short part of the wire that stuck out past the knot.

After tying the knot, I thread the beads onto the wire, and attached the end of the beaded wire to the other side of the chain to make the circle complete. I also double-knotted this end, and trimmed off the excess wire past the knot as best as I could.

If you give this necklace project a try, please share pics of your beautiful new jewelry!

(Before you go to the craft store, make sure to search the internet for coupons! I found 40% off coupons for both Michael’s and Joann’s)

It’s Official

It’s official. We registered for our first half marathon yesterday. Derek and I are running in the OUC Orlando Half Marathon in early December, and to say I’m excited is an understatement. As soon as I filled out the registration form and clicked “Register”, I felt a second of that rush you get the morning of a big race. I can only imagine how I’m going to feel when the day actually arrives!

The race website offers a suggested training plan to prepare for the race, and we started the plan this week. It starts off with a lot of 3 mile runs, which I’m happy about because it will help me with a 5K I’m running in 3 weeks. Talk about killing 2 birds with 1 stone.

In other news, I did one of the most artsy things of my life yesterday. I made these:

I was always the least talented child in art class, so this is a major accomplishment for me. I’ll walk you through the steps I took to complete it in another post!

And to celebrate our anniversary yesterday, Derek and I played tennis (naturally), and went to a new-to-us wine bar/restaurant, called The Wine Studio.

The Wine Studio was very cozy, and almost gave the feeling that we were drinking wine and eating apps in a friends living room. The food was delicious (we had the salmon carpaccio and the warm spinach and artichoke dip, both prepared in-house), and the service was friendly, so we’ll definitely return!

I’m a little sore this morning from Pure Barre yesterday and Bodypump the day before, so perhaps today will just be a run day. I’ve been focusing so hard on varying my fitness routine that I think I’ve gotten slower the past couple of weeks. Maybe one day the “Fast feets” part of my blog name will come true!

Happy Friday and happy weekend, friends!

Reno (vation… Not Nevada)

Hi party people! I mentioned in another post how I recently re-did a piece of furniture, and I wanted to share with you all how I did it, because it was easy as pie!

In decorating our new house, I’ve realized that I can’t go to Z Gallerie, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel etc. and just buy every piece of furniture that my little heart desires. This realization has been great for me, because it’s taught me to be more resourceful in using pieces we already have, or finding pieces at consignment stores or Salvation Army, and making them our own.

This one particular piece falls into the category of random furniture in random closets of my parents house. This dresser has been taken for granted for years, stuffed in the back of a closet. I noticed it a year ago, and have been meaning to give it some love ever since. I think it had great bones, and had potential to be a unique piece!

In renovating this beauty, I used my favorite product on the body of the dresser – Annie Sloan Chalk paint (In Paris Grey). With Annie Sloan paint, no sanding, prepping, priming, sealing is necessary, and each coat of paint dries in under 30 minutes. This turns a furniture renovation project into a 2-4 hour time commitment, rather than a several day-long commitment. Annie Sloan’s website offers several video tutorials which demonstrate just how easy it is to paint on almost any surface. After painting 2 coats of the Paris Grey paint, I took a clean rag and spread Annie Sloan Soft Wax (in clear) over the body of the furniture. This isn’t a necessary step, but I’ve done it on all my Annie Sloan projects, and have been happy with the results so I will continue to do so.

For the hardware, I picked up a container of “Baroque Art Gilder’s Paste” (in Inca Gold). This was my first experience with the product, and I was very pleased. After a trip to Lowe’s, I realized that in order to get the pulls I really wanted, I would have to spend $12+ for each pull. As this was supposed to be a cost effective project, $50 on pulls wasn’t going to cut it. The container of gilder’s paste costed $8, and, with a paint brush, I transformed the existing pulls into more snazzy pieces.  I also used the gilder’s paste on the corners of the drawers and body of the dresser, to help the contrasting colors blend together more naturally.

If any of you are interested in renovating a piece of furniture, but are hesitant because of the intimidation factor, please just go for it! I PROMISE that I was the least-crafty person on earth 1 year ago, but impressed myself with every project I undertook. If I can do it, anyone can!

Happy 6 Year Dating Anniversary to Us! + Minestrone Alla Mally

Today is a super-exciting day in my neck of the woods because it marks 6 years since Derek and I started dating. I hate to get all sappy on you guys, but I’m so excited to have spent 6 years with my best friend, and can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him!

In honor of today, I’ll share some cute/comical pictures of us from high school and on, that you’re sure to love or at least get a good laugh from. 

Some oldies but goodies – hope you enjoyed a laugh at our expense!

My hump day was pretty all over the place. I began the day with my furniture renovation project. In a random closet in our house has been living a shabby chic dresser from my mom’s teenage bedroom set. It was a little out-dated (white paint faded to a yuck yellow), but had good bones and I wanted to give it new life. With the help of some Annie Sloan chalk paint in Paris Grey, I transformed it!

After finishing up on the dresser, I headed to the gym for a 3 miler at an easy pace and a Bodypump class. The class was harder than usual for me, and I’m thinking I overestimated my strength when picking my weights. Or the instructor was just taking things to another level. No one will ever know.

In the afternoon I ran some errands and picked up my nephew from school. Louie came too. He couldn’t contain himself. 

And for dinner we had leftover minestrone soup from the night before, along with a quesadilla I made by spreading a laughing cow cheese on one tortilla, topping it with grilled chicken, tomatoes , feta cheese and another tortilla, and cooking it in a frying pan. My minestrone recipe wasn’t as simple as the quesadilla, so I’ll refrain from describing it in one run-onn sentence.

Minestrone Alla Mally

Ingredients

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup water

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes (no salt added)

1 14-oz can diced tomatoes (no salt added)

1 cup ditalini pasta (or other small noodle)

1 14-oz can kidney beans

1/3 lb green beans, ends removed

1 celery stalk, diced

1/2 cup diced carrots

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp oregano

2 tsp pepper

Directions

Heat olive oil in a deep pot, and toss in red onion and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Next add in garlic, and cook for 30 seconds. Next add celery, carrots, green beans, and spices, and cook for 10 minutes. Now add in canned tomatoes (both crushed and diced) and chicken broth, and increase heat until soup begins to boil. Once soup boils, reduce heat to low and let soup simmer for 10 minutes. Add in kidney beans, and uncooked pasta, and cook until all vegetables are cooked and pasta is al dente. Serve in bowls with fresh basil and parmesan cheese, or freeze in a sealed container.

I hope you all have the loveliest day – make it a happy and healthy one! God Bless 🙂

Italian Frittata + An Overdue Reunion

Weekends call for something special for breakfast, right? Why settle for a basic bowl of generic Raisin Bran when you have time to get fancy shmancy? This Saturday, as we were getting ready to kick off the 2013 college football season by watching College Gameday, I decided I wanted to make something different for our morning meal. I checked the fridge and, based on what we had on hand, came up with this recipe for an Italian Frittata:

Italian Frittata

6 eggs or egg whites

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 of a red pepper, chopped

1/2 cup of fresh spinach, chopped

1/2 of a red onion, chopped

1/3 cup part skim mozzarella

fresh garlic or garlic powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to “broil” setting. Combine eggs or egg whites in a large bowl and beat. Add cheese to mixture, and whisk until combined. In a large oven-safe frying pan, heat olive oil and cook onion and pepper for 5 minutes. Add egg mixture and spinach to frying pan, and sprinkle with garlic and salt and pepper. Let stand on stovetop until the bottom is completely settled, and top is almost settled. Remove from stove and place in oven until golden, about 7-9 minutes.

It hit the spot and made the day feel a little more weekend-like. The good thing about this frittata is that you can store and reheat and eat leftover slices the next day. Hello Sunday Breakfast!

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While I REALLY enjoyed eating this frittata on Saturday morning, I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I enjoyed breakfast on Monday. One of my best friends from college, who also happens to be a part of our wedding party, moved to Virginia after graduation in 2012 to work at the National Headquarters for his fraternity. Dan and I met as sophomores at FSU, when we realized, by chance, we were in all of each others classes one semester. From then on, we took every other class until graduation together (on purpose), and he’s remained one of my closest friends.

After seeing Dan almost every day for 3 years, I couldn’t believe that we had gone almost 16 months without seeing each other. This weekend, when Dan came to visit his family in Orlando, we were able to make time to meet half way for breakfast at Chick Fil A. Since it was the last day of the weekend, it sort of felt like Sunday, which basically means that Chick Fil A opened up for us on a Sunday. How nice of them 🙂

Hanging with Dan was really so special to me, and I hope to never go that long without seeing him, or any dear friend, ever again! (Also, note my gameday shirt. I’m thinking it was good luck, because FSU won 41-13 against Pitt last night).

In other news, remember when I told you all I was gym shopping? Well, I took the plunge and joined a gym! I’m really excited with my decision, as it’s given me the opportunity to vary my fitness routine and take so many classes that I would otherwise be unable to take. This weekend I’ve been able to take a cycling class, a CX WORX class, and I even accidentally took a boot camp class. I’m hoping that working out in new ways will help me become a better runner, and make me stronger for the half-marathon I plan to run before the end of 2013!

Now I am off to take a class at the gym, run some errands and attend a meeting. Yes, I know how lucky I am to have a couple more weeks of a schedule so easy. Real life will soon be knocking at my door!

Related articles

• Ham, Cheese, and Potato Frittata (whatchamakinnow.blogspot.com)
• Caramelized Onion, Red & Yellow Pepper and Zucchini Frittata (berrycleaneats.com)

DIY Mood

I am officially in the biggest DIY mood ever. Ever since we painted our entertainment center find (from Salvation Army)

and painted this antique family heirloom bed to match the master bedroom

I just haven’t had any time for more projects. But this is changing next week, and here are some of the ideas I have in mind:

Cupcakes and Cashmere Delicate Necklace

Framed Scrapbook Paper from Belle Maison 23

Patterned Votive Holders and Bud Vases

I’m still on the lookout for many more projects, let me know if you guys have good ideas!

Happy Friday, everyone!

A New Week

This weekend was go-go-go to the max. We woke up at 7 each morning and headed out the door to get things done. Saturday a.m. started with a crazy sale at our local Sports Authority. The location underwent a renovation, and the store held a grand re-opening. In the end, I saved $115 on two pairs of running shoes (one for me, one for my dad’s birthday). I went with a pair that I didn’t even consider in my recent shoe post. I got the Asics Gel Cumulus 15 and I’m so happy with my purchase. I’ve started to break them in (on the first wear I was a little iffy about them, but they quickly adapted to my foot), and I think they’ll be my new favorites by the end of the week!

Painting took up at least 7 hours of my Saturday. Luckily, I think we’re almost through painting the interior of Derek’s new house.. It’s looking great and I can’t wait until all the other renovations are complete. Not only did we paint walls, baseboards, and door frames this weekend, we also painted this beauty: 

We found her at our local Salvation Army last month, and I’ve been debating whether or not to get it professionally re-painted, as I knew a piece this big could take several days with the standard painting process. Thank God for my friend Sara who introduced me to Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. This paint requires no prep work on your furniture. I REPEAT: NO PREP WORK. No sanding, priming, nada…. Also, each coat dries within 15-20 minutes. So, I got to work on Saturday night and finished this thing in under 3 hours..

 I don’t meant to boast, but I’m pretty proud..

In other news, yesterday began week 2 of Fitnessista’s Summer Shape Up!

Per the schedule, Sunday was supposed to be Off Day, but I knew I couldn’t fit a real work out in Monday, so I switched Sunday and Monday. Although today is an off day, I’m still keeping up with Runner’s World Summer Run Streak, so I made sure to log my mile around 6:30 this morning. Needless to say, it was a slow one at that early hour.

It’s now time for me to get back to work.. Happy Monday Y’all!

Photo Share 6/9

I hope everyone had an amazing weekend! Mine consisted of two 4 mile runs, some heavy duty painting followed by late-night take out, a new pair of running shoes and orientation for The Junior League.. Here are some photos from my weekend:

Saturday Morning Oatmeal Pancakes

New Asics Gel Cumulus 15

Salvation Army Piece

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

How I spent my Saturday night…

Finished Product

10pm Ciccio’s Takeout and some steamed veggies and vino

Wake up call

Dad’s grill for Sunday family dinner

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Bringing Old Furniture Back to Life

Like I mentioned in a previous post, after I graduated from FSU in 2012, I found myself with a month of nothing but time. In addition to cooking up a storm, I jumped into the world of DIY and furniture refurbishing. After my first piece, I became quickly addicted. I wanted to share with you all my how-to steps for an easy furniture remodeling project!

Clean: First you have to clean the piece. I usually just wipe down with a wet rag to get any dirt/grime off – however, if your piece is seriously dirty, you may need a specialty soap to clean the piece completely.

Sand: Sanding. If it’s a small, delicate piece, I’d recommend to hand-sand it with sand paper (i use medium grit to start) . If its a larger, sturdier piece, an electric sander will get the job done faster. Sanding gets the old paint layers and finishes off so your piece has no glossy finish anywhere and is pretty bare (if you are staining instead of painting, you’ll need to sand down to the very bare bones).  Sand in long strokes, and always go in the direction of the grain of the wood. If using a power sander, consider sanding the corners and edges and hard to reach places by hand. Don’t rush the sanding process – you need to get every nook and cranny sanded down! After sanding down to its bareness, clean it off completely and make sure all dust is gone.

Prime: Time to prime with  a primer paint. Match the same “type” of primer paint to the color paint you’ll be using (latex primer with latex paint, oil-based primer with oil based paint). I typically use Kilz Premium Primer. After the primer, I usually let it sit overnight before applying paint.

Sand Again: I always sand between each layer of paint I apply! Use a fine-grit sander for this sanding session, instead of the medium-grit you used in the beginning of the project.

Paint: The fun stuff! Finally! For furniture I often use interior latex-based paint that has a semi-gloss finish. I’ve also used the Martha Stewart Living brand of paints, and I liked how those turn out as well. After painting your piece completely, let it sit at least over night between each coat. You’ll then be able to tell if one coat is enough, or if your piece needs deeper color.

Seal: After you’ve applied your last coat of paint, it’s time to seal your piece! Sealing will protect your piece from stains and other mishaps of life. I use a polyurethane sealer, but I’ve heard it yellows over time if you’re sealing over a white or extremely light paint color. I’ve also heard good things about the MinWax Finishing Wax

This piece was originally a side table from my parents’ first home. While it was pretty raggedy, the first picture is after a sanding session, not in its original state.

This beauty originally lived in the laundry room, and somehow ended up as a patio piece. The outdoors really beat this guy up, so I was excited to be able to give it new life. The before picture is before any sanding occurred – that’s how bad it looked.

This guy is my favorite. This chair was from my dad’s bedroom set from the 1940s. It was living in the attic when I found it.

I wish I had a “before” picture for this chinoiserie beauty. It was the ugliest of all. A little black paint goes a long way!

I’d love to see your furniture pieces you’ve re-done or hear some tips you all may have for me! I’m off to do some painting and perhaps re-do a Media/TV console today!

Happy Saturday 🙂

DIY Gold Mason Jars

Hi peeps!

It’s been a while since I got crafty, and I was hankering to use my gold spray paint, so I decided to make something fun out of a few mason jars we had lying around the house.

This was super simple and took all of 30 minutes (including dry time!).

Materials/Tools: 

Metallic Gold Spray Paint

Mason Jars, or other small jars/vases

Newspaper to cover your work space

Set out mason jars upside down. Shake spray paint can vigorously, and spray the jars individually, in a sweeping motion. Be careful not to apply too much, as the paint may drip. After you achieve a desirable color, let dry 15 minutes. Voila!

These can be used for flower arrangements, to hold makeup brushes, or for decorative accent pieces around the house.

I’d love to hear if you give this project a try, and I’d love to see your finished products!