Christmas Inspiration- Mommy Survival Kit

One of my favorite blogs that I check every.single.day.  has a great post today! 
Brooke at allthingsthrifty.com is a thrifty Utah mom who came up with the genius idea to have a kit full of things that you always need when you are out and about with your kids.  I love the idea....because I am never prepared when it comes to this stuff.

If you would love to make one yourself head over to her guest post at Infarrantly Creative for the how-to!
http://www.infarrantlycreative.net/2010/12/day-17-moms-essential-kit.html

My Motivation to Clean THE Bedroom!

I needed to have an excuse to motivate myself to clean the bedroom because it is my least favorite room and no one sees it.  Now that I can see my bedroom floor thanks to the hubby:)......I wanted to organize it a bit and add something new to it for fun.

I either threw away or curbed much of this stuff!
I feel so much better doing my semi-annual dejunk fest:)

......So today I rearranged it and wanted to show you a little project that has recently been added to my all too long list of projects.....because sometimes I think I'm ADD!

I took my dresser from an old seventies oak version to a sweeter anthropoligie like dresser.  I still have the second coat and glaze to put on it...as well as the hardware, but I had to show you what it looks like so far.

and have started to make it into THIS!

I had a before picture that was hideous, but it ended up being lost!  Oh how I wish I could show you what a transformation it has been!

I love the stripes that were so conveniently painted on the wall for me when we moved in, BUT one problem.....not much color here......
     ......hence the color inspiration for my dresser!
           ......and guess what?  I mixed this color with some paint I already had and so it cost me nothing whatsoever to do....just time.  I love to paint so that isn't a problem.
   Pretty sure that if I went more than a month without painting something I'd go into a very deep depression.


I spray painted the drawer pulls and they look awesome!  I will post when I have the whole thing done....since I like to make my rounds on all of my projects before I get the actual one done:)

Where the bed used to be.  Don't you just love the shades in the window?  I don't....still am wanting to make curtains to put up.  One day at a time....one day at a time.

I have always struggled with the layout of this room because there aren't too many ways to arrange it.
There is a door adjoining the boys' room and we have one oddly placed window and one large window on two other walls. 
So I decided to move the bed back to the one blank wall So I can maybe add something above the bed for a little ..zing!

I love the bedspread but may later change that to something lighter.  In case you were wondering where I got the bedspread it is from Wal-mart.  It came with the pillow shams and the bed skirt for like $60.00.  It is super soft and pretty!
The blue pillows with the flowers were a find at the local Big Lots a couple of years ago.
The one blue pillow is a goodwill find and the white one I made out of a full size bed pillow.

Still trying to decide what I want there.  I love the style of aeropostale and pottery barn!
   ......But the question is Can they be mixed together? 
I always felt bad for my Mom who so lovingly has tried to pin down my style for years on clothing and decor.  Sometimes she really hits the nail on the head.....I really don't have a rhyme or reason to my style.
.......I just like what I like.
My style also changes from room to room because I'm weird like that.

Any of you out there who are like this?
While going through the junk in the corner of THE bedroom I found these nifty hooks that just stick to the wall with one swoop.  This morning my hubby told me we needed a hook to hang up his wet towel after his morning shower.  The reason it is harder to hang up our wet towels in the bathroom is because the bathroom is in the back of the house and our bedroom is in the front of the house.....great floor plan right?
So here you go.

This thing was cool because it just stuck to the wall,  but it has fallen down a few zillion times.  Anyone ever hotglue anything to the wall before?  I am tempted.

I spray painted these "shutters" a while back to go on either side of the window and just now hung them up.

I am pretty much hating those blinds but I haven't quite figured out what I want to do that won't cost an arm and a leg....and I am cheap so it will have to be something really great and thrifty.
Any ideas?

The "shutters" are actually two sections of a trifold room divider that I had forever but one of the sections broke off.  So I spray painted them two summers ago and have used them all over the house ever since.  I love them because they are versatile!
 .....To hang them I added the picture hangers with the teeth.  I used two for each and then I hung them. 
..........Not sure if they are exactly straight....my husband teases me when I hang things because it usually ends up crooked:(

Check back on some more upcoming project posts!!

31 Tips to a Less Messy Cottage- Tip 9 and FOR ALL THOSE WHO GET DISCOURAGED WITH HOUSE WORK!

This post is dedicated to all those who have felt like failures as homemakers because they couldn't keep up!  I have been feeling that way lately! 

It is really important to me to have a home that is charming, comfortable, and my families personality.  I also believe in having a clean home but sometimes it is really hard to stay caught up when I feel like I'm the only one striving for this goal. 
So this post is for trying AGAIN and having hope for a comfortable, organized, reasonably clean home.
BECAUSE let's face it....I'm not the only one who has ever felt this way!

LABELS

Some of you might think this is really really weird.....but I am a huge fan of labels. 
Not just on cookie jars, but like on everything.  So that me and my family can remember where things go.

For a while I have really struggled with organization in our new home.  Well 2 1/2 years ago it was new to us.  Before this we lived in a townhome that had a different set-up and was a little bit bigger.  I realized how much that really worked for us....after we moved out.  Don't get me wrong....I like my house but it can be really really challenging to have a place to put things here.

So I was thinking the other day about how much more organized things were when we lived there.  One of the main things was that I labeled EVERYTHING.  If you have labels then you AND your family have no excuse to put things back because IT'S PRETTY MUCH SET IN STONE. 
A very nice woman by the name of Christy Yowd came to our church one night to teach us how to be organized.  By profession she is a professional organizer and helps people with their mayhem.
She had many GREAT tips.....and one of them was to use labels.  I tell you after I started labeling things my house became so much less cluttered because if there isn't a place to put it....then it doesn't get labeled but thrown out. 
It is a great concept!  When I first heard this I thought it might be a little too OCD clean for me, but then I tried it (and it takes a long time.) and it worked! 

First of all...my house was absolute mayhem this week!  Not only that but my Mother and Father-in-law came and saw how bad it was.  Decided to throw some stuff out...again.  HELLO MR. GARBAGE, DI, AND CURB....nice to see you AGAIN!

I will not lie to you and make you think that just because I blog doesn't mean my house doesn't get awful sometimes!  It is such a process...and so much work to focus on all the time.  I have a husband, four little BOYS, and a side business that keeps me sane for the most part.  That is a lot to focus on.
But here we go again...and with the labels everything should find it's place.
....enough with the rambling and onto what I did today.

MY BATHROOM







Under the sink only held the toilet bowl brush so I thought I would make it more storage friendly.
Now no-one can complain about not knowing where their toothbrush is:)

Closeup of the labels that I made with my label maker.  Or if you have a Silhouette Machine like I wish I did....you can make the labels even cuter.  When I took this I probably shouldn't have made the toothbrushes front and center.  I only have four kids but they constantly lose their toothbrushes in random places so this is just in case.

These are the storage nooks in my not-so-charming-but-could-be-charming-bathroom.
One day I will remodel this room, but for now I can be happy it's now organized.

A basket just for my bubble bath and nail polish that hopefully is enough out of reach from the kiddos.

I pretty much removed all the extra junk and made a basket for me, my hubby, and our extra toiletries.  Then I made sure that there was a place to put extra towels and a trash can.  If you don't have a trash can in your bathroom you should because it will keep things tidy.  I had to make a label for our trash can because it always disappears.  If there is a label there will be no excuse and evidence if it is missing in action.

I hope I didn't bore you to death with my bathroom posts!  There will be something new everyday!




Christmas Giveaway!

I have a surprise for all of you out there who LOVE FREEBIES and would like the chance to win something cool just in time for Christmas!!

I am giving away an ADORABLE pair of shoe clips to dress up any outfit for the holidays.......

In classic black, white, and red nonetheless!

Wouldn't they look GREAT paired with your favorite black dress for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or New Years!?1?

Here is what to do to enter to win.
-If you already aren't a follower become one. Also leave a comment and let me know what your favorite thing is in my Etsy shop.  http://www.blackandwhiteapparel.etsy.com/

-I will enter you TWO MORE TIMES if you purchase or order something from my shop!  You also get a 10% discount for purchasing during the giveaway. 

This contest closes December 15th!  I will choose the winner and ship the winners goody off to them in time for Christmas!  Good Luck!!!
-

Christmas Inspiration!

    I have had so many things to blog about with pictures to add but must wait until my mac is fixed! 
Here is an absolute georgous version of Christmas in non-traditional colors that is absolutely soothing to me!
Enjoy!

http://www.houseofsmiths.blogspot.com/
Such a fun blogger!

Love the stick idea!



31 Tips to a Less Messy Cottage- Day 8 Be Thankful

It is that time of year again!  I think we should have an "Attitude of Gratitude"

Even so I would do this post because I am learning that the more grateful I am for my home and what I have.....the more I want to take good care of it!

There are so many days where I think to myself one of the following:
   -The toys would be more organized if I just had the right size container for them.
   -If I had a better vacuum my floors would be cleaner.......or I can't wait until we rip out the carpet so I can have nicer looking floors.
   -This room will look so much better when I finish this project.....and the next!
   -I wish my house wasn't so small then it would be easier to keep clean.
   -I hate laundry.....I want to throw all of our clothes in the garbage then I won't have to worry about it.
   -I would feel happier if I got up earlier to clean my house spotless before the kids get up.
   -If only my children would learn to put their stuff away and not throw it all over the place.
 
These are only a few.  My goal over the last couple of months has been to be more grateful for what I have.

I find myself being grateful for even the sometimes late hours my husband works......because there have been a couple of times where he had nowhere to be but home and no employer to work for.

I find joy in some of the messes my children make because of the laughter they make while doing it!
And sometimes I watch in glee as they learn a new skill.

"I" cleaning his room.  I think he vacuums better than most!  He uses the crevice attachment and everything!

I am more grateful for my laundry because my family and I have clothing to wear in abundance thanks to family.

We have much more laundry than this and I don't need to tell you if it's clean or dirty :)

I am "sometimes"  grateful for dishes because it means we have food to eat and dishes to eat off of.

Glad I got rid of half of my dishes or my kitchen might look like this.

I am grateful for our small, old home because it means that we have a roof over our heads.

Not our house.

I am grateful for things that need fixing because it means we can learn a new skill and my husband and I can work together while doing it.

Can't wait to learn to make these beautiful...and cottage like.

When I am grateful for my surroundings I find myself cleaning without feeling like it is such a burden. I feel the importance for my role and grateful for being able to stay at home with my children and make our house a home!
When we are grateful for our homes and our things we take better care of them.


Happy Early Thanksgiving!

What things are you grateful for?

Slackin' and 31 Tips to a Less Messy Cottage- Tip 7

This wreath was brown and plain so I took three colors of my trusty spray paint and did a color fade effect for fun!  I love how it turned out!
I used ivory, Blue Ocean Breeze, and Bahama Sea from Krylon.

So far I have a couple of ancestor photos painted jade and some screens from a room divider against the wall!
Curtains next!

I have had this sewing cabinet for years and kept it the same sage color until now.  The other day I got out my turquoise paint and brightened it up.  Now it looks like a new table!

I began the 31 Days to a Less Messy Cottage to realize that it is pretty hard to do on top of my home improvement projects and work.

So.....I am thinking this will be 31 Tips to a Less Messy Cottage so that I don't feel obligated every single day to have something new.  I want to show you what I have been working on.....

The Front Room Project is coming to a close
     Who knows if it will ever really feel finished, but have an  OCDD (obsessive compulsive decorator disorder.)

Beloved "mudroom" makeover with a table made bench!
Those pillows are black and white hounds tooth!  The picture doesn't do them justice!

I repainted because I felt the room was too gloomy.  I wish I had taken a better "before" picture of the coppery brown walls.  They were great when we moved in but started to wear on me after I also painted the adjoining kitchen dark too!

      Just think drab copper penny and that is the color of my front room before my gradual transformation.

I added a basket for shoes, food storage cans (which will have numbers on them soon.) for hats and gloves.  I also made a picture fram bulletin board out of my stash of junk.  Now my kids can put their notes from their teachers on there.  They are being trained still.
Those wall racks are Kroken from Ikea.  $4.99 each with hooks $5.00 for a five-pack.
By the way...you have to buy your own hardware to hang them up!

That bench was a table that was too small for anything.

Normally I just think all utilitarian stuff is ugly.  Well, these backpacks are still really cute hung up in the "nice room".

I like our little nook.  Now if I can just keep my family trained to use the "mudroom" that would be just amazing

The color now is a cheerful, golden mustard with some neutrals mixed in with blue-greens and turquoise
I am loving it!!

Our Entry Table

Sorry for the lack of good photos.  Using photobooth until I get a cord for my camera!

CThe last two days I have also been starting to de-clutter my kitchen as well.  It is a long, narrow kitchen so the more decluttering the better.  Some of you will think I'm nuts but I got rid of my microwave to give me some more counter space......don't think the hubby will like that one.
      In the long run he will thank me ;)

So Todays Tip is to clean off your counter tops and breathe!

The last week has been hectic with wrapping up a clients project so......I couldn't see the counters in my kitchen.  The last two days I have been trying to do ALL of my dishes.

I've noticed that I have had more dishes than I've ever had.  I think it is due to the fact that I bought some extra dishes and pots.

    My poor kitchen can't handle it so.....there will have to be a purging of some older dishes and pots to make everything fit.  Then when I need to cook dinner I will have to use the dishes we have (or use paper plates...lol)   and pots forcing me to keep up on the dishes.  It will be a blessing in disquise.

What do you do to cut down on dishes?

How many of you find that using a crock pot helps with the dish load?

I met someone a few years back who only wanted to mess up her kitchen once a day. (I think all her kids were in school!)
So when she got up in the morning she would make her dinner meal or stick it in the crock pot.
I think it was this same person who had five children and never went over $250 per month.

There is also another blogger who makes meals ahead of time and she has a great e-book for like only $10 or so.  She has some great ideas...and no I am not getting paid to promote her.  I just think she is cool.
www.thegroceryshrink.com

I would love to hear about any other ideas you may have!