Showing posts with label chalkboard paint. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chalkboard paint. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Pressure of Perfection

I have read countless lifestyle blogs showcasing perfect outfits, room designs, organized spaces, flawless DIY projects. Guess what!? It's not that easy!!! I would like to give you a real life look behind the front door of my house because, let's face it, not everyone can afford an interior designer, their dream furniture collection, the entire Fall Fashion catwalk, or even if they can; who has the time to make it happen?!
Some of the ladies I have referred to as friends, although they might have NO clue who I am (isn't the world of blogging and Twitter amazing?!?) have talked about the pressure of maintaining the semblance of order in life, style, and design within their homes, family, and personal appearance as "lifestyle bloggers".
But wait....aren't I claiming to be an interior designer? At least to know what I'm talking about when it comes to organizing?! Sure, but how many people can relate to the "it's so much easier to do it in someone else's house?" philosophy?? **Hand Raised right here!** It's OK if you're too shy to raise yours, I'm not judging. Maybe it's also due to the fact that I have an 11 month old (TODAY! yikes!) daughter, I work from home, we have 3 dogs, four cats, and never ending hair, I don't have a nanny or daycare...Yes, my mom helps out a lot, but when she's around I'm trying to run errands, or get laundry done, or maybe even vacuum. So what about when Dablet naps? Remember that thing called work? I'm trying to get that done! I'm not sitting here inventing new excuses that have never come into play over the countless years of "homemaking", just pointing out that while they haven't changed we need to do something about changing how we manage them.
You've probably seen this floating around on Pinterest or Facebook recently, and I don't think I could find a single person who doesn't agree with this when it comes to their own home! We strap on our super powered cleaning belts when people are coming over and do the impossible. I always shake my head in disbelief at what I can accomplish for the people who say "Don't worry about it, we understand you have a lot going on", and I always end up saying, "I'm so sorry, our house is a disaster" secretly hoping I'll get the, "What are you talking about? It looks great!"
What person out there doesn't dream of having a perfectly organized home? Especially those of us with little "beings" running around on the floor. I recently posted this on Facebook, it's my latest and greatest idea to solve the hair problem in our house:
Yes....I have allowed Dablet to become a Baby Dry Swiffer, and guess what?! It WORKS!!!

I'm looking to take "baby steps" (as well as make some pretty drastic changes around here) to solve the cyclical nature of stuff...clean....stuff...clean.... Here are a few of my latest Pins for "quick fix ideas"
Where are the keys? Where did I put that Coupon that came in the mail? Did I send out that bill?!
Because a calendar would be nice too!
I'm currently working on something like this (not as big) for our mudroom, it is currently my favorite project!

What are your biggest challenges? Do you have a top five trick list on how to manage your time? I think everyone can identify what doesn't work for them, but it's often hard to look at what is working when you feel like you're stuck in a cycle! I will, of course, post pictures of my own home before and after shots to show you that no matter how crazy your life is, you can make progress!
Happy Tuesday!


Monday, July 23, 2012

Mommy Monday - Paint & Playroom

Happy Monday everyone!
It's been a crazy several days, productive, but CRAZY! Our dumpster kitty, Meow, had back surgery last week and is home now "enjoying" her digs that she will have to deal with for the next four weeks.

Also to add to the chaos, we finally had our yard sale this past Saturday!! I felt SO good to purge, and we will donate the rest to one of our local organizations. The best part...we profited over $800!!! The two rooms these funds will go to first in our home makeover are my office and Dablet's playroom! Speaking of home makeover, I painted our half bath! I was true to my word that I'd end up starting with the smallest room in the house!
I used Benjamin Moore Peacock Blue and a lot of 1.5" blue painter's tape! I reminded myself why people often resort to hiring professional painters. It's not that the painting itself it hard, but you spend at least half of your time prepping and touching up!
This was the "before" and the Koi painting from our Honeymoon was the color inspiration
Prep, edging, and during photos
Final look! Amazing how much different a coat of paint will make a room!

With paint on the brain, I think I have a background color for Dablet's playroom! Benjamin Moore's Gray Owl has been one of my favorites for a long time! It's a pale blue gray (at least in my house!) and with all of the other colors I want to use in the playroom, and the chalkboard paint wall, I think it will be a perfect canvas!
Now for those yard sale dollars!! 
I have been browsing blogs all weekend for inspiration and I found some at one of my favorites Focal Point. Lynda lives in Arizona, and I think I might just need to get my butt out there and figure out a way to get these fun finds back to me! It's a good thing I'm headed out that way this October!!
I NEED this for my office!!!
I'm slightly in love with the black and white fabric trim on this chair! 

Another fun thing I tracked down this weekend perusing IKEA's website for Dablet's Playroom was this:
The bins come in all different colors, you can place them in any orientation with the grooves that you wish, they also have a white frame and you can always paint it! It's from the TROFAST collection and this frame runs just at $114. I can picture putting words and numbers on the bins for teaching not only clean up practices, but also what's what!

Two other requirements for our playroom creation are a reading nook and chalkboard paint!! Here are some of my favorite pins for my ideas! You can find more on my Playroom Board!

See the pin here
See the pin here


See the pin here
See the pin here


I hope you all have fabulous success with whatever projects you have going on, and please be sure to share photos! I'd love to see!