Spring 2010: Operation Outdoors

Last year, when I moved in, I focused primarily on getting the inside of my new home up to par, but now I want to use this year to focus on the outdoors. Things I hope to do....

To-Do List:

Front Yard:
1. Remove excess shrubbery
2. Plant annuals
3. Trim trees in front of house
4. Install window boxes
5. HOUSE PAINTED! (this is the biggest project and I'll be hiring someone to do this!)

Back Yard:
1. Clean up flower beds along back yard fence and house
2. Plant perennials along fence line and mulch beds
3. Patio furniture
4. Planters w/ annuals on deck

Spring/Transition LR Shelf

I switched out my large mirror for two smaller ones from Homegoods that were $16.99 each! Great deal! Then, I used to lanterns from Homegoods as well @ 12.99 and mixed with other stuff I had in my box of treats---candles, potpourri, my green birdie....

Check out this Knotty Pine makeover!

My best childhood friend just bit the bullet and had her knotty pine and wood built-in bookshelves painted to update her 1980s-built home to the 21st century! I love love love it!!!! I think it adds warmth, personality, and a modern flare! She still has to add the chair rail to the tv wall, but I love the painted fireplace and crisp color choices!!! Yay!

Here is the before of the tv wall:

















Here is the after:









































Here are the bookshelves on the opposing wall before:


















Here is the after: (PS, I love the dark brown from below the chair rail used on the background of the shelves!)

Holiday Decor

Hey!

So, for the holidays, I like to do decor that is holiday-orientated, but not full of pre-fabricated holiday decor. I wanted to keep the decorations consistent w/ the same color themes of the room, but also make them holiday-like! Also, I wanted to continue to use the mirror and apothecary jars. My goal is to see how they look for four seasons!

All of the ornaments in the jars are from Michael's and Pier 1 Imports. The pearl garland and candles are from Michael's as well.


And I had to throw this photo of my lovely Callie enjoying the first big snow storm of the season. She loves frolicking about in it!

Operation Organization!

Let me preface by saying: I'm not a neat person at the core. Because staying neat & tidy isn't really my strong point (I have a tendency to just leave things everywhere), I have to be rather diligent at putting things back where they belong. These systems have helped me!

So, today I took some time to revamp my organization in my hall closet. It wasn't terribly messy, but it was certainly time for an overhaul and some more tools to keep me organized. I purchased the tall & skinny rubbermaid drawer organizer recently and today finally filled it up. I labeled the drawers & sorted all of the toiletries into their respective locations. Here are the final results.

Oops! Labels a little crooked! Oh well!

Another project I did after moving into my new home: my necklace system. I did this in my old home & found it was sooo helpful in figuring out what necklace to do with my outfits (I keep earrings in a separate hanging system in the closet next to the necklaces). I have to constantly remind myself about putting necklaces back in their correct locations at the end of each day. (I used those Rubbermaid double-sticky safe removal hooks & organized by color with the necklaces).



What are you organization tips & systems!?!? Share!

Fall Decor...

Fall is my favorite season....I love the crisp, cool, and dry air (mainly cuz I have good hair days! lol) and I love the scents!!! Oooooh, I love burning apple, pumpkin, and harvest scented candles all day long during the fall!

If you recall, I don't have a fireplace, but I love the look of a decorated mantle. So, over the summer, I installed a 6 foot shelf from Ikea (the Lack® series at a GREAT $29.99 each!) and it is sort of my makeshift "mantle." (PS, I just looked up the spelling of mantle and I guess it can also be mantel! Cool!)

Anyway, I wasn't thrilled with decorating with yellows, oranges, and reds for the fall season in my living room since it's bright greens, yellows, and magenta/pinks...So, I went with a green apple, white, and nature-inspired look. Here is the finished product:


Everything, including the apothecary jar fillers (which I made into a mixture of plain green apples, birch bark, and pine cones were bought as separates), except for the little green bird (Pier 1), clock (Pier 1), and white vase (Ikea), was all purchased at Homegoods.

Close up views:

That's it for now!!!

Craft Room / Home Office is Taking Shape!

So, it's all still a work in progress, but teachers report back to school on August 25, so I have vowed to finish this room before I am back to work!

I had 4 white Lack floating shelves from Ikea in my previous home, and this is the perfect room for the shelves in the new house! So, yesterday, I installed 2 of them (oh, it's so fun getting them level!!) and then I installed an Ikea "Bygel" bar w/ some Ikea hanging tin cups for markers, pens, glue sticks, and scissors.

Almost 2 full walls done pretty much.....2.25 walls to go!


Here is a close-up of the bar & hanging cups (see below for how to buy these!)

Here is the next wall. I am going to put some art between the shelf and the ribbon rack.


I made a ribbon organization system using a dowel from Michael's (I spraypainted it white) and then used two curtain rod brackets I bought at Home Depot for a cheap price and then rested the dowel in the brackets. Here is a close-up:


Here is a metal knife rack from Ikea I'm using as a rack to hold magnetic jars full of office supplies. Love it! Easy to install!


Shopping List:
Ikea Lack Shelf in white, $19.99 (Click here for link!)
Bygel Bar, $1.99 (Yes, only 2 DOLLARS!!!) (Click here for link!)
Kroken cutlerly caddy, $3.99 each, (Note, these aren't really a good fit for teh Bygel bar, their hooks don't reach around the bar....but I didn't want to return them, so I pried the hook open wider with a hammer to allow them to fit around the bar!) (Click here for link!)