Trash to Treasure

This is Charlie.

Charlie loves sports. He loves hockey, baseball, soccer, bowling, football, and golf. If it involves running, skating, a ball, a puck, throwing, kicking, shooting, passing, and scoring, Charlie is game. So high up on Charlie's list of most favorites are his soccer balls, footballs, hockey pucks, and baseballs. The problem was, where do we put them?

You know by now how I feel about plastic storage; I wasn't about to go that route. I needed something to keep all of our balls in one place and free from rolling everywhere. And it had to be an attractive solution because, why not? Charlie is crazy about sports, so why not make this storage solution work with his bedroom? I shopped the house {actually, I shopped our storage shed}, and happened upon this beauty:

A metal trash can - perfect! And free! I just gave this stud a quick cleaning and popped it into Charlie's room. Guess what? It's great!

Easy access to hours of fun, and quick clean up, too.

I could spray paint the can black or red or any color under the sun. Or I could paint it with chalkboard paint so Charlie could add his own artwork to it. I could make a little sign out of inexpensive wood and twine and lable it "SPORTS" or "PLAY BALL" or some other witty combination of words. But for now, I like the trash can as it is. And Charlie is ready for some soccer, and football, and basketball, and, well, you get the point.

Stay tuned for more peeks at Charlie's room. Big changes are underway, and I can't wait to share them with you!

Coming Soon!

I'm back from a relaxing weekend away with my hubby and looking forward to a whole slew of new projects. The ones I'm most excited about? The kids' rooms - lots of changes in store, and I can't wait to share! Stay tuned!

Good Clean Fun

Being a lover of homes and decor and texture and details, naturally I love the little things. I'm a believer that adding a wow factor to your space doesn't have to cost a lot of money or be the first thing people see when they walk in the door. Rather, a home's character is hidden in the details, the bits and pieces scattered about. So what's my point? I really love this monogrammed set of soap from Pottery Barn.

As in I really, really love it. I love how fancy it looks just sitting there in that bowl. I love that it's personalized with the owners' initials. I love how it seems so spa-like and pretty. I kept it on my list of things to buy sometime, you know, whenever I have an extra $49 sitting around for six bars of soap {on sale right now for $39!}. A few years ago, in an attempt to satiate my desire for the Pottery Barn soap, I bought bars of plain old Ivory soap and convinced my wonderful husband to help me shave them down so they were at least smooth and nice and looked a little better sitting in a bowl. I placed them in one of the bowls from a Goodwill Hunting trip, but they looked a little sad.

That soap needed help. I still loved the Pottery Barn soap, but I couldn't bring myself to hit "Submit." I wasn't about to carve our initials into the Ivory, either, so I had to come up with a different solution. Besides decorating and organizing, I also love to design cards and invitations. I decided to play around and make my own monogram to wrap around the soap.

Good enough for me! Watch out Pottery Barn; I was motivated now. I used my handy paper cutter to cut some strips from a paper bag I'd saved from the grocery store.

And taped the paper at the back of the soap.

Next I printed my monograms and cut them out.

After using my hot glue gun to center the monogram onto the front of the paper strip, my soap was set.

Back in the bowl it went, and I now had my own spa-inducing set of soap.

Love is in the details! How great would these soaps be for baby or wedding shower favors? For a few bucks, these soaps pack quite a punch. Take that Pottery Barn. {But thank you very much for the inspiration!!}

Stowing Your Stuff With Style

It happens all the time. People complain, "I don't have a good system for storing _______" and "I'm tired of seeing all of the _______ all over the place." You fill in the blanks. We all have stuff to store, whether it's photos, crafting supplies, dog treats, DVDs, Tommy's toys - you name it. The challenge is not only finding a place to store your stuff but also to do it with style. Like Oprah says, "Your home should rise up to meet you" - I believe that pertains to every aspect of your home, storage systems and all.

One of the most common storage solutions is plastic stacking bins, like this one from Target.

Although the price is great and the drawers do keep items separate and contained, it's not the most attractive solution.

A lot of parents have turned to toy organizers like this option from Target.

The 12-bin organizer does allow for storage, but again, it's not the greatest looking item in your home. Not to mention, I hear moms and dads complain all the time about how it's way more fun for their little tykes to take each bin, one at a time, and dump them onto the floor. Nice try, Target.

Enter Ikea. Ikea's take on storage is a line they've dubbed Trofast, and it's a better version of the 12-bin organizing system from Target. Some people love the Trofast system. Admittedly, Ikea has done a good job with providing several pieces, allowing customers to mix and match for their individual space. However, the bins are still plastic and buying several components can be pricey.

The Trofast system does work for some {and I have seen people make it work in attractive ways}, but it still wasn't up my alley.

So having four kids with toys forced me to be creative with storage. And while it seems there are plenty of {plastic!} systems available, none of them scream "Lovely!" to me. Making your home beautiful often requires thinking outside of the box, but in this case it turns out that a box is exactly what I needed to be thinking of. Are you ready for my grand solution? It's something we all have and something available for not a lot of money {if you shop wisely}. Ta-Da! It's the dresser.

Sure, it holds clothes, but why stop there? Lots of sturdy drawers provide a great way to store your toys, photos, crafts, you fill in the blank. And no plastic! And it's a paintable option! I could go on and on. Maybe the best part is that it's cheap - much cheaper than some of the plastic options. Dressers are readily available at yard sales and secondhand shops. Every time I stop at Goodwill I peruse the furniture section, and there are usually dressers available for $50 or less. In fact, I wouldn't pay more than $50 or $60 for a dresser. The dresser we keep in Charlie's room came from my childhood bedroom. It was originally stained oak {which you all know I'm so fond of}. Since it came to live at our house, the dresser has been painted white, blue, and now red. It doesn't matter what state the finish is in. As long as it's sturdy, it'll work. And it's easy to change the appearance. The outside can be painted and the knobs replaced for less than the cost of buying all those plastic Trofast tubs. But enough rambling; let me show you how I've used a dresser in Charlie's room to keep his toys together.

One drawer holds Charlie's mega collection of Tinker Toys {probably the best toy we've ever bought}.

Trains and tracks sit in another drawer.

Our Quadrilla marble run takes up two drawers, tracks in one
and chutes and marbles stay in another.

Automoblox cars and their pieces are kept in a different drawer.

Everything is tucked away but still easily accessable. Charlie {and unfortunately for him, each one of his sisters} knows where each toy collection goes and can grab whatever he wants to play with and return it to its spot with ease.

A dresser or chest of drawers would look lovely in a living room or that right spot in the kitchen or bathroom, as well. Sturdy drawers that a dresser provides are perfect for DVDs, pictures, crafts, sewing fabric, kids' art supplies, etc.

If you still aren't convinced of the wonders of the dresser, let me leave you with this. When you walk into your kid's room, which of these would you rather be met with:


Plastic Containers in the Primary Colors Selection



or Real Furniture?


Do I even have to ask?

The Master Closet

As promised, the master closet.

I always wanted a walk-in closet, one with space for bags and shoes and pretty things - oh yeah - and clothes, too. The closet we designed for our remodeled master suite was a decent size, much bigger than any closet I'd ever had before, but the space that I'd always wanted was left neglected as we simply threw our shirts on hangers, and well, that's about it. I did paint the walls before we placed everything inside, but the color I selected was one I ended up hating.

If you hate the color of the closet before, me too. If you love it, why thank you.
I picked it out myself, and it's called Beachwalk by Behr.



Because life is busy and there are always more important tasks on our lists, I left the closet alone, leaving it to "Someday." Well friends, that someday is now.

I decided that I deserved a space that made me smile when I walked inside, one that reflected me. I knew I wanted a nice color on the walls {something that didn't make me cringe}. I knew I wanted a pretty way to display my shoes and bags. I knew I wanted a special space for my jewelry, scarves, and other pretty things.

I cleared everything out of the closet, taking a good look at each piece along the way. Having four kids in five years didn't leave a lot of time to build a good wardrobe, and I had pieces dating back to college. By trying on almost every piece and taking inventory of what I had {Hello FIVE black long sleeved shirts!}, I made a sizeable pile of bags and clothing {and a pink cowgirl hat} to donate.

Next, I painted the walls what I have deemed the most beautiful color of paint on earth: Rhino by Behr. It's a wonderful light gray blue that just soothes. The closet is the third space in our home to be lucky enough to wear the shade, and it wears it well.

After a quick coat of Rhino, I called in my husband to help me with the next step. When we remodeled the downstairs, my husband and father-in-law put together a quick storage system to stow our shoes.

It's great, but I wanted to move it to accomodate an extra piece of furniture.



Wasted space!

I used to have a couple lonely hooks to the left of the shoe shelf to store my bags. We removed the hooks, shifted the shelving system a couple feet closer to the door, and voila! I was left with enough space to incorporate my own accessory area! I had a narrow desk that I had picked up at Home Goods {and painted probably four times}. It had been in my oldest daughter's room and the entryway and was currently sitting in the garage. It was narrow enough to fit the space, it had three drawers made for storing lovely things, and it was just plain perfect. I made my way to the paint department at the local Home Depot {where I think they recognize me} and selected a new shade for the desk. Since I only needed a tiny bit of paint, I asked for the color to be mixed in one of Behr's sample sizes. The 8-oz sizes are less than $3.00 - perfect for testing on walls or painting a small piece of furniture.

This cute mini size is more than enough paint for this project.

We mounted some wall hooks that we already owned above the desk for hanging bags and jewelry. A few finishing touches, and this project was complete - one of my favorites to date! Welcome to the closet.

Rolled up magazines or catalogs will help your boots keep their shape while sitting pretty.

Rocks from my honey spelling LOVE from a trip to Door County {way back on a high school band trip!}
are now in a place where I see them everyday.

Necklaces and bags are hung on hooks. Easy to grab, and I can see everything at one time -
no more digging for the perfect piece!



Hello my Lovelies!





Earring are hooked on this piece of iron decor I stole from the nursery.

Bracelets sit in the Woman of the Year bowl from my last trip to Goodwill.

Drawers in the desk hold scarves and belts.



I knotted my new favorite scarf on the doorknob near the desk - fun to see and wear!



I own a pair of long black leather gloves that belonged to my husband's grandmother.
They sit safely in one of the desk drawers during the warmer months,
but I see them when I pull out a scarf or a piece of jewelry and think of her.

Shirts, pants, dresses, and skirts hang on the other wall.
Extra floor space holds our "sleeping pillows" and step ladder.

My hubby's ties and belts are kept on the back of the door - easy to see and grab
{no excuses for being late to work!}.



The high shelves add extra storage space.



I love the new space, my "dressing room." And I don't even mind putting laundry away anymore.