Heart to Heart.

It's not that I don't have motivation, it's just that sometimes I have a hard time finding it (and the hours in the day to use it).

As I patiently await for my strawberry rhubarb pie to be complete, I am reflecting on all the creative projects that pm and I wanted to accomplish as of late. We had a heart-to-heart talk last night as the ampm crew. Creating this blog and deciding to actively post was one of our New Year's resolutions. So far, so good. However, I just don't know that it is enough. I want for this blog to be what pushes us to use our creativity on a daily basis. This may not always constitute a post (perhaps a tweet on our ideas instead), but it should at least motivate us to always be thinking about the next project, the next post.

We've been working really hard lately on making our place feel like home. I have noticed that by removing the clutter, donating items we no longer use, and switching up our wall art I already have a lot more energy to do things when I am at home. No longer will I be victim to just the couch and TV. (That said: pm got some amazing deal on cable. We now have the design channels. This has been proven to be a great way to encourage our creativity. It has also really made us want a house. :)).

Timer is going off. Time to take out my pie! (I'll post a picture soon of my delectable delight).

We're going to take a creative Jump! in the days, weeks and months to come. Hope that you'll be along for the ride. Step on board with us. Forward, ho!

design on a dollar

Welcome to our living room and to my corner of the sofa. It's from here that I do a lot of my writing, brainstorming, and relaxing. Now that I have shared that, I just had to share one of our recent digs (a la home decor variety).

For the most part and admittedly against all stereotypes of the female gender, I do not enjoy shopping. While there are plenty of things that I want, I can almost always come up with a reason as to why I do not need to buy them. It is because of this that I often prefer to avoid shopping all together. My name should be featured in the definition of buyers' remorse, as I often have it before I even step foot into a store.

However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. I love thrifting and knowing that I got a great deal. I also enjoy shopping for other people and for homewares. (By homewares I mostly mean nic-nacs and design pieces). I also enjoy shoe shopping - even if it just means I try them on.

Now this is where the photo of our living room and my love for (1) good deals and (2) homewares come into play. Those snazzy pillowcases you see are a new addition to the room. In our monthly sweep through of the Crate and Barrel Outlet last week I found these gems. I have been determined to find pillowcases for some time now and was ecstatic when I stumbled upon these and their 98% off price tag. (Yes, I said 98%. Normally priced at nearly $100, I got these for $1 each. Talk about thrifty!).

For as much as PM (and certainly other men) loves The Big Lebowski (there goes another stereotype), I'd have to say these pillowcases are to me what the Dude's rug was for him. They really tie the room together.

That is my edition of design on a dollar. How do you think we did?

Project Update: bits & birds

The spring breeze has brought us dozens of project ideas and new directions. We assure you that the promised tutorial will be coming shortly.

In a recent raid of the Anthropologie sale bids we came across these cute door knobs. I immediately thought of Spain and all the beautiful azulejos. It's my goal (with the help of pm & his power tools) to use these knobs for a decorative shelf/towel hanger. I've got the perfect vision of what I want in my head. Now I'll just need to find the right match of wood and trim. My eyes will be peeled for another bargain. Design on a dollar, here I come. (I'd say dime, but goodness knows the deals are never that good at Anthropologie, even in the sale bin.)

Why the birds? We were recently inspired by these origami birds at a coffee shop, and wanted to try our hand at making them. We've got a great entryway leading to our living area where I plan to use these little guys. We've got lots of folding and cutting to do until then. Again, we'll keep you posted on our progress.

So yes, it was a productive weekend. Oh, and we brewed (yes, again!). This time we tried our hand at a white tea steam beer. It's fermenting away as we speak. The brew master, pm, will be posting more on that here soon. (It may just include the secret recipe, so stayed tuned!).