“So what the hell, leap.”

Happy Leap Day everyone!  The only holiday we get to celebrate only four years.  And happy 10th birthday to anyone out there who is NOT 40 today.

I thought long and hard about how I may commemorate this year’s leap day. I thought about making a ‘leap list’ (the new Bucket List thanks to some sticky Honda marketing) but that’s pretty much what my resolutions are all about.  I thought about cliff diving or something but…I had to work today.

I did take a little leap, or rather a roll, this weekend by rolling down a hill in this thing:

No joke.  It’s called the “Texas Sphere Ride.” You crawl inside that ball, get strapped to the side, and they let you go! Down a hill.  Sounds simple enough, but scared the you know what out of me and was the best adrenaline rush I’ve ever had at the same time.  Let’s just say it’s a good thing we did this BEFORE lunch.

I also celebrated by Mom’s biggest leap by fulfilling Resolution #52 and leaving her book for someone else to read in a coffee shop in Gruene, TX. I watched my mom spend years and years writing her book “Reunion on the Rainbow Bridge” and it took her more courage than I can imagine to publish it and put herself in the public eye with a very personal account of her parents’ unbelievable love story and a number of very personal and sometimes controversial stories of past lives and reincarnation.  I encourage everyone to check it out if any of that sounds awesome to you.  Because it is. You can get it at bookstores everywhere (usually in the New Age section) or here on Amazon.com.  Unless of course you live in Gruene.  Then you can pick up a free copy at this coffee shop!

Still nothing for the day-of Leap Day, though. So, I had to settle for stretching my artistic muscles and creating this out of one of my favorite “Leap” quotes. For your Leap Day Pleasure.  Enjoy!

Freshly Pressed!

Well there was an absolutely thrilling surprise in my inbox yesterday…in the form of a notification that I was Freshly Pressed!

So, I just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who stopped by yesterday with comments and likes, and give a warm welcome to all my new subscribers.  I got a full day of great feedback and even suggestions on how to accomplish some of my incomplete resolutions and they continue to come in.

I never imagined when I started that this blog would get out to many more people than my facebook friends but now that it has I am ecstatic about the possibilities!

I spent all day smiling like a goofball every time my phone would ding with a new comment. Hah.  I also go a lot of notes from others about how they’d been inspired to try some of these resolutions themselves.  I would love to hear/see when you do, I’ll even share them on the blog if you’d like.    It’s inspiring to do these things myself, but even more inspiring to inspire others.

So, again, thank you thank you, and thank you.

Love,
Ami

The Art of IKEA Hacking

I’ve noticed lately that I am horribly behind on my resolutions…I needed something like 9 or 10 a month, and I’ve managed maybe 4? Uh oh.  So I started perusing the web for potential ‘new hobbies’ I could pick up to accomplish resolution #17.  I went through everything from anything that can be picked up in a kit from hobby lobby to the millions of crafty tidbits on Pinterest, when I came across this:

Wait, I have that side table!  That $8 IKEA side table!  And is that a WORKING fountain in there?

After reading the step-by-step instructions I realized that with a few tools and a Tupperware container I could easily turn my own LACK side table into a fountain.  So if this is so easy, what else can I do with IKEA?  And thus, the world of IKEA hacking opened up all around me.

It turns out that in addition to DIY bloggers everywhere sharing their individual projects, there is also a site called IKEA Hackers that collects the best IKEA hacks from all over the web and some are mighty mighty impressive.

Check out this huge home library made entirely from Billy and Benno shelves:

Or this fabulous headboard made from Benno dvd racks turned to planters.  (I’m doing this one when I have the money.)

You can even make a snazzy industrial looking lamp in 10 minutes with a cheese grater and a light bulb/cord.

So after spending a while looking through these projects saying “I want to do that!” or “I could do that!” I think I may have found my new hobby.  Plus, it will give me a sweet new look in my apartment, for way less than buying ready-made crazy cool furniture pieces.

I’ve also landed on the first project I will attempt:  This “Torked-Out Backlit Frame”

Isn’t it gorgeous?  And it’s all IKEA, even the LED lights.  Can you believe it?  All I need is a drill and a little white paint, and I’ll have a beautiful solution for the empty space above the bed.

So, if you’re interested in doing some IKEA hacking of your own, remember to check out IKEA Hackers.  You’ll find all the projects I posted here and many many others to try.