New Project Plans: A Mudroom!

Well, technically it’s a closet. This is the place all of the odds and ends we seem to collect over the years goes…to die. It’s a huge closet under the stairs and we’ve cleaned it out more times than I can count. It has stored our Christmas decorations, important paperwork, photos, extra paper towels, old home décor, etc. Between our crazy amount of donations to Goodwill, the new home office, and new storage in the garage we don’t have an excuse for this any longer.






Thankfully, it doesn’t look as bad in the picture. I’m not kidding. If you’ve been wondering why I’ve been MIA this week it’s because I’m trying to integrate the things we are going to keep into our home office. Everything else has been donated, put in the attic, or in the garage. I still have two filing cabinets and three large bins to go through, but it’s coming along. Here is the closet now.






It’s clean, but ugly as sin. So, what prompted me to clean this mess up? Typical January organization? Nope. It’s when the lightbulb went off that this would make a perfect mudroom. It’s in a central location on our first floor so it doesn’t matter if we enter the house through the front door or the garage door. I have been complaining for a while that we don’t have enough hooks in the laundry room for a family of five. I need hooks for ten jackets, three backpacks, a briefcase and a couple of handbags. Oh, and hats! That might not happen, but it’s on my wish list. I also need a spot the kids can store their shoes that Mr. Shoe Fetish (aka Mario or the pupster) can’t find them them.

This project is going to take a while. I have to paint, replace the carpet, and sweet talk my husband into taking out the retired saw for some built-in shelving. But, can’t you see it? No. Well, I really don’t have a full plan yet either. The best part of a new project are the inspiration pictures. Here’s your eye candy because I know the pictures above aren’t doing it for you.

Traditional Closet by Beverly Architects & Designers Siemasko + Verbridge


 

Farmhouse Entry by Stillwater Architects & Designers Ron Brenner Architects


 

Craftsman Entry by Palo Alto Architects & Designers FGY Architects


 

Beach Style Entry by Portland Interior Designers & Decorators Garrison Hullinger Interior Design Inc.

My new mudroom won't look like these, of course. There's only so much you can do with a closet, but I do hope to incorporate built-ins to decrease the slope and odd angles of the ceiling and walls. I can't wait to get started!





 

Projects for 2014

Are you ready for some projects?! The holidays are over and it's time to get moving. I feel like my kids when they wake up and cry that they don't want to go to school. I don't really want to get started on anything, but I know I it's time. When I wrote my to do list last year I had just finished all of the big projects downstairs and was excited to get started on renovating the upstairs of my home. I didn't finish the entire upstairs like I had planned, but I knew that was an overly ambitious goal.

Here's a quick recap of what I have done upstairs. The old, gross carpet was removed and we had new laminate flooring installed throughout the entire floor. This made a huge difference. Everything just felt clean and new. Then, we replaced all of the trim around the doors and windows, and put in a batten board treatment throughout the entire game room. I decided to work on the game room first since it's the first room you see when you go up the stairs.



I had planned on painting the game room myself, but I knew it would take forever just to caulk the trim. Since I had zero motivation and wanted this room done quickly, I hired someone to paint this room. I felt uneasy about paying someone so much money to do a job I knew I could do, but it was so worth it in the end. It took them three days and it probably would have taken me three weeks.





I spent very little on the décor since I already had the sofa and console. I added the rug, coffee table, shades, and accessories. Besides the kitchen, this is the first room I've actually finished in this house because I didn't have to buy any big ticket items.

And, my latest project still isn't finished either, the boys' bathroom.



It's really close to being done so I will probably finish this room first. The hard work is done and it will help get me motivated to start on the rest of the upstairs, I hope.

So, what's next? My kids' bedrooms and my master bathroom is all that's left inside and they are in need of some serious TLC. The boys' bedrooms have gotten the most attention in this house since we've lived here, but look the worst since kids aren't "careful" with their belongings. Using the word "careful" is me being nice. I can't tell you how many times I've had to repaint walls, replace broken blinds, pick lamps up off the floor, scrape gum off the nightstands, etc. Because my little "darlings" will just tear it up again I am just giving it a spit shine with a bit of paint and a few accessories. Now, do you understand why half the furniture in my house is from Ikea?

And, on to the biggest project. My master bathroom should be a gut job because it's a 90s nightmare, but I'm planning on giving it a facelift instead with new paint, trim and fixtures. The shower, tile, vanity countertop and flooring will eventually need to be replaced. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to save that for later. I wish I had more time and money to devote to it, but we've really got to do something about my home's curb appeal.

The roof needs to be replaced, the siding pressure washed, and the landscaping addressed. My front yard has never been wonderful to begin with, but it was really damaged after having a tractor drive through the middle of it for our pool dig last summer. Oh, and my upstairs flowerbox is so sad with one lone weed creeping over the side. I'm hoping we can get working on the exterior this spring when the weather is nice. Until then, I will be working on the remaining interior projects upstairs. Fortunately for my wallet they are mostly paint projects, but I am not looking forward to the manual labor. I suppose I should say goodbye to any hopes of having a manicure this year.

The bright side is that these are the remaining big projects! Once these are finished I will be decorating, tweaking, and doing small DIY projects. Then, we'll probably move. We have no plans to move, but we moved after our last house was remodeled so it's a running joke in our family. Now, off to work! I'm not talking about DIY. I'm really running late for work!

Have a great weekend!

Choosing the Right Furniture for Your Room

Are you confused by Louis XIV, Neo-Classic, or Rococo period furniture? What is it? I really just included Rococo because I like the name. Maybe because it sounds like cocoa? Anyway, I don't blame you for not knowing. Whenever I visit a museum someone tries to talk to me about the period or style of the artist and I want to say,"I just like the colors." Or, "Why doesn't the Venus de Milo have arms?"

However, when it comes to actually buying furniture I want to make sure I'm not making a mistake. Why? It's because I'm frugal and want the piece to last as long as possible. I am not against mixing styles, but it does need to be intentional. For example, I love what Joni from Cote de Texas calls "the Houston look." Casual furniture that fits great with our warm Houston climate, but combined with European antiques for an elegant look. Perfect!

I've combined styles myself by choosing a French bistro chair and an off-white table in my breakfast room. The chair is rustic enough to blend with the cottage style table, but the elegant lines tell a different story.




I love the warmth and elegance of this chair so much that it inspired me to change a few other things in my living room.



The ginger jar, horse and orchid vase accent the chair in the breakfast room. It also keeps this room from looking too coastal. I love a coastal style, but prefer mixing it up to avoid a themed room. This works especially well if you are like me and love too many styles to choose just one.

If you need a little help identifying different furniture styles, check out One King's Lane new resource guide. To view it on their website, click under "site map" and then "home décor resource." You can also click here. I found a plethora of information and I especially love their guide on how to choose statement chairs. Who knew that one breakfast chair would send me on a tangent to switch up the rest of my great room?

We could all copy a look we see in a catalog and it would look fabulous, but most of us want to see a little of ourselves represented somewhere in the room. I think this is why almost no one does it. Our homes give us the most comfort when they reflect a little bit of our thoughts and experiences. You can tell I crave a spa-like environment when I'm at home with all of this white. I do have three boys and say,"Calgon take me away!" on a regular basis. Can you also tell I love the beach and was greatly inspired by my trip to London and Paris? Yes, this room feels like me. :)

Plugging Back In

The Christmas craziness is over! Have you recovered? I'm exhausted! It's hard being mom this time of year, but these smiles on Christmas morning make it all worth it.




And, reactions like these are priceless!



After stressing over the holidays, we decided to take an impromptu trip and unplug so we chose a remote location in Arkansas. Note to self, there's no unplugging when dealing with my boys. They have two modes-on and unconscious. It was still nice to get away from the responsibilities of home.

And the view of the Ozarks was all worth it.




The first night we stayed at a lodge in a state park. It reminded me so much of the Wilderness Lodge at Disney World, but with a view of the mountains.




My boys appreciated the indoor pool more than the view.



Then, we took a scenic drive through the Ouachita National Forest to another state park outside of Hot Springs. This time we rented a cabin that sat right on the lake for a bit of hiking and fishing. I really just wanted to read and sit by the lake, but we kept busier than we thought.








My little guy enjoyed the view of the lake from the screened porch...for about 30 seconds.



I have no idea why he only has on one sock. I'm not sure why he does a lot of things!

And my middle son helped dad start the grill...for about 30 seconds. He came back when it was time for smores, of course.




The hike to the waterfall at the park was a highlight of the trip. The path was a bit more treacherous than I thought it would be, but we made it and had a lot of fun on the way. My little guy took his Minecraft sword to kill any bears that might attack us. We obviously only had to worry about dad having too much fun with the kid sword.



I can't say I'm recharged and ready to tackle any new projects, but I am happy to be home and slowly get back up to speed. How was your Christmas? Are you getting ready for New Year's Eve?

We'll be spending ours here in the backyard-swimming in the hot tub, grilling, and making s'mores.



We may or may not stay awake until midnight. Exciting, right? Have a great New Year's!

Christmas Tablescape

Can you believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve?! There are so many last minute details to wrap up today and tomorrow that my head is spinning a bit. I know I’m not the only one out there wrapping presents, running to the store, and getting their home ready for guests. At least I imagine everyone is just as busy as me because it makes me feel better.

One item I can cross off my list is this year’s Christmas table. As always, my tablescapes are impromptu and very inexpensive since I usually shop my house and use glass containers that can be filled with holiday décor I already have. I don’t think I shared how inexpensive they are. My Thanksgiving table this year cost a whopping $3 for the gold pinecones I used as vase filler. I spent a bit more on Christmas, which came in at $14. I think this is the most I have ever spent!



I was so excited to find this red tablecloth on sale at Target for $8. I knew it would match my centerpiece perfectly that I put together from an old garland I made years ago. Reuse and repurpose when you can!



The Christmas plates were a gift many years ago and the champagne glasses were purchased at Ikea last year.






I was too exhausted last night to worry about ironing the tablecloth. I’m hoping the wrinkles will fall out today. If not, I’ll live. Raising three boys has beat any type A personality traits out of me.



I filled the glass cylinders with real cranberries, sprigs of garland from my breakfast room chandelier, and floating candles. My husband said, “what?!” when I started filling them with water to make the cranberries and candles float. Ha! I got the idea from wedding tablescapes I’ve seen on Pinterest. There are so many different things you could do with these glass cylinders-ornaments, branches, candles, pinecones, snow, etc. I picked them up several months ago at Target for $10 each knowing I would use them over and over again without ever having the same look.



At least this room is ready for Christmas! Are you ready?

A No Bow Christmas

I love beautifully wrapped presents as much as the next person, but I’ve had kids and pets long enough to know that bows will not last a week in my house. By Christmas Day, I’m lucky if I even have one bow left on a present.

Recently, I came across this idea on Pinterest. You can buy the wrapping paper, ribbon and labels at this Etsy store.




But, I decided to try this using store bought tags and ribbon. One day I’ll be crafty enough to make my own, but not this Christmas. Here is my version.






You could definitely make this prettier with nicer wrapping paper and tags, but I let the kids pick out their own paper. I just asked that it have blue or silver this year to match the tree. I love that I can stack the presents on top of each other now without having to worry about the bows getting crushed. Why didn’t I think of this before?! Now, if I could just figure out how to keep the presents wrapped since prying little hands are undoing the edges of the paper.

Fall to Winter Fashion

I overdosed on Christmas décor blog posts this past week. I bet many of you did too with so many beautifully decorated homes. I really think this has been the best year yet, but now I have Christmas fatigue. I'm sure I will get over it in a few days. :)

Now, that my house is decorated and almost all of the gifts are bought, I need to focus on my lack of a winter wardrobe. I may wear yoga pants almost every day, but I still need a few outfits for the days I do go somewhere other than the grocery store. Here are my favorite cold weather looks from my fashion Pinterest board.













I'm dying to own a tutu.






My favorite handbags













And shoes...









And I really want this...

It's fun to dream!