I am very excited to start an organizing challenge with all of you! Personally I just went through the steps to get to an Organized Well Nested Home. After completing all of our organizing and decluttering I thought I really could have used a check list! Or someone holding me accountable. Kevin was actually helpful when I would tell him that I need to work on the basement, he would say "just go do it! I kept talking about it and saying how overwhelming it was. So he would go to the basement with me and work. Most of it I could only sort through. But enlisting a partner, kids, a friend, parent ... Read More
Search Results for: small space living
Friday Favorites starts with a Trip to Target
I stopped into Target the other day to quickly see the new Opalhouse line that everyone was talking about. I really am aware and don't want my blog to be about buying more or getting more. If you are not in the position or don't have the need for new home decor items, I think there is still value in seeing what is new. My hope is that you might look at what you already have and think of how to display it differently or it will give you fresh set of eyes for your home. Spring is all about a refresh, growth and excitement! I am personally inspired just walking around my favorite shops and seeing ... Read More
Behind the Scenes of our HGTV Magazine Photo Shoot
I got an email from a magazine scout. She wanted to know if she could submit our home to a magazine. I said sure, doesn't hurt to try. I have to admit I was a little excited and hopeful. About a month later I got an email saying they were going to pass on our home. It wasn't a right fit. I was a little bummed out. Fast forward to a couple months later and another magazine scout emailed me. She wanted to know if she could submit our home for a Christmas issue featuring kitchens. I said sure go ahead, but told her it was already turned down by that same magazine she wanted to send it ... Read More
What I Value in a Home, and it isn’t Square Footage
I got this question the other day, "You've always talked about valuing a small home. Why did you decide to get a large home?" I thought I would answer it in a blog post, because it was a great question that some might be wondering too. And answer the question "how many square feet is your new home." I do value small homes. I value ALL homes. What I value most is loving the home you have no matter what it is. We are drawn to older homes that need love, a home we can make better than before. When I started this blog we happened to live in a small 1950's home. So I shared all about that ... Read More
Upstairs Family Room Update
There are no accidents. When we began our home renovations last fall, we discovered an original brick chimney that extended from our kitchen to the upstairs family room. It had to come down to make room for our banquette plans and therefore left a gaping hole in our upstairs family room. You can see the chimney in the photo below, covered in removable brick wallpaper... If you missed it, we decided to add the brick from our old chimney to a wall in our kitchen. It was meant to be and I love the brick wall! It didn't really solve the hole in the family room, though. We had a couple options ... Read More
Friday Favorites- Update on our Remodel and our Magazine!!!
How are you doing? We are staying at an extended stay, a short walk from our home. Our contractor is still working, so we decided to move out so they could come in and work without us being there. Paint, do the trim, refinish our floors (the floors take like 3-4 days) and a bunch of other things! We have actually been out of our house for 9 days and it looks like it will end up being 16 days, hopefully in by next weekend. The place we are staying has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, living room, mini kitchen and table. Not bad. But not Bahamas like where we were supposed to be for Spring ... Read More
What It’s Like to Be in a Magazine-Top Ten Questions ANSWERED
It was so exciting to be contacted by Better Homes and Gardens to be featured in their small space decorating magazine!! I shared some of the behind the scenes process in my stories the day the crew was here, but I had so many questions from you all, that I thought it deserved a whole blog post. Questions ranged from- Do you get paid to have your home featured? How did the magazine find you? How can YOU get featured?? I am here to answer all those questions for you. I even reached out to one of the best stylists, who was also my advocate and got me in my first magazine! Heather ... Read More
Complete Before and After’s- 1100 sq ft Cape- Floor Plan and Future
We have lived in this small cape in Connecticut for a little over 4 years. And what a blessing it has been. We went from 3500 square feet to 1100 square feet. I honestly didn't even think twice about losing the space. I was just excited to have a charming older home. I always wanted one. Kevin actually flew to Connecticut and picked out this home. He did a good job. His favorite part was the yard! Mine was the built-in bookcases and that it was so close to downtown and the walking community. I LOVE that we can walk everywhere. The location was top on my priority list. I knew I could work with ... Read More
27 Inspiring Kitchen Makeovers- Before and After
For those who have been following since the beginning, you know that one of the first major projects we undertook after moving into our 1100 square foot cape in Connecticut was to make over our kitchen. We wanted it to be functional for my family and fun. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! The kitchen is the heart of the home, where we create some of the most meaningful and lasting memories. Whether it is cooking together, sharing a meal, or doing art projects and homework, the kitchen seems to be the common backdrop. Kitchen makeovers do not need to be major to ... Read More
Organizing Challenge and Printable- Organizing By Numbers
I got asked the question from our last organizing challenge, "How many of this do you have?" From cups to clothes. It really is a very interesting topic to discuss. Don't you think? I thought this entire question could be our Organizing Challenge. Because really it comes down to the big secret to organizing...OWN LESS! If you own less it is easier to organize your items. I read a quote somewhere that said the best way to organize your stuff is to get rid of most of it. Seems extreme but really the less we own the less we have to do! Anyone else notice that? My mother-in-law lives ... Read More