I jumped on the Marie Kondo Tidying Up bandwagon.

I admit, I heard rumor about this Netflix show on cleaning up or tidying up or something up and thought "I should see what all the fuss is about." But then there just seemed to be other things to watch and I never revisited it. Then my cousin texted "Have you seen Tidying Up yet!?" Nope. It wasn't until she said "she has a way of folding that will change your life!" 

That little nugget was all I needed to look in to the show. Secretly I was already working up the motivation to clean out my closet. It was overflowing with old clothes, too many shoes (ok wait...that's not really possible. Maybe I should say too many shoes I don't wear and need to make room for new shoes I will!) 

You get the picture. 

So here we go - my Tidying Up experience.

I did NOT...

1. Greet my house. 
2. Thank my items as I tossed them. 
3. Empty my entire closet and drawers at one time. I would have just quit at that point. And we would have had to sleep on the floor. 

However I DID...

1. Hold each piece/item and ask if it brought me joy. That really seems to work! 
2. Organize by category. So that's why I did #3 instead of everything at one time. 
3. Emptied my shelves first and dealt with those. Then moved to hanging clothes then to my drawers. It was definitely a multi-day, multi-week process. 
4. Move on to other closets once mine was done.

This is what I started with...a hot mess. 

And because I hate putting up clothes because I have to force and shove them in my closet or drawers, I end up with this often times.

And I also had to store my scarves behind the bathroom door, which was bulky and a mess.

So once I decided to embark on this journey...because believe me, it was a journey and not one to be done when you only have a few hours...I went over to Bed, Bath & Beyond to see what might be useful. I knew I needed a new over the door shoe holder and a new shoe rack for the floor.  Then it was time to get to work. 

And now...

Do you hear the angels singing!? Do you see those empty hangers!? That means not only do I have extra hangers but I also have SPACE. It's glorious. And this new shoe rack for over the door holds shoes so much better...

I organized by color and style so that my wedges are in the floor rack, athletic shoes and boots on the left side of my floor and then everything else is in this shoe holder. So much easier to find my shoes! (don't judge the volume. I have issues.)

The shelves are also much better. I now have everything coordinated so it's easily seen and quick to grab...

Those clear containers holding my clutches are the other storage items I bought at BB&B. 

Take a look at my fabulously organized jeans. Thanks to the new folding method, I can now fit all my jeans in these recycled china boxes. 

Once my closet was complete, it was time to start my drawers. I had several bedside table drawers, 3 drawers from the tall dresser and 2 from the long dresser. Not to mention the scarves and a plethora of misc. in a basket behind the bathroom door. 

All done! 

And all those scarves? Turns out when you clean out, you have an extra drawer that they can fit in. 

I got rid of bags and bags and bags of old clothes. Some went to donation, some went to consignment and a lot went to trash. 

I can't tell you how much nicer it is to get dressed now. I can easily find everything - I feel more inspired by my clothes (maybe because I can find them now) - and I know what extra toiletries I have (apparently I'm set for deodorant in 2019!)

I've since moved on to a few other closets and have just two left. If you take nothing away but how to fold better, it's worth it! I feel so much more put together now. 

Now remind me of this when we have to tackle the attic this spring. I'm sure tears will be "springing" when that starts! 

The Townhouse: drab turns in to modern traditional

I feel like I say this all the time but boy has it been busy! But this busy was very fun for me. I spent much of any free time I had September-November on a very fun project. What started out with a quick walk-through for some advice quickly turned in to a "here are the keys" moment. The property, a 2 bed room townhouse, was being remodeled to be an Airbnb. 

Truly, this couldn't have been a more perfect scenario for me in many ways. I mean who wouldn't love to remodel a property with full creative privileges!? My instructions were to 

1. Keep it more modern 
2. Keep furnishings at a reasonable every day price (it is a rental after all) 
3. Don't screw it up (ok that may have been mine)

So let's walk through the before and after's shall we? 

The outside is siding so the yellow wasn't changing. However, I wanted to make it more modern since that was the theme in my head...modern traditional. Originally the door and shutters were black. I also needed to work with the adjacent townhouses that are blue (seen here) and gray with dark red accents. 

I opted for dark gray shutters and a teal door, all of which were stock at Lowes. We also installed a fun front door with a glass inlay and rebuilt the railings. Simple changes plus a good 'ol fashioned bath made a huge difference. Too bad this picture makes them look black...

Too bad this picture makes the shutters still look black...but trust me. It's much better in person and in better lighting. Or maybe just better when there's a better photographer! I struggled at first for what to do with the color scheme. Yellow with black just screamed traditional but using the couch as inspiration, the teal really helped change the feel. 

Moving on...once you walk in the front door you now see this...I don't have a before. It was just brown. And more brown. You can also see the pretty window in the front door from this angle. 

Off the hallway is the kitchen that originally looked like this. Basic cabinets and white appliances. It also had this teeny tiny opening...window...cutout...mistake? I'm not sure what you'd call it. Either way, it wasn't good. 

Anyone else feel that cool, icy stare from Cole sending the subliminal message to hurry up? Charlie has just given up. Head in hand given up.  

I chose to move the fridge to the other side to sit beside a stackable washer and dryer. This allowed the counter space to expand and it to look cleaner. 

And that opening thingy? It was widened as far as studs allowed and a bar top was created. I used laminate countertops and my favorite, a black sink. I remember when Daniel first wanted a black sink in our house and I was like "umm no" but eventually gave in. Now I only want black sinks! (I feel like there's a saying that should be inserted here). I love a black sink because don't show dirt and really look great with stainless appliances. 

Let's move on in to the living room or what I originally called "the cave". Seriously no light. And it had a ceiling fan randomly placed over near the fireplace, not even in the center of the room. And it was made darker by the brown. And...well I could continue but let's just move on. 

Ignore the kids still looking miserable. They don't exactly share my enthusiasm for design. Video games? Check. Design and looking at properties? Not so much. 

I mean look how small that little window is!

So here's the new living room. It's quite possibly one of my favorite color combos I've done in a while. I worked with the couch and chair that were already in the room which was no easy task. It's got a midcentury modern feel to it without being overpowering. 

Perhaps you noticed the rug. It's a great find from here. It's my new go to place for rugs of all types. The rug was a risk. I couldn't tell if it was cranberry or pink in the online pictures. Yep. It was pink. Like raspberry pink. I wasn't so sure the owner would appreciate my bold choice but I needed it to help add the right pop of color. Risk paid off because I think it really makes the room and it was under $200!

I mean holy moly right? I had a custom bar top installed using the same laminate used in the kitchen. Four simple bar stools scoot right underneath to save space when not in use. Cute mercury glass pendant lights were hung above the bar top to provide more light. And speaking of more light, notice the newly installed 9-light back door that can now act as an additional window. Seriously, it was like rainbows and unicorns when the light was released! 

Here are a few more shots of the living room from different angles. 

Downstairs also has a little half bath which was straight from the '90s. Laminate white and green floor, bad lighting...

And now it's a cute little updated bathroom. I used LVP (laminate vinyl planking) on the floor, which is a really great option in this situation. I also used the same laminate on the vanity as in the kitchen, which is right across from the bathroom. 

In the downstairs and main parts of the house I used Sherwin Williams Repose Gray on the walls. It's such a great basic "greige" in my opinion. 

Let's head on upstairs to the bedrooms and full bath. There wasn't much upstairs to begin with but I did repurpose a few things.  

Bedroom #1 before: 

 And now: 

I didn't really start with a particular color scheme in mind. I decided to let what was available at the stores help dictate what might work in these rooms. I wanted it to appeal to the masses but still be pretty. This room became neutral. Simple striped curtains in shades of cream, khaki and gray. From there it wasn't hard to find the same color scheme for the bedding. All found at Tuesday Morning. 

Perhaps my favorite is the headboard which I sourced from Ashley Furniture. I skipped buying the foot board (it would make the room tiny) and used a simple bedframe that I bolted to the head board. I secretly want this headboard for my bedroom now. And those side tables? Target. In the clearance section no less! 

Let's move to Bedroom #2: 

Pretty much a blank slate if I ever saw one. And now...

I found a set of pretty blue and gray curtains at Tuesday Morning that became my jumping off point. It also went well with the bed and blue quilt I was hoping to re-use. The chair is also repurposed from the downstairs dining set. 

Each of these bedrooms connects to a Jack and Jill bath. In an effort to save some $$ I opted to keep most of the bathroom and make some simple but impactful changes (lighting, vanity, shower curtain...)

Before:

And now: 

Both bedrooms and the bath were painted in Sherwin Williams Passive Gray. It is just a slightly cooler gray than the main house to go with the rooms a little better. It does have a slightly green undertone to it so be sure to try it in your lighting before choosing it. 

I'm proud to say that all of the décor and most of the furniture was found at your every day stores - Tuesday Morning, Home Goods, Target, World Market, Amazon and Hobby Lobby. The key is looking at what is available, what's on sale and then what can be combined to fit the space. 

So there you have it friends. My fun project I recently completed. It's now listed on Airbnb if anyone is planning on visiting and needs a place to stay! 

I just needed a little love...

Is it just me or is it just so negative EVERYWHERE!? I mean I can't even deal with Facebook anymore because it's mostly rants, ads and debates. Then you turn on the TV and it's even worse. So this year, when February rolled around, all I wanted to do is embrace is love. February is the month of love after all. 

I don't go all out since we're only talking 2 weeks but little touches here and there make me feel happy. Now forgive the pictures because I snapped these quickly and don't have the best lighting in some. 

Both front doors have hearts to welcome in guests. I love how they sparkle and pop from the road. There's even a heart flag (not pictured) by the front door. 

Did you notice the hearts on the glass in the front door? They make me smile the most. When I see them it says "kids live here and we love them!" I especially love them at night. The boys had fun putting them up. 

Inside there are little touches here and there like the red hearts I found at Hobby Lobby that I placed in plants. 

On our foyer mirror there's a metal heart that coordinates with the sign hanging from our mantle. 

In the kitchen there are Valentine's napkins and a few votives and hearts placed. Again, not much but it's the small touches that remind us that love is in the air (or should be!) 

Our dining room (that's open to the living room) always gets the most because it's where we eat every night and it's also where the kids find their Valentine's Day presents when they wake up that day. 

This year I once again tied red hearts found at the Dollar Store with burlap wired ribbon on the backs of chairs. I smushed one so it's a slightly different shape but not something you readily notice and is quirky...much like those that live in this house.  

Then I placed my red felt runner along with some simple candles found at Target for $3. 

The kids have their own placemats that pull in the colors of our room. They are from Target several years ago (only $1!!) and I put their name in vinyl letters on the hearts. That's an easy trick for cheap placemats. The kids love them! 

One new love touch this year are love notes to my children. I bought simple doilies at the Target $1 bin and every day (or so) until Valentine's Day they get a love note put on their bedroom door. A different color for each child and I try to specify a positive behavior. When they first saw them, they both beamed as they were read. (I might have forgotten and put three up at one time. Better late than never!)  It really is important to fuel our children in positive ways and this one is so easy. 

That's it for my tour of love. Just a few fun changes here and there. I hope this year you'll spread a little love to someone special! Smooches...