Coming Soon!

I placed a stationery order yesterday!

Typically, all my paper goods are handmade, but I like to order pretty return address labels, since I don't have any graphics programs to design my own at home!

However, thanks to some special deals, I decided to design a bunch of custom stuff just for fun!

I have a custom coiled notebook, pretty notepad to match my labels, some gorgeous thank you cards and some invitations for our upcoming Christmas party.

Here's a very poor picture of a computer screen photo of the invite...

I'm excited to see how it all turns out!!

Shopping list : Craft Supplies

I've got a slew of crafty goodness projects coming to life in my mind.

In reality: I am short on a ton of supplies to get everything finished. Here's my (running) list of stuff I need to stock up on:

+double side adhesive snail (typically I use stampin' up!, but willing to try another good brand-)

+neutral card stock. I am low on white and black. (also typically use stampin' up!)

+embellishments for my Christmas wreath. I am tearing apart last year's attempt and starting from scratch. Not sure what to add... Simple pinecones, snowflakes and plastic balls might be nice and simple (dollar store and michael's)

+maybe a meter and a half of black fabric (probably ultrasuede) to replace the destroyed zebra ottoman base

+ tsp

+primer

+white paint and some good brushes. I have a few pieces of furniture on the way that need some freshening up!

+ebony interior wood stain

+blue flocking gun and product

+more black satin spray paint (krylon)

+tons of baseboard or moulding trim

+ a roll of thin cork

*see? I'm not lazy, nor am I short of fantastic ideas...i'm just short on supplies. And there's always something each month more pressing for me to spend my hard earned cash on sigh...

Warm my heart

Last night, I made good progress on cleaning/organizing the office.

Unfortunately for me, that means I often find old un-finished projects and get the sudden urge to start them up again.

Yeah, that's exactly what happened tonight. I was cleaning out the sewing bins, and spent the next 5 hours cutting fabric.......

So, progress on the "Boys Quilt" is now under way. I started laying out squares to get an idea of how the pattern will look. I like it so far!!

This was my inspiration fabric, and where I chose the colors of the project from.

** FUN FACT: I am making this for Cory to curl up on the couch with. It's made entirely out of his old shirts!!!**

Pitiful Pumpkin

So, sometimes I have really good ideas.... sometimes I don't.

Let me explain:

I thought it would be a fantastic idea to visit the Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch with Rebecca, who I am a "big sister" to, with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Unfortunately, the day we went, was right after the first snow of the season, it was freezing. I was soooo cold, I thought I had frostbite, and we left before we could do the maze...

We did however, get a chance to buy our pumpkins! Here we are in one of the greenhouses:

Since we only get together every 2 weeks now, I let my pumpkin sit with the other pumpkin I had, in the front entrance, cause one was still ripening. They looked great in the entrance!

Last week, when Rebecca and I got together, we carved our Halloween pumpkins.

I got fancy templates, and a little carving kit and everything!!

They turned out great!

However, I forgot to get a picture of it illuminated right away!!

Unfortunately, within a day, my pumpkin was starting to wilt and look disgusting (it was inside, as it was cold at night). So I thought maybe it was too hot, and stuck the carved one outside, to keep it cool.

It snowed that night. The pumpkin looks worse, and you can't for the life of you, decipher what it is, that I carved.... :(

So, to spare you any urge to vomit... I am opting not to show you the picture of what is currently sitting on our front step....

Luckily, we do have a spare pumpkin, as Cory never got around to carving his! I might do it tomorrow afternoon. Or.... I might just leave it in it's natural state....

But it was a fun activity nonetheless!

change of plans

So apparently, tonight I will be headed out to Leduc to Cory's friend's house. He is getting rid of some old industrial metal garage shelving, and has offered it to us.

We're going to go and see if:
A.) it will fit
B.) if I even like it...

Here's hoping it will work for us, and end up saving us a ton of cash!

bad news and day three

So I was planning on getting on the computer last night to download the pics of my pumpkin, but instead, my migraine came home with me!

That turned into a 2 hour nap, and then it was almost 8 when I got up. After a quick dinner, and a few quick cleaning jobs, I went to get good pics of my pumpkin. Only to find that it had started to wilt and look pretty gross. Especially bad, were the skinny, detailed parts of the night sky and branches.

I didn't wanna take photos of it all gnarly... So I figurd it was just too hot in the house! So I set it outside on the porch last night (praying that no hoodlums would come along and smash it!)

Thankfully, it was still there this morning...but so was a lot of snow! It was also to dark out to see what shape it was in.
So I'll get it illuminated and take photos regardless, tonight!

The migraine came with me to work this morning, day 3! However, it seems to be subsiding, thankfully!

I've made Cory promise to help in the garage, so I'll kill 2 birds with one stone tonight: cleaning and getting access to a couple projects in storage!

Here's to crossing my fingers and praying for productivity!

Slip no more!

Winter's on it's way, and I don't know about you, but where I live, that means COLD!!!

It also means slippery walkways and stairs. Very dangerous when you're running out of the house to get to work on time in the morning.

This will be our first winter in our new house, and our first experience with Trex decking for our deck, porch and stairs. While it looks great, and is maintenance free.... it's also apparently very slippery when wet/icy. NO GOOD!

Enter Heattrak snow melting mats! They're used often in commercial settings, but they also have residential products, like this door mat, and of course, stair treads!!!

These babies plug in, and heat up, leaving just a warm, dry space for you to walk!!!

How cool is that???

I think they might be a little out of the budget for us, but they're something to look into if you've got a lot of stairs, or a really slippery, uncovered porch even!!!

migraine madness plus progress updates

I've had a migraine since yesterday... and a tummy ache for that matter... spent most of last night under a blanket, on the couch. :(

I even had a post all ready to go for yesterday.. but I never got around to downloading photos and adding them.. so tonight it is!

Here's what's on for the week:
+ I got a pumpkin carved this weekend, and we've got one more that MIGHT get sawed up tonight as well.... I'll share the photos this evening.

+ Cory isn't working as much this week, so I have my fingers crossed that I will get all the camping gear stored up in the loft, since there will be someone to help me man the ladder.

+ I finished my multi-colored scarf. I was really excited about it. Unfortunately, it's too wide, and not long enough..... so now it is a cat blanket. A little sad - but happy to say I finally finished a knitting project, and excited to get the new one started. Cory wants a scarf now -it's gonna be black and blue. Plus I have some gorgeous teal yarn lined up for me!!!

+ one porch tree is finished and ready for set-up. The other is in storage, in the garage rafters. Gonna get Cory to get it down tonight, so it can be painted up by end of week

+ gonna search out the foam, and get fabric panels cut for the storage ottoman this week!! I can't guarantee sewing them together... but it'll be finished in November sometime. Looking forward to finishing it. Possibly a good candidate for the front hallway!

+ picked up a new little decor item this weekend - a gift from Cory. My vision for it, isn't making me smile though...one I'm happy with it's styling, I'll share some photos!!

+ the cats have not yet scratched at the zebra ottoman since I've brought it inside, which means I am GOOD TO GO, on re-upholstering the base they destroyed when they were kittens!

+ the office is FOR SURE getting cleaned up this weekend, as Christmas projects are starting come November!!!!

it's a wet, rainy one here- but that's better than snow, so I'll chalk it up to spending the evening at the gym!!!

Christmas Prep 101

I'm a HUGE Christmas fan!!

So, needless to say, I'm already gearing up to get started on my holiday prep.

Here are a few things I want to get started on this month, in preparation for December:

~ order some return address stickers - I've been meaning to get on this, since we moved. I have them designed, I just need to place the order.

~ find out when company parties are going to be, so we set the date for our party with friends

~ complete painting porch tree pots

~ take exterior house measurements, and take inventory of what we need to buy for Christmas lights

~ make Christmas card list; design and make cards

~ choose packaging for holiday baked good care packages

~ design new stockings

Can't wait!!!

Mood lighting

I've mentioned before, that working for a builder, has it's perks! One being that I get to see a lot of new products before they become accessible to the general public.

Case in point: I read about this item a while back, and wrote it down, as a potential blog idea. Well, I just cleaned out my purse and found it... and this couldn't have come at a better time than nearing the holidays.

One of the things I like most about holidays, is setting the table. Every year I do something different, and I am always looking for ways to set a really great table, but ensure that it isn't too cluttered, to save room for all the serving pieces.

Well, I just found a way to eliminate the need for candles, but still keep "mood lighting". This very cool LED illuminated table runner by Sylvania is definetly on my wishlist!!

It's only available in one lenght, and one color (for now...), but I think it would be a great addition to a dinner table! Plus, there are countless other things you could use it for!!

The battery pack lasts 10 hours once fully charged, so your table could shine brightly for the whole day!!

Accountability

Morning! There's not much been happening on the home front lately, so that's why the posts have been few and far between.

Oh, that's not to say there aren't a million and one projects swirling around in my head - there are!! It's just that the bf and I have both been incredibly busy lately. So any project that needs his help, has been put on hold.... which drives me insane. Also, any project that requires some financial investment, was on hold, but starting to see the light of day!!

But I seem to be hitting a wall with starting projects, and then not finishing them. So I am here to document them, and get it out there, to put some accountability on myself, and actually finish them.

Here are some projects that have been in the works for a while now, and their current state:

~Wheeled storage ottoman/bench - this is probably the oldest in-progress project, which makes me sad. This is gonna be gorgeous when it's done. Currently, the finished top has been sitting, in protective plastic for almost 2 years?? I'm pretty sure I have enough fabric, foam and nailhead trim to finish this ( probably....). It needed a sewing machine - i have one now, I'd like to get some work done on this on the weekend! **this might find a home in the front entrance**

~Master Bedroom Upholstered Headboard - this is something I have been dreaming of for years. I know exactly what I want. My mom made the wood frame, with legs and everything. However, this project still needs foam, fabric and nailhead trim to be purchased. That requires $$$ . I am going to start putting some aside, to put towards this project. I will also, in the interim, start looking for fabric I love!! This will be a 2010 project, but I vow to finish it sooner than later!

~Coffee Table & End Table Re-finishing - a freebie, these are great scale tables! Only problem? Bad color! I found the stain, it needs to be purchased. I just need Cory to sand them down, as I have a fear of sanding! I want this done by the end of November. I want it to finally look right for our big Christmas party.

~ Zebra Ottoman fix - this is not so much a project in the works, so much as it is a piece of furniture that is out of commission. Cause: 2 baby kittens!! Yes, when the boys were babies, they used it as a scratching post - something about ultrasuede that they love... I love the top, it's undamaged. The bottom....needs new foam and new fabric. Another one of those projects that needs more $$ than I have right now, but it's on the list, for 2010.

~Christmas Wreath - I started this last year, but hated what I did. So it's pretty much been torn apart, and I need to start anew. I'm looking forward to this one - it will be fun to create something that will look right with the new house's exterior seasonal decor!!

~Painted lit porch tree pots - I started painting the pots of my two porch trees, to get them to have a cohesive look. I have one half-done. I will finish them by the weekend, so that I can get these babies in place on the porch.


** hmmm.. I thought there were a lot more things... but that's all I can remember right now.

Anyhow, they're out there now so I better deliver!!

Get crafty : sooooo NOT a seamstress. A completed project!!

Last night Cory had to work quite late. That meant I was left to my own devices, which is never a good thing. Except last night!

Yes, that's right! I was getting stuff done! I even whipped out the ole' sewing machine. Well, technically, it's only a year old yesterday - it was last year's b-day gift!! Unfortunately, it got used maybe three times, before I whined that I needed people to buy me fabric, and then it got packed for moving and sat in the new office closet ever since.

Well, no more!! Last night, it created a wearable piece of clothing! I've had these yoga pants for about a year. Unfortunately, I'm short (5'1" short), and pants never are! So these sat in my fabric box, waiting for me to tend to them. Admittedly, I was a little scared... I'm not a great seamstress!

But for some reason, I got them out, and whipped them into shape. I've done up a little tutorial, which I know is stupid, cause I'm a poor sewer. But I know there are people out there worse than me, who are probably also scared, and I'm sure this might help.

So here goes nothing:

1. Put on pants that need hemming. ( I find this is best, you should also wear the shoes you plan to wear with them, to get the best length.) FOLD EXCESS PANT INSIDE!!!!! It works best if someone pins the pants while you wear them, cause otherwise they're probably not gonna be straight cause you're bent over. This isn't always possible, like with me, I wing it!! Then re-examine pinned hem when I take them off. **Most people would then press their pants to get a nice, clean crease. That's not me... plus these are yoga pants, iron is bad news....it's up to you.***

2. Re-examine hem to make sure it's straight. Remember, that your legs are also a little different in length, so they may not be exactly same length.....but you can do one and copy the other if that's your thing. ** KEEP PANTS RIGHT-SIDE OUT **

3. Rig up your sewing machine with proper color thread. Choose appropriate stitch (if you are lucky enough to have this option; if you don't, you can go over stitches more than once if you wanna make sure they're good. Which might be smart if your fabric is stretchy....) ** I used a straight stitch first, then overtop - a double zig-zag stitch, for security, plus I thought it looked like the surger stitches on the rest of pants.... but that's me **

4. Turn pants inside-out, cut all loose threads, and then use sharp scissors to cut off the excess pants, underneath your new hem!!!!

5. Try those babies on, and admire your butt in the mirror for a bit!!!

6. Smile and realize you're not a total sewing failure!!!!

Guest goodie basket

A few weeks ago, I showed you what our guest bedroom looks like. Keep in mind, we've done absolutely no "decorating" in there, other than to set it up once we moved in. Nothing new has been purchased, and none of the items, have been selected for the space. It's full of pieces I had as a kid.

Anyhow, despite not buying anything for the space until it's decorated, we still want it to be a comfy little abode for the few guests we do get. HI MOM!!

So in addition to adding a bright, bushy plant (free- from my boss' wife!), and taking the rag-mag basket to the nightstand, there's now a little goody basket of supplies, incase our guests have forgotten something at home.

I hope to get something a little fancier down the road, but for now, I put together what I had, and it's serving a purpose, much like the room!

Here's how I created this in less than a minute:

~this pretty silver basket once held a perfume gift set, I believe

~ scrunched up some tissue paper for the bottom

~add a little washcloth

~ some hotel sized bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and handlotion (even though there are some in the guest bath)

~ a copy of "Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown so that they have something smart to read if they don't care for the Us Weekly magazines in the basket by the bed

~ an extra toothbrush

~ lavender linen spray, cause I know how hard it is to fall asleep away from home

~ a fresh bar of fancy french soap. ( we use body wash, but some people don't care for it...)

That's it! How about you? Any suggestions on stuff to add? Do you have a guest basket at your casa? What's inside? I'd love to hear!

on being 27

yesterday was my birthday.



a lot has happened in the last year: Cory and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary, we bought, built and moved into our first house, and I lost my job which prompted me to take a much lower paying job, that I love.



It's been a rough road, but it's been a fantastic one.



This is however, the first year in ages, that I won't be "celebrating" as usual. Typically, I've always done dinner with the family, and then either had people over, or had a night out with friends. This year, Cory alluded to the fact that he was planning a big surprise - you know, cause I planned a huge surprise party for him..... However, I guess he's been so busy with work, he just didn't get around to it :(



So, it will be a quiet one this year. We tried a new restaurant last night, Murietta's. Overrated for sure... He's also taking me shopping tonight, as my gift. For work clothes, so I'm excited!



I was going to try and line up some bowling with out friends last minute, but I hear everyone is busy... so maybe next week?



Oh, and I took todayoff! So this was an exceptionally short, 3 day, work week for me!



What I did:



~slept in

~ stayed home so the City inspectors could come and give me my occupancy permits!

~ some part-time job sourcing

~basic lollygaging!

Hope your day was wonderful!

whirlwind and snowstorms

Yes you read that right... It's like full-on winter around here. Which is super depressing... I really quite like the cool crispness of fall. It's perfect for evening walks with loved ones!

Anyhow, it's been a whirlwind of activity around here! Albeit cold activities, but nonetheless, there's stuff happening.

First things first: I waited two days for a repair man to come and fix our pvr, to no avail..so I've rescheduled and now have to wait til the 22 to get the stupid thing to work properly.

We tackled a mini thanksgiving afterall! It was just Cory and I, but we did it. It was delicious but a lot of work for just us two.

I got the garage started. I know I planned to complete it, but in between waiting for repair men, getting my hair cut, almost getting frostbite at a pumpkin festival, and then realizing I didn't know how to properly work an extention ladder, things got delayed.

Actually, the delay is in the fact that after getting the ladder to extend, it does not feel safe. So I am leaving the rest of the project to a day when Cory is around to take me to the hospital when I fall. Besides, we don't have a garage opener yet...
Tonight: I am working on jazzing up a mini book that will collect ideas, stories and other goodness.

I wanna finish my scarf since it's appropriately cold outside.

I'd like to seek out a part-time gig to start saving for some big summer plans!

I've still got some stamp sets to sell, and a lot of bites, but no one picking up the goods! Time to discount some prices!

There are pics from the weekend to download and get some blog posts geared up!

I think it's time to dust off my sewing machine, and get started on some holiday crafts. Plus, some yoga pants to hem.

Plus, there are two upholstered pieces waiting for me to get some time, money and patience, so I can finally finish them!

It's a creative-feeling day! Wish me luck!

Coulda, woulda, shoulda.. haunting me!

Last week, mom was in town because Home Depot was having a flooring sale, and she wanted to pick up some laminate to re-do her living room floors, and finally rip out the nasty carpet she inherited with the place!

While we were there, we looked around at different stuff, even though we weren't really in the market for anything. Outta the blue, we happened to notice a SUPER-SONIC SALE!! They had a fantastic little toilet on sale for $42!!!!!

I know, you're thinking that's a weird thing to get excited about, as I'm not doing a renovation of any kind... and I just moved into a brand new home. However, we do have an unfinished basement. with a rough-in for another 2 piece bath. it's small scale. really small scale. $42 dollars is a fantastic buy

So I texted Cory and he also mentioned it was a good buy. my mom and I couldn't get over it. I even imagined myself buying the toilet, and storing it in the box, right where it would find a permanent home down the road.

But, since we've been trying very hard to save every penny, and only buy necessities, I left empty-handed.

Now, I'm kicking myself and wondering when I will ever find such a good looking, small scale, well priced toilet ever again.....
My gut feeling tells me that I should probably head over to see if they have any left......

Thoughts?

70% sure.... Wallpaper??

In an effort to properly complete the decorating in our new house, I decided that it made the most sense to completely finish decorating an entire room, before I move on to another...

Makes sense right? So, from now on, whatever money we have in our budget available for decorating - will go towards finishing a "room", not acquiring "pieces". The room I am most anxious to finish is the powder room.

I showed pics of it back in August and while I'm pleased with how it looks right now, I'm not completely happy with it.

Here's a list of what I feel it's missing:

~proper artwork

~ something to fill the void in the little cubby next to the vanity

~ a fix for the towel bar (it seems too big... or soemthing??)

~ a little more pizzaz*

*enter - my current idea: Wallpaper!! (the colors are prettier in person - that's actually a metallic SILVER)

I mentioned a while back that I had fallen in love with two (one for the bedroom, one for powder room) from Rona and after much deliberation, forgot about it. However, when I visited Cory at work a couple weekends ago, I noticed that there was a roll that someone had opened, and it appeared people had been ripping pieces off, as samples. Since it was already opened, and the roll pretty much destroyed, I decided to grab a tiny corner for myself (NOTE: I WOULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS TO AN UN-OPENED, WRAPPED ROLL!!)

I brought it home to see how it looked, and what Cory thought! He loved it!! Which totally shocked the hell outta me!

( to the left of the toilet, is a HUGE blank, wall that is crying out for attention!!)

So, it's now officially back in my head. Unfortunately, the sample I snagged is too small to gauge via camera ( plus, the metallic-ness of the paper on such a small scale, didn't photo well....) but I figured I would show you the pics of the room, and the picture off the site altogether, and put it out there: YAY OR NAY?

Right now, we're about 70% sure it's what we want to do. But, for whatever reason, wallpaper scares me a little. I know it's not permanent - but it's a bigger commitment than paint. Plus, we really love the paint color in the house right now....
I'm also torn as to whether or not to paper the whole room. I know that powder rooms are such a great place to take a leap of faith and go crazy with wallpaper, since they make such a dramatic change... but i'm worried that with the dark floors, and vanity, it might be too much!

Let me know what you think please. I'd love all comments!!

Change of plans...

So, I woke up this morning to a little surprise......it also involved me slipping on the front step.... Any ideas? Let's just say, it's early this year - it usually doesn't arrive until after my birthday.. next week!!!!

Yeah, you guessed it! SNOW!! And it is still blowing and coming down strong!!!

This is the view outside my office window right now:

Guess that means that cleaning the garage has taken priority over the office!!!

Luckily, I got my mom to bring the big tall ladder into town last weekend, so all I've gotta do now, is dress warm and invest some manpower into making it tidy enough, to actually park a car inside!

Today: I'm slated to do a little work on cleaning the office tonight; I'd like to make it out for a nice walk in the snow; and make a list of my plan for the garage!

Have a good one! Make a snow angel!!

Current Project: the place where things go to die.... The Office

Currently, there are 2 very daunting "rooms" in my house that are challenging me to clean them:

The Garage (see next week), and the Office.

You see, both of these "rooms" were unpacked, however, I never actually put anything away.... if that makes sense....

I have a beautiful, organized, enviable vision in my head of what I want each room to look like. However, when I wake up from that wonderful dream, I realized that I don't have anywhere near the budget I'd need to create them.

So, for now, I'm determined to turn them each into something useful, workable, and organized.

Here's the BEFORE (or should I say, CURRENT):

There's even a lovely, walk-in closet, for all my craft stuff:I know, I'm ashamed......but I have been working on it!

I started clearing out drawers and getting rid of, and selling stuff I don't use!

I hope to tackle this room in pieces all week, and hopefully share a much improved space with you, next week!

Holiday Decor

I'm not much of a fan of Halloween, but I do enjoy Holiday Decor! I think it's partly because I'm a fall baby!!

Unfortunately, the interior of my house, does not lend itself to matching Autumn colors.....so I'll be keeping my Harvest-themed decorating to a minimum. Especially since we don't get a lot of company during these busy holidays....

I had a grand plan for a gorgeous Autumnal Porch display, that included large planters of mums, and rustic furniture, but with a small no budget, and the fact that fall dissappeared, and winter came so early.... I'm keeping it simple.

This wreath was made by me, last year. (It doesn't look as good on this door as it did on our old door, sadly )

In lieu of pots full of dark purple and red mums, I'll be adding potted faux evergreens (they're still to come, as they're getting a makeover this weekend). Plus, there are two pumpkins keeping warm in the front entrance (we have snow here).

**Excuse the un-finished look of our porch treads - the builder needs to finish those next spring!**

Inside, I wanted to do SOMETHING. But with little money, supplies or time, I simply "autumned up" my current display. I was pretty happy with how it looked until I just took photos... it looks so bare

I simply switched out the blue candle, and replaced it with a nice orange one ( one a clear plastic box to add height). I added faux leaves around the lantern, trying to replicate the look of leaves falling/fallen. A few little clusters of berries and some pumpkins and gourds round out the look.

Currently our two larger pumpkins sit on the floor underneath, keeping warm outta the snow, but will be carved next weekend and put out on the porch.

Last but not least, my dining table always has an appropriate centerpiece! A large white fruit bowl is the perfect background for faux leaves, pumpkins, berries and gourds. Easy peasy.

Cost Breakdown:

Lantern - already had ($30.00 from Homesense)

Candle - already had ($25.00 from Costco for 3)

leaves/mini pumpkins/gourds/berries - already had ($9.97 from Walmart; packaged in clear box used for staging**)

white bowl - already had

real pumpkins - $7.00 ( 1 was a gift from my mom's friend's garden; the other came from a pumpkin patch I visited on Sunday).

wreath and hanger - already had ( all supplies from Michael's; cost was under $30.00)

porch trees - already had (Walmart)

____________________

Total Cost $7.00 *

* would have been free, but I wanted 2 pumpkins, one for each of us.

It's nothing much, but it's a bright surprise to look at when we get home from work! I'll be buying more decorations for next year though....

Lonny Love

Yeah, yeah, I know it debuted last week.. but I only got a chance to check it out now!!

If you've already heard of it, then let me know how much you love it!

If you haven't heard of it, check it out immediately, here

Q:What's Lonny????

A: Lonny is an online mag, that features a lot of the same style interiors as the recently folded Domino Magazine!! I was super sad when this magazine ceased production, but am uber excited to be able to view similar style here!! YAY!

Here's how I knew I found a read, that I would enjoy - one of the first pages:

Creating Calm : Daily Cleaning Schedule

Since the recent purchase of our new house, I really want to take good care of our place. At the same time, I don't have the time to clean our house from top to bottom every day... HECK, I can barely manage to get myself showered, dressed, with a packed lunch to work on time 5 days of the week!!

So, in an effort to make this the year of change, and get me more organized, and as Domestically-Wonderful as all my friends think I am, I decided to tackle house cleaning HEAD ON!!

Of course, since I have a fascination with making lists, and writing things down, I decided to make a few lists/charts:

1. List of all Rooms/Large Areas that need cleaning/organizing

2. List of tasks per room

3. rooms chart

4. list of what rooms were best suited to be cleaned on what days

I think the end result will work out perfectly! Here's how it breaks down:

Monday : Master Bed & Bath

~change linens; make bed

~remove all items that do not belong; clear and dust all surface tops

~fold and put away any laundry

~dust baseboards, blinds, lampshades and windowsills

~windex all windows, pictures and mirrors

~ clean toilet

~scrub shower

~ wipe down counters, cabinet fronts, switchplates, door knobs and sink

~ refill any toiletries (ex. handsoap, toilet paper, q-tips)

~ take out the trash

~organize one area per week (ex. 1 drawer; 1 shelf, etc.)

Tuesday : Guest Room & Bath; Linen Closet, Upstairs Hall

~ Change linens (if required); make bed

~ Dust all surface tops, blinds, baseboards and lampshades

~ update guest magazine basket with new issues

~ water plant

~ windex all windows, mirrors and pictures

~clean toilet

~ clean shower (if needed)

~ wipe down counters, sink, cabinet fronts, switchplates, door knobs,

~ empty garbage

~refill toiletries

~ organize one area per week (ex. closet/armoire/ cabinet, etc.)

~ Vaccum entire upstairs and hallway

~Wash floors in bathroom and master bath

Wednesday: Living/Dining/ Powder Room/Entry

~ Windex all windows, doors, pictures, glass tables and glass-front pictures

~ tidy up front hall closet

~ change up front hall display area (if needed; seasonal)

~ clean toilet

~wipe down countertops, sinks, switch plates, baseboards and door knobs

~ change out clean and dirty towels; send sofa throws to laundry

~ empty wastebaskets

~ refill toiletries

~ corrall all magazines into appropriate baskets

~ return all items that don't belong, to their appropriate rooms

~ vaccum sofa/loveseat cushions; arrange cushions

~ water plants

~ dust all surfaces and blinds

~swiffer main floor; wash floors

Thursday: Office

~attend to all incoming mail; pay bills; read correspondance; RSVP to invites; cut coupons, etc.

~file all paperwork

~ finish up any craft projects; put away all supplies

~file away any books, magazines, etc. that need to find homes

~empty trash

~clean up computer desktop

~ dust all surfaces, blinds and baseboards

~wipe down switchplates and door knobs

~vaccum

~windex windows and desk top

~**tackle one organization area /week (ex. drawer or shelf)

Friday : First Impressions - Front Porch, Deck, Patio

~ plant maintenance - watering, dead-heading, re-potting, etc.

~ sweep/hose down or shovel/scrape all areas; wipe down outdoor furniture

~ attend to any season decor issues/projects

Saturday : Kitchen, Powder Room

**if we have people over, I do a whole house tidy**

~ clear counters

~ wipe down all counters, sinks, knobs, handles, cabinet fronts, baseboards

~ do dishes/run dishwasher

~ clean fridge - throw out all expired foods; make grocery list

~ tackle one organization area per week ( ex. one drawer, or cupboard)

~clean powder room same as previous

Sunday : Garage & Car

~ take out all garbage and recycling

~ tidy up workbench/potting bench/craft space

~ put away/ take out any items from storage

~ sweep/hose down garage

~ empty all garbage from car

~ remove all items that do not belong

~ vaccum thoroughly (carpet cleaner if needed)

~ dust & use protectant on all leather/vinyl areas

~ windex all windows / mirrors

~ Febreeze upholstery and interior

~ re-stock all car supplies (ex. kleenex, wet wipes, etc.)

That's pretty much the base of it!! There's always stuff left off, or additional stuff I do as needed. Plus, there is a list of stuff I do monthly - but I think this list will keep me (and Cory) on track!!

photo from Real Simple

Be Our Guest.... aka The Pine Room

Welcome!!

Last week, you saw where our houseguests freshen up. Today, I'm showing you where they rest their weary heads!

We don't get too many houseguests, but my mom comes in about once a month, and stays for a night or more.... Plus, there's the occassional "too many drinks" party guest who catches some zzzzs. So, while we opted not to spend a dime in here, and will get around to it once all the other rooms are complete, it still needed to be cozy and hospitable.

Unfortunately, what that means, is that it's where all the cast-offs ended up! Thankfully, they somehow managed to be all the same type of wood : PINE! So at least the look is cohesive.

However, it is the only room in the entire house that doesn't feature dark ebony or espresso woods... so I affectionately refer to it as the "pine room".

(Currently it's sporting a bright, summer look!)

The beautiful Lily Canvas was a Walmart score a few years back!

The purple floral sheets were found at Costco
White duvet is from Ikea and it needs a cover.

Little velvet pillow (reverse side is leopard print) was a gift.

We have yet to make an upholstered headboard for this room!

Purple "throw" is a beaded sari-like piece I got at Home Sense, in the table linen aisle, years ago. **I once wrapped it around stacked milkcrates, as a make-shift end table in my first apartment**

~The armoire is a piece I designed as a teenager, and my mom built! It houses decor pieces like vases, frames, candles, etc. (some shelves got ruined during moving, so when they're fixed and organized, I'll show you what's inside!!)

~The little nightstand was from Cory's bachelor days, and is an Ikea piece.

~The glass based lamp was from Homsense (aka US - HomeGoods)

~ A little clock and picture frame keep it pretty

~The plant arrived this week from a lady at work, giving them away!

This side of the room needs some work!!

~ The dresser has been mine since I was born!! Currently, it houses guest room bed linens!

~The chest was a hope chest designed by me, and made by my mom, when I was a teenager (it matches the armoire). It holds gifts and linens, as well as a few things from my childhood!

~The flower artwork is Ikea

~ The painting is an original by My Mom, a Christmas gift two years ago.

There is also a huge closet on one wall that I apparently forget to photograph. It houses Cory's old dresser, and off-season clothing. This closet is in disarray and needs some storage boxes, and the like.

Overall, the room serves a purpose and is nice. But overall, I see something completely different, long-term!

We'll probably paint/re-stain all the furniture, if we don't buy new stuff.

The linens and accessories will change, once we select a headboard fabric.

Accessories will come into play once everything else is chosen.

For now though, it's fine as is, and since it's not MY room... I'm ok with it!

t

Cougartown

I don't know if you've been watching Courtney Cox Arquette's new show Cougartown or not.... but if not, you really should. I actually don't mind the cheesy show - but her house on the show, is GORGEOUS!!!

The house itself is amazing - did you check out the kitchen last night? But the furniture and accessories inside, made me soooo envious!! Everything was so bright and fresh!! Lots of fun color, but done in a really elegant, sophisticated way.

I've been searching everywhere for photos.... but am having a reallyhard time getting some info or sneak peeks... if anyone knows of a good place I can view some... please let me know!

Thanks!