Same Blog, Different Name: Charmingly Chic Creations

Well, hello there!  It's been awhile since I've opened up my blog page.  Why...?  My name.  Not my real name, I like that one, but rather my blog name.  Which essentially narrowed my focus in the process.  Charmingly Chic Organization originally seemed like it was a good fit.  Until, of course, I discovered it wasn't.  I kept feeling stifled by one word.  Organization.  I love to organize, but gosh, my life has certainly been more chaotic than organized since moving to California and I felt like it wasn't a good fit for me considering I know what the inside of several of my kitchen cupboards look like (that's life!).  So, from there I had to think of what actually would fit me well so I don't have to go through another identity crisis in the future (hopefully...).  What did I discover?  Easy.  I love love love to create.  Thus, the word "Creations" struck me as a far better fitting word for what I really love.  I still love to organize but it's really not the only thing I enjoy.

So now that you know the "why" behind the change... let me (re)introduce myself officially:

Hi! I'm Dana writing on a little blog, that probably only my parents and sister-in-law read (Hi!!!), called Charmingly Chic Creations. 

Back at a few other things I wanted to mention...  Another hang up I previously had was the writing.  Which was a little odd for me to discover since I really enjoy writing.  But, it feels so intimidating to have to write so much and if I'm being totally honest, I'm always looking for the pictures in articles and skimming the actual words anyways.  Going forward, there's gonna be a little less talk and a lot more pictures (anybody else think of the country song when they read that line??).  Plus, I'm more visual anyways so I basically read by looking at pictures (IKEA furniture manuals, I get you...).   

Finally, I'm hoping you'll feel like you can hear my real human voice shining through versus a more eloquently written post where you might not really get a sense of what I'm like in real life.  So, really in summary of all these words I just got done saying I wasn't really into writing, I hope you like pictures and punny jokes.  I've got lots of those.  And sometimes I like to type/talk so you may run across a post that seems like I won't stop typing/talking.  Feel free to look at just the photos.  Zero offense shall be taken.

Alrighty, now get excited because during my hiatus of finding what my real name and focus should be, the husband and I bought a house.  This is like a home DIYers HEAVEN on Earth.  I've already done a lot of work around the place and can't wait to start sharing my creations with you!  

Thanks for being here (especially if you're someone other than my parents or sis-in-law!). I'd love for you to introduce yourself in the comment section below!

Cheers!

Dana 

Easy Extra Large DIY Chalkboards for Under $25

Believe me, I had very good intentions of posting this wedding DIY project months ago but life had other ideas for my time.  In the past few months I... got married, moved to the west coast (just 3 short days after the wedding), started a new job at the same company I worked for in MN (just one week after the wedding) and had a second mini move into our new home ("mini" because I never actually unpacked upon initially arriving - suitcase living all the way!).

I'm clearly biased but I think I have a valid excuse for being missing in action the last half of the year, right?  Regardless, the good news is that I  finally won't feel too guilty indulging in my creative outlet!  Not to mention that I've got some serious organizing and DIY work to do in the new place.  But, before I get to that, there are a few of my wedding DIY projects that I wanted to share with you all so those will be in the pipeline for the next few posts!

In case you haven't already guess based on the name of this post, the first one I will share is...

Chalkboards aren't just for school anymore!  Although, as I typed that sentence, I don't think schools still use chalkboards... Regardless, they've become so popular to use for home, party and wedding decor.  I knew I wanted to use them for my chic romantic apple orchard fall wedding as they're a great way to provide information to guests at a low cost.

Here's what you will need to make an inexpensive and extra large chalkboard:

Organize Your Life: Tips to Keep Your Sanity When Life Gets Busy!

Whew, it's been awhile since I've had time to even think about posting on my blog!  Life got hectic...fast!  I know I'm certainly not alone with feeling this way either.  It seems like it's more normal, rather than not, to get caught up in the craziness of life.  Sometimes it's things that come up that are completely out of our control!  Lately, with adjusting to new responsibilities at work, taking three grad school classes, wedding planning, big life decisions and other 'fun' life surprises, I've had a lot on my plate.  Much more than usual.  I've had to take a step back and find ways to keep my sanity to make it through the next month.  I can't help but to think I'm going to be extremely bored once I make it to March...

I thought it might be (hopefully) helpful to someone...anyone...if I share some of the tips I've been trying to implement to better organize my life over the next month.  So far, it's already helping me knock out some of the anxiety I was feeling.

• Schedule time to relax.  During this blocked off time do not, I repeat...do not, feel bad or think about the list of other things you need to do during this time.  Enjoy it. Take the time to rejuvenate.  Put it on your calendar, if needed, to make sure you have time set aside.  So much easier said than done... I know.

• Write everything down in your planner.  I mean everything.  I find I'm less apt to feel like I'm forgetting something if I make it a habit to write it all down in my handy dandy Emily Ley planner.  You use a cell phone?  Find a way to keep track of notes, reminders and events in your phone calendar and stick to it.  While I prefer my planner to keep my life organized, the perk of using cell phone calendars is that you have the ability to set alerts.