Extreme Makeover-Lauren’s Apartment Bedroom

April 9, 2015April 9, 201512 Comments

So…if you read my mom’s blog posts, you know full well that I didn’t like the idea that my room was going to be painted white. I remember telling my mom that I felt like I was staying in a hotel because the walls were white and the bedding was white. I felt sad because it was almost like I was being kicked out of my bedroom.

Even though now I stay in that exact bedroom every weekend when I come home.

So because of the sadness of my old bedroom, I have decided to show you what my bedroom looks like in my apartment. Because honestly, these rooms look nothing alike. My mom has a very beachy theme and I have a very pink theme. To see what my bedroom looks like at my parents house, click here.

So welcome to my home!

Welcome to my room!

Honestly, besides work and school and when I go to my parents house, I spend 99% of my time in the apartment in this exact room (and only leave because I get hungry and I try to be social sometimes). Really, I love my roommates to death, but I think I love my bedroom more.

If you can’t tell by this one picture, I love pink and glitter. Like…a little too much. My best friend Shelby told me that whenever she comes over to my house, she feels like she is covered from head to toe in glitter. I’m kind of surprised that I haven’t thrown a glitter bomb on her yet.

My favorite part of my room-the bed

The focal point of my room is my bed with the two paintings above my bed. I have black and white sheets, a pink blanket, and a reversible black and white bedspread. I also have a pink and white velour blanket and a white blanket with Eiffel Towers, hearts, and Paris written on one side and Sherpa on the other side. Even though it’s getting warmer in Central California, I still sleep under all of these blankets. I also have many pillows, of which I really only use 2…but why not have as many pillows as possible on your bed?

Above my bed I have these two pictures that I bought from Ross about 3 years ago. I had them under my bed at my parent’s house for 3 years, and now they are my headboard. The one of the left is Big Ben and the one on the right is, obviously, the Eiffel Tower. I also have a blingy Paris sign that I bought from Hobby Lobby hanging above the pictures. This is the central part of my room and it is definitely the focal point.

Dogs leave paw prints on your heart

The bedside table isn’t my favorite, but it came with my apartment. Yes, the apartment came furnished. My favorite part is the lamp, even though you can’t really see it in the picture, but it is shaped like an Eiffel Tower. Shocker, I know. I bought it from a thrift store and it came with the lamp shade. Yeah! The burlap dog has a wire frame in it so it stands up on it’s own. I received it as a gift for my birthday and it’s perfect for holding my headphones on. The small blue sign came from my cousin as a Christmas present. I think that it’s absolutely perfect!

I’d like you to meet Alyxa!

This is Alyxa, pronounced Alexa. She is a full dressmaking mannequin that I bought for $100 on Ebay almost 6 years ago. She has been a great piece of decoration and perfect for displaying my sewing projects in the past. So now, I dress her based on the season. So she is wearing a dress that I wore for Easter a few years ago. I also have my laptop and knitting around her since she is next to my bed. The white case is an old shoe bag (is that what you call it?) that I re-purposed. It was originally blue and I painted it white, then I put my favorite Banksy picture on the front. It holds small balls of yarn that are just for small projects.

More mannequins!

If you didn’t figure out, I might have a small affinity with mannequins. And Paris. And pink. And glitter. You get the picture. Which is why the top of my dresser keeps all of these themes. Although it has all the themes, and it is a bit busy, but I love it. Also, notice the L in the corner. Yeah, mom has the same one.

Mannequins/Jewelry Holders

I have received these mannequins from different places. I bought the pink one from Ross, the blue one was originally Haley’s, and I bought the silver one from a Goodwill. The piggy bank was given to me as a friend. And unfortunately, it’s empty, so no money for shopping. The picture in the back is actually from mom. It has words that form the shape the Eiffel Tower. It’s hard to explain, but it’s awesome!

So here’s a picture of it…since it is very hard to explain.

More Displays

These are Styrofoam heads that I covered in duct tape. This is the best way for me to display the top hats that I bought from Disneyland. The green one is Tinkerbell and the blue and pink one is the Cheshire Cat. I want a Jack Skellington hat which is black and white pinstripes. The pink Eiffel Tower is actually something that I received from a birthday party who knows how many years ago. I have spray painted it a darker pink than it was originally. It’s perfect for pictures and hanging my Ray bands on.

Now, to the other side of my bedroom. The desk and bookshelf are really the only things to see on that side of the room. Except for all of my shoes…those are important.

Honestly, I hardly ever use my desk. The only thing it is really used for is holding things. Except for that stupid smoke detector. That needs to go back up on my ceiling. But my favorite thing here is Haley’s senior picture. I always love to see that.

Castle and Markiplier

No, I don’t actually need two calendars, but I actually like having both of them. The one hanging on the wall is from the TV show Castle. And the one on the bookshelf is a custom calendar that I made of my favorite youtuber Markiplier. Yes, I may be a bit obsessed.

Corgis and Towers and Paris oh my!

These are sitting on top of my bookshelf. The Eiffel Tower was purchased from Hobby Lobby. It could be hung on the wall if I wanted, but I like it sitting. The Paris string art sign was made by Haley for Christmas. If you can’t tell from this angle, the A is the shape of the tower. And the Corgi was made for me from my best friend Shelby as an art project. It is made completely out of soda tabs with Monster tabs as the eyes and nose. Her name is Ella.

Bookshelf

Here is my book collection. All of the wonderful reading that I can do, including my Jodi Picoult collection. Yippee for reading! I also have more, yes more, Eiffel tower things, some of my favorite pictures, and a pink Corgi that Shelby made for me. It can hold a gift card in its mouth.

These are a few of my favorite things

And finally on my bookshelf, a few of my favorite things. A lamp that I bought from a yard sale, a box that had chocolate in it, a wooden L that I covered in glitter, an old fashion camera that could work if I put film in it, and a sign that I now use as my signature. My mom and I downloaded this from another blog.

Chalkboard Calendar

And the final piece in my room, is this chalkboard calendar. I made this out of a baking sheet. It is hanging next to my door, and it’s awesome for being in school. I always hang my work schedule on the bottom of the calendar so I can see who I am working with, and I also put business cards from appointments on here so I can remember the dates and times. All I did was spray the inside of the baking sheet with chalkboard paint and write on it with chalk markers.

So…that’s my bedroom. Very different from my mom’s version of my room. Hope you liked a look into my bedroom and my life!

He is risen! He is risen indeed!!

April 4, 2015April 4, 2015Leave a comment

Happy Easter! I hope you all have a blessed day!

Starbucks Ferrero Rocher Frappuccino

April 2, 2015April 2, 20156 Comments

There are many times where we go into a Starbucks or Jamba Juice and someone orders a drink you had never heard of. Did you just miss it on the menu? Or did they just come up with something off the top of their head?

Well…a little bit of both.

These are normally secret menu items. Items that the restaurant may know how to make, but at the same time, the restaurant may not know how the drink is made. You can either take a chance on if they know the drink or you can find a recipe online.

Or, I can make it even easier.

Thanks to hackthemenu.com, anyone can see secret items and how they are made. And I have taken a challenge to try all of these drinks from Starbucks and Jamba Juice and write a review of the drink for you. This should be fun to see what happens, thought it may not be so fun on my wallet!

Ferrero Rocher Frappuccino

This drink is the Ferrero Rocher Frappuccino from Starbucks. According to hackthemenu.com, this drink is based off the Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino with extra flavor like hazelnut and mocha. I was a bit skeptical when I saw this on hackthemenu.com because, honestly, who can recreate a Ferrero Rocher? I mean, a candy that is so delicious that you have to eat multiples…yum! But, I decided to try this to see how well Starbucks could recreate a Ferrero Rocher.

When I walked into the local Starbucks before my night class, I was prepared. I had the recipe on my phone, ready to show the barista when they didn’t know what I was talking about.

And…that’s exactly what happened.

Here’s how the conversation went. “Hello, welcome to Starbucks. What can I get started for you?” “Hi. Can I get a Ferrero Rocher Frappuccino?” “Yeah…wait…do you have a recipe?” (Imagine me pulling out my phone and showing the barista the recipe) “Okay…the only thing we don’t have the hazelnut drizzle. Do you want a caramel drizzle instead?” “Yeah. That should work.” Okay, so you get the point. My drink gets made, and wallah! A Ferrero Rocher Frappuccino.

Doesn’t it look delicious?

So I got to my car, took a drink…and said out loud “OH MY GOSH! THIS IS AMAZING!!!!!” Starbucks has done it! They created a drink that actually tastes like a Ferrero Rocher candy. This drink is very sweet and rich, but it is still somewhat refreshing. For me, the candy taste came more as an aftertaste than a taste when I was drinking the frappe. You could definitely taste the caramel and hazelnut in the drink, but it didn’t take away from the idea of a Ferrero Rocher candy.

So would I get this drink again? Probably, but I would only get a tall because it is a bit pricey with all the extras in the drink. I paid $4.55 for a tall…ugh. I also don’t know if I could handle the richness of the drink if I had a larger frappe. But, if you like the taste of a Ferrero Rocher, be my guest to buy a larger drink.

I have also reviewed a Strawberry Lemonade from Starbucks. Click on the name of the drink to go read that post.

Let me know if there are any Secret Menu Items that you want me to try. I am willing to take suggestions and write a review about them.

The Power of Compassion

March 26, 2015March 26, 20151 Comment

How often do we get a physical letter from someone? Before the wonderful technology known as email came about, a handwritten letter was a common way of talking to someone and telling them what was happening in their life. Some people still get a handwritten letter from a friend or family member who still likes the idea of putting down their thoughts on a piece of paper to send to a friend or family member.

For me, I get a physical letter about once a month.

Now, I will be 21 this summer, and I had pen pals when I was younger (I am actually friends with a former pen pal from British Columbia on Facebook). But this pen pal is little different from ones I have had in the past. There are many reasons why I enjoy writing to this pen pal and why I am going to tell you about her. But the biggest reason is that this pen pal has changed my life.

On March 11, 2012 I attended a concert called Rock and Worship Roadshow. This is a Christian concert that features 5 to 8 bands that audience members pay $10 at the door. There are no pre-sale tickets unless you buy backstage passes or VIP tickets. I was attending the concert with my dad, my ex-boyfriend, and my ex-boyfriends dad (Note: I am on very good terms with my ex and his family because I play softball with them every week). While at the concert, one of the sponsors of the concert got up and gave a short speech that left multiple people teary eyed. I decided to help out this sponsor of the concert by going in on a monthly sponsorship together.

It wasn’t too easy for an 18 year old to take over a $38 a month payment plan by herself. But, I worked hard to make sure that this payment was always paid because this sponsorship meant a lot to me.

And because of this determination, I am still a monthly sponsor with Compassion International.

What is Compassion International? This organization was created in 1952 to help orphaned children from the Korean War by providing them with food, shelter, education, healthcare, and Christian training. And to this day, over 60 years later, Compassion helps more than 1.5 million children in 26 different 3rd world countries.

On March 11, 2012, I became the official sponsor of Angèle Kouka Nakoulma.

This is Angèle

Angèle was 6 years old when I started sponsoring her. She is from Burkina Faso, which is right in between Ghana, Niger, and Mali in Africa. She is one of 5 kids, and she is the next sibling after a set of twins. The name Kouka means “after twins” and is given to children who are born after twins in a family. According to one of her last letters, she wants to be a teacher, but she has also said that she wanted to be a doctor. This girl has big dreams! At home, she runs errands, cleans, and helps in the kitchen. Some of her hobbies include playing group games, jumping rope, and playing house.

Burkina Faso

Because of this sponsorship I feel like I am making a difference in the life of this little girl. I am spending $38 a month to give Angèle food, clean water, healthcare, an education, and learning about God. And I can tell by what she tells me in the letters I receive from her. She talks a lot about her friends, and always asks me questions. She wants to know as much about me as I want to know about her.

On March 20, 2015 I attended the Rock and Worship Roadshow yet again. And as I was sitting there, I had the sudden realization that I had been sponsoring Angèle for 3 years. Me, a 20 year old college student, has been making a difference in this 9 year old’s life for 3 years. I have been giving her things that she couldn’t get without me helping out.

So, why have I decided to tell you all about Angèle? I have a new appreciation for things that many people take for granted. Things like clean water, healthcare, and a place to live. I don’t have to travel a long distance to get water, and then do something to the water to make it clean. I don’t have to sleep in the same room as my whole family. I can go to a doctor when I am sick and not have to worry about how I will pay for it. Too many people take this for granted because they don’t know what it is like to not have these things.

So what can you do?

You can got to Compassion International’s official website and find out more information. You can get questions answered, find out more about the program, and look at children who need sponsors. If you would like to visit Compassion’s website, please click here.

There are thousands of children who need someone to help them out. This will change your life if your life if you decide to sponsor a child. I have a biggest appreciation for a lot of things because of the things that others don’t have. Angèle has taught me a lot of another culture, and I have learned a lot about myself along the way.

Do you sponsor a child, either through Compassion or another organization? Have you thought about sponsoring a child, but didn’t know where to get started? Let me know in the comments below what you think!

Extreme Makeover- Lauren’s Room Edition

March 23, 2015March 23, 201516 Comments

Happy Spring everyone! I hope the weather is cooperating wherever you are today! Ours is so beautiful! I have to enjoy it now, because I know this summer is going to be very hot!

Last summer, Lauren was getting ready to move out to an apartment to go to college in another town. This was a very difficult time for me. We always spent lots of time together and I knew this wouldn’t happen as often. I was excited for her and knew this was what was supposed to happen in life, but it was still a hard time as a mom. So to help myself in the process, I planned how I was going to redecorate her bedroom. I knew I still wanted to keep it for her, because she would still be home quite a bit, but I couldn’t go any longer with this….pink!

Sorry for the cat-it was the only picture I could find of the pink walls! Remember, this was before I was blogging!

Her room was soooo full of stuff! We went through every item in her drawers, closet, shelves, everything! The room she was moving into was furnished, so I would still have the furniture, but everything else was taken down or removed. Lauren was sad to see the pink go, but I just had to have something a little more soothing. I knew I was moving my scrapbooking stuff in here and there was no way I was going to be able to work with that pink staring at me all the time!

Tada!

The first step was to primer and paint all the trim. The trim was the same as the hallway, which you can see here. This included all the baseboards, door and door frame, closet door and frame, and the windows and frames. I spent two weekends just on the trim! Finally, I could do the walls. I used Concepts paint from Orchard Supply, semi-gloss in Simply White. Ahhh! Love the simplicity!

The bed

The full-size bed was my mom’s sisters bed from when she was a girl. My cousin had it for awhile and repainted it, but now it is ours. I could use another paint job, but I kind of like the chipped look. I purchased the white comforter, green pillowcase and little white and green pillow from thrift stores. The pink boho bedspread was Lauren’s from before but she got a new one for Christmas.

I ordered the curtains from Zulily and the blue pillowcases are from Walmart. Lauren found the pink and white dog fabric awhile ago and I made it into a large bolster pillow. I wanted to keep a little bit of pink for Lauren so she would still feel at home (although she still complains about the pink walls being gone!)

Old changing table

There was actually a larger dresser in here, but my other daughter, Haley, wanted it, so this was the changing table from when the girls were babies. It was brown and I repainted it white and added new handles. The smaller size was a better fit too.

Love this little detail

I really like how this turned out! My younger daughter used this box to store her American Girl shoes and accessories in. It was a bright blue and had yellow stars for knobs. I painted it navy blue with white drawers and found these compass knobs at Hobby Lobby. I loved how it went with the maps that I hung above the bed.

Compass knobs

I added this metal tree from Hobby Lobby, the little wooden box, a blue bottle and a little girl with her blankie, because my girls had blankies too.

Some little extras

Sitting spot

Opposite the dresser is a little sitting spot. I added an old chair from my grandpa, a Target ottoman found at Goodwill, Lauren’s old nightstand and a polka-dot basket from HomeGoods. The blanket I got for Christmas, the pink dog from Target and the whale pillow I made from a t-shirt soften up the chair.

The wall hangings include a metal star, a pink framed chalkboard with a giant ‘L’ and a great print from one of my favorite bloggers, Karianne at Thistlewood Farms. You can find your own print here.

You are a Rockstar!

I think all of us need to hear these words once in awhile!

Across the room, next to the door, are some bookshelves we installed when Lauren was younger. I left them painted green, for now, and just restyled them. I added some old suitcases that I keep fabric in, and some other odds and ends.

Some of Lauren’s favorite things.

On this side are a couple of pictures of best friends, her Harry Potter books and James Herriot books, a small tea set from Holland and a Disneyland snowglobe. I also added a replica golf cart to remind her of her golfing days!

Old pink bead lamp

Isn’t this lamp awesome! It used to hang in a hair dresser shop. I got it from a yard sale and it was full of sticky hairspray. I took some cleaning to get it to look good, but I love how funky it is!

Star light, star bright

I also added these hanging stars above the shelves. Lauren decoupaged the middle one with lots of pieces from an old book. It took her a long time, but it looks great!

The last piece of space is filled up with this old teacher desk. Haley and I picked this up from a Freecycle ad.

Old school desk

As soon as I saw the color, I knew I had to have it! I touched it up a bit, but not much. It sat on my porch for almost 2 years before I finally got to use it. I knew I wanted it for crafts and scrapbooking because it has such a large work surface. The drawers are really deep and I can keep my paper and other scrapbooking supplies in them.

Ribbon!

I use this plant stand for a ribbon holder. It’s so nice to be able to see what I have available. I also have a couple of jars of buttons.

More ribbon!

The blue jars on top are filled with the small scraps of ribbon. I won these jars from a blogger and I love them! I had to find a way to show them off!

Odds and ends

These are just some extra little pieces. The basket holds miscellaneous stuff. I painted the little drawers sitting in the back and was going to add words to the front, but I didn’t have enough sticker letters and then couldn’t find the same ones in the store. So, it’s still sitting there from before Christmas! I will get to it sometime!

I hung this bulletin board above the desk and added some of my favorite people and things so that I can be inspired each time I look at it-my girls, my parents, a couple of my pets and funny card and an inspirational saying.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour! I had fun decorating and it helped fill my time. I enjoy making it look nice for when Lauren comes home and stays for a bit. I think this room has become a beauty after its makeover!