Pantry Organization

I love organization. I love it when everything has it's place and everything is easy to find. That being said, I don't always have everything organized. However, our pantry was at the point where I couldn't take it anymore. It needed help. I got tired of going in for a can of tomatoes and coming out with a jar of jelly. 

This was our pantry before. 

There was no organization at all. The spices didn't even stand up on the wire racks, they kept falling over. Our pantry is a decent size so I really wanted to utilize it. 

This is our pantry now. 

I got these white bins from the dollar store for $1. They work perfectly. I also got smaller ones for the spices. I can now see what spices I have and when I want cinnamon I don't accidently grab garlic. 

The chalkboard labels were leftover from our wedding, but I've seen them at different craft stores. The labels help organize and keep things together. I have labels for staple items, baking, sauces, cans, snacks, grains, pasta, and miscellaneous. On the right side I have items we use often out on their own, like the oatmeal. Everything is easily accessible. 

This was such an inexpensive project that solved a big problem. 

I hope this gave you some organization inspiration!

Thanks for reading!

Our Dining Table

Everyone has that one piece of furniture in their house that they love. Well, ours is our dining table. We got it custom built from Designs by The Chick N' Coop located in The Urban Barn in downtown Mansfield. If you live in the area you should definitely check out this store. They have some really unique pieces and fun home accents. 

When we were looking for a dining room table we knew we wanted something unique. We looked online and at local furniture stores but we couldn't find anything that stood out to us. I really wanted a farmhouse looking table and in my head I had it all designed I just needed to find it in person. My sister took me to The Urban Barn one day and I fell in love with a table they had on display. It was exactly what I had pictured in my head. 

The color is exactly what I wanted. It's dark but not too dark and has a rustic look and feel. I love the trestle bottom, it adds a farmhouse feel which I love. We decided to add a bench on one side instead of having chairs on all four sides and I am so glad we did! It makes it feel a little bit more casual, but the chairs we picked gives it balance. The chairs are a bit more formal so it adds a nice contrast to the rustic feel of the table. 

If you live near the Mansfield area I highly recommend visiting The Urban Barn and checking out Designs by The Chick N' Coop. I know you will love their pieces as much as I do!

Thanks for reading! 

 

Back to School: Dorm Design

With school starting back up and college students moving into their dorms, I thought I would put together a few dorm room design looks. Dorm rooms are pretty much a blank slate; white walls, a wood frame bed and a matching desk. This was how my dorm rooms looked at least; pretty plain and pretty ugly. 

The most important thing to do with the room is to add color anyway you can. This can be done with a colorful comforter, pillows, a chair, pictures on the walls, however you can. 

Each of these designs has some sort of color. Bright comforters or bright patterned rugs (the first design has a reversible rug) are an easy way to bring in some sort of color to brighten up the space.

In the first design I incorporated a storage cube. These are great for a dorm room because storage is definitely at a premium. Get creative with storage. Utilize the under bed space and add decorative baskets.

In the second design I focused more on adding decorative touches to the walls. These cute Live Laugh Love arrows are the perfect addition to blank white walls. The bird cage picture collage is also nice. I love these string lights too. They are a mixed pattern design, which is popular right now. 

The third design is a bit more subdued in color. The color mainly comes from the rug, which goes nicely with the pattern on the comforter. Gold is a popular color right now, so I added some gold touches. The white chair is simple, but with the gold legs it makes it pop. The string lights are mirror glass which is something unique, and the added light is never a bad idea. 

 

The guys' rooms are where it gets tricky. Typically guys don't care as much if their room is decorated nicely and if they have things hung on the walls. However, it is still nice to make the rooms look put together. 

As with the girls' rooms, color is important. The guys' dorm rooms are also plain and empty to start with.

In the first design I used the comforter for the added color. A simple blue comforter is something any guy would like. Every school is different with what they will allow and also the size of the rooms, but if you are lucky enough to have a larger room why not use that extra space and add a futon. It's extra seating and a nice alternative spot to read rather than at the desk. The chalkboard is a great place to write down assignments and their due dates or upcoming events. 

The second design has a bit more color with the red rug and the green arrow shelf. The blue rugby striped comforter is simple but not plain and adds some interest to the space. Speaking of interest, look at this chair! I have never seen a chair like this. It has a galvanized metal look with stitching that reminds me of a baseball. How awesome is that?! 

All of these designs are great ways to add interest to an otherwise plain room. Remember, color is always a good thing, get creative with storage solutions, and if you're lucky enough to have extra space use it! 

Good luck to all those starting a new school year!

Thanks for reading! 

Bathroom Storyboard

I can't wait to redo our downstairs half bath. When we bought our house we knew this was one room we wanted to renovate. So, I decided to create a storyboard for the design. I don't know exactly when we will be redoing this room, but I do know what I want! 

Let's start with the sink. Right now we have a vanity that fits from wall to wall. The bathroom is small but functional. I think changing out the vanity for a pedestal sink would make the room feel bigger because there won't be a bulky piece of furniture in there. I love the pedestal sink I chose on the board because it has a classic look to it. The sink is squared rather than a circle so it's a little different than some of the ones I've seen. Speaking of classic, I love this faucet. It looks old fashioned which I love! I love how the handles are white with "hot" and "cold".

The tile is a carrara marble hexagon tile. I love the colors it has in it and it's different from the typical white hexagon. It's timeless and simple. 

The mirror adds a nautical feel to the space with the rope it hangs from. I love that it's different from a normal square or rectangular mirror. The size is perfect for above the sink.  

The light fixture goes with the classic look of the sink and faucet. The chrome finish matches the faucet and I love the bulbs. 

Right now we have a shelf on the wall behind the toilet. I love the look of shelves for added storage and decoration. I found these floating wood shelves that help bring in a natural feel to a very grey room. I love grey, but you do need something to break up the monotone feel. 

The metal basket is a great way to store toilet paper or extra hand towels. It would look great on the shelves or on the floor next to the sink. 

I love this hand towel and rug! The design is perfect and the color compliments the wall color and the tile nicely. Hand towels are something I change out often. It's a great way to change the look without redoing the whole room. 

I can't wait to use this design in our bathroom! If you like this storyboard and would like one made for your own space, head on over to my e-design page! I would love to design a storyboard for you! 

Thanks for reading! 

Tea Party!

My sister, mom, grandma, and I love to have tea parties. We love to have them at our houses or go to Miss Molly's Tea Room in Medina. Yesterday was my turn to host and I loved it! I love planning parties so this was so much fun for me. 

It all starts with the menu. I wanted to keep it girly and special. I made homemade chicken salad, deviled eggs, fruit salad, and lemon bread. My mom helped me with the desserts and we had brownie shortbread bites, lemon tarts, mini cupcakes, and I made almond cookies. It was all delicious! 

Now, you can't have a tea party without pretty tea cups and tea pots. My mom and I found these really pretty tea cups and saucers at Marshall's. We also found adorable mini pedestals there as well. They worked perfectly! I also made lemonade so we had mason jars with paper straws I got from an antique store in California. They were the perfect addition. 

For the centerpiece I used my glass jar vases from T.J. Maxx with carnations in them. The pink in the flowers went really well with our tea cups. 

As for the tea, we got some unique flavors from the Vintage and Craft Fest in the Medina square. We had root beer, s'mores, pear, and caramel. They were delicious and all so different. 

Tea parties with the girls are one of my favorite things to do. I can't wait for our next one! 

Thanks for reading!