A Peak At A Few Of My Projects!

Even I love to see my before and after photos! I truly love doing this! I hope you enjoy too! 

Busy Family Mudroom Before....

Family of 5 Coat and Backpack Hooks Before...

Family Command Center Before...

Hooks After installation of a little bead board and hooks!  A place for keys, now, too! And, of course, a fresh coat of paint in a soft, inviting color!

New "Family Command Center" where mom color codes the kid's activities and has plenty of room for artwork, invites and a cubby for each child's papers!

Unfinished Room In Basement Before...

This mom wanted an "Art Room" where her boys could paint, create and play...Before, it was a room in the basement that was used to stash things out of sight in a hurry..We purged, sorted and containerized. And then,

Isn't this great? We had the walls, unfinished ceiling and floors painted! 

Ready for Lots of Fun!

Unfinished Basement Storage Area

This client , again, is a busy mom of 3 and seems to be a bit of a decorator/crafter! She just needed to some help to get down there, focus, purge and containerize!

There was lots of space, we just got things off of the floor and placed on additional shelving! Now she can see all that she has!

Check out these GREAT labels, and clear bins! I love clear because you can see what you have!

Now when she needs supplies for entertaining, she has it all in one place!

For her holiday decorations, we just purged and added bins..Then stacked neatly! Her husband, that takes it all up when she asks (how sweet), can see clearly what he needs to get!

Close up of the labels! Love these!

And Lastly, A Pantry Re~Do

Before, not too bad...but stuff on the floor makes me crazy, and nothing really had "a place"!

After, with the addition of a few baskets, can organizers, buckets and chalkboard labels, everything has a home!


With that, I am going to go and snuggle with my family! Happy Thanksgiving all! 

I am Hooked on Hooks!

Can one really have too many? There are uses in every room (and outdoor living space for that matter) in your home..I have them by the doors for keys and flashlights, in a hallway for purses, backpacks and leashes, in the bathroom for towels, closet for belts and jewelry......I could go on and on! You get the point though..they can hold anything that needs to be readily accessible and they keep your drawers, countertops and floors free from clutter! They can also serve as great decor!


Here are some of my favorite photos showing off their hooks!! I find lots of these photos on pinterest. Follow me on pinterest here, and you can see where these come from! The best thing about using hooks is that you can find fun, attractive hooks these days without breaking the bank..I buy lots of mine at Hobby Lobby (1/2 price of course), World Market and some at antique malls! 

I love this! I have started my on "fav" hook collection to do this in my long hallway!

This is the beginning of my own collection for my "hallway of hooks"! Will post when up!  Going for the very random look, so I just pick one up when I happen upon something that I love!

Love the randomness!

Chevron design stenciled on..an easy DIY idea!

What a great idea here! Lace stencil on the wall with hooks for jewelry! 

And who said getting and staying organized is not fun? Certainly not me!

Do I  have YOU hooked?

A Source of Clutter For Me, How About You?

Yep! Just returned from The Bahamas! Man, was it amazing! God wasn't messing around when he created The Carribean Islands! We had quite possibly our best family vacation to date. This was the view from our hotel room!

While there I had a "realization of sorts". And here's how it went:

A statement from my 9 (almost 10) year old summed it up. "Mommy, I love it that you and daddy have your phones turned off!" You see, it was very costly to have my iphone (love my iphone,btw) on in The Bahamas, so I turned it off in Hartsfield Jackson and did not turn it back on until we were back in Atlanta heading up 85. Can I tell you, it was quite hard the first 24 hours? It alarmed me at how odd it felt not having it at my fingertips. I would consider myself a mom that is pretty "checked in" when it comes to my girls and my husband. But the realization of just how much time I spend with my phone in my hand, either talking with someone, on the internet, or on a handy "app" is making me want to take a look at what it must look and feel like to my kids, my husband and those around me. I am not suggesting that we all toss out phones out the window (some have to make a living on them, as my husband does)...but I would suggest that we take an honest look at how much time it is taking from family and "cluttering" up our lives. By the way, I LOVE my Iphone...but here are a few things that I am doing to unclutter in this area:

I have taken the facebook app off of my phone..hard for some of you that spend lots of time here, but this was a major time waster for me personally...now if I have a few minutes and want to take a look at facebook, I must intentionally sit and do so...but for the most part, if I really need to know what is going on in a "friend's life", I should know without help from FB...just sayin'! Had another friend suggest this to me! Thanks S!

UNSUBSCRIBING and cleaning up my inbox: It literally takes 30 seconds to unsubscribe to unwanted emails. I do a lot of my shopping online and so my email gets into everyone's systems. I unsubscribe to as many as I can..I know it only takes a second to delete emails, but having your inbox cluttered up can be stressful whether you realize it or not. Take a few minutes, look at your inbox and get real with yourself. "Unsubscribe" to any emails that you regularly delete without reading. I get a few blogs that I love to read, one being Milk and Honey Home, by my favorite decorator and a good friend. If I don't have time to read it, I store it in an email file that I have titled "Things To Read".

Leave Phone In Car or turn it off: No one will DIE if they cannot reach me while I am at the gym, in the grocery store or getting dressed. You get the point. Yes, I know, schools can call, there could be a family emergency...but let's face it, we all survived long before cell phones. This can be more challenging, again, for those that rely on their phones to help them make a living, but maybe to just set a few "no phone" rules would be freeing for you. My husband has certain times of the day that his gets turned off, and I can't tell you how much we appreciate this! One of my new rules is no personal calls while I am in the car with my girls..unless absolutely necessary..2 reasons for this: Precious time talking (or singing) with them is wasted, and it is setting a "norm" for them in their heads..."mom does it, so when I can drive, I can do it too!" OUCH!!!..and have you ever been at the checkout line in a store on the phone? How must that look to the person helping you...another new no no for me...I'm just saying I am going to try..call me old fashioned....I call in plain consideration.

Ok, so for those of you that love the hard core organzing posts, I will get to one soon, but remember that A "Life~Uncluttered" is accomplished by uncluttering in many ways..not just closets and pantries!

Please leave comments if there are steps that you have taken in this area..would love to hear from you!

Laundry Love!

Hello all! Been a few days since I've posted..getting ready for some R&R is hard work (yep, headed for somewhere tropical in a matter of days..Thank you, Jesus!).....So Last week I worked with a wonderful client on her unfinished basement area. She is a mommy of 2 little ones and another on the way any day now! What a pleasure she was to work with. After our initial consult, I sent her a "to do and buy list" before our work day and she had it all bought and ready when I arrived! Talk about motivation! We worked diligently with the help of her mother and MIL (WOW!!!) for just 3 hours and had it looking ship shape! She is a creative type and has worked on her own to finish the project! Will post photos soon!

This leads me to my post tonight...As I am leaving her gorgeous home, I happened to walk by her laundry/mudroom...As for most of us, it is somewhat a "catch all" room. (ie general dumping ground, family planning center, animal area, arts and craft storage, space for entertaining essentials). One can see that this could easily be a problem area when it comes to organization! While this is true, it IS possible to get a handle on this tricky space! Keep in mind that it should not be overlooked in style and "pretty" level! After all, we tend to spend a lot of time here..even if we don't "stay" in the room for extended periods of time, if you are like me, I might walk in or by there at least 15 times a day! Here are a few tips to lessen your "I don't want to go in or by there" thoughts!

Ahhh...we could all handle one like this, huh? Love the curtains on a tension rod to conceal!

~Choose a serene color and paint those walls! Make it a color you love, but one that calms you!

~Conceal ugly items, either in cabinets, baskets or containers...and as always, pretty ones!

~Utilize all areas that you can! No space wasted, but don't overcrowd! (This is where I come in handy)

~If you have front loaders, have a shelf built over them for a large work area..I plan on calling Mr. Phil in for this very soon! (I know a great guy that does GREAT work)

~Make sure there is good lighting. If no window, and budget allows, put in a pretty overhead light. In my new house, there is currently a fluorescent..that bad boy is coming down as soon as possible to be replaced by a light that makes me smile!

~If your laundry room serves several purposes, do your best to designate spaces for each.

~Use family photos or art on the walls as you would in any other room.

Here are just a few more photos to inspire you! All compliments of "Southern Living". 

Even a small space can be simplified!

Window treatments, counter top and baskets!

Love the color and the "built in" look!
Think this is the design I'm going for in my own...If you are reading, Phil, here it is:)

Good night all! I don't know about you, but i am ready to get mine completed..Note to self..call Mr. Phil!