Friday letters...

Dear Christmas, I miss you already! Please bring more presents and yummy food.

Dear snow, although my puppy loves you, my floors and my driveway do not, so please go easy this winter...

Dear Rusk Speed Freak hair dryer. I love you. You dry my hair in five minutes and have changed my life.

Dear Easton Town Center, I cannot shop in you if I cannot park in you! And I want some deals!!

Dear Turbo Jam workout, thank you for kicking our butts!! We will need you again come New Years resolution time.

Have a great weekend!
- N & J

Pinterest Party - Hardy!

Happy Holiday Party Season Everyone!

As promised, our big holiday party this year was a Pinterest Craft Party!  All our girlies got together for some crafting, some wine and some yummy treats! 

First up was our Glitter Deer artwork:

For this one, you just trace a deer stencil (you can find a ton online) onto a plain canvas.  Fill in the outline with glue and cover in glitter.  Shake of the glitter and you get a sparkly piece of art for the holidays!

Next was the ever popular Mason Jar Snowglobe:

This has to be the easiest craft ever!  Just glue some dollar store tree figurines to the bottom of the mason jar lid, add some "snow" (we used white vase filler) and you are good to go!

To cap off the night, we made some sweet treats!  Yummy!!

Hope your holiday party was great!
- J

Food Truck Day!

Who doesn't love a good Food Truck? We can't get enough! On Friday, the town we work in hosted a group of food trucks for residents and workers to try new foods. Nina and I hit up a sandwich truck called Your Place or Mine for a grilled 4 cheese and bacon sandwich. And yes, it was as delicious as it sounds!

Holiday party prep

Looking to have a holiday party? With so many theme choices, how can you pick? You've got your ugly sweater party, always a winner. Or maybe you want to go more traditional with tree trimming and caroling?

This year, we are trying a new one, a holiday themed Christmas party! While our exact plans will be top secret, since our friends are readers ;) we will be sharing more and more in the coming weeks! Stay tuned!!

Have a wonderful day!
~J

Go Buckeyes!

Here in Columbus, Ohio, we all breath scarlet and gray. After last years tumultuous year, the "Urban Renewal" for this season was highly anticipated. But we don't think any Buckeye fan could have expected the great year we had!

In honor of our 12-0 Buckeyes, we wanted to share some of our pics from the final game against the hated team up North!!

Go glitter!

Nail polish, my new addiction. I have wanted to try glitter ombre effect (don’t think I have used glitter nail polish since high school). So I choose Pop Life and Some Enchanted Evening (both Deborah Lippmann). This was my first time using Deborah Lippmann nail polish and wow what a great product. (I guess for $18 a bottle it better be good). It went on so easy and stayed nice and smooth, dry time didn’t take long either. I would definitely get this brand again.

To start I used a good base coat I use Essie First Base. Then two coats of Pop Life let them dry and then applied the glitter Some Enchanted Evening. For this step I applied lightly about half way down, then went back over with more glitter about a quarter of the way down. This way the glitter is more concentrated on the tip of the nail. Then cover it all in a top coat, I used Diamond Shine by Sally Hansen, it dries quick and it did a good job setting the color.

Hope this gives you an easy way to try the glitter ombre nail affect. Also I have read some dupes of the Some Enchanted Evening being Revlon’s 261 Sparkling and Essie’s A Cut Above. However I love the ease of use of the Deborah Lippmann and the ease of use, I also understand paying $18 is quite steep.

So have some fun and give it a try, go glitter!

~Nina

Special Holiday Treat - Lemoncello!

If your family is anything like ours, the holidays revolve around good food, good conversation and booze.  My dad is particularly fond of an after dinner drink called Lemoncello, a lemon vodka mix.  While this is readily available in stores, it's so easy to make yourself, I couldn't help but try!

Start off with the zest of 6 lemons.  Put them in a container and add a bottle of vodka.  I used Skinnygirl plain vodka, but any plain vodka will do.  Then cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in a cool place for 7 days.  That's right, you can't touch it for 7 days, so plan ahead!

Once you hit the 7 days, boil 5 cups of water with 3 cups of sugar.  Once all the sugar is dissolved, remove from the heat and let it cool.  This part can take a while, but we stuck the pot outside for a while, and that did the trick.  Next, strain the lemon vodka mix into another container.

Discard the lemon peels.  Add the sugar water to the lemon vodka, and chill it until you are ready to enjoy! 

Will run for chocolate... And not much else

In keeping with our goal to complete personal goals, we entered the Hot Chocolate 5K, apparently America’s Sweetest Race. We convinced our significant others to join in as well as our buddy Corey and Nina’s sister Mandy. Originally lured in by the promise of the “Finisher’s Mug” of hot chocolate, chocolate fondue and assorted dipping deliciousness, somewhere along the way we discovered a love of running and a sense of accomplishment.

Many of our personal goals for this year will revolve around fitness. Now, we are planning a half marathon and a triathlon. While we may not be winning the Boston Marathon any time soon, the thrill of competing and finishing is just as sweet.
Have a great day!
-J

Friendsgiving... A time to give thanks.

Remember when you were a kid, and the holidays were filled with such joy and amazement? As you get older, you realize that the holidays are just a time to deal with annoying family members, long lines at Target and stress. This year, we decided to get back into the spirit of the holiday with Friendsgiving, a time for friends to gather together for a little food, a little wine and of course, Ohio State football (Go Buckeyes!)
We had the traditional Thanksgiving fare, a 20 lb turkey rubbed with assorted spices, heavy on the rosemary, stuffing, smashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, assorted vegetables and salad. For desert, we served pumpkin and apple pies with homemade whipped cream.
The night was a resounding success, as the girls retired to watch Magic Mike and the boys started a bon fire with the contents of our recycling bin. The Buckeyes even won!

Our Favorite Recipes to Try:
Classic Stuffing Recipe – Courtesy of the Food Network:
Melt 1 stick butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cups each diced onions and celery and 1 tablespoon each minced sage and thyme; add salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add 3 cups turkey or chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Beat 2 eggs with 1/4 cup chopped parsley in a large bowl; add 16 cups cubed stale white bread,then pour in the vegetable-broth mixture and toss. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and dot with butter. Cover and bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees F; uncover and bake until golden, 30 more minutes.

Smashed Potatoes –Courtesy of the Pioneer Woman (I slightly modified it based on our needs)

Begin by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make, and cook them until they’re fork-tender. Generously drizzle olive oil on a sheet pan. When the potatoes are tender, place them on the cookie sheet. Take your potato masher and gently press down on the potato until it slightly mashes. Then, brush the tops rather generously with olive oil. Sprinkle some salt, pepper and rosemary over the smashed potatoes. Bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes.
Have a great day!
- J

Starting over...

Nina and I started this blog at the beginning of the year with such hope to make it into a popular, useful source of information, as well as a place where we could look back and reflect on projects, parties and milestones.  We realized that we have fallen woefully short.  With busy schedules, things have not worked out the way we hoped.

But all that is changing now. Our lives may be busy, but we need to take time out for ourselves. Crafting, cooking, decorating and entertaining may seem frivolous, but a well balanced life needs a bit of frivolity, right?

To reinvigorate our drive, we've both asked ourselves, what does Attempting Domesticity mean?

~finding a well balanced life, managing work, home and relationships

~learning to handle all responsibilities on your own

~setting personal goals, beyond major milestones

~being adventurous, trying new things all the time

As we continue this new blog adventure, you will learn more about our personal goals.  These may even correspond with some of yours. Growing up is inevitable, but "attempting" starts with one step. And we are starting now.

I'm Summer Lovin': Bridal Shower Favors!

For my lovely July bridal shower, Nina and I decided to make these Pintrest-fav chalk paint wine glasses as favors.  First, we took a bunch of Dollar store wine glasses and taped them with newspaper and painters tape.

Then, we spray painted the bottom of the glasses with standard chalk spray paint.  We created a nice containment area in a cardboard box, it made for super easy clean up.

 We added the names the day of the party and the finished product was a big hit!

Hope you are having a great day!

-J

I'm Summer Lovin': Fire Pit!

Nothing says summer quite like a good summer cookout.  From steaks to s'mores, everything tastes better when cooked outside on a nice barbeque.  Soon-to-be-hubby decided to take this one step further and build a fire pit in our backyard.  We started with just cinderblocks:

To finish it off, we added a wood border and some ivy at the bottom.  Tile around the top gave it a professional look:

But does it work?

You bet!  These yummy veggie skewers were a great start to the summer!

Hope everyone is keeping cool in this heat!
-J

DIY Geometric Prints

I found these wonderful pieces of art at Home Goods (AKA Mecca).  With their great frames and stylish print, these pieces were perfect for the top of my stairs. 

However, at $60 a pop, they were a little out of reach. 

Instead of shelling out the money, I decided to make my own, for almost nothing!  First, I found some great geometric prints online (just Google geometric prints, the possibilities are endless).  Next, I used some old frames and spray painted them gold.  I also spray painted the mats inside the frames black, for a nice contrast.  Lastly, I popped the printed geometrics into the frames and put them up on the wall.  

Hope you are having a great day!
-J

Crock Pot Crazy!

I confess, most of my attempts at delicious meals come from the prepared foods section of the grocery store.  I always find recipes and buy the ingredients, but after a long day at work, I just want to eat, no fuss no muss.  Which is why I'm now obsessed with my slow cooker.  With most of these recipes, you just put all the ingredients into the crock pot, and then it cooks by itself.  And then I can eat as soon as I get home!

This winner of a recipe comes from the queen of quick meals, Rachel Ray.

Pulled BBQ Beef Sandwiches
Ingredients:
1 Large Onion
3/4 Cup Ketchup
1/3 Cup Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp. Dark Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp. Paprika
2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast, cut into two pieces
2 Cloves Garlic, halved

Directions:
1. Combine onion, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar and paprika in the slow cooker.
2. Cut slits all over the roast and rub the meat with the cut sides of the garlic.  Tuck the remaining pieces of garlic into the slits and then season with salt and pepper.  Put the meat in the slow cooker and coat with the ketchup sauce.
3.  Put the lid on, and cook on low heat for 7 to 8 hours.

4. Serve on hamburger buns and coleslaw for a great dinner!

Hope you are having a great day!
-J

Laundry Room Makeover

 

It started with shopping for new laundry baskets, and turned into a renovation. Here is the room before with cabinet’s shelves that were not tall enough to let cleaning products stand up. There is also a dreaded cabinet that you always hit your head on when emptying the dryer.

First we took down the old cabinets (causing a few holes in the wall), then we patched and sanded the holes in the drywall. After that I used “Barefoot Beach by Olympic Paints” to paint the walls. Then I made a sketch with measurements of the space.

We decided to go with a Rubbermaid track system shelves from Lowes. We took our measurements to Lowes and a nice guy set us up with everything that we needed to install the track system.

Now came the fun part, picking out all the decorations. I found a great glass canister to keep powder detergent in at Marshall’s for only $9.99. I also found these great Rugby Striped Bin’s from The Container Store only $9.99 (they come in two sizes I  only needed the small).

Now I need to finish with covering the electrical panel and adding some art work to make it pretty.

Sew, you want to make a pillow?

At the same time frustrating, perplexing and vindicating, nothing exemplifies Attempting Domesticity like the sewing machine.  Asking for a sewing machine for my birthday, I assumed that, like using certain computer programs, after playing around for a little while, I would be a natural.  A rookie move.  Lucky for me, there is no better teacher than my mom, so when she came up for a visit, I scored this awesome tutorial for a super easy pillow!

First, measure out your fabric 1" longer than your form.  In this case, since we were working with a 14" x 14" form, we made the length of material 15".

For the width of the fabric, measure out double the form size plus 9".  This covers the front and back of the pillow and allows for the overlap for inserting the form.

After cutting out the fabric, turn under half an inch of the ends of the fabric (wrong sides together) and stitch down to keep together.  Then fold the material right side together so that there is a 4" overlap at the center.

 

Using a half inch seam, sew the top across, then sew the bottom across.  The pillow case should be inside out at this point.  Cut the corners slightly, then turn the case right side out and insert the pillow form.  Voila you have created your very own pillow!

For an extra touch, cut out some "leaves" from a different color fabric.  I used cream colored fleece.  Arrange the first few leaves in a circle and then add in the rest to make a full wreath.  Hot glue everything in place and enjoy your stylish new pillow!

Thanks to mom for the lesson!  Stay tuned this week for more sewing fun and a sneak peak into Nina's laundry room reno!  Have a great Sunday! - J

100 Things to do with a $1 Vase

As every crafter knows, the most bountiful of locations for supplies is the dollar store.  Holiday decor, candles, even pain relievers can be found in this world of many wonders.  

Our favorite thing in the local dollar store are the plain cylinder flower vases. Reason being? There are so many uses!!  As a result, our side project for this blog is to come up with 100 different ways to use these beautiful items.  

We've already showed you a bridal stencil project, so now let's try out an abstract candle holder. 

First, put some rubber bands randomly around the side of the vase.  Make sure everything is flat, for a smooth finish.

Next, spray paint in any desired color.  We chose white for a bright, clean feel. 

Finally, wait for the paint to dry, remove the bands and voila! A glowing candle holder!

Until next time, hope you all are having a great start of your week!

Valentini, Anyone?

Cure the Winter Doldrums with a Fun and Colorful Valentine’s Day Party!

Whether you are attached or not, Valentine’s Day is always a great holiday for a party.  Not sure if it’s just a pop of color in the winter, or an excuse to eat a ton of chocolates, we love throwing Valentine’s parties.  2012 is no exception and we thought we’d get started with a great table scape!

The key to a great table is the place setting.  We layered ours starting with some cute red place mats (from Home Goods, our fav!) and then added dinner plates, appetizer plates and salad bowls.  

Centerpieces are next, and we went simple with a hurricane, clear vases and hydrangeas.  

Our final touch was the pink colored poufs.  Thanks to Martha Stewart Crafts, these came with a handy kit.  They were really easy to make, not so easy to hang.  After jerry-rigging the pouf with string and scotch tape, we realized the easier solution would have been to wrap string around the center of the poufs, prior to fluffing.  Using heavier tape to adhere the string to the ceiling would have also worked better, but we did manage to keep most poufs floating for the remainder of our photo shoot.  

In the end, we did use some pedestals to prop up our favorite poufs to add to our centerpiece.

Hope you liked our Valentini Party set-up!  Stay tuned for our menu, signature drink and custom party playlist!

Bridesmaid Revisited

After a day at a bridal show we found this great craft idea at our favorite place, Michael’s!  It also happens to be a great centerpiece idea for our friend Johnna’s Victorian themed wedding.  The white against the glass is subtle, yet makes a great statement.

Start off with some simple vases.  We got these at the Dollar Tree, so this is also a budget craft.  Make sure the glass is clean and smudge-free for the best results.

Next, apply the stencil.  Martha Stewart Crafts makes some great adhesive stencils for easy crafting.

Dab on your desired paint (we used Martha Stewart Pearl paint in Mother of Pearl).   Carefully remove stencil and admire your handy work!  Repeat for 20 tables…