Monday, February 27, 2012

Helpful Tips for Hanging a Tie Up Shade

When I purchased a pair of tie up shades from Target for my daughter's room, I easily became frustrated as I tried to hang the shades just as they were pictured on the package.  I love the look of tie up shades, so returning them for something simpler was not an option.  I worked through my frustration a came up with a way to make tying the shades a little easier.  They still don't look as nice, as what was on the package, but this is what I did.

Start by ironing your shade.  Then, using the cardboard tube from a roll of wrapping paper simply place the tube at the bottom edge of the shade and hold it in place with both hands.

Next using both hands, begin to roll your shade around the tube either over or underhand.  I chose to roll my shade going under.

Continue rolling your shade around the tube until your reach your desired length.

Once you've reached your length tie each piece of fabric to hold the shade in place.

Next, remove the cardboard tube by sliding one end of the tube through the width of the shade.

By now your fabric ties are probably a little wrinkled.  You can iron them smooth using a flat iron.  Be careful not to let the flat iron sit too long on the fabric or it will burn!

Finally tie a bow at each end and you're done!  I used Martha Stewart's method for tying a bow as seen here.


Hope you find this tip helpful!



Friday, February 24, 2012

11 Questions

I received an email from my friend, Ange @ The Blooming Hydrangea asking if I would like to participate in a questionnaire that's been making it's way through blogosphere.  I thought it would be fun to play along, so here are  my 11 questions and answers!  

1. What are your favorite pizza toppings?
source
Plain ole cheese.  Preferably a pie from Brothers Pizza in Cinnaminson N.J. shared with my friend Amy! 


2. If you could swap lives with someone for a day, who would you choose and why?
MODERN FAMILY - "Strangers on a Treadmill" - Claire and Mitchell enlist each other's help in trying to spare their significant others from embarrassment - Cameron from his unfortunate wardrobe choices, and Phil from his joke-ridden speech for the realtors' banquet. Meanwhile Jay tries to prove a point to Gloria by attending a quinceaera thrown by one of his employees, and Haley gives Alex sisterly advice on how to be cool, on "Modern Family," WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13 (9:00-9:31 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/KAREN NEAL)ERIC STONESTREET, JULIE BOWEN
source
Claire, from Modern Family.  Cameron is her brother-in-law...need I say more!


3. Do you drink coffee?
I enjoy coffee, but I don't drink it regularly.


4. If you could vacation anywhere, where would you go?
source
Seattle, Washington.  First stop, Pike's Place Market!


5. What was your favorite book as a child?
I didn't enjoy reading much as a child.  I enjoy reading a lot more as an adult. One of my favorite books is Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah.  I am currently reading, The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb. I've been reading this book for months.  It's long and it's taking me forever to finish it. 


6. If you were a color crayon, what color would you be?
Yellow! 


7. Best thing of 2011?

On November 29th, I received this email from Woman's Day's magazine,

Hi Brandi,

I’m the articles director at Woman’s Day magazine and I recently came across your blog Don’t Disturb This Groove when I was doing research for an upcoming organizing article. I was very impressed with your linen closet makeover and I may be interested in featuring it (and you) in an upcoming issue of Woman’s Day. I have a feeling our readers would enjoy hearing about how you organized the space, however I’d like to gauge your interest before pitching you to my editor-in-chief and making a final decision on who we’ll feature in the magazine. Please email me or give me a call and I’ll fill you in on all the details. Look forward to hearing from you. 
All best,
"X"

-I think I screamed out loud a thousand times.  I was home by myself at the time I received the email, but as soon as my family came home they all shared in my excitement!  Then, after a few more emails and a couple of phone calls later, I received this email;

Hi Brandi,

I just wanted to get back in touch to let you that my boss has decided not to feature your space at this time. However, she wants to hold on to your information for future consideration. Hopefully we’ll be able to do something down the road.
All best,
"X"

-Needless to say I was sad to know that I wouldn't be featured, but it was still such a joyful time just to be considered. 


8. Are you an early bird or night owl?
A little of both.  My dogs wake me up at the crack of dawn to go pee and I stay up late reading blogs.


9. Do you prefer a bath or a shower?
Showers.  In spite of the fact that my husband hides behind the shower curtain and scares the crap out of me all the time!  


10. What is your favorite childhood memory?
One winter day it rained hard, followed by freezing temps, turning our backyard into an ice skating rink.  My mom and my aunt quickly ran out to purchase a bunch used of ice skates for me and my cousins at Play it Again Sports.  Later that night we enjoyed hot chocolate and ice skating in our backyard.  One of my best childhood memories!  


11. What did you want to be when you grew up?

source
A soldier.  I almost joined the Army.

*The rules state that I must tag 11 bloggers and make up my own set of questions.  However, I thought it would be fun to tag each of you and have you pick one of my questions and answer it in a comment.

**PS. I'm sharing a paper weaving craft over at Captive Creativity today.  Hope to see you there! 

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins

What a lazy weekend I had.  My kids enjoyed their extended weekend off from school and we spent most of our days lounging around in our pj's.  I'm blaming it on all the rain we had!  Either way it was nice to just hang around the house.

I didn't do a lot of cooking this weekend, but I did surprise my family with muffins for breakfast one morning.  This was a great recipe!  The muffins were delicious and they didn't last long in my house.


Ingredients
2 c. fresh blueberries
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 (4 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease 12 cup muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners.
Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add cream cheese and blend in well.
Add each egg, one at a time, mixing well until egg is blended.  Add milk, and vanilla. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.  Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and mix until combined.  *Do not over mix batter.  Gently fold blueberries into batter.  Spoon batter into the prepared muffin pans.  Bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into muffins comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: about 18 muffins


Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Felt Dahlia Pillow

My sister's birthday is a few days away.  I wish I was in N.J. to celebrate with her.  Unfortunately, I'm miles away in Georgia.  I spent hours wondering what to get her.  In the end, I decided to make a pillow for my sister.  A gift I knew she would love.  I was inspired by this dahlia flower picture and turned it into a pillow for my sister.








Happy Birthday, Kristen!   I hope you always know how much you mean to me, and what a wonderful sister  you are.

**A special thank-you to Stephanie @ Under the Table and Dreaming, Kim @ Savvy Southern StyleKristi @ Addicted 2 Decorating, Stephanie @ Gumdrop PassMandy @ Cre8ive Motives and Michelle @ Someday Crafts, for featuring my sister's pillow on their blogs!  Thanks also to Jen @ Tatertots and Jello for featuring my sister's pillow on her Facebook page. 

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Love Language

I came across this video a few months ago while on YouTube.  I thought it would be sweet to share today, on Valentine's Day.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

*To watch this video in full screen mode, click on the video twice to go to YouTube.  Then click on the full screen button located at the bottom-right corner of the video.


You can learn more about The Jubilee Project here.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

3/4 Bathroom Makeover

Way back in November, I mentioned  that I was updating our 3/4 bathroom.  I left you with a couple of pictures until I was done updating the space.  

The walls were a khaki color when we first moved in.  I was anxious to add some color into our home, so I hired a friend to paint the bathroom this lovely shade of green.  I knew I made a mistake the second he put the color on the wall, but I made it work and lived with the color for the last 3 years.

The main problem I had with the color besides it being the wrong shade, was that it didn't flow nicely with the rest of the house.  Of course my husband loved the color and didn't understand why I chose the color if I disliked it so much.  Needless to say I had to get the OK from him before I was able to make any changes.
Dang-it!  Since when does he have an opinion?!

I'd been planning this makeover in my mind for years.  I knew the updates would include beadboard wallpaper and a chair rail.

Our friend that helped with our cabinet makeover also installed the chair rail in the bathroom.  In hindsight it would have made wallpapering the bathroom easier if the chair rail was added after.


I love the bathroom so much more now.  The wall color is Martha Stewart's, Winter's Day matched to Behr paint.  I painted the trim and wallpaper with white paint in an eggshell/satin finish straight off the shelf.

The bathroom is small, but after the changes it seems much larger.

I love filling my home with plants.  These cacti are very low maintenance.  I've had them for years.


I purchased a small mirror for over the sink.  The original color didn't work.  I gave it a quick makeover with some oil rubbed bronze spray paint.  Everything looks black in the pictures, but it's actually o.r.b.

I updated this picture I had stored away in the garage the same way.  The frame was originally gold.


The crown moulding and the chair rail are actually door casings.

I added a small basket and ladder for additional storage.


The shower stall is small, but it's big enough for my children to use.




The bathroom opens up to the striped walls in the hallway.  The colors flow much better now. That makes me very happy!

I am linking this post to:
The Inspired RoomUndertheTableandDreaming Home Stories A2ZIt's OverflowingRemodelaholicFunky Junk InteriorsThrifty Decor Chick