Organized Hoarder

For a long time now, I have been keeping up with things that others may see as junk, but it's my treasure!  I went home for Labor Day weekend and brought back with me books I had as a child.  I have had some books for 20 years!  And they are in such good condition you thought some where purchased right from the store.  So now that leads me to being an organized hoarder.  I know for some that may not make ANY sense, but for others they are telling themselves, " I knew there was a word for it!"  My cousin started calling me an organized hoarder last year when he was asking me for things that as he said, "normal" people don't have.  "Why do you have a whole bag of paper clips and thumb tacks?"  Just in case reasons?  Any who, I have been trying to organize my thoughts and my life and started going through stuff in my guest room that needed to have a place.  I already showed my jewelry display so here are some other items I purchased to add to my organizing addiction.

Here are a few of my lippies!  I LOVE Revlon lipsticks!  Some people don't really care of the consistency of them but I think they are the bomb.com!

I didn't realize how many nail polishes I had until I spread them out on the floor.  The bad thing about this I really ONLY get my toes done and have yet to paint my nails until this past Sunday.  I told myself that I was going to get better at that.

This idea I got from Pinterest.  Why keep a nail polish bottle open, knock it over, and risk messing everything up?  Of course when you look at the picture its like a light bulb goes off!  Brilliant!

So I went to Amazon and purchased two lipstick holders and a spice rack.  Wait, what?  A spice rack?  How does that play into the role of beauty and organization you say?  Well just take a look!

My spice rack now turned nail polish rack!  I can actually SEE what I have and its easily accessible!  #Winning

These are acrylic lipstick holders from Amazon from US Acrylic.

Hope you enjoyed.  Always check out Amazon for great deals!

Career Change

Lately, I have been pondering over my current career choice and I'm not too satisfied.  Maybe because I'm working with elementary, maybe because of the population I work with, but overall I'm not happy with where I am at in my career.  I have been going over things that I am really passionate about and what disappoints me the most is that there isn't one specific thing that I am great at!  I am the type of person that if you show me how to do something or I can pick it up by watching then I am good to go.  So with that being said, I did some Googling earlier last week and ran across a book.  What Color is Your Parachute?:  A Practical Guide for Job Seekers and Career Changers.  I read Chapter 1 with my fiance and instantly drawn into what was said.  There are little things that we do now that we don't know that is effecting our ability to get a job or should I say career.  If anyone is out there searching for something, I suggest you seek this book.  There are many different versions as they change as the years go so I suggest getting the new 2014 edition.  If anyone is able to offer any advice, my ears and heart are open!  Stay blessed.

DIY Fun!

I'm back on my A game and ready to take on any adventure that is put in front of me.  For a while now, I have been getting into the routine of DIY projects.  One of my major goals is to get a sewing machine, learn to sew a simple pattern, and have straight lines!  LOL!  At my beginners class, my lines looked off like a drunk driver taking a sobriety test; ALL OVER THE PLACE!  But that's why it takes practice and I'm ready for that adventure.   Eventually I want to be able to revamp thrifted clothes to fit my style.  Lately, I'm back to working on jewelry, particularly earrings.  Here's a few of my projects I took on this weekend.

This was my canvas that I started with.  All purchased from the thrift store.  $1 a piece!  With some minor changes, I made them into dime pieces.  Pretty proud of the ones at the bottom right corner :)

I bought these because I thought they were cool, but obviously my name doesn't start with a "J."  Any takers out there who are willing to purchase them, they are only $5.  Hit me up and I'll send you a PayPal invoice!

These are the beauty of the beast right here.  Just a minor paint update and they look brand new.  Willing to sell too, but thinking about keeping them for myself!

Here are some 1 1/2 inch buttons (I believe) that I will be making button earrings out of.  Simple, fast, and chic.  I love the inexpensiveness of them and the fact that I can make them from whatever fabric I choose!  Win-Win!

This is the finished product of what I purchased except the mirrored earrings (already had the mirror plates).  These were selected by my cousin, a friend, and a colleague.  Came out pretty darn good if I don't say so myself!

This is my workspace.  Isn't she lovely?!!  I spend some time there budgeting my bills and completing my DIY projects here.  If you don't have a glue gun, you DEFINITELY should get one!  One of the best inventions!  The desk I purchased from my local thrift store for $30.  I changed the pull out and placed a zebra print liner from Walmart on top hence sticking to my black and white theme.  I had so much fun with that I placed the same print on top of my rusting file cabinet.  Looks new with a hint of style!

Here is an oldie, but goodie DIY project.  A quick project for anyone looking for storage space to hold necklaces and bracelets.  Although I'm thinking of revamping the bracelet idea, the necklace holder has been wonders for me.  The only thing now is that I need a bigger one!  Another project in the works!

Here are some of the new items I bought to continue with the fun.  I'm looking forward the most to taking the white tank I found in TJMaxx ($4.99) and placing a picture on it with the iron on image paper I purchased from Michael's ($9.99).  Can't wait to show you how that turned out!

These are just some quick ways to have some DIY fun.  I will be doing more over the weekend (fingers crossed).  May not get to do all I want since I'm celebrating my one year anniversary with my soon-to-be-hubby!  Plus, another engagement photo shoot with my friend, TK, so a busy weekend ahead.  Let me know what you like to DIY to give me ideas!  Love to share with you all soon! :)

B&W Addiction!

So....I have this addiction to black and white.  But not just any black and white.  Anything that has Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn black and white.  I also have a new obsession with damask print! Marilyn + Audrey +damask= a FANTABULOUS design for a guest bedroom.  That's my project that I am currently working on (once funds become available for leisure rather than bills), but off that box.  I love Marilyn more than Audrey, but together they make a fantastic duo!  Here are some pics of what is currently in my guest bedroom:

These two pics I found at the Icing for less than $2 each!  I couldn't let them sit on the shelf so I bought them and took them home!  The top pic of Audrey is actually a hologram so when you move it the hearts move back and forth.  The bottom pic is just a classic quote from Ms. Monroe stating, "All a girl really wants is for one guy to prove to her that they are not all the same."  This hit home for me because I found that guy.  Little did I know it would be him almost twenty years later!

This pic of Marilyn I found at Ross a day that I shouldn't have been shopping or spending money.  I took a pic, sent it to my friend, TK, and asked if I should buy it.  Getting permission to buy it would allow me to make the unnecessary, but necessary purchase.  So here it is.  And for $19.99 I didn't need to much persuasion NOT to take it home!

This is one of my older pics that I have had for a while now and started my obsession.  I purchased this I believe in 2010 back in VA from Burlington Coat Factory.  It's a canvas picture stapled to some boards.  It was one of my pricer purchases at $39.99, but when I saw it I fell in love instantly and hence began my new obsession :)

This was another purchase from Ross that I also bought back in 2010.  This pic was on clearance I believe for $9.99 and although it isn't Marilyn or Audrey, I got such a romantic feel from it and just loved the way they embraced lips.  *sigh*  One of my faves 'til this day.

This was purchased in Ross by someone I was with and when I saw it I HAD to have it.  It was marked down (forgot price) because the glass on the frame was cracked.  This was also back in 2010.  Funny thing, I NEVER got that crack replaced!  *hides face in shame* Hell it's going to hang on the wall until the whole things shatters.  But really I would love to take it to Michael's and have it framed, once funds allow :)

Virginia is for Lovers...NOT!

Last night before going to bed, my fiance started fussing about how he was glad he left Virginia and all the other bs behind.  Normally when he starts going on rants like that it's because of something he's seen of Facebook.  I'm a Virginian currently living as a Floridian.  Moved to Florida almost eight months ago and haven't looked back since.  I lived on the Peninsula, reppin' the 757 to the fullest.  Although I rep where I'm from and will get into a 757-804 argument in a quick minute, I'm glad that I left too (757-804 only understand that beef).  And the funny thing about Virginia as a state is that the states motto is "Virginia is for Lovers."  I don't understand who or how that motto came about as Virginia is a Commonwealth state.  And for those who live in Commonwealth states, you know ain't nothing there but high taxes and a bunch of bullshit!  How is it that I have to pay personal property taxes on MY car that I pay a car note for annually?!?  What kind of sense does that make!?!  I understand property taxes on a house, but a car???  *off my soapbox*  Any who, I talked to my fiance this morning on my way to work and he went into more detail about why he was ranting and was glad he left Virginia.  He came across a friend's status  on Facebook talking about people hating for no reason and trying to bring other people down and it's so true.  Not all, but some people in VA are like crabs in a bucket.  Once they see that person making moves or just growing into themselves as an adult, they wanna pull them down.  The crazy part about that is it can be your own family or friends you been down with forever!  Now I know that isn't just in VA, that's worldwide, but I can only speak from what I know and since I was born and raised in VA, then I gotta talk about VA.  I can say personally that I don't have many people that I call "friends" anymore.  I wish I could say that I would have those same "friends" thirty years from now like my father's friends, but thats the way the cookie crumbles and I'm not mad at it AT ALL.  I learned a lot from about October 2010 up to now.  And I have especially learned a lot since I moved to Florida.  I think VA's new motto should be, "Virginia is for some lovers, the rest are for haters."  You be the judge.

Make your next move your best move....

I have decided that instead of talking about it, I will BE about it.  There are so many thoughts that I have daily and I go back to asking myself "What am I doing wrong?"  And over the weekend I found out what I was doing wrong.  Nothing...absolutely NOTHING!  The reason I'm not where I want to be is because all I do is talk about it.  I'm not about that life!  LOL!  It comes to a point in life where instead of someone else telling you that you you're not about that life, you have to tell yourself!  And that's when you realize that you are making the most important move in your life.  Over the weekend I decided that whatever it was that I wanted to do, I was going to pursue it.  Doesn't matter how tired I am, how late I am, nothing is or will from now on stop me from having more than what I have in life.  I hope that I can touch someone to tell themselves that it's more to life than the day to day of it.  And if you recently made a change and find yourself getting back into a routine, change it again!  It's been over seven months since I made the drastic change of moving out of state and I am finding myself back into a day to day routine.   No, sir.  Not me!  *in my Rozay voice*  I refuse to be caught up in something that makes me stressed, looking for more, and unhappy!  No more!  So stop babying yourself, pull up your big girl drawls and go reach for the dream.  Whether small or big, it's your dream and no one can tell you otherwise.  Stay blessed.

Entrepreneurship

So the whole reason for me starting a blog is that my mind runs like an open app (you might see me say this a MILLION times but that's the whole purpose of saying my mind is like an open app) Any who, I have been on Entrepreneur.com for the last two days and looking at low budget ideas I could do to start up my own business from home.  Although I am working on a doctoral degree, my goals in life is to be a housewife, but a working one from home.  I love the fact that I can stay at home with my children, run around and do errands, shop, be domestic, and not have to worry about the stresses of a 9:00-5:00.  Well, in my case now a 7:30-5:15, Monday through Friday.  And the crazy thing about that thought is....I don't even have kids yet!  But the early bird gets the worm right?!  So I'm thinking ahead.  One of my new found interest that I have come across is sewing and reupholstering furniture.  The good thing about that is I will have time to shop in thrift stores and consignment shops for the best item.  The bad thing is I have little sewing skills!  I took a beginners sewing class back in June and it turned out to be easier than I expected.  However, I have yet to buy a sewing machine; hopefully that's in the works around Christmas time. *fingers crossed*  With that being said, I think I will take my entrepreneur skills and plans into the New Year and have that be one of my New Year's Resolutions:  to begin sewing and starting a small business making small moves.  I read a really good article on Entrepreneur.com that talked about ditching your billion-dollar business ambitions....click here for the story.  I will also be helping my soon-to-be hubby make some moves on a landscaping/lawn business.  I can say that 2013 has been a good year for me thus far, but I see 2014 opening more doors than I could have ever expected!  Thank you Lord! :)

Fear...less???

It has come to my attention that many of the children in this current generation have NO fear that I had when it came to being respectful and following directives that are given by adults.  Even children don't have the respect or integrity to follow the directives that are given by their own parents!  Needless to say we are also in the generation where technology is way more advanced and they are pumping steroids in our chicken and contaminating our fruits and vegetables.  I don't blame some parents for having their children being vegetarians at the ripe age of five (and believe I know some that are).  But the lack of fear and respect for adults is out of control.  I don't expect children to fear adults in a way that would leave them feeling intimidated and terrorized for the rest of their life, but hell can they at least know that once an adult raises their voice they aren't playing games!  In my role as a school counselor, I'm not a disciplinarian even though I am left with the students who misbehave the most.  Which at times I feel is an advantage because I don't have to deal with the administrative side of behavior and then a disadvantage because the students don't take me seriously or don't listen to me at all.  This comes from the lack of respect that is being instilled in children of this generation and goes to show how much respect they have of any one of authority.  This also becomes an emotional drain on the end of being a counselor because you have to play so many different scenarios in your head and utilize techniques for each individual child.  As you learn in grad school, "one technique doesn't work for all children."  You literally end up racking your brain sometime just to figure out a trigger for one child and then you find out that technique fails.  Or is that just me?  *looks around sheepishly*  Overall, I don't know if it's the children, the parents, or both.  We can all say its because there are children raising children...yeah yeah yeah.  However, some of those children grew up with some type of fear so who do we "blame" that on?  I place blame in quotations because there is no one particular person, place or thing that we can blame it on.  Everyday I find myself taking notes on what steps I would take to avoid such and what I can do to instill the "fear" that is needed in order for children to know that they must respect authority and all authority.  Those they know and those they don't know because they never know one day they may meet that person again and really need them....what goes around comes around and trust it's coming, you just don't know when...

The envious man...

The envious man grows lean at the success of his neighbor.–Horace

I do not like to be envious or jealous of what any one has.  I understand that they hustle, put in hard work, or are just plain ol’ lucky!  I say that just to say that YouTube is really hurting me.  I look at these women on there and I am SO jealous!  Like, you really have that much time AND money to spend on clothes and shoes, while I’m over here trying to budget but DYING to shop.  Shopping is therapy for me…retail therapy and I don’t make my therapy sessions any better by watching women who have the time and money to do so.  I understand that YouTubers get paid to do what they do and some also have sponsors who send them items to review for free.  I wanna be one of the girls!  I love FREE stuff!  (In my best Pops voice from Friday).  Maybe, just maybe, I would be able to review stuff via my blog.  Like I’ve said before I want to start a YouTube channel, I just don’t want to be another one of the millions talking about the same thing (hair, beauty, fashion).  My calling is coming one day….one day….

What to do next???

I signed up for to sell Mary Kay and become my own Independent Beauty Consultant in June.  Needless to say, from the title of this post, I decided to end that business and move on to something different.  Although Mary Kay would allow me to make my own schedule and my own money, I just wasn’t feeling it like I did when I signed up.  Plus it was hard to get people past the “old” Mary Kay and the lines like, “Mary Kay broke me out.”  I heard that one too many times.  It was just a stressful situation to even get to talk to women, many who I did not know, and try to sell them a product that has the brand to be used by “old women” and “grandmas.”  I wasn’t into that and only sold one product since June so why continue the hassle.  What to do next?  My next few projects that I have in mind are creating my earring organizer, making new earrings, and working towards buying a sewing machine.  I have had the thought of buying thrifted items and revamping them to fit today’s style.  It may not be until the end of the year before I get a sewing machine though.   Plus with a wedding that I am planning, I don’t know if buying sewing machine would be the ideal thing to do.  Although there are many DIY projects I would like to have for the wedding so the sewing machine idea is 50/50.  If any of you have any suggestions on what I could do to cut down costs, PLEASE let me know.  I’m also working back on getting back on my coupon game.  I really need to save every penny, nickel, and dime I can at any price. I’ll keep trying to make that dollar out of fifteen cents…