Mrs. B’s Corner

I spent a large chunk of my day going to five different thrift stores looking for deals. By the time I was finished, I realized that I have a pretty good system when it comes to finding good stuff without going crazy.

I always look through the housewares. I’m trying to decorate my home so for me this is a must. You never know what you’ll find. Although I do have to warn against going crazy! Before you buy a decorative item, you should know exactly where it’s going to go. For example, I found five matching silver frames (from Ikea) for only $1 a piece. I don’t know exactly what’s going to go in them, but I do know exactly where they’re going to hang.

When it comes to clothes, know what you’re looking for! This takes out a lot of the headache unless you really like browsing through all those racks. When I buy clothes, what I buy replaces something I own. Today I was looking for a pair of jeans, a brown belt, and some cute brown heels. I did find some great jeans to replace a hole-y pair at home plus a cute houndstooth hat, matching bangle, and a pair of khaki cords to replace some khakis that don’t really fit right. I even texted a picture of the hat to my two best girls to make sure I wasn’t alone in the fact that it was cute!

I even found a couple of brown corduroy chairs for only $5 a piece. I plan on putting each in an office. One will go in mine while the other will go in my husband’s. I sat in them, looked them over for stains and holes, and even checked out the under side and feet. I liked the chairs (and price) immediately, but I still made sure they were worth taking home and had a place to go.

In summary,

• Make sure your decorative item or piece of furniture has a home before it gets to your home.
• Know what you’re looking for, especially with clothes.
• Make sure the item is unique or replacing something that no longer fits or suits you.
• Only take something home if you really love it.

For those of you who live near me, I visited Assistance League of East Valley Thrift Store, St Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, Savers, Goodwill, and Hidden Treasures. I’ve reviewed some of them on Yelp but found great things at each of them except Goodwill. You can check out my list of thrift stores on my Google map.

Do you know of other thrift stores worth checking out? Do you have any shopping tips? Please, leave a comment below or follow me on twitter here.

Recently, I posted the beginnings of my own bucket list and received a comment from someone I didn’t know.

Jesse Harding is only 17 years old and has over 250 items on his list. I read through them and was inspired. I’ve decided to add quite a few more things to my list, including some of those already accomplished albeit important things.

Jesse has his own site in keeping up with his list, and I’m considering adding in something similar. I wouldn’t want it to be the main focus like his but something for the people who really care to know as well as a constant reminder to me.

More things I want…

to watch AFI’s 100 movies of all time

to ride in a hot air balloon

to see the sun rise on the east coast and watch it set on the west in the same day

to give blood

to meet someone famous

to own a home (done)

to get married (done)

to see the Summer and Winter Olympics

to live in a place where I don’t need a car

to drive all of Route 66

to drive along the western US coast

to eat my way through Britain

to watch fireworks from a rooftop

to read every book I own

to see Macy’s 4th of July fireworks show (done)

to see a play on Broadway

to ice skate at Rockefeller plaza

to get a tattoo (done)

to learn to dance

to be an organ donor

to go skinny dipping

to be in two places at once  (done)

to travel by train

Photo by longhorndave

There have been a few of the 100 things lists going around the blogosphere, and I’ve seriously considered participating. I’ve typed up the beginnings of my list and don’t even have 20 items. I guess I’m not much of a dreamer or a long term planner, but I like the idea and the thinking that these lists have brought about. I hope to continually add to my list as I learn about new things, especially since I have a few items that are not well defined and may take a lifetime to accomplish. There are things that I have done that some people (especially of my age) might consider great accomplishments. However, I’m hesitant to add those things to my list because they’re not dreams I’ve always had.

What do you think? Have you written a list? Did you purposely not include things like I did?

Here is the beginning of my things I want to do before I die:

I want …
to live outside the US (preferably all of North America) for at least one year
to become a teacher
to see the Grand Canyon, Hollywood sign, Redwood forest, Old Faithful, etc. (US landmarks, basically)
to visit every Disney resort (2 of 5 done)
to buy myself a car
to own a scrapbook store
to visit all 50 states in an RV (except Hawaii for the RV part)
to visit Egypt, Greece, Russia, Japan, and Spain
to gamble in Vegas with confidence
to decorate my home
to read more diversely
to be debt free
to make my own clothes
to be fluent in four languages (1 of 4 down)
to be a mother
to personally mentor a child
to help build a home with Habitat for Humanity
to donate my hair (done once already)
to be financially independent

I just started working with a print and graphic designer in coming up with a logo and style for my personal brand. It’s been an interesting process trying to decide what I want to represent me.

I love helping people. I always have. I am pursuing a degree in elementary education so I can help shape young minds. “How can I help you?” is my message, my mantra, my goal; but it’s also me.

I started out sitting down with my designer and talking about my design ideas as well as what I do and how I want to be represented. This was actually a pretty difficult task because we’re not trying to figure out how to sell a product. We’re trying to figure out how to sell me.

Design ideas were also difficult because I love color. I also love simplicity. I needed something professional because I look so young but something that gives a hint of my youth and energy. We were really only able to decide that I wanted more of a font logo than a graphic one.

After receiving some first round logo ideas using my name and initials, I realized that it’s not really about me but more about what I can and want to do. I don’t want Sharon Bowerman featured but how Sharon Bowerman can help you.

So many people are only looking out for themselves or their families. So few actually put others first. I think it’s surprising and refreshing to boldly see someone asking “How can I help YOU?” I want to make sure people actually believe it.

Do you know me? What do you think of when you think of me? or see me? I’d love some ideas and suggestions so leave a comment below or follow me on twitter here.

I hope everyone does something they love to do in welcoming the new year. I know I’ve spent December 31st in many different ways and plan on having a blast at this year’s party. I’m sharing some of my resolutions with you for a couple different reasons, one of which is accountability. I’d love to hear from you and share what I have or have not accomplished in the coming year.

I’ve never actually written down New Year’s Resolutions before, but I felt rather inclined to start. I’m trying to make big picture resolutions so I can break them down into small, attainable goals. My resolution for health may take the whole year while I might be able to get pictures hung before the end of January. I believe that each of my goals are realistic, and it gives me something positive to focus on in the coming year.

New Year’s Resolutions:

• Home: I’d like to get existing artwork and pictures hung around the house.
• School: Be taking classes no later than Fall 2010.
• Work: I’d like to have enough work to bring in an income of $1,000 a month without going back to a traditional job.
• Fun: I’d like to make two more trips to Disneyland before our Annual Pass expires, preferably with people who have not yet been.
• Health: I’d like to eat mindfully, exercise regularly, and weigh 120 lbs.
• Lifestyle: I’d like to remain spontaneous and be more adventurous.

Have you created resolutions for the new year? I’d love to hear why or why not. Please, leave a comment below or follow me on twitter here.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. This year’s gift giving was very meager, but I love everything I got, especially since the gifts will be useful and fun for a long time to come. The best part of Christmas this year was spending the day with friends. We ate and drank and played games all day. We play games a lot (anyone who knows us can attest to this) but it was really nice to have a whole day set aside. No work, no stress, just some friendly competition. I hope everyone can enjoy days like that not just at Christmastime.

Happy Christmas, everyone. I hope that you are able to take a break from the hustle and bustle that this time of year brings and relax with family and friends. I’m looking forward to spending the morning at home with my hubby and two furry kids and going to a friend’s for Christmas dinner and lots of fun.

I also wanted to let anyone who was actually interested know that I finished reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens on December 15th and plan on making it a part of my yearly traditions.

I love Disneyland.

Before October of last year, however, I had never been. I love the story of how my very first trip happened too. My husband and I were having dinner with a friend on a Saturday evening, when he asked if we had any plans for the weekend. We didn’t, so he asked, “You wanna go to Disneyland?” We left later that evening with one other friend in tow. That was the awesome start to our year long tradition. That first weekend, we drove up on Saturday night, got a hotel room, spent most of Sunday in the Magic Kingdom, and drove back to Phoenix. Almost every weekend has followed suit except for the fact that we’d leave on Friday nights and come back on Sundays. The decision process hasn’t changed much either. In the last 14 months, my hubby and I along with many different friends (and usually that very first one with the brilliant suggestion) have made the trip to Disneyland 9 times (a few weekends were multiple days in the parks). It may not seem like much but when you factor in the six hour drive each way, it shows some serious dedication.

I’ve noticed (especially lately) that I’ve become pretty obsessed. I love the history, stories, photos, changes, and whole experience of Disneyland. I can talk about it endlessly if no one stops me and am happy to share every little fact I know. I get childishly excited each and every visit. I still get butterflies before riding California Screamin’ and am amazed each time I go Soarin’ Over California. I’m convinced rides are faster at night and can pretty easily call Big Thunder Mountain Railroad my favorite ride.

What I really love about Disneyland is the different people it attracts, especially the way that our trips are planned. It’s shown me who’s willing to come out on short notice which has translated into friends I can count on. I’ve met new people and instantly bonded as well as making deeper connections with those I already know. It’s been a fun year, and I’ll be more than a little sad when my Annual Pass expires in April.

If you’re interested in experiencing the magic, check out their give a day, get a Disney day program.

I’d love to hear about your experiences regarding Disneyland. And if you’re interested in a trip before April, I’m always in!

I’ve been reading a ton of interior design blogs lately and have started to save items that inspire me by using Dropbox. I’m not professionally trained nor will I ever be, but I’ve always had this dream of decorating my own home. These blogs have provided lots of insight and inspiration into my own design ideas and how I want my house to look and feel.

The purpose of reading these blogs (and almost all the others I subscribe to) is self improvement. I’m pretty smart according to report cards at least, but I know that I can always be learning. I do enjoy picking up a book or magazine every once in a while but the blogging community, especially in design, is ripe with up to date information and styles. For me, it’s a free tool to learn things like visual weight and balance and tips to hanging artwork. There are also plenty of craft ideas and fashion inspiration, which also interest me a great deal.

I’ve also found that the more I read, the more I’m inspired to write. I definitely plan on keeping it up!

So, what do you read? Blogs? Magazines? Why?