Jessica@SheekGeek

9 Must Read Tips for Purchasing Prescription Eyeglasses Online

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The first time I purchased glasses online, I was very uneasy because it was new territory. If you are ordering glasses online for the first time, or just want some tips to help make a repeat attempt go more smoothly, read the following tips:

 

  1. Get an updated eye exam.  It is no good buying new glasses if your prescription information is different from your last visit.
  2. Have your doctor measure your Pupillary Distance (PD).  This measurement from one pupil to the next is generally recorded in millimeters (mm).  Eye doctors will take this measurement but they will not share it unless you ask.  Ask for your PD measurement!  Write it down.
  3. If you do not already own a pair of glasses, try on glasses at the doctor’s office.  Write down the name and style of the glasses you like so you can look up the measurement specification of those glasses online later.  The alternative to this is to measure (in millimeters) the overall distance of the frame, the bridge width, and the width of each lens using a ruler.  Write these numbers down.  If you already have glasses, you can measure the glasses you already own or look up those measurements online.  For example, I found the specs to my previous pair of “Thalia Amada” glasses here.  To acquaint yourself with common eyeglass measurements, visit sites like this.
  4. Have your eye doctor print off your prescription information so you can put in your order right away.
  5. Set aside a couple of hours. No joke!  Adam and I perused through all the eyeglass selections for much longer than we anticipated.  We ended up using EyeBuyDirect.  There are also similar sites like Zenni Optical or  $39 Dollar Glasses.  We went with EyeBuyDirect because their final costs were the cheapest with the glasses options we wanted.  Read about our experience with EyeBuyDirect here.
  6. Find glasses that match your measurement specs. This is where I went awry with my first order.  I figured the 126mm total lens width of the glasses I wanted to order was close enough to the 120mm of my current glasses.  Wrong!  My driving glasses fall down to the tip of my nose if my head moves too quickly forward.  Pay attention to the sizes no matter how much you like the frame (or the price)!  The glasses you order will not look good if they do not fit your face.
  7. Put in your order using your prescription information.  Triple check the numbers you type in.  Adam and I checked each other’s information twice just to be safe. Yay for a quadruple check.
  8. Look for coupon codes.  After you place an order, EyeBuyDirect gives their customers a coupon code to share with friends and family that saves you $10 whenever someone uses the code.  Our referral code (for $10 off at EyeBuyDirect is: IFYIQIZN8A.
  9. Place your order and expect to wait.  Even ordering glasses through a doctor’s office can take several weeks.

I hope your experience ordering glasses online goes well!  Read about my experience here.

Turn Your House into a Spooky Face for Halloween

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My Scary Face House in the Daytime

Many people think the fronts of cars look life faces.  There is even an entire Flickr set devoted to car faces!  Well, ever since I saw my house for this first time, I thought my house look like a face.  The windows are perfect eyes and the garage looks like a mouth.

House Starting Point

I needed to put my anthropomorphic house theory to the test. (Yes, I had to look up how to spell anthropomorphic.)  For Halloween, I decided to use my house face palette to create a scary face.  Adam and I had different visions for our beauty, so we sketched out our ideas using paint to end our squabble.  Yes we are that anal retentive.  Our ideas were:

White TeethIdea 1: White Pointy Teeth with Black Background

White Square Teeth for HouseIdea 2: White Square Teeth with Black Background

Square Black TeethIdea 3: Black Square Teeth

Black Pointy Teeth Idea 4: Black Pointy Teeth

Although we thought Idea 1 would likely look the best, we decided to go with Idea 4.  We figured cutting out black teeth would be easier than trying to create a black background.  This is how we did it.

Materials:

  • Big Black Garbage Bags
  • Permanent Double Sided Tape

Tools:

  • Good Quality Scissors

Cutting TrianglesWe cut the edges off each garbage bag to create black squares of material.  From there, we cut out isosceles triangle shapes to use as the teeth.  We didn’t measure any sizes, but we did use the square pattern in our garage door to measure sizes.

ProgressIn the two top windows, we added a pupil to add to the eye effect.  Using the double sided tape, we put up each tooth one at a time.

Progress 2Because we didn’t officially measure the teeth sizes, the last two teeth had to be cut smaller to make them fit.  We did this to the last two teeth so there wouldn’t be one tooth that was noticeably smaller than the rest. This way the overall visual sizes of the teeth look balanced.

Progress 3More double sided tape was used on the bottom teeth than the top because we were concerned water or wind might more easily remove these teeth.  The bags had a bit of static cling which also helped them stick to the garage door nicely.

My Scary Face HouseWe lost daylight pretty quickly, but I couldn’t help but snap a nighttime shot.  Of course that adds to the drama of our scary faced house!

My Scary Face House in DaytimeHere is a daytime shot from the next day.

My Scary Face House in the Daytime

Overall this was an easy and fun project.  It only took Adam and I less than an hour to complete the entire project, including creating idea sketches in paint.  Can you turn your house into a face?  Send us your results!

DIY Home Rug Roundup

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Fabric Vinyl Rug

Our future plans involve laying down hardwood in our entire home.  Since the carpet that currently exists still has some life left, I don’t want to replace it until it is necessary (oh the suspense is killing me; but I think it is practical to do major redesigns when they are warranted and not just because you want to).  Anyway, my point is we are going to need to start building up a rug collection for when we have hardwoods.

Because there is tons of fun in doing-it-yourself, I scoured the internet for diy rug options.  I was pleasantly surprised at all the choices I found.  They really push the boundaries of the the term “rug“.  Because sewing doesn’t agree with me and braiding/crocheting  seems time consuming – these are options I think would be simplest to do.

Plywood Rugs

I discovered my most favorite unexpected rug option at Sugar Bee Crafts -you can make a ‘rug’ out of plywood!  Oh the options for a plywood rug!  You can stain it or paint it (or both).  You can use stencils or tape.  You can make it fit your style. (The vinyl rug below has the same customization options).

Plywood Rug

At our old place we had a low pile carpet.  Office chairs roll nicely over this carpet.  Our new house’s carpet, not so much.  This plywood rug might just be the ticket for this space!

Vinyl Rugs

The thing I love the most about vinyl rugs is the potential of putting a remnant piece of vinyl to good use.  Based on the tutorials I read, any vinyl will work; however a thicker vinyl is a must.  You can either paint vinyl like Addicted 2 Decorating’s post (pictured below) and Design Dazzle’s post or…

Hand Painted Vinyl Rug

Or you can cover vinyl with fabric like In My Own Style.

Fabric Covered Vinyl Rug

I am also in love with Momtastic’s quatrefoil version of a fabric vinyl rug.

Fabric Vinyl Rug

Fabric Rugs

Staying on a fabric roll, fabric rugs also have a lot of simple, diy options.  You can simply add a backing and lining to fabric you heart like High-Heeled Foot in the Door’s chevron beaut.

DIY Fabric Rug

Rugs are not just meant for indoors.  An outdoor burlap rug is featured on ohdeedoh’s how to post. One of the easiest rug options is to update an existing fabric rug with a little paint like Sarah Wandering did here.

Painted Rug

Or like A Little Bite of Everything’s Moroccan inspired design here. It is fab and super simple.  The only color painted on was the white for the pattern. LOVE IT!

Easy DIY painted rug

Roll Up Blind Rug

To add the cherry to this post, the easiest DIY rug I found was Re-nest’s idea of converting a roll up blind to a floor covering.  Very chic!

Roll Up Blind DIY RUG

So which rug am I going to make?  Right now I want to make them ALL!  They are added to my ever growing home to do list…

 

Our Master Home To Do (or Redo) List

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I wasn’t ever really a list person. This is likely because I would spend more time trying to find my to-do list than it would take to get done whatever was actually on the list.  Adam is a to-do list freak enthusiast.  I will admit that lists can come in handy, especially with a ginormous project like a house.  A new house.  A BIG new house.

Plus, this is a list I shouldn’t be able to lose.  (I also have secret hopes that this will grow to be the largest post on my blog.)  Even better, maybe the items sitting up here for the whole world to see will motivate us to tackle “The List” on a regular basis.

This list contains must-do’s as well as dream to-do’s.  Maybe I should color-coordinate the list?  Nah… Okay, strike that, colors may be a necessity.  I have new items since we have moved in.  This color will represent the 2012 must do’s and dream to-do’s.  Some to do list items we are currently undecided about.  Like curtain treatments.  We’ve lived without them and like the simplicity of not having them.  Do I still want them?

The List

Moving In Repairs We’ve been moved in for almost a year and still haven’t finished our moving in list.  Yikes!

  • repair the front door and frame (checked as complete on 5/14)
  • add a rain guard to the back door
  • re-adhere the laminate in the kitchen
  • replace the end piece of laminate in the kitchen
  • ground fault the electrical outlets in the garage (checked as complete on 5/14)
  • move the location of the electrical outlet in the washer/dryer closet (why did they put it under the water hose?) (after debating we decided this didn’t need to be done, so I will check it off anyway)

Bedroom

  • paint the walls a dark gray (checked as complete on 5/14)
  • add chair rail or some other similar architectural element like outlined here
  • add roman shades (checked as complete on 5/14)
  • add curtain window treatments
  • get or make a rug
  • make a over the bed light/art sculpture like Ikea Gyllen

Master Office (Our office is in what most people would call the master bedroom.)

  • paint an accent wall green (checked as complete on 5/14)
  • add roman shades (checked as complete on 5/14)
  • add curtain window treatments
  • get or make a rug

Creativity Room (Don’t snicker; we have 4 bedrooms for one couple!  What would you do with an extra room?)

  • paint the walls a calm yet energizing blue (checked as complete on 5/14)
  • add roman shades (checked as complete on 5/14)
  • add curtain window treatments
  • get or make a rug
  • add chair rail
  • add beadboard
  • find furniture solutions

SheekGeek Inventory Room

  • paint the walls a calm yet energizing blue (checked as complete on 5/14)
  • add roman shades (checked as complete on 5/14)
  • add curtain window treatments
  • build a storage shelf of some type

Kitchen

  • paint the walls green (checked as complete on 5/14)
  • add roman shades (checked as complete on 5/14)
  • add curtain window treatments (checked as complete on 5/14)
  • find a quick fix for the linoleum floor by the back door (covered it with a rug!; checked as complete on 5/14)
  • replace the linoleum floor
  • paint or stain the kitchen cabinets
  • add spice rack inside doors
  • replace garbage can with under cabinet garbage solution
  • add shelving to laundry closet
  • paint inside laundry closet as inspired by designbuildlove
  • organizing solutions for pantry
  • organizing solutions for counter
  • organizing solutions for pots and pans (they don’t fit!)
  • install an overhanging pendant light (checked as complete on 5/14)

Living Room

  • paint the walls (checked as complete on 5/14)
  • add a wall stencil or vinyl artwork
  • add roman shades (checked as complete on 5/14)
  • add curtain window treatments (checked as complete on 5/14)
  • add a chair rail or some other similar architectural element like outlined here
  • tile around the fireplace

Garage

  • install pegboard  (after debating we decided to change this to…) insulate the garage and put up drywall

Upstairs Bathroom

  • paint the walls green
  • add a towel bar (there currently is not one!)
  • add trim around bathroom mirror
  • add bead-board

Half Bathroom

  • paint the walls green (checked as complete on 5/14)
  • add a toilet paper roll holder (there currently is not one!) (checked as complete on 5/14)

Master Office Bathroom

  • add roman shades (checked as complete on 5/14)
  • add curtain window treatments
  • add trim around bathroom mirror


Home Paint Color Scheme

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I have deliberated about paint colors for so many hours that I may just be in the days (quite possibly weeks) range now.   I would like to add that this process would have taken less time if Adam liked all the color choices I picked out.  Of course, that would have ruined some of the fun.  I enjoy discussing color choices AND everyone needs a good healthy debate when it comes to decorating.  Plus, in the end I am hopeful it will turn out for the better.

Honestly it wasn’t that bad because we were in agreement about having blues and greens in our home to begin with; it is the hue we argued debated over.  I wanted more earthy tones.  If Adam were writing this post, he would describe my color choices as dreary.  He wanted brighter colors.  And seemingly contradictorily he wanted gray. We both worried about cohesion between rooms and if the colors would match our current and future styles.

Who knows if we accomplished that goal… at least not yet.  I am optimistic; we are new at this.  Apparently (based on my internet research) I should go for posh paints like Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore.  Based on family aand friend’s recommendations, I am going for Valspar.  It is a simple as for its value (and my wallet), Valspar seems like the right choice.  I also have a sneaking suspicion that I will be painting again someday anyway.

This is the final output of our color ideas merged into one.  I conceded and gave the okay to the grays.  Adam conceded and gave the okay to not so bright colors (being a nice wife, I chose brighter colors than my original picks to meet him halfway).

Here is the downstairs.

And here is the upstairs.

I used Color Swatches and good ole’ fashioned eyeballing it to get the colors as close to my color samples as I could.

The Valspar chosen colors are as follows.

  • 6006-3B Lunar Tide in the kitchen, laundry room, and upstairs bathroom.
  • 6006-3C Bayou Shade in the half bath, upstairs office bathroom, and as an accent wall in the office.
  • 5008-1A Montpelier Madison White in living room, hallway, office closet, and possibly one day the  garage (it currently does not have all walls, hence the “possibly”).
  • 4006-5B Adrift in the creativity room and in the SheekGeek inventory room.
  • 6004-2B Mountain Smoke in our bedroom and as an accent wall in the living room.

Seeing in all laid out makes me excited to see it in person.  I can’t wait to paint!