Design Inspiration

While in Long Beach for the IIN Mega Conference, I stayed at the Renaissance Long Beach Hotel - it was great! I would totally stay there again if I am ever in the area. I just loved the vibe of the hotel. The furnishings were great and if I could, I would love to do some of the same design ideas in our house...

I need to figure out how to make this chair...

Inexpensive Art Work

When I re-did Arabella's playroom, I was looking for something fun and inexpensive to put on the blank wall. And I found the perfect "art" one day while at a craft store. They had large sheets of wrapping paper that you were able to buy by the sheet. I picked out 3 that matched as far as colors and themes and then picked up frames at Ikea that matched the furniture in the playroom. I then cut the paper to size, popped it into the frame and Viola - wall art! And since it came out so well, I actually did something similar for my office which I am in the process of re-doing. The theme is black, white and pink with a little bit of Paris thrown in and I was lucky enough to find the same paper with a map of Paris and then a full size Eiffel Town on it.

So I picked up more frames at Ikea and this is how it came out...I LOVE IT!

The Organization Continues

Behind these doors...

Was this mess....

And you might look at these pictures and the ones that I posted of Arabella's playroom yesterday and think that I am the must disorganized and messy person around. Or that my house is one big mess. But really, I am a super organized person, some might think that I am anal about organization. I think that my anal organization skills are a product of my work history. I had to be organized when I was working as a litigation paralegal - I would have at least 100 case files (sometimes more) in my office at any one time, and I would have to be able to find something at the drop of a hat. Throw in a few very active trial files and the insurance arbitration's that I worked on as well as the World Trade Center litigation and I had no choice. But I wouldn't have changed my job for anything. At my most recent job, this litigation experience helped when I was working on insurance product filings. I had filings that I had to make for 2 company's in all 50 states plus Puerto Rico. That is 102 files and again, I would need to find things at the drop of a hat or on the whim of the random Insurance Department who would call if they had questions or needed clarification on the filings. You would think that all this previous organization would carry over into my life now. And since I love how I feel when things are neat and in their place. I try and live by the mantra: "A place for everything and everything in its place"....but we all know that with a 2 1/2 year old, things get messy and instead of cleaning, I end up chasing her around and playing with her...which is a much better use of my time! However, sometimes things get out of hand and I need to spend some time getting things back in order. So yesterday, I worked on the above chaos. Arabella helped me empty out the arts & craft cabinet and I put Auntie Lori to work helping me sort buttons, pom poms and foam shapes by holiday/season/shape (see I told you I was anal...who, besides Martha Stewart, sorts and stores craft supplies like that???)
Auntie Lori sorting away.

Once everything was sorted and separated by type, I put everything in clear plastic storage containers so we can easily see the supplies. Now, when my budding artist wants to do a craft project, it will be easy to find what we need. I am so happy I/we took the time to do this yesterday. It looks so good, that I almost want to keep the cabinet doors open to admire the organization. Thanks Arabella and Auntie Lori for your help yesterday!

Taking Auntie to Ikea

In the midst of re-doing Arabella's playroom, I decided that we needed one more piece of the storage shelving that we purchased at Ikea. We had not thought about where we would put some books and some of her art supplies. So I decided that we needed to make a return trip to Ikea. And it was perfect since Auntie had never been before. Another bonus was that it was early in the week so it wouldn't be too busy, which is always a bonus when you go to Ikea. I don't know about you and if you have an Ikea near you, but if you go on the weekend, it is like suicide with how crazy and busy it gets. Sometimes you can't even find a parking space in the lot!
Arabella had fun showing Auntie all the furniture and they had fun trying things out. Arabella would run from "room to room" saying "Check this out, check this out", it was so cute. I was also surprised with how great she did in the store. We had to be there for at least 2 1/2 hours and we even had lunch in the restaurant. I was able to get the additional storage piece and shelving for her playroom, a few photo frames, a new floor lamp for my office (which is one of the next rooms that I am re-doing), a huge (and I mean huge) glass vase for the foyer. (This is one of things that I have been looking for forever and I love it!) For the most part, I love Ikea, sure there are things that I won't buy there and for basics like picture frames and storage and decorating items, it is great. Now, we couldn't buy a sofa or chair there since most of the furniture makes Jay look like a giant since the scale is so small, but otherwise it is nice having an Ikea just a few kilometers away. We had a great time and now Auntie Lori is hooked and will be making a trip to the Ikea in New Haven when she gets home.

Playroom Re-do

I have been putting off cleaning and organizing Arabella's playroom for way too long. It took me 2 days, off and on, to complete. It was a total mess and needed to be brought under control. I had not gone through her toys since we moved and so there were toys that were broken, missing pieces and things she had outgrown. This was what I was up against:


I took everything out and cleaned the room from top to bottom. We purchased a few storage units from Ikea and I put them together by myself...I actually did a pretty good job and it didn't take too long! I am so thrilled with how they look in the room and how they pull everything together. Arabella had fun checking out the new room design and I think that she likes the new bins. They make it easier to find things and she can now help more with cleaning up her toys and books. After a few days of hard work, I am happy this project is complete and that I can now check another item off the to-do list! Now if it will only stay this organized...

Arabella's Bedroom

I finally finished Arabella's bedroom. The last item was her curtains, and I must say, making curtains is harder than it looks. Good thing I still have the sewing machine that my grandparents gave me as an 8th grade graduation present. For my first time doing something like that I think they came out pretty good. Every now and then I drag it out to do a small project and I am surprised at what I can do. And the only reason that I made the curtains is because I have had a hard time finding curtains that match her bedding now that Pottery Barn has discontinued her bedding set! However, I am not sure that I will attempt curtains again! Despite the color on the walls, the curtains and everything else looks pretty good in her new room. There is plenty of room for her to read and play. Jay put up the book shelf that she had in her room in Ohio as well. She seems to be enjoying the larger room and has made herself right at home!

Spring Project

As I was wasting time on the internet this afternoon, when I really should have been organizing my closet, I came across this great idea!



I would love to make the framed chalkboard for Arabella's playroom! I just may be getting to "crafty" for my own good. But hey, I do need something to pass the time when my Little Bean is napping!