we don't have china but we have a china cabinet

Joe and I had been on the lookout for a china cabinet for a while.  We have the perfect wall for one but our dining room is a little on the small side so we needed something that would take up the wall but not dip into the space.  We found a Broyhill cabinet on craigslist and picked it up one Sunday afternoon.  The couple we bought it from was so sweet. and old.  So Joe and I lugged this huge thing into the bed of his truck all on our own.  I don't have a great before picture but it was cream colored with antiqued brass hardware.  

This picture shows the color options we were debating, which were all paint that we already had.  We decided to go with the dark blue so the cabinet would be the focal point of the room.

For fun, we added some pattern to the backing using scrap book paper and modge podge.  I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, it was horrible!  The paper bubbled and there are so many creases but it's hard to see once the shelves are stocked.  If you want to try this, we recommend spray adhesive!

One nice little feature for this cabinet is that it stores our printer!  Haha, I guess this is one perk of not having china, right?!  We have a wireless printer and wanted it off our desk top so now it lives in the china cabinet:)

a tisket, a tasket

A DVD basket!

I have been looking for some cute storage bins for our media center because stacking the DVDs and hoping they don't start a domino effect just doesn't work well for me:)  I happened into The Container Store and found these awesome wooden woven baskets in such fun colors for only $5.00 each.  Of course I chose green and grabbed four.

It was challenging finding a bin that would work because our media cabinet is really a buffet and standard media bins were too long to fit inside the cabinets.  These were the perfect size!

before

after

We can fit about 18 dvd's in each bin and we have room to grow.  I would like to purchase four more for the other side to store kid movies, xbox games, and accessories, etc.

one year

This week we celebrated one year of being in our house.  It's amazing to look back and see what all we have done to make it our own.  Painting the walls, staining the banister, painting the kitchen cabinets, updating hardware and doorknobs, putting in bookshelves, planting a peach tree, hanging a hammock, growing some flowers, organizing some spaces, and collecting furniture...we have been BUSY and loving every minute of it!!!

We are so thankful for the blessing of owning a home and already have so many memories here. To the next year! 

Joe had some fun on Google Earth at work one day and made this for me:)  It all the places we have lived together, Seattle, Jacksonville, and San Antonio.

matchy matchy

Before

Joe and I had some left over gel stain from our kitchen island staining project so we decided, let's stain the banister too!  Our banister is beautiful but it suddenly became the mismatched piece in our house once we added a dark media cabinet, dark kitchen table and a dark island.  Staining it would really help make the house more cohesive and you know I love to match:)

Gel stain is supposed to be painted on, let set, and then rubbed off but since part of our island was laminate, it wouldn't absorb enough to rub off.  We ended up just letting it dry (if you don't wipe off, it takes longer to dry) and it totally looks great!  I was afraid of it looking like we just painted it brown but the wood grain really shows through.

We decided not to add a polyurethane coating to the banister because we like the flat look and thought the glossy finish would be too formal.

The hardest part was getting the underside of the banister and taking time around all the white spindles, but as you can see, I made myself comfortable.  Here's how it turned out....

gettin' jiggy with it

very focused on our project

With a JIG saw that is:)  I purchased this lovely buffet to use as our media stand several months ago  because I loved how much storage space it provided! 3 drawers, 3 cabinets, 6 shelves, and tons of space to top it off. 


 When it came time to mover her in, we ran into an issue with power cords.  Since this piece is not originally intended for media storage, there were no holes in the back to allow for plug ins.  So Joe got out his nifty jig saw, created a template, traced, and sawed. (Make sure the opening is large enough so that the cords don't get damaged or overheated in a small space)


Once we cleaned up the saw dust, which goes so nicely with dark furniture, we untangled a giant mess of cords and threaded them through to the right units. To keep the cords tidy in the back, I used a green cord wrap from The Container Store to hold them all together. Now we can dedicate the surface to sentimental things and even have room to grow in the cabinets below.

after

Copyright 2012 Get It Together Professional Organizing

march=living room

BHG

I feel like this year is just flying by already!  Here we are in March and saying goodbye to our first quarter of 2012.  Save some of your precious time by participating in this month by month plan to getting your home organized.

We are dedicating March to our living rooms aka family rooms, aka great rooms.  Whatever you call it, it's important that this room is functional for everyone to use.  The family room has a big role to play...relaxing space, entertaining area, meeting room, guest room etc. so make sure you utilize every nook and cranny by adding storage.

Lilly Pullitzer

Purchase storage ottomans or coffee tables for extra hidden space.  Poufs and small ottomans are great for extra seating when company is over, but when you're not using them, tuck them under your side table or shoot, place a tray on top and it becomes your side table.  Nesting tables are a great way to add surface area when, and only when, you need it.  

Z Gallery

If you have a young family, assign a decorative bin to each member of the household.  Small bins provide great storage for small toys and activities and help you keep the high traffic area neat and tidy.  When a space is picked up, it feels more relaxing and less cramped.

iHome

Cut back on your collections.  Take some time and inventory your movies, music, books, and games.  If you rarely use them or find any multiples, think about donating or selling.  If you have a collection of CD's, take the time to add them all to your iTunes account.  

Try these tips and make more room for living in your living room.

Copyright 2012 Get It Together Professional Organizing

game on

BEFORE

BEFORE

AFTER

This game room entertainment center seems overwhelming at first, but it only took a few hours to accomplish.  While we sorted through all the contents, we found missing game pieces, spare cards, and cords that we were able to return to their original home.  If a game has too many missing pieces, you may want to consider tossing it or use it's materials to complete a game you play more often.  When storing board games, I get irritated because not all of the boxes are the same dimensions and don't stack neatly. To avoid those untidy stacks, I suggest keeping the majority of your games in a cabinet or closet and displaying only your favorites on a shelf.  You may feel like you need to weed out some of your games because you rarely play, but if they are in good condition, hold onto them and be prepared for that game night that rolls around every so often.

One of the major obstacles we faced was detangling all the tv/vcr/dvd/wii/playstation/xbox/stereo cords.  Luckily, there was an outlet located in one of the cabinets and we were able to feed all the cords through a drilled hole and plug them into a hidden power strip.  When dealing with messy cords, there are a few ways to tackle them.  1. You can purchase color coded ties that label each cord and help you distinguish which wire belongs to which appliance. 2.  You can purchase a cord keeper which is a long tube designed to keep all cords together but hides them at the same time.  The cord keeper is available in white and black to blend into any home. 3. If you want to keep it simple, just attach a hair clip around your cord group and you are set.  For game accessories, such as controllers, pick out a decorative basket and keep it next to the TV so everything is easy to get to when extra players are added.

The hardest thing about organizing a space is purging belongings that have sentimental value. In this project we collected sports memorabilia like old sports balls, pieces of uniforms, and signs that carried so much meaning to the client and her kids.  Instead of tossing everything that isn't currently used, we selected the most meaningful items and displayed them as decoration on the shelves in the game room.  They add so much character to the space and allow the family to relive those memories every time they walk into the room.

Copyright 2011 Get It Together Professional Organizing