Stinkerpants

Magnetic Makeup Storage for a Small Bathroom

May 29, 2012 in DIY and Crafts

Hello friends! I hope this Thursday is going well for you all. As you know, C and I have moved into an apartment by ourselves. Said apartment is very small. You know what's even smaller? The bathroom.

There's not even enough counter space for the soap! I found myself going insane with disorganized plastic tubs sitting on the back of the toilet for my makeup (and pretty much everything else).

When I saw a pin on Pinterest about a magnetic makeup solution, I knew I had to have it. Theirs was a little too crafty looking for me, though.

This is what I came up with. The magnetic board is from Ikea ($12.99), the StickOnPods are from Amazon ($9.99), and the magnets are from Michaels (similar here for about $8/50).

As you can see, the back of the makeup is not so pretty. I tried a lot of different types of glue, and finally settled on Gorilla Glue -- the other types of glue weren't strong enough long-term. The one drawback is that it oozes out from behind the magnet. Small price to pay, I say. 

The StickOnPods are possibly my favorite part. To me, they really completed this setup. I've been storing my brushes in a glass jar for the past I-don't-know-how-many-years, and I didn't like it. This? I love.

Any other tips for a ridiculously small bathroom?

Chrismukkah Decorations: Part 2

December 21, 2011 in Personal Projects • DIY and Crafts • Holidays

I realized last night that I didn't take photos of our decorations last year - or at least, I didn't share them with you. What the heck, Stinker, amIright? Especially since last year was the first year we hung our tree from the ceiling.

Yes, you read that right. We now hang our tree upside-down. See?

A few years ago, my friend Sarah shared that her grandparents have been hanging their tree from the ceiling for as long as she could remember. I loved the idea and decided to steal it (thanks, Sarah's grandparents!). Last year, we installed a hook in the ceiling. We save the eye hook each year, and simply screw it into the bottom of the tree and hang it. 

One of the main reasons I wanted to do this is because of Elvis Purrsley, who is disgusting and pees on tree skirts. An added benefit is that the tree is child-proof, because C can barely reach it.

But I digress. Here's the rest of the room. 

See the garland there? Up at the top of that photo? It's five separate strings, which run from the center of the fireplace to the back of the room, where they hang down above the Chanukah bags I made (for a new family tradition, which I'll get into later).

Here, let's turn on the lights:

The bags are made from raw silk. They were kind of a pain in my tuchas, but hey - they're done now and I love them.

My mom and I made the stockings last year. I love them. 

Next year, I'd love to make some better decorations for the mantel - maybe some glittery animals or something (or is that overdone?). We also need a wreath - our door is naked. 

So that's it - what do you think? Do you agree with Y? Is too much "crap" hanging from the ceiling? Or is he just a grinch?

Happy Chrismukkah! 2011 Decorations

December 20, 2011 in Personal Projects • DIY and Crafts • Holidays

Well hello, everyone! I hope you're all having a fantastic December!

I have been waiting to show you this year's Chrismukkah decorations, because a lot of our family and friends read my blog and I wanted it to be a surprise. :) But now almost everyone has seen it, so here we go! I'm going to split this into 2 posts. Why? Because I haven't taken a photo of the tree yet, and I can't exactly do it in broad daylight. ;) So the living room is next. For now, how about the rest of the house? 

{Confession: I went apeshit with garlands this year. I couldn't help it. Yorkey thinks I hung way too many things from the ceiling, but I told him to shut his piehole and put up another set of garlands in the living room. It's all about decorating vertically, people, I'm telling you.}

First up are my favorite OY letters. This year, I hung them from the ceiling.

I didn't think they were getting enough attention where they were sitting before. In addition, I re-glittered them, because they were damaged in our move last year and had been leaving a trail of glitter all over the house for years. This time I used Krylon's Glitter Blast - if you need to glitter anything, that stuff is AWESOME. Highly recommended. 

I hung the OY using Command Hooks (my mom's genius idea) so as not to ruin my ridiculously expensive and over-budget wallpaper (don't touch it!):

I also decided to frame the holiday cards we've been receiving - they're all so festive and beautiful! We have acrylic frames from Crate & Barrel - the photos needed to be updated anyway, so I emptied all of them and replaced them with holiday cards.

Then came my major project of this year: the holiday carol garlands:

I pinned this idea on Pinterest and obessed over it until it was finished (mine were less religious than the carols I found online). I cut the letters out of red foam sheets from the craft store, and strung them using baker's twine. I included a few Chanukkah songs (a must, of course!). The garlands go all the way down the hall and into the dining room:

I hung ornaments from our chandelier (I did that last year, too) by putting an ornament on either end of a string and draping them over each sticky-outy part (what do you call those? arms?).

My felt "Happy Chrismukkah" sign (third year running!) was hung in a new spot this year - and I think I like it. This is the entry to our sunken living room, and I thought it needed a little something.

All right, peeps! The living room (with tree! and stockings! and - you guessed it - more garlands!) is next. :)

I’m a Giant Challenge 2: In which I throw in the towel

November 16, 2011 in Personal Projects • DIY and Crafts

I have a tendency to bite off more than I can chew (I think our wedding might have been an example of that), and after talking to my dad this weekend, I realized I'd done it again.

My old dollhouse, in my mother's words, is a "sow's ear," and I was trying to make a silk purse out of it. 

You see, when I was little I read a book called Midnight in the Dollhouse. The dollhouse in the book was a gorgeous house that was passed through generations, and I wanted my dollhouse to be as awesome as that one. I even had my (very accomodating) dad make extra rooms on the bottom because there was an addition on the dollhouse in the book, but...well, it just wasn't what I envisioned. At the beginning of this project, I think my emotions were still partially wrapped up in this imaginary dollhouse and wanting to give something that special to my daughter.

My Dollhouse: I’m a Giant Challenge

November 8, 2011 in Personal Projects • DIY and Crafts