tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80723434771780396282024-03-13T23:02:20.949-07:00Circle and Stoneold house to new home and everything in betweenJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-79459517034150533032016-06-30T11:19:00.001-07:002016-06-30T11:22:12.507-07:00Porch Project UpdateAs you may remember from <a href="http://circleandstone.blogspot.com/2015/05/demolition.html" target="_blank">this post</a>, last year we had to tear the stone off our porch skirting due to the winter ice cracking the foundation. So, we were left with trying to decided what do replace it with. <br />
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I wanted something with a traditional farmhouse feeling, but not lattice. We looked around our neighboring towns at houses built around the same time as ours (1880-ish) and decided on simple thin strips of wood with a wide trim around them. <br />
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We kind of worked it out as we went.<br />
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Here's what it looked like in progress:<br />
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After looking things over we realized we needed to replace the wood that wrapped around each post on the top part of the porch. The original builders used Hardy Board which I guess is great in most applications but not meant to be placed close to horizontal surfaces that can get wet, and our porch does get pretty wet sometimes due to the direction of the weather. So, the posts were completely rotted at the bottom. </div>
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After about 4 days of just Ken and I working part time (I got to be the official cut girl and work the circular saw) we got everything rebuilt and the railings back on. <br />
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Then we were told it's best to let pressure treated wood sit for about a year before you paint it. So, it sat like this since October.<br />
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This is where we were at a few weeks ago. I have started caulking and filling all the nail and screw holes and I got a coat of primer and paint on the side porch (below). Now I need to get going on the front porch and then decide how we want to paint the skirting slats. The skirting paint might have to wait until fall when I can trim the plants back to reach it.</div>
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Things are slowly moving forward around here, but at least they are moving again. We are also working on our back patio area and new pool area as well as waiting to have our new driveway installed. Lots going on around here and enjoying summer too! Thanks for following along. </div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-36630064266149247442016-06-28T12:39:00.000-07:002016-06-28T19:24:10.969-07:00Vintage Eclectic ChairsHello friends! I am back today after a month of being super busy with multiple projects happening at once (porch, pool, patio, etc. etc.) and the kids end of school year events.<br />
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While I have been busy with outdoor projects, I am always thinking about my decor indoors and what projects I hope to do when the weather gets cooler. I would love to do some small updates in my <a href="http://circleandstone.blogspot.com/2016/04/make-room-challenge-week-5-kitchen.html" target="_blank">kitchen</a> and <a href="http://circleandstone.blogspot.com/2015/04/our-sitting-room-is-finally-done-and.html" target="_blank">dining room</a>. Despite the fact that we just redid the dining room it could use a few tweaks. I mean, let's face it, even when you try to plan everything there is always something you think of later once the room is really being used. <br />
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I would love to get some old/new dining room chairs. I currently have 4 of a kind danish spindle chairs that I bought years ago unfinished and painted them myself. The other two oak t-back chairs are from my great grandparents dining room set. I would love a few more chairs to mix in when we extend our table for parties and holidays. We can easily seat 10 people so we would need at least 4 more chairs.<br />
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Personally, I am not a fan of matchy-match furniture. The more eclectic the better, so searching for vintage makes sense. That's where <a href="https://www.chairish.com/" target="_blank">Chairish</a> comes in. It's an online marketplace for vintage designer furniture and decor items! You can find so many great items there, like these <a href="https://www.chairish.com/collection/dining-chairs" target="_blank">dining chairs</a>. <br />
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Here are some of the chairs I found on <a href="https://www.chairish.com/" target="_blank">Chairish</a>:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.chairish.com/product/310872/holman-danish-modern-dining-room-chairs-pair" target="_blank">This</a> option is funky and I like the mid-century vibe.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am not sure the color of <a href="https://www.chairish.com/product/259139/thonet-attri-rattan-dining-chairs-set-of-4" target="_blank">these</a> is quite right for my space, but how cool are they?!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xZmUsZfrnkI/V3K4LN6ZxuI/AAAAAAAACNs/7NvkJXJyxlIvCrdLrPcOHeDf73Rc9s0ZQCLcB/s1600/8eede1d3-134b-495e-9fd5-ab703bd5eeb0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xZmUsZfrnkI/V3K4LN6ZxuI/AAAAAAAACNs/7NvkJXJyxlIvCrdLrPcOHeDf73Rc9s0ZQCLcB/s320/8eede1d3-134b-495e-9fd5-ab703bd5eeb0.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.chairish.com/product/307547/paul-mccobb-mid-century-dining-chairs-set-of-6" target="_blank">These </a>are similar to the chairs I have.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zZrmAtdnr88/V3K4LLz_9EI/AAAAAAAACNo/qURPPMb6kdgXwg5fKf3p6TvClQTzXLBAgCLcB/s1600/7bee9439-bdbe-4d53-9265-6eba9ac4a135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zZrmAtdnr88/V3K4LLz_9EI/AAAAAAAACNo/qURPPMb6kdgXwg5fKf3p6TvClQTzXLBAgCLcB/s320/7bee9439-bdbe-4d53-9265-6eba9ac4a135.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super simple, yet funky. <a href="https://www.chairish.com/product/297856/danish-modern-dining-chairs-set-of-4" target="_blank"> These</a> would be awesome reupholstered with mustard colored print fabric.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rrT5-k50oGg/V3K4KyNa5BI/AAAAAAAACNk/U69FMHHAFRwyzKtXdyBrh-6VfSENfSYQgCLcB/s1600/2ccb1d52-ba46-4abc-8d6a-0ffc9054bd07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rrT5-k50oGg/V3K4KyNa5BI/AAAAAAAACNk/U69FMHHAFRwyzKtXdyBrh-6VfSENfSYQgCLcB/s320/2ccb1d52-ba46-4abc-8d6a-0ffc9054bd07.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.chairish.com/product/281839/jl-moller-vintage-teak-dining-chairs-set-of-4" target="_blank">These</a> feel like a sort of classic take on mid-century mod. I would love to see these with dark 2 tone upholstery.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love, love, love <a href="https://www.chairish.com/product/309262/farm-house-dining-chairs-set-of-4" target="_blank">these</a> old farmhouse chairs! The fact that each one is a different chippy paint color is just perfect!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another mid-century mod option. <a href="https://www.chairish.com/product/267675/mobelfabrik-mid-century-danish-chairs-a-pair" target="_blank">These</a> are so cool!<br />
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There are so many great choices available at <a href="https://www.chairish.com/" target="_blank">Charish</a>! It really makes it hard to decide. <br />
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Here's some idea of what I envision:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.chairish.com/product/309262/farm-house-dining-chairs-set-of-4" target="_blank">Farmhouse Chairs</a> // Valspar Pier 14 Paint // <a href="http://www.crateandbarrel.com/atwell-pendant-light/s200379" target="_blank">Atwell Pendant Light</a> // <a href="http://www.bhg.com/shop/tango-oval-danish-design-spindle-back-5-piece-dining-set-1-table-2-black-chairs-2-grey-chairs-size-5-piece-sets-pbd64c2234c2f9fef9ee4d1dee71a3005.html" target="_blank">Black Spindle Chair</a> // <a href="https://www.onekingslane.com/p/4511035-mali-tribal-indigo-blues-pillow?f=shareasale&utm_campaign=indoor&SSAID=454769&utm_medium=Affiliates&utm_source=Shareasale&utm_term=635589146&utm_content=454769" target="_blank">Mali Tribal Indigo Blues Pillow</a> // <a href="https://www.onekingslane.com/p/4368363-kazak-fabric-pillow?f=shareasale&utm_campaign=indoor&SSAID=454769&utm_medium=Affiliates&utm_source=Shareasale&utm_term=636518010&utm_content=454769" target="_blank">Kazak Fabric Pillow</a> // <a href="http://www.art.com/products/p10071248-sa-i838503/vincent-van-gogh-mulberry-tree-c-1889.htm?aff=conf&ctid=264561764&rfid=547673&tkid=0&ui=f7e55c19eea846b796a95991c5eb9388&sessionpid=aa9071f125cb453497b66993a052b299&stp=true" target="_blank"> Mulberry Tree Art</a> // <a href="https://www.onekingslane.com/p/2598956-taza-table-lamp-antiqued-brass?f=shareasale&utm_campaign=table-lamps&SSAID=454769&utm_medium=Affiliates&utm_source=Shareasale&utm_term=614077464&utm_content=454769" target="_blank">Taza Table Lamp</a></td></tr>
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If you are in the market for anything cool and vintage check out <a href="https://www.chairish.com/" target="_blank">Charish</a> and I will hopefully be back in the next few days/weeks to post some long overdue updates on the many projects we have been working on outdoors!<br />
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When I was a kid I was a total slob. I kept everything, even garbage. I guess you could say I was a "hoarder." I even kept week old PB&J sandwiches in old brown lunch bags under my bed so my mom wouldn't know that I didn't eat my lunch at school. Toys were so plentiful and unorganized in my room that you could hardly see the horrible fluffy mint green carpet let alone have a place to walk on it. At least, that is they way I remember it. <br />
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I went on like this until one day a friend of mine was over at my house playing (I was probably about 10 or 11) and she said "<i>let's clean your room...I will help you</i>!" <br />
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Now, of course my mom had told me many times to clean my room, but I guess I just never did it. But, when my friend, who came from a super organized and clutter free home, said "let's clean" I thought, "okay, maybe it will be fun?!"<br />
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We spent the day (or at least a few hours) cleaning up everything in my room. We organized the toys, cleaned under my bed - which was like a black hole for everything prior to this, cleaned my dressers, closet, etc. I mean... we cleaned and organized <b>everything</b>!!<br />
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It was <i><b>life changing</b></i>. I realized that day how much impact your immediate environment has on your mood and function. <br />
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Since that day I have been what some people would call sort of a "neat freak." <br />
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Clutter and disorder really does suck the life out of you whether you know it or not and whether you acknowledge it or not. And sometimes all it takes to see it clearly is a kind friend to say "I will help you." <br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kXSNQpbk0Pc/VyeGb1pKtxI/AAAAAAAACGU/nEXnuOAxAtEDh4kaZEwj2caEay84OuLigCLcB/s1600/13151766_10206487712212264_52719494783881607_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kXSNQpbk0Pc/VyeGb1pKtxI/AAAAAAAACGU/nEXnuOAxAtEDh4kaZEwj2caEay84OuLigCLcB/s640/13151766_10206487712212264_52719494783881607_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Make-Room-What-You-Love/dp/0736963170/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462208748&sr=8-1&keywords=make+room+for+what+you+love" target="_blank">Make Room For What You Love</a>,</i> the new book by Melissa Michaels of <a href="http://theinspiredroom.net/" target="_blank">The Inspired Room</a>, is like that kind friend. <br />
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As most of you know I was chosen as part of the launch team for this book, which meant participating in a <a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">5 week challenge</a> focusing on different tasks to help pinpoint areas of my home that could be decluttered and streamlined. <br />
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The idea was to not only provide better function, but to make more room to focus on the things that matter in my life as opposed to cleaning, looking for things, picking up, etc. <br />
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It's really easy in our society to buy into the idea that we need <b>more</b>. Especially when you are like me and love to decorate and make things and rearrange things and refresh things. When it comes down to it, all that <b>more </b>does is take away from the other important things in life - like time with family, time to be outdoors, and time for myself. <br />
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Taking part in the challenge and reading <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Make-Room-What-You-Love/dp/0736963170/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462208748&sr=8-1&keywords=make+room+for+what+you+love" target="_blank">Make Room For What You Love</a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Make-Room-What-You-Love/dp/0736963170/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462208748&sr=8-1&keywords=make+room+for+what+you+love" target="_blank"> </a></i>reminded me of these things and I am glad I could share it with you. You can learn more about the challenge <a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">here</a>. The book is available now on Amazon and other retailers. Also, be sure so check out <a href="http://theinspiredroom.net/" target="_blank">The Inspired Room</a>. Thank you to Melissa for letting me participate and reminding me what it means to create a simple and happy home. Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-23045007608283967122016-04-29T16:42:00.002-07:002016-04-29T16:42:08.628-07:00<br />
When we bought this house almost 7 years ago we first came for a showing and I remember walking into the kitchen and seeing no upper cabinets or shelves and thinking where do I put all the food?! And then we opened the pantry door.<br />
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We are so fortunate to have a walk-in pantry. It stores all of our food and dry goods and we do a lot of canning so it provides room to store preserved foods as well. <br />
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For this week of the <a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">Make Room Challenge</a> I gave my pantry a little bit of attention. I took some before photos but they got deleted by accident ...oops!<br />
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Oh well. Here is a "tour" of my pantry:<br />
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Let's start with the dutch door! It is so nice because the top half of the pantry is our spice rack so we can reach in and get what we need. Plus, my helper likes it for playing pretend!</div>
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Inside the pantry we have lots of shelves for what we need. In Melissa's <a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">book </a>she writes about having different zones for different purposes and my pantry is organized with that idea in mind. We also keep snacks within reach so the kids can help themselves more easily.<br />
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We keep our canning jar lids on a long dowel (to the right on the photo below) that is attached to the wall with a pipe clip. I may post a tutorial on that if anyone is interested. It keeps them very organized and they take up less space that way. <br />
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Lots of empty jars right now. But once the garden is in and producing we fill them up with pickles, tomatoes, beets, etc.<br />
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That's it. That's our pantry. I love it and whenever I open it I am thankful that we have it. </div>
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I plan to post a recap of the <a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">Make Room Challenge</a> next week so please check back in and if you have been following along with your own projects let me know in the comments how you have been doing in your house! Have a great weekend!</div>
<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-63058924846207221262016-04-28T10:53:00.001-07:002016-04-28T10:53:50.061-07:00Make Room Challenge - Week 5: Kitchen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is the fifth and final week of the <a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">Make Room Challenge</a> and this week the task was the kitchen. Our kitchen is really in pretty good shape already so I basically just spiffed it up a little bit.</div>
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I made sure all the surfaces where cleared and things were put away where they needed to be. I also rearranged a few pictures and things to refresh the space. </div>
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Melissa writes in her book, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Make-Room-What-You-Love/dp/0736963170/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461865546&sr=8-1&keywords=make+room+for+what+you+love" target="_blank">Make Room For What You Love</a></i>, about having daily tasks that help over time to build into basic habits that make it that much easier keep things in order. I guess I have always done that but I didn't really think about it until reading the book. I try to take time to pick up as I go along which means no need for all day clean ups! </div>
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Here is what my kitchen looked like today:</div>
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The large double doors hide our laundry center and the next door is our bathroom (not the best location, but I hope to change that someday). The door in the corner by the refrigerator is the pantry.</div>
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I love our pantry! I will share more on the inside of it tomorrow.</div>
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Our kitchen is open to our sitting area (with a loft above - where I hang quilts) and dining room which I think is great when we are working in there and the kids are playing. <br />
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So, that's my farmhouse kitchen. I hope to do some minor updates to it at some point (like real granite counters, etc) but for now just having it clean and organized feels great! Be sure to check out the <a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">Make Room Challenge</a> and Melissa's book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Make-Room-What-You-Love/dp/0736963170/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461865546&sr=8-1&keywords=make+room+for+what+you+love" target="_blank">Make Room For What You Love</a> </i>and thanks for following along on my progress. I plan to keep sharing my projects as I go so stay tuned. </div>
<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-45972941193793188882016-04-22T07:51:00.000-07:002016-04-22T07:51:17.274-07:00Make Room Challenge - Week 4: Play and Creative AreasIn the past week I have been working on completing the task for Week 4 of the <a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">Make Room Challenge</a> to celebrate the launch of <a href="http://theinspiredroom.net/" target="_blank">Melissa's</a> book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Make-Room-What-You-Love/dp/0736963170/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461335784&sr=8-1&keywords=make+room+for+what+you+love" target="_blank">Make Room For What You Love</a>. <div>
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The task this week was: Play and Creative Areas.</div>
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As most of you know, I went to art school so this was not an easy task for me. Meaning, I can think of a use for everything! I find that most creative people are like that which makes it difficult to declutter supplies (even if you haven't used them since art school!) </div>
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I have an entire studio dedicated to jewelry work and metal/gold smithing, but that is basically my workspace and it's outside of my home (and currently in disarray due to moves and other things). </div>
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So, a few years ago when we put our master bedroom addition on our house and added a small coat closet under the stairs I asked Ken if we could convert our coat closet into an "art closet." Of course he said yes (because he is awesome!) He added a ton of sturdy shelves and then I proceeded to fill it right up.</div>
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This is how it looked:</div>
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I have tried to organize it over the last 5 years by adding things like the <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30216536/" target="_blank">rolling cart</a> from Ikea and the metal organizer on the back of the door. But, what was missing was the simple things that make being organized easier. Things like decluttering first and labels and stackable containers.</div>
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I really wanted to make this closet feel finished, so I decided to take everything out. </div>
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This is the part I (and my husband) hate because it just makes a huge mess and it usually takes a few days to get the project done.<br />
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I started by priming and painting the shelves with paint we had on hand from our mudroom. It was already so much better.</div>
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I also decided to rip out the old scrap of frayed carpet. I found a runner that was basically the right length and I just cut it where the box is that our dryer vent goes through. I think it came out pretty good considering what it looked like before.</div>
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I decided that all my decluttering efforts deserved some new storage bins that were clear and uniform so I could see the contents and they would stack easily and take up less space. (I ended up with a few too many so I will return some).</div>
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I spent 2 days staying up late sorting every last bead, button and paint brush and then put everything back in a way that made more sense and better utilized the space in this closet. </div>
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This is how it came out:</div>
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I really made sure to think critically about what I would actually use. Melissa says in her <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Make-Room-What-You-Love/dp/0736963170/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461335784&sr=8-1&keywords=make+room+for+what+you+love" target="_blank">book</a> not to save things to use someday, because let's face it <b>"someday is not a day of the week."</b> That really hit home because it's so true! While I kept most of the kids art supplies, I decided to keep things that could be used for the three most important categories to me (besides metals of course): calligraphy/drawing, knitting/weaving, and card making. </div>
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I organized everything and with that in mind. I also labeled the bins so I everyone is sure to know where things will go, and I made sure to put the kids stuff low enough that they can get it out and put it back on their own. </div>
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I am really happy with the result and I think I may actually be able to do some art projects now that I can see where everything is!</div>
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If you want to join in the Make Room Challenge or get the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Make-Room-What-You-Love/dp/0736963170/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461335784&sr=8-1&keywords=make+room+for+what+you+love" target="_blank">book</a> you can find out more <a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Next week is the final official week of the challenge, but I plan to keep going. I have a new found purpose in my decluttering thanks to the book. It's no longer just "getting rid of stuff" but making room for what you love so you can feel free from the burden of the things that don't matter.</div>
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Here's the final Before and After:</div>
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-37936499950599115002016-04-14T12:51:00.000-07:002016-04-14T13:05:40.311-07:00Make Room Challenge - Week 3: Clutter and Entry PART 2So, yesterday I showed you my relatively organized command center. Today, I wanted to share my mudroom. <br />
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The mudroom..UGH!!! I look at photos of mudrooms and dream about what it would be like to have a beautiful mudroom with things like; a huge closet, or a dog washing station, gorgeous built-ins, or a lovely potting sink. Let's face it, that is not a reality for this house right now.<br />
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However, we can always do some simple things to try and make the best of the space we have. <br />
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I spent some time this week as part of the <a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">Make Room Challenge</a>, to declutter and clean up our mudroom. <br />
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Here is what it looked like before:<br />
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Okay, okay, not super terrible on the surface, but behind closed doors it was a bit worse. Our mudroom serves many purposes including: art display area, coat closet, dog house, work out area, sporting equipment storage, food storage (freezer), basement access, and house project "stuff" zone. <br />
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As the first room you enter into our house, it would make sense that this room would be the most important space to whip into shape so when guests come over we could give a better first impression of our home. Actually, for our own sake as well. Why shouldn't we deserve to come home to an organized and tidy mudroom?<br />
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So, I spent the day opening cabinets and sorting things out and trying to decided if I really need to keep ice skates I wore 20+ years ago, and only once since then?!<br />
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This is how it came out:<br />
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The first, and most obvious thing I did was put little things away where they belonged and cleaned everything. Although I don't agree with it, my husband insists on keeping multiple coats on hooks in the mudroom and that is a battle I am not willing to fight since at least they are getting hung up somewhere! We have this nice coat hook/basket combo shelf that came from Ikea way back when. We keep hats and dog leashes and toys in the baskets. My husband's shoes go in the matching storage bench since they are too big to fit in the red cabinet that we keep the rest of our shoes in. Hooks on the wall below the window are just the right height for the girls' book bags.<br />
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I brought in a bit of color with an oxalis plant that is still holding on from St. Patrick's Day.<br />
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Another area that I put some real effort into was our shoe cabinet. This cabinet was an old jelly cabinet from Ken's grandmother's house. I used to keep it almost empty with just a few items in our upstairs hallway, until one day I realized it would be great for our shoes! That's the funny thing; sometimes you just need to look at pieces of furniture you already have and see if you can envision using them in a different location or for a different purpose. I got rid of 6 pairs of shoes in 5 minutes! It becomes really easy to eliminate clutter when you just get real with yourself about what you have and what you need. <br />
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We keep our dress shoes in boxes in our closets and get them out when we need them. So, this cabinet only really needs to hold a few everyday pairs per person.<br />
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Here is what the inside of that cabinet looks like now: <br />
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We keep some of our overflow flip flops and crocs in a basket on top of the cabinet.<br />
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The other basket on top of the cabinet holds various hats.<br />
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We have some old lockers that hold sports equipment and umbrellas and such. They were pretty cluttered up. So much so, that I had to push the stuff in and then quickly slam the door! <br />
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I added a hanging clothes rail and inexpensive cloth cube organizer to create "cubbies" for the smaller items that needed to be stored in here. <br />
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Lastly, I took all the magnets and pictures off of our freezer. I love seeing my kids art work and I am sure we will put more up in no time, but it was a nice break for a minute. I did keep the girls' chore chart and message board on the side of the freezer. I also removed all the paint cans and tools from the top of the freezer and put them away where they go. The basket on the top of the freezer is for items that need to go to be donated (it's bigger than it looks in the photo). When it's full, I just take it to Goodwill. <br />
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And, this is maybe controversial to some people, but I made a sign a while ago for my mudroom that says "Please Remove Your Shoes." We are a no shoes in the house family. It's hard enough to keep the house clean without the dirt from shoes. So, our shoes and guests shoes stay in the mudroom. <br />
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This mudroom clean up was part organize, part declutter and part clean up and just put things back where they belong! It is nice and fresh and clean feeling now; just in time for the warmer days ahead.</div>
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Thanks for following along with my progress in the <a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">Make Room Challenge</a>. Why not join in now and make some room in your home as well. You can find out more <a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-43143405253130833872016-04-13T10:50:00.000-07:002016-04-13T10:52:25.793-07:00Make Room Challenge - Week 3: Clutter and Entry PART 1<div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
In the last few weeks I have done a whole lot of reading this book: <i><a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">Make Room For What You Love</a> </i>By Melissa Michaels of <a href="http://theinspiredroom.net/" target="_blank">The Inspired Room</a> Blog and thinking and pondering about what I need and don't need to make my home happy and calm and functional. As you know by now, I am taking part in the <a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">Make Room Challenge</a> to organize and declutter and in turn make room for what I truly love.</div>
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This week's task was:</div>
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Clutter and Entry </div>
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Make Room for Arrivals and Departures</div>
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The entryway and mudroom of my house is the biggest clutter magnet of all! Awhile back I streamlined our "Command Center" - which is such a funny term to me, because sometimes it does seem like I am trying to direct rockets into space with all that I have to manage around my house! Anyway, that space has been working pretty well for us and it didn't need much work except a quick sort and purge. You can see what is looked like before<a href="http://circleandstone.blogspot.com/2015/03/drop-zone-command-center-clean-up.html" target="_blank"> here</a>.</div>
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Here is what it looked like on Monday:</div>
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Okay, not terrible, but after only a few minutes of sorting, it looked like this:</div>
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It's amazing what can be done in a few minutes if you have a good system. We have a <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90198030/" target="_blank">magazine file </a>from Ikea that has a slot for each family member's important papers. This has been great! A friend of mine asked me once "Where do you keep all your mail and school papers?" and I pointed to that magazine file. If the paper needs to be kept, or if I need to deal with it later in goes in that file, otherwise it gets immediately recycled or filed where it belongs. Bills go into a binder pocket with our family budget, so they never get misplaced.</div>
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We also keep a clipboard with our weekly meal planner/grocery list. I have seen (and even made) some really cute weekly meal planners, but I always revert back to this old one from my friend <a href="http://thekrazykujawas.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sarah</a>. What I like about it is I can write my meals for the week and my grocery list and then on Sunday I can just tear off the grocery list part and take it to the store with me! Sometimes simplest is easiest.<br />
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I have also evolved away from buying fancy calendars because found that I would put everything in my phone calendar and then have to transfer it to the paper calendar which was a hassle. Once I had everything connected on the "cloud" I could sinc my phone calendar, computer calendar and my husband's work calendar. At that point it made more sense to me to just print out or calendar one month at a time. I found this cute burlap pin board at Homegoods and I just tack our calendar for the month to it.</div>
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I just can't say enough about how good it feels to declutter and make space for<i> space. </i>For me, clearing off cluttered flat surfaces and moving out things that I don't need and eliminating visual clutter is like walking in the woods on a hike and stopping to take a deep breath of air and noticing the world that surrounds you.</div>
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I am realizing that <i>clearing clutter is a spiritual experience for me</i>. Maybe that is why I have been trying to do it for so long?!</div>
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I would love to hear how you feel about decluttering? Leave a comment below or link to your decluttering projects.</div>
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I will be back to share Part 2 of this week's challenge tomorrow - My Mudroom!</div>
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In the meantime you too can join in the Make Room Challenge or order the book...<a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-63475181238404879842016-04-08T11:52:00.001-07:002016-04-08T11:52:25.065-07:00Make Room Challenge: Week 2 - Jewelry StorageMake Room Challenge: Week 2 - Jewelry and Accessories<br />
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If you haven't already heard, I am taking part in the <a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">Make Room Challenge</a> to celebrate the new book, <i><a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">Make Room For What You Love</a></i>, written by the wonderful Melissa Michaels of <a href="http://theinspiredroom.net/" target="_blank">The Inspired Room</a> blog.<br />
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Last week our task was to clean out and declutter our dresser. You can read more about that <a href="http://circleandstone.blogspot.com/2016/04/make-room-challenge.html" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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This week the task was the "Master Bathroom - Make Room for Primping and Pampering." Unfortunately, we don't have a master bathroom in our house. The closest bathroom is actually the main bathroom in our house that everyone uses when they come over. <br />
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Because of this, I keep all my personal accessories in my bedroom on the dresser. And if you know me well, you know I am pretty low maintenance. For me, "primping" is combing my wet hair and putting it in a ponytail and putting on my watch and wedding band and maybe a pair of earrings. <br />
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I do have quite a bit of jewelry because after all, I am a trained jeweler and make jewelry for a living. However, I always say, for me being a jeweler must be like being a chef who cooks all day at a restaurant and then all they want to do is go home and eat a PB&J sandwich. I don't really wear jewelry. <br />
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There are a few pairs of colorful earrings and rings that I would like to try wear more often, so this was a good opportunity to put them front and center so maybe I <i>will</i> wear them. <br />
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I keep and antique jewelry box that I love with my overflow of jewelry that I just don't wear often. It could use a good sorting, but that will be for another day. <br />
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Since we finished our bedroom a few years ago, I have had a branch from a lilac bush that I tacked to the wall with small finish nails, which holds some of my most often worn small necklaces. This works really well because I can see them all and they never get tangled. Tangled chains are the worst!<br />
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For the things I want to put front and center, I decided to gather a variety of small ceramic dishes that I had laying around. <br />
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This is what I came up with:<br />
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I also switched out my striped dresser cover with a neutral table runner from Ikea so that the blues and greens of these little dishes would stand out better. I think it looks really nice and happy!</div>
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I think it will work pretty well. Having these items out in the open makes it easier to see them and in turn hopefully remember to wear them!<br />
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Want to follow along with the <a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">Make Room Challenge</a>? Or, if you are interested in pre-ordering the book and learning ways to tackle the task of decluttering without having to become a minimalist you can get more info <a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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Check back next week for more Make Room Challenge progress!<br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-64883870703804212322016-04-06T13:26:00.001-07:002016-04-06T13:29:47.799-07:00Spring has sprung...everywhere but here!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While exploring blog-land lately it seems as though Spring as sprung everywhere except here in Western, NY!</div>
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It's the time of year that we are supposed to be thinking about spring cleaning and opening the windows and changing the bedding to spring sheets and coverlets, and instead I am feeling a bit depressed with the cold and snow. It has been in the 20's here the last few days and light snow. <br />
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I think living in a rather cold and dark part of the country makes me really desire for my home to be light and bright. My house is really neither of those things, but rather "dark" and cozy. I find myself daydreaming about summer days yet to come. As a matter of fact, while we were in vacation in Florida last week, we purchased the blue hammock below.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.lasiesta.com/AVH16-3/#G/7" target="_blank">via</a> (no that is not me in the photo, but I wish it was)</td></tr>
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I have been looking for hammock/porch inspiration. So I thought I would share some....as least until the snow and cold goes away!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sincerelykinsey.com/2014/09/porch-hangs.html" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://perfectporchswing.com/affordable-porch-ideas-cheapskates-guide/" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thegoodstuffguide.com/hammocks/image011-8/" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sjUEgFmoKok/VwVstF3xybI/AAAAAAAAB9E/y_GIpsnfyEwnTbQ1u7u6qg_hBEHHSF4eQ/s1600/across_the_porch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sjUEgFmoKok/VwVstF3xybI/AAAAAAAAB9E/y_GIpsnfyEwnTbQ1u7u6qg_hBEHHSF4eQ/s640/across_the_porch.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.prettyhandygirl.com/screen-porch-tour/" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FLwJcv1xTtk/VwVuSiNKrKI/AAAAAAAAB9Y/HjEkJjMmdzMmv7Y8k8zIwURvwVt0vTeMQ/s1600/54ea3bf8220cb_-_clvjj26c-de-lgn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FLwJcv1xTtk/VwVuSiNKrKI/AAAAAAAAB9Y/HjEkJjMmdzMmv7Y8k8zIwURvwVt0vTeMQ/s640/54ea3bf8220cb_-_clvjj26c-de-lgn.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/how-to/g202/outdoor-space-0606/?slide=3" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yv5kdlNLnak/VwVvAMOTRDI/AAAAAAAAB9g/OMjYGuEKZ1cOsqGUnRER2piSa9b4QUGGw/s1600/hommock-porch_300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yv5kdlNLnak/VwVvAMOTRDI/AAAAAAAAB9g/OMjYGuEKZ1cOsqGUnRER2piSa9b4QUGGw/s640/hommock-porch_300.jpg" width="536" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/best-ways-enjoy-summer/best-way-get-in-out-hammock" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-44827411160132185302016-04-04T10:37:00.002-07:002016-04-04T10:38:12.196-07:00Make Room ChallengeHello! I spent the last week and a half with my family in Florida on a long overdue vacation to the beach and Disney World. I was a great time, relaxing and fun. <br />
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While I was away I got a very exciting email. It was from Melissa Michaels of the <a href="http://theinspiredroom.net/" target="_blank">Inspired Room</a> blog. I have been invited to participate in Melissa's Make Room Challenge to celebrate her new book: <i><a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">Make Room For What You Love</a>. </i>It's a book about taking simple steps to organize and simplify your home and routine to help give you the time and space required to pursue the things in life that make you truly happy. Who doesn't want that?!!! <br />
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One of my goals has always been to be more efficient, and not just with cleaning and time, but also with not having things in my life that aren't useful or that I don't love. This challenge is the perfect opportunity for me to carry on with that quest.<br />
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The first week of the challenge is: The Master Bedroom.<br />
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The goal is to "Make Room for Rest and Rejuvenation." And while my master bedroom is actually probably the room in my house that is in the best shape, my dresser did need some attention. <br />
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Here is what it was looking like below. I will spare you too many before's.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fwjHHqFhiOA/VwKlA_cu3CI/AAAAAAAAB7k/75bLRIM1cgcEC1nrcaP66FtLgp177pWgw/s1600/IMG_8342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fwjHHqFhiOA/VwKlA_cu3CI/AAAAAAAAB7k/75bLRIM1cgcEC1nrcaP66FtLgp177pWgw/s640/IMG_8342.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It didn't take me too much time to sort through my clothes that I keep in my dresser and eliminate some items that I no longer wear or need. When I was through I had so much extra space! It's crazy! <br />
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Take a look:<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8H_7MaI4Yr8/VwKlNJFnOqI/AAAAAAAAB7o/XHG3LKEI_YgZAg2JdeCCxietohaaG_55w/s1600/IMG_8344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8H_7MaI4Yr8/VwKlNJFnOqI/AAAAAAAAB7o/XHG3LKEI_YgZAg2JdeCCxietohaaG_55w/s640/IMG_8344.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kItMY8qYz9g/VwKlNauakZI/AAAAAAAAB7s/QMlKZ1-nBZEtPEV0tfvxkniI7ALUIHFGw/s1600/IMG_8346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kItMY8qYz9g/VwKlNauakZI/AAAAAAAAB7s/QMlKZ1-nBZEtPEV0tfvxkniI7ALUIHFGw/s640/IMG_8346.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I sure do have a lot of colorful socks!<br />
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Now, the key (which is the hard part for me) is to not go right back out and fill those drawers back up with new "stuff." I will be working on fighting that urge.<br />
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For now, my master bedroom looks clean, simple and calm and still has the color and touches that I love and that I want to see at the end of a long and stressful day.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FwrbgHkIjs8/VwKlk-GzI7I/AAAAAAAAB70/EdaPgSBW0uUwb98VNplf36kwEqoE7HY-g/s1600/IMG_8357_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FwrbgHkIjs8/VwKlk-GzI7I/AAAAAAAAB70/EdaPgSBW0uUwb98VNplf36kwEqoE7HY-g/s640/IMG_8357_2.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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You can learn more about Melissa's new book: <i>Make Room For What You Love</i>, <a href="http://go.harvesthousepublishers.com/makeroomchallenge" target="_blank">here</a>. And be sure to check out the <a href="http://theinspiredroom.net/" target="_blank">Inspired Room</a> and like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheInspiredRoom.Fans/" target="_blank">The Inspired Room on Facebook</a> for updates and inspiration. <br />
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There are four more weeks left of the Make Room Challenge, so stop back in soon to see what next week's project will be. Whatever it is, I am excited! After all, it only takes a small first step to start moving on an amazing journey of living the life you hope for!<br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-8556412551549774442016-03-18T14:04:00.000-07:002016-03-18T14:04:12.829-07:00Painted Wood Paneling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When we first looked at our house I liked the wood paneling in the bedroom, but I knew someday I wanted to paint it white. It took me about 4 years to get the nerve to tackle this project. </div>
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This is what the room looked like before:</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f81ScF38frU/VumRGdzoiMI/AAAAAAAAB4M/eulODmtS300f-XQupa7vKR1971cmpFumA/s1600/IMG_6842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f81ScF38frU/VumRGdzoiMI/AAAAAAAAB4M/eulODmtS300f-XQupa7vKR1971cmpFumA/s640/IMG_6842.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I did lots of research on just how to cover the knots in the knotty pine. When we painted the paneling in our other bedroom we used shallac based primer which smelled horrible and after a few months the knots showed through anyway. So, this time I went with an oil-based spray primer (recommended by a drywall guy).<br />
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I sprayed the primer on just the knots to seal them. This paneling has been on the walls for a while so that may effect exactly how well the primer covers, but this stuff did a great job on these walls.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HVhpP6J6ZD8/Vuxma1NXdVI/AAAAAAAAB6k/vQN9C9BN7b824d1inH0wZb5zT1EJHkurw/s1600/IMG_4244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HVhpP6J6ZD8/Vuxma1NXdVI/AAAAAAAAB6k/vQN9C9BN7b824d1inH0wZb5zT1EJHkurw/s640/IMG_4244.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After one coat of the oil-cased spray primer on the knots, I painted one coat of regular latex primer on the rest of the walls. <br />
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This picture is after the above plus one coat of paint. The white we picked was <i>Dover White</i> by Sherwin Williams, which is a nice warm crisp white.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0xhDz1z_GCo/VuxmdqFoC6I/AAAAAAAAB6w/cQyy2csDcaU3PA-ENb50vNTiol2tJZBag/s1600/IMG_4247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0xhDz1z_GCo/VuxmdqFoC6I/AAAAAAAAB6w/cQyy2csDcaU3PA-ENb50vNTiol2tJZBag/s640/IMG_4247.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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All in all, it took one coat of primer on the knots, one on the walls and two coats of paint. It only took two coats of chalk board paint to cover that wall.<br />
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I am really happy with how it came out. It has been months since the walls were painted and no knots have shown through, so I would say the oil-based primer did the trick.<br />
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To see the full post on this girl's bedroom makeover go <a href="http://circleandstone.blogspot.com/2016/03/little-girl-bedroom-makeover.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-66150564496475768832016-03-16T10:10:00.001-07:002016-03-16T12:02:13.364-07:00Little girl's bedroom makeover...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the bigger projects we did in the last year was to paint and makeover our youngest daughter's bedroom. When we first saw this house, this was one of the rooms that I new I eventually wanted to paint. It had lots of knotty pine paneling and while I think real wood paneling definitely has its place in an old farmhouse, I wasn't sure a little girl's bedroom was that place. <br />
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Here is what the room looked like when we first saw the house:<br />
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When we moved in we only had 2 bedrooms, so we used this room as our bedroom for a few years until I was pregnant with our second child. We figured it was time to build a master bedroom on the first floor. I didn't have time at that point to do the painting, etc. that I wanted and I thought maybe it would be better to wait until she was a bit older and she could help decide what kind of room she wanted.</div>
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This is what it looked like when she was just out of her crib (about 2 yrs ago):</div>
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Once we finally decided to tackle this room I knew I wanted the paneling to be white as opposed to removing it altogether. White painted paneling has so much cottage character which I love. It took a lot of research and steps to cover all the knots (I will share that in another post).</div>
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Ask my 4 year old daughter her favorite color and she will always say "black"! Crazy, right? No purple, no pink or sparkles...just black! Anyway, so when I asked her what color she wanted on the other walls (that were previously blue) and of course she said...BLACK!! So, I thought, well why not chalkboard black? We ended up painting the largest wall chalkboard black which looks great and Ken made a little wooden rail for chalk out of a scrap piece of wood with a routered out channel in the center.</div>
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We also let our daughter choose the color for her vintage spool bed that was mine when I was a kid. It was originally a dark cherry color and she chose <i>Kilkenny</i> by Sherwin Williams. I wanted to give it a chalk paint finish so I used a trick that my friend taught me of mixing regular latex paint with plaster to make a home made version of chalk paint (maybe I will post a tutorial on that someday too). </div>
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We also added some new Ikea bookshelves next to the window seat for her growing book collection. I got some new foam and simple blue fabric to create a new cushion for the window seat and I added pillows that I had made for her room when she was a baby.</div>
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I have always thought kids will put their things away if you have a good system for them to do so. When we were doing this project I knew we needed to add some toy storage, so my husband changed the window seat storage area from a space where you need to lift up the top to open shelves with baskets and bins (which has worked great for a 4 year old).</div>
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We also kept the "cathedral window" quilt that my great aunt made as a colorful piece of art for the wall. </div>
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And last, but not least, we moved the vintage pine dresser that we used to have in our mudroom for hats and mittens into her room for her clothes. We paired it with an Ikea mirror that I might paint at some point.</div>
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So here again is a before and after. We love the way it looks. It's so much brighter and happier for a little girl's room. I will be sharing some of the project specifics and sources next week.</div>
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-3669983285234695132016-03-15T14:49:00.000-07:002016-03-15T14:49:19.602-07:00A lot has happened in a year...So, yes, it has been a long long time since I last posted. So many things have happened in my life. Lots of house stuff and lots of personal stuff. <br />
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First of all, we renovated and redecorated two bedrooms, one bathroom, and rebuilt a porch. I will be posting about all of that in the next few weeks.<br />
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But, the one major thing that happened in my life in the last year was that my mom was diagnosed with <i>pancreatic cancer</i>. Although, it wasn't a diagnosis for me personally, it hit me really hard. My mom is like one of my best friends. I talk to her everyday (sometimes multiple times a day). I was so worried about her this past year as she went through turning yellow with jaundice, and testing and attempting procedures that were unsuccessful, and then finally major surgery to remove part of her pancreas, stomach, bile ducts, part of her small intestine, and chemo. <br />
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She might be embarrassed with me writing about it, but I am amazed at her strength and toughness. I wonder if she thinks of herself as tough?...because after this past year, I sure do. <br />
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The good news is that she came through all of it with flying colors and hopes to be cancer free for the rest of her life, and the doctors say there is no reason she can't be... which is awesome!<br />
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Another things that has changed in the last year is: I have also decided (partially due to my mom's health crisis) to take better care of my health. I started running again and lifting weights and after about 8 months I am feeling much healthier overall. I might write some posts on exactly what I did to get back into this type of lifestyle. <br />
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So, if you are reading this. Thank you. I look forward to sharing tidbits of my life journey again...stay tuned.<br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-44753304181347469082015-06-24T14:30:00.001-07:002015-06-24T14:30:10.924-07:00Mudroom UpdateWhile our patio project is pretty much at a stand-still, I figured I should share some of the things we have done inside, so here is an update on our mudroom.<br />
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A while ago I wrote a post showing my <a href="http://circleandstone.blogspot.com/2015/03/our-mudroom-and-plan.html" target="_blank">mudroom</a>. I feel so fortunate to have a mudroom. Our house is very old and we have a lack of storage space and no coat closet, so our mudroom is a coat room, shoes storage room, dog room, etc. <br />
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Fast forward to a month ago and I really wanted to get a treadmill. I always had one and actually used it, but being the declutterer that I am I decided the mudroom was too small and we needed the space so I sold it on Craigslist! I have to say that was the only thing I ever got rid of that I regretted. Anyway, we decided to get a new treadmill and I had to rearrange the mudroom to accommodate it (there was no other possible location to put it in our house). <br />
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We took down our original simple coat hooks and put up the Ikea ones that we had at our old house. They have 4 baskets that we plan to use for winter stuff, etc. and they have more hooks which will allow us to store more coats (which is good and bad).<br />
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We also made a new runner from indoor outdoor carpet that is easy to clean and durable enough for the high traffic of the mudroom. It also helps keep the dirt out of the house.<br />
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We have 2 dogs and they both love their "houses" (crates). In fact, Hunter, our big 85 pound husky prefers the small one that he has slept in since he was a puppy even though he has really out grown it. So, these crates stay in the mudroom as well.<br />
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I had to move our red shoe cupboard in order to accommodate the treadmill and the only choice was to turn it 90 degrees which created a sort of "alcove" by the back door. Not ideal, but it works.<br />
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The good thing is that when the treadmill is folded up this corner is kind of "hidden" by the door when you walk in which makes is better... I guess. Why do things like treadmills have to be so ugly?!</div>
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We also needed to put the freezer in our mudroom. The old one was in the basement, and since we never go down there we didn't notice it had quit working a while back until we smelled it! Yuck! We needed the new one to be where we could access it and check it. By putting it in this corner we lost our old dresser that held hats and mittens, so we might have to DIY something like <a href="http://www.remodelaholic.com/2012/02/diy-rustic-wall-storage-bins/#" target="_blank">this</a> to remedy that problem.<br />
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I still would like to make some new window treatments and a few other small projects, and as much as this room is less "magazine worthy" I have to remember that this space needs to <i>work </i>more than it needs to look "pretty." So, for now I am happy that it is clean and I can walk on the treadmill.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-137424861573413982015-05-26T12:32:00.000-07:002015-05-26T12:33:04.691-07:00Our patio is gone!Last week the guys came with the bobcat and jack hammer and demo-ed our cracked patio.<br />
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That big jack hammer made pretty quick work of our patio even though it was almost 10 inches thick.<br />
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Our mason brought his dog "Mud" and he and Otis had fun playing all day and watching the progress.<br />
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Once they were done, they brought the dump truck in and removed all the concrete rubble.<br />
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By the end of the day Mud was pretty tired out, but Otis was still running around.<br />
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They brought in a layer of stone and leveled it out.<br />
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At this point we are left with a crushed stone "pad"... and we are trying to decide what to do next. Patio vs. deck? </div>
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-823720341191323482015-05-05T12:09:00.001-07:002015-05-05T12:09:44.735-07:00Demolition!!We have been wanting to take our boring concrete patio out and do something different since we moved in (6 years ago), but haven't had the time or money. This year with the extra cold winter we had the patio cracked beyond repair and heaved causing our foundation to crack. Bad news. But, the good news is now it is a priority to get the patio out and make a whole new backyard space!<br />
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This is what we are dealing with:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had already removed all of the lilies from around the patio when this picture was taken.</td></tr>
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The guys are supposed to come this week and jack hammer the patio out and start the repairs to the foundation and in order for them to do that we had to remove the stone facing from around <a href="http://circleandstone.blogspot.com/2012/06/our-porch.html" target="_blank">our porch</a>. <br />
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I actually started before Ken got home from work and it wasn't really that hard to get off. I love the demolition process...it's great stress relief!<br />
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When Ken got home I decided to let him get some stress relief too. <br />
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It only took about an hour total to remove all the stone facing, and we were happy to find a usable porch framework to work with. <br />
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Once the repairs are done to the foundation we hope to redo the porch to what it would have looked like in 1880 (even though the original porches were much smaller) and we will also replace the decking with something more weather resistant since it gets water sitting on it and has rotted in quite a few places. <br />
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This is what I am thinking as far as the spaces between the posts:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://carpentrywithintegrity.com/index.php/our-work/porches" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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I believe between the patio and the porches this might be an all summer project for us so I will post updates when things really get rolling, and I plan on posts updating our <a href="http://circleandstone.blogspot.com/2015/03/our-mudroom-and-plan.html" target="_blank">mudroom situation</a> and other projects we have been working on indoors too.<br />
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-64867900698926953652015-04-29T11:14:00.001-07:002015-04-29T11:16:26.411-07:00This is REAL life...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I am taking a break from house stuff lately because we have been doing just too much. Anyway, for the sake of keeping it real I want to talk about my experience with being a stay at home (sometimes working at home) mom. </div>
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About 11 years ago, when I was in graduate school at the Rhode Island School of Design I spent a lot of time thinking about what I hoped my life would be like once all my schooling was over. I had this idea that once I was done and had my MFA degree I would set up a studio in RI and spend my time designing and coming up with new ideas and creating new pieces and teaching all while socializing with my artist friends and being truly happy. <i>That</i> is the life I pictured for myself for so many years.</div>
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The reality is this: Once I got done with grad school, needing to earn a paycheck (since my husband was still in school) I went to work for a costume jewelry company. It was interesting work. I got to draw a lot and design and I earned a good living, but the dreamer in me knew it wasn't enough. I wanted to use my own brilliant, creative ideas for me - not for someone else to make a lot of money off of. </div>
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So, once I was pregnant with my first child (8 years ago now) I decided to leave my job. I never really thought I would stay home for the duration, just for the first year or so. What no one told me was that once you are home it is <i>very very difficult</i> to go back. So, I did freelance work for a while until we moved back to NY. For a time, I really thought I could be a mom <i>and</i> have a studio and make art and my kids would be happy to play in a corner of the studio outfitted with toys and life would be just grand. DOH!! I mean really who is doing that????!!! I need to know so I can come and see if you are a real person or are secretly an alien programmed to function without stress and anxiety. </div>
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Fast forward to my life now. For the last few years, I have been home with my second child. I take on custom jewelry projects here and there, but its not nearly enough to even give me spending money. And it's really stressful because I have to try and figure out when I am actually going to have the time to get the work done. </div>
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I occupy my creative brain by thinking about house projects and gardening and design all while honestly being really depressed that I can't give my creative endeavors the nurturing they need to grow. I know some people say that they can do it all (run a creative business while having young kids at home), but I can't for the life of me understand how?! </div>
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I was talking to another artist friend today who chose basically the same path as me, and even though her kids are grown enough to be in school all day she echoed what I feel. Moms have it hard. I think if I could do it all over I would have stayed at my job at least for a while longer. I admire my friends who are working moms. I know it can be very hard for them too to be away from their kids all day, but I think in the end if mom is happy it's better for everyone. </div>
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So, why such a negative post? Well, all we see these days on blogs, FB, Pinterest, Instagram, etc, is how <i>happy</i> everyone is, and how perfect their house is, and how wonderful their life. That is <i>NOT </i>real life. Real life is sometimes sad days, dirty dishes, screaming kids, dogs who decide to puke when you are expecting company, and dinners of mac and cheese from a box. That is reality for more people than what we often see on social media. </div>
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What can we do about it? I am not really sure, but just writing this post makes me feel better. I hope to read more posts about people keeping it real and then maybe our own reality and the pile of dirty laundry on the floor won't seem so bad.</div>
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If you made it to the end of this post. Thank you for reading. Thank you.</div>
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For now this is my reality:<br />
(and at least she makes me laugh)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of both of us was probably crying 10 minutes before or after this picture was taken!</td></tr>
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-59360976147060929212015-04-20T10:09:00.002-07:002015-04-20T10:09:46.644-07:00New life for and old writing desk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have heard from a lot of people once they use milk paint for the first time they love it so much they want to paint everything with milk paint. Well, that was the case for me too! </div>
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I had been wanting to do a DIY desk for my older daughter's room for a while, but one day after my first <a href="http://circleandstone.blogspot.com/2015/03/milk-paint-trial.html" target="_blank">milk paint experience</a>, I was at my mom's house and she was getting rid of this old maple writing desk that she had gotten for a wedding gift over 40 years ago. I wasn't crazy about the way it looked but I figured some milk paint could really transform it. </div>
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This is what it looked like:</div>
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My mom and I decided we would do this project together so she could give it to my daughter for her 7th birthday. (My daughter loves to write books and do her own illustrations, so this is a great gift for her...besides she has lots of toys!)<br />
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We chose <a href="http://www.missmustardseedsmilkpaint.com/" target="_blank">Miss Mustard Seed's</a> "kitchen scale" for the color (we added the bonding agent as well because I didn't really want the "chippy" look for this project). My daughter's room is very light pink (Pink Kiss from Valspar - mixed by Sherwin Williams because I like their paint best) and her floor is purple and her room is very colorful, so I wasn't afraid of more color. And the turquoise-y tone looks good with her bedding and curtains. <br />
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This is how it came out:<br />
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I sanded the whole thing after 2 coats of paint to bring out the "striations" in the paint color and then waxed it with Minwax basic furniture wax.</div>
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We got some new pinkish flower knobs from Hobby Lobby for around $3 each.</div>
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I love how it came out, and the best part is that my mom got to pass on a piece of furniture that would have otherwise been donated while I spent time and money trying to DIY a desk!<br />
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My daughter didn't waste any time decorating the bulletin board above and filling the desk with her pens and paper. I think it's safe to say she loves her new "work space."<br />
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And yes... I am still looking around and thinking "What else can I paint with milk paint!?!"<br />
<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-64280971997519957142015-04-14T07:35:00.000-07:002015-04-14T09:43:42.447-07:00New Sitting Room Our sitting room was a room off of our kitchen/dining area that I had planned to redecorate and if you read the <a href="http://circleandstone.blogspot.com/2015/04/our-sitting-room-is-finally-done-and.html" target="_blank">last post</a> you know that I started that process and after a slow (few months) into that project I decided to do a switch-eroo and change my dining area and sitting room altogether. It makes so much sense to me now because the sitting room was essentially just a sofa and a few chairs and tables, and our dining room is also so much better with all of the extra space.<br />
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Here is what the space looked like before (when it was our dining area):<br />
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It was good having the table and chairs "in" the kitchen with little kids, but it always felt cramped when guests came over.<br />
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Here is what it looks like now:<br />
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To me the old sitting room never felt quite right. Now I think I understand why - it had really high ceilings (because it was meant to be a formal dining room) so it never felt cozy. This new sitting area is located off of our kitchen and "under" our loft space, so the ceiling is lower and the overall space is smaller.<br />
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Basically all we did was switch the furniture into this area. I also brought in some coral/red to accent since I am trying to tie colors together in my whole house from from to room. We used the carpet that was under our table when it was a dining room and bought a <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60158304/" target="_blank">new wicker chair</a> from Ikea. I would eventually love to get a smaller "settee" style sofa, but for now this one works and it's comfortable. The old wooden trunk was a $20 Craigslist find that we bought a while back and everything else we have had for some time. <br />
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The ladder to the left holds keys, etc. I would like to take it down as soon as we can figure out how to do it without messing up all of the surrounding trim because it always seems to be in the way.<br />
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As you can see in the photo below, I have some of my quilt collection displayed on the loft railing (which is good because they hide a bunch of clutter that has accumulated up there from another project I am working on).<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RaBlc-uJ_pM/VS0uJw4cVyI/AAAAAAAABlY/YlTrok2QsCc/s1600/IMG_8147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RaBlc-uJ_pM/VS0uJw4cVyI/AAAAAAAABlY/YlTrok2QsCc/s1600/IMG_8147.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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This light was an inexpensive DIY idea that I got from <a href="http://dearemmeline.blogspot.com/2013/03/diy-easy-embroidery-hoop-pendant.html" target="_blank">here</a>. It was originally meant for the higher ceiling of the old sitting room so we had to shorten it a bit for this space. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lHaIlHVa7kI/VS0ub5V3KDI/AAAAAAAABlc/IOBcK8VjlYc/s1600/IMG_8158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lHaIlHVa7kI/VS0ub5V3KDI/AAAAAAAABlc/IOBcK8VjlYc/s1600/IMG_8158.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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I have a collection of old and new transferware plates that have been on this wall since we moved in and I thought they still looked good despite changing spaces.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YbNhl60eIjA/VS0u1SZ1V2I/AAAAAAAABls/xL3Uw-THJK8/s1600/IMG_8152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YbNhl60eIjA/VS0u1SZ1V2I/AAAAAAAABls/xL3Uw-THJK8/s1600/IMG_8152.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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The area in the photo below used to be where we had our old pine hutch. From what I understand it was where the original staircase was and when the previous owners removed it they clad the wall in barn wood. I love that now you can actually see the wood (before it was mostly hidden by our hutch). I plan to make a long DIY sign of some soft for the wall space next to the <a href="http://circleandstone.blogspot.com/2015/03/milk-paint-trial.html" target="_blank">red cupboard</a>.<br />
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The doors to the right of the red cupboard conceal my laundry closet.<br />
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Here's the Before and After:<br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-87011876721503669362015-04-09T07:05:00.000-07:002015-04-09T07:05:35.702-07:00Our sitting room is finally done (and now it's a dining room)!Our sitting room was a room in our house that never quite felt "right." I posted <a href="http://circleandstone.blogspot.com/2014/10/big-plans.html" target="_blank">here</a> about how I planned to brighten up the room and redecorate. <br />
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Here's a reminder of what the room looked like before:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It wasn't as "orange" as it looks in this photo...really.</td></tr>
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Redecorating it was a slow going process from the <a href="http://circleandstone.blogspot.com/2014/11/white-paint-fail.html" target="_blank">white paint fail</a>, to trying to move around the furniture to fit some other way. Then, one day I was reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561586188/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1561586188&linkCode=as2&tag=notsobighouse-20" target="_blank">this book</a> and I had the idea to switch my sitting room and my dining room area. The previous owners had used this room as a dining room, but when we moved here we thought it would be good to have a more casual dining area with little kids so we put our dining room table and chairs in our kitchen. <br />
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So, I told Ken my idea and even though it meant moving some big furniture he was surprisingly on board. We moved everything that night. We loved it from the get go, but I needed to do a few more things to finish both spaces. They are finally (almost) done so....<br />
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Here is our new dining room (that was a sitting room):<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cn_P2Stucn4/VSZ93_TKNlI/AAAAAAAABfo/hqxCdLQNQOI/s1600/IMG_8141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cn_P2Stucn4/VSZ93_TKNlI/AAAAAAAABfo/hqxCdLQNQOI/s1600/IMG_8141.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the only room in the house with the original bead board ceiling, which I love!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This shaker rocker was built from a kit.</td></tr>
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In the end we really didn't have to do too much to transform this room and it wasn't too costly either. <br />
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Here's what we did:<br />
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- painted Valspar's "Pier 14."<br />
- switched out our sitting room furniture with our dining table and chairs and added 2 antique oak T back chairs from my mom (which originally belonged to my great-grandparents).<br />
- added new art (framed paintings by my daughter and photos by a friend).<br />
- new light fixture from <a href="http://www.crateandbarrel.com/atwell-pendant-light/s200379" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
- moved our vintage pine cupboard.<br />
- new curtains from <a href="http://www.target.com/p/threshold-leno-weave-sheer-curtain-panel/-/A-14291594#prodSlot=_1_4" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
- new shaker rocker (kit) from <a href="http://www.shakerworkshops.com/catalog/view/shaker-rocking-chairs/No.-7-Slat-Back-Shaker-Rocker/F291" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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That's it! Geesh...It only took 6 months! I will show the actual "new" sitting area next post!<br />
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Here's a last before and after:<br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-42213032828471853052015-04-07T18:12:00.000-07:002015-04-07T18:22:52.432-07:00Rugs for the Kitchen: Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After looking online for some <a href="http://circleandstone.blogspot.com/2015/03/rugs-for-kitchen-part-1.html" target="_blank">kitchen rug inspiration</a>, I went on the lookout (actually I have been on the lookout for awhile, but nothing seemed just right or the right price). </div>
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This is what I found:</div>
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The first few I really liked, but I was worried they would be slippery because they didn't have any backing and also they weren't really washable or vacuum able, so not great for the kitchen. </div>
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By the way, if you are a Target shopper, which I obviously am, you need to get the Target RedCard and the Cartwheel app. RedCard saves you 5% on every purchase and then I usually wait until the things on my wish list (which is just a e-post it that I keep on my phone) go on sale with the app. Cartwheel is free and super easy to use. It has saved me quite a bit already! *If you don't like having another credit card you pay with the RedCard and get the 5% off and then go straight to the service desk and pay your balance with cash or check. It is a bit of extra hassle, but the 5% off is worth it if you shop there a lot! RedCard also gets you free shipping from Target.com.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QnJdIINeYzQ/VSR69QqvBXI/AAAAAAAABcs/K0yDiRYKU7M/s1600/IMG_3632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QnJdIINeYzQ/VSR69QqvBXI/AAAAAAAABcs/K0yDiRYKU7M/s1600/IMG_3632.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">@Target $19.99 with 5% off RedCard</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJl41kS0BSM/VSR69m2NrmI/AAAAAAAABcw/wF8rocm1au8/s1600/IMG_3633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJl41kS0BSM/VSR69m2NrmI/AAAAAAAABcw/wF8rocm1au8/s1600/IMG_3633.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">@Target I think this one was also $19.99 with 5% off RedCard</td></tr>
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I loved this one, but Ken said it hurt his eyes or maybe it was my mom...I forget...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wExBhcda2yk/VSR69i0GiNI/AAAAAAAABdI/2mlcmOIDWoM/s1600/IMG_3634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wExBhcda2yk/VSR69i0GiNI/AAAAAAAABdI/2mlcmOIDWoM/s1600/IMG_3634.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">@Target $19.99 with 5% off RedCard</td></tr>
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This one was nice, and vacuum able, but I was afraid the light colored background would get too dirty in my kitchen.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-joe7vsYisSM/VSR6-Nj5bgI/AAAAAAAABc4/yolvsxC9yJQ/s1600/IMG_4001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-joe7vsYisSM/VSR6-Nj5bgI/AAAAAAAABc4/yolvsxC9yJQ/s1600/IMG_4001.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">@ Home Goods $29.99</td></tr>
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I actually bought this one because I liked that I could vacuum it and how colorful it was, but once I got it home it really bugged me that the design was "off center" sort of (I know OCD much?!) So, back to Target it went.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KHhpW3tqOT0/VSR6-gDxMXI/AAAAAAAABdA/98ndq4eM6OQ/s1600/IMG_4002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KHhpW3tqOT0/VSR6-gDxMXI/AAAAAAAABdA/98ndq4eM6OQ/s1600/IMG_4002.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">@ Target $29.00 with 5% off RedCard and 10%off Cartwheel</td></tr>
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I loved this one!!! I was in the cart ready to go to my house. I loved the color (red/coral - which I have been bringing into my home as an accent more lately) and sisal/natural fiber mix. This really was the winner, but for some reason it went back on the shelf. I think it was because that day I was already over my Target budget and it wasn't washable either :(<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8grfhLee5Xk/VSR6_cTrBhI/AAAAAAAABdQ/OITtnnOj71I/s1600/IMG_4176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8grfhLee5Xk/VSR6_cTrBhI/AAAAAAAABdQ/OITtnnOj71I/s1600/IMG_4176.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">@ Target 19.99 with 5% off RedCard and 10% off with Cartwheel</td></tr>
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Then the next week I went to my local Christmas Tree Shoppe for some Easter stuff and this orange-red-peach-yellow striped rug was there for only$6.99, and washable! This was it. I like the colors and stripes for spring/summer. It is a little brighter than what I am used to using, but I think that's good.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3PdgHws2Ekg/VSR6_wpnC-I/AAAAAAAABdY/HZs45RQifWg/s1600/IMG_4187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3PdgHws2Ekg/VSR6_wpnC-I/AAAAAAAABdY/HZs45RQifWg/s1600/IMG_4187.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DLVAmiXGERc/VSR7AamE46I/AAAAAAAABdo/cSu1Azah0IA/s1600/IMG_4282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DLVAmiXGERc/VSR7AamE46I/AAAAAAAABdo/cSu1Azah0IA/s1600/IMG_4282.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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I will probably get something a bit nicer when I find that perfect one, but for now this will work just fine.<br />
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Now if only we could do something about those countertops and floors!?! Someday my friends, someday!</div>
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-1645401101140547682015-03-27T07:39:00.000-07:002015-03-27T07:47:24.287-07:00Rugs for the Kitchen: Part 1I have been trying to find a new rug for my <a href="http://circleandstone.blogspot.com/2012/03/our-kitchen.html" target="_blank">kitchen</a> for quite some time. My kitchen colors are really neutral and I like that, but this time of year with the coming of spring and spring cleaning I was hoping to freshen things up and infuse some punches of color into the space. However, I have been having a hard time deciding what kind of rug works well in a kitchen. <br />
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Here is some inspiration I have found:<br />
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I like the look of this ethnic looking design with the wood cabinets and dark countertops.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q9PVHb8DMic/VRVlmAQZKiI/AAAAAAAABcE/XlsHBmCjwIo/s1600/braided-kitchen-rugs-Kitchen-Contemporary-with-area-rug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q9PVHb8DMic/VRVlmAQZKiI/AAAAAAAABcE/XlsHBmCjwIo/s1600/braided-kitchen-rugs-Kitchen-Contemporary-with-area-rug.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.yrshopping.com/braided-kitchen-rugs-kitchen-contemporary-with-area-rug-12241/braided-kitchen-rugs-kitchen-contemporary-with-area-rug/" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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This bright rug looks awesome with the minty green cabinets and farmers sink.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uyJiiPXigCg/VRVlmIdzmhI/AAAAAAAABcA/92OXfIwWmS0/s1600/colorful-kitchen-rugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uyJiiPXigCg/VRVlmIdzmhI/AAAAAAAABcA/92OXfIwWmS0/s1600/colorful-kitchen-rugs.jpg" height="640" width="584" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.101decorideas.com/interior-design-ideas/area-rugs-carpets-small-room.html" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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I love how these striped runners add subtle color in an otherwise neutral kitchen.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hgth0oXDFX0/VRVliNpQ9pI/AAAAAAAABbY/kBQMSaQ-C-g/s1600/Colorful-striped-Kiycne-rug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hgth0oXDFX0/VRVliNpQ9pI/AAAAAAAABbY/kBQMSaQ-C-g/s1600/Colorful-striped-Kiycne-rug.jpg" height="566" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://rilane.com/kitchen/10-modern-kitchen-area-rugs-ideas/" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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This rug looks great with the stainless steel.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A6kl3mmXHFY/VRVliI0P5TI/AAAAAAAABbk/09AFi99m4sw/s1600/Distinctive-Kitchen-Area-Rug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A6kl3mmXHFY/VRVliI0P5TI/AAAAAAAABbk/09AFi99m4sw/s1600/Distinctive-Kitchen-Area-Rug.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://rilane.com/kitchen/10-modern-kitchen-area-rugs-ideas/" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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Love this rug with the white cabinets. I sort of wish my cabinets were white!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ppZ_kkDsRJw/VRVliO7wK9I/AAAAAAAABbc/etUsQzeTyb8/s1600/Ethnic-Kitchen-Area-Rug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ppZ_kkDsRJw/VRVliO7wK9I/AAAAAAAABbc/etUsQzeTyb8/s1600/Ethnic-Kitchen-Area-Rug.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://rilane.com/kitchen/10-modern-kitchen-area-rugs-ideas/" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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This kitchen has a similar countertop to my kitchen but my cabinets are much lighter color. This colorful floral rug really adds some fun.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sO8Jgg4lua0/VRVlm2juLHI/AAAAAAAABcQ/_Y9PZRifS-M/s1600/Excellent-Kitchen-area-rugs-sets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sO8Jgg4lua0/VRVlm2juLHI/AAAAAAAABcQ/_Y9PZRifS-M/s1600/Excellent-Kitchen-area-rugs-sets.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.7spaces.net/4012/ideas/excellent-kitchen-area-rugs-sets/" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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This rug is pretty traditional yet adds a cozy feeling to this white kitchen.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f2_OAqGKpJk/VRVlnBtFI6I/AAAAAAAABcU/HQQOTG1iBk0/s1600/kitchen-rugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f2_OAqGKpJk/VRVlnBtFI6I/AAAAAAAABcU/HQQOTG1iBk0/s1600/kitchen-rugs.jpg" height="434" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via</td></tr>
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I love the look of this navy and white rug, which looks great with the wood floor, white cabinets, and black hardware.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MyI4_EnOMbs/VRVlkMPAJ1I/AAAAAAAABbw/jkk6YqcOgcg/s1600/Navy-Blue-Kitchen-Area-Rug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MyI4_EnOMbs/VRVlkMPAJ1I/AAAAAAAABbw/jkk6YqcOgcg/s1600/Navy-Blue-Kitchen-Area-Rug.jpg" height="640" width="458" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://rilane.com/kitchen/10-modern-kitchen-area-rugs-ideas/" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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I don't particularly like the "fanciness" of this kitchen, but I love the rug.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g1_mfKRDM54/VRVlkkzq5UI/AAAAAAAABb4/74rRfDiHHIc/s1600/Traditional-kitchen-rug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g1_mfKRDM54/VRVlkkzq5UI/AAAAAAAABb4/74rRfDiHHIc/s1600/Traditional-kitchen-rug.jpg" height="462" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://rilane.com/kitchen/10-modern-kitchen-area-rugs-ideas/" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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I plan to do some rug shopping soon so I will be back next week to show you what I come up with! I also plan to finish both my <a href="http://circleandstone.blogspot.com/2015/03/sitting-room-update.html" target="_blank">sitting area</a> and dining room this weekend, so I will be back with the final photos of those spaces next week as well!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-58798855174998994552015-03-23T14:51:00.001-07:002015-03-24T17:07:44.786-07:00Command Center Clean up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pz4SLssGd24/VRB8QHfvtsI/AAAAAAAABas/qtxmW9hQLac/s1600/IMG_8098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pz4SLssGd24/VRB8QHfvtsI/AAAAAAAABas/qtxmW9hQLac/s1600/IMG_8098.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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I am a huge fan of the "drop zone - command center" idea and have always had one (even before it was a term I guess). However, no matter how much I try it still gets neglected and cluttered. Between mail and school papers and electronics it's hard to keep up. <br />
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So, I set out to clean up the area. I wanted to keep it simple and not make any major changes because everyone uses this spot and, believe it or not, it's already set up in a way that makes sense. But, it did need some love on the organizing and de-cluttering front.<br />
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It's a small space just as you walk in the kitchen door from our mudroom. It consists of some old wooden boxes on the wall, and old red cabinet, a few small cigar boxes for holding various items, and some things clipped to the wall. <br />
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Here is what it looked like:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IKauarlROEw/VRB7qMb6YbI/AAAAAAAABak/isafTkq3u8Y/s1600/IMG_7393_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IKauarlROEw/VRB7qMb6YbI/AAAAAAAABak/isafTkq3u8Y/s1600/IMG_7393_2.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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Not horrible, but not neat and tidy either.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L6KOn1zv9sg/VRB6sXZoPTI/AAAAAAAABY4/LwFgCjv5KrI/s1600/IMG_7398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L6KOn1zv9sg/VRB6sXZoPTI/AAAAAAAABY4/LwFgCjv5KrI/s1600/IMG_7398.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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The biggest clutter problem was mail and random things that needed to make their way to another location.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DAtjfcRXYDw/VRB6-Tn5Z9I/AAAAAAAABZE/GVCLGENPCug/s1600/IMG_7402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DAtjfcRXYDw/VRB6-Tn5Z9I/AAAAAAAABZE/GVCLGENPCug/s1600/IMG_7402.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Inside the cabinet we keep cords, magazines, our budget binder, papers that need to be filed, etc.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-plg0E4mJT4s/VRB6sbe7AcI/AAAAAAAABY8/KQoKmnzg-NE/s1600/IMG_7400_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-plg0E4mJT4s/VRB6sbe7AcI/AAAAAAAABY8/KQoKmnzg-NE/s1600/IMG_7400_2.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H0iqOzvYavo/VRB6ra3keDI/AAAAAAAABYs/ynuOVx3kOnQ/s1600/IMG_7401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H0iqOzvYavo/VRB6ra3keDI/AAAAAAAABYs/ynuOVx3kOnQ/s1600/IMG_7401.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">We also have an old cash register in this area on our counter that we use to hold pencils, pens, notepaper and stamps (and I guess the random egg of silly putty!)</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EhM7JvckcRc/VRB6_qvo_qI/AAAAAAAABZQ/JQ0SYJiTiSw/s1600/IMG_7407_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EhM7JvckcRc/VRB6_qvo_qI/AAAAAAAABZQ/JQ0SYJiTiSw/s1600/IMG_7407_2.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dU1ErJZZBy4/VRB6_lM4CeI/AAAAAAAABZU/gzG8i8tDqhY/s1600/IMG_7405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dU1ErJZZBy4/VRB6_lM4CeI/AAAAAAAABZU/gzG8i8tDqhY/s1600/IMG_7405.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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The first thing I did was empty everything out. Okay...deep breath.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OXVwRrNpxXk/VRB7F5EGvlI/AAAAAAAABZc/TPvORrD1E0U/s1600/IMG_7414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OXVwRrNpxXk/VRB7F5EGvlI/AAAAAAAABZc/TPvORrD1E0U/s1600/IMG_7414.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">I started with new baskets for the inside of the cabinet. I found these cheap, matching baskets at the local dollar store, and I decided to make some chalkboard labels for them. See </span><a href="http://circleandstone.blogspot.com/2015/03/diy-chalkboard-labels-from-mason-jar.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">this post</a><span style="text-align: left;"> for the DIY.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N_auPcE9zoc/VRB7X2THM9I/AAAAAAAABac/beBAbgkyGAY/s1600/IMG_3691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N_auPcE9zoc/VRB7X2THM9I/AAAAAAAABac/beBAbgkyGAY/s1600/IMG_3691.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eGb6qv2mGSA/VQCGqqvOVmI/AAAAAAAABWU/dPnkyNk_EGU/s1600/IMG_8085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eGb6qv2mGSA/VQCGqqvOVmI/AAAAAAAABWU/dPnkyNk_EGU/s1600/IMG_8085.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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I organized everything into the proper baskets, with the proper labels. That made a huge difference already.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qVMkoceu7Ig/VRB7ILlbDeI/AAAAAAAABZs/5rCcMRALVgg/s1600/IMG_8072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qVMkoceu7Ig/VRB7ILlbDeI/AAAAAAAABZs/5rCcMRALVgg/s1600/IMG_8072.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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After cleaning the cash register drawer, I added some scrapbook paper. Then I went through all the pens and got rid of the ones that didn't work and just neatened everything up.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R1sctHvIgiw/VRB7OE03kEI/AAAAAAAABZ8/bOV9y1uD7VI/s1600/IMG_8089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R1sctHvIgiw/VRB7OE03kEI/AAAAAAAABZ8/bOV9y1uD7VI/s1600/IMG_8089.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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I added a cute framed burlap bulletin board from Home Goods that I used to put the current calendar month printed from my computer. (This works great for us as opposed to a regular calendar because we send all of our events from our phones to our calendar anyway, so it saves me having to transfer them to the calendar a second time).</div>
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I also made the clip board look a little cuter with some scrapbook paper and mod-podge. The clipboard holds our meal planner and grocery list. </div>
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And, the best thing I added was a wall file from Ikea. It has a slot for each person in our family for mail and school papers, plus one extra slot. I guess I could have labeled the slots, but I figured it could just go oldest to youngest and that would be easy to keep straight.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VkpGYumjS7U/VRB7R1HV5TI/AAAAAAAABaM/9HjZ1ukFOTY/s1600/IMG_8102_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VkpGYumjS7U/VRB7R1HV5TI/AAAAAAAABaM/9HjZ1ukFOTY/s1600/IMG_8102_2.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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The oval shaker box holds receipts that I clean out at the end of the year. The boxes on the wall are where we put outgoing mail or bills, and the small cigar boxes hold business cards, gift cards, sunglasses, etc.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gn1Ub1ih5ng/VRB7N2hkseI/AAAAAAAABZ4/L_st6xBRmpM/s1600/IMG_8098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gn1Ub1ih5ng/VRB7N2hkseI/AAAAAAAABZ4/L_st6xBRmpM/s1600/IMG_8098.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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The picnic basket holds my everyday bag and anything that needs to be returned or magazines that I save for my friend. The big glass jug holds coins (when it's full it can be enough to go out to dinner!)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-omvQApqYTT4/VRB7O_sP73I/AAAAAAAABaE/lPFBh5iERCM/s1600/IMG_8100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-omvQApqYTT4/VRB7O_sP73I/AAAAAAAABaE/lPFBh5iERCM/s1600/IMG_8100.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PTB9aPXKa5o/VRCGy1sgYWI/AAAAAAAABbI/V0g4UBuLTK4/s1600/IMG_8109_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PTB9aPXKa5o/VRCGy1sgYWI/AAAAAAAABbI/V0g4UBuLTK4/s1600/IMG_8109_2.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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Small changes in this area made a big difference for us. It rarely gets super cluttered anymore and when it does it's really quick to put things where they belong because everything has a place.</div>
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Here's the before and after:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VoX0sxyEXiQ/VRCGQLMFNFI/AAAAAAAABa4/gvu7KCCwQec/s1600/IMG_7398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VoX0sxyEXiQ/VRCGQLMFNFI/AAAAAAAABa4/gvu7KCCwQec/s1600/IMG_7398.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VOIsVtqOW80/VRCGWNN7PmI/AAAAAAAABbA/53drAr-14Q0/s1600/IMG_8103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VOIsVtqOW80/VRCGWNN7PmI/AAAAAAAABbA/53drAr-14Q0/s1600/IMG_8103.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
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Not a major huge difference when you look at it, but it is a big difference in the day to day function of that space. It's the little things that make a big difference and you don't have to spend a lot or do a complete overhaul to make it work more efficiently.</div>
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The total cost was:</div>
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$16. baskets</div>
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$7. bulletin board</div>
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$4. spray paint for chalkboard labels</div>
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$2. for brass fasteners for chalkboard labels</div>
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$29. total</div>
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Everything else I had on hand.</div>
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072343477178039628.post-85833609202395139382015-03-19T13:57:00.000-07:002015-03-19T13:57:06.381-07:00Do overSometimes you just need a "do over." The last few months have been one of those times for me. The long cold northern winters seem to really throw me off course. <br />
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I had a plan to accomplish a bunch of projects around the house and de-clutter everything, all while getting fit and focusing on my health at the same time.<br />
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So, in the spirit of keeping it real...I have had some major FAILS in the last few months.<br />
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Here are just a few:<br />
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*After working on an update/room makeover to our sitting room since November, I decided on a whim to switch our sitting room and dining room altogether and even though I love the change, it changed our plan a little bit, so neither space has yet to be finished! When they are I will post photos.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--0m_tx87NqM/VQst76qSoWI/AAAAAAAABYM/xHQ9nnR7pGQ/s1600/IMG_4127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--0m_tx87NqM/VQst76qSoWI/AAAAAAAABYM/xHQ9nnR7pGQ/s1600/IMG_4127.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a peak at the new dining room that was a sitting room.</td></tr>
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*My projects have been very slow going and although I have TONS of ideas every single day I rarely ever get much done. It seems like I have a bunch of things started but nothing finished. (It may have something to do with the amount of energy required to entertain a certain 3 year old, but that will only be the case for so long so I plan to relish it while it lasts).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OJjvTc-CN1M/VQsuASz54QI/AAAAAAAABYU/D45yoVBDrKM/s1600/IMG_4110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OJjvTc-CN1M/VQsuASz54QI/AAAAAAAABYU/D45yoVBDrKM/s1600/IMG_4110.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Partially woven shaker rocker that was one of my Christmas presents (it did have to be put together so that took a while too).</td></tr>
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*I have only lost two pounds since February! Ugh. Not. Good. Well, actually I lost five, but gained three back....ooops. Kind of the way my life goes....one step forward two steps back.<br />
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I think I need to make a list of priorities and just try to get one thing DONE before moving on to another (I am kind of crazy like that and have a hard time focusing.) Because one thing I know for sure: Spring is coming (finally!!) and the outdoor projects and lawn mowing and gardening with be the only things we will be working on for a while.<br />
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And now I think am going to go order <a href="http://www.crateandbarrel.com/atwell-pendant-light/s200379" target="_blank">this light fixture</a>, so we can finish our dining room that was once a sitting room.<br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468389357749622546noreply@blogger.com0