Home Tour- Guest Room

Guest Room Tour

My guest room has been a catchall since we moved into our house over two years ago and it's been driving me crazy. A few weekends ago I finally got around to taking everything out and painting the room. We filled in the hundred nail holes the previous owners left for us and applied a fresh coat of paint. It's amazing how much a new coat of paint can change a room. I wanted a white with hints of cool but not too bright. I went with Sherwin William's alabaster which I think turned out just like I wanted.
Once the walls were done, I only moved in what I wanted to keep in the room. I moved board games and books upstairs to the bookcase, got rid of junk, and organized what was left. Even though our guest room isn't technically a bedroom... it's supposed to be an office... I so happy to have a welcoming, neat space for our family and friends when they come and visit.

Mirror is from Homegoods. Lamps can be found here. 

Mirror, dresser, and fan are antiques.

I bought the side tables off Craigslist, gave them a fresh coat of paint, and some new hardware... Tada! I love how they turned out. 

I forgot to get a picture of the door with my camera so I took one on my phone but I wanted to show the doors. Even though you can't see through the curtains, I want to get some that are white and a thicker material. 

Before

After

I hope you enjoyed my guest room tour. I have more plans of things to add (like maybe a blue rug and some art) but I'm happy with it especially compared to where it was. What else do you think I need to add?

Also, today's my little sister's birthday. Happy Birthday, Melanie! No matter how old you get, I'll always be older and you'll never let me forget that. 😉

Organizing the Chaos in my Pantry

How I took my hot-mess pantry from this

  

to this

I finally got fed up with my pantry and decided I had to make a change. Every time I tried to find something all I could see were half-eaten boxes of chips and chaos, which would make me so frustrated I'd forget what I was looking for in the first place. 
I'm having to pack lunches everyday for both boys so I wanted a pantry with everything in its place and neat. I went to Pinterest to get ideas on what I wanted to do without having to make any major changes to the layout. (gotta love pinterest)

First off, I pulled everything out and threw away anything that was half-eaten, expired, or empty. I don't know why people feel the need to save a box of crackers with only 3 left inside. Why leave 3? Eat them or throw them away!!! Same goes with a handful of broken chips.... throw it out!
Second, I bought containers for dry goods, baskets and bins for boxes foods, a rack for the cans to go on, and lazy susans for bottles. 

Third, I labeled the containers and baskets. If a box had individually wrapped items inside, I took them out and recycled the boxes. My label printer can be found here.

I made one basket for pastas/starches in boxes, one for snacks (individual packaged crackers, chips, raisins, etc), one for crackers, one for breakfast items (muffins, grits, etc), and one for treats. I found these baskets on sale at Target. They have several color options and are very reasonable. You can find the ones I have here and here. 

I put applesauce pouches and granola bars into clear bins. The bins I used are for organizing refrigerator items and I got them at TJ Maxx for $3 each. The ones I have are very similar to these.

I put the dry goods (spaghetti, oats, sugars, flour, etc. into their labeled containers. I found these Felli Flip containers at TJ Maxx and Homegoods. They seal similar to the Oxo brand but were about a third cheaper. They're working out great so far. You can find them online here. 

I organized the cans onto a stepped shelf like this one. I put bottles of soy sauce, vinegar, honey, etc. on the lazy susans. I got these at Bed, Bath, & Beyond. You can find them here. 

I hung three Command hooks on the inside of the pantry to hang chip clips on. **Pinterest idea**

I wanted similar foods to be together and easy to find. Now when I'm packing lunches I can grab a snack chip and an applesauce without foraging through boxes plus it's so easy to see when items are getting low. It's made packing lunches and knowing what I need from the grocery store so easy.
Everyone in the house really enjoys the new pantry as it makes meal and snack time less stressful. I'm so glad I did this. It took me about a day and I spent around $100 and it was SOOO worth it.

Four Things on a Friday

Today I wanted to share a few things I've been enjoying and doing lately.

Fitness
With summer back, our local FIA group is back to having morning workouts three times a week at 5:45. This works out so well for me. I get my workouts done and over with before the day starts. It's great. With that, I've been hitting my goal of working out 3+ times a week. Woohoo!!!
What is FIA? It stands for Females in Action. It's a free, peer-led fitness group that focus on fitness, friendship, and community. If you're invested, look them up because there all over SC as well as several other states, so there's a good chance there's a group that meets near you.

Reading
I've also do some good summer reading. It can be difficult to find time to read but lately I've been able to sneak in some me-time and get some good reading accomplished. I've ranked the ones I read from best to least favorite, although none of them were awful.

1. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter- A young movie star ends up on a remote island in the 1960's with a secret.
Great read, especially if you're a fan of old movie actors.
2. Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple- When a young girl's mother mysteriously disappears, she does everything she can to track her down which includes uncovering her mysterious past.
Interesting characters and interesting plots twists.
3. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty- A letter is written that shouldn't be read and when it is it can never be unread. The wife and other's feel the repercussions of her husband's secret.
The multiple character points of view took me a minute to get used to but the story was interesting and captivating.
4. The Girl in the Garden by Melanie Wallace- An abandoned girl and her baby are taken in by a cast of characters in a coastal New England town.
The writing took a little to get used to but the story was good.
5. Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll- A woman with a past returns home and doing so revisits the demons that still haunt her.
It took me a while to get into this one but it finally picked up even though it ended up being predictable.

Shopping

I've got a girls beach trip coming up in a few weeks and I did a little shopping for the trip. I've got a few more things I'd like to get but here are a couple that are making the trip with me.
First, soft matching pajamas. As lovely as my large t-shirts are that I normally sleep in, I thought I step it up and get a nice matching set. These are on sale and the pants are so comfy I may not take them off. Sale alert! Dillard's is taking an additional 30% off clearance now through Saturday online and in store, no code needed... so get your booties there now. While your there check these pjs that are also on sale, here and here.

shirt // capris

sunglasses on sale for $6// hat (similar) // coverup 

Home

I'm so excited because Pierce and I finally bit the bullet and bought an awesome washer and dryer set. We installed it on Tuesday and by Wednesday Pierce had washed AND folded all the dirty laundry in the house... so I know he's excited too. The plan now is to get rid of the crappy wire shelving, paint the dark brown walls and refresh the flooring to totally update the laundry room and make it a functional space. I can't wait to get started and show off our before and afters. Here's what we got.

washer // dryer // pedestal

I hope you all have a fun, safe weekend celebrating Independence Day!

Home Tour- The Reading Nook

Can I get an Amen!?! Hallelujah! I finally have an area in my house that I feel is actually complete. After months of gathering items, pouring over paint colors, and patiently waiting for this bookcase to go on sale, all the elements have come together and I'm done. It's just a small little area but it's nice to have designated area for books and boardgames. I can't wait to have a free moment to myself so that I can enjoy this comfy little spot with a good book. I wish I was better at taking indoor photos, but I gave it my best shot.

animal busts (TJ Maxx and Target) // mirror (similar)

settee // pillows (Tuesday Morning) // throw

bookshelf // tobacco baskets (Hobby Lobby) // storage baskets

............................................................................................................

To go along with the reading nook reveal, I thought I'd share a book recommendation. I just finished Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. The book switches between four points of view and their interactions in Germany in 1945 as they try to survive and navigate themselves to safety. The pace of the writing, the characters, and their struggles make for a story that is profound, brutal, beautiful, and haunting. The story is fiction but it incorporates actually events and shines a light on a little known piece of history. I'd give it a 9 out of 10. 

Emmett's Room

I haven't shown much of my house because it is constantly a work in progress. I feel like there are lots of rooms that need improvement but I'm trying to focus my goals on getting one done at a time and doing it well rather than doing a little here and there. As I get each room done and checked off my to-do list I plan on sharing them with you.

The first room that I thought I would share is Emmett's bedroom. When we moved into our house it was the one bedroom I painted. I wanted it to have a nautical feel with pops of color. Of course it's a kid's room so there are toys but not too childish. This way the room works now that he's four but also in another ten years. I'm keeping it real and showing what it looks like most of the time. Emmett is pretty good about picking up and Pierce does a good job helping him keep his bed made. He's filled his shelves with his treasures and I've added a few nostalgic items from mine, Pierce's, and our family's childhood.

Emmett's treasures

I bought this dresser off Craigslist and refinished it this gray stained color.

I saw mountains painted on a wall on Pinterest and really wanted to do that for Emmett's room. The mountains turned out great but I also intended on adding a lighthouse to tie together the nautical aspects of the room with the mountains. The lighthouse is on my to-do list.

Weekend Wrap Up

We had another beautiful weekend here in Charleston. The weather was just perfect and it continues to be unseasonably warm, but no complaints here.
On Friday, Pierce left for an overnight kayaking/ camping trip out at Caper's Island so it was just me and the boys Friday night through Saturday afternoon. We shopped, snacked and played. Emmett helped me pick out faux animal busts and pillows for my reading nook... keep scrolling to check out my progress so far.

We stopped at the Krispy Kreme and let Oliver have his first taste of the South's deep fried deliciousness. Of course, he loved it!

When we got back home, the boys played outside with the neighbors while I sanded end tables and spray painted curtain rods. I have a lot of projects in the works right now so I have to squeeze them in little by little when I can find the time.

That evening I headed to Old Wide Awake Plantation. This was my first time visiting and I wanted to take some photos there but I didn't realize the site is privately owned. Be aware that you should contact the owner's before visiting. Anyway, I walked around for a minute and must say, it is a beautiful house. If you're looking for a truly Southern place to get married, you should check it out because it would be there perfect venue. By the way, this is where Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe got married.

♥ Porch envy ♥

and these steps ♥♥

Sunday we packed up the kiddos and went downtown for the Southeastern Wildlife Expo. SEWE is a must-do if you live in or visit Charleston mid-February. They have art, food, and animal exhibits throughout downtown and is fun for the entire family. My parents came down and went with us. We had a blast!

the Bird's of Prey at Marion Park are a must see

Ollie and my dad

Emmett with my parents. The boys love spending time with their mimi and papa.

Today was an extension of the weekend since it was President's Day. I definitely vote for a four day workweek. I dropped the kids off at the sitter's and was able to get so much accomplished today. I got two coats of paint on the guest room side tables I'm refinishing, worked on my income taxes, hung curtain rods in the guest room, edited photos, and hung all the animal busts for the reading nook. Whew... I'm tired but I'm so glad I got some items checked off my list.

Check out my progress. 

My reading nook is slowly coming together 😊 all I have left is to to get the bookcase. Emmett picked out the giraffe head and helped me choose the pillows when we went shopping Saturday. He was excited when he got home today and saw this wall. He went upstairs by himself and yelled down that we had to come up to see it because it was awesome. I love the joy he finds in the little things! I hope he doesn't lose his four-year-old spirit and enthusiasm. 

And that is how I spent my long weekend. I hope you all had a productive and fun weekend as well! Now I'm off to bed. 

Night, night.