Yea or Nay: Shelving Overhead

Was looking at this beachfront home the other day,

dreaming of barefoot, wine-glass-in-hand adventure...

and noticed this....

shelving directly behind a sofa...

and a bed.

It may be because of the rather spiky bits that live on those shelves,

 but I'm not sure I would be able to relax here.

While I've never been a fan of sleeping under shelves...

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I suppose placing them behind the bed is a great way to sneak in some storage...

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Just wondering what y'all think?

I am the only one who can't sleep for fear of a ceramic bird falling on my head?!

The Great Clean Out - The Posts Are In!

It's here!

A massive thank you going out to the talented ladies who participated in the Great Clean Out -

we thought that commiting to an organization post together would motivate us and so it did!

I received your pics, but have not yet read the posts that go along with them,

and am dying to read the stories of these makeovers.

Here is a little of what you can expect at each blog..

Drumroll please...

Barbara of Hodgepodge 

Have you ever wanted to re-arrange your entire home -

change the purpose of each room to what is really should be?

I have.. and then I go back to whatever I am doing!

Barb is boldly undertaking a huge refresher at her place - I so admire her efforts.

She is sharing a bit of "games room" re-organization with us...

always wanted a games room, it sounds so grand :)

Carissa of The Fabulous Design File

Carissa has done such a great job of incorporating storage into her library.

Library... another grand room!

The before really wasn't so bad, but I love how the after frames out a perfect niche for her piano.

And I've requested her paint choices because I LOVE them :)

This is a room I could spend some time in.

Abby of A Delightful Design

Have to say, Abby has kept me laughing through this process, 

and I know her post is going to crack me up!

Abby is in the process of selling her home, 

so she had a bit of a head start :)

because she has just recently gone through the painful de-clutter process..

but every girl has a cupboard somewhere that irks her,

and Abby conquered hers this weekend!

Kerry of First Time Fancy

Kerry is kind of my hero.

I always had a dream of buying an old house and redoing it.

Kerry and her husband are doing just that, 

so I don't think this organization post scared her one bit!

Kerry is also expecting,

and so a great big hug to you - Kerry,

for all your efforts - 

love how your laundry/craft room turned out!

Christine of Bijou and Boheme

Oh, Christine.

Somehow I knew that a closet makeover in your home would end up being 

better styled and more chic than most people's living rooms!

How happy my shoes would be to live in this bit of pretty.

Thank you for inspiring me to make my hall closet my next project!

The 10 Rooms Head Office

Just recently relocated my office/craft room in my home, and there was ZERO organization.

I was really procrastinating, but having an end date meant eventually I had to get going.

So relieved that it is done, it is so freeing to let go of all that excess "stuff"

and get organized!

Thanks again to all you wonderful "organizistas" -

it was so much fun to do this post with all of you!
Hope that everyone is inspired by all the hard work that went on,
and by how happy we are to tick a job off the to-do list.

If you are in the process of an organization project,
share the pics when you are finished and I'll post them!
I've got heaps of other closets and drawers that need "the treatment" :)

Well, ladies, I made it! There was just the slightest doubt earlier this week :)

If you've been reading the blog you know that the Great Clean out stemmed from a 

New Years resolution to get more organized.

The more I read other blogs, the more it seemed that everyone was feeling this.

The problem is we all start out with the fabulous intentions and then life gets in the way.

I thought if we made a commitment to each other it would help us to stay motivated.

Lucky for me, some really talented bloggers decided to take part in this -

thank you all so much!

I am looking forward to reading about each of your adventures in organizing.

Before Christmas I flipped my office/craft room upstairs into what was the kids playroom.

This space is substantially larger, and has a closet,

which meant bringing al the craft stuff from the storage area out into the open.

The closet filled, and overflowed,

and then the holiday madness arrived...

Okay, I am going to admit something here - I actually removed items before taking the before shot!

You know the classic where you open the closet door and all your wordly junk comes tumbling out?

Yup.

There was a fabric landslide from the top shelf the day I took this.

Something had to be done.

I would have liked to replace all this wire shelving, but the budget had other ideas,

 so a fresh coat of paint cleaned it up nicely.

I bought some really inexpensive cardboard storage boxes at ikea.

The problem was, they were quite ugly!

After buying some fabric, and breaking out the glue gun, 

(and some really foul trucker-like moments when I burned myself - kids, out of the craft room, please :)

we had twelve of these and four larger versions.

The kids need instant gratification storage for their daily craft sessions -

 these buckets from the dollar store are perfect.

So here is the after:

Still unlabeled, not entirely sure how we will cross that bridge.

 I may have to call a truce with the glue gun!

Remember when I found that amazing deal on a dining set on kijiji?

Well, D. went to pick it up, and when he brought it home it became obvious

the set was not dining room worthy.

The cabinet and chairs found a home in the craft room.

I make cards and paper crafts, so this provides heaps of fantastic, dust-free storage.

The shelving on the other side of the room holds my most-used product info and color decks for work.

There's a great spot for my sewing machine and current projects.

The piggybank and flower were gifts from the girls, who fancied themselves stylists today.

The craft books need some purging, there is a few in there that I suspect are older than me!

That's not really old, of course :)

The office is still being finished, but organizing got the decorating process going.

I found fabric for curtains and the other bits that are going in here.

Once it is done, I'll post pics.

I don't honestly know if I would have gotten to this closet right away,

I kept opening the door and closing it again!

 Having this deadline MOTIVATED me to get it done -

so it worked!

Maybe next year we can do this with exercise :)

anyone?!!

 Pop over to the main post to see all the before and afters and link to these fab ladies posts.

Resolution Week: Number 2, Continue Building a Home Library

Last year I decided to begin collecting (and reading!) the classics,

with the hope that building a family library will encourage my darlings to read them in later years.

I stumbled on a list of the "must-reads" one day and 

realized my literary world was shockingly lacking.

Apparently, Apartment Therapy's Big Book and The Selby in Your Space haven't made the list yet,

although they are definitely required reading in my books - yours?!

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So the reading/collecting began.

Found vintage copies of The Iliad and The Odyssey (bound in pea green :)

and was happily immersed in Penelope and Ulysses love.

The Twilight Series followed, 

which aren't really on the list but I justified because Natasha wanted to read them, 

and I always read her books first to make sure they are appropriate.

Which means we also read the entire Harry Potter series this year!

Plowed through The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and 

the Complete Tales and Poems by Edgar Allen Poe

 although they are completely not my cup of tea.

I must admit, those required healthy doses of art and design books sprinkled in...

Reminisced with Holden Caulfield and Heathcliff..

read and re-read Memoirs of a Geisha, and re-read A Woman of Substance,

both of which are on my required reading list.

Then I began The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.

Some progress was beginning to be made on that front by the holidays.

I was planning a bit of a break this year, 

thinking that perhaps I could alternate years of design books and classics...

then the kids gave my their presents.

Each picked out by them.

 The Complete Works (see a trend here?!)

of Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and Arthur Conan Doyle.

Okay :)

If you are interested in putting together your own library,

there are some great starting points here and here.

til next time..

Moving On From Christmas to a New Year..

So our Christmas flew by.. yours?

Sorry for the lack of posts but today is our first day with no festive plans!

The kids had a blast on Christmas morning, of course...

The hit of the day was the plastic slinky!

He wants to be an engineer and build solar powered cars, so lego comes naturally :)

She has discovered the joy of reading, and neon hair :)

The eldest darling wore her new ski jacket and pandora bracelet

 the entire time she was magnifying everything in the house... 

"eww, Mum, come see what my hair/tissue paper/dog treats look like"

Days filled with skiing, skating, walks in the snowy woods and travel to see the families..

it was full of laughs and hugs, just as it should be, 

and I'm thankful for all of our blessings.

(and my new Kate Spade bag! 

A complete surprise, from my honey, who knows what I would love before I do :)

Now comes the next part, packing up and moving on.

I don't know if any of you experience this,

 but removing all the excess and then giving the house a good clean

 leaves me feeling ready for the New Year.

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Maybe it's trying to find space for the new "things" that have entered the home over the holidays,

 but this is usually when my organizational side kicks in and the need to start cleaning out closets..

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Over the next few weeks I am going to tackle some of our bigger storage and organization problems,

hopefully you'll come by and share your tips with us!

Today I'm packing Christmas decorations.

I wrap them in tissue and place into labelled (glass balls, etc)

 red plastic storage containers in the basement.

I guess it's not a surprise that I like color coding everything :)

How do you store your decorations?

Are you still in Christmas mode or have you packed up already?

til next time..