Sunshine in an IPOD and Music Playlists

Do you remember the opening scene of A Devil Wears Prada when KT Tunstall’s “Suddenly I See” is being played while you watch the models put on their fancy boots and make up? Then you watch Anne Hathaway use some cheap chap stick and eat a giant onion bagel. I remember it vividly because when I wake up I pretend I’m one of those fabulous New York magazine editors that has a closet full of Chanel, JCrew, and Tiffany products and I’m totally playing KT Tunstall.

As I approach my new cubicle job -that I can’t exactly describe as my dream job, but I am totally grateful for- I’m building a better wardrobe (slowly but surely) and a better morning music playlist. The combination of coffee, a good morning playlist, and a great outfit makes for the beginnings of a wonderful day. Does it not?

So dear friends, family, and my five followers (which includes my friends and family): What’s your morning “jam”? What song is it that peps you up for another day at the factory? Are you like my husband and need to listen to what my mom would call “angry music”? Or are you more like me and need seriously cliché and cheerful music? 

These are some of my favorite and embarrassing morning tunes: 

 

If only I had moves like Micheal, style like Beyonce, and someone else to do my make up like Natasha...

Masters of Curtains and Playing with Bleach

Our house still feels so unfinished and I blame it on the master bedroom. So, today I'm trying to figure out some window treatment ideas that won't cost me a dime, but I need some help.

It's embarrassing sometimes but I am never one to turn down free things. As a result I have five canvas window panels (two short, two long, and one way different) that a college roommate gave to me two years ago. I'm not a fan of boring curtains. I've kept these pieces around thinking that one day I'd have a need for them or I'd pass them along to someone else with a need for them. 

I know the picture is hard to see because I took it with my IPhone. Sorry. We have a black curtain rod from ikea. I just pinned up the curtains so you can see what they look like right now. This is just one of the canvas panels and one large panel of an IKEA mosquito net curtain that I plan to cut in half to make two adding center pieces. The goal isn't to darken the room, just to make the windows look treated. 

1. I want to dye the curtains or bleach them. I'm worried the canvas bleached might turn them yellow and if I dye them they might feel rough. Have any advice? 

2. I want them to have a pattern. I know it's easy to stencil a pattern on them and use fabric paint, but I can't decide whether I want to paint a stencil or sew ribbon in a trellis pattern.

HOMEMADE BY JILL

I'd love to have some feedback. Have you done this before? What should I avoid doing? What do you think I should do? Help me out!

Sunshine and Fresh Linens

We are right on the edge of my favorite season, Spring! I love "Spring Cleaning". My mom is a teacher so when we were kids spring break was a huge deal to her. It was her one week to catch up around the house on laundry and heavy cleaning she didn’t have time to deal with from Fall to Summer. She would open the curtains throughout the house and let the sun shine in as the house smelled of all my favorite cleaning aromas (Windex, Pledge, Pine Sol, and even a little bleach). She would clean out all of our toys and clothes and our first week back to school would feel so fresh. I might need to see a psychologist, but I can’t help loving spring cleaning.

I’m starting early this year because I just interviewed for a job and hopefully will only have this week left to work on the house. For the past four years my spring cleaning has consisted of few things, my closet, baseboards, kitchen cabinets, common area restructuring, car cleaning, etc. because I’ve lived in a dorm or a small apartment. This year it’s so much better! I have six closets to clean out, a whole house full of baseboards, five large windows, two mattresses to scrub and flip, four dressers to clean out, a whole kitchen of cupboards to clean, and couches to scrub. I am in heaven and I have a complete empty week to bask in it- this might not ever happen again. 

At the end of spring cleaning I always have things to toss and things to sell. I would love to have a yard sale this year so that I could use the extra money for more cute things for the house. However, we live in a townhouse. I don’t see throwing up a table in the middle of our parking lot as a great way to sell my junk. I also don’t think the neighborhood would be too pleased. Adam suggested selling everything on Craigslist, but I have some pretty random stuff. I’ve only ever sold furniture on the site. 

Does anyone have any suggestions or advice that can help me get a little cash for all of my little junk? 

Here's Martha Stuart's printable Spring Cleaning list (I love it!): Spring Cleaning