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.

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.  

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. 

tucked in a bin, a little organization

Most of my nights lately have been parked in front of the TV watching holiday movies, however tonight I'm proud to say that I headed straight up to my creative space and organized my built in dresser drawers.  I sadly don't have any before photos, but I can tell you that everything was just thrown in the drawers and nothing really had any particular order.   It was really getting at my type A personality and I'm so glad to see some order to them. 

My hygiene drawer was the first drawer I tackled and it looks a ton better.  This was becoming a hug junk drawer and I'm glad to be able to find what I need and now know that I'm good with razors and deodorant, but need to order some bar soaps.   Since going back to short hair last year I've not used my flat iron, but I love it so I keep it tucked in the back of the drawer.  I do need to adjust my feminine items since some of them I've had a while and really don't plan on using.  I only have them because my mom bought them.

My purses are pretty easy, I just sorted my totes (far right), actual purses and then hiking bags (far left).  In the striped shoe box I added my wallets and the black bin I have what few tights and dressier items that I own just in case I might decide to wear a dress and my travel pillow over top.  

I think my towels are by far my favorite organized drawer tonight I think mainly due to having sufficient tubs to hold them in. After a few rounds this drawer usually ends up looking like a hodge podge so I hope this will help to keep it somewhat tidy.  

I didn't realize how many hair towels I had until I started sorting them tonight.  Though most of them were given to me by my grandmother, all brown & extras she wasn't using.  They work when I travel or when I'm out of the 3 white one's I prefer to use, but for now I see no reason to part with them.   I have parted with a few hand towels since a month+ ago I purchased some new one's for the kitchen and bathroom downstairs.

I also used clothespins for labels, but I don't think I'm going to keep them as they're really not that practical for this drawer.

My sheets I think shortly will need to be included in a drawer organizer, but I have to find one around the house or I'm thinking I might grab my last stitch fix box that I haven't thrown out yet.  

My hand towels fit nicely in the back and in front of them are a few wash cloths, though I rarely use them.  Then to the left of the wash cloths are my pillow cases.  I'm thinking I should purchase a few more of them, maybe red, blue and yellow to match my pattern cases I love.

  

It's nothing fancy, but it's all about small steps that move you toward your end result. Sometimes done is good enough for some areas.

What are some steps you have taken in order to create order in your home?

creativly speaking

Lately I've been calling my 3rd bedroom my creative space, which seems to fit all that I want the space to be; housing my workout gear, craft supplies, my workout gear, and home management system, and of course write my blog posts.  I'm pretty excited about my current plan, which I'll talk about later in another post, but I'm pretty sure it will make you laugh at how OCD I am when it comes to planning.  

It's been nice seeing the progression of the room even just over a few weeks.  Each day I have been working on a new task that moves at least one item out of the clutter zone and it's made the biggest difference.  It's also nice having some of my favorite things in use, like my vintage shelf that now houses my ceramic rooster, diy sun shine art, vintage deer stapler, and simply DIY art.  In the near future I plan to paint the vintage shelf love-in-the-mist (light blue) by Martha Stewart. 

Some other projects that will have to wait for another phase is painting my IKEA RIBBA frame Love-in-the-Mist.that I have show casing  an Eames print.  Can you tell I'm obsessed with this color blue?  Along with wrapping this pretty floral print from Joann's around a cork board.  I would prefer to hold off for now until I actually have my desk systems in place so I have a better grasp as to what size cork board I'll have room for. 

I would like to paint 2 of the walls the Love-In-the-Mist as well, and add in Moonglow (light green) and the pink from Cave Girl Office Reveal as my accent colors. 

At this point I don't have a deadline for the space to be complete as I know it's going to take some patience on my part to allow for time to find the exact pieces, in the right color and a convenient location.  It would definitly take less time if I bought the items new, but I just can't afford to do that right now so I'll be keeping an eye out on craigslist. 

For now I just have to use what I have on hand and try to make things work, but it's not been easy.  My desk is held up by two end tables so it's not quite table height so I end up hunching over in my chair to work. 

2013-02-06 GID January Cure Updates

Since the January Cure began I've been working hard on little and big projects and thankfully, finally crossing off house to do's off my list.  My main floor is looking pretty amazing right now and is actually presentable for guest.  I had thought I would throw a Mimosa and Pancakes brunch for my gathering, but with still so much to do I've decided to keep it small and just have an old friend over for dinner instead.  I plan to still host the Mimosa party, but after I've repainted the first level and hopefully by then I'll have sold my one-arm sofa and IKEA Adobode Wardrobe {using for coat storage} and replaced them with an IKEA TJUSIG coat rack and IKEA Strandmon Wing Back Chair.

IKEA WARDROBE CRAIGSLIST AD

KLAUSSNER SOFA CRAIGSLIST AD

Lately, my mind has been going in lots of design directions for my bedroom, kitchen and office/guest bath and I've got lots of index cards with ideas that are ready to be implemented.  Last weekend I headed to JoAnn Fabrics and gathered a few supplies, but will need to revisit and swap out a few items in order to finish.

Here are a few index designs I'm working on:

I'm really loving this design and that it inspires me to wake up in the morning.  I had originally thought to spell out WAKE UP, then went to MORNING, and am now set on RISE & SHINE.  Once the letters have been wrapped in yarn and spray painted the gallery will be added in between my windows.  The current gallery wall will be taken down that I had added in my last bedroom redesign, but didn't have any particular meaning. The mirror is one I purchased second hand and plan to paint the cream plastic floral frame white to match my RIBBA IKEA high gloss white frame.  It's also a nice symbol for the sun. 

I have a beautiful heavy duty copper frame that's 24x36 that has an ordinary print that I'm not a fan of, but I love the frame. I've been on a debate on what to do with this, but now plan to hang it to the left of my bed with the quote from Paul Reese Believe You can do it, Think no other way, but "Yes You Can." The Human Body is Capable of considerably more physical endurance then most of us can believe. I really love this quote and hope to read it everyday as a reminder that I can be more and do more then I think I can. The art print I plan to spray paint white and then use stencils to paint the letters on.

I purchased a gallon of the Sea Glass {minty green} for my guest bath and the Endive {celery green} for my kitchen as well as a KILLZ primer to paint over the California surfer blue that's currently on the wall.  I also purchased sample of the nimbus cloud {grey} to see if I want it on more than one wall.  I'm pretty excited for the colors and look forward to seeing the new colors on my wall.  The plan is to tackle that this Saturday and forgo my trip to IKEA.  I figure it would be best to go when I can also Purchase the Wing Back Chair - once the sofa and IKEA wardrobe is sold. 

October 22, 2013 update
I have since decided not to do the rise and shine cardboard letter art nor the copper frame art, but I did spray paint the flower mirror and am using it above my dresser as part of my make up station.

2013-02-05 January Cure w3

Day 15: Exercise a little Cord Control

Our cell phone cords are the main cords I would love to be able to tame.  Anyone have any suggestions on how to make them not seem so obnoxious?  The TV cords on the main floor are our second problem area.  We did have our contractor split our cable connection in the living room so we could keep the old cable connection, but also have a connection on the wall where we currently have the TV and it's so nice not seeing the cord.  The rest of the house the cords are very minimal so I'm not to concerned with those. 

Day 16: Give your Bathroom and Medicine Cabinet a Clean out

My bathroom is actually pretty sparse since I don't really have anything to store what i use on.  I currently have a very small bookshelf that's only 6" wide to hold what doesn't fit on my sink.  I do have a medicine cabinet that I plan to have installed over the toilet once I paint.   Although, our bathroom / laundry room, which currently is my mom's bathroom is a total disaster.  You would never have known that I did help her clean it out.  I don't understand how one person can have so much stuff.

I have finally decided on paint colors for the bathroom to and I'm pretty excited to start, especially since once the wall is painted I can hang up the towel rod, medicine cabinet and art piece.  Then once I have more funds I can swap out the lighting and mirror.

The main color will be Sea Glass by Martha Steward and the Chevron pattern I plan to paint Popcorn by Martha Stewart.  I will most likely repaint the trim to

Day 17: Looking at Living Room Lighting

We currency have 3 light sources for the living room, the ceiling fan light,  a table lamp when your first enter, and a natural light floor lamp that we use for reading.  We use the table lamp most as it allows some light into the room for TV viewing and then the floor lamp is behind the sofa ready to be turned on when we want to use the computer or read.  The ceiling fixture is rarely used as it's very bright and not usually needed. 

We do have small windows in the living on the same wall as the door, which allows some natural light in, but living in the city we don't tend to open the curtains much.  The curtains are wonderful for privacy, but also allow some light to reflect into the room

Even with all these lights it still seems a bit dull in the room and I will definitely be on the search for a more mcm floor lamp to put in the back corner. 

Day 18: Weekend Chores Flowers, Living Room & Empty your Outbox
There is still much cleaning out of furniture needed before I do a deep clean of the living room and possibly a new paint color for my focal point wall in the dining room.  Like selling my IKEA Anadobe wardrobe, IKEA TV stand and a tall 70s style bookcase

We did take two 2x3 boxes of stuff out of the house and we have a 2' pile up of books that will be going to the goodwill once they are written up. 

Plus, on Sunday February 3rd we donated  this box of books to the Goodwill.  The two vintage suitcases I am giving to a friend of mine who also collects vintage items.

2013-01-30 sell, sell, sell

This last year has gone pretty fast, and it seems like we've not really done much in terms of downsizing, but really we have. If you saw my house when we combined households you would have had a heart attack from ALL THE STUFF and really there's more like 2 storage units full awaiting their turn to be sold and I hope to never lay eyes on it again.

My mom wanted to do this selling business many years ago and never really got around to selling anything, but she didn't stop buying anything so we have a lot of work ahead of us, but it will be helpful with the amount of things I would like to do with the house so I'll be thinking...sell, sell, sell and hopefully most of the items will sell and no longer take residence in my home. I love the quote by William Morris Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. and that's a good way to live.  Clutter is a nuisance and makes me a not so nice person.  I just can't work in a clutter home and sometimes, yes, I'm sorry to admit this out loud, but I can get pretty mean and sometimes I've been known to throw things, though not at people. 

What's I've posted in the last week:

* Precor EFX 5.17i Elliptical Fitness Crosstrainer  SOLD AUG
* Klaussner Sofa SOLD AUG
* Coffee Table, wood and glass SOLD 02/08/13
* Vita-mix  SOLD FEB 2
* collapsible doggy steps sold JAN 29
* Rocking Chair SOLD JUNE
* Antique Twin Metal Bed:
* Full Size Metal Bed Frame: SOLD JAN 31
* Scandinavian Dining Set:

I plan to take this ad off, because I really LOVE this table set and hope to sell the Elliptical which is currently housed in my dining room. Once the Elliptical is sold and I hang the 2 LACK Wall Shelves that I plan on buying once the bookshelves are moved I believe I'll have room to fit my 5' table.

Things to return Saturday:

I finally found the receipt to my for my shower tension rod caddy after weeks of scoring the house for it.  so now I can return the shower caddy +$25, a 2013 planner +6, and a mustache clock +10.  The planner and clock I think will only be in store credit, but I shop there all the time so I'm going to spend money there anyways.

UPDATE ** 02/12/13
All items above were returned.  1 store credit and 2 items were returned to my card.

Errands to make this coming week:

JoAnn's:
- cardboard letting want to make a yarn sign for W-A-K-E U-P & wire to do a script DIY for beautiful.
- Felt to make letter cut outs & freezer paper for the template.

Verizon:
activate my iphone.  I've had it now for 3 weeks and have yet to get it activated.

Finally activated on 02/12/13

I also plan to update my House To Do project list this week.  Need to change out a few projects that I've decided not to do and add the new ideas then mark some complete.

We haven't made much this week, but I did make the money back from purchasing my headboard set.  Although the frame doesn't really work with my mattress and soft box-spring combo and so I have to build another bed frame to support my mattress like this one.  I don't think it will cost more then $35 and I would prefer not to buy a box-spring, because then my bed will be to high.

I plan on posting the built ins in my 3rd floor bedroom, some running shoe's I've worn a few times, but are to big, a 70's veneer bookshelf and some household decor.

I've also been working on new plans for my living, dining and 3rd floor guest / office / workout room and I'm looking forward to implementing them, but don't have the funds to spend so I really need to start selling so I can implement the plans.

Furniture swap outs:

Want: Strandmon Wing chair & Foot Stool
Selling: Klaussner One-Arm Sofa

Dining Room

Want: IKEA LACK  
Selling: 70's bookshelf

3rd Floor Guest / Office / Workout

Want: IKEA PAX Wardrobe (x2)  
Selling: Built In Dressers (x2)

 SOURCE

I also have a very sturdy and amazing IKEA bookshelf that I love that's currently in my dining room that I plan to temporarily move to my 3rd floor to use for Linens, Towels, and my workout gear until I can afford to purchase the PAX single door wardrobe.  The Photo above best represents the feel and look that I'm going for with my closet.  I also have a Hovet mirror from IKEA the size of the one in the image thanks to their as is section, which I LOVE for only $100.

Want: IKEA EXPEDIT 6 CUBE 
Selling: Children's Toys

The intended purpose of this is to store some books we are selling, and to house our mailing supplies.  It will be placed so it's 4 cubes wide and 2 cubes high.  I also intend to buy the drawer insert to store pens, markers, scissors, scotch tape and labels, along with 4 DRONA fabric bins to hid the books.

 SOURCE

I was originally inspired by this Closet Mid Unit from Target, that Love Grows Wild had set up, but it's an inch to high and the Expedit will be almost 2" shorter then the trim on the half wall where I want to put it, which should look a little better.  Plus, the Expeidit is a nicer shelving unit and I really don't need that many cubbies.  though this would be a great idea if our basement was a little lest dusty to use for our extra toiletries.

UPDATE 02/12
I decided   earlier last week that we would just use bookshelves that we already had instead of buying something new.  Plus, I kind of wanted the Expedit shelves instead and I really didn't want to commit to buying either at the moment in fear that I would regret buying more stuff.

2013-01-22 January Cure w1 part 2

I know I should be on week 2 for the January Cure Project assignments, but I'm still catching up on week 1.  I've also tackled a few projects on my project list as you can see below.  My goal is to work on week 2, even if it's only a few days, as it still gets me closet to my end goal.

I crossed off and linked to this post all of the projects pictured below from my w1 recap so I have a running talley of what's done and what I will need to tackle next. let's get started with showing you all the projects I completed.  Whew, so glad they are done.

Organize the TV Stand

I had a slew of DVD's stuffed in the shelf and a project or two in waiting to be done, that after all was said and done I decided to nix's since I liked the baskets so much.  I had originally planned on using the spray adhesive {on the bottom right open shelf} to spray the white and tan poke-a-dot fabric  to add some color to the stand, but I think the green baskets fit rather well and add the green I wanted.  The baskets I found at Michael's Craft Store on the 16th when I was looking for cardboard letter, which I didn't find.

The paper laying onto was the inspiration photo for organizing the stand and is in the paper recycle now that the project is complete.  It came out better then I hoped. 

Hang the 2nd pair of IKEA curtains

I have only 1 pair of the Henny Rand curtain panels hanging in my living room for over 6 months now, but after taking the 2nd pair down from  my kitchen I thought ti would look nicer in the living to have a fuller curtain wall.  On the 16th I gathered the extra panels and placed them on the couch so that after work Thursday I would get it done.  so after about 15 minutes - gathering the tall ladder and removing the Finial's on each side and loosening the screw on the rail bracket I was able to add the 2nd panel to each side. 

Hang Live Love Bark

I had a plaque from TJ MAXX that's had a few homes, but none have really had the same impact that I want and a few weeks back I had added it to my extra stash of stuff pile of things that I liked and didn't want to get rid of, but had no place for it and now finally it has a home.  I love how it looks on the wall with a new plaque I found at Marshalls last Wednesday.  I also have a home, finally for my non-matching apron, but I love it anyways.

Find a Toilet Paper Holder
While at Marshall's I found a unique paper towel holder that I wanted to use to hold my extra toilet paper and I really like how it looks. 

Projects in Process:

Frame Art - I submitted some photos to the Walmart photo center to have printed and I'm waiting for them to come in the mail.  Once they come I'll see what looks best and then figure out what size frames I need to purchase at my next trip to IKEA.  

Dance Schedule Art Print - I printed off the dance schedule, but need to figure out how I want to go about.  

Art above Bed - I did try a few wrapping paper examples on the wall, but haven't been able to find a layout that I like.  I did find two quotes that I liked that I hope to make a black and white word art with.

Sell IKEA Wardrobe - I posted on Craigslist and Yardsellr.com 01/20

Hang Family Photos - I started a small bin on the dining table to put photos that I come across.

Entry Table - I moved my IKEA TV stand that I was using at the end of my bed to the entry for a drop table and so far I like it there.  I'm on the lookout for tapered wood legs to add 12" height to it.

3/4 Bath - I found a frame that I want & a phrase Hey Good Looking

2013-01-09 Christmas turned makeover

We've been wanting to move the Sectional in the Living Room for a few days now, because it sits right over one of our main vents and it's been super chilly in their lately and thought it we moved it the warm air would be able to circulate in the room better

I had thought it would be a quick process, however, it took several hours and turned into a Makeover for my Living and Dining Room.  It looks totally different and even with more furniture in the room I had room to set up a dining table again. I also didn't take any before photos, because I wasn't expecting to do a complete makeover.

The Living Room

I took some new photos Wednesday morning so I could use natural lighting, but wished I would have left the curtains closed, for a better look.  Though not sure how much light would have flooded in with the curtains closed either.

Previously, the sectional was an "L" shape against the wall along my dining table you see there perched up against the wall. I'm trying to sell the Dining Room table only becasue it's to small for my space so hopefully it wont be propped up against the wall to much longer.  next to the orange vacuum.  The TV was in between the windows and Bain's doggy bed is still in the same location {it's the shiny white puff you see at the end of the sectional.}  The Yellow circle bin is for Bain's toys and the box to the left  is my new pile to donate.

I'm very thrilled {minus the glare on the art} at how well this photo came out.  You can see my favorite piece, the sewing chair, and my rattan star-burst mirror that I scored at a Salvation Army a month or so back for $15.   The clock is from ModCloth.com, however, it's no longer available.

I loved how simple and clutter free my entry way is again.  I found a matching pair of round mcm end tables at our local thrift store at a 50% off day so they were only $2.50, along with the mcm style table lamp for $4.  The chicken I found at TJ MAXX, I'm not really a fan, but I thought it was really cute.  And I especially love my milk glass vase that I use to put stash my keys.    You can only see Bain's toy bin clear and bed. 

The Dining Room

I did take a few photos of the dining room, but most of them didn't come out, so I'll have to try taking some new shots. Maybe this weekend when I can have some natural light and add them to the post.

Here are a few shots that came out nicely.  The other's were just to dark and grainy. 

Here are a few  accessories I have ontop of my table and some cookbooks and recipe box that I have on one of my bookshelves.

I also moved Bain's doggy bowl and food to the dining since the kitchen is a bit cramped.  Now I can have all of his food and treats on one shelf.  This makes it very convenient.

I have a few modifications that I want to make to the room and maybe even swap out our tall IKEA Wardrobe for this IKEA Hack Project.

Here are some before photos of a previous layout change I did a month or so prior.

Living Room Before

The bookshelf was moved into the dining room on the right of the mirror, however, I wished I would have put it on the left side.  We use that shelf more often and it's a bit tight between the table and elliptical now.   Though I do hope to eliminate the bookshelves at some point for some open shelving

2013-01-06 Paleo Delights & My New Planner

This month hasn’t been very purposeless in my planning out for the blog, so I apologize for not getting this post out on time. I took some time this Monday {7th} to write out a little schedule now that I have this pretty 2013 8x10 planner {image below} that I purchased from Target Sunday {01/6/13}. It was a bit more then I wanted to spend, but it’s really pretty and large enough to use it for cleaning, blog posts, budget and my personal schedule.

How pretty is my new planner.

I love how pretty the interior is as well, but it's still functional.  I'm going to use the monthly for noting my blog post and when my bills are due and I like that I can plan my personal & cleaning schedule on the weekly pages.  

Scrumptious Pineapple Scramble by Whole Family Strong

I was pretty surprised at how much I loved this breakfast, because I'll tell you I was a bit leery about the combined ingredients.  Plus, it was super easy and convenient since I can make a few days in advance.  It didn't take long to cook, maybe 10 minutes and while the egg scrambled cooked I chopped up fresh pineapple.  This was my first attempt at cutting a fresh pineapple, needless to say I was a bit intimidated by it, but it wasn't as difficult as I was expecting and it really made a difference in taste having fresh over canned.  I'm pretty sure I'll pass on the canned stuff now that I've tasted fresh.  Once I had about 2 days of breakfast ready I added them to my breakfast Tupperware, which has that has a small section divided off perfect for the pineapple so I didn't have eggs soggy.   I will definitely be making this again for breakfast. 

The Kitchen Sink Salad  by Everyday Paleo

There's no photo, because I actually forgot to take one, but you can check out what it looks like from Everyday Paleo.  I chose this recipe to use up some of the vegetables I had leftover from the previous week and then purchased some red cabbage.  The only thing I didn't use was the mustard, since I couldn't find mine and ended up using my lemon poppy salad dressing.  I very much enjoyed this salad and would make it again for a quick and easy lunch. 

Salmon Patties by my mom and steamed sliced carrots + mandarin orange

This was just a basic salmon patty recipe my mom put together, which didn't really include anything crazy, since my mom is pretty bland in her cooking and sliced carrots that I used a Ziplock Steamer Bag for microwave steaming and a mandarin orange.  It was tasty and I actually really loved how tasty plain steamed sliced carrots are.