Thursday, July 19, 2012

Back 2 Fabulous - Challenge #2

So I haven't messed up on our “Back 2 Fabulous” plan – YET! But it’s been literally less than 24 hours. But I'm setting goals and slaying obstacles. 


Small Change #1: Work out
STATUS: underway (okay this my be a BIG change in lifestyle but a small change to my daily routine - 30 minutes! I CAN do this!)

My beginer work out:
30 mins eliptical (3-5 resistance and burning about 200 calories)
50 crunches
30 lunches

 (it’s not pretty but it’s real)





Today’s challenge….H20!


Small Change #2….Drink LOTS of water.

We want to be floating up to our eye balls in water to shed pounds.


There is a great article about WATER from the fabulous Jillian Michaels here: http://www.jillianmichaels.com/meet-jillian/how-much-water.aspx#

To sum it up...we (women) need 88 ounces of water a day. More if you’re workin’ out and more it it’s hot outside. Looks like we are aiming for 100+ ounces of replenishing H20 per day! I'm keeping a 24 ounce cup with straw by my desk or with me at all times. A failure to plan is a plan to fail, right? So I'm downing 2 before noon and 2 before 4pm and one with my work out tonight. Keepin' a good pace. Wish me luck!

We are also keeping a board of inspiration, recipies, work out tips and links to articles related to our "Back 2 Fabulous" journey here:


Katie

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Back 2 Fabulous

Junque 2 Jewels is all about Funky, Fresh & Fabulous things…
well lately we haven’t been feeling so fabulous about ourselves.

Probably a results of STRESS and lack of time in our busy schedules, along with our tendencies to put ourselves last has led to chunky – rather than funky! Our love of food is in overdrive and today we need to set ourselves on a different path to getting "Back 2 Fabulous".

We say this all in good fun but we are serious about getting fit and feeling better about ourselves so we need YOU to help keep us accountable. We think small changes in our habits & daily lives can lead to big results over time so we will be sharing our small changes & updates along the way.

So please HELP - If you see us downing a big Mac or splurging on sweets – GRAB THEM URGENTLY FORM OUR HANDS AND DEMAND WE PUT DOWN THE FOOD!

Well maybe not that drastic, but the fear that we will be called on the carpet if we aren’t showing progress is great motivation for us. That’s part of while we are sharing this journey, the other is we hope you will come along with us too or find some of our info helpful & inspiring. So let day 1 begin!

Small Change Challenge #1
• Incorporate workouts into our daily lives – we have got to find 20-30 minutes a day

Katie
J2J

Problem Solved?

To be perfectly honest, I have a problem.

I try to blame my lack of organization on just having too much on my plate or other people messing up my system but the real ugly truth is that I'm an organizational MESS!

I am just not a very oganized person.

I don't want to be disorganized.

I'd LOVE for everything to have a perfectly designated home, rather than searching high & low all the time for things.

I'd LOVE to know what's on the calendar each day rather than relying on my BFF to keep up with my hair appointments.

I'd LOVE not to be sending belated birthday cards but rather pro-actively sending them out before the actual birthday.

I'd LOVE to know the answer to "what's for dinner?" before it's actually dinner time.

I'd LOVE to know when my dogs are due for shots, not get an ugly answer from the boarding facility when I go to drop them off (happens to me EVERY time!).

So I'm going to do something about it! I painted this desk...



Not a big deal right?

Well I'm claiming it to be an extremely big deal. It will function as my command center and launch me into being my most organized self : )

At least that's what I'm imagining. It will have a family calendar, stash of cards, stamps & envelops. Maybe coupons & mail? It will be the hub where I pay bills from and so much more! It's a craft/mess free zone designated to ME being organized. Wish me luck.

<3Katie


PS:The technical side of this post is that I took a slick surface desk I found on craigslist and primed it and painted it slightly neon acid yellow (it's not for everyone). Then we added a quatrefoil top detail and refinished the hardware and did some distressing to make it something I love to look at. It's full of character & a little spunky. Hopefully it's so inviting I want to sit down and organize something: )

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Lamp Makeover

Follow Me on Pinterest My ALL TIME favorite Saturday morning activity may be junkin'...looking for a good piece of junk at flea markets, garage sales & auctions just starts a weekend off right for me. You can find a score like these...
Okay so maybe in this picture it looks like HIDEOUS dusty old piece of junk but I see an oversized lamp with lots of detail and potential. Bonus - they cam in a set of two for $16! These babies are big, like 4ft tall and just waiting to live in my home. So I loaded them up pronto.

I finally got to do a little make over on them yesterday. Lamp make over's are a quick - instant gratification project - which I love. I used some Emerald/Kelly Green spray paint from good ole Walmart and some Chevron/Ikat fabric found at Hobby Lobby with poppin' color to turn drab into something pretty fabulous...



If you haven't tackled making over a lamp - you can find them at thrift stores for under $10 so they are a great crafty project for anyone to try. You typically need about a half a yard of fabric of your choice, hot glue, spray paint primer and spray paint in the color & finish of your choice. Spray your lamp and while it's drying adhere the fabric around the top and bottom rim of the shade, pulling taunt as you go. You can cover rough edges & seams with decorative ribbon or trim as well for a more finished & custom look too.

Amazing what 30 minutes can do...

Friday, July 6, 2012

Cowgirl Bedroom Surprise reveal

Our dear daughter was away at camp for the first time ever for a WHOLE WEEK and instead of sitting back and relaxing we had to find something to keep us busy! We had been collecting pieces and ideas (via Pinterest Follow Me on Pinterest) for her bedroom for the past couple months and this was the perfect opportunity to pull it all together and give her the girly cowgirl room she has been wanting. So our relaxing parenting free week turned into project surpise for our little cowgirl.

We mainly re-purposed items we had or made each element in her room. Here is the grand tour.

The bed is kinda the best! The headboard is made with old rusty corrugated metal we salvaged from a barn we are tearing down. The bedding we ordered from Amazon.


The fab burlap pillows were made for me to match her bedding - very reasonbly!!! They are from Lola & Bea and many of her pillows are available at Vintage Glam & Junque in Rogers. Love to shop local when we can : )



While we love old things we don't live in an old home so sometimes adding character and architecural elements (essentials to the cowgirl vibe) is tough. We used a metal tin shelf above the window to add a touch of this. It was a great fix for an awkward window placement for curtains too.

Below the window we have a hope chest (AKA Toy storage) turned window bench. It's a great little reading spot and very functional which is important for kiddos rooms. The hooks beside the window are also great for her purses & book bag. If everything has a spot, it's more likely to get put away there right??? PS;YES that is a real cow skull there and Kaia selected as a room element herself! EWW

A box sign I love for empowering a tween girl - heck a girl of any age needs to know this!

Another hand picked item for her room were these horns that I got at an estate sale and my crafty hubs mounted them to an old architecual peice of wood to make it stand out even more.



This is part of the collage/gallery wall that contains lots of collected cowgirly elements (horse shoe, rusty barbwire & horse chalkboard) along with favorite photos. I (with my niece & newphew) made the "All good things..." art piece with a scrap of wood, crazy painting & some letter stickers. I love this quote because it always makes me think of her free spirited nature and it's another personal element to her room.


This fabulous PINK dresser with paisley top and glazed distress detail may be my favorite thing in the room. I took an antique and made it girly for our cowgirl and just coulding be happier with how it turned out. Another feature in the room that adds loads of character is the old barn wood wall behind the dresser (again reclaimed from an old house we are tearing down). My husband also crafted the marquee horseshow which is a great night light ; )



One solution I was looking for in the room make over was more display space for all Kaia's little things. She loves to display her trophies, ribbons, drawings, rocks and trinkets she finds. All those elements will now be store in this area. The corkboard is HUGE like 3 feet x 4 feet and we re-did the book case with trim and a pallet wood top to function in the room as well.



For a nightstand we repurposed an industrial metal cart with great color & character and proped and old yellow door we had behind it. I painted mason jars & made burlap flower arrangements in each one. I also shabbied up a lamp we had and a skeleton of the shade with burlap. Some of my dad's old western books are even added to the table which is a personal nod to him maybe only I know.


The last thing in this rather LONG post is the "you are my everything" subway art type sign which is made by Go Jump in the Lake signs and it's big & the perfect shade of pink the room.
I hope she knows she is everything to us! We love ya girl! XOXO - mom & dad

Now you can see what she thinks!

Blogging tips