Uncategorized

simplify your kitchen … decorate with sprinkles ♥

January 9, 2013 Raising up Rubies22 Comments

happy Wednesday! ♥

just poppin’ in real quick with a cute idea while you’re organizing your kitchen this week 🙂

if you’re looking for an easy and affordable way to add color to your countertop

think sprinkles 🙂

where do we usually keep them??

far far away deep down in the pantry … why?

they’e so cute! why leave them hidden away ….

i found these little jars at Hobby Lobby

at 50% off they were a steal for only .99 cents a piece

gave them a quick wash and gathered up my sprinkle stash

just a little idea to spruce up your kitchen with some pretty colors

and it’s functional 🙂

if you like to bake 🙂

i do … do you?

i found this little glass container at a garage sale

corralled all my food coloring bottles into it too

that though, is sitting in my pantry 🙂

be back soon ♥

happy organizing!

sharing here ♥

Live Laugh Rowe ♥ Live Laugh Linky

Tip Junkie ♥ Tip me Tuesday

the 36th Avenue ♥ Party Time!

Organizing Made Fun

Uncategorized

simplify ♥ your kitchen …

January 7, 2013 Raising up Rubies48 Comments

i’m was so excited to see the spice jar project inspire you guys!

thanks so much for all the sweet comments ♥

throughout the next few months (or maybe even the rest of the year 🙂 i want to share some of the projects i’ll be tackling, to whip a few problem areas in our home into shape!

making them more organized and tidy, while helping us incorporate easier clean-up into our daily routine

i made a list … it’s really long … ridiculously long

i went room by room and started in the kitchen

the spice-mess is done, now moving on to other parts of the kitchen which i would like to work on this week, while trying to squeeze a bit of crafting in here & there 🙂

inspired by one of my go-to blogs i {heart} organizing along with a few fun things i found at Target last week, (which were either in the dollar bins or on clearance) i decided to start operation-simplify-my-kitchen …

yay! right??!

♥ the place mats are for the shelves inside the fridge

♥ the glass containers have a pretty teal top (glass as well) that i want to use for an organizing project on another day

♥ the wrapping paper was used in the spice drawer and will get used in a few other drawers too

♥ i already had the gingham canning jars … found them at Walmart a few summers ago …

but don’t think they sell them anymore, i looked everywhere … boo 😦

those are for another space as well

♥ and my favorite find was the red wire basket in the dollar spot 🙂

i started my organizing frenzy in the fridge … take a peek inside!

the place-mats make for an easy clean-up … instead of taking the whole shelf out to wash, wiping down or washing the mats in hot water is much easier … it’s all about easy when it comes to cleaning for me 🙂

measure and cut straight lines, and they fit right in

this top shelf sees a lot of spill action from juice & coffee creamers

(ahem … my hubby has a little coffee problem … he likes a little coffee with his creamer 🙂

(well no really, the coconut is mine)

these “pull out” fridge baskets are perfect for yogurt & lunch packing goodies

the girls can pull them out in the morning and choose snacks, fruit and veggies to put in their lunch … it makes it fun for them, and less stressful for our morning when were in a hurry to get on the bus

(which happens like never)

i’m hoping to make this habit one that sticks 🙂

coming home with the groceries, washing and pre-portioning fruit, veggies and any other items for lunches and snacks that same day … it makes everything easier when the

“what should i have for snack” or “how many can i have”

questions come up

the mini muffins get put in the freezer to be pulled out and thawed the night before for a quick on the go breakfast before a busy school day or on our way to church 🙂

canning jars are my go to storage containers

they hold the smaller things in the fridge that you want to keep together …

use a label maker or just some pretty paper with double sided tape to describe the contents of each basket

i like to pinch a few pennies and buy the large tub of yogurt

then just divide it up into small lunch size containers

i think the fruit is happy too 🙂 … with it’s pretty new drawer liner

my favorite part of this whole thing? that wire basket from the $1 spot at Target that fit nicely on the door … and now the eggs have a new home

a cute one to boot 🙂

next up! i’m moving on to my food & housewares drawers …

and a cute little way to add some color to your kitchen with pretty things that are hiding in your pantry

(and you don’t even know it 🙂

much loves! ♥

Linking up to …

Uncategorized

chalkboard spice jars … ♥

January 5, 2013 Raising up Rubies79 Comments

i’ve been bitten by the organize your life bug

🙂

i love when it’s a new year

cause it’s reason to start fresh & throw junk out

i feel like my word for this year is

simplify

not that that’s official or anything

well maybe it is since i just typed it?

i yearn for simple

i yearn for peaceful

a more organized home

so that my time is spent with my family

spent doing things i love to do

and not spent looking for the paprika

which i need for the dinner i’m making right now that’s burning on the stove cause my spices are a heaping mess in the pantry then all fall out of the bucket cause i’m looking for the paprika which happens to be at the bottom of this bottomless bucket of spices other expired things

really … you think i kid

i do not.

this is what we’re starting this project with … a few buckets of heaping confusion

everything looks like paprika when you’re in a rush to find it

(what is paprika anyway? does it really do anything??)

(besides make things red?)

to get this act together i used half-pint mason jars

spray paint the lids with Krylon chalkboard paint (joanns)

and i painted the rings with Rustoleum 2X coverage in aqua

(not a necessary step in the whole organizing process)

(necessary step for cuteness factor process)

(plus it matches the polka dots in my drawer liner paper)

…. and! some polka dot wrapping paper (Target)

what’s the best place for spices in your kitchen?

i wanted to move them to a half empty drawer that really wasn’t being used to it’s fullest of potentials

instead of running around my island over to the pantry (in a hurry) …

opening a drawer and scanning names seemed like a much more efficient way to store & locate what was needed (and save a dinner or two from the jaws of scorchment)

i like the idea of using wrapping paper to line drawers … the top side has a bit of a gloss finish to it, great for clean up … when it gets stained or torn, it’s easy enough to toss and cut a new piece … and a much cheaper alternative to the typical cabinet & drawer liners found in most houseware sections

(fyi: Hobby Lobby has a great wrapping paper selction,

very thick paper and super durable)

measure, cut and fit

i sprayed my lids with 2 coats of chalkboard paint … i would highly recommend a primer first

as i later found that my chalkboard marker tip scratched some paint off a few of the lids

i prefer the markers to real chalk, it has a finer tip to fit more letters into small spaces 🙂

and it doesn’t brush off as easily

now all you need is a set of cute measuring spoons

for all the measuring & using of spices you’ll be doing

cause your spice drawer is so dang cute

paprika anyone?

i hope to purge & simplify other problem areas in our house throughout the year

in hopes that our home will run more efficiently

then our time together will be spent more …well … together!

i’m still working on my year long menu plan

that i can’t wait to share with you

(with printables!)

i’ve been working on a few other spots in the kitchen this past week too

i will be back to share those soon

oh! and my craft room feature in Better Homes & Gardens comes out in 10 days!!

the February issue will hit newstands on January 15th

i’m sooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited 🙂

look for me on the I Did It! page on the inside back cover!

a more detailed tour of the room will hopefully be published in one of the BHG special interest magazines sometime this year! can you believe it?? in 2 BHG magazines??

wow … i feel so blessed

loves to you & happy weekend ♥

linking up to …

i{heart}naptime ♥ Sundae Scoop

Live Laugh Rowe ♥ Live Laugh Linky

Funky Junk Interiors ♥ SNS

Tatertots & Jello ♥ Weekend Wrap up Party

Organizing Made Fun

Tip Junkie ♥ Tip me Tuesday

the 36th Avenue ♥ Party Time!

Uncategorized

Insta ♥ Friday …

December 28, 2012 Raising up Rubies10 Comments

hope you all had a wonderful Christmas ♥

we’re having a quiet week full of pajamas, new toys & my crochet hooks (+ some yarn 🙂

i haven’t shared my instagram pics with you lately so bear with me … there’s a bunch

if you don’t already follow me i’m : raisinguprubies

♥ saw this bicycle … isn’t it the cutest thing? … um, yes please

♥ actually got our Christmas card done this year … yikes

♥ have you had an apple sandwich yet? … why in the world not?

♥ a memory game i made for my bestie’s daughter … it’s a really cute project the instructions are here

♥ i’m so excited about these little dresses … stay tuned, ’cause they’re gonna be poppin’ up in the shop & on the blog in the next couple weeks

♥ the girls & i had to improvise when we ran out of suncatcher paint during a Christmas craft

my 10 year old said “mom, just google it”

… did you know Elmer’s glue & food coloring produce the same exact result?

♥ found this idea here … this was a birthday present for one of my besties … eeek! right?!

♥ new camera! early Christmas present from the hubs … so excited about this

♥ these holly tags were a hit in the shop … i was knee deep in ’em after black Friday

♥ i totally scored a huge pile of vintage sheets at the thrift store! bonus: it was 50% off that day!

♥ spa in a jar 🙂 gift for our school nurse, who we drive crazy every. single. day.

♥ i’ve been dying to make these for teacher gifts … every year they escape me

not this year! find the printable at Eighteen25

♥ happy mail & lots of packages

♥ Snickerdoodles

♥ baking at the last minute

♥ wrapping at the very last minute 🙂

( i am the queen of last minute … and i loathe it )

♥For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,

that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life … John 3.16

truth.

♥ nom nom nom nom … 🙂

♥ my youngest got Josephina as a Christmas gift … she has glasses and everything …

she sleeps at the end of her bed 🙂

♥ my craft table also doubles as a video-game-playing-fort-hideout

yes. fun. 🙂

Have a Happy New Year!

i’ll be back next week!

loves to you♥

linking up here!

Uncategorized

tea party mat for Two ♥ {with free pretty things for you!}

December 24, 2012 Raising up Rubies11 Comments

just poppin’ in real quick today!

tons & tons to do with just a little time before Christmas day 🙂

wanted to share this little tea mat i made with another

just-too-cute vintage image

… from my bloggy bestie

Keren from Free Pretty Things for You ♥

when i saw this graphic in her shop this idea popped in my head 🙂

(a small problem i have)

this little tea mat was for my girlfriend’s daughter a few weeks ago, for Christmas

i think she loved it … i think i love it too! anyone wanna have a tea party??

(i may have secretly played with it before i packed it up in the basket)

there are no directions since it’s easy enough to do with basic sewing knowledge

or even hot glue, felt and some pinking shears!

i used some leftover felt and pink gingham i had, and cut them to equal sizes

quickly stitched the two long sides together and added ricrac to the two short ends to cover the raw edge

(forgot to get a close up of this, but you can see it in the picture at the bottom of the post)

use iron-on transfer sheets to transfer the image onto a small piece of white fabric

same directions as the vintage inspired message board here

then used a zigzag stitch to sew the image to the mat

the rolled felt flowers are the same as the ones i made for the

drum shades in my craft room here

add some embellishment and you are done!

now it’s time to play 🙂

oh, and if you want to make some felt tea bags,

cut two small squares of white felt with pinking shears

then cut a piece of brown felt small enough to fit in between the two white ones

sew them together and insert a piece of cording into the top before stitching it completely closed … cut two hearts from some more felt and glue them together at the other end of the cord.

this was a fun Christmas gift! what about for a little girl’s birthday?

the tea set and cupcakes were store bought and the picnic basket was from a garage sale

fun!

Merry Christmas everyone!

♥

sweet parties here:

Free Pretty Things for You! ♥ Whatever You Want Wednesday

live laugh Rowe ♥ live laugh linky

the 36th Avenue ♥ Party Time!

Tatertots & Jello ♥ Weekend Wrap up Party

Funky Junk Interiors ♥ SNS

i{heart}naptime ♥ Sundae Scoop

Uncategorized

my craft room … Christmas style ♥

December 21, 2012 Raising up Rubies21 Comments

it’s been a while since i’ve had any pictures of my craft room up on the blog …

(you can see the whole room here)

(and some more here)

mainly cause most of the time it’s a mess with product for the store & packing supplies

but i had to get it in order for last weekend when i hosted a cookie exchange that my close friends and i have every year … this year we had so much fun ♥

i wanted to spruce up the room with a little bit of Christmas cheer

but didn’t want to over-do it since there is already so much color & detail in the room and well…

i was just plain tired 🙂

so i went the simple route 🙂

ahhhh…. simple….

i feel like this little bloggy of mine has come a long way

since i first posted about my craft room … it’s been neat to watch it grow …

when Better Homes & Gardens came last month, it was the final push i needed to get in gear and tie up all the loose end projects that i never finished

if you follow me on Instagram, you’ve already seen a few of these updates … but this bunting was made from my vintage sheet stash, just cut in strips and tied to some twine

with some nails & hot glue, i now have pretty things to hold up my garlands and pictures

i hammered the nails where i wanted the spools to go,

then with a little hot glue on one end, slid the spool onto the nail

with some help from my two aunts 🙂 finally got around to organizing my fabric stash

this shelf holds only vintage linens … the other side has my non-vintage yardage

i love how pretty they all look together ♥

i filled some apothecary jars with a hodge podge of things

that i thought we bright and Christmas-ish 🙂

the trees were made with styrofoam trees, again with strips of different fabrics

wound around from top to bottom … made pompom’s for the tops

i think Christmas can be found in the everyday of things

it doesn’t always have to be in red & green

i love to be outside of the box 🙂 don’t you?

my cushions were upgraded too when BHG came, these were from Target

i love how they add simplicity to such a busy room

my sewing area hasn’t changed much …

the twine and large spools of thread that i mostly use for packaging,

were put up out of the way on wooden dowels

the sewing machine cover was made from a vintage pillowcase

… thinking about selling a few in the store

remember my decoupaged trinket box?

it has definitely earned it’s keep 🙂

it holds all my littles

my entry way get’s no light at all, it’s hard to snap a good picture here

but this is where my Joy to the World sign is with another wreath like the one on my craft shelves … i got the wreath and wording around the chalkboard idea from Miss Mustard Seed

(even though her’s is way more grand & gorgeous!)

so these are my besties 🙂

they are the friends that encourage me & laugh with me through everyday things

i love them so dearly … they are the sisters i never had 🙂

we have craft night once a month … we leave kiddos with daddies and we come together to eat and make stuff …and eat stuff 🙂

and there’s never a dull moment, at all….

every December we exchange cookies and handmade gifts

we even get a little carried away making stuff for each other’s kids 🙂

it’s hard to find good friends in life … hard to find one, let alone five

and i can honestly say they are all a blessing to me … love ya girls ♥

Merry Christmas bloggy friends ♥

you have put gladness in my heart … psalm. four. seven

sweet parties here:

live laugh Rowe ♥ live laugh linky

i {heart} naptime ♥ Sundae Scoop

Tatertots & Jello ♥ Weekend Wrap up Party

Funky Junk Interiors ♥ Saturday Nite Special

the 36th Avenue ♥ Party Time!

Uncategorized

joy to the world ~ wood slice project ♥

December 18, 2012 Raising up Rubies21 Comments

Christmas is next week!

these past few weeks flew by …

i just wanted to say thank you thank you thank you … for the love & support given to my blog and my shop ♥ it puts so much gladness in my heart to hear that God is encouraging you through this little place here in bloggy land, and i really appreciate all of you so much!

i spent some time last week putting up a few new Christmas decorations

and this wood slice art is one of the things i wanted to try … so here it is!

the wood slice is from AC Moore

the wooden letters are from Michael’s

i found a huge box of maps at a rummage sale, and i bought the whole thing for $7!

( i ♥ rummage sales with big boxes of maps)

i mod podged the map onto the wood,

when it was dry, went over the top with two more coats for a shiny finish

once you cut the twine to fit, string the letters and wrap the ends around to the back of the wood … just a little dab of hot glue and some felt will hold it like Fort Knox

super easy project with just a few supplies … i love the simplicity of it

hope to be back this week with a few pictures of my craft room … Christmas style 🙂

much love & happy crafting ♥

sweet parties here ♥

Free Pretty Things for You ♥ Whatever you want Wednesday!

Live Laugh Rowe ♥ Live Laugh Linky

Yesterday on Tuesday ♥ a Crafty Soiree

the 36th Avenue ♥ Party Time!

Tip Junkie ♥ Tip me Tuesday

Tatertots & Jello ♥ Weekend Wrap up Party

Funky Junk Interiors ♥ Saturday Nite Special

i {heart} naptime ♥ Sundae Scoop

Uncategorized

quiet …♥

December 17, 2012 Raising up RubiesLeave a comment

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers … neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.