Spring Bling

February 28, 2013 by 4 Comments

I’m ignoring the fact that it’s snowing like crazy outside and still acting like winter.

I’m ready for warmer weather.

I’m not asking for much…just some days filled with sun and blue skies.

Despite, whatever Mother Nature is doing to us, it’s time to get some Spring bling on!

A few weeks ago, Nicole and I hit a terrific estate sale.

I love when we find the unexpected as well score the items that we went for.

Just when I thought we saw it all, I spotted a tiny room with some vintage earrings.

{Yes, an unexpected score!!}

Vintage jewels are so beautiful.

The glitz and glamour of long ago is simply one of a kind.

The sparkle and pastel colors are gorgeous aren’t they?

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  I appreciate the beauty of vintage clip on earrings, but knew I would never wear them.

It came to me that I could make magnets out of them.

They may not get attention from wearing them these days, but will get a new kind of attention holding up pictures & artwork around my home.

{Okay, I realize some of you may be gasping that I’m dismantling something vintage…but, that’s what we do around here.}

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Using my handy dremel, some super strong glue and magnets I got to work.

 

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 I love how the magnets add that extra something special and unexpected.

The sparkly aurora borealis magnets are my favorites.

Do you have a favorite?

These will be available at our next sale later this Spring.

If you can’t wait till then, feel free to contact me at carin@yby5.com.

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If you’d rather wear vintage check out my friends Etsy shop for vintage necklaces, earrings, handbags and much more.

 

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Filed Under: awesome finds, before & after, craftiness, decorating, DIY, estate sales

Homemade Coffee Syrup for Valentine’s Day

February 13, 2013 by 1 Comment

If you read along with Carin and I at all then you know of our love of lattes. Every single work decision we’ve ever made has occurred either during a long walk or over a couple of cardboard cups from a local coffee shop. No lie.

But I’d often stare at the price of those cups and mentally slap myself. I have an espresso machine. And unlike most, I actually know HOW TO USE IT. (Admittedly I make a huge mess every time.)

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One problem, I hate how all the store bought syrups taste.

So after some internet searching I decided to make my own vanilla syrup. Fortunately it was SUPER easy. (If you’ve ever made simple syrup then you can do this.)

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Simple Vanilla Coffee Syrup

  • 3 cups white sugar
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 t vanilla syrup

Bring the water to a boil. Dissolve the sugar in the water. Add the vanilla syrup. Let cool.

Once cooled I poured the syrup in a cleaned out wine bottle and printed up a label.

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 I’ll let you take a moment and think about the price of those syrup bottles in the stores or at Starbucks. Right.

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And what a great gift for Valentine’s Day to give to the coffee lover in your family.

A few internet searches and you can easily find the recipes to make caramel, raspberry or whatever kind of syrup you desire.

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Makes me look forward to working on the computer today. Almost.

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YUM!

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Filed Under: craftiness, DIY, tasty treats

Cheaply Updating a Bathroom

February 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Confession time!

While Carin is busy showing off  sharing her daughter’s empty wall (Oh the horror!) my winter project is a lot less charming and a lot more cringe-inducing.

For one year, five months, twelve days, and two hundred minutes (totally estimated) I have lived with wallpaper in my first floor powder room that looks like this:

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Did you just choke a little on your coffee?

Yes, those are butterflies. Note the perfectly covered light switches. Wha-?

Anyone who knows me, at all, knows that I am not really the butterfly type.

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I’m not really a rider on the dragonfly bandwagon either.

I shudder a little every time I walk into this room, or even worse–point a guest in that direction.

Yet, like so many of you, I have done NOTHING to improve what is now known as “The Butterfly Situation”.

So I’m manning-up, coming clean and doing something about it. BUT, I do not want to spend much money on this project. I’d much rather spend my money ANYWHERE else than on a freaking bathroom. So I’ve promised myself that the process may be slow–but it WILL be cheap and simple. First up, the cheapest part of the process: Research.

Here are a few of the rooms I’ve found interesting:

I love how clean and fresh this looks. Very mono-chromatic which I kinda like.

Source: houzz.com via Yby5 on Pinterest

Stay with me here–because while the STYLE of this is NOT to my liking, I do love all the gray with that bright splash of red. It’s unexpected and fun. Makes me think that maybe I should re-wallpaper?

Source: decorpad.com via Yby5 on Pinterest

Please disregard the metallic walls. I’m just not ready to go all modern by applying aluminum foil to my bathroom. BUT, oh how this mirror makes me happy. I think a mirror like that might actually improve my self-image. How can you possibly feel badly about yourself when you’re looking in there?

What are the chances of me finding the vintage letters S-E-X-Y that light up?

(I’m kidding. This photo is here solely to make Carin’s head spin. I couldn’t resist.)

How much do I love this tile? Those stripes are so awesome. My powder room isn’t large enough for these stripes but my master bath is. I’m saving this photo for future reference.

Stay tuned for some more ideas and eventually, some actual progress!

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Filed Under: DIY
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