Guest Bedroom Update

 

I have updated the guest bedroom!  I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in here so I bought and returned a bunch of pillows, comforters and quilts.  I finally found the combination that was bright, clean and comfortable.  As I was figuring out what we wanted to do with the room, I started cleaning out the items that started gathering in this room.  I also cleaned out the closet and repainted the inside of it.  

 

 

We had a bed and a nightstand in the bedroom already so I went ahead and used what I have.  I may add a headboard or paint the one that we have.  The most unattractive piece in the room but the most beneficial is the new alarm clock that I bought that has 2 USB ports so guests don't have to find the plug behind the bed. 

 

Another practical item in the room is the WIFI password for anyone that needs it.  I have another one in the living room too.

I used to have a wardrobe in here from my college days but it needed some work and it took up a lot of space.  I decided to get rid of it and buy the stand instead.  I took the extra sheets and put them in the large basket I got from Target.

 

I put a basket of towels and wash clothes on the console table, an iPod dock, a small basket of toiletries, Q-tips and cotton balls.  I would like to find a small try to add to the table for snacks and water when guests stay.  I was going to add a night light too but thought the flameless candles could work too and wouldn't be as bright.  There are extra pillows, blankets and hangers in the closet.  I also have a pack n play in the closet just incase.   

 

There are still a few other things I may pick up if I see them like a X base stool to sit on or to sit their luggage on.

 

I am so excited for friends and family to stay in the new room.  We always have such a great time when people stay!  I hope they enjoy their new room!

 

Curtains - Marshall's

Comforter - Marshall's

Throw on bed - Target

Throw Pillows - Target

Lamp - Marshall's

Mirror - Target

Flower and Vase - Clearance aisle at Target

Console table - Target

Basket - Target

Candle holders - Home Good's

Be Our Guest Print - Etsy

WiFi Password - IROCKSOWHAT  (Blog)

Throw in basket - Home Good's

 

Photo and Memorabilia Organization

The next project I have on my list is the organization of photos.  Around this time of year I organize photos and videos from the past year.  I realized last 2 years have been really busy years so I have actually neglected the last 3 years or so. 

 I started with making sure each of the folders were organized by year then event.  I also went through each folder and got rid of blurry photos, duplicates, etc.  I back up photos a lot of places.  First I upload to Shutterfly (which I typically do after the actual event and not annually), I burn to a CD, back up on a memory stick (to place in a fireproof box) and finally upload to an external hard drive. 

 After I burned all of the CDs, I created a much needed index that included year, month (if possible), event and location where the CD is (ie. Box 1 or Box 2).  I placed the index in each box.  I also have some copyright releases from professional photos that have been taken.  They are starting to get a little tattered, so I put them all in a CD sleeve as well.

The next thing to dive into was the misc printed photos I have thrown into memory boxes but are not organized at all and have been mixed in with memorabilia, cards, photos, etc.

This process actually took a while and I started to get a system.  I would wake up in the morning, grab a cup of coffee, turn on my Netflix and start sorting.  I kept my gear out (labeler, sharpie, post it, dividers, plastic scrapbook sleeves and post it labels). 

I started with the loose photos and sorted them by year and event on the floor and placed post its on the top of the pile.  I then created a divider for the pile and then placed them in these boxes from the container store that I had purchased a few years ago. 

 





I had some pictures in old albums, I went through a few of those too to see if I could throw anything away.  They were pretty good so I left a lot of them in there and I added labels and placed them in a plastic container so they would stay nice.

 

The rest of the old photos I had, I placed into photo sleeves and purchased and 8 1/2 x 11 scrapbook.  I also placed some of our duplicate cards from Christmas and other events in the book as well.  Chad's mom gave me an envelope about a year ago with baby photos in those too so I placed those in the back of the book.  I may eventually create a whole new book for these photos.

 The next thing I did was sort cards.  Over the past few years we have started to get a lot of Christmas cards, invitations and thank you cards that have photos on them.  I put those to the side so I could place them in a binder or with craft rings.  I ended up with the binder, but I am not completely in love with the way it looks.

I sorted the rest of our cards, I did throw some out (which was really hard for me!) and I am sure there are others I can throw out but they are in there for now.  I made a pile for each family member then created an event and holiday tab for cards that we received as a family like a "congratulations on the new house" card.



We also had some memorabilia mixed in with our cards so I separated the memorabilia out and started placing each event in a sleeve then into a 3 ring binder.  Again, I ended up getting rid of a few things.  There were movie tickets and airline tickets I had no idea what the meaning behind them was, so I decided to pitch them.

There were a few things that I wasn't really sure of what to do with and they sat to the side for a while until I eventually realized I had space in this photo container I had purchased a few years ago.  I had some duplicate wallets from Cayden and Danica's photos, photo booth pictures, remembrance booklets and postcards I placed in here.  

Finally the last thing I did was find a 12 x 12 document holder for all of our old calendar.  I make a calendar every year for family members and also one for us.  It is typically a collage of photos from the prior year so I like to keep these (don't mind the baby foot in the photo). 

The process definitely took some time.  I probably worked on this project for the last month or so.  I would like to start making yearly photo books. That may be the next project for me. 

 

 

 



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.