The Options: Cats or Dogs

Option 1: Fox on the Run | Option 2: Shelter

I know that I’m opening a can of worms with this one today, but I just can’t help it. I am head over heels (like a triple, 360 roll and a half) in love with our pets and can’t help but bring up their adorable, lovable species. Sure chatting about animals on a home lifestyle blog is stretching it a bit, but our two felines and sleepy hound dog definitely dictate a lot of our decisions when it comes to what we do with the house, so they do in fact deserve a little air time. And really…I’m happy to bring the subject up if only for the sheer fact that those three faces up above make me one giddy girl.

Option 1: Kitties unfortunately tend to have a bad rep. I’ve heard it all – the litter ammonia smell permeating a home, the “Cat Lady” stigma, the claws…Other than being called a cat lady by my friends and family, I’ve yet to deal with this elusive ammonia smell, and my girls are perfect little ladies when it comes to our upholstery. Just like kid proofing a home, you have to cat proof a home with proper scratch posts, WELL KEPT litter boxes and weekly vacuuming. It all comes with the territory, one that I’m more than happy to deal with on a regular basis in order to keep our home a welcoming place for our two cats.

Option 2: When speaking about the K9 variety, I feel a little inexperienced. Not because we don’t have a dog – we very much do, all 45 pounds of one – but because our particular guy acts more like a cat everyday. Maybe it’s because he’s the baby of the family, but we are constantly finding him playing with errant cat toys, imitating Ginny the cat’s people watching skills at the front door and practicing his cat-like napping skills all over the house (the couch, the sunny spot in the studio, his crate). Gotta love him, AND his oddly hybrid domestic personality.

So which team are you on? And if you have any tips for incorporating pets into a home or maintaining a well kept dwelling with puppies and kitties in tow, please share them in the comments!

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Weekly Pinterest Challenge: Washi Wrapped Jar

It has been a while since I posted a “Weekly Pinterest Challenge” – Sorry about that! Things have been a little wild behind the scenes around here and several deadlines, for better or worse, ended up falling on a Monday. Though they were projects worth celebrating, I’m glad to be back into my normal routine.

I’ve actually had this particular project on the docket for ages. When I was forecasting my schedule for June and July back in May, I knew things were going to be hectic, so my goal was to hone in on a SUPER simple project via Pinterest – Something that would take 1 or 2 supplies max and about 10 minutes to throw together. Although I adore the big impact of my more involved undertakings, sometimes the smaller ones have just as much impact, if only because it took such little effort to call them “done.”

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Source | Little Helsinki

The moment I saw the pin above I knew that I had found my project. Calling for nothing but a jar and a couple of rolls of patterned washi tape, there was no doubt that this tutorial would take about HALF of my allotted 10 minute procedure time. The only thing I needed was a jar. At first, I had planned to grab a mason jar from my collection, but a closer look at the Pinterest image showed that the jars suggested for use were actually perfectly round and smooth – unlike the squared and embossed lettering on traditional mason jars.

As fate would have it, I managed to find my jar just in the nick of time at a yard sale this past Saturday. My mom’s church held its annual Saturday morning yard sale over the weekend, and I couldn’t help but drop in to see what deals were to be had. There were books, movies, cabinets and frames galore, but I managed to walk out with nothing but this oversized glass jar in my hand – costing me (or really, I should say John) only 25 cents. Thanks, hun!

The final step in this tutorial? Get to taping! I pulled my collection of mismatched washi tape from the shelf and went with my gut on the color scheme, starting out with a multi-colored polka dot pattern. I layered the blue and yellow floral on next, followed by the yellow and white dots and finished up with a pop of bold red in the center. There was no rhyme or reason to my selection – I simply kept layering until it felt complete.

So where did it end up? Well small finished projects like these tend to rotate throughout the house as my whims change, but for now it’s up on the shelf in my studio holding my DIY felt billy balls in check. Will it stay there forever? Probably not. Where will it go next? Maybe on my desk to hold pencils and pens, or near my drafting table to hold paint brushes. It could even end up in the kitchen as dishwasher detergent pod storage, or the bathroom playing host to my cotton ball collection. We shall see.

What are some of your favorite quick and easy projects to tackle this summer? Feel free to share links in the comments section so that we can get inspired too!

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