Now that I've completed painting the owl and tree mural feature wall for my kids' new study and media space, I've been dreaming about organizing and painting my home office. Right now, the office has boxes everywhere (of things I need to file) and features plain, unpainted white walls. So boring! I thought something bright and cheery would be great for the office, and have been thinking that the room would look quite nice in a combination of yellows and blues. Most of my home is very neutral with soft greens and yellowy beiges, so I thought that something more colorful would be Continue reading...
Unfinished Basement Playroom Ideas
Last year was a busy year! I started this website, and thankfully, at least a few people have read it! Thanks everyone for your visits! It's been a fun year. For all you new readers out there, I thought I'd post some of the most-read posts from 2012 -- enjoy! And, if you are wondering, I have created an unfinished basement playroom space for my kids, but it's nowhere near as nice as I'd like it to be. I haven't painted the walls or stained the floors in the unfinished basement playroom space, and there is still a lot of organizing to be done! I will have to keep working on creating a fun Continue reading...
Picture Frame Dry Erase Board
I like to browse Pinterest for craft ideas, and I’ve seen a lot of easy DIY picture frame dry erase boards, so I decided to make one of my own! I recently created a mini mudroom by my home’s front door that’s pretty functional. My home’s mudroom area has a coat rack, a mirror (for quick checks before heading out the door), a clock (to keep us on schedule on school mornings) and a rack with bins for hiding most of our shoes. I have a calendar that I made (on Vistaprint) that contains all our important school dates and holidays, but I really needed a place Continue reading...
Decor for a New Kid Study Area
Last week, I finished the feature wall in my kids' new study area. I think it looks great! For the new feature wall, my kids picked out a pretty green paint, plus a really cute owl and tree RoomMates mural (Happi by Dena), that I purchased on Amazon (my go-to shopping place). The mural was pretty easy to put up -- the only help I needed was reading the itsy bitsy numbering on the mural's instructions that told me where to put each of the mural's parts. The numbers were so small, I couldn't read them even with the help of a magnifying glass! I finally had to call one Continue reading...
Getting Started with Paint
Yesterday, I decided to get going and start painting the special Owl Mural Study Area that I promised for my children. The kids picked out a light spring green color that I starting adding to one wall yesterday. A big owl wall decal will go on that wall once the painting is done. Since I am a messy painter, and because the whole floor area of the room to be painted is covered in wall-to-wall carpeting, I was very careful and made sure I did a lot of prep work before I started painting. How to Paint Walls If you are a messy painter (or just want to get the job done right), Continue reading...
What I Am Reading This Week
Now that I’ve discovered the world of mom blogs and all the great designing and organizing projects that they do, I no longer need to subscribe to monthly magazines to get my home décor and design fix. I can get it daily just by visiting some of my favorite mom blogs. These are some of the mom blog posts that have caught my eye so far this week: Simple Slipcovers from In My Own Style Decorating with Plates from the Lettered Continue reading...
Owl Mural Study Area
About a year ago, I created a study area in our large upstairs hallway for my two daughters. We used to have a large office desk in that area, but since getting our laptop, we didn’t use it much. Plus, the desk was so big, that my daughters had to walk a big circle around it at night to get from their shared bedroom to the bathroom. The desk was just way too big! So, I took that big behemoth desk apart and stored it in the basement. I brought up some items from the basement (I swear our basement has just about everything stored in it): a large folding table, an office lamp and two Continue reading...
New Spice Cabinet Reveal
Inspired by the New Year's Prize Organizing Resolution Prize Challenge that some of favorite bloggers are hosting (like A Bowl Full of Lemons, Ask Anna, and Organizing Made Fun) I decided to add some extra storage in my kitchen for my spices. I took an old piece of furniture that was in my home's basement (I think it used to be a night stand). The wooden night stand has one long drawer that would be great for holding spices. But, the piece, with dark black spots in some places and a worn oak finish, could use some TLC. Plus, the stand had an old large handle on it that gave it a Continue reading...
Kitchen Organization
I've been working hard to organize my kitchen, but as any mom knows, keeping a kitchen neat and organized is a never-ending job! I recently organized a cabinet in my kitchen, with fairly good results. Using cloth organizing bins, I organized all the pantry staples that I store in there -- stuff like soup, canned vegetables and snacks for the kids. You can read more about my pantry cabinet in my post, Organization Spree: The Kitchen. K Cup Refreshment Center This fall, I also got my husband a Keurig (K Cup) coffee brewer, so I've also created a mini drink station on our kitchen Continue reading...
Cleaning Out the Toy Chests
Ever since my kids were tots, we’ve kept their wooden toy boxes in our living room. The living room, which is only furnished with an upright piano, was the perfect place for them to play in. The plush carpeting was nice for them to play on and cushioned their falls, and the room’s location just off the kitchen made it easy for me to keep an eye on them while I was cooking. But now that my kids are both 9, I am hoping to move the toy chests downstairs into a basement playroom. I would love to turn the living room into more of an adult living space, and furnish it with a small loveseat and a Continue reading...