Our Gallery Wall

Everyone is doing it....

Here is my take on 

"Our Wall" 

Because of my OCD, it wasnt as fun planning the layout as I thought it would be....

#1 - I do not have a stairway wall like I used to

{insert bummer voice here...wa wa waaaa} 

#2 - I still do not have all of our "possessions" unpacked

(meaning alot of our framed photos)

#3 - I am NEVER happy with anything when it comes to decorating

(why do you think Martha Stewart keeps buying and decorating new houses?!) 

See my layout on our living room floor?

( FYI - I really heart our Pottery Barn area rug that I bought for $100 back in the day...) 

That was the final, happy result that I came to.

Or so I thought. 

The Stig... 

(you can see his foot to the right of the photo) 

sat in his chair

for about 1.5 hrs watching me on the floor 

arranging.......

  rearranging...

sighing.

grunting. 

I think he gave me 1 or 2 sideways glances.

You know those glances....

The ones that tell me without speaking 

that I look like I am a crazy person. 

 I took a picture of the final layout

so that I could use it as a reference to start hammering 

100 holes into our newly built/drywalled/textured/painted walls. 

Oh yeah - this chick thought ahead!

"Uhhh....who suddenly put a thermostat on the wall???!!!"

"What do you mean it has been there this WHOLE time?"

 " (#^*%^GRE*^%#$! "

{insert LOTS of sailor words here}

And so the whole process started again! 

I used thumbtacks and tape instead of nails - just in case.

just in case the Stig decided to nail 100 holes in me like I did to the wall

 As you can see, I have yet to put our own personal photos in.

(Yeah - I wish I had sticks for legs!!) 

One day.

One day....so that when strangers come into our house, they will know what the

people that live there look like. 

:)

But I am really sorta totally diggin "our wall".

And if you can't see what the vintage word cards say,

they spell out:

"Look"

"at"

"the"

"story"

"of"

"us" 

 Pretty dang coolio if I do say so myself.

Which, 

by the way, 

I do.

:) 

XOX,

 

** ps - letter "S" and the custom ribbon badge

(which says "Stig Lo")

made by the amazing Jeanne !!

What are your plans for the New Year?

I dont know about you,

but I am so ready for a new year....

new house (check)

new projects (there is a whole list of em'!)

new body....

ahem.

Sorry - just kidding :) 

My New Year's Resolution?

(well one of many)

ORGANIZATION

By breaking down cleaning and decluttering into weekly assignments, 

you can bring about whole-house changes

in small, easy to achieve steps. 

Sounds do-able, eh??

Of course, there is our pal Martha

(who always makes stuff like this look Sooo easy) 

I seriously wonder if she really does all of this stuff herself.

Seriously. 

100 Easy Organizers 

you can even peek inside Martha's homes to see it all in action.

Kitchen organization:

those fish baskets - cute idea!

freezer labels - easy and a must

label bulk storage - this is on my to-do list

Am I the only one who drools over her Bedford Kitchen?

Sigh.... 

On to the throne for some ideas:

(I gots me one of these ladders)

magnet backed medicine cabinet - pure genius 

 

over the door storage

so clever that Martha! 

what a cute towel storage using old windows!

She also has some storage/closet/misc ideas:

(of course she does...) 

 

the dark and scary broom closet

there is even a flashlight stored on the door

so you can go get in there. 

 What another cool idea.

Cute lil touch-up paints - 

for when you try to bring in that big ol' piece of furniture without the hubby finding out.... 

only to gash the wall.

(I have no idea where that chunk of drywall came from. I swear...)

A treasure map!

Well...not quite.

But it is a map of your household in case of a catastrophe.

Make a rough sketch of your floor plan

and indicate the shutoff valve, fuse, or power source for everything in your home 

that uses water, gas, or electricity. 

Apply color-coded stickers for each utility.

Thanks Martha. 

Oh. and House Beautiful also has some cool tips too:

New Year's Resolution Tips for Every Room 

My organizational resolutions:

~ A Family Binder

Get an inexpensive three-ring binder, page dividers and page protectors 

to create a family organization binder. 

Include items that can easily get lost around the house

restaurant takeout menus

important phone numbers for the babysitter

doctor and dentist appointment cards

Keep this binder in a convenient place, such as a kitchen drawer. 

(aka the dreaded "JUNK DRAWER"!) 

We already have one of these for all of our appliance manuals.

Makes it really easy to find the paperwork cuz its all in one spot. 

~ An Organized Laundry Room  

I have images of Rie's laundry room

via Home and Harmony 

And then I smack myself upside the head 

and back into reality.

But I still think I can tackle this area in my home

and make it more cutesy.

Cuz come on....

we spend ALOT of time in the laundry room.

Might as well make it purdy, ya know? 

~ Cleaning out Closets! 

this is a must.

kids grow every month.

( I swear they do) 

they outgrow clothes at a rapid rate....

I need to get in there and clean them out!

This means boxing up clothes and giving to 

friends/family, and donation stores.

If you dont hear from me soon, then you know what happened to me.

(

(I am probably somewhere in there...) 

Bring it on Twenty Eleven.

I'm ready for ya! 

The Robin and Sparrow

"Defining your nest with

twigs and feathers of life....." 

  

Our porch right now....

(getting pumpkins this weekend!)

Remember my Fall Inspiration post?

 Well, this is what my front door looks like now!

 

My lovely friend Clare of "The Robin and Sparrow" 

sent me a wreath yesterday! 

Thank you my dear!!! 

Over the past few months Clare and I have become buddies via emails....

She has made some gorgeous pillows for me

 {I have two of these lovelies from her!}

And sent me an adorable 4th of July bunting

made out of red white and blue bandanas!

LOVE IT

{for some reason I cant find my pic of it...SORRY!} 

You can feather your nest with this queen worthy pillow

Shabby Crown Burlap Pillow 

 

The Robin and Sparrow 

Shabby Doily Bunting 

 The Robin and Sparrow

She also has a paperie shoppe on Etsy-

~ Royal Paper ~

that is ah-mazing!

  

Check out some of these gorgeous creations: 

Drop-dead gorgeous bridesmaid tags 

 Royal Paper

 

Shabby French Bird Crystal Ornaments 

 Royal Paper

Vintage Page Dress Tags 

 Royal Paper

Shabby Mini Canvas Tags 

Royal Paper

Chandelier Ornaments

(she makes other designs too!) 

 

Royal Paper 

I really want one of everything in her shoppes....

She has the most amazing artistic abilities and craftsmanship.

Oh, did I mention she does custom orders??

So, please go and visit my sweet pal Clare 

and let her whip something up special for you!!

XOX

PS -  I forgot to mention .....

(sheesh, im losin it over here - TGIF)

I just know we will be besties forever....

Cuz she kept a cute wreath for her drool-worthy

front door too! 

I am in serious love with her front door!

(you better be reading this Stigman) 

Thank you again my dear friend.....

Love ya! 

pps - I have been trying my hand at "Picnik" and totally DIG it! 

Ruffles....that dont have ridges

Ruffles are today's inspiration...

I am in love with my new laundry bag

Ruffle Laundry Bag 

Do you love her?!

I do!!

I have never wanted to fill a bag/laundry hamper

up with piles and piles of

dirty clothes 

before she came into my life

Her ruffles are big and gorgeous

And I heart her greyness....

{i am just recently discovering that i like grey - alot} 

She is on a hook 

on the back of the 

bathroom door

for now

But what I really want

 is to put her

out on display for everyone to envy

She deserves to be seen 

Maybe .....

I will move her to the kitchen 

and wrap her loveliness 

around the trash can

or.....

she might like it on a hook

in the entry 

so we can fill her with

slobbery half~chewed dog toys

Hmmm.......

Actually, what about the front door?

Yeah! 

 I wonder if I can convince our mailman

to deliver our mail  

directly into her gorgeous ruffley belly

hanging on my front door?? 

Maybe then I would actually open

all that junk mail

Hahaha...never! 

So......

in honor of Friday

and my sexy new 

laundry sidekick, Lil' Edie

{i named her after Drew Barrymore's character in "Grey" Gardens} 

I will leave you with

some Ruffle Love

get it here 

  get it here

get it here

get it here 

get it here

get it here

get it here

get it here 

get it here

find it here

get it here

get it here

get it here 

{this is Lil Edie's sister, Big Edie!} 

Now, go getcha

some Ruffle Love!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

XOX 

Tuesday Toilet Talk

Yay for Tuesday!

{'cuz that means its not Monday anymore!!}

My sanity is hanging on a

thin fishing line wire this week.....

I need to clean our bathrooms

{all four of them!}

And I was thinking if one 

just ONE

of my bathrooms looked like the images below

I might be a tad bit saner ....

{"as she laughs like a mad woman"} 

Here are a few "clean" and "happy" images 

to hopefully get me through

the week

{well at least until Hump Day!}

This bathroom would make me very giddy

I need want love everything in it

Especially this

 

 I have been on the look-out for

one of these girls for awhile

{i saw one at a flea market for $60 and shoulda grabbed her!}

Of course all of the accessories 

would be put to good 

use in our home

No more question of

Is it 

"His" ? 

or is it

 "Hers" ?

{silly rabbit they are all mine!} 

 Oooh and these too........ 

"You are all assigned a number"

{i shall be numero uno of course!} 

 My vintage milk crates would

look perfect under that vanity also

All filled up with towels and such

{dust bunnies and baby spiders not included} 

I wonder if i could leave one of

 these out 

and noone would wash their

grimy paws on them???!!! 

Arent they adorable?

I like that they are a dirt flax color

The only thing I might change are the mirrors

I think they are nice....

{and still WAAY better than what we currently have} 

 

 

but dont you think 

two vintage windows with mirrors behind 

them would look divine? 

{i was thinking of putting them on hinges and making 

a medicine cabinet behind the "windows"} 

  

I ran the idea across the Stigman....

apparently it didnt make him

as "giddy" as it did me

Hmmmm..... 

Maybe if I squeezed this tough guy 

in there somewheres....

Yeah....

steel

industrial

 metal casters......

now its a "guy" bathroom!

HAHAHA  

For some reason I still dont think he is on board 

 He doesnt understand why I want to put anything 

in a bathroom besides a 

toilet

bar of dirty soap

and a Maxim Magazine 

 Seriously.

I am NOT kiddin'.

But whatevers

I love the guy to death. 

But for now -  at least I feel better. 

{"she lets out a sigh ..." }

Thank you Pottery Barn

for this moment of sanity

Now back to our regular scheduled insanity program...............