Organizing with Gussy

Gussy of Gussy Sews  has started a new (to me!)series on her gorgeous blog. She emails out a topic and sends us off on a cyber adventure to get down our interpretation. Sounded like fun to me!

The topic for this month is Organization. Oh boy. My husband would be rolling laughing if he knew I was writing about this. I'm not a slob too messy. My downfall comes in the clutter. THAT is a bad word around here.

Truth be told, I love organizing. Tools, labelers, baskets, and color coding really excite me. Ooo, and office supplies! Forgot about how much I loooove office supplies! I just about hyperventilate at the back to school sales.

When my first kiddo came along, the organized house took a hit. By the time the second one came, it was a t-total mess. That was when I discovered the world of blogs, actually. I always bought magazines with organizing info on the front cover. I picked up a particularly gorgeous one that led me to Penelope Loves Lists. This sweet blog has an adorable label that I fell in love with-to be a "Penelope," you love nice neat things. And I really do! I just had lost myself in the big C..

So, I needed to shake it up and get my house back.  Next step was getting a book. (always my answer...). This book is fantastic, however. A life changer. For real.

Organizing From the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern.

This book changed my perspective on why there is the tendency to be cluttery (shudder), how to get it together, and how to keep it working.

Now, it isn't perfect. This book is on my reread list constantly. (do you have one of those?) But it really changed my approach. And the fact that I needed to approach it.

I dream of a well oiled machine around here. But as we say in the south: "It ain't gonna happen.". I don't want to freak out about it. I do try to clean up before hubs gets home. But kinda love the toys all over. Creativity happened!

One of the biggest tips I've taken away from the book is to revisit your system about every 30 days.  Working out the kinks and staying focused on the system.  My systems are always getting an inspection by me.  Mostly when the kitchen table is piled high (again) when it should be filed away.

I love dreaming of the next project with this new ammo in my back pocket.  I want a sewing space.  I have a sewing space currently...but it's sad.  I don't want to spend time there!  So, I've already been thinking organizing before I even start.  Big work table.  (Got it.  It's cluttered.  Dang it.)  Better ironing board.  Table just for the machine.  Wheely chair.

Then the fun!  Paint colors.

benjamin moore
(Swatches are up.  I dust them.)

Wall treatment?

allen and roth wallpaper

button art

Lighting?

 doily lamp

 ball jars hanging

I've been pinning other people's craft rooms:

www.thirtysixthavenue.com

Don't you want to sew there?

easy and interchangable!

Oh, the built in bliss!  Maybe...

flickr.com

What do you think?  How do you begin a new project?  Jump in or plan plan plan?  Can't wait to hear!

Jennifer

link up!

I've learned a lot this week!

Dana over at Made is celebrating three years on her blog!  To celebrate, she launched a contest last week asking for folks to make a new header for her.



 Now, I am not a graphic designer.  I'm barely a blogger!  But Dana typed a few words that really inspired me to give this contest a try. 

You. Can. Do it.
You don't have to be a graphic designer to create a spiffy blog. Most of what I've done to my site, I learned by reading online tutorials about html, how to tweak it, and how to add things to make the blog just what I want.

So I've been playing.  For a week!  And thinking to myself, "This is nuts.  There are real graphic designers out there who are going to enter this thing to win these SUPAH prizes (they are big-time super).  What am I thinking?" 

However, after sufficiently neglecting my family with phrases like, "In just a minute, honey, I'm trying to crop this one...thing..."  I decided I'd enter anyway.  Be Brave Jen!  Whatcha got to lose??

Now that the pressure I've put on myself is off, this has really been fun.  I'm learning a lot!  Mostly that Word is a challenge to use if you want to get really creative, but totally workable if you want to keep things simple. 

So I've thrown my graphic name in the hat.  I might enter two more (there's a limit of three entries).  I certainly have ideas saved away in this good ol' laptop!  But I'm ever grateful for the little push from Dana to try.  And to tell me "I can do it!" 

Have you tried something totally out of your box lately?

Yard Sale tray

Little girl and I found this tray on our "Girls with Girls" date a couple weekends ago.

It needed some love and was screaming for sandpaper and a facelift!

Hubby thought I'd bought a drawer.  Must have been the handles.

These handles had seen better days.  And they weren't really speaking to me.  So...

I took a good look at the screws and went for my favorite screwdriver:  Philipe

And made quick work of the handles.

This is also a good shot of the questionable black stuff under the screws on this side.  Probably some moisture had gotten into that crack at some point.  Didn't bother me, since I plan to use this for drinks and it's gonna get messy.  BUT-I brought some tough grit to get most of that gone if I could.

This is a small tray, so I just folded over a sheet of sandpaper and sanded by hand.  There was also a shiney finish to it, so I chose medium to get that off quickly.  Or because I'm lazy and the medium made the sanding go a lot faster.

Once sanded, I hit it with a base layer of spray paint.

But it seemed too light to me, so I grabbed another can I had and layered it on.  (I think it was Krylon Pebble).  The real fun began when I started shopping for the new handles.  I hit a few different favorite stores before settling on these.  They didn't come with screws, so I then hit up my dad's awesome stash and found four that worked and four nuts to hold them on.  Daddy helped me saw off the extra length on the screws, and this was where I learned that metal work is not for me.  (Can you say sparks on my arms and legs?  Yeah, done.)  Then I touched up the inside where it had gotten scored a little from sawing off the screws.

And here she is!

The perfect start to my day is a peaceful cup of coffee and some time uninterrupted with the Lord.  I love it when that actually happens, too!

 

I left the extra hole in the top open for future ribbons, string, or cute "accessorization."

I am digging the tray on the deck, too.  Every southern gal needs a way to get her refreshing sweet tea outside. 

And there's no better friend to sweet tea than Banana Cake with Quick Caramel Frosting, right?

 

 

Occasionally there's a little girl lurking around the freshly cut cake slice, too...

 

It didn't last long!

A small project that is already bringing a lot of pleasure to our family!

 

The Final Frontier

We have lived in this house for twelve years.

It took me a veeeeery long time to be brave enough to paint. 

Too long.

I started in the guest bathroom.  (AKA:  Small).  Waited until the hubs had gone out of town and went mad with a too-bright yellow.  But it's still the same yellow and I am crazy about it.  That room is now the kids' bathroom, and I found the perfect shower curtain to tone down the yellow madness.  Most importantly, though, was that it made me brave.

Each room we've painted over time has been the exact same process.  Paint swatches.  Samples on the wall.  Jump in.  PURE PANIC THAT IT'S TOO DARK.  Eventually, love! 

Everything is going to look drastic when you are painting over builder off-white.  At least I keep telling myself that.  It doesn't seem to change the process for me, though.

So, finally we come to the last room in the house that needs (desperate) attention.  (OK, we aren't going to count the laundry room yet.  The paint swatches are taped up in there, though...that counts, right?)  Drum roll..........

The dining room! 

I've been so scared of this room because of those high ceilings.  I've always wondered How in the blazes are we gonna get up there???

When I painted the master bath, I found this lovely friend:

He's my dear friend.  We're close.  And holy moly, did you know there was a Mr Long Arm website???  Oh, I will be checking out this guy next.  And these would run circles around my plastic Walmart-bag-in-the-fridge method right now, don't ya think?  Technology...amazing...

Focus...

So I thought this would be the perfect time to buy myself some tools  try my hand at chair rail.  That's to come!  (It's sitting in the garage crying at the neglect it's experiencing.  I'm coming, lovely chair rail!)  Can't WAIT to break in my new compressor and nail gun.  Yeah!

But first, must.  Finish.  Painting.

Here's another look at our colors:

Love love love to peel the tape.  Couldn't wait-had to see the chair rail line...

And here's how we are living right now.

Wow.

Really tired of that.  The kids love it, though.

:)

Dreaming of the first meal in this new room...Can't wait!