It is times like this I am thankful for a work horse of a washing machine!! Mine has been working on OT since my husband has the flu and I am two weeks away from my due date with baby #2. Trying to get all the germs out, baby clothes washed up, winter blankets ready and all the flannel bedding nice and soft.
I must say I am not a huge fan of doing laundry, I think its because it is a NON stop job. And with a 3 year old boy I think he generates the most. It amazes me how someone so small can create so many dirty pieces of clothing!
I do love All Free & Clear HE and the Bounce Drier Bar. Both make our clothes smell yummy and I like the non thinking part needed with the Bounce Drier Bar!! Stick it & forget it!
Well today I took down all of my Halloween stuff, I mean it is officially over right! I have to admit as much as I adore fall I was happy to see it boxed up and everything dusted and back to minimal!
I am getting eager for Christmas and since this is our first Christmas in our new home I am even more excited about how I will be able to transform our space into a small Winter Wonderland. I am going to go with all whites, creams and touches of silver and brown. I want to use a lot of burlap and natural elements with little to no real color. The kids' room will have their own trees with color on them but none for the downstairs shared living spaces!!! This coming weekend is the start of many holiday bazaars in my area and I could not be more excited!! Nothing beats hot cider, free gift wrapping, and fun unique Christmas finds!!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Helpful tip of the day
My sister-in-law told me I had to share this tip with all of you!!
3M Picture Hanging Strips. They make hanging any photo easy without the fear of nail holes! If a photo is not where you want it then you can easily reposition without having to put in another nail. No patching later. For a gal that lives with a man deadly afraid of wall decor these are an awesome invention!!
Coupon for you to try them out:
Please let me know how they work for you! http://www.command.com/3MContentRetrievalAPI/BlobServlet?locale=en_WW&lmdassetId=1273659903634&assetType=MMM_Image&blobAttribute=ImageFile
3M Picture Hanging Strips. They make hanging any photo easy without the fear of nail holes! If a photo is not where you want it then you can easily reposition without having to put in another nail. No patching later. For a gal that lives with a man deadly afraid of wall decor these are an awesome invention!!
Coupon for you to try them out:
Please let me know how they work for you! http://www.command.com/3MContentRetrievalAPI/BlobServlet?locale=en_WW&lmdassetId=1273659903634&assetType=MMM_Image&blobAttribute=ImageFile
Monday, October 25, 2010
Kitchen Details
Here are the nuts and bolts of my kitchen! It is by far and away my favorite room in my home. It is large, lived in, and really family friendly.
When building a new home or renovating an exsisting kitchen, the budget gets eaten up quickly. The finishes no matter what you choose are costly. But it is also the room that gets the most wear & tear so plan accordingly.
Cabinets:
Armstrong Soft Close Maple in painted Vanilla and Espresso Stain
I love the idea of two toned cabinets. It gives the kitchen more interest and depth.
Countertops:
HanStone Quartz in Ruscello Aspen,
I love the look of Marble but that was three times the cost and this really gave me the look for alot less dough!
Cabinet Hardware:
Lowes Satin Nickel Knobs
Dirt cheap and easy to find!
Rejuvenation.com bin pulls in satin nickel
I loved the timelessness of bin pulls but the modern look of the squared edges.
Flooring:
Armstrong Laminate in Homestead Plank Prairie Brown
Not my first choice...remember my husband wanted Espresso floors I did not!
Appliances:
Frigidaire Professional Series in Stainless Steel
These were a day after Thanksgiving sale item find!!
I absolutely love my gas range with convection oven but I am not a huge fan of my fridge, but I am surviving!
When building a new home or renovating an exsisting kitchen, the budget gets eaten up quickly. The finishes no matter what you choose are costly. But it is also the room that gets the most wear & tear so plan accordingly.
Cabinets:
Armstrong Soft Close Maple in painted Vanilla and Espresso Stain
I love the idea of two toned cabinets. It gives the kitchen more interest and depth.
Countertops:
HanStone Quartz in Ruscello Aspen,
I love the look of Marble but that was three times the cost and this really gave me the look for alot less dough!
Cabinet Hardware:
Lowes Satin Nickel Knobs
Dirt cheap and easy to find!
Rejuvenation.com bin pulls in satin nickel
I loved the timelessness of bin pulls but the modern look of the squared edges.
Flooring:
Armstrong Laminate in Homestead Plank Prairie Brown
Not my first choice...remember my husband wanted Espresso floors I did not!
Appliances:
Frigidaire Professional Series in Stainless Steel
These were a day after Thanksgiving sale item find!!
I absolutely love my gas range with convection oven but I am not a huge fan of my fridge, but I am surviving!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Contact Us
Contact us today if you need help organizing, de-cluttering, accessorizing or decorating. We would love to help!
simplystructuredspaces@gmail.com
563-299-7531
simplystructuredspaces@gmail.com
563-299-7531
Pictures
My home was done on a budget, a tight one in fact. My husband is very frugal, almost to a fault at times but I gotta love the man who can build a home for his family with his own two hands.
I love Pottery Barn. Plain and simple. I have a love affair with their website and their catalog and heck even PB Kids. It's probably a borderline sickness. I rarely, if ever buy anything from them. See they are just way out of my reach. I want a home that looks like a Pottery Barn designer came in and took charge but I had to accomplish that on a tight budget.
My entertainment center was a JC Penney clearance item, score! My living room rug was a house warming gift from my mother, another woo hoo. The ottoman in the living room was purchased from my sister-in-law and recovered in faux caramel leather and my zebra chair was an overstock.com find!
I believe you can have the home you really want with a few simple tricks.
1. De-clutter.... get rid of the magazines, the stacks of newspapers, the shoes sitting around. Buy baskets, boxes, ottomans with storage or even better DEEP CLEAN and donate to Goodwill, your taxes will thank you!
2. Shop within your home. Take something from one room and move it into another. It will feel new to you and you will not have spent a dime!
3. Have a focal piece in each room and make it something you truly love. In my dining room for example, my husband built our table for me for our first Christmas together. I dearly love it and it is an awesome conversation piece. In fact, I built my home around that table.
4. Don't over personalize. This can be a tough one for a lot of people, but do you really need 10 wedding pictures of you and your husband on your walls, or something Grandma Millie gave you 5 years ago for Christmas?? I don't think so. Live in the here and now. Keep your most priced possessions and pictures out but try to limit them to personal spaces such as bedrooms.
I love Pottery Barn. Plain and simple. I have a love affair with their website and their catalog and heck even PB Kids. It's probably a borderline sickness. I rarely, if ever buy anything from them. See they are just way out of my reach. I want a home that looks like a Pottery Barn designer came in and took charge but I had to accomplish that on a tight budget.
My entertainment center was a JC Penney clearance item, score! My living room rug was a house warming gift from my mother, another woo hoo. The ottoman in the living room was purchased from my sister-in-law and recovered in faux caramel leather and my zebra chair was an overstock.com find!
I believe you can have the home you really want with a few simple tricks.
1. De-clutter.... get rid of the magazines, the stacks of newspapers, the shoes sitting around. Buy baskets, boxes, ottomans with storage or even better DEEP CLEAN and donate to Goodwill, your taxes will thank you!
2. Shop within your home. Take something from one room and move it into another. It will feel new to you and you will not have spent a dime!
3. Have a focal piece in each room and make it something you truly love. In my dining room for example, my husband built our table for me for our first Christmas together. I dearly love it and it is an awesome conversation piece. In fact, I built my home around that table.
4. Don't over personalize. This can be a tough one for a lot of people, but do you really need 10 wedding pictures of you and your husband on your walls, or something Grandma Millie gave you 5 years ago for Christmas?? I don't think so. Live in the here and now. Keep your most priced possessions and pictures out but try to limit them to personal spaces such as bedrooms.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
My home...it's a work in progress
My home is a work in progress. My husband and I started dreaming and planning our new home several years ago. We were huge parade home tour junkies and would spend the majority of our vacations in Florida with my mom looking at new homes. It was cheap entertainment if not free! Perfect for us. After visiting 100's of homes we new what we would want out of ours someday. An open floor plan, a large lived in kitchen, an entry way that guests actually used (no entering through the garage for this gals pals!), calming beach house colors and accents. Overall we wanted a home that resembled us as a family. Casual, inviting.
We started building our home in rural Iowa last fall. We had great weather and everything seemed to fall into place so we thought why not start now. Interest rates were low, building material supplies were down and the contractor we wanted was available. We started labor day weekend 2009. My husband, in-laws, parents and extended family were all our "crew!" It really went off without too many major obstacles and we were able to move in February 2010.
A lot of couples say their marriage could never survive building a home but we actually had a lot of fun with it. We both like the same style in a home and we both knew we would have to compromise (my husband wanted laminate counter tops, I did not. I wanted light driftwood colored floors, he wanted espresso!) He won one, I won the other!
I hope you will enjoy reading my blog and hearing the story of how my dream home came to life! Check back for more!
We started building our home in rural Iowa last fall. We had great weather and everything seemed to fall into place so we thought why not start now. Interest rates were low, building material supplies were down and the contractor we wanted was available. We started labor day weekend 2009. My husband, in-laws, parents and extended family were all our "crew!" It really went off without too many major obstacles and we were able to move in February 2010.
A lot of couples say their marriage could never survive building a home but we actually had a lot of fun with it. We both like the same style in a home and we both knew we would have to compromise (my husband wanted laminate counter tops, I did not. I wanted light driftwood colored floors, he wanted espresso!) He won one, I won the other!
I hope you will enjoy reading my blog and hearing the story of how my dream home came to life! Check back for more!
How to keep your family room clutter free
Keep Flat Surfaces Clutter-free
Papers, books, brochures and magazines tend to accumulate on flat surfaces all around the house, and the family room is no different. "You need a household information center, and the family room may be where that happens," says Julie Morgenstern, author of Organizing from the Inside Out. In fact, the family room is often more cluttered because it's a central gathering place in the house. A two drawer lateral file is Morgenstern's ideal recommendation — on average she says that's really how much paper it takes to run a home. If you don't have the floor space, a stackable file cart will do.
Make a quick sweep of all flat surfaces by piling papers in a bin, then sorting and purging as necessary. Take a vow, and get your family to follow it, to put papers in files rather than on the coffee table
http://www.hgtv.com/organizing/quick-tips-for-organizing-living-rooms/index.html
Papers, books, brochures and magazines tend to accumulate on flat surfaces all around the house, and the family room is no different. "You need a household information center, and the family room may be where that happens," says Julie Morgenstern, author of Organizing from the Inside Out. In fact, the family room is often more cluttered because it's a central gathering place in the house. A two drawer lateral file is Morgenstern's ideal recommendation — on average she says that's really how much paper it takes to run a home. If you don't have the floor space, a stackable file cart will do.
Make a quick sweep of all flat surfaces by piling papers in a bin, then sorting and purging as necessary. Take a vow, and get your family to follow it, to put papers in files rather than on the coffee table
http://www.hgtv.com/organizing/quick-tips-for-organizing-living-rooms/index.html
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