Other DIY projects

When I first moved into my current apartment this past summer I was stoked to decorate and make it "home". The landlords actually PAID for the paint if we picked out the colors and did it ourselves! Looking back, I'm pretty sure that is what got me started.

In my excitement of decorating I made frequent trips to Target, Khols and Ikea..and my bank account diminished. Could I really justify spending $26 on a pillow to match the walls that I would live in for 9 months? As someone that frequently deals with shopper's remorse I knew what I had to do. Digging out some plastic bags, all of my receipts, and gathering up my purchases I returned (most of) my decorations and set out on a new challenge.

First was the space above the futon. Back in college I spent a few months in Europe and had always wanted to display some of the sights I was blessed enough to see. The hardest part of this project was limiting my picks to 3! I blew up shots of the London Bridge, Florence Duomo, and Eiffel Tower in black-and-white, then used black matte board for frames. $13 wall artwork, check!


Next, I had been dying to update some way to disply my jewlery. I'd been scoping out jewelry trees but couldn't find one that I really liked and most were between $15-30, so I opted to make one of my own. My mom found the perfect branch which I painted with some leftover, purple paint from our living room. Then I selected one of my many vases (thanks Bryan!) and used wine corks (suprised?) to fill the empty space. At some point I see myself switching out the vases and the corks but I absolutely LOVE the idea and the look! As for a price total? Completely free!


Finally, I had some space above my television that I wanted to fill. I liked the idea of some extra shelf space, something to hang my scarves on, and a splash of yellow on the gray wall. One 4-minute stop at the local Goodwill supplied me with a $3.99 shelf with hooks. We had some extra yellow paint from our kitchen, 2 coats in 2 days and my new masterpiece was good to go. I don't see this shelf making it to the livingroom of my future house but I think it may work well in a child's room someday!


I'm not determinded to do DIY projects for all of my future decroating but for now it is a good challenge and is quite enjoyable. If you have any suggestions...feel free to pass them on!

DIY Corkboard

I'm a HUGE wine drinker. I love holding my glass by the stem, throwing my head back and laughing like someone just said something magnificent. Or cupping a glass in my hand, swirling the red up to it's rims and discussing deep things that people only spill when they are sipping wine.

I've been saving corks for a while in order to make a corkboard, and I finally followed through.

First, the corks. Free (unless you count the hundreds of bottles of wine that they came with:) ).


I wanted to find a frame that was thick and rustic-looking but that could painted at some point. After 3 trips to the local Goodwill I found this bad boy for $4.99.


Once I had the board and corks, I sat in front of the TV to watch The Biggest Loser and played away! It was recommended to make sure the corks all fit before gluing them down.

The edges required trimming some of the cords. I'd recommend using a small drill but I managed with some knives. And wine. (potentially a bad combo!)


Once you've got the board fitted with corks, get to gluing! I used a hot glue gun which worked fantastic.


And voila! My very own, unique, fun and "wine-ish" bulletin board! The entire project took only a couple of hours and is very cheap if you can get your hands on a good supply of corks.


Now...off to decorate the corkboard!

Dreaming generation

If you're from my generation, we are a group of dreamers. We want to change the world, do what we want, and leave a name for generations to remember.

Compare us to our parents. Hard-working, stick with the basics, and do what you have to do.

Can you see the difference or is it just me?



I went to the University of Iowa where I was determined to find a passion that I could turn into a career. My theory was that if I have to spend 40 hours a week doing something..I better be enjoying it! I found myself earning a Bachelors in Health Promotion and enjoyed about 90% of my classes - now what student can honestly say that?



Now I have the privilege of spending 40 hours a week encouraging people to be active and pursue their health. (http://www.directlife.philips.com/)

Here I am! Working with a population that I have a heart for, standing behind something I believe in, and believing that I am having an impact. I have complete respect for my parents, they are two of the hardest working people that I know. And I REALLY appreciate them bringing me up as a dreamer, striver, go-getter.

Today I'm feeling thankful. Sometimes I get frustrated working at a computer so much and being "tied down" with a "real job" but I understand that I'm part of an elite group of people that enjoy what they do.

Side Note: Sweet article relating to what DirectLife is all about! For those of you show work in desk jobs this TOTALLY RELATES TO YOU!!

(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/16/AR2010101602903.html)

sqUEEZing in a work-out

Today I'm sitting at my desk, sore. Most often this is because of a fast or long run but there has been no time for this recently. Life is a bit hectic right now, just how I like it!

All day I listen to "barriers" (what I like to call excuses) to being active. It is all about prioritizing folks, if you want to make it happen, make it happen!

Well, I managed to get in a workout yesterday, without breaking a sweat, fitting it into the small gaps of time I found.

First - Push ups.


Second - Lunges.


Third - Leg Lifts.



Fourth - Dips.


Fifth - Planks.


On a good day, you can get three sets of 15. Let me give you a brief picture of how they fit into my day yesterday.

Set 1. Wake up, lunge to the bathroom, leg lifts while washing face and doing make up, lunge to room, dips while looking into my closet for something to wear, push-ups before changing, plank position while discussing evening plans the the bf - then out the door!

Set 2 and Set 3. Follow same idea, worked into evening and night routines.

You'll probably get looks but you will feel great and spice up your usual routine!



The way this went down

Blog Revamp

So this blog needs a little better look and that is not my specialty. One thing that I can do is pictures - I take a LOT of them, so you think it would be pretty easy to find simple picture of just myself, right?

Here are some options.



Rocking the jean jacket and cheese curds.



Bon Jovi, you have a spot very close to my heart.


Portrait for work. Boring.



Ahahahha. The walrus never gets old!


False advertising.


Not my most attractive smile.


Woahhh. A little too hard-core.


Inappropriate?


Anyway, you get the idea..and probably a lot more thorough glimpse into this past year then you wanted. Note to self: try smiling in a "normal" picture on occasion...yeah right!

New Adventures

I'm a little embarrassed that I've written one post in the past year. Not only have I only written once, it was a post lashing out of emotions and incredibly dramatic.

Well guess what? I'm baaackkkk. A little more committed this time (at least for now ;-) ). I'm taking on new adventures and am too excited to NOT write about it.




It is all because of this, and the fact that I no longer have one. Without music, what else is one to do while running, besides let their mind run rampant with dreams and ambitions?

Several miles and a few hours later, I had decided to start my own business. My dream is to work with women one-on-one and do wellness coaching. The long-term benefits include having a flexible schedule and keeping my kids out of daycare in addition to feeding one of my biggest passions. For now it is an exciting, new challenge and a good place to channel my energy.

Get excited folks, because I sure am!