Project Closet: Part 1

I fully intended to tackle our master bedroom closet back in April. Then life got in the way with more important things and the project got pushed to the back burner. Now that things are settling back into a more regular schedule it's time to revisit the closet! The challenges:

• Shared closet with my husband. 
• Basic closet, nothing special about the layout. It's rods with a shelf above them.
• A window occupies one wall.
• Even though it is a walk in, it's a small walk in (narrow).

First things first, I am looking long and hard at our clothing collection. Because we live in the mountains we never actually put our winter clothes away for the summer. After all, you might need a sweatshirt for a night of stargazing! So, making space for all season clothing is a must.

Clothing that no longer fits, or was never a favorite has been donated to the local charity. No need to keep things we don't love and use. Shoes too! Quiet a bit of my husband's clothing went into storage (he is the pack rat in the relationship).

Second challenge is storing our winter bedding. There really isn't another spot to keep it, so it hangs out in the closet. I figure there has to be a better way to address it. Really anything has to be better than piling it on top of my baskets or having it find it's way to the floor of the closet.

Stay tuned for magic to happen! :) Oh yes, and I should mention that my budget is a whopping $0!!

The Simple House

Home. It means so many things to so many people, and yet at the heart of it all, it is a place to spend time with those you love. It's a place to spend time doing the things you most enjoy. It's the launching pad for all your adventures.

Because it is a space where we spend so much time, I like to keep things as simple and easy as possible. I have never believed in spaces that don't get used. Formal living room? Not in our house! As a believer in simple living, I have learned a lot through making our house our home. Here are a few tips I feel are helpful for creating a simple home:

• Reduce your possessions to those things that you truly love and use. It's so much easier to organize when you don't have a ton of things. Let go of the things that are cluttering your space.
• Organize well the things that you decide to keep. Give a designated spot to everything. For example, keeping garden tools in one area of the garage, or keeping crafting supplies all together in one closet.
• Always evaluate before you bring in anything new. Make sure you really have space for it, can really make good use of it, and that it's not just an impulse buy.
• Choose easy to clean materials and keep cleaning supplies handy. Wipe up messes right away.
• Take advantage of natural light, and other aspects of your home that are built in. Find ways to maximize what you have to work with.
• Live in your home the way you really live in your home! Don't be afraid to use spaces in ways they might not have been intended for. Each home should be as unique as the people who are living in it.

What do you do to keep things simple in your home?

Of birthdays and summer.

The birthdays have been celebrated, and very well if I say so myself! The cupcakes above came from a cute local cupcake shop called Cupcake Chic. The flavors: strawberry vanilla, coconut, and red velvet. And they were beyond delicious. We celebrated with a trip to the local aquarium, which is awesome because we are land locked and I love the ocean and ocean creatures. We also tried The Cheesecake Factory for the first time ever. Oh goodness, why did we wait so long?

For my birthday I was given some lovely gifts, including some money to spend however I wanted! I already spent it on something for our master bedroom. I will share what it was spent on when it arrives, my fingers are crossed that it will be as great in person (the only downside when ordering online).

When we first moved into our home, summer always meant tons of house projects. This year, the projects are small, and few. It's actually really nice to be able to just sit back and enjoy our home as it is. There are things we would love to do still as budget allows, but nothing beats being able to enjoy what you have accomplished.

Do you have summer projects planned for your home?

Happy birthday to me!

Tomorrow is my birthday! While I am not planning to make this cake for my big day, it does look like quiet a delicious and easy summertime treat! Using ice cream sandwiches?! Brilliant.



Tomorrow will be spent doing whatever I please, which in honesty is the best things about birthdays! No one can make you do something don't want to do! :) Though personally I am hoping to make a trip to the zoo or aquarium, and some breakfast in bed would be lovely as well. I'll just have to wait and see what the birthday fairy brings!