Books, Books, Books! | Bookshelves

I absolutely love the idea of bookshelves in a home. I love that it adds character and makes a space looked lived in. Besides Jeremy's text books (those really don't need to be displayed), we really don't have a lot of adult books. I usually read a book and then give it away. And let's not even try to remember the last book I read that didn't involve cookies and mice, hungry caterpillars, or pigeons driving busses. I LOVE the idea of having shallow shelves for front facing books. We have lots of picture books, and I just keep buying more, because really, those books can just be read over and over, and they really don't get old. (And if they do, you just hide them for a while.)

image from 

image from GAP Interior Images Ltd.

image from 

My Best Organization Tips

At our house, we're pretending that New Year's starts today. Getting all resolution-y on a Wednesday morning just doesn't happen. It's gotta be on a Monday, and now that Monday's here, we're ready to get our resolutions on (she said as she finishes her "last" cookie).  Mondays are also good days to clean and organize…two of my favorite words! I may or may not have an obsession with organization and cleanliness (which are NOT the same thing), so I thought I'd share my issues tips with you. Please feel free to add to my list in the comments! 

(1) Make your bed. Every day. When your bed is made, you're more likely to keep the rest of your room clean. Make your kids do the same! When I was a child, I couldn't leave my room in the morning until my bed was made. Our rooms stayed pretty clean. 

image from Restoration Hardware

(2) Tidy up your house before you go to bed or when you leave the house. There's nothing like starting the morning off to a clean house or coming home to a clean house. Plus, the moment your house is messy is the very moment some unexpected company will stop by. Every. Time.

(3)Try to stick to a cleaning schedule. I like to do all of my major cleaning on Monday (mopping, dusting, laundry, etc.) The rest of the week is just maintenance.

(4) Set a timer. Give yourself 30 minutes to clean. You'll be amazed at how much you can get done when you have a time limit!

(5) Consider open shelving. It's beautiful, and it can add tons of additional storage.

image from Alice Lane

(6) Don't put dishes in the sink! The dishwasher is inches away! Putting dishes is like not making the bed, it just invites additional messes! Plus, I'm not buying the "it's soaking" thing that someone in our house always claims. Cereal bowls don't need no soakin'.

(7) Use your countertop to store jars and utensil containers to make room in drawers.

(8) Provide a place for everything! This makes cleaning SO much faster and helps avoid clutter and junk drawer type spaces!

image from Better Homes & Gardens

(9) Get rid of it! If you come across something you don't use, and haven't used for a long time, it's time to part with it! Donate it or throw it away! Get it out of your house!

(10) Use hooks in closets and on the backs of doors. This keeps things off of the floor and keeps things organized!

(11) Containers, containers, containers! (See number 8!)

image from Poppy Talk

Shopping the House | Five Things You Already Have

Do you kind of hate it when people tell you to shop your house? You're like, "Really? You're telling me I'm going to find some awesome piece of awesomeness that I've forgotten about? Yeah right."  If you're like me, I'm using pretty much everything…no new discoveries, just like there is nothing new in my pantry--regardless of how many times I open and shut it. (Yet, I continue to do it.) I am willing to bet, however, that you have most of these items in your home, so get them out and use them!

1 | Sticks: Yes, I may have a slight obsession with sticks, everyone knows it. The other day, my three year old gifted me a stick, because "Mommy loves sticks." Sticks are cheap…free to be exact, and they add a natural element, height, and texture. 

image from Kat Teutsch Styling

image from Lantliv

2 | Blankets & Throws: Blankets and throws add a sense of warmth and add texture, color, and print to a space. Whether they're thrown over a chair, sofa, or bed or folded up on a shelf, basket, or piece of furniture--they're an easy addition.

image from Apartment Therapy

image from West Elm

3 | Dishes: Plates, bowls, and other serving pieces are a great way to fill open shelving or other areas in the kitchen or dining room. Stacking items gives a sense of collection and character.

image source unknown

image from House & Home

4 | Frames: Creating an eclectic gallery wall is a great way to add personality to a space.  Frames of all different sizes, colors, and textures can come together to make a major statement.

image from Desert Domicile

image from Style Me Pretty

5 | Books & Magazines: Books and magazines are a great way to add interest to a room. Stack books forward, backwards, sideways, or upright. Magazines can be stacked, collected in bowls, baskets, or trays, or even thrown over hangers or ladders.

image from Stylizmo

image from Todd Waterbury

Work Space Shelving

Did anyone else miss the first two weeks of August? Seriously, where did the days go? I can't believe it is August 14th. It's practically almost Christmas, and apparently, Halloween is pretty much tomorrow, according to every store that has been carrying Halloween candy for weeks.  What's up with that? Calm it down already.

I am completely in love with these work spaces and, specifically, the shelving.  It is so simple--and pretty darn functional for those of you who are into that kind of thing. (Wink, wink!) The other thing I am loving about these particular spaces is the transformation of a small space or wall to define the space. These offices, or something similar, could easily be a part of a larger room playing double duty. And really, who doesn't love a double duty room? In other words, most of us have no choice but to have at least one double duty room, so we better love it, right?!

image from Marie Laure Helmkampf

image from My Scandinavian Home

image from Inspiring Interiors

[color kreyv]: Charcoal Gray

I'm not going to lie. Between the cardboard boxes, lack of decor, piles of clothes on the floor, and the three things we have left in our fridge, I'm feeling a little bit white trash. I figure I should just get into character and quit altogether with the hair washing and make-up. (Who am I fooling, it's not like I was a frequent hair washer before...) On a brighter note, I did clean the oven today, and I was glad to check that off my list. Let's just say it wasn't pretty, and I may or may not have avoided that task altogether. For three years. Don't judge.

Now that you have several unflattering images in your head, let's talk about charcoal gray and the fact that it's my new favorite color. Wanna know why, cause you know I'm going to tell you. It has presence, and it makes a statement, but it's not as harsh as black. It pops against white, but it also looks awesome mixed with wood tones, and really, any color. It's masculine (not that I care about that), but it's still super glam and looks super posh with golds and other metals. And, really, I just love it. I think it definitely needs to make an appearance at the next place...somewhere other than my oven, because that was pretty much the opposite of posh. And P.S., we're still not judging.

image source unknown

image from Thom Felicia via House Beautiful

image from Decor Pad

When We Get a Real House...

Tonight the hubs and I had the missionaries and another friend over for dinner. After our guests left, Jeremy and I were cleaning up, and he said, "When we have a real house..."

I thought, Finally, he's getting on board with the imaginary house talk. What does he want? Beautiful, open shelving? A fabulous tiled backsplash? 

image from Canadian House & Home

Gorgeous white cabinets that go to the ceiling? Dark, wood floors and amazing countertops? For a split second I got really excited, and I then jumped back into reality, only to hear...

image from Darryl Carter via Cococozy

"When we get a real house, can we get a salad spinner?"  Oh, the little things in life like having ample storage in your kitchen, being able to spin your lettuce, and knowing what to get your husband for Father's Day.

image from Beka

A Place for the Good Stuff

I absolutely love open shelving in a kitchen. I think it adds so much character to a space, which can sometimes be tricky in a kitchen full of cabinets. Plus, it gives you a place for the good stuff. You know, the dishes that you only use when you have company. I mean, we have stepped it up quite a bit. We used to use paper plates every night...now we have cute melamine plates for everyday use. I know. We're fancy like that.  We wouldn't want to break the good stuff that we imported from Maryland to Utah, then to Wisconsin, and now St. Louis. After all, it is limited edition...from Ikea. Don't be jealous.

image from Decor 8

image from Better Homes & Gardens

image from Martha Stewart Living

[color kreyv]: Pale Blue & Orange

All that talk about pale blue yesterday made me want to post more pale blue. Here it is with orange. It goes with so many colors! See what I'm sayin'? I love this combination. It's happy; it's fresh; it's interesting. What more could you ask for...besides another room to decorate...in pale blue and orange?

image source unknown

image from House Beautiful

image from Canadian House & Home

[color kreyv]: Kelly Green

You know how I'm addicted to interior design? Well, this may or may not come as a big shock to you, but I'm also addicted to clothes. I love clothes. And shoes. And clothes for Stella. And shoes for Stella. I see something I like, and then I just obsess over it. So, there I was innocently looking for kelly green interiors, when up pops these seriously awesome kelly green pants. And now, I have to have them. Darn you, Pinterest. I blame you. I mean seriously, I thought we were better friends than that. Here I am trying to stick to my budget, and you just willy nilly wave something irresistible in front of me. Don't worry. I'll forgive you...as soon as I find and buy the green pants.

image from Coastal Living

image source unknown

image from Decor Demon via Houzz

Shelving, Shelving, Shelving

If there's no room behind closed doors, leave it out for the world to see (in a nice, pretty way, of course)! Shelving is the ultimate organization tool.  First of all, if anything is going to be on open shelving, you're going to keep it organized.  Second of all, it frees up a TON of cupboard space for things that are not so pretty.  And third of all, it's pretty and practical.  That doesn't always happen.  I say when something is pretty AND practical, you should probably go with it! (Speaking of practical, isn't the image from The Container Store genius? I love that the bottom shelf doubles as a desk!)

image from Kitchen Building

image from The Container Store via Ohdeedoh

image from Decor Pad

image from Ohdeedoh

Let's Get Or-gan-ized, Or-gan-ized!

You know that title was to the tune of Oliva Newton-John's, "Let's Get Physical," right? And, now you're singing it, aren't you? I don't know what it is about this weather, but it's really making me want to organize my house--go though drawers, get rid of clothes, and throw things away! I know most people do this in the spring, but apparently I wasn't feeling it then.

This week, I am going to organize one thing a day, and I challenge all of you to do the same. Just one thing. We can handle it, and think of how good we'll feel! I will also be posting beautifully organized spaces to inspire your inner cleaning goddess! (I like to make things sounds glamorous, even when they're clearly not.)

Today, I will be sharing my best organization tips. Please feel free to add to my list in the comments! 

(1) Make your bed. Every day. When your bed is made, you're more likely to keep the rest of your room clean. Make your kids do the same! When I was a child, I couldn't leave my room in the morning until my bed was made. Our rooms stayed pretty clean. 

image from Restoration Hardware

(2) Tidy up your house before you go to bed or when you leave the house. There's nothing like starting the morning off to a clean house or coming home to a clean house.

(3)Try to stick to a cleaning schedule. I like to do all of my major cleaning on Monday (mopping, dusting, laundry, etc.) The rest of the week is just maintenance.

(4) Set a timer. Give yourself 30 minutes to clean. You'll be amazed at how much you can get done when you have a time limit!

(5) Consider open shelving. It's beautiful, and it can add tons of additional storage.

image from Alice Lane

(6) Don't put dishes in the sink! The dishwasher is inches away! Putting dishes is like not making the bed, it just invites additional messes!

(7) Use your countertop to store jars and utensil containers to make room in drawers.

(8) Provide a place for everything! This makes cleaning SO much faster and helps avoid clutter and junk drawer type spaces!

image from Better Homes & Gardens

(9) Get rid of it! If you come across something you don't use, and haven't used for a long time, it's time to part with it! Donate it or throw it away! Get it out of your house!

(10) Use hooks in closets and on the backs of doors. This keeps things off of the floor and keeps things organized!

(11) Containers, containers, containers! (See number 8!)

image from Poppy Talk

Complete Preciseness

My name is Jamie, and I am OCD. Seriously, I catch myself doing things during the day and think to myself, "Self, is that necessary?" (Let's not even discuss my conversations with myself.) Ever seen Sleeping with the Enemy? Well, the bad guy likes his food cans perfectly lined up with the labels out. My cupboards look just like that, except I'm not a murderer. Today I was putting the clean kitchen towels away. Towels for cleaning go on the left. Towels for drying hands go on the right. Sounds (kinda) normal enough, right? Did I mention that I rotate my towels, so that they all get used the same amount of times? I also rotate my plates. I think you get the point.

Since there's no turning back in admitting my craziness organization, let's discuss one more issue: Stella hides her toys. It is going to drive me to insanity, people. Why do I care? Because, I can't stand having incomplete sets of things. Her magnetic numbers--she's hid the three and the four. (She always hides the three and the four.) Sure, I should be concerned that my daughter may learn to count one, two, five, six...but my real concern is, "WHERE COULD A TWO YEAR OLD POSSIBLY HIDE THOSE MAGNETS?!" Don't even get me started on the blue cube and yellow triangular blocks that are missing.

On that note, let's take a deep breath and look at these pictures of pure organization, bliss, serenity, sanity...

image from Apartment Therapy

image from Fifi Cheek

image from Martha Stewart

[so cheap, so easy]: Book Shelves

Book shelves, not to be confused with bookshelves...aren't they cute? All that is needed is two L brackets per shelf. From what I've gathered, the brackets are about $3 each(depending on what size you choose). I wish I could take credit for this project, because I like to be resourceful. And this, my friends, is a very resourceful project!

image from Real Simple

[color kreyv]: Rainbow

Geez. Between today's post and this post, I feel a little like a Debbie Downer! Trust me, I'm not. I guess I'm just very pensive lately. I chose rainbow as my color today--to prove to you that I'm a happy person!

I just put Stella to bed, and I'm not going to lie, I got a little choked up. Tomorrow morning (today by the time you read this), she is going in for her tear duct procedure. It's a very simple procedure, and it will only take about 20 minutes. (Sheesh, I say that everything is easy...even performing surgery. I've gotta stop with that!) She does have to have to have general anesthesia, and I'm not even nervous about that. It just breaks my heart that I know she is going to be so scared wondering what in the world is going on. It's the hard part about being a parent!

About an hour before bedtime, I decided I would let her do anything she wanted. She wanted to watch Elmo, so we watched Elmo as she ate her four Smarties and drank her watered down Crystal Light in her diaper and denim jacket. Ahhh, the simple things in life. Say an extra little prayer for Stella today, would ya?

image from Inspire Bohemia

image from Home Designing

image from A Few Things From My Life