Office Update

I finally updated the office.  Last year around this time I purchased the cube from Ikea and got things organized and didn't get much further than that. It is the first room that you see when you come into the house which means it starts to become a dumping ground for everything that comes into the house.  My favorite blog, www.iheartorganizing.blogspot.com tells you to sit down and plan before tackling a project so I did just that.  She even has a printable for it.  You should check out some of her printables, here http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/p/free-printables.html

She tells you to think about the function of the space, which is very helpful as you determine what needs to stay, go somewhere else or get donated.  Here is how we primarily use the space and intend to use it in the future. 

- Office for working remote when needed

 

- Functional home office with files, supplies, computer, printer, etc.

 

- Drop zone for important papers, returns and coats/bags 

I then starting pinning some ideas about what I wanted the space to look like and where those necessary items would have to go.  I had started and stopped this project several times so I had a nice board going and had purchased or eyeballed a few things along the way. 

 

I also had to pick out a paint color.  Basically every wall in my house is a shade of Gray so as I started to look for a new color I thought, I bet I have a can of paint that I could use instead of going through the whole process again so I decided to go with our Sherwin William’s Quest Gray that we also have in the other room across the hall from this one.  I probably should have purged first but I got a little excited to paint and just started moving everything into the center of the room. 

 

Once everything was painted, I started purging.  I started a shred pile, donate pile and put elsewhere pile. 

After the purge and the walls were painted I started a list of my needs for the office.  I knew I could probably find what I needed at Target and Marshalls and maybe even World Market.  Here was my list.

-Chairs

-Printer stand

-Curtains

-Accent table

-Art/Décor

I may eventually go with all white or all black in the room but right now I have black, white, golds, silvers and I wanted to add a fun pink.  I was it to have a very relaxing and girly feel to the room.  I was amazed to find that I found the curtains and chairs at Marshalls.  Then I found the printer stand and accent table at Target.  

I found a cute teacup and candle stick at Marshalls along with a really cute love print that I just had to get.  I also picked up a cute basket to put by the steps because we tend to dump things that need to go upstairs right next to the steps.  I think I was feeling very inspired and very determined because I can hardly ever make a decision as quickly as I did that day.  I even used my Target Cartwheel app to get the accent tables!

I moved around some of the things that were on the walls before and got rid of the random baskets I had for returns and paper recycling.  I now have two baskets that match that I place those items in and even labeled them so everyone knows where to put those things. 

Now that the room is together, I want to do a little reorganizing in the Ikea shelving unit.  I am sure there are things in there I am no longer using or would like to place them a little different to fit my needs.  I am even throwing around the idea of spray painting the magazine files.   

I really love working in this space now and everything is so organized and accessible now

Desk - Traget
Cube Shelves - Ikea
Ipad Holder (Cookbook holder) - World Market
Chair - Marshall's
Pillow - Target
Bookcase - Pier One
Teacup - Marshall's
Black and Gold accent table - Target
Baskets - Target
Basket beside stairs - Marshall's
Love Canvas - Marshall's
Mercury Glass Candle Stick - Marshall's
Printer Stand - Target

Welcome to the New Year! A Fresh Mantle

The Holidays are over and all our décor has been put away.  Everything looks so empty and it is slightly depressing not seeing the glow of the Christmas tree and other lights around the house when I wake up in the morning.  Our mantle also looks so bare and unfriendly when I look at it while having my cup of coffee and morning yoga session so I decided to give it an update.



Before



After

 

I have said to several people that I wanted to paint our fireplace to match the trim, doors and bookcases in the house.  Some people cringed at the idea I was painting the pretty oak and others were onboard.  I am glad I did it, it looks so much better!

I am a huge Sherwin Williams fan, but I think it is because of their customer service and ease of finding the perfect color and not necessarily the paint.  I really love using Behr paint.  I sometimes find my color at SW then take the swatch to Home Depot to color match.  This time I just picked up samples directly from Home Depot.  I went with "White".  It is literally called white.  The paint was awesome, no smell, included a primer and went on perfectly.  I also went with a flat paint.  My husband seemed a little unsure about this but liked the end result.  I had to do a little sanding with a sanding block before I started painting. 

 

 

I used an angle brush to paint and ended up needing to use one of the kids' small brushes to go between the grooves in the design.  I love the handy pail for these projects and they have liners that make cleanup really easy.  We also have a brush cleaner that really helps keep your brushes nice.  I didn't get a very expensive brush for this project.  I just picked up an economy angled brush.

 

Our mantle needed some love after the holidays so I kept my eyes open for some décor during my last Marshall's trip.  My husband mentioned a clock since we don't have one in the living room and his initial choice was horrible but them we walked past this one and I loved it!  I can't tell if the face is black or blue but we have both in this room.



 

 

While at Target I picked up this lovely banner.  My son picked it out and I really like it, it even has hooks to hang Valentine cards. 

 



 



 



Of course I never consider anything truly finished because just like ourselves, I think that your home should constantly be growing and evolving.  I may do a DIY with XO or LOVE letters or maybe even a printable for Valentine's Day.

 

The next project will probably be painting the office.  That is the last room to paint in the house since we moved in 2 years ago.  I am planning all my projects for the year with my lovely planner from Target of course!

 



Living Room and Front Playroom Update

 

 

This is our second Christmas in this house and I am finally feeling much better about our living room and front room/toy storage room just in time for Christmas.  The rooms never were exactly what I envisioned and never seemed cozy to me.

 

My first issue with the living room was our old couch that I really hated moving into this house but we had other expenses at the time.  The couch has faded and was extremely uncomfortable.  The curtains were never my favorite because it made the room look too busy.  I knew I wanted to get bookcases eventually.  I also struggled with the open floor plan and limited wall space.    

 

 

We purchased a new couch and recliner which I fell in love with.  It is very comfortable and really fits in the room well.  I moved around the end tables which may go away in the near future.  I also think I may purchase new lamp shades.  I am thinking about buying a round shade.  We found curtains at Ikea while we were there and also purchased an ottoman cover for only $20.00!  I was nervous about white but you can remove and wash it.

 

 

The curtains actually stay open and allow a lot of natural sunlight in.  The old curtains were rod pockets and were constantly moving.  Don't worry I reused these curtains in another room and gave some to my sister as well. 

  

 

Our next project in this room is painting the fireplace.  We were thinking about painting it before Christmas but decided we rather wait and focus on the upcoming holiday and relaxing a little.



 

 

This is the front room where we store a lot of toys.  I wasn't sure what color I wanted to paint this room so it was one of the last ones to get painted when we moved in.  This was also the only room my rose painting fit well in.  Our last living room was red and the painting was the focal point.  The loveseat made its way into this room during the move (so ugly and gross).  And we had minimal storage for the toys in here. 

  

 

This is the room now.  It looks so different!  The paint color looks about the same in the picture but it actually has more of a violet tint to it than the other room.  You can see I moved a set of the curtains to this room.  We purchased the media stand and it contains baskets of toys as well as some other bigger toys that I hate sitting out.  Once the tree goes, I would really like to get some chairs to go in front of the window.

 

Here is the view from the living room.  We did a DIY magnet board that is a big hit with our 1 year old.  Instead of magnets all over the refrigerator and her under my feet when I am cooking (which scares me to death), she can play safely in the toy room.



 



Bar Update

I love the bar cart trend!  It is very Mad Men.  What a crazy and stylish era.  When we moved into our first house we saw a bar at Crate and Barrel and fell in love with it.  I found a similar bar at Sears for about $800 less than Crate and Barrel so we decided to purchase it as a gift for each other one Christmas.  We have accumulated items for this bar and I haven’t done a good job of keeping it organized.

 

 

I never realized how many different types of glasses I had for our bar or the fun stuff we had that I couldn’t get to easily.  I took everything out and gave it a good dusting and I wiped out all of the glasses.  I took a few of each type of glass that we use frequently and placed them back inside.  I took the rest and put them in the cabinet above the fridge.  I figured this would be a good place to store them since I wouldn’t probably use them unless I was setting a formal table or having a party and I have a hard time accessing anything above the refrigerator.  I also thought this would be a place they wouldn’t get broken by accident. 

 

 

I then pulled out the liquor that we tend to use frequently and placed it on a tray on top of the bar.  The others I placed back inside and made sure you could easily access all of them.  We have a drawer that housed the many beer cozies that we own along with some other fun things like our pocket guides and drink markers.  I ended up putting the cozies in the door so we could access them easier and they were shoved in the little drawer.  I may end up doing something else with these down the road like placing in a basket on top because we use them a lot but we will see how this goes first.  I put the cocktail napkins where you can actually access them and I placed our drink markers, bottle openers and wine stoppers in there too.  I added our candy dish and a cute little candle to the top as well.  When we have company I will probably flip the bar out and add a few other things to the top like cans of pop for mixing and some lemons and limes for garnish.  I saw a really neat garnish tray that was constructed from a votive holder and I may have to add that for my next party. 

 

 

The same blog post had a neat sign with the recipe for the signature drink.  I think I may try that during our next party as well.  We did a Bloody “Merry” Bar at Christmas and I am thinking about doing one again this year.  If that is the case, I could probably do a few drinks that morning now that I have room!  I already have a festive poinsettia in a vase ready to go on top and a few ornaments in one of the wine glasses. 

Christmas Wish List

I received this text today from my husband “I need a Xmas list”.  Well sweetheart, now that you ask, there are a few things I have had my eye on and I’ll blog about it for you.  As everyone is basting their Turkey and flipping through the Blackfriday ads, here are a few things you may want to be on the lookout for.

 

1)      Skinnytaste Cookbook – I love the blog and I am very excited that there are actually recipes in print version compiled into one book. 

2)      Casetify Cell Phone Case – I can’t just pick one case, I love them all!  My favorite are the transparent cases and of course the photo cases.  I just hope they are as awesome in person as they are online.  Oh and they also have Christmas and Snow Themed Transparent cases!

 

3)      Moscow Mule Copper Mug – 2 of these bad boys are very much needed.  I have a new found love of Moscow Mules by the pool. It is such a light and refreshing drinking paired with a copper mug.

 

4)      Lush Bath Bombs – Lush gets festive around the holidays and has an awesome line of bath bombs to help you decompress.  These are such a treat and leave your skin feeling silky smooth.

 

 

5)      Mad Men, The Final Season – According to the blogs, this goes on sale blackfriday at Target.  This is really a gift for him too since we typically watch it together with our glasses of Jameson.

 

6)      Pureology Hydrate Shampoo – I hate buying shampoo and I hate the cost of it but often times when I switch, I end up going through so many shampoos that I should have stuck with what I know works.  I love to ask for my favorite haircare and make up for Christmas and Birthdays.

7)      Labeler Cord – I still have no idea if my labeler actually came with a cord or not.  I received my labeler as a gift from my husband last year and have been labeling like crazy ever since but I am changing the battery VERY often and would love an adapter.  I also could use some refill tape at the rate I am going with labeling. 

 

8)      Jo Totes Camera Bag – I really hate carrying my camera bag and my purse to events.  What ends up happening is I try to stuff whatever I can into my camera bag which is your standard bag which means I can’t find stuff or stuff is falling out because that isn’t what the bag is intended for.  I would absolutely love a bag like this!

Monster Inc Birthday Party

My son wanted a Monster’s Inc Party and was clear that he didn’t want a Monster’s University Party.  That was a little challenging because everything that is out right now is Monster’s University.   I took to Pinterest to see what I could find.  He really loves pajamas and would stay in them all day if he could and could eat pancakes for every meal.  The theme was a Monster’s Inc. PJs and Pancakes.  I loved the cake.  We were lucky that the West Side Bakery could do this for us.  Mike and Sully eating pancakes were perfect and made him so happy!  He also picked out the filling which was cookies and cream!  They also made the cookies.  We had a family friend who started her own business make Monster cake pops which were perfect as well. 

Décor

I have found that for parties I like to buy the party colors instead of the party plates and tablecloths.  I can typically reuse the stuff and it is cheaper as well.  Target had the plates, tablecloths, napkins and silverware pretty cheap.  I also got the treat bags there as well.  I did buy Sulley paper cup for the kids.  I added the cupcake topper to the front of the bags and also to the front of some of the jars, glasses, bowls, etc.  I even used double sided tape to put them on the coffee cups.  I put the signs up around the house and also placed some inside of my favorite party frames, the Ikea $0.99 frames!  I also got a few tissue paper balls to hang in the windows.

Food

The yogurt bar was a big hit.  I included low-fat vanilla yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, chocolate chips, granola and yogurt covered raisins.  We made some breakfast casseroles, ham, bacon, sausage and pancakes for breakfast.  I also made pancake muffins.  My mom told me about these and they turned out really good.  I made some that were plain and others that had chocolate chips in there.  You can put anything you want in them, but that is what I thought everyone would like best. 

Special Touches

I love the milk jug look and though that would be perfect for the party.  I read somewhere that someone collected the Starbucks Frappuccino bottles and took the stickers off of the front.  It was much cheaper and very practical than ordering them from somewhere.

I also found Disney sticker books to use as placemats.  They were cute for the kids to play with and take home.  I also picked up some monster glasses which they loved playing with and got a cute group shot with everyone.  Of course the kids loved being in their PJs as well.

Invite – Gensquared (Etsy)

Cupcake Toppers and Signs – PetitePartyStudio (Etsy)

Cake and Cookies – The West Side Bakery

Cake Pops – Traci Kohl

Paper Party Supplies & Treat Bags – Target

Disney Sticker Book – Amazon

Sulley Cups – Amazon

Pink Pumpkin 1st Birthday Party

My little pumpkin arrived a month early a year ago.  I thought I would be having a fall/winter baby and little did I know our little pumpkin would arrive so early.  We have a boy and our house is filled with boy things and navy blue so I decided we needed some pink in our lives.  Had I realized that October is breast cancer awareness month, I would have absolutely incorporated that as well.  Hobby Lobby had pink pumpkins so I grabbed a few for her one year photos and had the picture added to an Etsy invite I found.  This is the first time I printed the invites from CVS and I was really pleased with the price and quality.  I bought a big box of envelopes from staples to put them in and will keep those for future parties. 

 

 

I really liked the fact that I could decorate for fall and use that as my decorations for the party.  I also was happy I figured out I could use craft paper to cover up my picture I have hanging in the morning room.  It is a red and black picture so it wouldn’t have gone well with the décor.  I think I am going to try this trick more often when having parties at places I can’t control what is on the walls or when I am unable to take something down.

 For the food we had a chili bar with white and red chili and I also had hot dogs incase anyone wanted a Coney.  I bought premade cornbread from GFS and ordered chicken and salad from Giant Eagle.  I had a bunch of toppings for the chili bar which included cheeses, peppers, sour cream, Fritos, crackers, etc. 

 

We had Almond, Pumpkin and PB Cup cupcakes along with vanilla pink pumpkin cake pops.  I also ordered some delicious sugar cookies that were pumpkins and pink and orange number 1s. 

 

 

I had some pink treat bags and napkins left over from my sister’s bridal shower.  The pink napkins were cloth so I placed them in baskets and bowls for an extra touch of pink. 

I used the burlap pennants across the fireplace for decoration and had a few left that didn’t quite fit so I cut them off and put them on the front of the high chair.  A tip I found online was to put Velcro on the back of the pennants when placing it on the high chair.  It stuck just fine and when I was ready to take it off it came off easily. 

 

 The kids painted pumpkins.  I bought some small pumpkins, paints and brushes.  I used egg crates to put the paint in for the kids and a mason jar for water. 

Invite – Littlebirdieprints (etsy shop)

 

Small Hay Bales – Hobby Lobby

ONE and 1 Letters & Scrapbook Paper– Hobby Lobby

Lace – JoAnn Fabrics

Burlap pennant – Hobby Lobby

Pumpkin Chalkboard – Hobby Lobby

Autumn Décor – Hobby Lobby

Plates and Paper Products – Party City

White pumpkins – Local Farmer’s Market (Shaffer’s)

Photo Books – Shutterfly

Paint Supplies – Hobby Lobby