31 Days Toward Becoming Pretty Organized

Welcome to 

31 Days Toward Becoming Pretty Organized!  

It is a pleasure to be able to open my home to you.  

As a stay-at-home mom of four, maintaining some sense of organization at home can be a challenge.  But it's something that I enjoy and for me, organization is best when it's pretty!  

Join me for the month of October as I walk you through our space.  It is far from perfect and we are in the middle of a major renovation, but we'll move from room to room and take a peek at a few ideas for organizing a busy household in an attractive way.  My goal is to keep the ideas short so that you can spend more time organizing than reading.  Some may work for you, others may not, but hopefully by November you will be feeling pretty organized!

If you are visiting for the first time you can scroll down to find Day 1.  Otherwise, find the current posts below. 

Day 2 ~ Coat Hooks

Day 3 ~ Shag Rugs

Day 4 ~ Eat In Kitchen Turned Mudroom

Day 5 ~ Shoe Bins

Day 6 ~ Wreaths

Day 7 ~ School Papers

Day 8 ~ Keep Supplies Handy

Day 9 ~ DIY Dry Erase Board

Day 10 ~ Lunches

Day 11 ~ Menu Planner

Day 12 ~ The Baking Station

Day 13 ~ The Pantry

Day 14 ~ Knife Storage

Day 15 ~ Doodads

Day 16 ~ Cook Books

Day 17 ~ Schedule a Fix-It Time

Day 18 ~ Toilet Paper

Day 19 ~ The Laundry Room

Day 20 ~ Make Up and Jewellery

Day 21 ~ DVD's and Board Games

Day 22 ~ Electronics

Day 23 ~ Blankets

Day 24 ~ Birthday Book

Day 25 ~ Wrap Ahead

Day 26 ~ Handy Wrap

Day 27 ~ Craft Storage

Day 28 ~ Information Storage

Day 29 ~ Chalkboards

Day 30 ~ Scarves

Day 31 ~ A Made Bed

Day 1 ~ Keys

Let's start in our entryway.  

In our home we try to make sure that everything has a place, and that we always return items to where they belong.  As soon as I come into the house, my keys plop on a tray that we keep by the door.  Sometimes I switch up the plate for different seasons.

At the back door, there are hooks to hang keys on.

There is nothing worse than that sinking feeling on your way out the door when you can't find your keys!

Our Spare Room ~ Inspiration Takes Work

I know you all think I am a stinker for holding off on the reveal, but I wanted to make a point.  When you see something you love or have an idea you want to pursue, unless you have unlimited money, it often takes time and thought and sometimes a change of plans before you can come to a final product.  Following your inspiration can be a slow process but I always find that rushing it ends up in unsatisfactory results.

I began by painting the headboard, adding some textured wallpaper and painting over it.

I compromised on the wallpaper dream from my inspiration shot by purchasing toile pillowcases.

The throw pillows are ones I had around my house that I recovered.

I painted the dresser and added the "new" pulls.

And gradually, an empty room...

became a spare room.

I found the table on the left at a yard sale.  The one on the right is from Ikea.  The lamps are yard sale finds as well with shades from Hobby Lobby that I covered in fabric.  The accent chair, as you may remember, I recovered last year.
Books and a clock make the room more homey and inviting.

I added some artwork,

and a couple of fun touches.
A friend gave me the luggage stand and I updated the straps.

Did I use everything I was thinking of using from around the house?
Nope.

Does it look exactly like the photo that inspired me?
Nope.

But that's okay.
That's the thing about inspiration...it's a jumping off point that can take you anywhere!

Be 
INSPIRED.

Our Spare Room ~ Inspiration Takes Time

After I ripped this shot out of my magazine I hung it above my desk.

And then I waited and pondered.

When I redid Mike and Darla's room and they no longer needed the headboard I thought, "Hmmmmm".

They graciously let me take it home.

My husband dragged this dresser home months ago from our back lane.  It's been in storage just waiting for a make-over.  

I removed the drawers from this coffee table so that I could store the dvd boxes on the shelves.

Enter drawer pulls.

I searched for wallpaper.  It proved to be a challenge so I adapted my plan and started collecting stuff for the room.

Inspiration takes time!

Our Spare Room ~ Inspiration

Our spare room is finally finished!  It was a really fun project but it took me awhile...so I'm not gonna show it to you all in one post.  That just doesn't seem fair.  

I'll start with my inspiration.  Have you ever come across a photo that made you catch your breath?  It doesn't even have to be that it's your favourite colours or exactly what you'd choose...but there is just something about it that leaves you feeling inspired.

I've had this magazine page hanging in my office for months.

Check back later this week to see where inspiration led.

A New Bedroom

It was so much fun to give Mike and Darla a new look for their bedroom.  We started out by looking through clippings of bedroom shots so that Darla and I could make a list of what she and Mike like.  They had some specific requests but the overall goal was to create a peaceful sanctuary to retreat to.

One of listed items was a comfy chair.  I found this guy at Home Sense for a good price in a colour that I knew Darla liked so that's where we started.

Sadly I cannot show you any before photos due to a nasty glitch in my camera's memory card.  The walls were dark brown and the furniture was pine.  We chose to lighten up the room with Elephant (Sarah Richardson) and we purchased some new white furniture and painted a few of the old pieces.

We found breezy new bedding and window coverings, and added lamps and accessories.  

So here is where we started post paint:

And here is where we ended up!

 Wood blinds keep the room dark at night which was a must for Mike.  The white bedding and furniture keep the room bright and airy.

This fireplace (which Mike painted) is from Kijiji.  It will be a cozy addition during the winter.  All 3 girls are in the collage above it.

The shelf is pretty and practical.  It has a draw for hiding needed items that are not attractive.  The large purple box is Mike's catch-all.

The mirror bounces more light around the room and the t.v. is in a good spot to view from bed.
Plants help warm up the space.

A cozy spot to read.

Where we could we kept items from the old room and refreshed them with a coat of white paint.

Cuties!

Keepsakes ~ Session Seven Finale

For our last session I want to talk about two fun ways to display memories of your kids.

  

To this day on my parents bedroom wall, are silhouettes of my siblings and I.  They have always fascinated me.  My parents bought them on a trip to Disney when we were young.  

A couple of years ago I started seeing how-to's on the internet for making silhouettes so I decided to try it out.  It took a bit of trial and error and some hubby help, but here is the result - sorry for the flash.

(If anyone wants instructions let me know!)

What I remember most from my own childhood are family trips.  I still love to travel and really enjoy taking the kids along.  

I have plans to buy a map so that we can track out the routes we've driven.  I'm thinking the map will go in this frame and sit on this easel - hopefully in our dining room post reno.  

I'll let ya know when I get it put together.

I am feeling a little sad about the kids going back to school.  As much as I love routine I will sure miss them!

The days are long and the years are short.

I have found this to be especially true this past summer...a really important reason to display your keepsakes and keep your memories alive!