Fabulous Feature Friday {A Thoughtful Place}

Happy Friday All! I hope some of you are starting to thaw out from this crazy cold weather. We still have a couple of inches of snow here in NC, but it should melt away today with our 50 degree temps. It sure has been a weird winter.

I have a great treat for you today! I am sharing the home tour of one of my sweet friends Courtney from A Thoughtful Place. We met at the Haven Conference this past summer and hit it off right away. Oh how I wish we lived next door to each other...we would have a blast!

Courtney writes the blog A Thoughtful Place and has been in the interior decorating business for quite sometime. She is one talented lady! She has so many creative ideas when it comes to making her house a home, but also making it a place where kids can be creative and have fun. I hope you enjoy her house tour!

Courtney pays attention to every detail in her home. Can you tell? I Love that chandelier and all the little vignette's she has around her space.

Her kitchen! So light and bright...and those beveled subway tiles are calling my name!

Her master bedroom is so serene and cozy. Can you believe she added a little DIY to the winged back headboard?

Both kids have amazingly fun rooms! So much color and creativity went into each of these spaces.

I love how Courtney added a little desk area in her daughter's closet. What a fun space to do homework!

There are so many kid friendly ideas in this home. I love how she added the kids artwork into her decor in the bonus room.

Courtney also created a craft area for the kids up in their bonus room where they could just create and be kids!

How fabulous is Courtney's home? If you want to see more pictures of her home tour click HERE. For her amazing DIY & Organization projects click HERE. Thanks Courtney for sharing your home with all of us!

Have a wonderful weekend and I will see you all back here Monday morning for a Nursery update! 

New Crush {Furbish Studios}

So the big news here is that we are going to get a few inches of snow tonight! WOW! The schools decided last night that they were going to close down even though it was 60 degrees yesterday and the snow wasn't suppose to start until this afternoon. Living in the south is quite humorous at times. I am sure some of you that are buried in snow and experiencing freezing temps are laughing at us here in NC. So sorry! Let's just wish for an early spring...shall we?

But on to today's post...this past weekend I was running errands for our business when I decided to stop off at a new shop that I have heard so much about, but have never been to.

Have you ever heard of Furbish Studios? This adorable shop was started by the lovely Jamie Meares who loves to combine patterns, colors, a little quirk and a lot of creativity. Furbish has been a destination place for designers all over the country. She has even expanded her shop to online shopping where you can find the same home accessories and furniture right at your fingertips! I just love her famous hashtag #DareToMix...it so represents being creative and mixing old and new, neutrals and colors, high and low and everything in between!

Let's open the door and take a peek...

There are fun vignettes set up all over the shop and if you walk out the door without feeling inspired by something...you have a problem! So much inspiration everywhere, whether it is your style or not.

So many amazing colors! How fun would this rug and pouf be in a tween's room!?

DIY anyone? Lucite jar with pom poms!

So many patterns and colors going on in this room, but I can't help but love it. It may not fit the style of my bedroom, but I can really appreciate the creativity and for some reason...it all just works together!

So many great pillows, blankets, quilts and accessories for your bedroom!

I loved everything about this vignette. Indigo is in people! This color is everywhere you look right now!

There are areas around the shop that were set up by a specific designer that works there. They pick out their favorite items from the shop and create table scapes, bedrooms, coffee table styling, etc.

Okay my friends...I was in love with this host chair! It was also 50% off! They would just be lovely in my dining room, but I am afraid the Hubs put the smack down on that one. Ahhh...maybe someday!

Another fun and quirky space!


So what do you all think? Would you make this a destination stop on your way through Raleigh? How many of my local peeps have ever been to Furbish?....we might just need a meet up date!

Here are some of my favorite items from the shop that I wanted to share with all of you. All can be found on their website.

Feather print, Tie Dye pillows, Geometric Coffee Table, Spiral Dish, Housekeeping print, Host Chair, Honeycomb hooks, Mr & Mrs glasses, Rug, Place Cards


Hope you all are staying warm on this brisk day in NC!!

Master Bathroom Updates {Paint & Cabinets}

Hello Hello! Are you all awake today? I am trying to be alert...it was one of those mornings where I woke up and thought it was still the weekend. Yeah...bad, really bad!

Anyway, I am pumped to finally be able to share some house progress with you this week. I am slowly chipping away at some of my New Years Goals from this year and last! (Yep..didn't finish some of 2013 house goals yet.) So hard to find the time to get items checked off your list, isn't it? Well lets work together this year to accomplish some amazing goals! You with me?

Today I am excited to share a little progress in our master bathroom. First, I will give you a couple before pictures so you can see where it is evolving from. We still have a long way to go, but paint on the walls and vanity has done wonders!

 Ya know...this bathroom was nothing horrible, just needed a little character. The walls were the builder beige/yellow color and the vanity was a maple color. I just felt like it didn't reflect my personality at all. Every time I would take a bath, I would look around and wish for a relaxing space.

What we have done so far:
We painted the vanity Urbane Bronze by Sherwin Williams and the walls Shoji White by Sherwin Williams. Both colors are on the same paint chip and blend really well in this space. The white is a warmer white which has created that relaxing feeling I was aiming for. It doesn't feel cold at all and the vanity has really made that statement I was going for. A little bold, but classy.

Here are a few progress pictures for you:

Some of you may remember my love for oriental rugs in the bathroom. I didn't want to splurge knowing that it would get wet on a daily basis, but really wanted to add that element to the bathroom. So I found this lovely at HomeGoods for $39! I was so excited and I think it works well bringing in a little color to the neutral bathroom.

I am pretty excited to see this bathroom slowly coming together. Isn't it amazing what a little paint can do?
Next on our list will be to tackle the little corner where the toilet sits. This half wall separates the tub and toilet. I would like to add some sort of artwork to the large wall. It would be a fun piece that would be seen immediately as you walk in. I would also like to add some floating shelves above the toilet for some extra storage.

Not sure when this will happen, but I would like to install some white subway tile around the tub to add that classy/timeless element into this space.

I am not in love with the vanity hardware, but I think it will stay for now. Since we will live in this house for only a couple of more years and then rent it, I really don't want to splurge on the hardware I really want! I will save that for our next space.

So what do you all think? Are you liking the dark cabinet trend as much as I am right now?

Hope to have more updates in a couple of weeks. Have a fabulous day my friends!



Linked up at: Liz Marie Blog

My Top Tips for Keeping Organized in the New Year

How many of you have resolved to stay organized in the New Year? Me too! The one thing that I hear from a lot of reader's is knowing where to start. If you open your closets, stand in your kitchen or walk into your children's room you may feel quite overwhelmed and have a hard time finding what to organize first.

For me it is tackling those piles of paperwork that need to be filed or going through old photographs and/or magazines. Paper seems to pile up everywhere I look!

Today I am partnering with HSN and their re:fresh program to help you stick with your resolution of organizing your home and staying organized throughout the year. They have asked me to share my top tips for organizing with all of you. I hope at least one of these tips inspires you to get started!

1. Sorting Paper Clutter:
I know that I am starting with a hard one, but believe me I have a hard time with this one as well! If the piles around your house have an organized spot, then that is half the battle. Think of how much paper floats around the house and takes up space!
First, go from room to room collecting your piles and start by separating your paperwork into categories and throwing away anything that you don't need. Stack those categories into separate piles and mark them by either using large paper holders or a simple metal filing system like below:

Create file folders for each category that you will need. Example: Bank Statements, Taxes, Warranties, etc. Once a quarter make an effort to file the papers away where they need to go. Some of you are thinking "that would take forever" and it just might, but who really wants to file paperwork weekly or monthly? Not me! So start somewhere whether tackling the mail daily or weekly. Your sanity will thank you.

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2. Bins and Baskets are your BEST FRIENDS!
I have said this many times, but if you want your house to look organized (even if it might not be perfect) you will want to run out and grab some bins and baskets for organization. They can work in any room throughout your home and you can find them in any price range based on your budget.

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3. Label, Label, Label...
Need I say more? If you have a bin or file folder sitting on the drop spot of the kitchen and you keep telling your husband he needs to put the mail in one and the kids school work in the other, will he really remember? Yeah...didn't think so! So it is important to have everything labeled so the whole family is on the same page and it doesn't hurt that it looks nice too!

These Free printable labels are some of my favorites which I used in our Laundry Closet Makeover. There are so many free labels around the web...just search them out or make your own!

4. Use What You Have Around The House

Before you go spending hundreds of dollars on organizational items, check around the house for items that could function in the same way for free!

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Baking sheets as clutter catchers in shallow desk drawers.

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Use PVC pipes as shoe organizers in your entryway/mudroom.

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Cereal boxes and craft paper as drawer dividers.

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Use coffee cans to sort mail and paperwork.

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Organize your beauty brushes with a vase and some decorative pebbles or beads. 

5. Get Everyone Involved

If you aren't the only one that lives in your home, everyone should share in the wealth (and chores). Put your family members to work! Believe it or not, even little kids love to help around the house.

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Create a "drop spot" for the kids (and even for the husband) where they can hang up their backpacks and file away their teacher notes each day.

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Give each member of the family a number which will keep them accountable for their own towels, laundry baskets, shoe bins, lunch bags, etc.

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I love this idea of creating a chore list for the family each day!

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How about picture labels to help the little kiddos properly put their toys away?

6. Organizing Tasks that take between 15-30mins

We are all busy busy busy. We don't always have time to create a beautifully organized closet or rummage through our attic with bins and labels. So why not make a list of tasks that can be done in a shorter time frame? That way you will feel like you are accomplishing something without feeling overwhelmed.

Here are a few tasks that would take less than 30 minutes:

*Pick a Drawer..any drawer! Go through it by tossing items that don't belong, placing certain items in a separate box for Goodwill and then putting everything else back in a neat manner.

*Clean Out Fridge One day throw out expired foods and wipe down the drawers and shelves. On a different day categorize remaining food by type and label food containers with expiration dates using a sharpie or Washi tape. 

*Have I worn it in a year? Keep a basket in or near your closet and toss those items that you haven't worn in a year and aren't planning on wearing again. Once your basket is full it is time for a Goodwill run or why not have a clothing swap party with all of your girlfriends!? Make it a fun night of wine, appetizers and acquiring new outfits from friends!

*Email Clean-out Delete spam and old emails. Unsubscribe from unnecessary Social Media sites. Reply to anything that needs a quick response. 

7. My Go-To Organizing Items

You all might think I am totally crazy, but I could talk and talk about organizing till you were asleep! Seriously! I love keeping an organized home as much as I can. It really does keep stress levels down when you know where an item is and it's a calming feeling when everything has a place. Please know that my home is not always organized! I promise. In fact, as I am typing this post my kitchen sink is piled high, there is a three inch thick pile of bills that need to be filed and my outside Christmas lights are still hanging on the bushes. But, I try and at least organize something each day whether big or small.

Below are some of my favorite organizational items from around the web that have helped me stay organized.

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So...are you ready to get started with that New Year's Resolution? What are you going to tackle first??

To help you HSN is also motivating us with a kick start called re:fresh 2014. Whether your resolution is to stay organized, get fit, finally take that vacation, become a better cook or refresh your fashion & beauty sense, HSN has some fabulous tips and tools. They are also giving away 15 prize packs valued up to $500 each to help inspire you for the New Year. All you have to do is click on over to their re:fresh 2014 page, fill out your info and start pinning! If you are anything like me, you are constantly on pinterest anyway...so why not have a chance to win some fabulous prizes while pinning tips and tricks for 2014!?

I hope you all are having a great week! See you back here tomorrow! 

XOXO

***This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of HSN and their re:fresh campaign. All opinions and organizing ideas are 100% mine!***

Linked at: Liz Marie Blog