craft-room renovation has begun!

so i was going to wait until it was moderately finished to let you in on the craft-room renovations, but i just cannot keep a secret that long. we are converting the spare bedroom to a craft-room/spare bedroom. i will start by telling you the evolution of this ever-changing room.

first, it was an office, but very bare (we had just moved in).

then we ‘upgraded’ a little. i got a desk (well 2 desks to make one big desk) so i could have a computer area and a crafting area, and don had his own desk on the other side of the room. this worked out for a little but, but then decided we should SWAP the office and spare bedrooms.

 

so then we put the spare bed (my old full-size bed, which takes up almost all of the room i might add) and don’s old desk in the blue room. this, we decided, will be the new spare bedroom, and we will share the two desks in the new office. this worked out fine, because i primarily use my laptop on the couch.

so the picture above is how the room currently looks (well, it has a lot of crap everywhere, but the layout is accurate). yes, all of my family lives out of state, but if you figure out the length of time we actually use a guest room in comparison to the days of a year, it is not worth it to us. it is really a waste of a room. i decided i wanted the blue room to be my craft room (primarily) and we will get a sleep sofa (queen size) and put the old bed in the basement.

so, we have started painting. i am very excited to see how this turns out. we have until april 29th to get the sofa bed and the room semi-organized, because that is when my sister and her boyfriend are coming to visit.

updates to come soon, as we are going to (hopefully) buy the sofa this weekend! stay tuned!! 

mega blog makeover!!

how much do you love the new blog? seriously, how cute is it?!?

i am obsessed, thanks to Krystal over at blog design by sassy sanctuary. she did such an amazing job, and was so easy to work with, i highly recommend her to anyone looking for help designing their blog, or for a total overhaul. i really cannot say enough nice things about her, so please check her out (she has a craft blog too, which is equally as awesome). 

ahhhh i am so excited. i just love it. it no longer looks boring and drab. exciting and sophisticated now. i mean business! k, i’m done, but really i love it, hope you guys do too, since it is much easier for you to navigate.

birthday post

so, its that time of year again, and this year its a big one. saturday march 26th will mark my 25th year of life. can you believe it?

“happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday birthday to me”

now i can officially do everything. i can RENT A CAR! yippeee. after this, there is no more ‘big’ birthdays to look forward to, am i right?!?

i feel like when you get to a certain age, it becomes less about the year and more about the moments and memories that make is special and memorable. i can drive, vote, buy lottery tickets, drink, rent a car. after 25 there is no more ‘milestones’ per say, but memories and goals.

i am very happy to embark on the next chapter of my life. i have a lot of goals to accomplish and projects in mind.

. .to many more

first photography session

two weeks ago, i had my first photography session. it was a maternity/family shoot, and i was so nervous. right now i am really trying to build my portfolio, so i can make a website and start photographing as a part-time job, so all of my sessions i am doing for free. it went very well. i was more than happy with a lot of the pictures and the family was so great to work with.

here is a little sneak peak! check me out on facebook at: stefanie schofield photography.

random facts

1. i hate pictures of myself, but i LOVE taking pictures.
2. i shower at night, not in the morning
3. my favorite disney movie is beauty & the beast
4. i am allergic to mango
5. i hate gum, it gives me a belly ache
6. my favorite drink is milk
7. i hate commercials, i only watch tv that has been dvr’d 

photo quiz

you know those silly e-mail chains that you get about quizzes and peoples lives? i thought it would be a great way to share a glimpse of my life. 

enjoy

01 / someone you spend a lot of time with:

my man

02 / a picture of you:

i like my hair and makeup. taken about a month ago

03 / a random picture of you and your significant other:

june 2009? maybe? i love this picture 
(sprry about his demon eyes)

04 / a picture of something that makes you happy:

true love. cant live without these two trouble makers

05 / an old picture of you:

boy were we cute. seriously, look at my dress and my perfect hair.
(jess, you napping real quick?)

06 / a picture of your sibling:

will edit soon, love this picture, and you of course.

07 / a picture you never posted on your blog before:

well the options are unlimited, but i really like this picture

08 / a picture of a person you miss:

my family, as they live approximately 1,388 miles away

09 / a picture of people who know you now and then:

ashley anne, my longest, best friend. we met when we were 14 and have been inseparable since. 

picture circa 2004; kiss concert, obv

10 / a picture of your favorite place: 

this is a toughy. i dont have a 'favorite' place per say. i would say my bed is on the top of the list, then maybe the beach? and florida or couse ;]

my first sewing experience; apron

this weekend after receiving my amazing sewing machine, i quickly ran to ac moore to buy thread and whatever else i thought i needed. i came across this cut, sew & go reversible apron panel project. it was very self explanatory and i had a lot of fun making it, especially for my first try. the only error i made was i skipped a step (by accident) and the ties are not perfectly straight together, oh well, could be worse.

here is the final debut.

i like this side better, much more fun and brighter

ohh, and look at emmy's new trick. loads of fun. especially when she eats my retainer when i only have one more month left before i get my braces off, urghhh.

gotta love her

new projects, coming soon!

on friday my mother texted me saying i would be receiving a package when i got home from work. i was so excited, i love presents. i came home to find this. i was excited and intimidated. i do not know how to sew! 

i set it up in our horribly messy spare bedroom/craft room and tried to figure out how to thread the bobbin and the top thread. i was successful, but i gave up for the night when i could not figure out how to bring the bottom thread up. 

i am very excited to learn how to sew and to be able to make more crafts. i already went to barnes & noble and bought a sewing book (that is far beyond my level of sewing).

there is a lot of really cool clothes, bags and different household things to sew in this book. the directions seem pretty easy to understand, so hopefully i will be tackling one of those projects soon after i learn how to sew. 

oh, and my wonderfully amazingly perfect boyfriend just ordered my birthday present. 

yes, a silhouette! so pumped. i have so many fun and exciting projects coming soon. stay tuned!

goals list 2011; REVAMPED

kitchen idea courtesy of Flea Market Trixie

so, after seeing heather's aaaaamazing kitchen renovation, she inspired me to think 'bigger' for my goals this year. not only did she re-do her kitchen in a year, they built a deck! did you read that right, built a deck. now, ask me if my man can build me a deck. (sorry babe) he has NO contracting skills.

then i saw another great kitchen remodel that seemed like it would work for our kitchen. i love the nook area, i think that is something that would look great in our small 2x4 kitchen. 

anyway, where was i? right, bigger goals. so, without further adieu, the new and improved 2011 goals list (sorted by room):

LIVING ROOM

TV Wall Mount

New baseboards & Molding (& Paint)

New Rug

Wall Décor

Demo & remove closet

KITCHEN

New cabinets

Trash barrel

Countertops

Tile backsplash

Table & chairs (built in?)

Stainless steel refrigerator

OFFICE

New baseboards & Molding (& Paint)

Organize closet (& keep clean!)

SPARE BEDROOM

New baseboards & Molding (& Paint)

Organize closet for crafts

1. Scrapbook racks
2. Shelving
3. Bins
4. Ribbon holder

Buy Queen Futon 

BEDROOM

Print, frame & hang pictures in bedroom

New baseboards & Molding (& Paint)

BASEMENT

Start a pantry

Laundry sorter for basement; IKEA

Finish building tool bench

Organize tools

Clean basement; make sure everything is in a storage bins

Lighting

YARD

Buy and install fence

Mulch

Replant tree

New driveway

Patio furniture

BUSINESS/BLOG

Take Photoshop course

Get lens hood; 

Get Zing SLR Action Cover 

Create photography website & blog: stefanieschofieldphotography.com

Get photography business up and running

Get Macro Lens; 

Get Fisheye Lens; 

Get props

Buy HP TouchSmart 600t series desktop

OTHER

Put screens in every window

Buy silhouette SD

so, what do you think? i bet you think some of this is unattainable, right? well we are determined! we have a new level of motivation and are no longer 'underestimated.'

wish us luck, we need it ;p

craft room jealousy

nancy over at A to Zebra Celebrations has the most amazing craft room i have ever seen. she used my favorite color pink, and who doesnt love animal prints?!? i am beyond jealous. 

i love her craft desk, it is exactly what i want and the scrapbooking rack is perfect for organizing. too bad d would never let me morph our guest room into a pink and cheetah (my fav) craft haven. a girl can dream, right?!?

check out her blog at A to Zebra Celebrations, you wont be disappointed.

&& again

yet again, making moves on the goals list. the final product of the shades. they look awesome. 

1)     Buy TV stand  and TV wall mount

2)     But new shades for living room (Lowes)

3)     Organize living room closet

4)     Print, frame & hang pictures in bedroom

5)     Reorganize kitchen & cabinets

6)     Clean/organize basement

7)     New kitchen ceiling fan

8)     Get lens hood; Canon EW73B Lens Hood

9)     Get Zing SLR Action Cover

10) Start a pantry

11) Get shelving for basement

12) Buy and install fence

13) Get fisheye lens

14) Get macro lens

15) Start photography business

16) Get alarm for house

so we got the allen & roth cordless shades from lowe's and we love them more than we thought. they are awesome. they really brighten the room and go up or down.  

we also got an alarm system, which is something we wanted for a long time, but everyone we prices out was too expensive. we ended up going with vector security. it is awesome. we got a MOTION detector! how cool is that!??

it stays in the corner of the living room and shoots down the entire hallway and spans out 35 feet. it is pretty sweet. we have had it since saturday and it is pretty simple. we feel much safer (even if it is in our heads). i am also proud to say that we have not (knock on wood) had an error so far in the 7-day grace period. 

so far so good. we are making quicker progress than i anticipated. i think i underestimated our goals for the year, but maybe we are more motivated in the first half anyway. 

review; intro to DSLR

[images taken during class]

so this saturday i took a class at the cambridge center for adult education. my mom bought me the class as a birthday present, and it was well worth it. 

It was $122 and it was a one day class from 9am-5pm. i LOVED it. i learned so much. the class was introduction to digital SLR camera. i finally learned how to take my camera off of auto! i learned all about shutter speed, aperture, white balance, and all that fun stuff that the everyday photographer has no idea about.

if you are interested in learning more about your SLR camera, i highly suggest looking into courses, either online or at local schools (adult education).