Tone It Up Overview, Can't believe it's Week 7

If you're following me on Instagram then you've noticed an influx of workout and meal posts from me in the last 7 weeks.  It's true, I've started taking better care of myself, meal prepping, no binge eating and building up my endurance all because of the ladies at Toneitup.com who are hosting their 2016 #tiubikiniseries.  

It was without a doubt a challenge when I started this and I wasn't sure if I would actually make it this far, but I'm happy to say that it's week 7 and I'm still going strong.   I'm not gonna lie, it's still hard to get myself to the gym and some days I'm just exhausted and still wonder when the feeling of energy will kick in.  Sometimes I think maybe it's because I'm over working myself.  I did go from pretty much no movement to several workouts a day. 

A few good things have been major improvements in my endurance level and capabilities to actually complete the entire workout with little to no rest breaks, and my body is feeling more firm and I'm more confident in myself even though none of my numbers have changed much.    

It never really worked out for me to meal plan or prep on Sunday's, but i did plan weekly, and never on the same day.  My eats have definitely improved, but I'm still trying to work on a few areas I'm weak in, like eating real dinner food for dinner.  I have a tendency to just keep dinner simple with breakfast foods like eggs and toast. 

Week 1: As you can see I just printed out the weekly schedule that they have for easy reference, but it really didn't work for me.  I noted which workouts on my weekly plan that I did that day, since I didn't always do that same workouts for the day.  I also noted the number of miles that went towards my mile tracker for #100milesbysummer  It was also week 1, so it was miserable trying to complete these workout.  I really thought I was going to die trying to finish these.  I made a ton of modifications as well.  I also had a small tracker so I remembered to do my checkins, had a protein shake that day and drink more water.

Week 2: I tried a new layout for my weekly workouts so I could incorporate my tracker into each day, but it didn't quote work as well, again since I didn't always complete that day's daily workout for that day so it just got confusing.   My workout frequency was also very minimal in completion.  I did sub out Wednesday's workout to attend a Body Jam audition a friend of mine was doing.  Friday, and Saturday I headed out of town for dancing events that I counted for my cardio.   You can also see that I started playing with my TIU BS header.  

I also started to highlight in Pink (it's feint, but you can see a little) the workouts I completed that week so I had a better visual of what i had accomplished.

Week 3: I started adding color to the header, incorporating the weekly phase, moving the time of the workout to the left of the workout, and I continued with a similar tracker slightly modified, but it still wasn't working for me.  My workout frequency during the week has increased, but still choosing which workout I completed for that day based on how I felt, and what I had planned.  Friday and Saturday I did some of the workouts plus, dancing during the evening.  

The weather was also really nice so I went out for a run Thursday evening.

Week 4: I started blocking more of the letters to my TIU BS header and  I liked having the weekly phase so I've decided to continue with that.  I decided to stop using the larger table for my daily tracker and just went back to my old mini tracker, which worked a little better, but still wasn't very pretty.  

I started working out every day and even went for a run, but realized that this week my running shoes would no longer allow me the comfort to run so I headed to our local running store for a new fitting Wednesday.  Out of the 3 they showed me I eliminated the newer version of my Brooks, which is now on 9.  I just killed my 4's.  These were just to tight over the middle of my foot.  I also liked a pair of New Balance and Saucony's, but the New Balance wasn't in my exact size so it went on order.  No new shoes for me this week.

Week 5: I kept with the same basic layout, which I totally love (well except the daily tracker.  I'm still not happy with that).  I was getting more workouts in and feeling great in my skin.  My dancing has improved tremendously since building up my core strength and it's helped me be more playful and more confident to follow through with some of the moves I had issues with before.  This was acutely my week that I had my "OMG I feel amazing" moment when I was dancing.  It really was like I stepped out of myself and into a whole new confident me.  It still amazes me how much my perspective of myself and how I look has changed considering my actual numbers haven't bugged but a few numbers.  

I no longer have to justify what I eat, which honestly is so freeing.  People used to say, but you look good, and inside I would say, but I could look better had I have not eaten my feelings twice this week and consumed an entire bag of ores in one sitting.   Now I know I've been taking care of my physical healthy and eating healthy, so when I want a slice of cake or a cookie I can enjoy it and not feel guilty.  

I had plans out of town this weekend for a dance exchange and I knew with the endless hours of dancing and lack of sleep that toning workouts were just not going to happen.  I was optimistic and packed 2 sets of workout clothes so that I could see how I felt, but none happened until Tuesday before I headed back home.  Monday I took a much needed rest day.

Week 6: I decided to eliminate the daily tracker, because I was slacking on it a bit last week.   Please forgive the water stain on Monday.  I accidentally spilled coffee on it while I was planning for this week.  I was with friends for Memorial Day and since I had eaten my breakfast already I still decided to join the breakfast table and work on work on my planner, but when I was pouring a new cup of coffee I forgot the spout was cracked and so it ended up dripping on my planner.   My heart literally broke that I had done this to it.  I should have just put it aside, because I really didn't get much done while at the table.
 

I posted this pic on my snapchat (raehausfit) Monday 06/06/16 so the win on the scale is pretty minor, and even my measurements are only about 2.5" overall. 

Even though my numbers haven't changed more than 3" overall, I'm thankful for what it has given me and that's confidence in myself and so I will continue to work on my self-care and hopefully the numbers will end up in my favor.  

What are some things you've done for your health that you may not have seen the numbers change like you had hoped, but overall you felt better about yourself? 

I'M BACK…

I'M BACK…and ready to start blogging again.  Can you believe it after all this break, and I"m grateful for it, as it's been really hard trying to figure out how to start back up again, but today I found some inspiration to get me on the ball.

I'll keep it simple and say for now that it's been a long ride this past year and I'm very grateful to be pulling back the reins of the chaos in my life so I can move forward in focusing on my self-care again and sharing those adventures once more with you.

oh yes, and I've I've also been playing around with v-blogging and it's I'm not gonna lie, it's a bit intimidating and a whole new realm for me, but I promise once I figure out this whole editing dragon I"ll be posting a few videos each month.   A few that I've been working on while getting comfortable with the camera are updates on my new fitness challenge I've been doing.  You can check all the ladies who have joined into this 8-week challenge from the ladies at ToneItUp at their Instagram hashtag #tiubikiniseries.  It's really been inspiring seeing all the ladies posts.  

I'm also working on re-branding my Instagram page, really just trying to get some consistency in my posts, fonts and colors, and I'm pretty happy with how they are turning out.  I'm also looking at re-branding the website, but that will take a little while longer to complete.  

I've also been playing with some new filters from the VSCO app, and here's one of the results from it.  I love this shot.  It has all my favorite fitness colors, and is a great angle. 


Let me know your thoughts and feelings on me adding the v-blogging soon and how you like the new re-branding process and if you're already apart of the #tiubikiniseries or if you've just joined in.

Trip Planning & my Bujo Planner

Does anyone get anxious before a trip?? I know I do all the time.  I get myself so worked up with everything that needs to be done for the weekend away that sometimes I opt out of going away at all and it’s like a huge sigh of relief, but even after all of that worry I know it’s worth the planning when I reach my destination, see all my missed friends and enjoy the adventure the weekend brings and I’m so glad I decided to go.  

I think to learning to embrace my enneagram 7 personality type is also helpful.  I plan on going into that further in another post, on another day, but one of our main commonalities is our ability to worry about everything and we are always looking for a safe place. 

 I am loving my "bullet journal" weekend list of the items I need to prep and don't want to forget.  I'm realizing I'll need to make a section for my volunteer slots.  I signed up for 2 spots, so I want to make sure they are easy to find along with a place for my hosts address and food plan. 

This past weekend was another one of those weekends for me.  I was super anxious about what is going to happen, who will I be housed with, will I be able to find my host and my way to and from the venues?  Will I be able to find an IKEA nearby so I can return the mirror they mailed me and it broke, super not happy with this.  All they need to do was wrap the mirror in a few rounds of bubble wrap and this could have all been avoided.  Now I have to drive there to exchange it and hopefully get it home without the glass breaking again.  Plus, I wanted to pick up some shelves for my kitchen wall.  That's my next step in organizing my kitchen.  However, I've been waiting for this mirror not so patiently for about 2+ months now and I really want it installed in my bathroom, like ASAP!   Anyways, these are some of the things I planned to do while some of the workshops were going on , workshops that I opted not to take for a few reasons, one just being it’s just to much to squeeze in a weekend for me anymore and so I let the kiddos who have tons of energy immerse themselves into the wonderful knowledge of our instructors in hopes that it rubs off on me while we dance.  Wishful thinking, I know. 

Haha.  Just realized I haven’t mentioned what I was doing this past weekend, my bad.  I made my way to Philadelphia, the city of love, for a workshop weekend for the DJX Fusion Exchange.  Though as I mentioned above I opted to skip the workshops.  Not that I don’t need them.  I would LOVEto take them, but money and time are just not in my favor.  I was really looking forward to spending that free time with some time with my Philly friends while the workshops are happening, sleeping in a little longer and reading my book, The Joy of Less, which has been sadly neglected this last month.  I want to finish it  so that I can graduate to the Kon Mari book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, which I’m super excited to start reading. I've been hearing some really great things about her methods.  She's so good she's never had a repeat client.  

I am also loving my weekly - to do list - spread so far.  i still need to work on my doodling, but the layout is def a plus for me.  

please note that none of my links are affiliate links.  They are just items I like and recommend.  also this was written prior to my trip and I choose to wait and publish it after my trip.    

The Yerdle turtle Yerdle's on

It's been sometime since my last post, more because I've just not felt like blogging, but that doesn't mean things haven't been happening.  My goal to decultter this year by 1000 items is still going strong and thankfully I've come across a site called Yerdle, which has been a huge support and push towards my goal.  

If you've not heard of yerdle and you want to downsize I highly suggest checking it out, but don't want to just write off your items or donate them with nothing to gain in return.  Resell can be hard and long road to travel, but Yerdle takes all the hardwork out of it with their easy step-by-step posting on their free app and since people are only using real money to pay for shipping items are more easily and quickly re-homed.  

bundle system & how it works

This last month they came out with a new bundling system ready for iPhone use and beginning this month both iPhone and Android will have their new bundling system available.  This allows "getters" to  bundle up to 4 listings from one "giver" as long as they all weight under 10-lbs, this means both the box weight and box dimensions.  

 "Getters" or the shoppers browse the site and when they see an item they like they can choose to purchase that single item at the Yerdle Dollar price plus the $5 flat rate shipping, and the service fee.  If you choose to add more items from that "giver" to your cart you can add up to 3 more listings for for a flat $2 bundle fee.  Once the purchase goes through the "giver" receives an email with a link to the shipping label, so all they have to do is print and tape the label on the box.  

 

things I've learned as a Yerdler:

I don't always find multiple items from one giver and find that the item I would like isn't worth the shipping / service fee so I tend to pass on a lot of items, but sometimes it's uber worth it and I'm glad I did.   

The one thing I've learned the hard way is that if you want something you need to act quickly.  There isn't time to think about most items, especially nicer items, don't last long on Yerdle.  I've had a few things I've missed out on like Toms shoes and a copper measuring spoon set that I highly regret not buying. 

I also find that because I'm trying to downsize I don't find as much to buy with my yerdle dollars, but I'm sure as time goes by I'll find things that I can use and hopefully get some items on my ISO list that I will need extra Yerdle dollars for.  Some of the things i do keep an eye out for is clothing, mostly shirt and workout gear. 

Great Community:

 Yerdle offers 2 support groups on Facebook, one for newdlers (Jetsetters) and then once you "give" over 30 items you graduate to the pro page.  These groups, become a great support community where you can share you're finds and support each others questions and share listings.  When I first started I wasn't aware of the jetsetters page, but it wasn't long until I hit pro before I received an email to join the FB group.  This has been support and I love learning about other members and supporting out pages and questions that we have.   

I love how the community supports each other and shares listings of other members that they think others will like.  We give and get from each other items that we no longer have a use for, save these items from being toss in the land fills, and earn some points to trade for items that we can use.  Personally, I find this to be more beneficial then donating them, but I'm also used to shipping items out and I've figured out how to get my shipping supplies pretty much cheap to free.  

My gives:

I have personally given over 270+ items since joining in August and I'm pretty excited about re-homing my items to others who can use them and earning Yerdle dollars to purchase items that I can use.  Items I've been able to "get" are new gym bag, new with tags workout clothes, microwave egg cookers, computer headphones, new clothes and dresses, most of my Halloween outfit this year, a $60+ digital TV antenna, travel wallet, and some cute sunglasses.  Most items were on my list of items I wanted, and I only had to "give" items I wasn't using and pay a flat rate shipping fee to get them.  I'm also grateful that a few items that I "got" that didn't work out were easily #reyerdled quickly so it eliminates clutter building up.    I've even create larger bundle options for people so that more stuff goes out quicker.  I'm pretty sure I'll hit my goal by the end of the year, especially since I haven't added up all the items we purged during our flea market set ups this summer .

disclaimer:

If you choose to sign up, and you use my link --> https://yerdle.com/i/jessa-george, this gives you and I both Yerdle dollars when you sign up.  Yerdle will give you & myself anywhere from 20-40 Yerdle dollars when you sign up to get you started it just depends on how much they are giving during that time frame or promotion, and I also earn a chance to get free shipping credits when you give your first item.   I do not earn any real money if you choose to use my link, but it does help them to know how you found out about the site.

declutterization, a new year

It's been a huge process trying to downsize; however there have been some road blocks along the way in doing so like my mom not being much help in parting with items and myself buying more items that I thought would sell fast or items that I just wanted for myself and didn't end up using. 

We have recently moved the majority of our clothing stock to a storage unit, but at this point it's costing us money since we haven't sold much in that department.  It's been hard enough working with the vintage items and getting those sold and out the door.  Plus, my personal shopping aspect has been increasing and also helping with an added income.  

We luckily didn't fill the truck completely; only about 1/3 but it came with the storage unit and had an electronic lift.   I had 3 friends and 2 neighbors who helped us move everything out.  It took 2 days.  The first we loaded up everything in like 3 hours and the 2nd day we unloaded and then sorted everything so now our units looks like the picture below.  All clothes & shoes on the left and toys and fitness items in the back and our Amazon books / dvd's.    The metal shelves on the right hold more toys and misc items.  Then we have a whole other unit on the other side; same size that has our own personal items to store that I don't want at the house.

Last night I did make some progress in parting with a few more items.  I posted 3 non-vintage items on my IG Shop and then gather a small box of vintage goodies that have been taking residence in my kitchen and dining room and took them upstairs so they can be prepped for photos, which I did Thursday morning.   I also gather about 3 medium size boxes of items from the kitchen and living room to take to the Flea market to sell.  Mainly things that I jut don't want to mess with shipping on.  When my mom saw the boxes she wasn't sure what I had in mind for them, and then when I said they were for the Flea Market she made sure to point out that we wont get as much at the Flea Market for it and I was like; don't really care just want them gone and would like some cash for it.  She also pointed out that they should be posted on CL first.  I told her if she wanted to post them there, then she could; however I wasn't.  CL has become such a pain in the @$$ lately and I just don;t like dealing with people who want you to meet them where it's convenient for them and not considering you and then wanting to ask for half of your asking price.  Just to much hassle for what I get out of it.  She said she would, but I'm not holding my breathe that this will actually happen in the next 2 weeks, because she has yet to show me that she's a reseller; only that she is a hoarder and wont work towards making any money or parting with anything from the house. 

I went through the main floor gathering items that I listed on a house plan map that I wrote up prior to heading home.  I knew that once I got home I would be lost without some kind of plan.

The main idea comes from postings from My Love Forwards Declutterathon posts, where she does a few projects a day for 26 weeks to eliminate the clutter.  She also has a Clutter Questionnaire for you to fill out to help figure out why you have clutter, so that you can nip it in the butt.

The projects are typically a small cluttered area each day or breaking up a larger project into smaller doable time frames for the week so that way you're not overloading yourself.  I personally want to be able to have some friends over for dinner and a movie by the end of the month, but the house in it's current state is not anything I want my friends to see, so my intention is clear out as much as I can and use the Flea Market to help eliminate some of my larger items while still gaining a few dollars for them.

So well see how far I get to see if by the end of this month the main floor is cleared out enough to my idea specifications and eliminate any items that don't belong or if they have a home elsewhere in the house make sure they get there.   

Thrify Finds October Part 1

Here are a few of my goodies this month that will be making their way to finding a home in my home. 

I love the Scandinavian feel of the Santa pillow and that it was made in Colorado.  I also couldn't resist the adorableness of the reindeer.

Finally got an animal tape dispenser.  I had been looking at a cat one from staples, but didn't want to pay the sticker price.  the basket with linking will make it's way to my command center. 

I loved the colors and saying on the art print, but not so much the frame, so before snapping this photo I swapped out the art with one of my frames.  I like it much better, but I realized that my frame is breaking -- super sad face.  Though to the frames case I've had this one for 5+ years so it's seen better days.  

I also couldn't resist this bull.  she is so adorable and I love the yellow flowers and body coloring which gives it a cool vintage vibe. 

I know I didn't need this juicer, but I just love the design & the splash of orange.  I'm hoping to make good use of it or at least find the space to display it.

so pretty.  I love the rounded wood trim that compliments the ceramic print.

mushrooms!!!!! I was so excited to see these as I used to own this very same planter a year+ back in brown, but it broke.  I was very sad on that day.  Now it's in a bright and fun color.  I also hope to find a good use for that mushroom vinyl.  it's so adorable and cute.

score!!  owls and macrame my weakness.  so loving this and in yellow.  It instantly found a home in my half bath. 

I just adore these felt deer that I purchased these from a FVH member the other week.  They'll be added to my Christmas tree this year and I can't wait.  

IKEA towels and in blue and red, there were 5 and I took them all.  Yes, I'm greedy like that.  I also love the color and flower pattern of the hot plate.  It easily found a home on my coffee station.

Love this cute adorable scallop lid plastic laundry hamper.  It has a few scuffs on it, but hoping after a little cleaning it will be good as new.  Seriously the most adorable hamper I've seen that's not just for little girls. 

Thrift Score August

SimR Ware Slow Cooker

Just look at those feet, sigh.  That's what got me when I saw her on the shelf.  I know she's missing a knob and she's also rusting around the feet and the back seam, but the inside is a perfect opal.  I hopeful that she works great and that I'll be able to sell my smaller more 70s style slow cooker to pay for this one. 

4-PC Stacking Mugs & Tupperware Veggie Steamer

I'm loving all that green, especially those darling stacking mugs that I spotted on etsy a few months ago.  There is one set of 2 currently for $18.  So I'm pretty proud.  they are so me!  I'm planning on cleaning up my "measure" mug holders that I was trying to sell and use it to hang these ladies up.  

The Tupperware veggie steamer sells for $25 NIB and I recently purchased on in Like New Condition from a friend for $20 and I didn't even pay a 1/3 of that for this lovely gal.  I'm super excited and plan to resell the other one and keep this one.  Love those colors, sigh. 

Mushrooms Mug

This guy is uber awesome and he'll look great at my coffee station where my mushroom collection is growing. 

Half Cup of Coffee Mug and Floral Japan Mugs

I wasn't able to find the mugs so I'm not sure exactly who the designer is, but there were definitely a wide selection of the half cup mugs with a listing price ranging from $5-$18.  I like the mug, but not sure I would pay the higher price point for it.  All 3 of these babies are heading for resell. 

SALEM Stoneware Mugs Georgetown Floral

These are super adorable and range anywhere from $5-$12 individually to a set of 4.  I picked them up because a) I'm a sucker for anything stamped Japan and b) they are colors of my bedroom.  I know I wasn't going to use them there, but figured I could add them to my resell pile. 

Movement is happiness

Movement is happening is our Simplifying Home Goal & our outbox is filling up with items that we are letting go. It’s pretty exciting and I’ve really been getting into this more now. I’ve cleaned up the items and already taken photos of most of the outbox items and now it’s time to edit & research. This is the process I dislike the most mainly because it takes time. I could spent around an hour just on one items, because I have anywhere from 3-6 photos per item, and then I’ll adding them to frames, searching ebay and etsy to know the going rate and then adding the description and photos to at least 2 online albums. It’s pretty time consuming, but overall I love the outcome. My spirit is lighter, my anxiety is getting better knowing that things are moving out of the house. There still is A LOT of stuff everything and I’m still working on figuring out the best way to organize everything and feel like I’m living in a house and not a hoarders paradise, especially when I have people coming over to look at my larger pieces that simply won’t fit in my car to meet them nor do I have the muscle to move the items. 

This week I’ve taken another 50+ photos using my make shift low cost photo studio and a few towards the end I started adding props in with the items. I love what the color pops do and how it helps to give each item life and added dimension.

Another thing I decided to do to keep my items rolling out the door is making sure that I upload a preview item of every photo that’s currently hiding in my camera. This will remind me of the items that still need to go through the final stages and allow my items to still be seen.  

Thrift Score June

I found these lovies my last trip to drop off donations.  I'm super excited about the PYREX S/P Shakers, especially since i didn't realize they were PYREX until after I got them home and was ready to fill them.  The branding is an etched glass very small towards the bottom.  they work great, actually the only set of shakers I've brought home that I've actually used. 

The farmers tin is perfect for our flea market money box and the tulip dish goes (well mostly) with my Japan Tulip Canister set that I have in my bedroom.  They are both stamped Japan, have the same coloring, but  but the tulip pattern is different...I was so close.

I found this green Hoover beauty on a local FB Yardsale page and I'm loving how well she still works.  I need to order new bags, but outside of that I don't regret my purchase. 

This guy has an funny store as he almost didn't even make it home with me.  I walked by him twice at a local church's annual flea market my mom and I participated in.  After some debate I realized I wasn't even spending a dollar on him and if I found that he would have no purpose in my home that I would just simply resell him for what I paid so I happily paid for him and took him home.  

He was useful for about a week as a place to store extra change, but then decided to use him as part of my staging to sell my IKEA BESTA TV Stand and I've had multiple buyers interest in him.  I should seriously start a bidding war for him.  Highest bidder gets the whale! 

Happy Thrifting!! What kind of goodies have you found???

SM: Learing to Simplify

I've definitely made some progress this year when it comes to simplifying my home and feeling like my life is balanced again:

• I scaled back on my possessions by committing to work the flea market on a bi-monthly basis.
• I created a facebook page solely for posting my items for sale. 
• I've opened a separate bank account so that the extra income actually goes on bills.  
• I've caught up on 3 bills that I neglected -- though I still have 2 more before I'm completely caught up.
• I've accepted the fact and realized that it's not possible to clean the house, workout, take/edit/post photos of things for sale, declutter, spend time with my boys (aka the cats), cook a healthy dinner, work on my blog, and pay my bills all in one day.  Trust me when I say that this was not easy for me to admit.  I'm a perfectionist so my mindset say that I should be able to do all this but I came to realize that trying to do all this wasn't adding quality to my life, just more stress. 
• I admitted  that I needed a daily and weekly routine to help simplify my schedule and allow myself to work on all the areas that I listed above while staying focused and organized. 

The further I get on this new path of simplifying my life it helps me to tackle more to-dos that once made me feel so overwhelmed.  Life is definitely looking good now that I can see the light of a simple vintage life ahead of me once again. 

As I continue to create these printables for myself I'll make sure to share them with you just in case it may help you in your daily routines and path to a more simplified life.  Below you'll find my first printable that I made to write down my goals for the my Fitness, simplifying my home and my personal / blog for the month of June.   

Just Right Click and select “Save image As…” if you want to use my printable.  
The fonts used are: The Skinny + Orniste TFB and a Gentle Touch.

Here are a few sites that I've found helpful in creating my daily/weekly routine and learning to use a planner:

• Life According to my planner
• The Thinking Closet: The One Thing I Changed 
• From Overwhelmed to Organized:   Why Simplifying Is More Powerful than Organizing

Word of the Year: Simplicity

My 2014 goal is to live a life of Minimalism with less Superfluous, unnecessary, esp. through being more than enough, stuff surrounding me. It's really because I know I spend way more time then I really need to cleaning & reorganizing my "stuff" and what I want to be doing is cleaning less and doing doing the things I love more and that's why I want my word this year to be Simplicity.  I want to live a simplified life and set small goals each month that will get me to 50% of my possessions by the December 31, 2014.  

I plan to donate items and then use Craigslist, and eBay to sell the majority of the items that serve no function or meaning to me and this will allow money to be used towards bills and fixing up my home so it will be ready for the market in 2015 and I can move into a smaller dwelling.

I'm not sure what this year in the end will bring, but I do hope that it entails more time with friends and less time cleaning.  I do also know that it's not going to be an easy journey and that they're will be a lot of work ahead and new habits to form, especially since I have quite a stockpile of Superfluous items spread about my home.  

The Basic Plan:

Start with a Room.
Yep, room by room is the basic start for me and my first room to tackle is My Bedroom mainly because it has the least amount of items in and it's really the room I want to contain as little as possible.

As I've taken time this last week to sort through my room I realize that I have a lot of clothing and jewelry that I really don't wear so my main goal here is to photograph them in the best light, which will include ironing. 

This coming week my plan is to begin the ironing process and then hang all my shirts in one area so that when I'm home and the sun light is shining I can snap out the photos without having to stop. 

Then I will take another day to edit the photos and yet another day to post them on eBay and package them.  Yep, I plan to pre-package everything so that way I have the exact weight of the items and I can easily store them until they sell. 

a fresh color palette

The last few days have been pretty productive for me in the home to do lists, including finishing my half bath.  I honestly can't believe it's done especially since I've really been dreading re-painting the walls, but it was inevitable with all the holes that needed patching from changing out the towel bars and hooks and then a few weeks ago my cats decided to climb the curtains and yep it all came crashing down.  

Such happiness seeing  my IKEA print shining brighter against crisp white walls.   

The desire to change my walls from Behrs Peanut Butter to Martha Stewart's Vapor came about when I was inspired by the color scheme in this red, white and teal laundry makeover.  My favorite part of the design was the red knobs.  After scowering her post I found out where she had bought them, but after getting to the check out I stopped when the shipping for a pair of $3 knobs was going to be $10.  This meant I was going to DIY my own red knobs.  It was actually pretty practical since I already had the primer and red spray paint on hand and my cabinet already had the same shape knob only it was a pink flower ceramic knob.  It took several layers of primer even after lightly sanding it down for it to stick and then a few coats of red before I was happy with them. I do still need to add a layer of a clear sealer so they are more shiny than rough. 

I also had high hopes of using the sew now, sew wow fabric by Alexander Henry that Anna used for the ironing board cover, but outside of a toilet set cover I couldn't think of anything in the room that I could practically use it for and I didn't want to just frame it.  So you can image my happiness when I came across this $10 dove poster art on one of my trips to IKEA

 source 

I've yet to hang up a towel rail or hook, because after sealing seeing the bathroom so clean and crisp I didn't like how my IKEA ENNUDEN towel rack looked.  Plus, I really love the ceramic hook that Anna had in her laundry room, so until I can find one similar I'll continue to drape the towel over the cabinet door.

I used command strips to hang the mirror and IKEA RIBBA frame so I didn't add more holes.  I really should buy stock in them, because most of my frames and art are hung up by command stripes.  They really do save me from having so many holes in the wall from the countless times I've changed my mind.  I just used the Velcro stripes for the IKEA frame.  I always cut the Velcro in half vertically and use 1 strip for each side.  this way I get more use out of each strip, especially with the back edging being so thin.  However, for the mirror I opted to use another version, one that the wire could hang from.  

  

I also think that I will opt to using bar soap rather than a dispenser.  I really hate dispensers, especially if I decide to change out the soap.  Plus, I think it will keep it simple.

I'm quite happy with using my vintage telephone / record stand since it's not been very useful in the living room.  It's far to light and my cats like to catapult from it, which usually results in it falling down and anything on it.  This way they can't knock it down and it holds all my extra towels instead of them being on the back of the toilet tank.  I've also added the air fresher on top since taking the photo. 

The MYRVIKEN hand towels and PERSBY area rug are both from IKEA..  I tried looking on their site, but it looks as if they are no longer available.  I did just purchase sometime after summer and the hand towels were a new design then so they may still be available in stores. 

I didn't take out the anchors for my IKEA ENUDDEN toilet roll holder as I new I wanted it back and love that it holds to rolls so we don't have to change it out as often.  I also like that it has a "top shelf" which allows you to utilize the space.  At one point I had the air fresher there, but I really like my ceramic dogs so for now I have them resting there.

I do love how the whole look came out and it's far more refreshing and open and better liking to my Scandinavian design tastes compared to how it looked prior with the Behr Paint as you can see before with my last photographed update in May.

May 4th update

Below you can see my priming progress.  It was definitely a challenge painting this small and cramped space, but after two coats of primer and a coat of Vapor I'm sooo glad I did it.

I decided to just paint the bath walls white, but the only white I had was a matte finish, so I thought this could be a good way to veer from the Picket Fence by Martha Stewart that I painted the dining room, because it was stark white so I decided to go with my original white Vapor which has a slight gray tint to it.

I'm also glad that I  figured out how to paint behind the light fixture without having to disconnect the wires. It wasn't fun, but I'm glad for it.   

It feels good to finally have the walls painted.  I only needed one coat of Vapor, which I was very thankful for and after adding all the hardware and accessories I'm very happy with how it looks.