Work in progress.

Chris has so graciously, kind of, sort of by default, given me one side of the house.  The front room and the dining room have for years been known as the library and the craft room (sounds so much more fun, doesn't it???) and they are almost always listed as a work in progress. 

I seem to get to a point where I think I  *might* be done but then decide that I'm not.

The latest addition to the craft room?  A full on shipping station.  I've been talked into printing my shipping labels at home and the printer was on the floor for a few weeks while I decided if I was going to stick with it or not.  And aside from not seeing my post office ladies, whom I love dearly, it's a pretty sweet set up.

Please consider it a work in progress...

I've already changed somethings since I snapped this picture...I added some vintage baskets (the locker one I got at Lakewood and another one) to hold all of my boxes and mailers, and I have big plans for this table.  I'm thinking that there might be a modge podge project in my future.

I am hoping to take some actual pictures of the space this weekend.  If I can ever stop creating (a mess) long enough to clean up (move things into another room) for it to be an area you would actually like to see.  (Trust me, most days its not - a flaw in the design of having three kids and a dog.)

Pen and Paint {and a story about big ugly faces}

I must admit, I got some pretty sweet swag at the Blue Ridge Craft Weekend (which I still need to tell you all about... I haven't forgotten, I'm just searching for the right words).  Sweet. Swag.  One of my favorite things was this print from Pen and Paint...

I have loved so many things in Lindsay's shop for so long now and have been so indecisive...so it was a wonderful thing for her to choose something for me - a fabulous gift!  And it looks perfect in my living room where I get to look at it all the time!

{and just in case you were wondering, I got the frame at Hobby Lobby.  Molly - stop cringing.  I think they're on sale this week...and thank you CB for that great find!}

**********************

On a completely unrelated side note....  The girls were fighting last night.  It happens sometimes.  Big sigh.  They were in their room yelling at each other and Chris was listening in the hallway.  One of them said to the other, "Shut your big ugly face.".  Not really an awesome thing to say to your sister, but my question is...Do they not realize that their faces are identical?????  Just sayin.

Race Day {and some extras}

So Chan talked us into taking her to a race this morning.  (When I say "us" I mean Chris in this case.)  This made for her 4th 5K.  

Here she is (with her sweet friend, Katie Grace) pre race....

And here she is coming into the finish line...

And here she is when she stopped running to pose for the camera (what the what???  who stops running at the end of a race to pose for the camera???  Um, yeah, Chan.  That's who.)

After the race...

She's so awesome.  Really.  She finished in 36 minutes...which would have been 35 if not for the posing.  Sheesh.

In other news....

This room has.got.to.get.cleaned this weekend.  Today.  Seriously.  It's beyond ridiculous.  (That's why I am blogging though, to procrastinate.)

Gah!  Such a terrible state of a craft room.

I took this picture yesterday after a class left the library.  I hate it when this happens...

I am all for book browsing.  I am not for book browsing and then leaving them on the floor.  Just not for that.  *shakes head*

And this baby is about to be introduced to the world...

I am so in love with it!  Bracelet?  Yep.  Opera length necklace?  Yep.  Double strand necklace?  Yep, it can do that too!  I've wore mine a billion times since I made it a couple of weeks ago.  So in love.  {I'm thinking it will be posted...tomorrow?  Monday?...we'll see!}

Transformation of the Entry Way

Summer

Fall

Christmas

January, 2012

I'm kind of in love with January's table.  Just so you know.

{p.s....The girls are starting a new school today and prayers would be much appreciated.}

Progress. Part II.

My closets.  Ugh.  My closets.  I have been working on them very, very, very slowly.  But, I have definitely made some progress on our closet.  Ok, on my side of the closet.  Ok, on part of my side of the closet.

Here's the before...

 

Ugh.  That's all I've got for that.

BUT, I have made a little bit of progress.  I read on this outstanding blog by a local girl who is a friend of several of my friends and who I've really, really thought about hiring her to save me from losing my mind over the dang closets (but the time people???  when would I have the time???)...anywho, I'm leading you on a wild goose chase for my small nugget of progress...  I read on her blog that an easy thing to do is (gasp!) get matching hangers.

I'll admit, I was hesitant.  Because, I mean really...

1.  we have hangers coming out of our ears and wazoos

2.  one of my younger brothers who shall not be named (randall) has matching hangers.  The fancy, wooden matching hangers.  To hang his fancy polo and j.crew clothes on.  And I tease him about this.  Fancy hangers, scoff.

But, I did it.  Not the wooden ones...omg have you see how much they cost???...but your basic run of the mill black plastic hangers.  

And I spent A LOT of time cleaning out my clothes.  A LOT.  And making a ginormous pile for Goodwill.  

So, here is the current state of my side of the closet...

I think I need some baskets (from scarves and belts) and I think I need to spend some time organizing, ahem, my 18 trillion boxes of pictures.  But otherwise, I kind of feel like I am on the right track.

Progress.

Progress is being made in the closets.  I know that you have been on the edge of your seat waiting for another closet post...

And now I present....

...THE LINEN CLOSET!!!

Here's a before picture, in case you've forgotten...

  

After...

Here's what I did...

I listened to Chris. 

No, seriously.  I did.  He reminded me that in our old house - the t-tiny one with no linen closet at all - we kept the sheets for each bed in an under the bed storage bin under said bed, and that he liked it so much better that way.  Also in that house with no linen closet we kept the towels under the bathroom sink.  Huh.  Go figure.  And its even easier to do that in this house because both of the upstairs bathrooms have double sinks.  Which means double the space.

So, the sheets are now in order by the bed they belong on - under said bed in a container.  And we already had the containers.  Score.  Then, I paid attention to the comments and liked what Erica had to say about the baskets.  Genius.  And the Ho Lo (that would be the Hobby Lobby in CB terms) had baskets on sale last week, so I bought some.  A small one for wash clothes, and then 2 bigger sized ones - one for hand towels and one for pillow cases (because those are interchangeable on the beds in our house).  In case you were wondering, I paid less than $20 for all three baskets.  Holla. 

We also have our extra blankets, pillows and beach towels in there. 

And I packed up a big bag of stuff for Goodwill. 

Yay!  One closet down, 800 billion more to go!

Finally.

My in-laws bought me this print, from this shop, last year for Christmas.  I've been waiting to hang it until I felt like I had the perfect spot.

I'm not sure if its perfect or not, but I couldn't wait any longer.  I really love it.  :)  I stole Chris's dresser and moved it to my side to take the place where the vanity was that I moved to the foyer.  With me?  There was this big open space when you walked into the room and I had to solve that problem.  So I did.  With Chris's dresser.  And now it is cozy and pretty close to perfect. 

He is threatening to...

a.  take a picture of what his side of the room now looks like (barren) and post it on the blog along with a guest post about how he feels about the loss of his dresser. (Please keep in mind that his things are still inside the dresser.)
b.  buy a weight bench for his side of the room. (Um, that's not really going to go with my decor, thankyouverymuch.)

 

The bottom print is the Chapel on North Campus at UGA which is where we got married.  In case you were wondering.  The dresser is on loan from my parents.  It was my aunt's and God only know how old it is.  Old.  Super old.

Workspace. Studio. Craftroom. Whatever. Done.

 

Ok.  So I think I am done messing with this room for awhile.  For a long while.  Chris painted it for me last week...the gray was already there, with an orange on top, but the orange clashed (horribly) with my new chair...soooooo, being the FANtastic! husband that he is, he repainted for me.   So, here it is in all its glory.

 

This is where the magic happens.  I have always wanted to say that about my craft room.  You know, like how the rappers and sports guys used to say on tours of their bedrooms for MTV Cribs?  Is that show even still on?  I have no idea.  But really, this is where the magic happens.  :)

Probably the best thing I ever did in this room was buy the hardware storage containers from Lowe's.  Best.  Ever.  They work perfectly.  

Above my work table (from ikea, in case you were wondering) I hung a few embroidery hoops with some fabric that I liked in them (cost maybe $12 for all 3 of them) and the silhouette cutouts of the girls from our trip to Disney a few years ago.  Because they make me happy.

Station for all of my mailing/packaging.  I usually order everything in bulk.  I keep my ribbon pre-cut in mason jars on top.  I kind of have a ribbon addiction.  I love ribbon.

This is the other side of the room...behind my work area.  I use the bench that we used to have at our kitchen table to keep all of my rubbermaid drawers on.  I like it and think it looks somewhat better than just having a bunch of drawers lying around.  (The cream chairs and the bench are all from ikea.  I made the striped pillows.  The round table is just a plain old decorator's table.  The skirt clashed with the green, so I just took it off and I think I like it better without the skirt.)

 

A wall of inspiration.  I love my collection of old black and white (and some 60's color) pictures from both my mom and my dad's family.  Love them.  I do keep catching myself turning around in my chair to just look at the wall.  They used to all be in our upstairs hallway and I am really glad that I moved them down here.

Just in case you needed to see a gigantic size picture of how everything works together...

New Look for the Entry Way!

Summer...

Fall...

Christmas...

January, 2012