Lovely Crafty Recipe: Date Sweetened Ketchup {Whole30, WLC, Paleo}

Get ready for the best ketchup recipe ever. Seriously, this stuff is delicious and people are so impressed with homemade ketchup. Because it’s the bomb. But also because condiment making puts you in the category of super elite home cooks. So whip up a double batch of this, freeze half, and you’ll be ready to top your burgers or make a killer meatloaf.

• 6 oz tomato paste (1 small can)
• 2 tbs apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice, but I almost always use ACV)
• ¼ tsp mustard powder
• ⅓ cup water
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt
• pinch cloves
• pinch allspice
• ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• Pitted dates (6-8, depending on size and desired sweetness), soaked in warm water for 5-10 minutes then drained or date syrup (you could also use honey, coconut palm sugar, maple sugar, or maple syrup if you’re not on a Whole 30).

Combine all ingredients except dates in a medium sauce pan and heat on a low simmer to blend the flavors, at least 15 minutes but longer is better. If you like a sweet ketchup, you can transfer to a blender and add dates until you get the desired sweetness. It’s even better the next day and keeps for about a week or two in the fridge. I like to split mine into small containers and freeze them, taking one out at a time to use. You can also use it straight from the freezer, just zap it in the microwave for a bit! Heinz ain’t got nothin’ on you.

UHeart Organizing: A Handy Craft Station

Pegboard is here to rescue another crafting fanatic! I must say, it must be about the most functional type of storage in existence. The lovely Courtney from A Thoughtful Place Blog, always has a knack for making her projects look simple yet elegant. Who knew pegboard could be associated with elegance? But my girl did it again! She has created the perfect spot to work on projects for around her home, and now she won't ever lose her favorite "go-to" supplies again.

So I have a confession to make. I have been in an organizational slump for quite some time. Can any of you relate? I swoon over other people’s spaces as of late, but have had trouble getting motivated to create changes in own home. While we have many procedures in place around our home that do keep us relatively organized, it is my own craft supplies and project necessities that I continue to trip over or lose. I finally took some action and with very little effort refreshed my garage craft station.

So here is the deal. I know not everyone has a little spot in their garage for crafting. Truth be told, there is no real crafting space in my home {every project takes place on my dining room table} but my craft supplies seem to be multiplying. Funny how that happens, right?! A couple of years ago we installed some cabinets in the garage. This was after I took over a rolling cart elsewhere in the garage. My husband uses the tall cabinet for tools and the shorter cabinets are for my supplies. But there are so many "go-to" items that I go to grab all the time. I needed an organized spot for them. This easy pegboard solution provides just that.

I went to my local big box store and grabbed everything I needed to put this on the wall. In total, I only spent about $36. So worth it to have these supplies so handy. And it means I have a clear work space for putting together my projects.

They sell the pegboard already in white so I was able to give them the dimensions and they made the cuts for me. I love that. We also picked up wood to use as supports to mount to the wall. I also grabbed a set of three bins and racks to hang supplies from. And no project is complete without my trusted gold spray paint.

These were a breeze to spray and dried very quickly. While I sprayed these, my husband worked on mounting the pegboard for me. Just don’t forget to clean your items before you spray them to eliminate any dust or dirt which can create a poor final product.

We were lucky enough to hit a stud with the support on the right. We mounted three pieces of wood to the wall and then drilled the pegboard directly into those. That was enough to secure it and keep it steady.

Pretty craft supplies hanging on this white board make me giddy. I am almost afraid to admit that.

These scissors are actually quite special to me. They were my moms and I love having them. They remind me of all of the sewing projects she created while we were growing up. I gave the handles a quick spray of gold paint. I think she’ll like the update. And now I can’t misplace them!

My husband is thrilled that I have these key items in a known spot now. I can’t tell you how many times I have lost that large paint brush {I use it with the vintage décor paint}. The hanging buckets also disguise the outlet. We used a jigsaw to cut out a hole so that we can still use it.

So now I can easily remove the bucket and plug in a glue gun or lamp if I am working without natural light.

Crafting tip: Stock up on those sponge brushes. They are very inexpensive and clean so well. I use them almost every time I use craft paint. I created the Greek Key trim on the work surface with black electrical tape.

This sweet little jar was a salsa jar from Trader Joe's. With a bit of gold spray paint it’s a nice spot for my markers. I always keep a journal nearby when I do projects so I can write down measurements or ideas.

Here is one last look. And thank you to my sweet friend, Krystine, for the darling “Hey Y’all!” print. It brings a smile to my face when I work in here. And side note. . . the TV is in our garage because we often entertain and the boys migrate out there to watch sports while they play ping pong. It’s the hardest working garage around {if only we had a basement!}. Hoping this newly refreshed space will keep me crating without losing my favorite pair of scissors every five minutes. You can see the other part of our garage organization here.

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"Do you believe in love at first sight? I sure do because when I first stumbled upon I Heart Organizing I immediately fell in love with Jen's mad organizational skills. I think we all long for a calm, organized, well styled life. I am the author of A Thoughtful Place blog where I dish on all things related to decorating, organizing, entertaining, and of course DIY-ing! To be quite honest, working on making my house a home is my happy place. It fulfills my need to be creative and I love sharing ideas {both big and small} with my readers. Along with my blog, I am a contributing writer to House of Fifty and have recently started my own decorating firm, Casey Grace Design, LLC, with my talented sister. I call Orange County, California home where I live with amazing husband and two children. At the end of a busy day, I love to enjoy an ice cold beer on the front porch with my hubby while we watch our children ride their bikes or run around. Life is sweet and I am thrilled to be a part of the IHeart Organizing Team."

master bathroom tour

Yesterday when I showed you where my new diy song lyric art ended up I gave you a little glimpse of our master bath. Today I'm giving you the full tour.

I don't know why it's taken me so long to pull this space together. It's the one room in our home that really didn't need a ton of work done in terms of renovation. At one point in time a previous owner gave this master bath a little update and tiled the countertop, tub and shower. While it isn't exactly what I would have chosen it's not bad looking at all. It's a nice neutral, natural looking tile that is easy to keep clean and creates a spa like feeling in our bathroom. I think there's something to be said for choosing neutrals when it comes to things like tile and hard finishes. You can style up a space any way you like when you start with a neutral space.

I was a bad blogger and never really got a good before picture. Here's an old picture that really shows off the power of paint. The previous color was a dark brownish grey which made this bathroom feel a little small.

Being that we have such a dark color (Martha Stewart Wrought Iron- which is a dark navy) on the walls of our master bedroom I wanted something light and bright in our bathroom. I chose Sandstone by Martha Stewart which is also on the ceiling in our master bedroom so the two rooms flow nicely. It really is amazing how larger this rooms feels with a lighter color on the walls. Little change - large impact - I'm all about those kinds of changes.

We also changed the light fixtures opting for simple and understated. I found the mirrors at HomeGoods, and I like the way the natural wood color compliments the glass shade of the light fixture and adds warmth to this cool and serene space. A previous owner painted the oak vanity white, so all I had to do was give it a fresh coat of paint. I did sand the edges a bit to give them a slightly distressed look then I fell head over heels in love with these amazing knobs from Anthropologie. I bought them last fall and I don't think they're available any longer (sorry!). I love them in a major major way. I know some people like all the metals in their bathrooms to match, but I'm not on the matching metals team. It's totally cool if you are, but I just typically prefer the layered look of mixing my metals. So it doesn't bother me in the least that these knobs have gold and my faucets are brushed chrome.

Speaking of the faucets, we did replace the old ones with these modern looking brushed chrome guys. I wanted something with a longer spout....neck...what do you call it? And the handle on one of our old faucets broke so we had to replace them anyway. I would have preferred something a little more feminine/glamorous looking, but my hub really liked these and he does live here too - so you know, there's that c-word called compromise that makes marriage so fun! ;)

I mean, he can have his faucets, so long as I can have these beautiful blue beauties!

On the opposite side of the vanity is the shower. I added this towel hook bar - just nailed some thin flat moulding to the wall, painted it and then added the hooks. I think towel hooks as a opposed to a towel bar is the way to the go. So much easier to deal with on a daily basis, at least for me anyway.

The main change in the shower area is the shower head. We went big. Once again little change - big impact. We got the shower head at Target years ago, and man, did it make this shower feel and look more grand.

So that's our master bath friends. It's always amazing to me how much a little paint, a couple of simple diy projects and a few accessories can just make a space shine. Sometimes it's not about tearing down walls and gutting a space. Granted we started with a pretty clean slate, but there's still a lot to be said for working with what you've got. Little tweaks can make a world of difference!

The blue boxes on the vanity were a HomeGoods find, and the throw rugs I picked up at Target.

5 tips to manage your time better (Eat That Frog!)

Thank you so much for all of your sweet words about my Spring Home Tour!  They meant a lot to me.  I truly feel grateful every day that I have such kind, encouraging people reading my blog.  It’s a huge part of the reason I love doing this!  You all continually make my day.  :) I’m […]

The post 5 tips to manage your time better (Eat That Frog!) appeared first on The Sunny Side Up Blog.

Skantrae Binnendeuren

Gebroeders Janssen wil u altijd graag de allerbeste merken kunnen aanbieden. Als we het dan hebben over de binnendeuren, betekent dit dat een producent als Skantrae niet in het gamma mag ontbreken. Dit bedrijf uit Zevenaar fabriceert al meer dan 30 jaar deuren van topkwaliteit, voor België en Nederland, en zag zich van 2008 tot en met 2011 opgenomen in de lijst van de 50 best geleide Nederlandse bedrijven. Deze erkenning wordt het bedrijf onder andere toegekend omwille van hun continue focus om kwalitatief hoogwaardige producten te leveren. Dit zowel op vlak binnendeuren, buitendeuren als toebehoren. Het spreekt voor zich dat zij dezelfde eisen stellen aan de dealers, via dewelke hun deuren uiteindelijk worden verkocht en geïnstalleerd. Skantrae binnendeuren worden dan ook enkel verdeeld via gerenommeerde deurenfabrikanten, die niet alleen de nodige expertise hebben opgebouwd in de productie van binnen- en buitendeuren, maar bovendien de beste prijs/kwaliteitsverhoudingen bieden aan hun klanten.

Voor meer info lees verder op www.gebroedersjanssen.be

Reader Space: Loads of Love for Laundry

Reader Spaces, oh how I have missed you! Today's space is just what I needed to feel re-inspired about my own laundry situation. Our laundry room makes me happy and isn't the most troubled spot in our home, but lately it has become a tornado of a mess and I have fallen behind with our daily washing routine. There are a few lingering projects I would love to tackle in there, and I think that Jessica just bumped those up on our priority list.

Jessica blogs over at Live the Fancy Life, and I love her mission! Live the Fancy Life is all about making every day count, living life to the fullest and enjoying the days we’ve been given. And she is practically my neighbor, so I can't help but feel a connection with her! Not to mention, she offers amazing advice for dressing little dudes.

When I first saw her laundry room, I quickly showed Bryan and begged him to finish up our laundry room projects. He reminded me that we have a different project to finish up first, but he agreed, this is one heck of a transformation.

Let's begin by taking a look at Jessica's laundry room before her recent makeover.

As you can see, it was begging for a little love and updating. And that is just what happened! I asked Jessica to stop by today to share more details.


What is the main function of the space?

"Laundry, laundry, laundry. I LOVE that this space allows us to fold and hang everything. If our boys are in bed, our clothes aren't stuck in baskets or laying on our bed. That always turns into a bad situation where they don't get put away for weeks."


Any superstar tips for keeping the space organized?

"For us, the individual baskets for each member of our family and different colored hangers and spaces on the hanging bar make a huge difference. Keeping the laundry detergent and dryer sheets organized is easy with a beautiful tray. The cabinets allow us to keep dirty clothes separate from clean clothes and even allow for extra storage for things like sheets. And a hidden trash can is a pretty nice bonus."

What items did you find were essential when organizing this space and why?

"Hands down, the hanging bar, built-in hampers and counter spaces. Several friends recommended the little tray for random pocket change and that is also so nice vs. having everything just laying on the counter."


What did you do to go the extra mile and "Make it Pretty"?

"Two words. Marble backsplash! Oh my! The backsplash has my heart. Is it necessary in a laundry room? Absolutely not, but it gives the room a stunning finish that could not be achieved with paint. I also love the laminate counters that are faux marble. They were exceptionally budget friendly, but make the room look higher end than it actually is. And the simple but pretty art from Rifle Paper Co. is so nice to look at."

What items did you DIY to stay on a budget?

"Please keep in mind that this project was mostly sponsored, but I did buy cabinets that were in stock and affordable. I went with very inexpensive laminate countertops that still achieved the look I was going for. And finally, the tile on the floor looks great, but it is actually vinyl and is a very budget-friendly option."


How has it impacted your life for the better?

"Besides being pretty, this space is incredibly functional. It allows us to fold laundry and leave it until we have time to put it away. We have space to create organized piles and hanging things immediately means it doesn't end up in a basket for weeks. We have been caught up on laundry for the full two months since this space wrapped up. I definitely couldn't say that before. I don't even want to tell you how many loads of laundry were sitting in our hampers before this room change occurred."

A complete transformation at its finest!

Having a similar setup with the folding counter and hanging bar, I can attest that it makes such a dramatic difference in our laundering process to have a place to fold and hang items to dry. Toss in all of the added storage within the cabinets above and below, and you are able to display the pretty and tuck away the day-to-day visual clutter.

What we don't have and have always lusted after, is a counter over the washer and dryer. What a difference it makes to have accessible solid surface for both storage and stacks of clothing. It also provides a streamlined appearance in the space. I adore that Jessica now has a place to display her decorative bins of laundry care items, as well as a catch-all tray for pocket items. Pretty flowers are a plus.

Other takeaways are a tucked away trash can and color coded hangers for the family. And backsplash. Glorious, beautiful backsplash. I agree, it was a game changer.

A load of thanks to Jessica for sharing her incredible makeover with all of us today. I hope she is ready for all of the grumbling husbands around blogland. I think many have laundry room projects in their future.

You can read more about Jessica's smashing space on her blog here.

* All images courtesy of Live the Fancy Life and Melissa Oholendt Photography.

ATTENTION!! Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition? Have an awesome organizing story to share? I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life, big or small. They can be anything from an organized drawer or cabinet to an entire room. Please submit your story and photos to iheartreaderspace@gmail.com, and I would heart to feature them right here on the blog!! Photos should be high resolution and unedited. Please include a description of the project and how it has changed your life or routine for the better! Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice! Only love goes on at this blog!

diy song lyric art

I'll never forget the first time I heard the song Oceans. It took my breath away. The lyrics to that song have stuck with me. They've comforted, inspired and encouraged me. I get a little teary every time I hear this song at church or whenever I play it in my car when I'm driving around town. I'm so very grateful for God's love and grace. I'm so humbled to be called His daughter, and I find so much peace in knowing that no matter what curve balls life throws my direction He has my back.

The lyrics in this song that mean the most to me are in the second verse.

Your grace abounds in deepest waters

Your sovereign hand Will be my guide

Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me

You've never failed and You won't start now

I don't know about you , but in my life thus far there have been many times when I've felt surrounded by fear. There have been times when I've felt like fear could literally swallow me whole. Life can be really scary sometimes, and these lyrics just sing to my soul.

I listen to this song all the time. I love it. I cherish these lyrics. I cling to them. And now I get to not only listen to them but see them every day. A daily reminder that my trust and faith in Him is bigger, greater and stronger than my fear. A daily reminder that fear has no power over me.

More on our master bath coming soon!