{project mania}

Well good morning my blogging friends!!
Long time no talk:)

I took an unscheduled break! I got involved in way too many projects aound the house...had a few too many large Simple Daisy orders....felt like I needed to really get back to working on my fitness (kind of let things slip over the winter) and alllllllll of that left little time to update you on all my happenings:)

Anywho....I have been sort of thinking too....Sort of re-priortizing my life!

I realized this winter that I really let my fitness slip....I was so busy pumping out large Simple Daisy orders for shops and working full time that I had little time for anything else!

I felt like I was driving myself into the ground! I don't mind being super busy...I am a complete type A ...get it done...kind of person. But I just started to feel like I wasn't spending my time doing the things that I really love!

So...for the time being....no more large Simple Daisy orders to shops. Maybe someday i'll get to be a creative soul full-time and make a living at it! but for today.....i'll just enjoy tinkering and creating part-time:)

Getting so busy with the jewelry also left little time for one of my favorite creative loves.......my blog! It also left little time for me to get creative with my cooking...another major love of mine!

Basically I started to feel like it was consuming my life and that's not how I want to feel! At least not while I am working full time at an already super stressful job:)

I want Simple Daisy to be something I look forward to...something I enjoy!

So here is my priority list in order!

• Fitness and Health
• Fun times with my friends
• Crafting and blogging
• Jewelry

I feel so much better after taking a mini break to repriortize things! Life is so short and I don't want to waste a day doing things that don't make me happy!

Ok...well work doesn't always make me super happy....but it's a very meaningful job {I am a Special Education Teacher}!!!!! And it keep the lights on in the Simple Daisy studio :):)

Do you find yourself ever needing a minute to reprioritize how you spend your time?!?!!? What makes you the most happy!!!!


OK....wheeewww....glad I got that all out of the way:)
Thanks for listening! Sometimes we all just need someone to talk to, right!!!


Anywho....here's what else i've been up to!
Mind you....it's only a sneak peek....I am not finished yet but just wanted to show you I haven't just been sitting around doing nothing:) heehee!!

Springtime always makes me want to spruce things up a bit!  And so that's exactly what I did in a few of our rooms!

Starting with the bedroom!
The paint color was just starting to drive me crazy! Too drab and too dark!
So yesterday I painted! My poor husband was in for a surprise when he got home from work:)

Just a tiny change can make you so happy!
I wish you could see it in person! The color is just perfect! Kind of like a ....hmmmmm.....how could I describe it...
Sour Cream maybe???
A very light creamy khaki!
L*O*V*E*

I was so excited to wake up this morning to see it in the sunshine! It was dark and gray all day yesterday so I couldn't see the full effect!
But yep....I love it even more in the sunlight!

It doesn't look that different in this side-by-side but trust me...it is:)
And I just changed out a few accessories! I still need to get photos in the frames...and a couple other things! I'll show you more when I get the room totally finished:)

And I want to get something like a trunk or a bench for the end of the bed and i'll put the jute rug back in there!

It's just so cottage fresh now!
So funny how your tastes change as you move through life! That's why I love paint! Just paint it I say:)


Let's see! We re-did my husbands bathroom! It's a tiny "master bath" that is in our bedroom! Works just fine for him!
He did most of the work in there....I painted and designed it! He did everything else!
It did have crazy 1970's blue fixtures and wallpaper! YUCK!

Now it's manly modern! Not my style really....but he loves it!

Still need to get black and white photos in his frames too! I will show you more when it's 100% finished!

Anywho...so far so good! He is happy and I just need to add a few finishing touches:)

And......I have also been re-working my sunroom!
I am just over the black furniture phase and onto the lighter brighter cottagey phase!

Still waiting for my white slip cover to come and have a few more things to paint! But I love it so far:)

Looks like a little cottage in there now:)
I will show you the whole things when it's completely done:)

That's just a shower curtain on the couch right now! I was just tinkering around! But so far Ruby approves!

And I just moved an old dresser we had into the sunroom and scuffed it up a bit! I am all about using what you have!!!

So there you have it! That's what i've been up too lately! As soon as I get each room completely finished I show you more! But I just didn't want you to think I feel off the face of the earth!! heehee!!!!!!!

Talk to you soon:)

People with many interests live, not only longest, but happiest.
George Matthew Allen

{Autumn Inspiration}

Hello there & Happy Saturday to you!
Hope you are enjoying the long weekend:)


I know I am! I woke up early so that I could enjoy a full day of happy crafting before I head off to a tailgate party:)
Sometimes it's just so nice to stay home and get crafty!

First up....
if you happen to have any sheet metal or galvanized metal lying around.......you could make a happy little magnetic starfish!
We have that stuff lying around since my husband uses it for his work but you could buy it at Lowes or Menards!

All you have to do is:
draw out a starfish
cut it out with metal scissors {I think that's what they're called}pound it to give it some texture
paint it
drill holes in it
use twine to hang it!
Easy...peasy!
And cute I think:) :) yes....no!?!!??


I also worked on autumnfying my home!
Since you know I love all things aqua blue and turquoise...I thought it might be ok to keep it around for my autumn decorating. Sort of a beachy autumn style!

Plus I didn't want to make new pillows just yet for the dining room.....since they are blue I thought I would just add a little more blue with the orange!

Oh and I got the candle holders from various thrift stores and just painted them!
I love how they turned out:):)


Well you know i've been making those crates.....
so I figured i'd build one this morning to use on my dining room table.
I think I am getting obsessed with building things.......thank goodness my gramps taught me how to use power tools:)


I love it! I think the blue and orange looks super happy:)
What do you think???
I might have wanted to do more cream instead of aqua.....but then I thought it would be good to just use what I had!

A very beachy autumn:):):)

I also spruced up the fireplace mantle......

wine bottles and twinkle lights.....how could you go wrong!?!?!?

and of course just after I snapped these photos I decided to have my first indoor fire of the season. It is pretty chilly here

today:(

Darn....would have been a much cuter photo. Owell!

Hope you have a super creative long weekend!!!!

Everyday is a winding road
I get a little bit closer
Everyday is a faded sign
I get a little bit closer to feeling fine
~Sheryl Crow

{The Craft Room}

Hello and Happy Wednesday to you:)
Glad you all liked my table scape from the other day's post!
Now....
guess what?!?!?
I finished organizing and re-doing my craft room!!!! Yeah! I am very happy with how it turned out. I only hope I can keep it so organized. Remember how it looked before?!?!?!
I already had almost everything I used.....It's amazing what a little can of spray paint can do:)
Oh and a change in the wall color....lighter, brighter and more airy feeling!!!!

I put the desk in the center of the room....so that opened up the space for a lot more storage options!

I still want my husband to get me a stainless steel top for my desk....but I am sure i'll have to wait awhile for that:)

I purchased a black open-back frame from Hobby Lobby and painted it aqua and fitted it with a painted peg board!!! Simple:)

I still need it hung on the wall....but you get the point!

I had old black frames laying around....painted them aqua and put some photos I took at the beach in them:)
Had the shelves....they were dark brown....painted them and scuffed them up!!!

and the striped magnet board...I made! Take artist canvas, paint stripes on it and slip and piece of galvanized steel in the back! Waaala .... you have yourself a beachy little magnetic board:)


See the glass candle holders on the top shelf?!?! I painted a stripe of chalkboard paint on those too!! They say....Live you life:) They make me happy!

I also painted those wooden shapes....like I did for the fireplace re-do.....and put them on my baskets!

I still have to hang up the frames I bought on this wall.....
Maybe this weekend:)
and you already know about the vintage frames I collect!!! I love them!!!!
I took my old file cabinet and painted with .......you got it......chalkboard paint:)
I love it!!! I am terrible at organizing...so maybe all the happy thoughts on the file cabinet will inspire me to be more organized:)
So there you have it!!!!
I still want to sew some curtains for the closet....I didn't show you that...but trust me....it's organized:)
Other than that.....I think it turned out GREAT!!! It truly makes me happy to be in there now!

What do you think!?!?!

"Life is like a blanket too short. You pull it up and your toes rebel, you yank it down and shivers meander about your shoulder; but cheerful folks manage to draw their knees up and pass a very comfortable night." ~Marion Howard

{Fresh Friday}

Hello and Happy Friday to you!
Thanks for all your positive comments on my fireplace:)
I am just so darn happy with it and I am glad you like it too.

This weekend I am going to be working on my craft room.
Currently it looks like this.....
Yep...total disaster.

To say that I am not good at putting things in their proper places would be a complete understatement! I am terrible at organization and once a few little things pile up....I tend to start to get overwhelmed and the pile just keep continuing!

So...I decided to completely re-do the room this weekend:)

I bought bookshelves and paint to paint the walls a lighter and cheerier color.

I want to be able to organize everything so that I know where everything is at ALL times:)

and I won't have to drive my husband nuts with making a mess of other parts of our home.....like the kitchen when I drag everything out to make jewelry!

and leave it out for days......
It will be a huge undertaking.....but I have no doubt that I can get most of it accomplished this weekend.

A few things that I have swirling around in my head might not get finished this weekend.

But for most of it....it will just be re-doing what I have and then purchasing some things to help me get and STAY organized.

So....stay tuned for what I have in store!!!!!

And now for the EATS..........

You know I like tofu but sometimes I am in a rush and just need something quick to make.....

That's where canned foods come in handy....
I used the rice and beans as a base for........

A Super Tasty Tofu Dish
{couldn't think of anything else to call it}
prepare the tofu.....here's how.
microwave the rice and beans
dice up....
avocado
cucumber
cilantro
red onion
mix it all together in a bowl
sprinkle with some chili powder and cumin
add in your canned pineapple and
ENJOY:)

Easy......
and it tastes fabulous!
Oh....I should have said....pour a glass of vino...
but you already know that!
So there you have it.....
a healthy dish for when you are in a hurry:)

I have to tell you.....
I really should be a lot farther along in my half marathon training but I have come to the realization that I DO NOT enjoy distance running. I try to psych myself up for the long runs but I just don't like it.

Funny thing is .....I could ride my bicycle for miles and miles and did finish 75 miles in last years Apple Cider ride and plan to ride 100 this year. I never get tired of riding....ok except when I am really training....but other than that I can be on my bike for hours and still enjoy it!! Thank goodness for padded shorts.
But I just can't get into running.

I like to run 4-5 miles at the most and then I am done.
So that's why I haven't talked about the training runs much.
I realize sometimes it's easy to get pumped up and involved in things that other people love....but sometimes you have to step back and really think about if it's something you love.

After this race....I don't think i'll be signing up for any major distance runs!

One thing i've learned about fitness is.....if you don't love it, you won't stick with it!

Hope you have a super fabulous weekend!!! I'll be slowly posting the new jewelry that i've been working on and spending tons of time on my room:)
Can't wait to see what you think of the finished product!

"Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love. "
- Rumi

{painted fireplace}

Hello and Happy first day of SPRING to you!!
Guess what....
I finished the fireplace:) I primed it and painted the first coat yesterday...

I won't lie...it was very tedious painting. Not enjoyable...so after I finished for the day I thought I should treat myself to a little vino:)
If you haven't tried Murphy Goode wines ...you should! both the cabernet and merlot are fabulous!

I woke up early this morning and painted two more coats. I can't even tell you just how much I LOVE it! I still have to hang the picture above the fireplace and update the accessories in the bookcases but it already looks sooooooo much better!

Do you agree!!?!

Oh and here is what I started working on after I finished painting....
Remember the twine wrapped letter?!?!

Well I thought it would also work on a wine bottle....you know I have a ton of those:)
So easy....wrap a wine bottle tightly with twine and hot glue as you go!

It's where I am headed with the accessories for the bookcases....natural and sort of bordering on beachy! Lots of natural elements and creams!
Love it...just love it!

It doesn't always take a lot to update a space....just a little creative ingenuity:)
You just have to let the ideas flow~

Hope your first day of spring is fablous!

By Monday I will try have everything finished and ready to share with you!

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust

{the fireplace}

Well Hello & Happy Monday to you:)
Hope your weekend was wonderful.

Today...I decided that we should enjoy dinner in our dining room! A place that rarely sees people.
I made a rather non-gourmet meal for myself...but it was delicious:)
blackened mahi mahi....roasted sweet potatoes {I eat those A LOT}, grilled asparagus and sauteed morel mushrooms!
I have never had morel mushrooms and they were super tasty except for all the dirt that I somehow failed to rinse out of them:(
Owell....I tried. Oh & did you notice the mustard?!?! {thought I was going to say wine didn't you.....but you know by now....I love my vino any day of the week}I LOVE mustard and would cover the world with it if I could:) I like to dip my sweet potatoes in it...nothin' fancy but oh so yummy!

Alright....now on to more serious business:)

I cannot stand the look of our fireplace for one more moment....These are random photographs from the holidays....but you get the idea!
Our living room is a sunken living room with very little natural light.
I think the dark poopy brown coloring of the bricks just sucks the life right out of the room....
Oh and also really screams 1979!

I am thinking of painting it a nice creamy white.
Like this.... The only problem I foresee is that the bookcases on either side of my fireplace are stained wood and I don't intend to paint them. I love, love, love white trim but it would take me years and years to repaint all of the trim and woodwork in our home...

Do you see the bookcases?!?In my dream world I would rip out the entire fireplace and do something creative ...like this.....
But don't think my husband would be such a willing participant in tearing out the fireplace. So I just have to make a little change that will make me happier right now! Maybe someday we'll tear it out....but not today:)
I just think it's soooooooo ugly right now...
And plus....if I do paint it and I don't like the solid color I can always sand it and scuff it up to look like this....

So what do you think!?!?!?

Will a creamy white fireplace look nice against the stained bookcases?!?!?

Do tell:)

{click on the images to see where they're from}

“When you're finished changing, you're finished.”
Benjamin Franklin