That time Pinterest saved me money.

I can count 8,720,345 times that Pinterest convinced me I was saving money by making things at home versus buying the product outright.  But come to find out, for some reason unbeknownst to me, Hobby Lobby & Michael's actually charge people to buy supplies from them.

 

But now, thanks to this pin, I can officially count the ONE time Pinterest
actually helped me save some money, honey. 

 

 

And it was as easy as one, two, three.

 

 

Squirt some dish detergent & olive oil into a small bowl, then whip out all the makeup brushes you own because turns out, those things are full of nastiness.  I'm beginning to understand why the massive, mountainous zits have set up shop on my frickin' cheek.

 

But zits no more, thanks to bath time for my brushes!

 

And a quick thank you for joining in on the "Women in the Workplace" discussion I started last Friday.  Round two tomorrow!

 

*Linking up with Katie & Steph*

 

SPD: Antique Window Pane

If you've been following along for awhile now, you know I'm no stranger to my local antique stores.  It's far & away Jon & I's FAVORITE thing to do on  a Saturday afternoon. 

You know how some people get a high from doing really scary things like skydiving? 

Well, we get high from this.

 Image Courtesy of Rewind Designs 

As of late, I've been on the hunt for a few pieces to compliment two empty walls behind our dining room table.  When I saw these two panes for around $10 bucks a piece, it was love at first sight. 

They were in definite need of some TLC (most are), but I was happy to give 'em some love.

Since our walls in our living room are striped two different tones, we painted the panes the contrasting color from the stripes. Lucky us, we had some paint leftover from our striping project I wanted to rip my hair out project so we were able to save some $$$$ there. 

And hey, I always dig that.

We taped them off & painted both. 

I then used a razor blade to shave off the nastiness that had accumulated over the years.  Once I completed this step, I hit a faux  brick WALL. 

I just could NOT decide what to do with them! 

I searched Pinterest for inspiration & just wasn't digging anything I saw.

There's nothing wrong with these ideas, in fact, I love 'em.

But they just didn't seem to fit for our home.

So I pinned my own.

I tampered around with a few different looks & finally decided on this one.

With all the windows we have in our living room, I figured why not add a few more.

Once they were ready to hang.....the real project began.

1.) Window Pane

                           2.)  Lace Curtain Panel (Walmart)

3.) Hot Glue Gun

    4.) Command Strips

And my favorite....

5.)  A handsome gentleman to hold them up while you decide where to hang 'em

A few notes; I did have to trim the panels to size, so keep that in mind.  Also, I chose to use hot glue because quite frankly, I use hot glue for everything.  Some call it lazy. I call it resourceful.

If you don't have a hot glue gun, you could use just about anything to attach the curtain to the panel.

Haven't decided on the style of tie-backs I want to go with.

I'm sure that'll be another 3 months in the making.

But hey, at least the panes are finally up.

Linking up with Katie & Steph.

And you should too.

 

SPD Link Up: Ice Skate Edition

Can I just say.....how is it that Christmas is a measly 2 week away?  This December has flown by...and for the gal that's spent more time crafting this holiday season versus holiday shopping, no bueno.

No bueno for my Christmas list, but MUY BUENO for my little lake house.

When I saw this pin my heart just melted.  It was love at first sight.

As much as I LOVED having an April wedding, a winter wonderland would've been my second choice FOR SURE.  I mean, look at these centerpieces! 

So off to the antique store we went.  We snagged a little pair of skates, hit up our local Walmart for some spraypaint, and after a pit stop at Michael's we were ready to go.

I just LOVE how they turned out.  Next year I'm going to add some sparkle...but to be honest, I am all crafted out for the season.

We crafted, we drank, we glued & now time to sit back & enjoy how it all turned out! 

Now honey, go pour me another.

Don't forget to link up with Katie & Steph to show off your goods! 

  

What's your favorite piece of decor you have laying around the house this holiday season?

Santa wants to know....

Saw It. Pinned It. Did It. Christmas 2012 Edition.

Ok, ok...enough about the cruise.  Hope you enjoyed all the recaps & photos.  We had  a great time & I loved having the chance to share some of our memories with you all.

Moving onto all things CHRISTMAS!  I have had TWO different people wish me a happy holiday this morning, just in case they don't see me beforehand. 

PEOPLE. 

We still have 3 weeeeeeeks.

And this sistah hasn't purchased ONE gift yet.

So please stop wishing me a happy holiday.  Your stressing me out.

But not the kind of stress that a glass of Pinot Noir can't take care of. 

Thanks for the love on my Instagram (@annexenos) last night. 
You gals sure love seeing pics of VINO. 
And that's why I love all of you.

Linking up today with Katie & Steph with what this crazy crafter has been up to these past couple weeks.  I saw this pin and feel in love instantly. 

I love the rustic look.  Love the color, love the writing & I absolutely LOVE everything about the poem it came from. 

And the idea just grew from there...

So off to Michael's I went. 

Went home, painted them.  Let them dry overnight and sanded the hell out of the eges.

Then grabbed one of these....

(Sharpie makes the ABSOLUTE best paint pens.  TRUST ME. I've done lots of trial & error)

And wrote away!

Since I have LOTS of built in shelves on each side of the fireplace, I chose several of my favorite verses & spread them out around the room.

I ended up hanging my sign from the mantle with burlap ribbon.  I then drilled a couple holes & twisted in the burlap knobs...

Whipped together the stockings & hung them up!

The stockings are a little project that perhaps I'll share next week.

They are a work in progress, but I'm loving them more & more as they come together.

These signs are the perfect rustic touch to our rustic holiday decor this year.  I just love 'em.

Thank you Pinterest for the inspiration!

And while we're talking all things holiday, I'll leave you with this little heartthrob.

19 days and counting..........

Now go link up & join in the fun!