enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

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I tend to blog about things and then either causally mention an update or share in the comments section later or respond via email on how those things are working out. Today I wanted to give a big round-up of the most popular projects I get asked about in case you too have been wondering. I went around and snapped these photos with my iPhone this week to give you a real life update.

Spoiler alert : this post DOES NOT talk about baby/toddler items. I am going to do a round-up of that stuff, what I regret, what I wish I had skipped, what I wish I had bought, what I loved, etc, around when Ellerie turns two in June.

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travertine tile floors – we love our travertine floors but yes, they are fragile. Most of the main space is holding up great, but the tile under my desk (where my rolling chair moves all day long) is showing signs of wear. I'm not sure what we will do when it's time to sell, surely there is some sort of patching kit. Ellerie colors on it (not allowed, but it happens) and I've found that rubbing alcohol removes markers, even Sharpies which she favors (and I can't blame her).

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the palm trees in the bathroom – still look good! One frame flew off the wall randomly on NYE, but other than that, no problems. We don't take a lot of showers in there, but so far both the frames and the photos look perfect after seven months.

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the layered rugs in our bathroom – of course get wrinkled all the time. It's not a big deal. 😉

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the tissue paper pom poms in Ellerie's room – still going strong. I think we live in a VERY un-dusty climate because even when I climb up to stare at them I don't see dust build-up. Plus, somehow they have kept their color great and shape after almost two years. That little cluster of art is what she brings home from daycare. I want to cover the walls. (It's just hung with masking tape.)

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Ellerie's "I Want to Remember" journal – yay! this is working. Sometimes I go two weeks without an update (and then I end up with pages like the January sample shown above), other weeks I jot something in every night. It's more an issue of remembering to write something than "having something to write." If I make the effort to sit and think about the day, I can always come up with something. This book, the film photos and instagram are the extent of my "memory-keeping" this year and it's working well for me.

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DIY plant stand – still doing great after two years! We moved it outside about a year ago and it's held up really well outdoors. And my succulents do much better out there.

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our Ikea patio – looks awesome after my dad retreated it with Minewax deck stain. Little weeds for sure grow through the cracks on occasion and we pull them.

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my succulent wreath – has been out on the front door for almost a year and a half and looks like this. I haven't watered it in over a year.

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my succulent ampersand – fell off the fence during a rainstorm and never got put back together. I just re-hung it anyway. Those JOY letters I have had in the garage since we lived in Maryland. They are out now.

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our sunscreen over the garden – sagged a tiny bit after it was hung but has looked the same since then. I think it's keeping those plants healthy! We just picked this up at Lowe's, it's sold by the foot. Our planter boxes have held up well.

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Ellerie's film photos – go directly into a photo album that is similar to this.

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my blog editorial calendar – yes, I still use this method and love it.

If you want more info on any of the projects shown above, click the link under each photo to be taken to the full blog post. What else have I blogged about and then not updated on? Let me know in the comments and I'll share how it's going.

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18 responses to “project updates”

  1. Carrie Avatar

    Ellerie’s art wall is adorable. 🙂

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  2. Anna Avatar

    This is such a fun post idea! On your recommendation, I just bought one of those planter boxes for my tiny urban backyard – Amazon literally just dropped it off yesterday – so I’m glad to hear they’ve held up well. 🙂
    I’m curious, did you finish that orange and turquoise quilt you blogged about in the fall?
    And sounds like you had a fun NYE! 😉

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  3. Kelsey Avatar

    We do the same thing with the kids’ art.
    I seriously envy your lack of dust. I feel like I dust every. single. day. and never make any progress.
    I’ve been meaning to try a blog editorial calendar like yours for a while now…thanks for the reminder. Ha!

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  4. Kerrie Avatar

    How often are you going back and coding posts into your graphic archive page? Although it looks amazing, it seems like it’d be super tedious to maintain!

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  5. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    It’s not a huge priority — I update every few months when I have at least four posts to add to a category. This is a job my (future) intern will be in charge of. 😉

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  6. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    NO! that’s on my list for a MAKE&GIVE30 project. 🙂 You’ll LOVE the planter boxes!

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  7. Renske Avatar
    Renske

    I would love to know if you still eat like you wrote in earlier posts? 🙂 Or has it changed?

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  8. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    yes, I eat pretty much the same. A lot of small meals each day. Not a ton of carbs … Pasta once a month at most.

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  9. Leah Noble Avatar

    What a neat post! I like seeing how things have held up.

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  10. Sandy Avatar

    What a great idea for a post! I love hearing how things have held up over time.

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  11. Libbi M. Avatar
    Libbi M.

    For your floors, you may want to try a plastic chair mat. Or maybe you have thought about this and don’t want to.

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  12. Kellie Winnell Avatar

    Loved reading all your updates and got green eye on the no dust, hahaha. I feel like I’m almost constantly dusting here in Australia once a week, maybe the weather, not sure, we are heading into cooler months so we shall see if this changes things. Great update!

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  13. Sarah Avatar
    Sarah

    I’ve often wondered if your feet kick the corners/edges of the overlapping rugs around?

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  14. cate Avatar
    cate

    Enjoyed reading your updates, however I do miss your Project Life approach. Im glad your happy with the slip photos into albums though.

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  15. Abbie Avatar
    Abbie

    Such a fun post to read! I have been curious about two things (since you asked;) )… One is why didn’t you do “a mile day” this last christmas…. And two) did you ever finish the second sock?

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  16. Margaret Avatar

    Have you tried nail polish remover on the floors to remove stains? My 18 month old took sharpie to the top of my macbook (I dozed off on the job) and nail polish remover took it off without messing with whatever protective coating is on the macbook. I also have a hard time not letting my kiddos play with sharpies–I understand all too well the joy of holding a fresh sharpie!

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  17. Hilde Avatar

    your garden space is so inspiring! my garden is a giant overgrown mess though, and the idea of actually getting to work on it seems a bit ambitious when we still have so much to do inside the house. i WILL get there eventually!

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  18. Beendicte Avatar

    Oh I can’t believe it’s already been almost 2 years! I remember when you posted about the paper pompom’s as if it was yesterday. I remember how you kept us all posted about the birth, the waiting period, the disappointments, the excitement, how you tried to have us guess her name when you said you would share the same initials….2 years! And that reminds me my boy is turning two this summer! And you’ve published a book and kept your blog up & running & interesting and you keep coming up with more & more ideas and you take time out of your day to answer an email about printer recommendation….!Ha, awesome, you truly are inspiring.

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