The "To do" LIST for 2011

Hello...

I have been thinking a lot lately about what I would like to accomplish this year. However, I have been getting busier with my work commitments and haven't had as much time to dedicate to "the list." Even though the list is all in my head, I HAVE to put it down on screen or paper in order to have it stare me in the face. So here goes:

THE HOME: There are several projects I would like to accomplish here which include:

1. Painting my kitchen with a fresh coat of paint, a little lighter than what I have now.
2. Painting my family room with a fresh coat of paint and changing the window treatments.
3. Painting the guest bath/laundry room.
4. Installing some built-ins for storage in our finished walk-up attic and replacing the light fixtures.
5. Finishing my master bedroom refresh. I had shared some inspiring ideas in an earlier post.
6. Finishing my office. I still need to finish the chair I am adding to the room and sew a pillow for it.
7. I organized my basement storage area after putting back all the Christmas stuff, and I separated out some things that I want to donate, sell, throw out, etc...I need to address all those things and get them out of my storage area asap because they are taking up valuable space.

WORK:

1. I need to build on my skills and work towards the sales goals I have set for myself.
2. I want to find a way to incorporate my career with more of my interests so I can have that balance that I need and want.  (Real Estate and Blogging together...who knows?)
3. I need to find more hours in the day to do all of these thing....who am I kidding?

FAMILY

1. I would like to find more things that we could do together as a family.
2. Plan our vacation.
3. Take it easy and have fun. No pressure!

So, in a nutshell, those are the three things that matter the most to me....in backwards order though...Family first, then work, then the house.
I hope that I can tackle all of these things and then some. I think that this is a good jumping off point for me. I know that when I look at this list a year from now, I probably will have accomplished more, but I always want to start with a modest number. Sometimes when we set the bar too high, and don't reach it, it discourages us. I would rather accomplish all the things on the list and then some, instead of trying to do too much and not even attaining half. But that's just me.

Talk soon!

Gina

Snow Day!

Well...here on the east coast we are gearing up for a Nor'easter...heavy snow, blizzard conditions....etc...blah..blah..blah..
The only good thing is that I will be forced to stay inside and tackle some much needed projects that have been on the back burner for a while. The only problem is that schools have already been canceled and the kiddos will be crawling the walls, which means I may not get as much done as I would like. The challenge will be to do everything in my power to keep them occupied with projects of their own long enough so that I can accomplish something...we'll see what actually happens. 
Although, I wouldn't mind just curling up on the couch, watching some movies and doing nothing while the snow falls outside...not likely going to happen with three children around, but a girl can dream can't she? 
I know that it won't be snowing everywhere in the country...but we'll be having a snow day here, so I'm wishing you all a happy snow day anyway...where ever you may live!


Gina

Before and Afters

Hello! I've started the new year off and running with a few projects around the house. In addition to doing my "winter" cleaning...weeding out closets and toys from the house and organizing some areas that needed an overhaul...I've found some time to do a few decorative projects. 
First of all, my kitchen dining chairs got a face lift. My set came with a basic ivory fabric when I bought them. I know that it sounds a little cheesy, but up until a year ago, I had the chairs covered in a clear vinyl covering that I picked up at Wal-mart. I merely stapled the vinyl to the seats to protect them from my children.  But of course that wasn't really the ideal look I was going for and eventually I just wanted them to look like regular chairs and not something that crinkled every time you sat in them. So, I removed the vinyl and after living with my three children, my chairs went from ivory to DIRTY!

Chair Before

Chair Before...just plain Dirty!

 And AFTER....I LOVE the suede microfiber that I found at the fabric store! The best part was that this was on the clearance section and I paid only $14.00!!! Can you believe it? I covered six chairs and even tackled the piping, which at first I was completely scared to do. I scotch guarded my fabric first, then measured and cut each piece and stapled it right over the old fabric. 
Now that I sprayed them with the scotch guard (which by the way is a FANTASTIC product), anything that spills on them beads right off, and I can wipe them cleam with a sponge! And of course, we've already had some spills from the kids, and they have wiped clean not leaving anything behind!

 I really love my chairs and it feels good to have tackled a project that I have seen done a lot and hadn't actually gotten a chance to try up until now.
My next project was covering a lampshade for my craft room. I've had this lamp for a while, I like the clean lines and the simple drum shape of the shade. 

 Very simply, I found a great fabric to complement my room. The room is red with black and white accents. I cut my fabric to the diameter of the shade and glued it using fabric glue. I added some trim around the top and bottom and it was done. It only took about 15 minutes to get this look....probably one of the fastest projects I've accomplished that had the greatest impact. What a difference!

I'm in love! I have left over fabric and I'd love to use this black and white print somewhere else in the room. I'm in the midst of refinishing a chair that will go in the room and in thinking that it'll need a pillow...we'll see where my creative juices take me! I'll share once the room is complete!

Gina

Dreaming of adding a splash of color!

So now that the holidays are over I've been starting to tackle some projects around here. It seems as though the list just keeps getting longer. I know that you can all relate to that. Today I did some furniture rearranging. I do that often. I like change and I like to try different pieces in different rooms to try and maximize the functionality and an overall aesthetic of my rooms. I have a few project in the works that I hope to share soon. 

For now I wanted to share my new inspiration for the master bedroom. I have dark espresso furniture, light gray walls, dark charcoal drapes and currently a white duvet on my bed. I was hoping to infuse a little splash of color with some yellow accents. 

I got some great inspiration from the following photos.

S

 I love the pattern on these chairs...I definitely want to us a graphic pattern somewhere in the room.

 I love how the above photos have such dramatic pieces. What a great tufted sofa. I have a four poster bed also, and I can totally picture myself curled up in bed at night with a canopy of box-pleated fabric behind me. It seems like a huge undertaking, but the more I see it, the more I like it...who knows...we'll see what I decide to do. I love the look though!

Well...I have lots of decisions to make...and more inspirations to gather! 
Are you planning a change in any of the rooms in your home?

I'll keep you posted on my progress. See you soon!

Gina