The bane of the student life

Well, folks. It is that terrible, horrible time in every college student's life that I must apologize for.

It is time for finals!

Not my most favorite time of the semester. But I like it better than the first week of school. The first week is always scary because you know you have 4 more months until the class is over and you have a billion tests to do from now until finals. But finals are upon us and we are studying like mad people over here! So I do apologize for less than interesting posts right now.

However, I do have a sneak preview of a project I am undertaking. Would you like to see it?

I know you do!

Oooh what, oh what will I being doing with this sad little beauty that I found at the DI for $9? I suppose we'll find out when I get back from finals! Stay tuned in and I'll tell you if my plans for it work or not. You never know with me!

Pick Your Plum

I wanted to share an amazing deal site. It is just so incredible, I really had to show you all! For all you Crafty McCraftersons, this is going to be right up your alley. Pay close attention.

Pick Your Plum is the hottest in crafty deals. This is what has was up today and sold out like *that.* (That is me snapping my fingers. Yup).This deal was 12 blocks (2x2) for $8. Solid, hefty blocks for a multitude of uses! I could do so much with these babies. Make holiday decor, paint them, paper weight, use them to hold up the hor'dourves tray, juggle them, door stop, book ends, giant apothecary jar filler, ;) you name it! These were sold out before I could blink.

These babies were sold out before I could get to them too. (Isn't that just my luck?!) 3 for $1.50!!! I mean really... that's a great deal! Chalkboard sticker labels have just got to be one of the most versatile and lovely things ever. I could use them on... well... everything!

Here is the skinny on Pick Your Plum. They are a deal-a-day website and they post early in the morning. We're talking in the AM... like 6 AM (MST) So you may just want to be awake for some of this. Their deals are super straightforward. You nab the deal and they send it to you, pronto! You are ready to craft before you know it! Sign up for their email list and you will be the first to know of the awesome deals going on.

Bought anything from Pick Your Plum? Go like them and share on their facebook wall or twitter and let them know you care!

www.pickyourplum.com

A Day Late

Happy Belated Earth Day! I realize I am a day late in expressing this, but my excuse is a good one. I promise! We're chillin' with the family for Easter. Woo, chocolate!
But anyway, I do want to take a moment to give a shout out to Earth Day. Quite often we just remember to 'save the earth' on one day a year. I have been excited to hear about all the different things we as individuals have come up with in the past few years to be green. Honestly, it doesn't take much and it doesn't take government mandates for us to do our part. Just remembering to turn off the light when you leave a room is awesome! So here are a few suggestions for 'going green' in an everyday way.

1. Buy local produce where ever possible.
Good for the planet because the food doesn't have to travel far to get to you.
Good for you because you know where it came from and it's likely healthier if you buy from Farmer's Markets!

2. Make your own cleaning supplies.
Good for the planet because it prevents unnecessary release of chemicals.
Good for you because, I don't know about you, but I have no idea what most the chemicals in cleaning supplies even are! I'm much happier to rub a slice of lemon on something to clean it instead of that cleanser that only says it's "lemon scented." For ideas on recipes, click here for a good website.

3. Don't use plastic shopping bags.
Good for the planet because it helps prevent all the plastic floating around the highways.
Good for you because you don't have to worry about crumpling or storing those plastic bags anymore! I know there are a lot of those reusable bags in stores now. So buy one! Or better yet... make one! Take it to the store and have the bagger put your food in those instead. But if you do use the fabric bags, be sure to wash them. Especially if you had put meat or produce in them. I would recommend after every use, toss the bag in with your regular laundry. That way when you wash it, it just shares the same suds as your other wash rags or bathroom towels.

So that is my bit of wisdom. :p

Have a Happy Easter!

Here are two "green" spring time items in my shop. Enjoy!

(Click Here to purchase)

(Update: Sold)

Essentials for a College Student

Every good college student can manage to fanangle their way into getting brand new things for essentially... free. Or as close to free as we can manage. So, my hubby discovered that Amazon.come buys back textbooks. Sometimes they even buy back textbooks the school won't even buy back! So we dumped all our textbooks on Amazon and came up with enough money to get me a brand spanking new Kindle! Oh yeah, babay! I am sooo looking forward to not lugging around heavy textbooks around campus. Granted, the Kindle is an expensive piece... and it needs to be protected just like I want to protect my cell phone or iPod. But the cases for Kindle are way too expensive. We're looking at $20 for plain and ugly or $50-100 for pretty cute cases. I wasn't about to cough up that dough if I could do it myself. I discovered I could make my own Kindle case for just about $15 and make it as awesome as I want. So there.

Front cover, flap held with Velcro.

Inside with the elastic. I would have liked to use black but that's all I had when making it at 11pm. :P

Hubby showing off the overall look. Doesn't he look fabulous?

Heh, anyway. The fabric was a taffeta like stuff with nice texture that I bought awhile ago. It also has an insert so there is a form to it instead of just flappy fabric. I am pleased with myself. I didn't take pictures of the process but I think we may find these suckers for sale in my Etsy shop sometime soon so be on the look out!

Buried under a pile of stuff

As a humble student, I have found a strange problem. My husband and I are pack rats. I mean it. We will horde anything we have a use for... later. Both of us very often say, "Oh I can use that for... uh... something..." and thus we find the cycle begin. We are picky with our stuff, I promise. But with so much stuff, it's cluttering up the house.

Uhhg! Help! Make it stop!

So here's the thing... I've been in spring cleaning mode. I'm tossing so much stuff, I think the garbage men are afraid to come around our apartment every week. So I made a little list that seems to help me remain calm when I feel I'm buried in all my stuff.

1. Free the surfaces!
By this I mean I try so hard to keep items off the tables, side tables, coffee table, kitchen counter, bathroom counters, etc. The clearer it all is, the happier I am and the cleaner things look. This may or may not involve tossing everything in drawers... I am working on that.
2. Keep dishes out of the sink.
I am HORRIBLE at this, but I have had my good friend as well as my sister-in-law tell me to make this a ritual like brushing teeth at night. Before bed, do the dishes. I did actually find I feel better waking up in the morning to get my breakfast munches and feeling happy I didn't have to do the dishes first.
3. Exile the shoes.
Not permanently. Just toss them in the closet and close the closet so I don't see them in my entryway. I was raised in an Asian household and therefore all shoes were removed at the door. So my bad habit has been to just leave the shoes there... and my entire collection of shoes end up at the front door. If I place them in the closet or in the shoe holder in my bedroom, life just feels cleaner!

These are the three big things I'm working on lifestyle-wise. It's a process, people. It won't happen overnight but it's baby steps, right?

(Source)

A Good Cause

My friends, I take a moment of time to ask those generous hands for a little help. My darling sister-in-law and my brother are raising two wonderful children. These two children are Autistic. As such, my SIL has been a part of fund-raising for TACA (Talking About Curing Autism). I believe this happens once a year where families try to raise money so that the services of TACA are as cheap as possible to help the families with children with Autism. I thought I would take a moment to ask you to take a look at her page by going here. ^-^

"TACA is a great group of Families with Autism helping other Families with Autism. They have given us the tools to help our kids and we are so grateful for it! Please help us say Thank You by making a donation. " ~Alaina

Feeling Good

Yesterday was a blustery day. It was literally impossible to keep my hair out of my face as I was walking to class. But for some reason, that didn't matter. I was feeling good! At first, I couldn't put my finger on it. To be honest, it's been one hilly road after another this year. But I was feeling on top of the world. When I got home from class, I took a long look in the mirror and figured it out. It was the simplest thing in the world! My earrings. I was in LOVE with my earrings. They made me feel awesome! I had just made them because I needed something simple.
These are just the daintiest earrings I have ever owned and I love them. Ruffly and light. I only have a few of these studs for sale in my shop right now (see here) but I will definitely have more to come soon!

...PS... that's a terrible picture of me but I am willing to show it because I seriously love the earrings and I think their cuteness outweighs my self-photography skills. :P I look a little medicated in this picture. Oops.

Decor Love

Does anyone have as much Anthropologie envy as I do right now? Probably. If you have ventured into one of its stores, you will probably love it as much as I do. But the price? Oh the price... I don't like the expensive nature of Anthropologie! Pottery Barn is only a wee bit better. Then there is Pier 1 Imports (which I love!) which is cheaper. All of these stores, I love!
I made my first venture into Anthropologie in Salt Lake City last month. Granted, I wasn't hugely impressed with this particular store, but still, I could see how much potential this place had. I found a ton of little treasures.

(Source: One-Lump-Or-Two, Anthropologie)

Perfect for my living room. I love china. But $198? Move along. (Besides... I am very sure my husband could figure out how to rig this up for me for cheaper. He is that awesome).

(Source: Nimbus Duvet Cover, Anthropologie)

It looks like it would feel like a cloud. My husband scrunched his nose at it and shrugged. What?! He didn't like it?! Bah. Men. He then pointed to the price tag. How much?! Walk away quickly. Poor college students can't afford this store.

So then, I traveled the Internet just for you! I discovered just the thing to curb the Anthropologie addiction. It's called Knock-Off Decor. Granted, it isn't perfect copies... but they'll do the trick for those of us that can't always afford the good stuff. This website is great for the Do-It-Yourself-ers out there. I think I may just be looking at this site all day.

Remember that Duvet Cover I just showed you?

(Source: Cirrus Bedding by Being Brooke via Knock-Off designs)

Tada! All for so much cheaper. Go here for the tutorial.

So there is hope out there for us to have our cake and eat it too... but only if we want to apply a little elbow grease and mind power. If it means saving money, count me in!

On my trip to Anthropologie, I found this.
A square pouf. It's perfect for a footstool/extra seating. It was about $200 dollars. Yeah... uhm... it's a sewn up square with a zipper! Granted, it was a pretty good size. It came up to my knees just about. I really want to make this for my living room!

Spring Cleaning?

Remember when I said that I was cleaning the house? Cleaning the office? Turns out I've made such a mess of the house that this is literally going to take FOREVER! But I did say I was going to show you some before and afters. Let me warn you now... it is not pretty, people! Okay, the after is getting closer to pretty. But it's still just... yuccch! I'm going to have to get creative with storage here soon. Just let me show you what I mean.


I am sorry about the poor picture quality... but I was scared my office was going to eat me if I kept taking pictures. So I ran instead.
So yes, please take special note of all the shave ice flavorings invading my closet, the random baby items I own (and have no baby to use on them), all the pictures on the floor... oh yes, take it all in. All of its awful, horrible, terrible glory! Now that I have sufficiently grossed all of you out... I will show you how it has taken its first steps towards being cleaner...

Ahhh... the clutter has been shoved against the walls. Always much better. :p

That's a lot of books, you say? Don't worry... that's only about 1/4 of the books that exist in this house. This is also not taking into account the rest of the books my parents are holding for me at their place. Hubby and I are bibliophiles...
(Again, apologies for the picture... I am working on those photography skills...)

I know there's stuff behind the door. Shhhh! It won't be there long. *ahem*
But what I really want to show you is the way I've organized all my crafty items. Okay, some of my crafty items. (Just uh... ignore the ugly lamp cord trailing its way to the plug behind everything. Uhg... cords. Can't live with them, can't live without them...)

Tada! Suitcases. Why? Portability. As my dear husband will tell you... I tend to slather myself somewhere in the house and claim it as my own for the next few weeks while I work on a project. This way, I can stick all my stuff in something and hide it under the desk for the next project. This idea may not work for everyone, but it sure works for me.

I found these vintage beauties at the local Desert Industries (basically just another Goodwill) and I picked them up for 2-4$ apiece back when we first got married. I adore them.

...Scrapbook stuff. I don't even scrapbook. I got it all because the local Roberts was going out of business and it was all 75-90% off. I could not pass it up. I horde, people. I horde. I will use it someday. That's what I keep saying. But I swear I do eventually use everything!

So that is what's happening in my office. What do you think? Got any brilliant ideas for me to try out to organize (and/or toss things out?)

And we're off!

After a few days of fiddling with the little things... I am happy to say that I have finally opened my Etsy shop! I will be adding more things to the shop soon, I promise. Until then, you can go ahead and find the beginnings of it right by clicking here.

I've also been cleaning out my office. It's become a dumping ground for everything. I just chuck everything I can into that room when guests come so they don't see how terribly messy I really am. Boxes of Christmas and Halloween decorations, books, clothes, laundry... yeah. Sneaky things really must like my office.

I must apologize for the short entry, but I am still working on that whole cleaning thing. Stay tuned for the before and afters!

Fundraising and a Recipe

To those lucky enough to be in Springville, Utah on the 9th, I've donated and sent a package of goodies for sale in the boutique. Good luck to the Nielsen family in bringing their babies in from Africa! I know I don't know you at all, but you're friends of friends and we're all here to help each other out in life! <3 Here is a sneak peek at some of the beauties I sent for the fundraiser.

I am sorry that my etsy shop is not up and running yet, but stay tuned! It will be here very soon, I promise. Cross my heart. Then all of these cute dainty and funky goodies will be available for your hot little hands.
As a bonus since I don't have the etsy shop up yet, I have a great recipe for you all to try. It's cheap and sooo easy. This is coming from me who can't bake a chocolate chip cookie to save my life. (I do the cooking and my husband does the baking. Great deal, huh?) But this recipe I am proud to say I can accomplish all by myself. So here it is!

Aunt Heather's Butterscotch Pull-Aparts

Bunt Pan
Frozen Dinner Roll Dough
2/3 Stick butter
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Package Instant Butterscotch Pudding Mix
*Chopped Almonds Optional

Melt the butter and the brown sugar together and make sure it mixes well.
Remove from heat and let it cool and become warm, not hot.
Place 16 frozen dinner rolls in bunt pan
Sprinkle half a package of butterscotch instant pudding mix and then spread the butter and brown sugar mixture over rolls.
Let sit overnight or 6-8 hours until dough has risen.
Preheat the oven to 350°Bake for 10-20 minutes while keeping an eye on it. Once the top looks gently golden brown, remove and place on a platter.
*Sprinkle top with chopped almonds if desired
Eat warm and enjoy!

(Forgive the bad image... I took it with my phone).

Welcome!

My friends, thank you for poking in to see me. I welcome all visitors. If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to email me. ^-^

Q. Okay, who are you?
A. Why, thank you for asking! Hi, I'm Ann.
~I adore creative things. I even more adore creative things on a budget. Because I am poor. I will remain poor due to the reason given below.
~I am still a university student and will likely be one for the rest of my natural life.
~I've am married to a stud muffin. Who knows, maybe he'll make an appearance here one day?
~I truly FLUFFY HEART LOVE all things shiny. Just call me a magpie.
~ I love gorgeous fabric.
~I do have the tendency of being very bubbly but I am super shy too!
~We still live in an apartment so anything I do to decorate has to be apartment lease friendly. No painting the walls! D: Sad puppy... because you know I would slap some crazy paint on the walls so fast.
~Need I forget? I loooove old time desks. They have so much character.Okay let's face it, I love old furniture in all its glory. I love transforming them on the cheap.
~Lastly, I make and sell jewelry. It indulges me and my "oh that's shiny!" side.

Q. What is with the name?
A. Well, my name is Ann and as you can well imagine, I got a lot of "Anne of Green Gables" references growing up. Not that I mind one bit. I love Anne of Green Gables. However, since I am Ann and not Anne, someone had the bright idea of calling me "Ann of Red Tables." Cute. ~_^ But not quite accurate. I love old timey desks and I love the color blue. Tada! Besides, all my greatest ideas come when I'm pounding my noggin on a desk, ya know.


Q. What is this blog about?
A. Well my dear friend, I don't know. Whatever I want it to be!

That's it for now. <3