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[koujaaku]

[CALAMITY GREMLIN ENAMEL PINS]

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[artificialqueens]

as the stars align 7/? (branjie) - rujubees

A/N: hollywood enemies to lovers au; 5.2k - also on ao3

Brooke ended up enjoying her time in Vancouver more than she’d expected to. Life on a TV set was fast-paced and constantly busy, so there was little time to miss Vanessa or wonder what more could’ve happened between them had the timing been right.

It was certainly weird being thrust into a new role so soon after Stars, and Brooke knew that playing two queer characters so close together would raise more questions about her own sexuality, but she was used to the mindless gossip and speculation by this point.

Even stranger was working with a love interest that wasn’t played by Vanessa. Her new on-screen girlfriend was played by Violet Chachki, an actress Brooke greatly admired, but she wasn’t attracted to her despite her gorgeous looks. When they filmed their first kiss and Brooke felt nothing, she almost wanted to laugh at how she ever thought she didn’t have feelings for Vanessa, when their scripted kisses had been completely different to any other Brooke had ever experienced.

Even so, Brooke returned to Los Angeles three weeks into October, convinced that she was over Vanessa. ‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’ had been working out well for her, having not seen the other woman for over two months, and having had barely any time to stalk her Instagram or catch up with her over text. They’d exchanged a couple of messages here and there, mostly in the form of promises to meet up once Brooke was home, but they didn’t bring up That Night, and Brooke had no expectations of it happening again.

Which she was fine with. And maybe Brooke hadn’t slept with anyone else since Vanessa, but it was just because her work was tiring and any days or nights off that she had, she wanted to keep to herself rather than share with other people. Besides, it had only been two months — hardly an unbearable amount of time to go without having sex.

It was a Tuesday when Brooke finally opened the messages she’d had stored on her phone since the day prior, having then been unable to face socialising after her travels back from Canada. She hated to admit how one caught her eye immediately.

Vanessa: Halloween Party at mine next Thursday! U better come, I know ur home then bitch. ;)

Brooke laughed, excitement bubbling inside her at the thought of getting to see Vanessa on one of her favourite holidays. She sent a quick text in confirmation that she would be present, and immediately began coming up with all of the costume possibilities, feeling thankful that her hectic schedule from the last couple of months meant that she’d forgotten the occasion was so near, and subsequently she had failed to commit to any plans for the night already. She had put so much effort into convincing herself that she was over Vanessa, but still nothing could persuade her that there was any better way to spend Halloween than in her co-worker’s company.

Brooke had a rummage through her walk-in closet on the off chance that she would find something right for the event, but all she had was last years mummy costume that had worked perfectly with her ballet training. Who was she kidding, anyway — of course, she was going to use the party as an excuse to treat herself to something new and custom made. It would be the first time seeing Vanessa — and probably the rest of the cast and crew — in months. She had to look good.

It wasn’t long before the perfect idea came to mind. She only had a week, but luckily Brooke knew just the designer who would be up to the task.

—

On October 31st, Brooke stood in front of her dressing table mirror, adding the finishing touches to her lipstick, proudly admiring her work. She had to admit, she felt like this was the best she had ever looked. The luxury of having a week off meant she’d gotten tons of beauty sleep the night before, lying in before taking her time to pamper herself in the shower, spending hours carefully applying her makeup and gently curling her platinum hair that she had allowed to grow long.

She’d decided to go as Catwoman, and enlisted one of her favourite local designers, Raja, to tailor her the perfect latex catsuit that fit like a second skin, clinging to her hips and ass so much she felt explicit. She’d decided against a mask, wanting to show off her freshly bleached, tumbling locks, and settled on a pair of matching cat ears to complete the look. It was minimalist, yet sexy, if Brooke did say so herself.

“Brooke! The car’s here!” Nina yelled up the stairs, Brooke slipping her feet into slick black heels and grabbing her clutch and phone. She checked the time, noticing that it was already half nine, meaning the party would be in full swing by now. Brooke also had a couple of casual texts from Vanessa that she’d held herself back from replying to, for some reason feeling the need to play it cool as much as possible.

“Tequila shots before we leave?” Brooke suggested as she descended the stairs as elegantly as one possibly could in sky-high heels that she really should’ve waited to put on.

“Girl, oh my God, look at you!” Plastique let out as she came into view. She looked pretty cute herself in a pink Playboy bunny outfit. Brooke didn’t know the girl well, having only had brief exchanges with her during filming, but she had seemed to form a group somewhat with Shuga, Yvie and Scarlet, while Brooke had been focused on Vanessa the whole time. She thought it was about time she got to know them all a little bit more, and the idea of turning up to Vanessa’s in a group comforted her —

— hence the gathering at her house right now, the four women ready in the hall, plus Nina of course.

There was a chorus of wolf whistles and compliments as Brooke did a little strut to the kitchen — she knew that in another life, she could’ve been a full-time model.

“Who you tryna impress tonight, bitch?” Yvie asked, leading Scarlet hand in hand as the rest of the girls followed Brooke into the kitchen.

“Oooh, Brooke Lynn, please tell us!” Nina exclaimed dramatically, as if the last time they spoke in person hadn’t consisted of Brooke claiming she was over Vanessa and Nina telling her she was nuts. Brooke fixed her with a stern glare, hoping she could put her off of pulling this shit all night, but it had been a long time since her manager had been intimidated by her.

“Oh, guys, hush. It’s no one, I’m just trying to make my LA society comeback in style, that’s all,” Brooke said with a shrug.

“Well, it’s a damn waste if you ask me. You look fine as hell tonight, honey,” Shuga hummed. “You know, if I didn’t have a husband…”

“I know what you mean, Shugs. If I were single, I’d be all over that,” Scarlet teased, Yvie sticking her tongue out at her in response. “Seriously, Brooke. You can score whoever you want in that getup.”

“Okay. Why are you guys being so nice? I mean, I’m not the only one dressed up here,” — a quick glance at Plastique’s wide-eyed face confirmed Brooke’s suspicions that something was up. “Nina. A word?” she said through gritted teeth.

The other girls scurried off into the hallway, leaving Nina to mindlessly clear up the glasses as she tried to avoid Brooke’s gaze.

“I’m your manager, not your housekeeper you know —“

“Did you tell them about Vanessa?” Brooke jumped to the point.

“See? Your mind went there even though you think you’ve moved on. You totally aren’t over her!” Nina whizzed round to face her.

“I — what? I am. Clearly you don’t believe me and told them about her — us — anyway.”

“B, look, everybody knows. It’s been obvious for months, and even now, you still talk about her in the same way as before. You guys had sex!” — Brooke shushed Nina frantically — “She wants you back, I don’t understand why you’re trying so hard to pretend you’ve moved on. Isn’t this what you’ve been hoping for the whole time? Why are you trying to downplay it?”

“Actually, I don’t know that she wants that. When we slept together, I made it clear it was a one-time thing. I have no reason to think she wants a relationship or to even have sex again,” Brooke whispered.

“Brooke, you — why did you say that? God, you’re so dumb.” Nina was shaking her head like Brooke was beyond her help and she was finally giving up.

“It was just easier. She’s so young and, like, the biggest romantic I’ve ever met, and she’s the most beautiful goddamn person in the world. I wasn’t about to try and tie her down only to abandon her for Canada a week later,” Brooke revealed sadly.

“Oh, Brooke. You’re so in love, it amazes me how you don’t see it.”

“I — what?” Brooke all but yelled. “I’m not — I’m not in love, I told you, I’m… I’m fine,” she spluttered, which probably wasn’t helping her case. “I don’t even have feelings for her anymore. You’ll see, Nina.”

“Brooke, don’t make yourself unhappy to prove a point,” Nina pleaded with her. The words made Brooke uneasy. She wasn’t in love. She’d had a crush on Vanessa, sure, but she’d never let it get that deep. Nina didn’t know shit.

“Y’all, some of us would actually like to get to this party before the clock strikes midnight,” Shuga called from where the rest of them were stood waiting.

Nina sighed before trotting off, Brooke trailing behind as soon as she could compose herself, her walk lacking the confidence she’d been full of before.

—

“It’s ten o’ clock, where is she?!” Vanessa exclaimed between nervous glances at her phone and sips of her cocktail. Time Warp was ringing through her large, bustling open plan apartment, and as much as Vanessa was proud of her Halloween playlist, she really just wanted to turn it the fuck down so she could listen out for any signs that Brooke had arrived.

“Bitch, chill, you’re being too much. She’s probably on her way. You’ve already texted her enough times,” Silky huffed at her, her iffy The Wiz cosplay making her one of the least menacing costumes there.

“And she ain’t even read ‘em. What if she wants nothin’ to do with me anymore?”

“Calm yo melodramatic Libra ass down. I’m serious, Vanj, you need to play hard to get.”

In spite of Silky’s words of wisdom, Vanessa knew she’d be unable to relax and enjoy herself until Brooke finally showed her face.

She missed her so, so much.

When Brooke announced that she was going away for work in Canada, Vanessa briefly thought that maybe she would finally be given the distance she needed to move on. That possibility flew out the window just as quickly, as after she slept with Brooke, she knew that she couldn’t just move on from her. Not now, possibly not ever.

Vanessa remembered how Brooke had propositioned her, and how she’d almost hoped that the sex between them would be bad. Almost hoped that they were incompatible, since Brooke had made it very clear that she wasn’t after a relationship, or even a friends with benefits situation — she wanted a one night stand, and Vanessa wanted so much more.

But, cliché as it was, the exact opposite had turned out to be true, and Vanessa couldn’t say she was surprised. It had been some of the best sex she’d ever had, passionate and intimate and short and sweet because it had been such a long time coming. And there was no getting Brooke out of her head after that.

After a few more minutes of socialising, pretending to be immersed in conversations but really just wishing it was Brooke she was talking to, Silky pulled Vanessa aside.

“She’s here,” Silky announced like they were in some sort of spy movie. Vanessa tried to break free of her grasp, but Silky had more advice to give. “Be cool. Trust me, if you want her to fuck you again, act like you barely even remember who she is.”

“Silk, that’s ridiculous,” — but Silky was shaking her head disapprovingly, and the more Vanessa thought about her strategy, the more she supposed there wasn’t any in harm in waiting for Brooke to come to her first — “but if Brooky don’t wanna answer my texts, maybe she does to deserve to be left on read for a little bit. Like, in real life.”

Silky frowned at that, perplexed.

“It’s an analogy, bitch.”

After a few more minutes of conveniently failing to notice Brooke’s arrival, Vanessa turned around and found the woman of her affections already staring at her, though she quickly diverted her gaze after getting caught before returning it and giving Vanessa a small wave and a shrug. Vanessa smirked in response, causing a blush to rise in Brooke’s cheeks, clashing endearingly with the sexy, badass character she was portraying.

Brooke looked so hot she made it hard to look away, but Vanessa didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of thinking her newfound presence had that much of an effect on her. Didn’t want Brooke getting any impression of Vanessa waiting for hours, longing for Brooke to show up.

Even though that was exactly what she had been doing.

—

Brooke wasn’t one for conspiracy theories or jumping to conclusions, but all night she’d had a sinking feeling that Vanessa had been avoiding her.

It started when she’d arrived, when Vanessa certainly hadn’t seemed as enthusiastic about their reunion as Brooke felt. She’d given Brooke a quick smile in recognition, and then gone back to her interactions with the group of people she was currently socialising with, barely sparing Brooke a second glance.

She felt self-absorbed even thinking it, but Brooke had at least hoped she’d come over and say hi — she’d even kind of been expecting it after Vanessa had dropped her so many messages about the party. But maybe she was just being polite. Maybe she’d had too many people back out already, and she just wanted to make sure.

Whatever the reason was, it hurt more than Brooke could fathom. She became deflated and dejected, trying not to sulk as she mingled with her other co-stars and crew members, knowing that she was probably looking like the lamest, most miserable Catwoman to ever exist.

It stung to think that perhaps Vanessa regretted what had happened between them, but then again, why should she still be caught up on that night? If Vanessa ever felt something for Brooke, she’d more than likely moved on by now. After all, Brooke had.

If one good thing came out of Vanessa ghosting her, it was Proving Nina Right.

“I told you so,” Brooke said when she finally caught up with her best friend again, at around midnight. She was straddling the line between tipsy and drunk from all the alcohol she’d been knocking back in self-pity.

“I don’t know what you’re referring to, but I doubt you did. You know I’m never wrong,” Nina replied with a smile.

“Vanessa. I’m over her.”

“And have you been thinking a lot on this night about how you’re over Vanessa?” Nina laughed.

“I mean it, bitch. I haven’t talked to her since I got here. Not once, nope.”

“By choice?” Nina questioned, narrowing her eyes.

“Well. Not exactly,” Brooke scrunched her nose in response. “It’s just… I think she hates me.”

Nina huffed dramatically, seeming uncharacteristically impatient with Brooke Lynn.

“Right. That’s it. I don’t even wanna hear this. You two are the worst communicators in the world and I’m tired of it,” — she grabbed Brooke’s hand and dragged her across the kitchen and out onto the deck, where Vanessa stood, a literal angel, glowing under the moonlight.

“Vanessa! How good to see you! Love the party, dear,” Nina called loudly, Brooke feeling like a bratty child being forced to apologise on the playground.

“Hi, V,” Brooke greeted Vanessa, warmth surging through her when Vanessa grinned back at her.

“Sorry, I have to just take this,” Nina butted in, gripping her silent phone, “after all, a manager’s job never ends.”

“How was Canada?” Vanessa started after Nina had left them to it.

“Good. Really good, actually,” Brooke confessed eagerly. “How’s LA been?”

“Same old, you know how it is, girl.”

“Yeah.”

There were a few moments of awkward silence which Brooke used to subtly take in Vanessa’s costume. She was wearing a detailed white corset and bra, huge wings, and a bejewelled headpiece, plus matching stockings that made Brooke want to stare at her thighs all night long. And maybe touch them a little bit, but that was fine, any self-respecting lesbian would feel the same way.

“Brooke, about what happened between us, after the wrap party —” Vanessa began, making Brooke seize up in a panic at the elephant in the room finally being addressed.

“We can forget about it,” she blurted out, her ego unable to handle Vanessa’s words of rejection right now. “It’s no biggie.”

Vanessa said nothing, snapping her head away from Brooke to look up at the moon again.

“Sure, let’s do that. It’s for the best,” she agreed finally.

“Yeah,” Brooke whispered, at a loss for what else to say.

Vanessa faced her again, and shit, she was a terrible actor. Her eyes were wet and had she really been crying this whole time while Brooke was unaware right next to her? Not that Brooke could blame her — she was already feeling like they’d gone and fucked up the tentative friendship that had been formed between the two of them. Brooke felt her throat constricting as she realised how much she hated this. How different it felt now.

“Good talk, I guess,” Vanessa summarised, and she was gone from Brooke’s side in a flash.

—

Brooke had decided to call it a night soon after her conversation with Vanessa, no longer in the mood for any kind of festivities. She was quiet the entire Uber ride home, and was grateful when for once, Nina chose not to pry.

They couldn’t avoid each forever, though, as that Saturday they had their first press gigs for As The Stars Align. As Brooke spent the morning getting ready, she regretted how much she was not looking forward to the day’s schedule — first a panel with the whole cast, and then some paired interviews; naturally, as co-leads, Brooke and Vanessa had been put together for all of theirs.

The panel rolled around too quickly, and Brooke found herself on stage in a line with Michelle, Asia and Katya to her right, Vanessa and the rest of the cast to her left. There was an audience of a few hundred in front of them, and their moderator was a woman called Monét.

“Hi everyone,” Monét began, receiving cheers in response. She introduced each person on stage and gave out some background information on the movie before scrolling on her iPad and launching into the questions. Brooke spared Vanessa a glance, but her co-star seemed strangely out of it. Brooke wanted to bring her back to reality, check she was okay, but she couldn’t catch her eye. As a result, Brooke missed the first couple of questions, and was thankful that none of them seemed to be directed at her. She made a mental note not to watch the panel back later and scrutinise herself for a lack of professionalism that would no doubt be obvious to her own eyes.

“Katya, I wanna talk about your decision to be involved in the creative process of the movie. What made you want to take an active role in the production of As The Stars Align?” Monét asked as Katya’s face lit up.

“This project is my baby,” Katya began with a slight chuckle. “This story is so special to me and to be honest, I don’t trust these bitches unsupervised,” — the audience laughed and Katya’s eyes widened as she apologised and asked whether she was allowed to swear.

“But in all seriousness, I did want to make sure it was done right. A lot of LGBT people, especially young ones, have told me directly how much my book means to them and I didn’t want to let them down. It’s why I wanted the diverse cast and crew that we have. Unfortunately, they happen to be horrible monsters to work with,” Katya joked.

“Speaking of monsters…” Monét grinned wickedly. “Vanessa, what was it like working with the Brooke Lynn Hytes? And playing love interests no less?”

Brooke blushed slightly, turning to Vanessa with a quirked eyebrow. Vanessa looked caught off guard.

“Lemme think how I’m gon answer that,” she teased after a few seconds. “And get your camera phones out, I know y’all be recording and tagging.”

“Please, everyone's dying to know if the diva rumours are true,” Monét carried on sarcastically.

“Working with Brooke Lynn was… an experience,” Vanessa began, earning some stifled laughs from those on stage who knew their shared history. “She’s damn fierce at what she does — if I’ve had even a fifth of the career she’s had by the time I’m her age, it’ll be a blessing.”

“You calling me old, bitch?” Brooke quipped, and the audience laughed again in delight, but Brooke had seen Vanessa smile enough times to know that her heart wasn’t in the one she was giving her right now.

The rest of Monét’s questions went off without a hitch, but when they directed the line of enquiry to journalists in the audience, Brooke felt a sinking feeling in her stomach at the unpredictability of it all. One of the paparazzi introduced himself as being from Fox News, and Brooke wondered how she was going to pretend to be nice to this man.

She’d expected casual sexism or homophobia, but she almost threw up a bit at the actual words that the words left the reporter’s mouth.

“Brooke and Vanessa, we’ve had many inside sources claim they saw you both enter the same hotel room on the night of the wrap party. What I want to ask is, is there any truth to the speculation that the two of you are romantically involved?”

Monét had to hush the rumblings of the audience, giving Brooke a few extra seconds to think on her feet. Vanessa looked horrified (which Brooke would’ve taken offence to if she didn’t feel so bad for her) and was choking on air, most likely thanking her luck that they had been saddled with passing a few microphones around rather than wearing them.

“Brooke, Vanessa, feel free not to answer that. I’m speaking to the management about vetting as soon as this is over,” Monét said, only half kidding.

“It’s okay. Vanessa and I aren’t together, but wouldn’t that be quite the story?” Brooke replied, the words tasting like salt. “However, she has become a very good friend of mine, and, um, she deserves the world. All the amazing humans on this stage do.” The audience aww-ed and ahh-ed, touched.

“Y’all heard me earlier, I wouldn’t be caught dead with her senior ass,” Vanessa exaggerated, Brooke laughing despite the joke made at her expense, gratefully that Vanessa was able to lighten the mood.

After another twenty minutes of audience questions, thankfully none as invasive as the first, they departed the stage and took a lunch break before their upcoming afternoon of paired interviews. Everyone ate together at a big table, Vanessa sat a few seats down from Brooke, and she was still being unusually quiet.

Brooke hated not hearing her loud voice soaring above all the rest.

—

Vanessa’s Halloween party had not gone to plan.

She had envisioned it so well — Brooke would arrive just as Vanessa was a couple of drinks in wearing a bomb costume; they’d lock eyes from across the room and the spark would be reignited. They’d spend all night catching up, just the two of them in their own corner, and maybe one of them would make a move.

Maybe she’d had her hopes too high expecting a grand love declaration or a kiss that swept her off her feet, but she thought Brooke would at least be down to continue whatever they started. Instead, her day had ended with Brooke telling her that she wanted to pretend that night had never happened.

Vanessa was fucking crushed.

She had never experienced heartbreak, not really — her only relationship had been Matt, and she had been more relieved than sad when it was over. But she was completely devastated to realise that her fantasies of a future with Brooke would remain fantasies. Vanessa hated herself for falling for Brooke so hard and fast, especially since the intensity of her feelings were clearly unreciprocated.

Vanessa was also, despite being a professional actor, completely terrible at hiding her feelings. When she was in character — following a script — she was mostly able to detach herself completely and convey any emotion regardless of whether it was one she able to empathise with, but when she was being herself it was no use.

She was sure fans would pick up on it, would question why Vanessa wasn’t her usual bubbly, loud self on stage. If only they knew.

Her first joint interview with Brooke was with a tall, blonde woman named Alaska, who wrote for an LGBT magazine. When Vanessa joined her in the small press room, Brooke Lynn was already there, early as ever (except for her Halloween party, Vanessa thought bitterly).

“Hi, girls,” Alaska drawled. Her questions were pleasantly thoughtful, focussing on the message of the movie, allowing them to give in depth, individual answers, though afterwards they were ordered to up the chemistry between the two of them, so clearly they hadn’t been everything the publication was looking for.

And she had to give it to her — from then on, Brooke did start making an effort to connect with Vanessa in her responses, even though Vanessa struggled to put their personal issues aside.

After more interviews that seemed to go on forever, mostly with male reporters who were as boring as they were old, they had one final discussion with a girl named Tatianna, which would be printed rather than filmed. She was more gossipy, but just as sweet as Alaska had been.

“Ladies, this one’s a little personal, so just let me know if you want to move on and we’ll cut it out. I don’t know your identities, but I was wondering whether your own experiences with sexuality have influenced the way you play these characters, and your decision to take on LGBT roles.”

Vanessa looked at Brooke, hesitance etched over her features, and it suddenly clicked that Brooke was a celebrity, and her sexuality wasn’t public knowledge — Vanessa had been oblivious before Brooke had come out to her. She didn’t know why the thought had never occurred to her before, but she realised that Brooke was most likely being intentionally private about her sexuality for whatever reasons and she didn’t want to put her in a compromising situation, no matter how frustrated she was with her right now.

“Obviously, I can’t speak for Brooke, but yeah, it definitely played a role for me. I’m bisexual, and there was such a lack of bi representation for me growing up — there still is now, and of LGBT representation in general. I always assumed I was straight, ���cos I didn’t even really know that liking more than one gender was a thing. There was no bi figures, in fiction or the media, or if there was, they were constantly being erased… but that’s a whole other discussion, Mary.” Vanessa noticed that Brooke looked utterly engaged in what she was saying, and it was nice to feel heard and understood.

“So yeah, I was definitely conscious as a bi person about taking queer roles. We deserve to tell our own stories, you know? I feel like having a movie like this with such a diverse cast would’ve really helped the teenage me who was just trying to figure herself out.”

Tatianna nodded compassionately, before turning towards Brooke.

“I, uh. I agree LGBT representation is so important, and the way it’s handled is always an indicator on quality in a script. I feel like people of any sexuality can relate to queer roles — especially women, or people of colour, anyone who knows what it feels like to be marginalised or a minority. But yeah, there’s definitely a lot of me in my character,” Brooke confessed, smiling half-heartedly.

“Well, this has been a very insightful conversation. Thank you both for your time,” Tatianna concluded, shaking their hands.

The interviewer began talking with the behind the scenes people whose jobs were a mystery to Vanessa.

“Girl, what a day,” Vanessa yawned, hoping they would be given the okay to leave soon.

“Ness, I… I’m proud of you, you know,” Brooke said. Vanessa’s heart melted with both affection and sadness at Brooke’s gentle voice, and properly looked her in the eyes for the first time in days.

“Bitch, don’t get soft with me.”

“I’m serious… you just, like, came out to the whole world. That’s a big deal.”

“Well, not the whole world, just Refinery29 readers,” Vanessa joked. Brooke laughed a disproportionate amount.

“You ever think you’ll do it? I just realised we never talked about all that —” Brooke’s face became immediately pensive at Vanessa’s question.

“Sure,” she decided after a few moments of reflection. “I mean, I have my hang-ups, but if I got into a really serious relationship, I wouldn’t wanna hide it, y’know?” — Vanessa nodded — “but sometimes I worry that I’ve left it too late. Like, what if everyone feels I’ve been lying by omission all these years and I end up betraying both straight people and the LGBT community at the same time?”

“Ima stop you right there, girl,” Vanessa cut her off. “You don’t owe nothing to nobody, got it? If you do it, it’s gotta be on your own terms. Gay people won’t give a shit that it didn’t happen earlier, they know how it is. Trust me, if they ever find out Brooke Lynn Hytes is one of them, they ain’t gonna be mad.”

Brooke raised her eyebrows, and Vanessa wondered if she knew she was projecting.

“And I’m not done. To address your other concern. If homophobes are pissed then you’re doing something right. You finessed them and got their homophobic coin, be proud, bitch!”

“You know, surprisingly, that made me feel a lot better. Thanks, Ness,” Brooke shared with a small smile.

And Vanessa felt better, too. The issues between her and Brooke couldn’t be magically fixed, but for now, a weight had been lifted.

#rpdr fanfiction #rujubees #as the stars align #lesbian au #brooke lynn hytes #vanessa vanjie mateo #branjie #smut #angst #fluff #enemies to lovers #friends to lovers #concrit welcome

[arplis]

Arplis - News: A round up of 20 home organizing items to tidy every room in your house, establish good organizing habits, and keep it that way

Don’t read that title as “My house is sparkly clean and everything has its place right now and I’m basically Organizer Barbie.” That ain’t it. We just took down our Christmas decorations last week, and now this house feels totally chaotic. It happens every year. But after cleaning up the same messes a thousand times in this house (mamas, y’all know that feeling, right?), I have figured out solutions that work to give the things in our house a “home”. When it does get messy, it only takes a few minutes to do a quick sweep of the house before it feels sane again. (Pst… need ideas for organizing all the nooks and crannies of your house? Check ’em out here.)  So I thought it would be helpful to round up 20 of my favorite organizing items that have totally saved my tail to whip our home into shape over the years. 20 Best Home Organizing Items for a Tidy Space (Some affiliate links are provided below. Full disclosure here.)  1. Use a Closet Clean-Out Cheat Sheet to Sort Out the Keepers Simply asking myself  “Does this item spark joy?” isn’t enough for me. I need direction and clarity when trying to purge pieces from my wardrobe. Print out this cheat sheet and physically as yourself the hard questions about what’s in your closet. Over time, the job will go faster and get easier. (See our entire closet here.) 2. Display a Calendar, Mail Sorter, and Memo Board for a Command Center or Mail Drop-Zone Have a place for a calendar to jot down reminders and schedules. Use a mail sorter to stay ahead of the pile. Put up a memo board for papers that need immediate attention. And leave room for a key rack and shelf for any items that tend to get dropped at the door. (See our DIY command center wall here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 3. Use Shelf Risers and Drawer Stacks in Sinks, Cabinets, and on Shelves Vertical storage is like getting double or triple the space. (See a tour of our entire organized bathroom vanity here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 4. Invest in Drawer Organizers There are so many great drawer organizer inserts out there, but even if you don’t want to spend the money, you can even cut up cardboard cereal & cracker boxes to do the job. Turn on your JavaScript to view content 5. Use Tiered Shelves Tiered shelves allow you to stack things for vertical storage while seeing everything at once. This matching spice bottle set streamlines our spice cabinet beautifully. (See a tour of our entire organized kitchen here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 6. Go for Matching Hangers It’s amazing how streamlined a closet can feel with matching hangers. These wooden ones are from IKEA, but if you don’t have a location near you, these wooden hangers are comparable. Turn on your JavaScript to view content 7. Use Clear Canisters It’s so much easier to see when you’re running low and you don’t have to play Tetris to get a bunch of odd grocery containers to fit onto one shelf together. I love these clear locking canisters that keep our dry goods completely air tight. (See our entire pantry cabinet here for small space storage solutions.)  Turn on your JavaScript to view content 8. Corral Countertop Cooking Staples into a Caddy I like putting utensils, olive oil, salt and pepper, butter and my Google Home (for music while I cook) in easy reach together in a round basket tray so my countertops are clear for kitchen prep work. Bonus points if you put it on a Lazy Susan for 360 accessibility. (See more tips for decorating kitchen countertops for function here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 9. Place Wall Hooks Right Beside Your Family’s Most Commonly Used Door It’s the designated spot to prevent your entire house from becoming the drop zone of clutter. I love these cute double hooks that look antique and add a little charm to our laundry room. Ours are several years old now, but these hooks and these hooks have a similar vibe. (See a tour of our entire laundry room here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 10. Designate a Toy Basket in the Living Room (We do this since we have a playroom right off of our living room, so I realize not everyone has the luxury of a playroom.) No matter what your toy situation looks like, at least having enough baskets and bins for toys when not in use helps give them a “home” so they’re out of sight. We just fold a blanket or place a throw pillow on top of our basket. (See more tips for toy organization here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 11. Hide Cords with Cord Covers You can paint the cord covers the same color as the wall so they blend right in and you’ll never notice them. Turn on your JavaScript to view content 12. Take Advantage of Pegboards For craft rooms, offices, garages, laundry rooms, wherever… items stay orderly but accessible. These pegboard hooks and pegboard baskets help a ton. (See more cleaning/laundry room solutions here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 13. Use Ironing Board Hooks Keep the ironing board accessible and out of the way without taking up a ton of valuable space in a closet somewhere by putting a hook in your laundry room. Turn on your JavaScript to view content 14. Use Wall Baskets Inside of Closets I like storing gift wrap items on walls in our coat closet so I can quickly grab them when a wrapping occasion pops up. Use wall baskets for storing gloves, umbrellas, or any other accessory too. (See more of our coat closet here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 15. Roll Your Towels and Washcloths and Stick with White Bonus Points: It makes a bathroom feel more like a spa. I love white because they’re easy to bleach too. These towels are my absolute favorite. I LOVE this bathroom tower for vertical storage too. (See a tour of our entire master bathroom refresh here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 16. Use Wire Baskets in Pantries That way you can see food items inside of the wire baskets more easily. (See a tour of our entire IKEA Hemnes pantry solution here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 17. Take Advantage of a Tiered Basket for Produce A tiered basket helps so much to keep fruit from being scattered all over the kitchen counter while preventing overcrowding so they don’t spoil as quickly. Turn on your JavaScript to view content 18. Keep a Glasses Holder and Trinket Bowl on the Nightstand For taking everything off at the end of the day. (See a tour of our entire master bedroom here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 19. Keep Gaming Consoles and TV Receivers Behind Mesh Doors They can still receive a signal without being visible that way. You can see our tutorial for building this DIY window seat here. 20. Go Nuts With a Label Maker My little $10 label maker was worth every penny!!! Label containers, doors, drawers, bins, anything to help you and your household know what goes where. Turn on your JavaScript to view content I know there are a bunch of other favorite organizing items of mine too, but those are definitely the top contenders. Here are a few of my favorite past organizing projects we’ve done: Our Small His & Her IKEA Closet Makeover Our Full Kitchen Organization Tour 9 Tips for a Super Functional Coat Closet Our Nursery Organization Tour 7 Laundry Room Organizing Solutions Do you have any favorite organizing items? Spill ’em all! If you want to save this post for later, you can pin it here: The post The Best Home Organizing Items for a Tidy Space appeared first on Bless'er House. #Organizing

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/a-round-up-of-20-home-organizing-items-to-tidy-every-room-in-your-house-establish-good-organizing-habits-and-keep-it-that-way

[aviationfiction]

XV

Autumn Dupont

“Step through please ma’am.”

I slowly brushed my trembling hands over the upper portion of my body, stopped midway, and gently patted the pockets of my form fitting denim shorts. With a deep breath, I walked through the body scanner and stood on the other side awaiting the bucket filled with my possessions to slide through the second scanner. The police officer standing just a couple inches away from myself stared in a knowing manner; they all do. He didn’t open his mouth to speak or say anything absurd but I’m assured in my assumptions about his thoughts and what he’s biting his tongue over. This famous city thrives on various attributes; South Beach being one of them, but the men who leave their blood, sweat, and tears on the court in the American Airlines Arena are the heart of it. People of all walks of life crowd into that building to experience the loose fun of the regular season, the electrifying playoffs, and if they’re lucky, the gut wrenching finals where either victorious confetti and golden trophies are handed out or tears and disappointment leave the entire building silenced until the next season. I’ve been amongst it all, often having professional cameras snapping away at me, or game goers unknowingly turning me into D-List Miami celebrity by asking for photographs. I’ve met the celebrities, I’ve been introduced to the executives, and I’ve sat amongst the wealthy all for the sake of supporting my husband and it has left it’s lasting affects not only on myself but just as much on the city. My husband’s no mayor or governor but I’ve been stupidly called “The First Lady of Miami” by women much older than myself although Gabrielle Union and Savannah James’ husbands have far more importance within this city than any coach, staffer, political figure, or musician. Well, Lebron is no longer here but the two championships he gave to this city hold their significance. As selfish as it may sound, I felt the affects of his decision to return home to Cleveland far more than anyone else in this city. My husband mourned the loss of his star player far more than he mourned the demise of our marriage.

“Here you are Mrs. Harrington.” We made eye contact when he boldly used my formal name and I swiftly grabbed the bold violet cross body bag out of his hand purposefully making sure skin to skin contact never happened.

“I have a mediation session. Can you direct me to where those take place?”

“You take the elevator to the second floor, make a left once you step out of the elevator, and walk down the hall. The office is at the end of the hall. You won’t miss it.”

“Thank you.”

The sound of my heels ceaselessly striking the mahogany marble flooring flooded my ears far more than the voices surrounded me and I allowed the leather chain strap of my bag to fall over my shoulders as I neared the elevator. As my finger tapped the button, a silent prayer was all that I could think of. I’d been standing alone and if God favors me, I’ll continue to stand alone as I’m enclosed inside of the confined space. A faint ding sounded off and I watched the heavy doors slowly open; bringing a crowd of six people into my line of view. As they filtered out, I quickly stepped inside and pressed the silver second floor button. The thrashing of my heart slowly began to ease itself as the doors began to close and within a second, my blessing was cut short.

“Whew! I’m glad I caught it. Excuse me.” As I stepped aside, the fair skinned woman tap the button for the third floor and tiredly leaned against the wall to catch her breath. As her chest heavily heaved in and out, she slightly turned her head to the side and her eyes panned down to my feet.

“Cute shoes girl.” Her eyes remained locked on the luminous yellow leather printed sandals and her body instinctively leaned forward so she’d be able to get a decent look at the tone-on-tone decorative bows and feathers; added on for a touch of extravagance and eccentricity.

“Love your top too.” She gazed over the lavender and white checkerboard patterned top and nodded her head to further make note of her approval. It’s deep v-neck framed the material off both of my shoulders and the exaggeratedly ruffled short sleeves fell over my arms. The cropped hem wrap around design showcased a hint of skin from my stomach and the bow I’d made with the loose ends rested perfectly on my side. I put effort into the look; the best style effort I’d put forth in quite some time. I prided myself on looking good for my husband; always wanting him to be proud to have me on his arm and to never need to turn his gaze to any other woman. While I wasn’t the typical kept woman who visited high end department stores many days out of the week, purchasing the latest and most expensive pieces from top of the line designers, I did make sure to go maybe two or three times a month to make sure I kept myself up to par. Despairingly, I felt like my closet full of garb was purposeful for game nights rather than date nights. The Agent Provocateur and La Perla pieces ultimately served as typical undergarments rather than sex driven flimsy pieces of material I so badly wanted Andreas to anxiously peel off of me. Today, I’d like for him to do a double take and realize I am the same woman he vowed his life to and inevitably destroyed. He was my Dre and I was his Bella, the woman whose picture he carried around in his wallet despite having a smartphone. I am the one. I was the one.

“Thanks.”

The double doors opened as soon as the elevator stopped and I bid the friendly woman a wave as I stepped outside of it. I glanced back and forth between both ends of the hall and made the left turn as instructed. The more I neared the fate of what was behind the door, the eager I was to turn around and continue to avoid this entire process. Courtesy of Issac, I’d been in communication with Sorrell Trope ever since Joanne’s ambush and he’s been handling the logistics of my divorce. He informed me that he represented Britney Spears, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Nicolas Cage and cheerily boasted about his most recently high profile case; representing Elin Nordegren in her divorce from Tiger Woods. He’d already submitted requests for disclosures and production of Andreas’ bank statements, statements of income, and numerous other documents I’d never seen throughout our six years of marriage. I can’t even began to tell you what the man is worth or what he owns besides our home, his mother’s home, and the two cars sitting in our garage. It never mattered. Frankly, it still doesn’t.

“Mrs. Harrington?” The stocky woman sitting behind the off black desk adjusted her thick glasses and checked off something on the paper sitting in front of her without ever confirming if her assumption was correct or not.

“Yes. I’m Autumn Harrington.”

“You’re all set up in the room over there. Your husband arrived about fifteen minutes ago. There’s paper and pens in the room if you should need them. This is a private mediation which means that there will be a charge per session where as a court ordered medication is of no cost. This mediation is confidential. Anything mentioned within the walls of that room can and will stay within the walls of that room unless you or your husband should decide otherwise. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Okay then. Also, the mediator is running a little late due to car trouble but she did say that she’ll be here within the next fifteen to twenty minutes; possibly sooner. I asked your husband if he would like to reschedule but he informed me that he’s okay with waiting. Will that be a problem for you?” Andreas and I, alone in a room together? The last time that happened I was sent home in tears.

“It’s fine. I can wait.”

“Okay then. Go ahead right in. She should be here soon.”

She turned around in her chair and lazily rolled over to the file cabinet to dismiss my presence and I proceeded in the direction she pointed in. As I opened the door, I immediately spotted Andreas standing at the opposite side of a wooden table and a window, which I’m sure I may consider jumping out of a ton of times before this first session is completed. His baby blue collared shirt was button down three bottoms from the top and in his usual fashion, he rolled up the sleeves until the cuffs were snug around his elbows.

I could barely stand to look him as he stood there, slightly shuffling, with his hands stuff down into the pockets of his khaki pants. His beautiful ocean blue eyes peered into mine and my heartbeat didn’t speed up in anticipation of his touch or a kiss, instead my stomach felt like it’d been dropped into a bottomless pit; free falling with my emotions tied to the tail end of it. To say I feel disparaged would be an understatement.  I used to be able to immediately feel the love between he and I as soon as either one of us entered a room and now there’s this eerie nothingness that radiates from his frame and harshly penetrates my reality. I will never understand how we ended up with this fate and there is nothing a mediator, lawyer, or even he can say to change that.

There are two seats left; the one facing Andreas and one placed at the head of the table which I’m sure is for the mediator. I have no choice but to sit across from him and allow the very eyes I fell in love with to scold me.

As I plotted down into the chair, I rested my hands on the table directly across from his own and our empty ring fingers turned into the focus of my attention. Rather than verbally greeting me, he gently ran his hand over my own and gave it a small squeeze. The gesture wasn’t one of comfort or sincerity, it was one of assurance; assurance that this is what he wants and needs from me.

“Hey Bella.”

Silence.

The ticking sound of the circular antique clock mounted on the wall was louder than any breathing or movement we made. As I glanced up at him, it became obvious he’d been waiting  for me to say something first and quite frankly, I’m speechless with rage.

“You’re waiting for me to speak? You’re divorcing me. You should be doing all of the talking here. Not I.”

“Please don’t start that. Let’s just keep this peaceful. I’m not here to fight with you. I don’t want to fight with you whatsoever. We’re two adults here. You and I can sit down and have a conversation without coming at one another’s throats. There’s no need for that.” He sat back in his seat and grimaced at the smug expression on my face.

“You have a lot of nerve telling me what there is no need for. You’re telling me that? The man with the new family?”

His jaw tightened. I used to love when that happened. I’d purposefully do or say something to anger him all for the sake of attention. His frustrations were the turn on that I often needed. Sometimes he’d take care of it; often times my index and middle fingers did the trick.

“We’re not here to talk about my unborn child or Amber. This is about us. Why are you taking this in a direction that has nothing to do with any of this?”

“But it has everything to do with this. Are you kidding me? We’re married. If you should walk out of this door today and something happens to you, do you know who’s responsible? It will not be your mother nor will it be that woman you’re involved with. It’ll be me. I know given the circumstances that happened to me nearly two years ago you may not understand that concept but that’s how it works. I am responsible for you until a judge signs those documents and dissolutes our marriage and vise versa. So for you to sit here as an engaged man with a wife, you must be out of your got damn mind if you believe that plays no part in why we’re sitting here today.”

“Yeah, well, you know what Autumn? This is a mediation. We’re not in marriage counseling. The mediator will be here to make sure we figure out what we want and what we don’t want so that we can move forward with the divorce. Luckily we have no children so there’s no need to discuss living arrangements, child support, nor custody. That makes this process far easier than it usually is.”

“Luckily?” On the ride here, I ran three different scenarios of how this session would go and I made mental notes, strategies, and promises to myself about how I’d handle all of them. In each, there was one rule: Do not cry. I’ve cried enough. I’d go to bed crying and I’d wake up with either tear stains on my face or tears rolling down my cheeks. I’d cry in the shower and stick my face into the water to manipulate myself into believing that it was nothing more than water droplets trickling down my face. I’d cry during physical therapy, personal therapy, breakfast, lunch, during my runs. Name any place, time, or location, and I’m sure as some point there were tears either threatening to fall or streaming down my face. It was a result of keeping everything bottled within. It was the only coping mechanism I had. As I slowly began to open up to Dr. Jill, the need to cry transitioned into a lot of thinking. The weekly assignments she’s been giving me helped tremendously and yet here I am, falling apart. My eyes began to burn as I tried my best to withhold them but gravity and my overdriven emotions defeated me.

“That’s not how I meant it, I…Autumn. Let’s not make one another upset.”

“How many times are going to say that? Should I expect that statement any and every time you say something that you know is either insulting or hurtful? I am not perfect but I didn’t do anything wrong to you Andreas. I don’t deserve to be spoken to that way nor do I deserve any insults that you may have for me. Think before you speak. First you dismissed your new life having anything to do with why we’re here today and now you’re feeling lucky because you and I never had children together though you know I wanted to have a child more than anything you could have ever given me. What’s next? You’re on a roll.”

“You know what, I apologize. I honestly didn’t mean it in the way you took it.”

“Yes you did.” I glanced over at the window, taking in what I could of the scenery and left him to drill a hole into the side of my neck with his eyes.

“Can we talk about the house?”

“What about it?

“Both of our names are on the deed to it and we agreed upon co-owning it from the very beginning. I don’t want to fight about it nor do I want to turn it into an ongoing back and forth. I am willing to give you the house. As of two years ago, the house is paid for in full. All you’d have to worry about are the properly taxes, the upkeep of the house, and any additional utility bills. You spent more time inside of that home than I did and you handled the interior and exterior design of every single aspect of the house. It's only right that it should be yours. ”

“You seriously believe I want that house? The house that you and another woman are currently living in and have created a child in? My God. You’re ignorant.” I shook my head as a chuckle slipped past my lips and he began to uneasily tap his fingers on the table.

“You don’t want the house?”

“No. I don’t want your house. I don’t even want to live in Miami.”

“Well what about the car? The car is yours. I can have it shipped up to New Jersey within a couple of days if you’d like.”

“I’m not interested. You have both sets of keys to that car so God knows who’s been driving it. No thank you.”

“Autumn, grow the hell up. It’s a freaking car. It gets you from point A to point B. Who gives a damn who’s been driving it? Do you think people sit back and ponder about who’s been driving a used car when they’re at a dealership purchasing them? The car’s in excellence condition. There’s no wear and tear on it. It’s yours. Take it.”

“I don’t want the car. That’s my final decision.” Andreas sat back in his seat, huffed obnoxiously, and glanced over at the same window I’d been staring out of while he offered me these pity gifts. There’s this arrogance slightly slithering through his tone. He believes offering me the house and car is an olive branch in the midst of all of this madness.

“You know what, let’s just cut straight to the point. Twelve million Autumn. We can settle this with our lawyers and get it done. I believe a twelve million dollar settlement is fair. You talked about wanting to return to school and with that, you’d have more than enough money to pay your tuition and live your life comfortably. I love you and I do want what’s best for you.”

Twelve million dollars. I’ve never sat back and attempted to figure out how much I’m worth numerically. How do you calculate those figures? Is it based upon intelligence? Physically capabilities? Liabilities? Were my duties as his wife worth two million dollars per year? How’d he even come up with that estimate? It sounds like such a bribe and a quick figure tossed at me to quickly get this over with but most of all, to get him down the aisle with his fiancee. It’s a payoff without any regard for what I feel or want. It’s a twelve million dollar “thank you for your services, now be gone” notice.

“You love me and you want what’s best for me? Do you really?”

“Yes, I do. Us parting ways doesn’t mean that I’ve stopped caring about you. I’m a human being and you’re the woman I’ve spent just about seven years of my life with. It didn’t work out but that doesn’t mean that everything that we’ve experienced together and gone through is erased from my mind. I do want to see you succeed and be happy despite what you may think about me right now.”

“You love me? Andreas, I’m so tired of you lying to my face. You’re so locked in on what you want for yourself that you can’t even take a step back and realize where you’ve gone wrong. You continue to behave like this divorce is mutual but you know what it’s not, though I wish it were.”

“I am not behaving like it’s mutual. I’m handling it in a peaceful manner.” I laughed. I had to.

“Peaceful? Why couldn’t you handle our marriage peacefully and respectfully? You’re a liar. You lied to me about her. You told me that she was just an old friend and I believed your ass. I stood by you and I believed every word you said to me because I just knew my husband would never do anything to jeopardize what we built together despite whatever issues we may have and you lied. You lied about our issues; painting me as the villain and you as the victim when I tirelessly put up with your shit. I put up with your absence. I dealt with you traveling with that team, being in practice day in and day out, traveling for camp, press, and whatever the hell else you had to do. I didn’t complain. I dealt with your absence while you were here. You’d be right there in front of me and I felt nothing from you. You were like an empty vessel and I just couldn’t get through to you. I didn’t complain.”

“And that’s the problem right there. Maybe you should have. You’re condescending and passive aggressive. Open up your mouth sometimes. You expect people to just get it or get you. You think that everyone’s supposed to automatically understand you, as if you’re some open book. You’re stubborn. You always have been and you always will be. I had to deal with that.” He slammed his hand down on the table, causing it’s wooden legs and the chair at it’s head to rattle in response. His scowl turned into a deep frown and he stared at me, testing me to challenge his statement.

“Open up to a man who doesn’t listen? How could I have opened up to you when all you did was complain? You complained about the job, the team, the city, your previous coaching job in LA, and your busted ass knee that you injured before you and I were together, and yet it somehow became my fault that you cannot play professional basketball. I dealt with you coaching a bunch of men that you quietly envied because you cannot do what they’re doing. You didn’t take that shit out on Lebron and Dwayne. You took it out on me. I dealt with you constantly swallowing pain killers for what you explained as necessary for the so called constant pain within your knee, only for it to turn out that you were physically and mentally dependent on them. I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t tell your mother because I didn’t want to ruin her warped ass picture perfect image of you. I kept it a secret while helping you ween off of those shits without rehab. I was your verbal punching bag as you insulted and argued with me daily for and about them. I dealt with your months and months of erectile dysfunction because of you doping yourself up on those pills and then you stressing while I got you off of them. You made me feel unattractive and you blamed me for it. I dealt with you waking up in cold sweats, pacing, obsessing over championships, and crying because your dreams were ruined.” As I stood to my feet, he stared at his hands while they rested on the table. I awaited a response to my truth but I met with his silence. I could feel and hear my heart thumping against my chest as I attempted to catch my breath. The trembling of my hand, matched the tapping of my foot, and the tightening my stomach trekked it’s way up into my esophagus. He’ll be the death of me if I don’t get out of here.

“I dealt with you denying me of the children I so badly wanted. You continued to tell me that we weren’t ready and I contemplated stopping the birth control but I refrained from doing so to honor you. I didn’t want to ruin your trust in me. I stuck by you. That for better or for worse part of our vows played in my head every single day because I firmly believed we hadn’t hit rock bottom yet and if we did, we’d pick up the pieces and rebuild. I stuck by you at some of your worse times and you left me during mine. I don’t want an apology. Twelve million dollars? What I did for you as your wife is priceless. You wouldn’t be able to make enough money over the entire span of your lifetime to repay me for it. Take that twelve million and fucking drown in it.”

The sound of his voice was muffled by the door closing behind me. I could no longer bare to stand another moment within a room filled with his enormous ego, insincerity, and self-interest. That’s not the man I married; the man I’d share cups of hot chocolate with as we humorously observed our surroundings and made conversation about anyone who stepped inside of our cozy little coffee shop. He’s not the one who I’d go and observe as he coached the men’s basketball team just so he’d wink at me or bid me a knowing smile in the midst of him shouting out plays and strategies to bring his team to a win. He’s no longer the man who I didn’t mind being locked up inside of his apartment with; hiding from the world and basking in one another mentally and physically. We dreamed together, mapped out our goals, and worked towards our future. When it felt like the entire world was stacked up against us, we refused to let one another go and would not allow them the victory of ripping what we built into shreds of oblivion. We were a true union; a partnership crafted by God that no man could put asunder.

As I stood in that room with him, I now know that man has died and our romance perished with him.

A slow, cold, and tarnishing death that has left my love as a forsaken widow.

Dim rays from the setting sun filtered through the small opening of the plush white curtains while the faint sound of the ocean’s roaring waves filled the room. My now adjusted eyes panned up to the ceiling and a small yawn slipped past my lips while I attempted the guess the time. I’d been transitioning from sleeping to watching a random marathon of The Brady Bunch on TVLand since my return from the courthouse. I skipped breakfast while physically and mentally preparing myself for the mediation and the interaction with my husband ruined any desire for lunch. I’m sure the only reason why I’m awake is because of hunger. I deliberately took half of an Ambien so I’d be able to sleep throughout the rest of the afternoon and night, but my body or rather mind ruined the strategy. If I spent any more time watching that family while confined to the memory foam mattress, I’m prone to either scream or check out of this place.

With one roll, I reached over and grabbed my iPhone off of the nightstand and checked the time; seven forty five.

I missed one phone call from my mother, surprisingly one from my father, and two text messages from Heather asking me how the mediation went. Had Heather been in Miami with Mario, we would have been together right now having mojitos and stuffing our faces while she profusely slandered Andreas until she couldn’t find anymore words to say. In this instance, I would have allowed her to do it because I could use the laugh and I’m certain she can use yet another moment when she’s able to have a bash fest over the man she deems to be the biggest mistake of my life. She never excuses me for it because of the love, instead she does so because he has a “pretty face with demonic blue eyes”.

After eating, she’d find someway for us to work off the meal by randomly showing up to some club, rooftop, or yacht party she knew about refrained to mention to me. From there, we’d attempt to relive our college days that I cut short and left her heartbroken over. Though she no longer mentions it, I’m still making that up to her. The guilt is still there; not only for her but also because I should have finished my studies. Before we parted our inseparable ways to began our own lives, we should have walked across that stage together but that’s the past. I’m ready and willing to do it alone.

My fingers scrolled along my list of contacts and I hesitantly paused on his name. I hadn’t heard from him since we arrived in Miami. When we landed yesterday evening, we shared a car service to the Mandarin and he informed me that we’d be staying in town an extra day before we parted ways. Throughout the duration of the twenty minute drive from the airport to the hotel, he adamantly spoke with someone on the phone and didn’t hang up until he said those very brief words to me. I don’t know the ins and outs of his life but what’s obvious is how serious he takes what he does for a living. Though he does not live for it nor does he genuinely enjoy it, he admirably conquers all that he has to do without ever breaking a sweat or faltering. He’s powerful while basking in a modest and reserved demeanor that entrances you almost immediately. He’s unrealistic; the impossible. He’s a figment of my imagination manifesting into my reality.

Pizza? It’s Autumn.

I tossed the phone beside myself and my eyes returned to the french vanilla painted ceiling. As I prepared for a lack of a response, my phone faintly vibrated against my skin.

Meet me in the lobby in ten minutes. I’ll be near the revolving door.

I wish he’d of said twenty minutes, but I mindfully used the ten he offered to slip back into the shoes I’d been wearing earlier in the day and to run a bit of mousse into the wavy curls I’d been enjoying for the past couple of days. While riding the elevator downstairs, I reapplied my favorite MAC “Spite” lip glass to my lips.

As soon as the doors opened, I made the familiar sharp left and walked through the main entrance of the lobby. Just as he told me, he stood by the revolving door in a casual look that I wasn’t expecting. Since our first encounter with one another, I’ve yet to see him in anything other than a two or three piece designer suit. His slender frame is always masked behind the perfectly tailored material representing not only his professionalism but also his very old school taste. Tonight, he opted for a pair of simple navy blue slacks, a button down dress shirt of the same color, and surprisingly, a pair of sneakers. They’re no Nike or Adidas. He decided on a designer pair to mesh well with his entire look. His right arm adorned a simple gold watch; most likely a Rolex, and he left that as his only accessory. Clean, straight to the point, but highly effective.

“How are you?” I spoke first. He’d been too busy staring at whatever is going on outside to notice me coming.

“I’m well. How about yourself?”

“I’m alive.” He chuckled with a nod of his head.

“I can see that. That’s not telling me how you are though. So, how are you?”

“I’m alright.” He glanced in the direction of the glass doors once more and pointed at the Mercedes Benz a valet stepped out of.

“That’s us right there.”

“You were already down here when I texted you?”

“Yeah, I actually just arrived back from a last minute meeting with the second contractor. I was walking to the elevator as soon as you texted me.” We stepped inside of one section of the revolving door together and he did the pushing until we were outside.

“Were you going to relax?”

“No. I was going upstairs to order room service. You saved me from having to do that.”

He opened up the passenger side door for me and waited until my body was comfortably resting against the maroon leather seats before closing the door. He slipped the valet a twenty dollar bill as his towering body lowered down into the drivers seat and he closed the door behind himself. In unison, we put our seat belt on.

“Any place in particular you want to go?” Lauryn Hill’s soothing whistles notes filled my ears as the infectious beat of Nas’ “If I Ruled The World” vibrated against the cool seats.

“Not really. Pizza is pizza. Visa-O1 is decent. Blocks too.”

“I know a spot. It’s not a pizza place but they definitely serve pizza. Is that alright with you?”

“Yeah, sure. It’s fine.”

“Windows up or down?” My eyes followed his hand as it switched the car’s gear into drive and they slowly panned up to his face.

“Down.”

He obliged my answer and immediately began drive down Brickell Key Dr. I thought we’d be taking a local route and would be able to take glances at the melting pot of people having a joyous time outdoors but instead I was left to enjoy the scenic US-1 South for nearly fifteen minutes. By then, I could no longer quietly guess where we were going. In my time of living here, I never familiarized myself with this city as much as I should have. I don’t believe he’s ever lived here and he knows this place far better than I do. I couldn’t give him directions to anywhere beyond the handful of places I frequented. During date nights, Andreas and I usually visited same places and those became our spots to go out and have a bite to eat when we could. For Heather, social media announcements and Google Maps takes her wherever she needs to be down here. She goes wherever the night takes her and can barely recall where exactly that place was in the morning. She actually knows nothing more than the way to Mario’s home and mine. Actually, we know the beach too, but who doesn’t?”

“Is this a private road?” We crossed a bridge that I’d never seen or heard about and the surroundings didn’t ring a bell no matter how many times I looked around to familiarize myself.

“Yeah. This is sort of a beach club. Well, actually it is. It’s called Palmeiras.”

“You have a membership here?”

“Well, not technically. This place is represented by the company and the owner is a nice guy so he welcomed me to come by and enjoy the place whenever I have the time to.”

“So how is it? It looks great from out here.”

“I don’t know. This is my first time coming.” I couldn’t help but to playfully suck my teeth and we shared a laugh over my assuming. He didn’t used the navigation system, took the quickest route, and we arrived without him ever losing the way. It was easy to believe he comes here often.

“You’re such a prankster.”

“Hey, you assumed.”

As we stepped out of the car, I realized we’d come as close the Amalfi Coast as we were going to get. This hidden gem basks in the sweeping, unobstructed view of the stunning Biscayne Bay with a picturesque view and peaceful atmosphere that’s rare to find within this area. It marvels after the French Riviera in taste with hints of Italian and Greek structuring. We’d only been walking along side one another for a couple of minutes and I couldn’t take my eyes off of the extensive amenities and beautiful decor. Unlike any other waterfront restaurant, the views of the Bay from here are paranoramic, dazzling in what feels like a small paradise.

“This is incredible.”

“Fredrick was one of the three architects who designed and worked on this place. Miami is his playground and he’s surely done his part in making some of the more recent structures look incredible.”

“He has a great eye. I’m speechless about the view. My God. My house sits near the bay and I don’t believe the view is this incredible from there.”

“Yeah, he does. He’s excellent at what he does. He has an artistic eye that goes beyond being an architect.”

“I can tell.”

“You want stay outdoors?”

“Yes. I’d love that.”

He only left me for two minutes to have a short conversation hostess and it only took another three for us to be seated a table for two with an unparalleled view of the bay. Though he’d chosen not to drink for driving purposes, I indulged and ordered a peach mojito. The Absolute Peach, Pyrat Rum, and Apricot Liquor would compliment the view of the bay in calming my nerves. Though the Mediterranean style dishes throughout the menu were attention grabbing, I settled on a margarita pizza and he; a chicken sandwich.

“This place is so nice. I can’t believe you don’t come here whenever you’re in town. You sure you haven’t been on a date here?” I playfully raised an eyebrow at him and he quickly shook his head in response to it.

“No. I’m being truthful when I say this is my first time. I don’t understand how you were living here for so long and have never been here.”

“Oh you’d be surprised about all of the places I haven’t been throughout my duration of living here. I’m still a newbie in this town.”

“Were you home sick?”

“Uh. Kind of. I didn’t know anyone other than Andreas so I stuck around my house rather than hanging out with myself all the time. I didn’t make any real friends. I know you’re probably wondering why I didn’t become friends with all of the player’s wives but I wasn’t interested. They were pleasant; Savannah, Gabby, Adrienne, and the others, but I just kept to myself. Heather visited every now and then and we hung out a bit, but it still wasn’t enough for me to know and learn a lot around here.” I took my second sip of the chilled drink and nearly sighed in bliss as it steadily slipped down my throat.

“I like it here; not to live but it’s a nice place to hang out. I usually have fun when the guys and I make a trip down here together.”

“You said it’s Fredrick’s playground right?”

“Yeah, but not in the manner that it used to be. He’s locked down now. He’s in love but don’t let him know I told you that.” He chortled at the thought of his best friend and his possible disdain for that statement.

“Oh, he’s fronting about it?”

“Big time.”  

“What about your other friend Mike?”

“Mike’s a chill guy. He’s the joker out of all three of us and the big mouth. Honestly, I don’t know what’s up with him. I think he’s seeing someone. He’s secretive with that type of shit though. You don’t know until he wants you to know. He’d rather be in everyone else’s business, especially mine.” It was my turn to laugh when a frown appeared on his face. If anything Mike to him is what Heather is to me; obnoxiously nosy and a know it all.

“He’s always in your personal business?”

“Hell yeah. He asks a lot of questions. Fredrick will set me up on blind dates.”

“Blind dates? So they’re like match dot com for you?”

“Yeah, in the worse way.”

“As annoying as it sounds, I’m sure it’s just their way of caring about you. They want to see you happy and I think that’s cute.”

“Cute?” He curved his lips to the right and jerked his head back. “Yeah right. What about you?”

“Well, Heather used to try that in high school and at our early beginnings of college but it literally never worked out. I was the master of the curve back then and rather awkward if I must say so myself. I developed late, had a big ol’ forehead. I said that like it vanished. Anyway, I had no boobs or butt. I was kind of a tomboy and eventually shed that as I became older. By the time I was ready to date, I fell for one man and he became my first….everything. So all of that was cut short.”

“How did today go?” I didn’t expect that question after my answer and I nearly finished the rest of the drink as flashbacks of today’s courthouse nightmare played in my head.

“That bad huh?” He didn’t need an answer. I just nodded.

“We don’t have to talk about it. It’ll all turn out for the best. Just believe that.”

“I’m trying to.”

“It will. You want to go back to talking about my dull ass dating life? I don’t mind talking about it.” And just like that, he flared up yet another fit of laughter from me.

“Why do you call it dull?”

“Because it is. Everyone knows that.”

“When was your last girlfriend?”

“Uh, it was during my days at Columbia. Jessica. We dated for three months.”

“How long was your longest relationship?”

“Three months.”

“You’re lying.” I snickered until I nearly choked on the sip of the peach cocktail. He smirked while shaking his head and I glared at him awaiting his admission to that lie.

“I had a situation with someone that lasted a couple of months but it was no relationship. It was an agreement. Samira.”

“So Samira was alright with you two just….having sex?” I playfully side eyed him. “With no strings attached?”

“Yeah. We went out on dates occasionally but it never turned into anything serious though we played with the idea of it. I never met her family and she just so happened to meet my mother because we randomly ran into her. It wasn’t something that I wanted.”

“What did your mom say?”

“She was excited because there was finally some spice in my dull ass love life.”

“Stop calling it that.” Each time he said it I laughed. There was a playfulness in his tone that made it all the more funny. If he can turn something like this into a joke, I don’t see why anyone else can’t. The dating world can be hilarious. Heather and Rachel have stories that are amusing enough to leave you with both a headache and bellyache.

“And then you two parted ways?”

“Yeah. She’s engaged now……and then there’s me.” He snickered as I continued to laugh at his “sob story”. He seems content with his relationship status. I don’t get a lonely vibe from him. I can tell that he’s a loner by nature; not desperate for company, attention, or aggravation.

“Well, you don’t have to be single. There are women awaiting a chance. Before I even knew who you were, Rachel would sit at the desk and verbally lust over you. It’s not just her either. The women in that building and over at Meridian lust when you walk through those doors. You and your brother.” Dante impishly cut his eyes at me and I nodded my head with a smile to assure him that I’m telling no fibs. The Legend Of The St. James Brothers is famous within the companies.

“I don’t believe that.”

“It’s true. They turn into high school girls when you walk in with your designer suits on and your oxford shoes. The leather briefcase takes it over the edge. They giggle, whisper, and come up with all types of scenarios that they’re never going to execute because they’re too afraid to ask you out. You’re also very poised. There’s no exact way to approach you without the fear of looking foolish.” My eyes shamelessly followed his tongue as he ran it over his bottom lip and he shrugged his shoulders. We hadn’t touched our food since the waitress place it down in front of us.

“I don’t come there for that.”

“Your brother flirts.”

“With you?” He leaned forward just a bit and I shook my head.

“With everyone, honestly.”

“He’s married.”

“Oh, I know. Seems like I’m the only one who does know.”

“If he had it his way, no one would know.”

“You two are polar opposites.” It was his turn to finally sip his drink; a Sprite.

“Yes.”

“Are you close despite that?”

“No.” I finally grabbed a slice of the personal pizza and took a small bite out of it as he continued to stare at me. I expected him to finally take a bite out of his chicken sandwich but he didn’t.

“You work very hard. I’ve picked up on that ever since we flew down here for the first time together. You nearly bit my head off that day.” He grimaced; causing a snicker to slip past my lips. “What do you do to relax?”

“Play basketball, watch sports center for an hour or two. I’ll hang out with the fellas. That's about it.”

“You don't go on vacations?”

“No, not really. It’s funny that you mention that. My mother is pushing for this huge family vacation and I'm avoiding it like a plague.”

“Why?” He smirked. I wouldn’t mind vacationing with my parents for as long as Issac doesn’t attend it. I’m convinced we’d most likely try to drown one another at some point.  

“Because it won't be a vacation. It'd be seven days of horror. I’d rather not.”

“Well, what about with your friends?”

“They don't like going on exotic vacations without women, which is fine and I get it. They’re at that stage in their lives where companionship is important. We went out to L.A. with one another not too long ago and we come down here every now and then. That’s our vacations together. There’s work and a bit of play.”

“You need to enjoy your life and enjoy the fruits of your labor. There’s nothing wrong with that. It doesn’t make you arrogant or wasteful to splurge on something that will be beneficial and relaxing for you. You give back to God and the universe more than enough. You should allow God and the universe to give back to you. You haven’t been blessed with all of your success only for you to ignore it and overwork yourself. You should have some fun. I’m not the best at advice but I mean well when I speak.”

“I know you mean well and that advice is something that I’ll take into consideration. You’re not the first person to say it to me but you’re the first person to mention God within it. You’re Christian.”

“I am. I’m no church girl. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve gone to church. That’s probably why I’m a mess now.” My eyes panned to the moonlighted calm waters. “But I know he’s looking out for me; looking out for all of us. I questioned him quite a bit over these last two years because I just knew he was reeking havoc on my life but my aunt Sharon always told me if he brings you to it, he’ll bring you through it. I’m here. My story isn’t over. I still have my life, as my boss told me.” I winked at him and he nodded his head with a small chuckle. His lax body enthralled my own and I too relaxed into my seat and leaned against the back of the white chair.

“I own a home in Malibu. Only three people know about it; Mike, Fred, and Stacey. I had it built over the last couple of years. I’d been dreaming of having a huge house of my own since I was a kid. By the time I was eighteen, I began to save up for it and ever since then I’ve been working to be able to afford it. It’s completed now and as of a couple of months ago, it’s fully furnished.”

“So you’re moving out of New York?”

“No. I haven’t stayed in the house and I don’t plan to, at least not yet. The week we were in California, I went there, and as beautiful as the house is, it doesn’t feel like home yet. It felt empty with me standing in it. That tells me that I have a lot of unfinished business to handle and more to accomplish before I can settle my life there. That house will be my relaxation. It’ll be me enjoying the fruits of my labor. I have to wait though. It’s all in God’s timing right?”

“I’d say so. How long do you think it’ll take you to feel and be ready? A couple of months? A year?”

“I’ll be ready when it’s worth it in every single way possible. I can’t estimate how long that will be but I’m willing to wait.”

The moonlight glimmered in his unfathomable deep brown eyes as the confidence within his statement rattled me. In his reserved manner, he’s so assured in himself and what he wants. I mistook him to be still finding his way much like I am but he already knows the way. He’s practical and sensible with just enough assertiveness; unbelievable and yet so tangible. Vulnerable.

My eyes traced his jawline as he stared at the view that took my breath away upon our arrival.

Unreal.

#j. cole fanfic #j. cole fanfiction #rihanna fanfic #rihanna fanfiction #j cole fanfic #j cole fanfiction #fanfiction #fan fiction #fanfic

[cearyfloyd]

Spice Jar Labels and Spice Organization Ideas

Learn the best ways to organize and store your spices to prolong their shelf-life and preserve their flavor with these simple spice organization ideas. Add some cute DIY spice jar labels for the finishing touch!

This post contains affiliate links and includes Cricut products that were received for free in exchange for this post.

After a few months of having our house turned upside down with renovation projects, it’s been so nice to be able to get everything cleaned and organized again! I have lots of little projects that I’ve been working on over the last couple of months and I’m excited to start sharing them with you again. Today, I’m going to start with a nice easy organization project – some custom spice jar labels and some some simple spice organization ideas.

How to organize spices.

There are many different ways that you can organize your spices, but I’ve put together some of my favorite spice organization ideas. Having your spices organized not only looks better, but you’ll probably find that you’re more likely to use them when they’re easily accessible.  To find the best organization options for you, follow these basic decluttering organization steps…

Declutter

Go through all of your spices and get rid of any spices that you don’t use or have expired {see below for how to know if your spices are still good}.  Having spices around that you don’t need, just wastes space and makes it more difficult to find those spices that you actually do use!

Decide on the best place to store your spices.

Once you know how many spices you actually have to store, you need to determine where the best place is to store them. This will depend partially on your kitchen space and design and how often you actually use your spices. Ideally you want them close to your cooking space so you can easily grab them {just keep them out of direct heat}. This could be in a drawer or cupboard, in your pantry, or hanging on a shelf on the inside of a cabinet door.  Play around with space options to find the most functional place for you in terms of ease of use and space available. I recently moved our spices from one of our kitchen drawers to the cupboard beside our stove and have been amazed at how much more I’m actually using them. Storage placement does make a difference!

You may even choose to keep your spices in two different locations – one for spices that you use regularly and want more easily accessible and one for spices that you may only use seasonally.  This especially works well if you like to leave some spices out on your countertop. Just keep your most commonly used spices on a tray or spice rack and store other less used or seasonal spices in another place. We have most of our spices all in the one cupboard but I do have a small basket of other spices that are used for BBQ season that I store elsewhere.

Choose your organization products.

There are many organization products to help make your spices more organized and easier to see and grab.  Before purchasing anything, be sure to measure out your space and check the dimensions of the organization product.  There are so many great options available, you’re sure to find something that works in your space.  Here are a few of my favorites that I’ve found…

For storing in a drawer:

drawer spice liners

expandable drawer spice organizer

bamboo spice organizer

For storing in a cupboard:

tiered spice rack {I like this one too}

lazy susan {I especially love the two-tiered ones if you have room}

drop down spice rack {This is the one on the top shelf in our cupboard and is great for easier reaching!}

For mounting on a cupboard/pantry:

wall mount acrylic organizer

door mount spice rack

over the door pantry storage

Choose if you would like uniform spice jars or will keep original containers.

When you purchase spices, they generally come in a wide variety of container size and shapes. Not only can this look more cluttered, but it can also make it more difficult to find what you’re looking for and to just buy what you need.  If you prefer to keep the original containers, small bins might be an easier way to store them as you can group them into categories.  

Personally, I love the cleaner lines of using uniform spice jars so they all look the same. I used two types of jars for our storage.  I had originally purchased the glass jars on the lazy susan a few years ago from Superstore {you can find similar ones here or buy them individually here}. While I do like them, I found that they were harder to grab from the higher shelf though so I picked up some of these mini glass jug jars from Crate and Barrel to use up there. You could even use recycled baby food jars or other small glass jars. Just make sure the lid is airtight.

Label, label, label.

Make sure that you’re spice jars are all labeled so everyone can easily find what they need!  If you transfer spices to different jars, you might also want to label the best before date or the purchase date somewhere on the jar {I use a little round sticker on the bottom of the jar}.

How to make spice jar labels.

In addition to making things more organized, labels are a fun way to add some style and personalization to your jars. I made our cute little labels using my Cricut Explore Air. I know there are tons of amazing craft projects and DIYs that can be done on the Cricut, but I couldn’t wait to use it for some organization projects around the house! 

Materials

Cricut Maker {or other Cricut machine}

white vinyl {there are a ton of other colors that you can choose from}

transfer tape

Cricut weeding tools {optional but makes it so much easier!}

spice jars

Instructions

Write down all of the spices that you need to make labels for. Go to the Cricut Design Space and design your custom labels. You can use my spice label template or create your own. With Cricut, you can use any font that you have on your computer, pick one of the free Cricut fonts available, or get access to hundreds of other fonts using your Cricut access pass. I purchased the font Santa’s Workshop for mine. {TIP: When you’re looking at font options, play around with the letter spacing. It can really change the look of the font.}

Place your vinyl onto a light grip mat with the shiny side {clear liner} down and cut out your project.

Remove the vinyl from the mat and weed out the excess vinyl {negative pieces} from each of the words leaving the liner intact.  The Cricut weeding tools make this process much quicker and easier and are definitely worth the extra purchase!

Remove the transfer tape liner and gently place the transfer tape {adhesive side down} over your labels. Use the scraper in the tool set to rub the tape onto the vinyl. {You can also a craft stick or credit card edge to do this.}

Peel the vinyl and transfer tape away from the vinyl liner at a 45-degree angle. If the vinyl still sticks to the liner, burnish the transfer tape onto the vinyl again using the scraper and slowly continue to peel the vinyl away from the liner. 

Cut out the individual labels and apply them to the spice jars as you would like them to appear. Centering them in the middle or the word works best due to the curvature of the jar. Burnish the transfer tape onto the jar starting in the center and moving out towards the edges.

Slowly peel the transfer tape away from the vinyl at a 45-degree angle. Continue to keep pressure at the corner of the transfer tape where it’s been peeled away to avoid the vinyl sticking to the tape.

Rub the vinyl down on the jars to increase adhesion. If the jars need cleaning over time, they can be hand washed with dish soap. Just be gentle as you’re washing over the lettering.

How long do spices last?

Spices won’t actually spoil; however, they will slowly lose their potency over time and not produce the flavor that they should. How long this actually takes will depend on the type of spice that you’re dealing with as well as the storage conditions that they’re kept in. As a basic rule of thumb, you can expect whole spices to stay fresh for 3-4 years, ground spices for 2-3 years, and dried herbs from 1-3 years. {NOTE: Salt should last indefinitely.}

How do I know if my spices are still good?

To test for freshness, rub or crush a small amount of the spice or herb in your hand and taste or smell it. If you don’t notice a nice, strong aroma or the taste is not obvious, it’s time to discard. Color can also be used as a freshness indicator as this, too, will fade over time.

What is the best way to store spices?

Storing your spices correctly will help to prolong their shelf life and give you the most flavorful results for your cooking and baking. While there are lots of different storage options available for spices, there are a few basic storage rules to follow to keep your spices at their best.

Spices should ideally be stored in a cool, dark cupboard or drawer. If you like to keep your spices out on the counter, reserve this for more frequently used spices that will be used up fairly quickly.

Ensure that your storage jars have tight fitting lids that and close them immediately after you use them.

Keep spices away from direct heat {i.e. away from the stove} and direct sunlight.

Keep spices away from moisture. Ensure that you’re always using a completely dried spoon before dipping it into your spice jar and protect your spice jars from any steam.

I hope this makes you want to go out and sort through your spices! You might even be inspired to try a new recipe or two once everything is done.

More Kitchen Organization Ideas

If you’re looking for more kitchen organization ideas, check out these posts…

How to Keep your Counters Clutter-Free

8 Steps to an Organized Kitchen

Free Printable Fridge Labels

 The post Spice Jar Labels and Spice Organization Ideas appeared first on Clean and Scentsible.

from Home Improvement https://www.cleanandscentsible.com/spice-jar-labels-and-spice-organization-ideas/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[rollawayyarn-blog]

  Every yarn addict out there has their own tips and tricks up their sleeves. These are just 10 of mine!! I believe if you follow these you will be happy!! Plus, I’d like to hear your tips and tricks. Please leave a comment!! Happy Crocheting/knitting!!!

Roll your skeins into balls:

This may sound weird, but if you don’t take the time to roll them into balls, towards the end of the skein (if you pull from the middle) you will regret it! It will be come one knotted up frustrated mess, rather than nice, pretty wound up yarn. Plus, if you use the strand on the outside of the skein of yarn it doesn’t roll pleasantly. Just take my recommendation and roll it up!! Picture on left: ball of yarn. Picture on right: skein.

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   2. Balls rolling away?:

Now that you have your nice balls of yarn, they are probably rolling away. Stick them in any container with an open lid. I suggest a big tin or something so it can still roll around and move freely. However,if you are looking for something chic, I suggest getting a yarn bowl!! They are cute and don’t take up a lot of room.

   3. Double and triple count:

I occasionally (Okay, I really mean a lot) make a ton of mistakes when crocheting and knitting all because I don’t count. I strongly despise having to count stitches, rows and chains. If you hate it as much as me, you can get a stitch counter. They run like $6!! This thing will save you tons of time with counting. (You can find them at Micheals Arts and Craft store!)

However, if you don’t count in any way shape or form you will regret it down the road. Yes, there are ways to add and decrease stitches, but it can make your finished product look very deformed if not done properly. So I recommend just double and triple counting  so you don’t run into these mistakes.

4. Leave long tails:

If you are planning on making a quilt made out of nothing but granny squares, leave a long tail. By doing this you are leaving yourself a sturdily way sew it together. The tail is the starting point of any crochet or knitting project. It is also the side that the piece doesn’t unravel easily by. Also, leaving long tails will make it easier to sew them in later.

    5. Softening cheep, uncomfortable yarn:

Do you have that one ball of yarn you thought you’d never use due to it being ruff or scratchy?

 There are a few ways to go about this. One of my favorite ways to soften the yarn is first just knit or crochet whatever your project may be. I then throw it in the dryer for a few minutes and TA-DAH- soft project!!! The scratchy-ness to the yarn does not bother me! If it bothers you, read farther down below the picture.

Another one of my favorite ways is hand washing my finished project with fabric liquid detergent and fabric softener in cold water. After I do this, I then rinse it thoroughly in cold water, squeezing it out really well. Then I toss it in the dryer until dry. This will make your project soft, smelly good and manageable!!

The shrug pictured below is an example. I used the Caron One Pound yarn I had laying around. Every time I picked up my project I thought to myself, “How am I ever going to be able to wear this? It itches!!” So, I finished it and threw it in the dryer. When I took it out, I was amazed at the results!! It was soft, wearable and it was not stiff like it originally was!

For those of you that it is just to scratchy to the touch from the very beginning and it bothers your fingers, place the yarn inside a netted bag before starting a project. Make sure to remove the paper! I don’t want to be blamed for causing a fire from someone following my steps precisely to a T. Haha! Then place the bag inside the dryer for a few minutes and yet again TA-DAH soft yarn!!

This method works for cheap yarns that come scratchy. Examples include: Caron andRed heart.

6. Figuring how much yarn for a project:

   It’s simple, it just takes some math. First start your project and get as many rows as you can with that ball of yarn. Next figure out how many more rows your project may need. Once you have figured out how many rows your project needs, divide the projects number of rows by the number of rows the first skein gave you. this will give you the number of skeins you need for your project!

Another way to do this, is just read the project word for word and follow the pattern to a T. The person who wrote the pattern knew how many skeins it took. So you’ll be better off following them. If you’re writing your own pattern follow the first steps and do math.

8. Dye it:

If you’re worried about buying to much yarn (said no yarn addict ever) for a project, just buy white yarn. By doing this, you can change the color to whatever you like. You can find yarn dye at most arts and craft stores and even Wal-mart.

9. Handles hurting you hands?:

If you crochet hooks are hurting your hands just put some baking clay on it and bake it in the oven for about 10 minutes. You can go all out like my sister did for mine and add micro beads! The beads gave mine a texture. In fact, Pinterest has some super cute, creative designs.

10.  In a haste?:

Crocheting: If you are in a hurry and must leave your project behind, draw up a huge loop and place your hook somewhere safe.

Knitting: If you get interrupted in the middle of a row, slide your project farther down your needles so you don’t lose stitches!

11. Storage of yarn and needles:

  I LOVE having my yarn on display! So I keep my finished projects on a shelf. I also have a basket beside my couch that I keep yarn balls in. You can even crochet yourself a basket. I have been meaning to do this but haven’t! You can even get a needle holder for you hooks and needles or use a pencil box or a clutch wallet (or a purple mason jar on a shelf!)

These are just several basic ideas. Check out some of my future/ other posts for more yarn hacks!

Happy Yarning!!

Tips dont delete   Every yarn addict out there has their own tips and tricks up their sleeves. These are just 10 of mine!!

[arplis]

Arplis - News: A round up of 20 home organizing items to tidy every room in your house, establish good organizing habits, and keep it that way

Don’t read that title as “My house is sparkly clean and everything has its place right now and I’m basically Organizer Barbie.” That ain’t it. We just took down our Christmas decorations last week, and now this house feels totally chaotic. It happens every year. But after cleaning up the same messes a thousand times in this house (mamas, y’all know that feeling, right?), I have figured out solutions that work to give the things in our house a “home”. When it does get messy, it only takes a few minutes to do a quick sweep of the house before it feels sane again. (Pst… need ideas for organizing all the nooks and crannies of your house? Check ’em out here.)  So I thought it would be helpful to round up 20 of my favorite organizing items that have totally saved my tail to whip our home into shape over the years. 20 Best Home Organizing Items for a Tidy Space (Some affiliate links are provided below. Full disclosure here.)  1. Use a Closet Clean-Out Cheat Sheet to Sort Out the Keepers Simply asking myself  “Does this item spark joy?” isn’t enough for me. I need direction and clarity when trying to purge pieces from my wardrobe. Print out this cheat sheet and physically as yourself the hard questions about what’s in your closet. Over time, the job will go faster and get easier. (See our entire closet here.) 2. Display a Calendar, Mail Sorter, and Memo Board for a Command Center or Mail Drop-Zone Have a place for a calendar to jot down reminders and schedules. Use a mail sorter to stay ahead of the pile. Put up a memo board for papers that need immediate attention. And leave room for a key rack and shelf for any items that tend to get dropped at the door. (See our DIY command center wall here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 3. Use Shelf Risers and Drawer Stacks in Sinks, Cabinets, and on Shelves Vertical storage is like getting double or triple the space. (See a tour of our entire organized bathroom vanity here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 4. Invest in Drawer Organizers There are so many great drawer organizer inserts out there, but even if you don’t want to spend the money, you can even cut up cardboard cereal & cracker boxes to do the job. Turn on your JavaScript to view content 5. Use Tiered Shelves Tiered shelves allow you to stack things for vertical storage while seeing everything at once. This matching spice bottle set streamlines our spice cabinet beautifully. (See a tour of our entire organized kitchen here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 6. Go for Matching Hangers It’s amazing how streamlined a closet can feel with matching hangers. These wooden ones are from IKEA, but if you don’t have a location near you, these wooden hangers are comparable. Turn on your JavaScript to view content 7. Use Clear Canisters It’s so much easier to see when you’re running low and you don’t have to play Tetris to get a bunch of odd grocery containers to fit onto one shelf together. I love these clear locking canisters that keep our dry goods completely air tight. (See our entire pantry cabinet here for small space storage solutions.)  Turn on your JavaScript to view content 8. Corral Countertop Cooking Staples into a Caddy I like putting utensils, olive oil, salt and pepper, butter and my Google Home (for music while I cook) in easy reach together in a round basket tray so my countertops are clear for kitchen prep work. Bonus points if you put it on a Lazy Susan for 360 accessibility. (See more tips for decorating kitchen countertops for function here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 9. Place Wall Hooks Right Beside Your Family’s Most Commonly Used Door It’s the designated spot to prevent your entire house from becoming the drop zone of clutter. I love these cute double hooks that look antique and add a little charm to our laundry room. Ours are several years old now, but these hooks and these hooks have a similar vibe. (See a tour of our entire laundry room here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 10. Designate a Toy Basket in the Living Room (We do this since we have a playroom right off of our living room, so I realize not everyone has the luxury of a playroom.) No matter what your toy situation looks like, at least having enough baskets and bins for toys when not in use helps give them a “home” so they’re out of sight. We just fold a blanket or place a throw pillow on top of our basket. (See more tips for toy organization here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 11. Hide Cords with Cord Covers You can paint the cord covers the same color as the wall so they blend right in and you’ll never notice them. Turn on your JavaScript to view content 12. Take Advantage of Pegboards For craft rooms, offices, garages, laundry rooms, wherever… items stay orderly but accessible. These pegboard hooks and pegboard baskets help a ton. (See more cleaning/laundry room solutions here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 13. Use Ironing Board Hooks Keep the ironing board accessible and out of the way without taking up a ton of valuable space in a closet somewhere by putting a hook in your laundry room. Turn on your JavaScript to view content 14. Use Wall Baskets Inside of Closets I like storing gift wrap items on walls in our coat closet so I can quickly grab them when a wrapping occasion pops up. Use wall baskets for storing gloves, umbrellas, or any other accessory too. (See more of our coat closet here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 15. Roll Your Towels and Washcloths and Stick with White Bonus Points: It makes a bathroom feel more like a spa. I love white because they’re easy to bleach too. These towels are my absolute favorite. I LOVE this bathroom tower for vertical storage too. (See a tour of our entire master bathroom refresh here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 16. Use Wire Baskets in Pantries That way you can see food items inside of the wire baskets more easily. (See a tour of our entire IKEA Hemnes pantry solution here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 17. Take Advantage of a Tiered Basket for Produce A tiered basket helps so much to keep fruit from being scattered all over the kitchen counter while preventing overcrowding so they don’t spoil as quickly. Turn on your JavaScript to view content 18. Keep a Glasses Holder and Trinket Bowl on the Nightstand For taking everything off at the end of the day. (See a tour of our entire master bedroom here.) Turn on your JavaScript to view content 19. Keep Gaming Consoles and TV Receivers Behind Mesh Doors They can still receive a signal without being visible that way. You can see our tutorial for building this DIY window seat here. 20. Go Nuts With a Label Maker My little $10 label maker was worth every penny!!! Label containers, doors, drawers, bins, anything to help you and your household know what goes where. Turn on your JavaScript to view content I know there are a bunch of other favorite organizing items of mine too, but those are definitely the top contenders. Here are a few of my favorite past organizing projects we’ve done: Our Small His & Her IKEA Closet Makeover Our Full Kitchen Organization Tour 9 Tips for a Super Functional Coat Closet Our Nursery Organization Tour 7 Laundry Room Organizing Solutions Do you have any favorite organizing items? Spill ’em all! If you want to save this post for later, you can pin it here: The post The Best Home Organizing Items for a Tidy Space appeared first on Bless'er House. #Organizing

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