Cozy by the fire for 2

Let me start this post by explaining that my husband and I love the outdoors, especially outdoors during the summer months. It is primarily during the winter months we find ourselves couped up in the house or lounging around. It is just hard for me to motivate myself to go outside when it is freezing! Well, all that changed when we visited my parents a couple months back. This is when we discovered our inner pyromaniac state of minds...

On a cold 25 degree (that is cold people!) night at my parents house, we decided to head out back and check out their new fire pit. Well, let me just tell you, we checked it out and enjoyed it SO much! Warm, cozy and such a fun gathering! We enjoyed it so much so that when I came home from work a couple days later, my husband surprised me with our very own (and smaller) version of the fire pit and bench. It was adorable and according to him so easy to make! He just got a few pressure treated 2 x 6's for the bench, and then some landscaping bricks to construct the fire pit. For a little bit of time creating and only $45 we had our very own fire pit and bench--much cheaper than the kind you get in stores (and more personal since it was hand made!).

(parent's fire pit: the inspiration)

(our fire pit and bench!)

So, for those of you who are crafty or have a handy husband/boyfriend around, this is a definite must for the cold winter months!

Upholster Your Furniture

I have a big project in the FROG I want to eventually undertake. Basically, it requires me to convert our old TV stand into a sitting bench with cushion. Now, since I have never upholstered anything before, I needed a test dummy...bar stools it is!

I have had these bar stools in my life since as long as I can remember. They have followed me from childhood, to college, to present--so it was time for an updated look anyway! Since most of the furniture in our house is espresso or contemporary black, I decided it'd be easiest to paint black and upholster the top. After purchasing some clearance fabric and foam at JoAnns, and grabbing my husband's staple gun--I got to work (and had WAY too much fun with the staple gun I might add!) All in all, I'm actually quite pleased with the result and once I get started on the bench I'll be sure to share that as well! Enjoy!

Custom Shot Glass Case

Everyone has that one thing they collect, well, mine for years has been shot glasses! It never ceases to amaze me at how many people still remember that, too, but I'm glad they do! I remember when I first started collecting them, I ordered a custom case but it only held 25 shot glasses. Well, at the time 25 seemed like a lot, but it wasn't long until I quickly outgrew that case.

When packing up and moving to the beach, all my precious shot glasses were wrapped tightly and placed in a box. It wasn't until we moved into our house that I rediscovered this treasure of mine and was determined to find the appropriate home for them! I was on a mission and that meant a project was brewing...

After researching various cases and again being stunned at the costs for them, my husband and I set out to design and create our own custom shot glass case that matched our modern decor style. After drawing up the plans and buying the wood, we created the case, shown to the left.

It can hold well more than the shot glasses I have, which is perfect...room to grow! We didn't make individual slots for the shot glasses, because I wanted to be able to fill the space with picture frames and other knick-knacks until I got more shot glasses. We also made the bottom and top rows taller to hold the double shot glasses. It was a blast working on this project with JD. While he did the wood work, I was in charge of painting and organizing the shot glasses. This is one of my favorite projects we have done to date because the end result was so rewarding. I now can go in the FROG and see our shot glasses being displayed proudly. I can look at each shot glass and still remember who gave me them and for what reason, so this is very special to me. Another great thing about this case was it cost...are you ready...$16.00! That is right, $16.00 for materials and then the only other cost was our time! Well worth it in my mind! Enjoy!