Storage storage storage!

My little baby is not a baby anymore! How did that happen??  Here's what his room looked like 4 1/2 short years ago.

His room looks tiny, doesn't it?? Well, it is. I have friends whose closets are bigger than this bedroom! 

To me, kids rooms can be the hardest rooms to keep up with. Their needs change, their stuff multiplies and a crib can no longer contain their little energetic selves. 

After the baby setup and before I settled on his current bedroom setup, we had a full size bed, an antique dresser and a bookcase in his room. BORING! It was really a better set up for a guest room, which was my main reason for setting it up that way, but when we realized he hated his room, I decided to give him a room he liked and just let guests stay in a hotel. 

My little guy loves green. I mean LOVES green. The first change in his room was the wall color. Yes, it's green.

I found this table herb container and decided it would be perfect for his collection of treasures! Added some hooks and hung it on the wall. The green isn't perfect so I very sweetly asked if I could paint it blue but he adamantly refused. I think he would run away if I painted it so green it stays! 

Almost everything in his room is from craigslist. The bed is a craigslist find that was originally a dark cherry color but it was too dark and heavy for the size of the room. Tried to paint it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint but it failed me miserably so I ended up spray painting it. 10 cans of spray paint and 20 new holes in the ozone layer and his bed looks great!

My goal with every piece of furniture in his room was to get additional storage. The bed functions as his dresser and even gives us additional toy/book storage. 

The storage cubbies were also a craigslist find. Thankfully Annie Sloan worked for me on the doors, which were changed from neon green to Grecian Blue.

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The storage cubbies are fabulous! They don't take up as much space as the Expedit systems but give us just as much storage. 

My little (big) guy loves his room now so I would say my summer project is a success. 

My final idea requires some help from grandpa. Start with a simple sheet of plywood and transform into a 5 feet tall rocket shaped, magnetic board for the  abundant artwork my little guy creates! What do you think, dad? Feel like pulling out your Skill Saw?

One man's trash....is another's craft center!

Well, my resolution to blog more often fell flat on its face and is a little bruised and battered! Poor little guy. BUT, even if I haven't been blogging, I have been busy!

Last summer, my neighbor decided to get rid of a bunch of furniture and other stuff that she wasn't using. I was lucky enough to claim this little gem!

I know, it looks kind of rough but it was free and I thought I could slap some paint on it and use it in my 4 yr old's room. Once I measured, though, it was too big for his room so I just let this sit and sit in the garage.

We have been sick a lot so far this year and being cooped up at home so much has made me get antsy about a few organizing projects. The pantry, the half bath, the garage, my craft area... and several others...

I realized that by painting the dresser and using it in my dining room for craft storage it would set in motion The Great Shuffle of 2013, which would help me check off 3 areas in the home that have been driving me crazy.

Let the Shuffle begin! 

My dad built this for me last summer and I loved it in the dining room but I actually designed it to be a vanity in my half bath! So, out comes pedestal sink and in goes vanity. (Will have pictures soon!)

Arts and crafts that are in a rolling cart in the pantry AND the green box on the floor by table go in freshly painted and polyurethaned dresser!  Bins in the small drawers help divide markers, crayons, pencils, stamps and paints. The kids can find everything and, even more importantly, put it all away. 

It ALL fits! Plus, now I can walk into my pantry. AND, the dresser isn't taking up space in the garage anymore! Who knew one little dresser would be the catalyst for so many projects??

Now I just need to find hardware for the dresser and we'll be all set!

Long Overdue!

Finally. I painted my awful cabinets! 

I have wanted to paint my kitchen cabinets since the moment we owned the house. (I'm not going to tell you how long ago that was!) I have had a paint swatch tucked in a cabinet door for 2 years but I would forget all about it until someone would see it and ask, "Oh, are you going to paint your cabinets??" Yes, last year and the year before and the year before... 

The golden oak color has been out of date for years and made the kitchen seem dark, small and very ugly.

I found out about a Benjamin Moore product that goes on like a latex and cleans up like a latex paint but dries and is as durable as an oil paint. It is called Advance and I am SO pleased with how great it looks and how easy it was to use!

I love my kitchen now! I know it will never be on the cover of a magazine but it is wonderful nonetheless. It is bright. How bright, you ask? It is so much brighter I keep coming around the corner thinking I left the lights on and then realize it's all that elbow grease and white paint that brightened the place up.

I'm leaving the upper cabinet doors off for now because my life is so busy that I can't be opening and closing all kinds of doors! (Brian Regan reference). Actually, I do really like how open it feels but the long term plan to take out the center of the doors and add glass panels. Maybe I should put a time limit on that project!

I used to have big bulky blinds in the window but decided to take them down and go with something airy and bright. In steps ivory lace to the rescue! 

Now that my kitchen and I are on speaking terms, I'm pulling out my pretties that have been boxed up for years because they just didn't quite "go" with the kitchen before her makeover.

Now as I sit at the table drinking coffee while one child does artwork and the other drums for the entire Star Wars collection, I can enjoy looking at my lovely kitchen (and then get up and go find my ear plugs).

Boob lights, watch out. Your days are numbered.

Cabinets are Bejamin Moore Acadia white

Back wall is Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue

Walls are Clay Beige with green added to take out the pink so it is much closer to Nantucket beige.

Lampshade Makeover

It's a sad day when a gorgeous lamp like this gets ignored.

Most of the time, being cheap works well for me- not so much when I trim my own bangs- but that is the exception!  Years ago, I found a matching pair of green glass lamps at a garage sale and I was able to buy them both for $5 each.  I was sort of clueless, though, about what sort of lampshade to use.  

For a while I used this lampshade because it's one I already had and I figured I'd be inspired at some point.  I also knew the neck was way too long and I'd have to take the lamp apart and rewire it.  blech.   Unfortunately, I sort of stopped noticing the lamp and it stayed this way until my mom came for a visit and gently asked, "Would you like for me to buy a new lampshade???"  Uh, I guess it's time to do something different!

So, I went out and bought the most boring white lampshade on earth.  I also bought a cheap lamp at Goodwill and used a couple pieces as the new neck for the lamp.  And that's how it stayed for another year.

Theeeen, my friend, Kristie the Decorologist, posted this shabby chic lampshade tutorial and I figured, Why not do something about this boring lampshade?  What do I have to lose?  If I mess up I can always go out and buy another completely boring lampshade at any number of stores.

I watched a tutorial on youtube, got out some fabric I already had that I love and got to work.  

 I was really drawn to yellow for the trim color but it just didn't feel quite right.  My brilliant mother suggested trimming off the yellow balls off the bottom and voila.  The finished product.  

I absolutely LOVE my lampshade now!  I notice it every time I walk past and I think it has so much more personality.  I don't think I'll ever be happy with a boring white lampshade again.  

I even did another lampshade but I'll save that for another day!  

My Green Door

I posted a while back about trying to decide on a color for my shutters and front door.  You can see that post Here.  I really wanted to use green but the color green I was drawn to just didn't seem right for the shutters.  SO, I painted the shutters black (paint I already had in the garage) and painted the door green.  This way, I can change the door color as the mood strikes me and the shutters stay their crisp, practical black.  
Here is a quick reminder of the Before-

Faded burgundy shutters and door, dirty gutters and windows.  The place was depressing!

I used the color Grassland from Lowe's.  Once we got up on the ladder to take the shutters down we washed the windows and gutters so the house looks squeaky clean now, which definitely needed to happen!

Now to finish off the landscaping on the left side of the house and it'll be my perfect little cottage.... until I decide to change something else!  Total cost for this makeover was $15.  

Need to make some changes but don't have much budget?  I absolutely love those kinds of projects!  Let the creativity begin.... 

time to freshen up!

I have a little white ranch house with faded burgundy shutters and door.  Sounds awesome, right?  It's been that way for 4 years and it is time for a change!!!  I just can't decide what I want to do, though.  I love houses that have bold dramatic colors but the practical side of me shies away from them for my own home.  With a huge driveway repair coming up I need to leave the house white and just pick a paint color for the shutters and door.  Sounds simple.  Only....it's not!

Here is my house as it currently stands- in need of fresh paint on the shutters and a good pressure washing.  What I know for certain is that I don't want another dark color on the door.  I want it to be welcoming and cheerful!

Here are some of my favorite options.

---White with green shutters-

Country Living

mitziscollectible

---Blue shutters---

apartmenttherapy

source

country living

source

---yellow shutters---

source


I also like white with grey shutters!


Yeah, I know this is an interior but I really love the grey against the white!


what to do what to do???  Any brilliant suggestions?

Little L's nursery

Before my second son was even born I knew he was going to be busy (he was a wiggle worm!) and that he would need a fun nursery to match his energy.  Once again, though, small house proportions meant it would be too easy to overwhelm and dominate with a bright color so I chose... white.  :)  Filled it in with a deep pumpkin color and fun bedding.

Almost everything was in my older son's room when he was a baby.  The Ikea crib, Ikea shelves, garage sale dresser (repainted) and the rocking chair.  

I made the mobile using paper lanterns, a knitting hoop and fishing twine.  I wasn't super pleased with my first attempt that you see in the first picture so I re-worked it by painting the large white lantern and hanging the smaller lanterns in a different pattern.

The stripes are actually NOT painted, they are peel n' stick stripes that I picked up on clearance at Lowe's.  It is a super easy way to bring some fun into the room without making a big painting commitment.

My son is 2 now and it's almost time for a big boy bed!  I think I'll bring more yellow into the room when we make the transition because his disposition is so sunny!  It just seems like the perfect color for him.

My living room

My living room is the first room people see when they enter my home.  I wish I had fabulous flooring to go with the first impression but that is a project that is WAY down on the list of things to get done.  Recently I repainted the living room, de-cluttered and am still working on the final touches.

The stripes are painted with Sherwin Williams colors Antique White, Kilim Beige and Nomadic Desert.  I wanted neutral but not boring.  The stripes keep it interesting but don't dominate the room.

I struggled with the artwork over the couch.  You can see the progression here. I finally found a couple prints that are supposed to be hung vertically but I hung them horizontally and flipped one upside down!

In a small house it's easy to over accessorize and make it feel cluttered.  I prefer to focus on a few large accessories and add just a few smaller ones here and there.  

My bedroom

Our bedroom is tiny.  I don't spend much time in it so I guess I don't really need a big room but the size did present a challenge when it came to placing furniture!  I arranged the room several ways before I decided to use trickery to make it look good.

 The curtains cover most of that wall and they hide the fact that the bed and window are not centered. The window is centered on the wall but the bed is centered on the usable wall space.  As you can see below, there is a door that has to be taken into consideration!

A soft gray is a sophisticated background for the cream/black color scheme.  I love the metallics throughout and always smile when I see the bright whimsical bench that is the pop of color I need.  Small spaces don't have to be boring!