DIY Spice Rack

Man, it's been a while since I've posted a good DIY! I was super pleased with how this one turned out, it definitely makes me smile every time I see it (: I got the idea from A Beautiful Mess (love that blog!). Here is a tutorial in pictures:

Materials I used: 

Metal Tray (mine was thrifted) 

Epoxy (from a hardware store)

Tin Cans (I got mine here) 

Little magnets (I got mine at Wal-mart)

Scrapbook squares (Michaels)

Things you'll probably have at home: 

paper 

pen 

scissors 

a piece of cardboard of something to mix epoxy on

a disposable stir-er (a toothpick or something) 

a scooper (i used those things that hold a bread bag shut)

I've had this laying around just waiting for a practical use! I'm pretty sure it came from a Goodwill
I only bought 12 tin cans and still haven't filled them up. Things that I prefer to be in a shaker (like cinnamon), I left in their container but for larger, leafy type seasonings I went ahead and put in the tins. This cleared out so much space and clutter from my pantry! Oh, and before you begin you'll need to clean your tins with soap and water. 


For those who have never used epoxy, never fear! It's pretty simple. 
My dad always tells me to point the tip up so the air bubbles go to the top. Then you squeeze out the air (carefully) and then squeeze an equal amount onto your cardboard (or something else that can be thrown away). 
So now that you have a butt shaped blob, you'll want to mix it together with something disposable (in my case a piece of a plastic fork I found). 
Once you mix it up, it's going to start setting so you need to apply it ASAP. I chose to put 2 magnets on each tin just in case... and also because I had LOTS of magnets to spare. 
Let it dry according to instructions. 
Pick out all of your seasonings. For the spices that wouldn't all fit in the tins, I found a box to store them away at the top of my pantry. 
Next, you're going to make name tags! This part is kinda fun. 
I cut out sheets of paper with two lines on them (because I liked how Elsie did them). 
Then I drew on some more lines and wrote out all of my spices. 
I stuck two squares of scrapbook tape on it. 
Peeled the backs off
And stuck it on my tin!
Then you just fill up your tins and stick 'em on your tray! 
Bada bing, bada boom!

DIY SPICE RACK! I ended up hanging it on the wall above my sink with those sticky things for picture hanging. So far so good. I haven't really used any of these yet but I can't wait to get the chance! 
In other news, I'm having a giveaway for some Sam Wish jewelry! Two winners will win some free jewelry, see my Facebook page to enter. 
Hope you guys are having a great Tuesday! For some reason, Tuesdays always feel like Mondays to me. Mondays are like my Sundays. And Saturdays are like my Fridays.... but my Fridays are like.... lazy Saturdays. I don't know, my days are all mixed up. But enough about me, how's your week going? 

Bye Bye Bye

I wasssss going to do a real post but then I ran out of time. So Eliza and I made a little video instead of her new favorite word from Lilo and Stitch. This kid. (: 

A Cute Picture

A lovely reader sent me this pictures she edited and I think it is awesome! I'm so flattered (: 

She has a store on Etsy that's worth a peak. 

And she's on twitter, check her out! 

I'll be back later with a real post! 

On the road again...

We are spending our weekend in Austin, TX! It's been a while since we've been here and this time we get to bring Eliza! Unfortunately it's a bit soggy outside but it's nice to get out of town, ya know? I can't promise there will be another post this weekend but I will definitely take lots of pictures and share when I get back! For now, here are a few pictures of Eliza en route:

Girlish Garb: Jeans & Skirts

For this Girlish Garb, I'm doing a little experiment! A reader emailed me, asking my advice on how to wear jeans with skirts. I've never actually done that so I offered to test it out! It was kind of fun; not to mention, very useful for those cold winter months! So for all the modest or cold people out there, here are some of my finds on wearing skirts with jeans. 



For this first outfit, I went with some high waisted bellbottoms! I chose a hip-hugging mini skirt with it so I went with a loose top to balanced out the look. This isn't particularly my favorite outfit, but it was just my first.. 



This is definitely one of my favorites! I used the same bellbottoms (they really don't have to be high-waisted) and used a maxi skirt as a top! Then I paired it with a vest to make the top (waistband) look not so awkward. Pretty cute if you ask me. I love the lace on this skirt. I definitely felt a little hippy with the bellbottoms and vest together ;)



For this outfit, I used a pair of grey skinny jeans. I paired it with a tight, high-waisted skirt, a tank top, and a flowy, lace, crop top. Lastly, I added the long necklace to pull it all together. I love me some neutrals in an outfit of color! For some reason I have a thing about wearing tight skirts and tight tops together.... I like to have something to break up all the... tightness. So I usually go with something loose on top, or a cardigan/vest/jacket. Or even a belt around the waist! 



After the tight skirt, I decided to see what a more puffy skirt looked like with skinny jeans. First I tried a long cardigan with it, which was... eh. But still ok. A cropped cardigan would have been better. 



And after that, I tried the loose shirt from the first outfit. I like that. To form a more balanced look however, I suggest a more form fitting blouse. That's what I was going for with the cardigan but it was long. Oh well.



For this last outfit, I decided to pull out the bellbottoms for one more go! I paired them with a different hip-hugging, high-waisted skirt! This time, I chose one with horizontal lines which I think helps with balancing out he flare? On top I have a tank and that awesome blue vest to bring the focal point back up to the top. I like the monotonous colors in this outfit. I tend to have colorful accessories so a neutral outfit is always good. 
After viewing all my outfits, I have to say that I'm not much of a bold color person. I do like color but in more subtle ways. I love stripes and florals, a weakness for sure. But I usually choose one piece with some popping color and go neutral with the rest. Interesting, I never really realized that before but I do it a lot.
Do you have any signature outfit traits you'd like to share?! Or tips for wearing skirts with jeans? I'd love to hear 'em! 
**The winner of the My Memories Giveaway is... Breezy!**email me (samwish3@gmail.com) for your free software

V-day

Hello friends. I hope you guys are having a good day. I have to say that I am not a fan of Valentine's day. I try but there are just too many negative feelings associated with it. So I'm just having a relaxing day at home with Eliza (Brandon is at school all day). Anyways, we aren't exactly participating in Valentine's day activities but I wanted to take this time to show my appreciation for my love. This will be our 4th year together. It's weird, 4 years seems long and short at the same time. Here are pictures of us, some old and some a little more recent. They aren't exactly the best quality but let's just pretend. I tried my best to put them in chronological order.




(at a costume party, we were elvis and priscilla)



I love this picture! Even though it's not the greatest quality picture, it makes me smile every time! 

This was at our prom. Behind that big blue (and handmade!) dress is my very large preggo tummy! 



At a rennaisance festival. 

I think this last one was about a year ago. 

We've been through a lot... to say the least. And even when times are bad, my heart still beats for him. I love this boy.