It’s been a while since I have checked in, and I have been all over the place with this challenge. As of now, party planning is in full swing, home improvements are a daily occurrence, and I’m not exactly following the Apartment Therapy January Cure calendar anymore on a day to day basis. Projects for the week include:

Medicine Cabinet Clean Out // Check out my before and after!

Hanging Artwork  // I tried framing artwork last week but loathe the matting color with the frame color, so I’m painting it!

Party Planning // I’m a Pinning and list making machine!

Image from Pinterest

Dining Room Project // Will be revealed later this week, but here is your clue.

I’m still loving this challenge and really enjoying the transformation at home. One of my favorites…Friday Flowers. That one is going to stick.

Are you participating? How are you doing with it?

xo

This project has taken forever, thanks to a healthy dose of procrastination and frustration. My first round of artwork was a fail, and then I just didn’t have a clear vision, making it nearly impossible to complete. I have learned a big lesson from this project, and that is, you can’t force creativity. If you’re not in the mood, you’re not going to enjoy it, and you’re probably not going to like what you do. Embrace creativity when the mood strikes you, but always, always do your best to nurture your creative side and coax it out.

The official plan for the tray table is to get some hooks and hang it on the wall, providing some art as well as function. We do not have a coffee table, so when we entertain, guests are always looking for a place to put their drinks and plates. This isn’t much, but it will certainly be small enough to fit the space comfortably, and big enough to do the job.

What have you been working on lately?

xo

It’s January Challenge round up time. If you’re just joining, read up at Apartment Therapy here.

Day 8: Get a Get-Together Together // Sent out invites for my very first cocktail party! I used Paperless Post and absolutely love the selection, and am so happy that the invites are out. Now it’s party planning time!

Day 9: Create a Landing Strip // Happy with the existing landing strip. We already have a decent landing strip, and the only way I can see improving it, is by adding a tray for mail. I am keeping my eyes peeled but not rushing to buy because what we have now is functioning well. The entry closet holds coats, the door knob holds my purse, and we have a keys bowl on the buffet, very close to the front door. Mail normally piles up on the buffet, so that’s where the tray would come in handy.

Please disregard the ugly unpainted door.

Please disregard the Christmas decorations –haven’t made it out to the garage yet.

Feel free to appreciate Mia stealing the show.

Day 10: Try a Media Fast // Failed miserably. Once the workday is over, we have been working hard once we get home to get projects going, so when we finally have a moment to sit and enjoy our dinner, all we want to do is catch up on some shows. We will give it a shot this week though!

Doesn’t it look so cozy and comfy?

Day 11: Project Progress // A promising idea fails. Over the weekend I purchased wood crates to use as pantry organization. I bought chalkboard paint and was ready to go, very exciting stuff. I pictured white crates with black chalkboard facing, dry goods tucked in neatly, and the ends of the crates all labeled up in chalk. Well, I decided to do a trial run pre-painting just to see how it would all work, and I’m so glad I did. The wooden crates are a great idea but they kind of robbed me of very precious space in my small pantry. The wooden crates are about an inch thick on each side, and in order to pull them out with ease, they cannot sit right against the inside of the cabinet. I’m back to the drawing board here, but I have to admit that my pantry and rest of the kitchen is much better shape now than a before the Apartment Therapy Cure, and for that, I couldn’t ask for more.

The space that is functioning best for me is the coffee and tea cupboard.

Aside from the pantry, one that needs work is the spices/cutlery drawer. Some labeling and a tray would do wonders in here.

The weekend was supposed to be devoted to the bedroom, deep cleaning and closet/dresser organizing, buuuuut, it was sunny here this weekend and I was finishing off the tray table…oh, and did I mention the laundry?! Endless laundry. I kid. Excuses aside, I am off by a day, so I will work on the bedroom in the early part of the week, simultaneously with whatever this January Challenge throws my way.

But seriously, look at this sunshine and the blue sky…too good not to be outside.

How’s the challenge for you?

xo

This project has been in the making for a very, very long time. Every time I’d stop into the thrift store, I would be on the search for fun pieces I could incorporate into the gallery wall. I have been admiring gallery walls put together by some of my favorite bloggers and images that I have found on Pinterest, so this project was really fun for me. Once I gathered enough pieces to make the grouping substantial, I began playing with the layout, and really it’s all about balance and what looks good to you. Also very important, significance. Not each piece was given to me by a loved one, but each one holds significance. The pieces thrifted from the antique mall were picked up on a really fun day I spent with one of my dearest friends, Keely. The other thrifted pieces were gathered over time, so it reminds of how much I enjoy the hunt and finding the perfect pieces to bring into our home. What you enjoy doing is such a large part of who you are, and I love the part of me that likes breathing new life into old pieces. Looking up at this brings me joy, and I am so happy that it is finally up and enjoy the thought of adding to it over time.

Here is the before, all laid out on the dining room table and without photos.

From the top left: the letter “P” was thrifted from an antique mall // the small gold frame was thrifted from Value Village // the framed gold rose set on black velvet was thrifted from Value Village // the vintage mailbox door was thrifted from an antique mall // the double frame was thrifted from Value Village // the black and gold clock in the center was a gift from my Dad.

And, here it is on the wall, FINALLY.

The top frame holds a simple print of the word “love”, and the bottom double frame holds a beloved photo of my husband and I on our wedding day. This is us. All of the posed wedding photos are nice, but in terms of capturing us as a couple, it’s this photo.

Have a great rest of your Thursday!

xo