My Completed DIY Eagan Mirror

This post has been a long time coming...

Well okay, not that long since I didn't even complete this project until a short while ago. But with the amount of love and elbow grease that went into this DIY project, I'm surprised I didn't sit down that night and get to typing. You all remember that slight obsession I had when I saw this Eagan mirror?

I mean, how can you not?! Look at it in all of it's glory! I knew I had to set out to try and make my own... and I'm here to tell you... I succeeded!

For those of you that follow me on Instagram, you'll have already seen my beautiful Eagan mirror. Remember this post where I started mapping everything out? Well... she's complete. And she's a beauty.

Since I already walked you through most of the planning phase in my other post, today we're just going to get down the nitty-gritty where I show you the process from start to finish. Let me start by reiterating a saying/warning that I am going to head in the future... "measure twice, cut once!" If you've been following along you'll know that I preplanned all of my measurements in advance before even starting on this post. The problem is I planned everything, bought my 20 piece mirror set, and went to Home Depot and cut all my mirror trim. What I did not do is measure the mirrors once they arrived. I was pissed off to find that the mirrors were not 8" squares, but rather 7 5/8". THIS THREW OFF MY ENTIRE PROJECT MEASUREMENTS. GAHHH.

So after frustration, anger, remeasuring, replanning, re-homedepoting... we started again. My mirror still came out to a huge 48" x 48", we just needed to adjust the trim a bit.

The first thing after getting my second batch of lumber was to lay everything out and make sure the measurements were right this time. And indeed... they were!

After the trim was verified and fit correctly, I started on the outside and worked my way in. I used Gorilla wood glue for all trim pieces, and held down the trim with these plastic clamps.

Once the clamps were in place and the glue was drying, I mapped out the inner trim again, just to make sure. The last thing I wanted was to lay down and glue 3/4 of the project only to find off I was an inch off at the very end. And had to start all over.

After the 3rd time of mapping everything out, we doused the plywood backing in the Gorilla glue, and went to town laying the inner mirror portion one column at a time.

After all of the pieces were down, I needed to add a little weight to ensure a strong and secure hold. Finally! Something to do with my mounds of old novels I have yet to donate!

I let the entire project cure and set for 24 hours. I decided to go back and add a quick coat of Annie Sloan chalk paint in Old White, and rested her on top of my sideboard. I am THRILLED by my new homemade PB Eagan Mirror. In total, mine cost me just over $70, which went perfectly in line with my 10% of the PB $700 cost goal. Is anyone else in love?! I now think the rest of my home needs some kind of mirror on every wall. Mirrors! Mirrors everywhere!

A true labor of love that I almost walked away from, but I am so happy I didn't, and so happy she's done! It's the perfect large sideboard piece that can change and be redecorated with the changing seasons.

Simplifying Life : Staying Organized With a Busy Schedule

We're all busy, and life has a tendency to get crazy. We've all had those days where we think to ourselves "I cannot wait for Saturday when I can sit down and relax and do nothing"... and then Saturday comes around and suddenly there are 867 things we need to get done that we forgot about. So much for relaxation!

I, like many of you, struggle to keep my head from rolling off of my shoulders at times. I've been pondering of how I can continue to press forward with my love for blogging, give my peanut all of the love and attention that her squishy-self deserves, keep the home from burning down, and staying dedicated and motivated at work. If there were 2 more of me, that'd be great, but since there's not, I have come up with a few ways to stay organized and simplify this amazing, extraordinary life that I am loving as a new mother.

First up, the computer. We're a technology-driven generation who relies so much on the electronics that we keep close at hand. One of my biggest power-sucking favorites is my laptop. I use her for everything. (Sidebar... have you ever realized that everything in your life is a her? My bike... she was beautiful. My laptop, I love her. My car, her name is Remi. Interesting thought, right?... okay, moving on!) Back to the laptop... how many of you are like me and use your computer for everything, so your background looks a little something like this....

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It takes you more time to find the file you're looking for than it does to work on it! I needed a little simplicity... starting with organizing my desktop. I opened up my Control Panel, looked at the dimensions in pixels of my screen, and got to work in Pic Monkey. What I love about this little hack is you can find literally any type of background image you want on Pinterest. Want it to have Fall leaves and cocoa mugs in the background for the upcoming months? Do it. Are rain drops and dragonflies your thing? I'm sure you can find that to. I opted for a pop of color with a floral-feel, and threw in a few square boxes to organize it to suit my current needs. I love my new background!

Next on the list... we won't be going into too much detail about this one (spoiler alert, keep a look out this weekend for all details behind this beauty). My new planner cover! You're going to get an inside look at how I am keep afloat with my day to day shenanigans plans. But since I just got my A5 planner cover in the mail this afternoon, I couldn't miss the opportunity to show it off in a quick sneak peek! Isn't she beautiful! My love for the color mint now gets to be with me everywhere I go!

Okay, I know it's cruel to show you nothing but a cover of something that's so fantastic, but it really does deserve it's own little breakdown. So, to keep your inquiring mind off of those gorgeous 6 rings of goodness... let's get into the deep stuff. Cooking. For the past 5 months I have been trying to figure out how to juggle work, then picking up peanut, and getting a good cooked meal on the table. A light bulb went off and I knew just what to do... Pinterest to the rescue!

I created a board with 7 meals. That's it. 7. No more scrolling through my dinner board that has 563 recipes to figure out which one I want. I now decide in the beginning of the week what I'll be making, and move those recipes into my new board for the week. At the end of the week, I clear them out and lather, rinse, repeat. Now all my recipes are easy to find and even quicker to throw together!

Is anyone else already doing this? Am I just slow on the roll? This literally has saved me all week. I knew what I'd be making, and what I needed, and the recipes were just on click away! And now I have enough One Pot Cajun Pasta to last week for the next 17 meals since I haven't quite gotten the hang of cooking in smaller portions. Oh well, waste not!

Finally, when you have all of these delicious recipes at your finger tips, of course you're going to need to do a little grocery shopping! Admittedly, grocery shopping is my "me time". In order to get the most out of that half hour I spend browsing around the grocery store, I created a pretty little printable to make sure I get the job done efficiently. Now I just pop over to my menu board and scribble down what I need, and boom! I'm set and ready to go! Isn't it lovely?1

There you have it, friends! These are the quick little things I have put into place that have helped me simplify the ever-growing craziness of life. I am so happy for everything that has come my way, but I am only human and some days I feel like I am doing the juggling act in a one-woman circus. Do you have any tips or tricks to keep the hectic schedules at bay? Stay tuned for the best part yet, and the possibility to score your own version of one of my favorite organizing tools :)