{Organizing} in the New Year

Hello Hello! Yes, I am still alive over here. I so miss you all as you have been apart of my blogging journey for over 4 years! I have decided for now that the blog (& my cleaning) are just going to have to take a back seat for a little while so I can enjoy sitting on the floor playing "peek a boo" with my babies. I know this time will not last.... I am soaking it up while I can. I have waited a LONG time for this. With that said...I will be sure to post when I can, so if you are loyal followers, THANK YOU! Thank you for following along as I learn how to juggle it all (or not). And yes.. my babies are now 9 months old! Get the tissues out for this mama. It is going way too fast.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and welcome to 2016! Can you believe it? Nope...me neither. I usually do a New Years "Goals" post that has to do with items I want to accomplish around my house. The New Year just gives us that fresh start that most of us need. Time to review the past year and look forward to achieving goals and aspirations that weren't accomplished the previous year. I really don't have a whole lot of ideas for our home at this time. A little tweak here and there, but I am starting to get ready for a new project. The Hubs says within the next two years, so you better believe I  have already been scouring the market! Ha! Don't worry I will have lots of ideas and inspiration for you as we continue to make our current house a home on a daily basis.

One of my main goals this year is to organize my photos! Right now all of the pictures of the babies are currently either on my I-phone or a camera card. I NEED to get them off and get them organized before they turn 18. Technology can be a blessing and a curse...can I get an AMEN?

I have compiled some of my favorite projects for inspiration as you all start organizing your own spaces. All of these projects, once completed, really helped us live more simply and efficiently.

Small Master Closet Organization

Laundry Closet Makeover

Master Bathroom Vanity Storage

Kitchen Drop Spot

Master Bath Linen Closet

Pantry

What are you up to tackling in the new year? Organization? House Construction? Maybe just survival?

Have a wonderful week! Hope to meet you back here sooner than later!

Tuesday Treats #26 {Inspiration, Tips & Tricks from around the web}

Can you all believe I haven't done a Tuesday Treats post in 2015!? Well today you are going to get some great inspiration that I have been saving up for all of you.

Enjoy!

1. 10 Questions to Ask before starting a Renovation
Are you planning on tackling some renovations around your home this year? Whether you are redoing your bathroom or kitchen, Courtney has shared some fabulous tips to consider!

Click Here for Tips

2. Ohio Cottage Home Tour

Since we are moving into Spring, I am craving a sweet cottage on a lake. I absolutely love the tour of this calming & relaxed Ohio Cottage...and you will too! 

Click Here to view Tour

3. Top 10 Decor Pieces you need by 30

What do you think about this list? Do you think all of these items should be in your home by the time you are 30?

Source

4. Icelandic Inspired Nursery
I have been drawn to so many neutral nurseries since both of our babes will be sharing a space. But, I came across this stunning nursery designed by Dina and it is absolutely fabulous! I love that she added drama and color by wallpapering the ceiling!

Click Here for Full Reveal

5. Linen Closet Makeover

I am sure some of you are into Spring cleaning this time of year. With that comes a lot of organization. I just took about 3 loads of old sheets, towels and whatever else was hiding in our closets to Goodwill. It feels so great to purge...doesn't it? Well... take a look at Dear Lillie's Linen Closet Makeover. I have always said that keeping your towels neutral and adding baskets and bins will totally simplify life!

Full Source List Here

Okay friends...what inspiration have you been hiding from us? Anything I NEED to know about?

Have a wonderful day!

What's On Your....Kitchen Counter?

Last month 8 of us bloggers posted what was on our bathroom vanities. This month's post is all about our kitchen counters. I would love to share an amazing kitchen with all of you, but alas you will see the real deal through the pictures below. I did clean up a little for you because there are usually some dishes in the sink and mail on the bar. But you all get the idea...this is real life.

The kitchen is the heart of the home....is it not? The place where meals are made, discussions are held, junk gets piled and messes are all around. I have a feeling that my semi-picked up kitchen will only stay this way for a short period of time. When these babies come it is going to be filled with bottles, burp clothes, wash clothes and the like. But I wouldn't want it any other way!

When we moved into this home 7 years ago, we were thinking it would be our home for 3-5 years. So I really haven't done much to the kitchen other than adding a back splash. I dream of granite counters and painted cabinets, but feel blessed just to have a functional and pretty large kitchen for now.

Everything has a place. You can always find some fruit in our white bowl, cutting boards leaning against the back splash and some ingredients by the stove.

The bar side of the kitchen usually has some mail and news papers piled as well as my semi-organized drop spot that I showed you all here. I always have a pad of paper with our ongoing grocery list so the hubs and I can write down items right away without forgetting what was needed later in the week.

And of course what would be a counter without a little coffee station. An antique tray that I found for $2.50 helps coral the grinder and keeps the mess off of the counter top.

I really try to have some flowers in the kitchen to make me happy. Doesn't always happen, but it was my new years resolution a couple of years ago and I find the kitchen much more cheery with some pretty flowers...even if they are from the clearance section at the grocery. My dish scrubber always has a place to rest, which I find helpful when trying to keep the sink clean from grime and water spots.

And that is the exciting world of my kitchen counters! HA! So I am thinking you all need to spill the beans on what your kitchen counters look like at the moment? Come on mama's out there....make me feel better by telling me how crazy my kitchen might look with the little twins here in just a short couple of months!

Check out the good and bad from the rest of our blogging team:

Sarah- 702 Park Project
Brittany- Brittany French Blog
Kristy & Beth- Design Chic
Brenna- Domestic Charm
Mary Keller & Heath- Southland Avenue
Cathy- The Grit & Polish


Do you need some more kitchen inspiration? Check out my Kitchen Pinterest board Here!

What's On Your......Bathroom Vanity?

Welcome new and old readers! I am so excited to be apart of this fun series called "What's on Your?...." A few other fabulous bloggers and I will be sharing the pretty, the bad and the ugly around our homes over the next few months. To kick off this series we are looking at what we have on our vanities for February.

For the most part, this is one area of our home that we keep pretty well organized. I set up a tray in the middle of the vanity for the items that I use most frequently. 

The antique tray was found at a thrift store and holds my everyday facial products. Everything that I use in the morning and at night is at an arms length! 

I found these adorable acrylic canisters at The Container Store and the small bowl from Anthropologie. 

A quick and easy DIY....adding pebbles to a small vase to hold make up brushes! This has seriously been the cheapest and most used DIY to date!

That's it folks! Nothing too exciting on my vanity. This was one area that I thoroughly organized last year and now everything has its place. I have even organized the drawers, which you can check out Here. The Vanity was also painted Urbane Bronze. You can find my bathroom updates Here.

Next month you won't be as impressed....we will be talking kitchen counter-tops! Yikes.... Things are about to get real! 

Thank you so much for stopping by! Now let's see what the other bloggers have on their bathroom vanities....

Brittany French- Brittany

Design Chic- Kristy

Domestic Charm- Brenna

Little Black Door- Elizabeth

Southland Avenue- Mary Keller & Heath

The Grit & Polish- Cathy

702 Park Project- Sarah

So tell me....what is currently on your bathroom vanity? We won't judge...promise! 

My Top {5} Spaces That Have Stayed Organized

Well hello and welcome to a new week! I hope you are all staying safe and warm as storms roll through the Northeast. Thinking of all of you Northerner's today!

I am now in nesting mode. I have been cleaning closets, the garage and organizing piles. All of this organizing has got me thinking about the spaces in my home that I really don't have to touch. The "Organized" spaces, the ones that have pretty much stayed organized from the time I bought some baskets or slapped on some labels.

I wanted to share with you my top 5 spaces that have stayed organized over the past couple of years and a few tips and tricks that have helped keep those spaces looking great!

1. Master Closet: For the most part this closet stays the way it looks in the picture below. There are days of tantrums when I can't find anything to wear and the clothes hit the floor, but most of the time everything has its place and stays organized. The cubby shelves above the hanging clothes have really helped with that. There use to be piles of clothes that would fall on us! I am also in love with my shoe organization. Those Home Depot shelves were the best thing I added to the closet! I have also enjoyed having the ikea dresser in this space to house my unmentionables :) This little walk-in closet has really helped us keep only clothes that we will wear over and over. We have a box in the corner (which you can't see) that is designated for donating. When we no longer wear a certain shirt or pair of pants for a year....it is time to donate! This helps cut down on the amount of clothing in this tiny closet.

2. Organized Media: Two years ago I was on a organizing rampage. One of the first spaces I tackled was our media storage. The cases to the DVD's just took up way to much space. So I decided to take them out of their cases and organize them A-Z. I found the plastic DVD sleeves and media box at target. You can see more of the details Here. It was a pain, but so worth it. Now these are stored in our new TV dresser in the living room. They don't take up too much space and I can actually find a movie I want...while singing the ABC's of course.

3. Laundry Closet: I can't believe that this picture below is still the Number One pinned picture on my blog to date. Who knew that taking a Saturday to organize my laundry closet would go viral? This space has stayed organized thanks to bins, baskets and labels! I can't say anymore good things about these plastic woven baskets from Target. They are great for cleaners and detergent because they can be wiped down if messes arise. These Free printable labels have been a time saver too! Now the Hubs knows where everything is suppose to be put away and I don't have to hear him ask me Where is.....? I can't find it? HA!
I laminated those labels with 3M Laminating pouches. They come in many sizes OR you could just use some contact paper to add a bit of thickness to your labels. You can see my ugly before Here.

4. Master Bathroom Vanity Organizing: The key for keeping our vanity organized were these wonderful drawer containers that snap together. Each drawer has a different configuration based on the contents. You can find these at Target or The Container Store. Everything has its place and that makes me very happy!
I have also kept our counter top pretty organized by corralling my everyday facial products with a thrift store tray. I have also placed a small bowl on the tray for jewelry. A little vase with decorative stones displays my makeup brushes. This helps with getting ready in the morning as well. Everything is at an arms length.

5. Under the Kitchen Sink: This is one place that I had a really hard time keeping organized. Cleaners and just plain ole "stuff" would get shoved in this black hole and never again come out! A couple of plastic bins, a small round lazy susan and extension rod did the trick. Now my most frequent used cleaners are hanging on the rod ready for immediate use. The Lazy Susan helps me see all the products without digging far in the back of the cabinet. These plastic bins are perfect for housing cleaning products and are easy to wipe after a spill.

Most of these organization ideas are easy and cheap! All you need is to take a little time going through each space and make it more useful for you and your family.

Now....ahem.... there are a few areas of our home that WERE organized and have no longer stayed that way. Like my Pantry and my linen closet. Those two areas are in need of another purge and organizational session. Will show you those scary spaces soon! Do you have any tricks for me on how to keep your linen closet organized? Help!

Have a wonderful start to your week my friends!

House & Personal Goals for 2015

Now that all of the decorations are put away and company has left, I have had some time to reflect on the past year and create some goals for 2015. I am more of a goal setter rather than a resolution maker. For one, I feel as though I can never keep my resolutions and then I feel discouraged and quit. A goal seems more achievable for some reason. So here we go...you must keep me accountable this year my friends!





1. Continue on a Path of Healthy Eating:
John and I really eat pretty healthy and try to create a healthy routine around here. It has been a bit hard since being pregnant because of my lack of energy. I know that I will continue to feel more and more tired and have even less energy when the babies are finally here. So I would like to put aside a couple of weekends to create some healthy freezer meals for those days when I am not in the mood to cook. This will alleviate the impulse to run out and grab fast food. Do any of you have some great tasting freezer meals to share? Do Tell!

2. Breathe:
This past year has been a crazy one and this year is going to get even crazier by doubling the size of our family. I couldn't feel any more blessed and excited, but with more responsibility comes more anxiety. I have approximately four months (maybe less) to get everything done before babies arrive. I need to put life into perspective. I may not get EVERYTHING finished that I would like. Do babies really care? No. Are they going to live in a happy and healthy environment? Yes.
So one of my goals is to take time to Breathe. To sit down in the mornings and start my day with daily devotions and prayer. To stop and smile every time I feel those babies moving. To look around my home and see the good things...the things that bring me joy. To meet friends for lunch dates. To rest when I feel I need a rest. To spend quality time with my husband. To be present and Laugh!

3. Learn Something New:
Besides diving into "how-to" baby books, I want to learn something new! John got me some online interior design/decorating classes for Christmas and I can't wait to dive in and start learning some new tips and tricks to share with all of you. I would also like to up my game when it comes to taking pictures. I will soon have two models to practice on daily, so I want to put my learning cap on before they arrive. Oh and this might sound a little funny....but I have always wanted to learn how to use some serious power tools. I am determined to take some lessons from my dad and brother on using an electric saw so I can build something...anything! So here's to a year of new endeavors!

1. Baby Nursery:
Well if this one isn't obvious! Ha! Since we were on the waiting list for adoption a year ago, we have already started working on the nursery a bit. The walls are painted, light fixture hung, closet stenciled and organized and dresser bought.
With the surprising news of being pregnant with twins, we have had to revamp a little. This room is quite small at only 11'x10', but we were able to figure out a layout that will work with two cribs, a dresser and glider. Can't wait to share the plan and updates with you all next week!

2. Office/Guest Room Revamp:
So since we are going to have quite a few visitors over the next year, I wanted to update our guest room and give it a fresh vibe. I am thinking new paint on the walls, some wall sconces, new bedding and a bench at the end of the bed. The walls are still builder's grade and I really haven't done much to create a cozy guest space over the past few years. Time for a change!

Guest room in the current state:

On the other side of the room is my little office nook. I have enjoyed having this space to write my posts, get a little real estate work done and have plenty of space for organizing files, etc. Now that I have slowed down a bit with real estate, I don't need quite as much shelving space, but I am finding I need more desk space. It would be great to spread out my projects and get a possible second screen for creating mood boards and editing photos.

Here is the current state of my small office space:

I recently bought this desk and can't wait to get it set up and put to good use! I am envisioning something like this with some skinny shelves against the smaller wall and a large mood board for ideas and organization:

source

3. Finish Master Bathroom Projects:

Last year was the start of updating our bathroom with just a bit of lipstick. In other words we painted the walls and vanity to update the builder grade space. We added a large piece of artwork and an oriental rug to give it a bit of character. This year it is time to finish adding some touches! 

Current State of Bathroom:

First up....adding some floating shelves behind the toilet. I am thinking some industrial looking shelves like these from restoration hardware. The only difference....dad and I are going to DIY them!

source

I would also like to frame the plain mirror and add a window treatment to give the room a little color and texture. I found this tutorial on how to make a faux relaxed roman shade. I might have to try my hand at this as well!

source

As you all can see I have just a few projects to finish as well as take on motherhood x2 this year! I am trying to be realistic and know that not everything will be accomplished in 2015, but am looking forward to trying to reach some of these goals. 

Do you make New Years Resolutions or Goals? What is one thing you are hoping to accomplish in 2015?

Master Closet Organization {Before & After}

When we moved into our home a few years ago I fell in love with the open floor plan, the four spacious bedrooms and the high ceilings. The one thing I was not too happy about was having to downsize our master closet. To some of you, you might think it is a great walk-in closet! To others you will see what I mean by a small closet. It is all about perspective...isn't it?

Well after five years I finally feel like we have used the space in this closet wisely. We went vertical with the storage which has given us ample space for our clothes. We still don't have a place for our dresses and suits, so they stay put in the guest closet. I figured since we don't wear those items all that much, is was okay they weren't joining the rest of our clothes. We both have dressers as well for our T-shirts, shorts, workout clothes and PJs.

I would have loved to get a whole closet makeover with EasyClosets or the Elfa Closet solutions at The Container Store, but it wasn't in our budget. So instead I am going to share with you how I created an organized closet using a few easy solutions and products.

First I can't share my solutions without showing you where we were a few short months ago.

(Yes, I am hanging my head in shame at the moment) We would literally just throw our clothes on top of the shelves and run! I hated this closet and I am sure my husband was sick of me saying so. 

And now the pretty picture.....

This is a "walk-in" closet, but on the left side of the closet is a full window. This leaves two very small walls for clothes. And if you remember there was a little nook to the right where we added some vertical shelves for my shoes. Definitely one of my favorite things about this closet now!

The other major solution for this closet were the cube shelves. We really needed something to organize all of our sweaters, jeans, etc. I found these shelves at Target and they fit perfectly with even a little space on top for hats and purses. 

You can see I even added a little gold touch mimicking a campaign style with washi tape. I just had to make it a bit more exciting!

The hanging rod below my clothes was another necessity when it came to our dress pant situation. I found this closet rod at The Container Store. It is adjustable and fits perfectly in the lower corner of the closet. It really expanded our hanging space without having to add a permanent lower rod. 

See Two-Toned Ikea Dresser Hack HERE

We also made use of the space behind the door by adding some hooks for hanging my bags and an outfit inspiration board. I also added some 3M hooks on the back of the door for the Hubs baseball caps. 

I am also in love with my new wooden hangers! I found a box of 24 for $12.99 at target! They add a bit of texture to the space and bring that cohesive feel to the closet. I also used them in my coat closet makeover. Can't say enough amazing things about them. Gone are the days of plastic hangers for me!

I am so very happy with how it turned out. It might not be the biggest closet, but it now has big function! I am not scared to walk in my closet anymore!

How about you? What have you been organizing on a budget lately?

Related Projects:
DIY Home Depot Shoe Shelves
DIY Tufted Striped Ottoman
Outfit Pinspiration Board
Two-toned Ikea Hack Dresser