The "I knew she'd do that" Project

Remember when I challenged myself to add a bit more color to my monochromatic bedroom? Remember when I was busy organizing my jewels? Remember my organizational inspiration post?

Well, I combined them all and finished a project that won't take anyone by surprise.

I took this boring, basic, brown jewelry box that has been residing in my closet for the last 8+ years and sprayed it to give it a new lease on life. And now, a prominent position in our bedroom. 

I'm not going to lie, my first instinct was to go white. Safe. 

But then, I thought white on white? No. My next thought was to go gray. But again, I felt I could go bolder. In the end, I went with a moss green. Then I paired it with another existing jewelry box. I love how it brings out the green in the venetian glass box as well. Double duty.

Not to mention how it highlights some of the mossy green tones in the shams. All in all, I'm diggin this little hit of color in my yellow and white bedroom. 

Keen observers will note that the pictures thus far of our bedroom have been on the other side of the room and the side shown here previously housed the antique English dresser. Fear not, I haven't gone and painted that other dresser without letting you know.

We're just trying out some other arrangements in the room. I'll let you know the details on that later, once we commit to something :)

Still on the look out for great lamps as well - wish me luck. 

Have a great weekend!

until next time, 

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It's not all glamorous around here

The other day I was skyping with my Mom. It was a day like any other: my toddler was hanging all over me and repeatedly saying,  'Momma, Momma, Momma' in that special tone that sounds strikingly similar to nails down a chalkboard. Meanwhile, baby E was teething and whining to make sure I knew about it. I picked her up to comfort her, she showed her appreciation by throwing up all down the front of me. I kept on talking. Mom started to laugh. 

She said, this is what your blog should really be about. 

{garage before}

Isn't that the truth? 

Reading these posts, you'd think that I just sit around making fancy food, rearranging my mantel, or playing in the garden all day. Well, let me assure you, it's not all glamorous around here. 

{garage before}

Take our big weekend project, for instance. The dreaded seasonal garage cleaning. Actually, I'm not sure why I said 'seasonal' as this is only the second time we have cleaned out the garage since we moved in, almost 3 years ago. 

{J.U.N.K.}

We're a one car family, with a two car garage. How did we manage to let it get this bad? How was it possible that I couldn't find the kiddie pool? I am sure I put it in here, somewhere. Why do we need to move 4 strollers out of the way just to get to the lawnmower? Enough is enough. 

{more junk, different angle}

Everything had to come out. At this point, a neighbor out walking his dog stopped by to see what was going on. He was in disbelief that we actually had all this stuff in the garage plus a car. 

Not sure this is something we should be proud of. 

{that's some serious dirt/dust/funk in the air}

We blew out the garage, we shop vac-ed the garage, we aired out the garage. {And by we, I am sure you know it was Mr. DD - that's not my gig.} It was nasty in there. 

We categorized the stuff, moved some things inside, put some stuff on the curb and threw out a lot. It was almost beginning to seem manageable again. 

Then, of course, came the time to put it all back in. Actually, this is the part that I like best. Have I mentioned that I'm a bit of an organizational freak?

Well, if I haven't. I am now. I like everything to have it's place, and for that place to make sense, at least to me. I've been known to stand in a room in silence, willing it to speak to me and tell me how to better use/organize the space. It doesn't always work. But sometimes, sometimes it does. And those are always good times.

Seriously, this back wall makes me a little giddy. Look at all those shelves - so beautifully organized. {Small happy dance.} Everything in it's place. Sigh.

We even left enough space for a little work bench. Happy days.

Instant gratification. That's what this project was. So happy to have it done. Now, onto something a bit more glamorous. 

until next time, 

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Inspiration Organization Comes to Life

I've been on an organizational kick lately. It all started with my inspiration post on vanity storage last week. Next thing you know, I'm re-organizing the kids toys in the built-ins in the breakfast room, then came the beer fridge in the basement {doesn't everyone have one of these?}, the garage and finally I tackled the disaster area - also known as my vanity. 

Check it out. I made myself a fabric covered, jewelry display, cork board. Oh yes, I did. And it was super easy. 

I had the cork board from my Mom Cave, which incidentally has been taken over as a storage area, sadly. { Don't even get me started on that one.}

For the frame:

I primed it, spray painted it 'brass', then applied an antiquing gold leaf craft paint. The left over fabric {from my bed pillow project}, was attached with my staple gun. Then I added the fun nailhead trim to cover the staples. 

I ordered the nailhead trim forever and a day ago. It's the kind that comes as a long rope and every 5th nail is actually nailed it. Seriously cuts back on the time and effort - great 'get the look quick' kind of thing. Not for everyone, obviously.

As for the rest of the vanity area, I choose an acrylic make-up organizer and hid it inside the woven bread basket. Both came from Target. I wasn't loving the acrylic so this works great to hide it, but still keep everything organized. 

And the bowls, I could go on and on. Love them. The peacock bowl came from HomeGoods, while the coral and green bowls both came from Anthropologie. Admitedly, not my normal stomping ground because the prices can be a bit out of my league, but I decided to make an exception for these bowls. I'd been eyeing them online for so long - I just couldn't hold out any longer. And honestly, the coral bowl just makes me smile every time I see it. 

I've got another jewelry organization project coming up, then I'm afraid it's on to the more serious projects like: tackling the window treatments, painting that other dresser, and sourcing some fun lighting. Mr. DD and I both decided we are sick of living in this semi-finished space, so I guess I better make it happen. 

Hope you had a great weekend. 

linking in with:

Met Monday

until next time, 

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Listening to my own advice?

The other day I was chatting with my cousin about her home. She just recently purchased her first home in a great area of Cincinnati and has been working to modernize and redecorate it over the last year or so. 

Of course, always eager to help, I was excited to receive an email looking for advice about her bedroom.

{Pottery Barn}

She has made some great decisions on her own, but was looking to bounce a couple of additional ideas around. 

So far, she has purchased this bedding from Pottery Barn. 

{Target}

And these window panels from Target. 

Now, she's in search of floor covering. Her initial thoughts were to go with another warm, neutral in the form of a natural woven rug. But after going back and forth over email a bit, we decided to go in a different direction. 

I just threw this Mood Board together to give you an idea of where we are going. Actually, she hasn't even seen it yet. But, she tells me she reads my blog daily, so here's the test. We'll just see how long it takes her to see this :)

I kid, I kid...I appreciate everyones support. 

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. I suggested she go with a rust colored rug, perhaps layered with a natural woven rug, to add another dimension to the room. I like the idea of highlighting one of the lesser seen colors in her bedding. It makes it far less predictable. 

This is the rug she actually purchased from Overstock. {Did you see their massive sale?} 

Of course, a gold colored rug would have looked nice, but maybe just a bit boring. Adding another color to the mix helps add interest. And, of course, some extra textures are always a great addition.

All this talk about her bedroom got me thinking about mine. {Shocker} 

And I came to the conclusion that my room is becoming a bit too predictable. It's all yellow and white, yellow and white. 

Yellow walls, yellow window treatments, yellow accents in the bedding. 

My attempts to lighten up the space are turning it too monochromatic. I definitely need to take it to the next level by highlighting some of the other colors in the bedding. Like the mossy greens, khakis, and even the smoky grays. 

Now, I've got to put on my thinking cap...this is what happens when I listen to my own advice. Craziness. Stay tuned.

until next time, 

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Vanity Organization Inspiration

Now that I have a much less scantily clad vanity area {I finally put a skirt on it. In case you missed it, click here.}, I'm desperately in need of some stylish organization for the counter-top. 

You see, we have the smallest of master baths, with virtually no storage whatsoever. So, my vanity area has to work hard, but it has to look good too. Lately, I've been on the look out for some super functional, yet attractive storage solutions for jewelry, make-up and the like. 

Time to get creative, because let me be the first to tell you, there aren't a lot of obvious solutions. 

{BHG}

I love this super eclectic mix of storage and display options for all my jewels. A space saver as well, which is always good in my book.

{Martha Stewart}

Martha has done it again with this interesting mix of plates, bowls and tea cups. Unfortinately, I don't have the drawer space to make this happen and it would just take up too much space on my one and only counter-top.

{via}

An interesting framed wall display is always an option, plus it frees up the counter-top. I smell a DIY project coming on with this one. 

{Cottage and Vine}

I love how Rene, from Cottage and Vine, has one big bowl as a catch-all, paired with a tray for her perfumes. Simple, easy and elegant. 

{The Yellow Cape Cod}

I'm also digging this sweet grouping of painted jewelry boxes, from Sarah at The Yellow Cape Cod. I've got a huge, brown and boring box that usually resides in my closet.  Perhaps I'll dig it out and make it over. Simple enough. 

{The Container Store}

My luck really wore out when I turned my attention toward counter-top make-up solutions. An acrylic organizer doesn't really screaming out cute and creative organization solution, now does it? Back to the drawing board on that. 

Well, there you have it. Inspiration. Lucky you, I've got more images saved on my organization board on Pinterest. Feel free to check it out.

I'm off to get creatively organized.

until next time, 

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Now you see it, now you don't

I had originally intended on sharing my patio today, but a couple of over-cast days and some craigslist inspiration changed my mind. So, I thought I'd share a bit more progress in the master bedroom. Remember the $23/pair Restoration Hardware Outlet window panels I picked up the other week? Well, I am finally starting to put them to good use. 

How bad is this picture? Just look at that vanity. Clearly, it's calling out for something to cover it up. {Not to mention a bit of counter top organization and some actual window treatments - but that's another post.}

This is how it has looked for the last ummm, I don't know, 2 years. Sure the stool is cute. And it kind of covers up some of the exposed pipework and the corner that we forgot to paint. But not sure it really covers the radiator, now does it?

So much better. 

Thank goodness you weren't there to see how it all came together. It was pretty pathetic, really. There may or may not have been a rod already in place that I couldn't figure out how to remove. So I may or may not have tried to hot glue the panels to it, which, for some reason did not work out. Not sure on that one. Seemed like such a good idea. 

Plan B. Use a tension rod. I turned the panel upside down, split the existing hem seam to create a pocket, slid the rod through and secured it into place. Then, to really drive home the quality job I was doing, I hot glued the bottom seam while the panel was in place. Yup, that's right, nothing but quality around here. Mr. DD was appalled. 

Speaking of Mr. DD, hope you've had a great weekend and Father's Day. We are heading to the races this afternoon. Check back later in the week for a peek at our day. 

linking in with:

Met Monday

Wow Us Wednesday

until next time, 

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Shells and Succulents

Shells and succulents - has a nice ring to it, no? They go hand in hand, right? Well, when I stumbled across this gigantic concrete shell planter at HomeGoods the other day, I immediately thought it would look great on my patio table, filled with succulents.

Into the cart it went and home it came. A couple of days later, at our local grocery, I found a huge succulent for under $5. A match made in heaven. 

I filled the planter with gravel, to help with drainage, topped it up with potting soil, planted my succulent and called it a day.

Then, the plant whisperer came for the weekend. 
The plant whisperer? 
Oh yes, you've heard of the dog whisperer, the horse whisperer, the ghost whisperer - well, there is also a plant whisperer. Who just happens to be my Mom. 

Seriously, this woman is good with the plants and the flowers. She sees things that I wouldn't even begin to understand. In fact, in one weekend she managed to transform most of my outdoor pots. She is that good. 

So, she added a little bit of this and a bit of that to my shell planter...and just look at her now. Of course, it looked good when she initially filled her up. But a couple of weeks on, and she's really coming into her own. 

Sorry, ladies, not going to share the talent that is my Mom. She's all mine. And my patio looks so much better for it. Speaking of, perhaps I should show you around sometime. 

until next time,

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Mocking Me

The weather has been absolutely beautiful, HOT, but beautiful lately. As a result, the progress on any indoor projects has really been suffering.

But, I finally managed to carve out a spare hour to make a little progress in the master bedroom. Notice anything different?

Yup, it's that big beautiful yellow and white embroidered lumbar pillow. 

The truth is that I've had the fabric {from here} for several weeks now. Then the pillow form came in the mail about a week ago. They both sat in our dining room, mocking me in all my procrastination glory. 

So, I followed my own tutorial on envelope pillow covers and got to work. Of course, in my effort to keep things simple, I decided to have just one big pillow in a bold geometric to balance off the bird/floral theme, but now that it's done - I think it needs more. 

I'm going to live with this as is for awhile before I make any more decisions. {That's code for lazy.}

Speaking of procrastination, here's a wide shot of the other side of the room. Clearly, there's a reason why I haven't been sharing this side. I haven't done anything over here. Still need to paint the matching dresser and move the existing dresser to its new location. {Among other things.}

If you follow me on Facebook, you'll know I scored a couple new window panels from the Restoration Hardware Outlet last week. Officially, ending the one vs. two panel debate I had going on. Now, I just need to fashion something new and exciting out of my new panels. 

I'm sure that will be happening really soon. 

Hope you had a lovely weekend.

linking in with:

Met Monday

until next time,

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Seamless

I've shared our little kitchen garden loads of times, so you know how much I love it. But what I never really liked was how it looked so new in the yard. It jutted out in the space instead of blending more seamlessly into the yard. 

Last weekend, we decided to finally do something about it. The idea came to us when we swapped out our blueberry bushes for knock-out roses and needed a new home for the blueberries. Not to mention all those hostas we had removed when creating the garage garden...they were still thriving, but needed a permanent home ASAP. 

Hence the new side gardens were formed. We continued with the existing gardens on either side by elongating the curve to connect with the end post of the kitchen garden fence. 

Gotta love a good action shot of Mr. DD! 

But seriously, this was hard work. The area is riddled with large roots from the very established trees, which made it really hard work. There's also an in-ground watering system in the backyard, so you can't exactly just get in there and chop it up. Very tricky. Fortunately, Mr. DD was up to the task. 

Work it, honey.

The side to the right of the garden, which is almost entirely shaded, received a couple of our tried and true green hostas, as well as a couple of variegated hostas for interest.

Now the new side garden flows seamlessly into the shade garden off the patio. And definitely helps to make the kitchen garden not stick out so awkwardly into the yard. 

The side to the left of the kitchen garden, which receives a fair amount of sun, became the new home of our blueberry bushes, as well as more hostas and this beautiful 'black lace" elderberry shrub. 

source

We picked up our elderberry on clearance at Home Depot a couple of years back and it has quickly turned into one of our favorite plants. Beautiful black lacy leaves with a pink flower...just stunning.

 In fact, its taken me ages to post this because after we transplanted her, she was looking a little worse for the wear. But she's finally on the mend and picture worthy again {kind of}.

We still have loads more in the yard to sort out, as we seem to be tackling a couple of feet at a time, but we'll get there. Slow and steady wins the race, right? At least that's what I keep telling myself. 

But, for now, this was a great, fairly simple and very inexpensive project that has made a big impact in the back yard. Love that. 

Hope you have a great weekend! We have family in town and the weather seems to be working in our favor, so i'm sure we'll be spending a lot of time outside. 

until next time,  

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