Isn’t Christmas time such a magical time? I just love Christmas and everything that it brings. Thursday I will be sharing some of your Christmas decorations and your Christmas favorites. But for today I wanted to share one of my Christmas’ and tell you my favorite things about Christmas.
I love Christmas for so many reasons…for family that gathers…for laughter that is shared…for the feeling of togetherness.
I love getting to give…to give to those less fortunate and to give to those that are nearest and dearest to my heart.
This year, I look forward to seeing my boys faces light up when Santa has arrived…to see the excitement of receiving a gift that they asked for.
I love the simple things..the Christmas music, the wrapping of gifts, hot chocolate, the cookies, sausage balls, and cinnamon rolls (hmmm…I think I like the food!).
Most of all I love that we celebrate Christmas because the Savior of the world left Heaven, a place free of pain and hurt, and chose to come to earth. To live in our world…to experience hurt and troubles, to experience rejection, pain, and ultimately death on the cross so that we might have life. That we would choose Him. I am so thankful that He chose to come for me and for you.
I pray that your Christmas would be filled with many blessings…with family and friends and love.
My legging collection has gotten out of hand. Mainly because I have recently converted to the “leggings are acceptable as pants” club. For years I have looked down on leggings as pants wearers but this year things have changed for me.
Maybe I am older and wiser.
Maybe I have lowered my standards.
Maybe it’s because I have discovered fleece lined leggings and I just can’t get enough of them.
I wear them all day and then I wear them to bed.
If loving fleece-lined leggings is wrong I don’t want to be right.
And because of my crack-like addiction to leggings – here is what my legging drawer has turned in to.
I am so lucky to have a husband who, although, sits on the couch and watches football all day on Sunday, he manages to offset this activity by plowing through all of our laundry while he watches football.
And putting away my clean leggings can be rather confusing for him.
Do they go in the sweatpants drawer?
With pajamas?
Hung up?
With the jeans?
So I was determined to find a better legging storage solution.
A regular hanger was too large and the leggings always bunch up on one side.
I liked these hangers as a solution, but hanging the leggings vertically takes up too much closet real estate space.
When I went back into the closet to ponder my legging dilemma I stumbled upon some of my son’s children’s hangers and it was a magical moment for me.
Kids hangers are the perfect size for leggings. And we have a million of them! But if you don’t have little ones at home you can purchase a bundle of them for $1.00.
Now all of my leggings are out of the dresser drawer, stored wrinkle free, and are in optimal viewing sight when choosing which ones I would wear each and every day.
Now that we have found the absolute best way to store your leggings you just need to decide what team you are on when it comes to wearing pants as leggings. And I have created a wonderful flow chart to help you talk through your feelings on this.
How did you fare on the flow chart? Legging lover or hater?
Happy Friday! It’s a snow day here in Oklahoma – a.k.a. a chance to bust out some projects I have been putting off for-ev-ah! This DIY Pot Rack from an old ladder has been sitting around, halfway done, for a few weeks. And halfway done projects stare at me and whisper “loser” every time I pass it. It’s like the ghost of Christmas projects. FREAKY.
A pot rack is a necessity in our house because the genius who built our home did not build a pantry or much storage space in the kitchen. When we bought our home 6 years ago I bought this pot rack at ROSS for $30.00, thinking it was a temporary solution, until I found one I adored. Then two things happened. I never found one I liked and the pot racks I adored were made for the rich and famous – based on their price.
And you know what I do when I get all Scrooge-like about prices! I MacGyver one up one my own.
If you want to DIY our own ladder pot rack here are the supplies you will need.
Handy Link Chain (this one was 15 feet) $13.00 at Home Depot
4 x Quick Link Chain (this size was 3/16”) $2.00 each
A Ladder (duh). I bought mine at a flea market for $10.00. It is smaller than an actual ladder you would use. I have no idea what it was used for, possibly just a decorative piece.
If you want to paint your ladder, include paint on your supply list. I painted my ladder in CeCe Caldwell’s Santa Fe Turquoise and finished it in Dark Aging Cream.
I spray painted the chain link and the Quick Link Chains in the oil rubbed bronze spray paint. Guys. This stuff is classiness in a can. It changes a prison looking piece of chain into a fancy looking hanging device. I sprayed 4 thin coats on everything and let it dry for about 48 hours before using it.
I then just attached the chain to the 3rd rung from the outside and adjusted the length of the chain to my liking with the quick link chain. Sorry about the crappy picture above. It was 10pm and I was like “Dude, get on with this project already.” So there was no natural light to speak of.
I used the Threshold shower curtain hooks to hang the pots. I had considered using S Hooks like these but when I stumbled upon the shower curtain hooks I chose them because I didn’t have to spray paint them (they were already oil-rubbed bronze) and one side of the hook was smaller than the other, so it hung to the ladder a little more snuggly and stayed in place better.
Then I hung my pots and stood back and admired it. It looks so unique and handmade. I LOVE it!
And I love it even more for the price.
What do you think about my DIY pot rack? Handmade or Homemade looking?
Hello everyone! Hope your weather is holding up where you are! We have a pretty layer of snow with more on the way…I just love the snow…makes everything look so pretty! I also love how quiet it is and how it makes life slow down for a bit. Sometimes you just need that! It’s been a while since I put up a paint project, on account of working on holiday decorating. But yesterday I tried out a painted project using Cece Caldwell paint on glass ornaments, and let me just say, I am IN LOVE with how they turned out! They are simple and inexpensive to create and you can get the exact color you’re looking for every time.
I started with the Simply White ornaments first by pouring some in a cup and adding the smallest amount of water. Basically you want the consistency of a heavy creamer or a little bit thicker. Start with less water, you can always add more if needed. I was then ready to pour the paints into the ornament using the funnel.
Once the paint has been poured, give it a good swirl to cover completely and pour out extra. You can then set aside and let it dry. One plus, Cece Caldwell paint dries very quickly so it doesn’t take much time to dry. After the Simply White ornaments were complete, I poured my own concoction of colors, from the colors listed above, in the Simply White to create a robin egg blue and repeated all the steps.
While the ornaments were drying, I painted the tops with glue and dipped them in a mix of glitter to give a vintage look. You can achieve the same look by mixing gold, silver, and white glitter; as well as, using a mix of regular size glitter and the fine stuff like I used on the other ornaments.
Once it’s dry and the tops have been replaced, you’re done! I love the pretty, unique colors and how soft and glass like they appear. And mixed in with the glittered ornaments I showed how to do the other day in THIS POST, I think they are fun, classic, and simple.
Some of you may have missed it from my Thanksgiving post, but we’re having a little fun…I want you to send me pictures of your holiday decor, along with your favorite thing about the Christmas season. For those that send in pictures, you will be entered to win three sample colors of your choice of Cece Caldwell paint. Then, next week I will share your holiday decor on the blog, along with the winner. The deadline to send in pictures to my email, havenbyhayden@hotmail.com, is Sunday, December 9 at 11:59pm Central Time. Don’t miss out on getting to share and get the opportunity to receive a fun treat!
The #1 question I get asked is “How were you able to afford to quit your job?” And that is a very long response that I have put off writing about.
Mainly because I can’t decide if I should say how much I made in my previous job or not. Having a banking background makes me pretty transparent when it comes to money. When you are the banker – you sort of know everyone’s finances. Your family’s, your friend’s, your customers, your neighbors, the businesses in your town. You know the good, the bad, and the U.G.L.Y.
So talking about money doesn’t scare me. But moderating all of the comments from people who think I should or should not be talking about it does. So I am going the keep my old salary to myself. For my own sanity.
But blogging and selling paint is not making me a millionaire. And I certainly make less money than I did when I worked a traditional job.
Here is 5 things we shuffled around so I could take the plunge into the self employment pond.
1. We lowered our childcare expenses. We went from paying almost $1,000.00/month in daycare for our ONE child to paying $215.00 for 3-day week mother’s day out. I also have an awesome neighbor who watches my little one for me and I watch her kids for her. So there is about $785.00 that I could add back into our budget.
2. We scaled back our cars. Before I drove an Infiniti and my husband drove a Sequoia. Not cheap cars. Now I drive a 2007 Mazda CX7 and my husband drives a truck. The car payment for the truck comes out of our business account, since there was no other reason for us to have a truck than for our business, and our CPA was 100% OK with that. I don’t care about fancy cars and when I think about it I have no idea why we had such nice cars in the first place. I love my little Mazda and I plan to drive it until it dies. I know exactly how much furniture and crap I can cram into it.
3. I clip coupons. I took a coupon class and I was able to cut back our grocery bill from about $400.00 to about $250.00 month. I always had the perception that poor people clipped coupons. It’s so stupid to even say it out loud! But coupon clippers have money because they are saving so much! I don’t always clip coupons when I am super busy with antique fairs but for the most part I only purchase items that are on sale with a coupon. It’s CRAY how much you can save. Here in Oklahoma I took my coupon class from Coupon Closet. It was free and she does all of the hard work for you! If you don’t live in Oklahoma you can Google for coupon classes in your area. Trust me. There is one.
4. We eat at home a lot more now. Since I work from home I can make more meals at home. This is a huge savings and so much healthier for our family. I use our crockpot religiously and base our menu around what I bought on sale that week.
5. My wardrobe is a lot less fancy. I don’t have to have new heels and new suits. I pretty much wear yoga pants, New Balance jackets, and tennis shoes, when I am out stocking paint and rearranging 3 retail spaces. It’s dirty work and certainly not worth getting dressed up for. I still try to dress up a few times a week so I don’t feel like a hobo. Sometimes you just gotta put some lipstick and cute shoes on to brighten your mood!
I’m not gonna lie. Some months are tight and some months are not. Getting used to the fluctuations of being the boss is hard. 18 months later I feel like I am just now getting the hang of it – and I have a finance background! Either it’s really hard to manage the peaks and valleys of a business or I wasn’t a very good banker! Maybe leaving was a good decision after all! Ha!
What are some ways you cut back? Do you miss the sacrifices or is it totally worth it? If I was being honest I would say I am 80% glad I made the decision. But when are you ever 100% certain about anything?
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving; and had fun with family and friends! Did you get your shopping in? How about decorating for Christmas? All finished? Looks like if you live in Oklahoma or Texas, this weekend would be the perfect time to start a fire and decorate with the crazy weather coming! I’m all decorated at my house and feeling inspired from my post from Thanksgiving day. If you haven’t read it, check out simple decorating tips for Christmas AND see how you can show your house off this next week on the blog and win a prize {hint, hint…I may be giving away some Cece Caldwell paint samples for those that send in pictures of their homes…all the details are in my Thanksgiving Day post HERE!} Okay, okay back to the project at hand…I had some sticks in vases and wanted to put some Christmas ornaments on them. So, I decided to make some homemade ornaments. They’re super easy to create and here’s how…
To start the ornaments you need the following, along with several cups for dumping the excess, and ribbon for hanging.
Start by pulling off the tops. You’re then ready to add the Pledge Wood Floor Finish.
After you have the Pledge floor cleaner in the ornaments, swirl it around to cover the entire inside of the ornament and dump out the extra.
You’re then ready to add the glitter. I used gold, silver, and white mixed together. I prefer the fine glitter, specifically Martha Stewart Crafts Essential Colors Glitter Set, 24-Pack
because it comes in a million different really pretty colors.
Once the glitter is in, give it a good swirl to cover the entire ornament and pour out the extra glitter.
Once your ornament has dried, put the top back on, and your ribbon, and you’re finished! This is such a simple, easy project that even the kids would love to get in on.
Be sure to come back Thursday to check out my Cece Caldwell painted ornaments…so pretty!!! And, make sure you read my post about simple Christmas to get entered to win some fun paints!!!
It’s Monday! Which means we get to pick the brain of a fellow creative crafter who is able to make a living and feed their kids from their creative business. And today’s focus is all about branding your business.
I will be the first to admit I am not an expert here. So when I don’t know something, I find someone, who a friend has referred to me, to undo all of the branding damage I did while spending hours upon hours trying to figure it on my own. I finally got smart and hired Christine from Great Oak Circle. And after working with her- let’s just say branding is something I no longer want to DIY. Let the professionals do what they do well and let me go off and paint some furniture.
Hi RMJ Readers! I am Christine, Owner of Great Oak Circle, and I can’t wait to share these little nuggets of wisdom about branding your business.
Allison: We are so happy to have you! {squeal!} Before we get to the really good stuff about your advice for branding a business. We want to know about YOU- your smiley face – and how your business blossomed into what it is today.
Christine:Great Oak Circle is a creative branding studio named after my childhood home, a happy place full of happy memories. I attended school for web and graphic design, started small and worked hard! God has blessed this studio with great growth and new employees. We specialize in creating hand-drawn, custom logos and supportive branding, and smart websites that make money! In 2014, we are launching a new marketing division to train small business owners. This will be a combination of videos and one-on-one mentorship to get business owners headed in the right direction with promotion and marketing. We specialize in small businesses, several of which are creative and handmade. Our products are handmade, so we understand each other well!
Allison:
At what point does someone typically start thinking about branding, a logo, and start taking their business more seriously? When do you think it is the right time to start investing in their brand?
Christine:
Lots of people want to make money before they invest in good branding. I get it. Typically a business starts with family and friends buying and promoting. If that promotion goes out with an ugly logo, it’s not going to have traction. Image and perception is so important, especially with potential clients that you don’t know personally. Good branding tells people that you sell a quality product, pay attention to detail, are serious and know how to run a business. Not only that, just think about the last time you went crazy over a simple product in the cutest, most precious packaging ever. And you shared it on Facebook, and gave it as a gift. Trust me, it matters.
Allison: How is branding more than just a logo? Why is it so important for a small business?
Christine: Branding does two important things, builds brand recognition and develops customer trust. Good branding involves being thoughtful about each thing that exits your studio. The packaging, flyers, website and social pages should reinforce your message. And remember this, the Nike swoosh means nothing without the product, the product gave it an identity. Success is a complete package. Good product and good presentation TOGETHER will lead to success.
Allison: What are the essential branding items you recommend a business to have?
Christine: Our logo designs come with a business card, because we feel it’s the most important next step. Beyond that, I would defer to the type of business. I offer a free consult to each potential client to discuss exactly this! In general, I think packaging and social presence are key. I think it’s less about how many social sites/websites/print products you have and more about doing it correctly.
Allison: What is the cost or investment for hiring a professional branding expert, like yourself.
Christine: I read a quote recently that said, “If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional, wait until you hire an amateur.”
It’s not a secret that you can go to websites and purchase a logo for less than $50, or maybe less than $20! Or that you can hire someone who is questionably cheap. I would advise a business owner to think about the way they shop for clothes. Yeah, I’ll spend $15 on the super-trendy, only for a year item, but the jeans that I’m wearing now are ten years old. They fit great, look great, and have worn and washed well. They didn’t cost $15, they cost several times that much. Your branding is the same, you get what you pay for! With this type of service, prices will vary, but I would look to spend several hundred to a few thousand dollars (with website included).
Allison: What should someone look for in finding a professional to help them with their branding? I have heard and seen horror stories of sky high costs to hire someone only to have a logo they don’t like very much. How can someone find a good match for them?
Christine: First, I would find someone that responds to emails or messages in a reasonable time frame and offers good customer service. I don’t think you should have to fight to spend money with a designer. Then I would make sure you like their portfolio and see that they have good testimonials. You might even ask for a reference. Read their about page and get to know them. You MUST trust this person. Look at their terms and conditions, or email them, to see how the design process works. How do they brainstorm your designs? Our process involves phone meetings, sketchbook drawings, and several approvals to ensure we produce raving fans. We do a lot of counseling and brand development in our logo designs. That’s the type of relationship that will lead to success.
Allison: There are tons of websites that can help you create a logo and a free blog, like Blogger. What is the benefit to working with a professional and how do you know if you are ready to take your brand to the next level?
Christine: There are some great free tools for business owners out there, and I would take advantage of them when starting out. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are easy places to begin. Of course I run a business that offers totally custom solutions, and I believe that’s what you should do! But if you are in a financial crunch, I would go about this slowly, but correctly. Spend your money on the logo. Run the free blogger blog until we can switch you to WordPress. Run Etsy until we can move you to your own cart. Better yet, some designers offer payment plans.
In the end, everyone knows you get what you pay for. When you pay for a professional designer, you get more than cute graphics. You get knowledge and expertise, coupled with experience and skill. You get counseling and guidance, availability and mentorship. If you’re serious, go with a pro. Just like you would if your house or car broke. Find the right person, then make the cost work. Skip dinning out, have a garage sale, don’t get new boots this year (yikes)! Be the creative person you are, and make it work!
While I did not know Christine in the infancy of my blog and when I made my logo selection I am itching to have a major overhaul on my website design and you know I will be calling Great Oak Circle. She is hands down the best when it comes to understanding a client in the creative industry. She has helped with me with some backend crisises and Gawd bless her heart, I was so lost and in the wrong direction. Christen held-my-hand the entire time until my website was up and working properly. I will always love Christine for that. Might sound a little dramatic, but it’s true.
And here’s how you can see more of Christine’s work.
Her Blog : greatoakcircle.com Go Visit It! Snoop Around and see what you like!
AND AS AN ADDED BONUS *Now through December 31, any client will get a free Facebook, Etsy or Twitter graphic with logo purchase. ($40 value*) Just mention that Refunk My Junk sent you! Simply contact Christine here and I hope you will love her as much as I do!
Wow! I have learned so much from Christine what about you? The convo doesn’t stop here… Leave a comment, ask a question, or join the convo on Facebook and Twitter. What are your thoughts for branding a small business?
Share your branding successes or fails. What’s worked for you and what’s not worked so well.
Happy Black Friday! Did you go out shopping today? My family is trying to shop 100% local for Christmas this year. So Black Friday isn’t on our agenda.
Anywho, If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook them you might have seen a preview of something I have been working on. It’s a ROUGH draft. But I got so excited I had to share it with ya’ll.
And then a slew of questions from you all followed. So here is a quick Q&A with all of the details.
Is this an E-Book?
Yes. It will be available for purchase on Amazon via Kindle for download (approximate price will be about $6.99 via Kindle) and it will also be available for PDF download which can also be read in iBooks on your iPad or iPhone. The PDF version will be slightly higher priced at $9.95 and include additional worksheets and tutorials that will not be in the Kindle edition.
When will it be available?
I am shooting for January 1st. But definitely sometime in January.
Is this a How-To-Paint Furniture Guide?
No. It is for someone who already know the basics on painting furniture. This guide will give you lots of tips, tricks, and shortcuts to save you tons of time and money in your DIY process. If you are looking for a how-to-paint furniture guide, Altar’d Designs has an e-book just for you. You can purchase it here.
Are these tutorials all from your blog?
No. A few of them have been blogged about here at refunkmyjunk.com but most of them will be brand-spankin’ new.
I have an awesome tip, trick, or shortcut that I feel you must share with the world! How can I submit it for your E-book?
I am planning on featuring reader tips and tricks and I would love to include yours! If you have a tip, trick, or shortcut please submit it to allison@refunkmyjunk.com with the subject line Lazy Girl Tips. If you have a blog or website, please include the links and I will give you proper credit for the tip in the E-book along with links to your website/blog/Facebook.
How can I find out when it is available?
I would recommend signing up for our daily emails or our E-Newsletter. We will have special launch prices at a discount for the first few weeks that you won’t want to miss! You can sign up for our daily emails here or our E-Newsletter here.
I want to be an affiliate for your e-book. How can I get in on the action?
Our commissions on all e-books sold will be 50%. If you would like to be an affiliate please email us at allison@refunkmyjunk.com with the subject line Affiliate Info. As soon as we are ready to launch you will be the first to know.
I am so lazy, I know I won’t read this. Will there be an audio version?
Ok. This question made me LOL. As of right now there is not an audio book planned.
I can’t wait to share all of these jewels of wisdom with you all! It is something that I have wanted to do for over 18 months and just never made the time commitment to do it. December is THE month it is getting DONE! And, when I put that deadline out there – for you all to see – I know you all will keep me even more accountable.
And thank you for being my cheerleaders. At our Thanksgiving table I was very thankful for you all too. If it weren’t for you my soul would be slowly dying, behind my desk working in banking. Ok, not like that’s the worst thing in the world – but thank you for coming to my little spot on the Interwebs time and time again.
On another, unrelated note – don’t forget – tomorrow is Small Business Saturday!
Head on over to our retail locations – where we are having sales, Christmas decor, and lots of stocking stuffer ideas! And if you can’t make it to our locations, please spend your money at a local store or small business. Every dollar you spend is like a vote – supporting that business, what they believe in, and where they buy there products from. Think about it!
The Christmas season is here! And for some of you, you may be reading this outside of a store as you wait for those Black Friday specials!!! If you’re one of them, have fun! Christmas time is such a fun time to decorate for! Each year I look through mountains of things in print and online for new ideas on how to decorate. Seems like there are multiple Christmas themes and colors that surface each year. This year as I began looking at ideas I came across multiple pictures of Scandinavian homes decorated for Christmas and I couldn’t get over how simple and absolutely BEAUTIFUL these homes were. So, here are some of those beauties along with some tips on how to achieve a similar look in your home for Christmas or year round. And also, a fun way to get your home featured on the blog in a few weeks!
TIP 1: Think ‘less is more’.
Pair down on all the decorations and focus on key areas for showing off those special little items. It could be that you use less ornaments and use just the shiny, shimmery ones or just the special shaped ones. Or only put out 1 or 2 of a certain thing instead of 10.
You can achieve the same unified look in your home by choosing all of one color for the tree, mantle or stockings for example. On the tree try using just silver and gold ornaments instead of many different colors and varieties. Just like before, less is more not just in quantity but also in color.
This look is achieved mostly through the use of the white walls, floors, and ceilings in these homes. They make all the other elements, like the tree or mantle pop. But this same tip can be applied to your different accessories that you choose to decorate with.
Everything doesn’t have to be just perfect. Pick up evergreen branches to stick in a glass vase or sticks from your backyard to adorn your mantle. I love the simple, homemade, come home for Christmas look that it gives.
What about you and your decorating style? Are you a less is more person or a ‘must decorate every surface’ person? There’s no right or wrong and I’d love to hear and see how you’re decorating your home this Christmas season! So, let’s to do something fun….
I would like you to send me a picture of your Christmas decor with one of your favorite things about the Christmas season. I will be featuring several homes on the blog…but I can’t if you don’t send anything to me. So, please do the following…
Send your picture in an attachment with your favorite thing about Christmas in an email to havenbyhayden@hotmail.com by Sunday, December 9 at 11:59pm Central Time.
Then be watching to be featured on the blog in the next week or two! I think it’ll be fun to see how everyone is decorating their homes all over the place! And for those that send in your pictures, you will be entered to win 3 samples of your choice of Cece Caldwell paints!!! So, get to decorating and send in your favorites!
I love when I get goodies in the mail. And when the package says it’s from the CeCe Caldwell’s Paint plant – well… Let’s just say I wouldn’t want a witness to spy me tearing open the box. I had heard rumors of CeCe developing a metallic wax. I am here to confirm those rumors are true! I love working with a company who values their retailer’s and distributor’s opinion about new products before they hit the market for the masses.
The first two colors to debut are Eldorado Gold and Sierra Silver. Eldorado Gold is a bright and vibrant metallic gold.
I quickly painted a sample board with a mixture of half Destin Gulf Green and half Emerald Isle.
Once it was dry I applied the metallic wax in Eldorado Gold and wiped off the excess. The results were easy and yummy.
Next up to bat was Sierra Silver. It looks almost white in the package but it is a brilliant silver tone.
I painted my sample board in Pittsburgh Gray using a stipple technique to create lots of texture.
Once I applied the Sierra Silver I knew I was in lurve! Like, love at first sight, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks movie love. A lasting love that makes you laugh and cry with joy at the same time. This is “You Got Mail” – the Metallic Wax edition, folks. Oscar nomination worthy – if there was such a thing in the paint world.
Just like CeCe’s other products these waxes are 100% natural. I love them so much I might just rub them on my body! Totally kidding. But if you see me walking around looking like the Tin Man, just nod and pretend it’s totally normal.
I don’t think the metallic waxes will be available until mid- December, but CeCe knows here retailers have a hard time keeping quiet about her amazing products, so she let us spill the news early. Helllllo stocking stuffers!
You could apply the wax over Clear Wax for a more subtle effect, with your finger to highlight the edges, or like I did – straight up on the piece of furniture directly over the paint.
And to help spread the metallic joy even more, CeCe is giving away a pot of each wax to one lucky winner! Head on over to Redoux Interiors and enter to win! How jealous will your painting friends be if you are the first person to get these waxes? If you win, can I come over?
