Cleaning up the blog

Now that my blog has a sassy new look, and since it's the season for organization, I'm cleaning up my sidebar today.  I've had a "To Do" list living there for some time, and I haven't updated it in ages.  I'm actually pretty pleased looking back at everything!  Here's a list of all I had plans to do and what I've done.  I've gone ahead and highlighted the "done" things in green, the "Woops, I completely forgot about/ignored these things"in red, and the "I'm workin' on it" things in blue.

• Finish digging out pool - This is in progress, it's back breaking work!!  I'm too cheap to rent the right tools, but boy are we getting a great work out swinging those sledgehammers =)
• Add pictures to frames - Nope.  Most of the picture frames in our home (and there are many) still have weirdo generic art in them.  Ugh.  It's so hard to decide which photos to print!
• Declutter bedroom - It's been done a few times, but it just seems to keep piling up.  We have a friend who lives with us and so we essentially only have a one bedroom home with no office.  Thus the paper monster is intense around here.  That's one of my goals for this year... More to come on that later =)
• Buy cushions for dining chairs - IKEA, baby!  They're not the most attractive, but at least our butts aren't sore anymore.
• Install vent in guest bath - This still isn't done, but hasn't proven to really be a problem.  Perhaps I should outsource this one to Eric.  Cutting holes in the ceiling sounds like something he'd love.
• Replace and paint pantry doors - This isn't done either (I'm not looking good here, am I??).  But I've begun pricing it out and gathering ideas, which is more than I had done before.
• Buy new dishwasher - This is a big investment, hopefully it'll happen some day!
• Buy new refrigerator - Another big investment, but I want this one more than the dishwasher.
• Sew pillows - DONE!  If you missed it, check here, and here
• Add trim to curtains - I decided against this one.  I like the curtains to hang out in the background (See what I did there?? "Hang" out?), rather than compete for the center of attention.
• Hem curtains - Done!  Check out the journey here and here.
• Hang curtain rods - Also done!  See the above curtain links =)
• Spray paint wall sconces - I did this... and hated it.  I'm hoping to choose a better color as part of another upcoming project  *get excited!*
• Paint pantry - done (twice, hee hee!) read about it here.
• Paint laundry room - I'm being indecisive about this one. I may want to stencil one wall - but that sounds hard... so maybe not ;)
• Remove popcorn ceiling - we're doing it!  Only 2 more rooms and hundreds of hours (ugh) left.  Read more here.
• Paint living room - indecisive here too.  I have some colors in mind, but I also don't want to do anything until the ceilings are completed, as it would just ruin the paint job.
• Paint family room and hall - these are the same color as the living room and I have the same reservations =(

It looks from this list like I haven't done much, but this post begs to differ!  The first big project I hope to conquer is our pantry doors, but you know how inspiration goes... Perhaps I'll find myself engrossed in a different project =)  For now here's some inspiration I'm gathering for my pantry doors...

Gorgeous, right?  I think I can make the whole thing happen for under $70 - stay tuned! Happy Thursday, friends!

winning

I'm winning at lists and life!  I'm channeling the Charlie Sheen in me and telling you all about my victories.  I don't know how many of you caught that I added a little laundry list of projects I needed to work on around the house to my sidebar a bout a month ago?  With my new blog desgin I wanted to add it to the "tabs" section across the top of my page, but in reading it over, I discovered that I've done quite a few of the things already!!  Total win hiding in plain sight!  Are any of you "box checking" kind of people?  I LIVE by lists - it's a sickness really.  If I could do it without driving my friends and family nuts, I'd "Type A" the crap out of EVERYTHING I lay my hands on.  So, posts like this are really cathartic to me.  Here was my original list (in really no particular order), and crossed off are the items I've already finished...

• Finish digging out pool
• Add pictures to frames
• De-clutter bedroom
• Buy cushions for dining chairs
• Install vent in guest bath
• Replace and paint pantry doors
• Buy new dishwasher
• Buy new refrigerator
• Sew pillows
• Add trim to curtains
• Hem curtains
• Hang curtain rods
• Spray paint wall sconces (<-actually starting to like their color?  I'll document this in a post soon)
• Paint pantry
• Paint laundry room
• Remove popcorn ceiling
• Paint living room
• Paint family room
• Paint hall
• Remove fluorescent kitchen lights & replace with track lighting

 WOW!  I'm super excited - I've completed 6 of my original tasks!  And now I will show you all most of them. 

#1: De-clutter bedroom
Here we are before...

And after...

Just kidding.  Neither of those are my house.  You'll get bedroom pics soon enough (<-sounded wrong??), when I update you on our decorating progress in there!  Suffice it to say that I sorted, boxed, labeled and stored everything in a neat manner (remember my Type A sickness?  It's a real thing, people). 

#2: Buy cushions for dining chairs

Before...

After...

 We now have these on all 8 - woop woop!  Sorry you don't get a real picture.  It's nearly impossible to make cheap you-know-what IKEA chairs look classy.  They have a hard enough time keeping all 4 legs on the ground at once, lol.  On to...


#3: Sew pillows (read more here, here, and here) 

Before...

And after...

This was a big one.  A ten for me on the "winning" scale of one to awesomeness (otherwise known as ten).  You can also see evidence in this last photo of....

 #4 & #5: Hang curtain rods and hem curtains (read more here)

Before...

And after...

  

The curtains have added such a wonderful element to our living space - I LOVE them!  And last but certainly not least...

  #6: Paint pantry (read more here, here, and here)

Before...

After failed attempt at paint color choosing #1...
 

And the real after (I decided the fire-hydrant yellow color was burning my corneas)...

I think I'm pretty satisfied with what I've done since mid-July!  It's been a month and I think this was a lot to accomplish, along with going back to teaching for the year (can you say exhaustion?!).

I'm hoping to tackle these items next...

• Replace and paint pantry doors (<- so, so  SUPER EXCITED!  It involves chalkboard paint!)
• Add pictures to frames (<-we have lived here for 2.5 years - this is embarrassing, lol)
• Remove fluorescent kitchen lights & replace with track lighting (more IKEA coming our way)
• Make another chevron lazy susan for a giveaway on a friend's blog...  Maybe do a giveaway here?  Not sure if people would actually want something I made, lol.  I'm no Cassie or Natty, after all!

Are y'all box checkers like I am, or do you fly by the seat of your pants, or something in between?   What are you planning for your next projects?  Do share!  Happy Tuesday, friends!

weekend happenings

This is how my weekend started - looks exciting, huh?

 

I know, I know - you're jealous of my life ;)  Eric left town for business on Thursday afternoon, and I thought I'd try to paint the back shelves of my pantry like the pinterest picture I posted here.  I was going for a creamy yellow look, something that would brighten up the sadness that was my white pantry.  I chose a yellow by Martha Stewart at Home Depot and hurried home to get painting so I could surprise Eric.

After a few hours of prepping and painting (and a bit of stenciling- trying something new!), I had this...

 
Holy burned corneas!  I could hardly stand to look at it, it was so YELLOW!  Ugh.  I gave up and admitted my color-choice defeat.  I headed to Sherwin Williams on Friday morning (after giving blood-more on this later) for some advice from a professional.  A very nice young man who noticed that I was unmarried (forgot my wedding ring after painting all Thursday!) and then got very embarrassed when I told him that I was taken, advised my choice of "Cottage Cream."  He said that if I only wanted to do one coat and let the crazy yellow shine through a bit that it might have the effect I originally intended.  So, I started repainting...

Muuuuuuch better.  I like its softness and how it doesn't attract too much attention.  It just adds a little something extra to the space.  I'm satisfied.  Oh!  I mentioned I gave blood earlier that day... DO NOT give blood, forget to eat or drink anything for a few hours and then attempt to paint a pantry.  Especially if your pantry painting involves you having to wedge yourself into tight, humid spaces.  It is almost certainly a recipe for passing out.  I made it out unharmed, luckily -I'm just dumb like that sometimes  =)

Eric was pleasantly surprised when I showed him the pantry - he liked my re-thought color choice and was only mildly annoyed that I'd paid for crazy yellow paint I can't use in the foreseeable future.

Only a slight difference, but one I like.  So, what did all of you do with your weekends?  I'm hoping to get some serious projects done this week.  Namely hemming my drapes, and sewing my pillows.  You also might notice that I've added a "to do" list of sorts to the left sidebar of my little bloggity blog.  I'm hoping it helps keep me focused on things I need to get done around here.  They're somewhat arranged in order of importance, but it's a "loose" organization.

I can't wait to read about all of your weekends.  I'm listening to the rain here (finally, monsoon season turns into something!), and LOVING it.  I know I'll pay for it tomorrow with the humidity, but it's worth it to hear the tapping of the rain on our roof.  *sigh*  Happy Monday, friends!

Friday Oops

First of all, thank you all for the love on my feature yesterday at Decor and the Dog.  I was honored to be a part of Michelle's favorite project series!  And since i've been a bit on a project roll, I decided to tackle painting the pantry last night!  This was my inspiration picture via Pinterest....

 Gorgeous right?  And mine turned out.... TERRIBLY.  Oh my goodness, sometimes you make a choice that is the absolute WRONG one.  And this was one of these.  The color is waaaaaay too intense for my small space.  And consequently I'm feeling turned off o the whole "yellow" thing altogether.  Ugh.  I'm trying to fix it (i.e. prime and start over), and we'll see what comes of it.  Anyone else ever make exactly the wrong choice when it comes to decorating?  Please share so I don't feel like such a doof!  Not to mention this means my whole pantry is scattered throughout my kitchen and driving me batty.  The price I'm willing to pay for a cute house, I tell ya! ;p

At any rate, I took a nap yesterday (I'm on summer break - be jealous!) and when I opened my eyes, this is what I saw...

Holy cuteness attack!  What a face - why he loves to have his head on a pillow like a human, I'll never know, but it makes for cheerful wake ups!  Sorry for the bad pic quality, but I had to capture it with my phone so as to not miss the moment.  Here he is again, just because I'm melting of cuteness and I wanted to share...

 

What a doll.  It looks like he was enjoying the heck out of that nap!

What are you up to this weekend?  I'm going to be fixing the mess that is my kitchen/pantry.  And I'm thinking of going a nice neutral cream color - safe, but it won't burn my corneas, so that's a plus.  And don't worry, I'll document the whole thing on Monday (and yes, I did get pictures of the yucky color, I'm just holding you in suspense, muahaha!).  Have an absolutely wonderful weekend, friends, and happy Friday! 

Pantry Overhaul

Today we're going to play a game.  It's called, "I Spy In April's Pantry."  Here's the picture you start with...

To amuse yourself, try to find the following:

• 3 different bottles of vanilla extract
• 2 bottles of balsamic vinegar
• 6 cans of tuna fish
• 7 types of pasta
• innumerable bottles of "adult juice"
• 3 different coffeemakers (used daily! We need them all, I swear!)
• 2 full jars of salt
• 3 saran wraps
• 4 boxes of onion soup mix
• 7 types of nuts
• no less than 24 different spices (in addition to my space cabinet - I have an addiction)

Tired yet?  So, needless to say, my pantry was EXPLODING! 

The Backstory (if you read this blog for the pictures, skip this bit =))
My husband bought this home a year or so before I came along and rented rooms out to 5 of his college buddies... So, they payed the mortgage but filthified (<- new word!) the house.  Eric and I were married on June 13 of 2009, and the last renter moved his final things out on June 8.  OUTRAGEOUS!  But, I won't start down that rabbit trail.  This left me the last few days before our wedding to move in and clean.  This is NOT what you want to be doing the precious few days before your wedding when your family is in town.  So I didn't.  I paid a professional to come an and deep clean and I left the pantry as it was.  After we returned from our honeymoon, I only had about 4 days before heading back to school for the year, so I just added my new things to the pantry, threw out the obviously rotting grossness (how can boys LIVE like this?!), and decided I'd take care of it later.  And while I NEVER let it get "hoarders-esqe," I certainly needed to re-think its' organization and give the shelves a good soap down.

In case you can't quite see the crazy level of stashing and stuffing going on, here's a close up at a few of the shelves.  **Disclaimer** I am NOT the only person stuffing and stashing here! But, I will admit to being most of the problem ;)

Cue the embarrassment and the I-cant-believe-I'm-actually-sharing-this-with-the-internet feelings of regret...

Something had to be done, so I gathered a good friend and we rolled up our sleeves.  We cleared evrything out and organized it into piles.... 

This was when I started to panic that I would never finish.  I can't STAND clutter, so I just wanted it done!  We wiped down the shelves, and decided how to best organize things so that similar items were grouped.  For example: grains, spices, sauces and marinades, adult beverages, containers, etc.  And after all of the washing, sorting, pitching, organizing and re-setting... we had this:

 So organized!!

Can you see how everything is all contained and matched with it's pantry friends?  I'm in heaven now when I look at it!  Even the nasty bottom shelf got a little less crazy.  And it only look 2 hours!  It seems like a long time, but not as long as it could have been, I guess.  Ted helped too:

 

 Who would watch over his bone and squeaky bear if he didn't, huh? 

Here's a look at the before and after...

Can you tell a difference?  I know I definitely can!  It may not look like much to the casual observer, but my mind is a lot clearer now - weird how organization can do that!  I wish I had had enough time to paint the backs of the shelves or even stencil them, but that will have to wait until another day, I guess.  For now, I feel like I have a grocery store in my home, it's so organized. =) And in case you're wondering what the orange paper thing is, it's a post-it left there by my husband, and it reads: "I love you, April!!" What an amazing man I have!  Have you undertaken any hefty organization projects this summer?  Please share!  Have a happy and productive Monday, friends!

P.S. Remember this project I told you about last week?  He's almost done!  Look for his reveal and a full tutorial tomorrow!