Don’t get the wrong impression…just because this project has taken two years to complete does NOT mean you will be overwhelmed with the results. But, it’s a definite improvement over what we had, and I actually enjoy opening the laundry room door now!

To begin, we started with this laundry room. Standard wire shelving, organized enough, functional.

Next, the game plan hit some bumps. First, the rug I ordered (and was basing my whole idea to stylize this space) didn’t fit quite right and had to be sent back. This translated into an entirely different wall color pick for the room. I think this worked out for the best, though, as “Soft Mint” by Glidden made this room feel SO much lighter/brighter (and dare I say, bigger).

Next, we built and painted a pedestal to go under the washer/dryer and house three laundry baskets. Cue the forehead slap…we literally couldn’t angle the room-width creation enough to get them INTO PLACE! So we took them apart and kept one section as a sort of riser to line up with our baseboards. I do feel the difference in bending over a few less inches to get clothes in and out, so the project wasn’t a total waste.

Since that debacle, we focused time and energy on the basement, and the laundry room was “good enough” – meaning there were a couple improvements checked off, but all of the laundry/cleaning supplies collected in here, and without a storage system for keeping it all organized, making it not too easy on the eyes.

Finally, I feel like this is a space we can mark off as done. I’m glad to see the cheapo 12″ wire shelving gone. In its place, we added a 16-inch deep piece of pine, primed and painted to match our trim, for a bit more custom/built-in look. We had a plethora of leftover trim in the same finish from our basement, so we re-purposed a piece of that along the edge to take it up one more notch. The two white bins keep supplies sorted into one of two categories…

WASH: detergent, softener, bleach, OxyClean, stain stick, Color Catchers, etc

DRY: starch, lint roller, dryer balls, defuzzing comb, etc

…and a roll of paper towels is close on hand, in the corner where we stash a small waste basket for lint, and our mop. I like that this corner is out of sight, when looking in from the hallway.

We finally have a place to store our laundry baskets that is NOT on the floor, blocking the machines, or on top of the machines to vibrate noisily while they’re running.

This was a big check off the list of house projects, and gets us one step closer to being ready to list the house! Stay tuned for details on THAT story in the coming weeks!

…at least for me it is!

Along with a fresh start (and a renewed sense of energy to get to the gym!) I love to use the cold post-holiday month of January to take a pass through our house and eliminate STUFF we don’t need and make SENSE of what we do and where to keep it. There’s nothing like the reward of zen that comes from not having more stuff that you can keep track of! Less stuff means less time spent to keep it all straight – and it’s easier to appreciate the things you LOVE when they aren’t overshadowed by a bunch of stuff you just don’t really need or use. I think this just about sums it up:

January inevitably sends me into OCD mode, cleaning out and organizing every pocket in our house — closets, junk drawers, shelving – anywhere stuff accumulates, and also getting some rhyme and reason to collections of things – like gift wrap supplies, baking stuff, etc. I know there is more storage space in this house — it’s just a matter of creating it!

The goal is to tackle a space or two each week – some small, some large. Judging from my list this could go on for many weeks…

Purge/organize the following spots around the house: 

• Gift wrap (simplify – too many odds and ends)
• Baking/cake decorating supplies (I only use about 10% of what I own – an abandoned hobby)
• Kitchen cabinets (in general just clear out dishes/tools we don’t need or use, including the TEN-plus water bottles for two people)
• Pantry (decently organized, just needs a once-through for expired stuff and to regroup on what needs to be restocked)
• Junk drawer (this can barely open/close!)
• End table drawers in living room
• Coat closet (out of control)
• Bookcase cabinets (not even sure what it’s there anymore…)
• Cubbies/baskets in front entry bench (same)
• Bathroom cabinets upstairs (a whole mess of bath products, some being used, some not)
• Nightstands in our room
• Jewelry (I’ll always keep a TON of fun costume jewelry, but there are some pieces that have seen better days and need to go…and free up space for new ones!)
• Makeup (pitch stuff I tried and hated, but felt guilty about the money spent, check expirations)
• Nail polish (pitch colors I didn’t love on, anything over a couple years old)
• Our closet (this deserves about ten bullets in the list – pull it all out and seriously evaluate what stays and goes — bribe Page to do the same)
• Linen closet (not using space well in there)
• Laundry room (get shelving built/room finished, organize the basics that need to go in there)
• Guest room closet and under-bed (random storage, not sure what all’s there?)
• My office (clear out books not needed, paperwork for our taxes/ClickSmith documents in order, get a system for organizing camera equipment)
• Page’s office (add some shelving to max space in his closet, clear out paperwork, books, magazines, organize Page Smith Design documents)
• Basement under-stairs closet (random stuff in an odd-shaped space – clean out and figure a better way to use this precious storage square footage
• Utility closet (turn into seasonal decoration storage room! – get rid of xmas decs no longer needed and organize what’s left in there)
• Basement bookcases (I have empty baskets/totes as “decoration” in them – need to figure out what to store there and fill them up!)
• Garage (last as we’ll wait til it warms up past 1 degree F! We started to re-org out there before the cold season – finish this up in the spring)

I’ll try to check in throughout the month with any good “before and after” photo opps! Anyone else bitten by the organization bug this time of year? 

You can ask Page — I’ve been on a roller coaster with decorating for the holidays this year. I think that coming off a Fall in which I felt like I was working two full time jobs, I was just worn out…and everything that wasn’t absolutely necessary felt like too much work. Also –  is it just me, or with Thanksgiving so late this year, does the Christmas season feels even more brief?? And maybe it’s that end-of-the-year thing, but I suddenly felt like we were drowning in STUFF and we have spaces everywhere that need to be organized, not cluttered with decorations. (Are you starting to hum the theme to The Grinch yet? :)) So when it was time to deck the halls, I went into it a bit, well, half-hearted (but spoiler alert, Christmas always gets the best of me and I got more into it as I went!)

I started with hauling out the red and green tubs and sorting through everything. I think my tastes have changed a bit this last year, and while I still love some of my more Pottery Barn-esque traditional decor, I wanted to mix it up with some more modern stuff as well and ended up donating several items to Goodwill or just leaving stuff packed away for another year. This was also finally the year I got rid of the last bits of glitter — it’s such a mess to clean up and gets on everything. Anything glittered remaining in my stash (with the exception of two ornaments I can’t part with) went out the door. And suddenly, having a smaller assortment of decor made the task of decorating the house more manageable (and less messy!) and I could get more excited. (A couple purchases from CB2 and Target didn’t hurt, either!)

I also decided to change it up and with a finished basement to deck this year, I opted to NOT put up a tree on the main level. Our main tree really IS too large for our 8′ ceilings (we sawed off the bottom – SERIOUSLY – when we bought this house, since the 9.5 footer originally set up camp in our lofted-ceiling townhouse). Last year I squished a bow on the top and made it work, but with the way the furniture was arranged this year, and having the skinny sequin tree to work with, I opted to pass up a traditional tree in here altogether.

I’ve had moments where I wonder if I miss it, but then again, I like that it feels more open than last year…and I’ve still worked in plenty of lights around the room to get the same “glow” effect of a tree….

This CB2 wreath was a favorite purchase this year — although be warned, it’s harder to put together than you might think! I noticed when it arrived there is no back to it – and other reviewers on their site mentioned the same thing. So using a combination of netting garland and some strings of lights, I tried to “wind” in a bunch of ornaments (also FYI – you need BIG ornaments for this, the “regular” sized ones fall right through the front) and used a couple nails to tack it all down so it didn’t expand away from the wall. I’m sure I’ll have better, more experienced, luck with it next year, but for now, I love it!

Even if we don’t have a fancy holiday meal this month, I still love the look of a set table at Christmastime. These boxwood wreaths are one of the more traditional elements I just love to get out each year.

This felt rag wreath was an EASY impromptu project the other night – and is perfect to hang on the pantry door. (Separate how-to post to come!)

We missed the warm weather window for stringing lights on the house – but I did manage to get the outdoor wreaths up…

…and some garland over the door.

The potted tree that was out here last year was on its last leg at the time and we ended up pitching it after the holiday season. In its place, I wanted something different this year – a planter I had on hand, some birch branches I scored this summer, and retro lights wrapped around them made for an easy replacement that didn’t cost me a dime. “Holla!” from our home to yours this Christmas season… 😉

Heading downstairs, I set up another Target sequin tree (LOVE how simple these are – and the price is right!) and hung up an Ikea lighted wreath (wreath #7 or 8, if you’re counting at this point!) on the wall across from the bar.

Page and I have jokingly dubbed our evolving house style as “mod lodge”. We are going more and more modern with our taste, but with a lodgey comfortable feeling. With this idea in mind, it seemed only fitting that we deck the deer and add some antlered stocking holders to the mix.

I unpacked the white tree (usually in my office) to find it all yellowed (boo!) so in the eleventh hour of Black Friday, I braved the crowds to find a replacement. The ceilings are low in our basement, so it didn’t need to be anything crazy large, and I really wanted the look of a white tree – at least for this year. I filled in with some silver stuff, but otherwise went with grey and chartreuse ornaments. (PS – we call the above photo “adventures in creative cropping”…as there were no less than six bulldozers in my backyard today, photobombing all my pictures!)

I’ll have to shoot the above again at night to get the real effect – but I am loving these teeny wired lights that don’t get hot (Amazon and Restoration Hardware both sell them)…I feel like Buddy the Elf, but I am calling this my jar of Christmas Spirit! 🙂

I set up my small tinsel tree with the 2007 to 2013 ornament frames in my office, but otherwise didn’t decorate upstairs this year. I feel okay about it – none of our family is coming our way this year for the season, and any visitors we have usually don’t make it upstairs anyway. Hope you are enjoying bringing the holidays into your own home — thanks for stopping by to take a peek!