The Beginning of a New Life

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve spent a fair amount of time reflecting about life. If you would have asked me at age 25 if I thought that turning 30 would be life-changing, I would have told you that it wouldn’t. I would have told you that age is just a number and that life is more than that. But now, as I look out at the multitude of possibilities on the horizon, I would disagree with my former self. While age is just a number, it is also so much more than that. Will 30 be life changing? Yes. It will. Not because of the number, but because of what it symbolizes. A fresh start. New opportunities. The timing just happened to work out well.

I’ve decided to start putting myself out there more. Step outside of my comfort zones and in turn experience life more fully. I want to do things that make me nervous. I can only grow from these experiences, and chances are, they aren’t actually as scary as I seem to think they are.

I never used to think that it made sense to do things for myself. I really always believed that if I had special people in my life, that they would love and cherish me enough to do special things for me. To some extent it was true. But why did I wait for other people to do things for me?

Why didn’t I love myself and cherish myself enough to take the steps and do the things for myself that I wanted?

I don’t know…Maybe because I didn’t cherish myself in the first place.

Why did I sit on the sidelines waiting for good things to happen to me?

I don’t know…I just always thought that’s how life happened.

Was I not worthy?

I didn’t think I was.

With such a milestone birthday right around the corner, I tried to decide what I should do. Should I go out on a limb and plan my own birthday party?  I had waffled back and forth about it, self doubt filling every attempt to make progress.

Did I deserve it?

What if people thought it was dumb that I planned my own party?

What if they were all laughing at me behind my back?

Is this more stress than it’s worth? 

But what really scared me was: Would anyone show up? Did anyone really care about me enough to make it a priority?

I talked it over with my parents and they told me that they would watch my daughter. They urged me to do it. I still wasn’t certain.

I confided my reservations to my counselor. Her response was “Why not? Do you have someone else that is planning a party for you already?” My response made me sad. No. I don’t. I don’t have a special someone to plan a party for me.

I talked to one of my best friends who was extremely encouraging. He even said he’d help me with everything.

All signs were screaming at me that I should do it.

I think in the past I’d always hoped that The Ex would take that initiative, but he never did. Not once in our 10 years together did he do or plan something special for my birthday.  My counselor was right – If nobody else was going to do it, I  would need to do it for myself. Otherwise I will be sitting home alone wallowing in self pity about how nobody cares, and that is not the direction I want my life to go. If I want my life to move in a new direction, I need to move it there! Yes, even if it makes me nervous to put myself out there.

One night, after my daughter was in bed, I tentatively sent out an evite to my friends. Knowing that I was scheduling it over Labor Day weekend, on short notice, I figured very few would actually be able to come. I was fully prepared to be embarrassed and bummed come Sunday when nobody showed up.

As Saturday drew near, I’d had more conversations with my friend – he offered to help me prepare, offered use of beach/camping chairs and coolers. Another friend volunteered firewood. Another offered to help in anyway she could. While I knew I had great friends, I guess I never fully realized that they care just as much about me as I do about them.

Saturday was filled with the bustle of pre-party grocery shopping, prepping food for the next day, buying ice and paper plates. We had a great time planning the party, which was just as fun as having the party in the first place! When Sunday arrived, I actually started to get pretty excited! My friend headed to the beach with me where we set up for the afternoon, and slowly but surely, people began arriving. And then more people. And then even more!! As each person arrived, I felt more and more loved. People did care about me. People didn’t think it was dumb that I planned my own party. Nobody was laughing at me. Everyone was genuinely happy and ready to celebrate. What was I so worried about?

We grilled and laughed. Kids played. I felt my toes in the sand. We celebrated with our beach neighbors and made new friends for the day. We danced and were silly.  It was wonderful and lovely and everything I had hoped it would be! The sunset was gorgeous. The water, perfect. But most of all, I smiled and laughed and was able to truly enjoy my friends. I can honestly say that for one entire afternoon/evening I was not concerned, stressed or upset about the divorce drama. There were no tears and no loneliness. I was surrounded by love and friendship, and for that, I will always remember my 30th birthday.

It wasn’t until the next day that I had an opportunity to open the cards people brought with them. As I sat alone in my living room reading the kind words they had written, tears streaming down my face, I realized that while I don’t have “that someone special”, I have a whole group of someone specials. My friends. They do care about me. They do wish happiness and good things for me. Shame on me for not giving them enough credit. I had let my insecurities overshadow what wonderful people I have in my life.

So, here I sit, eternally grateful for their love and kindness.  And of course – for showing up for me at a time when I needed them most.

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Love Note Board

As I was perusing blogs the other day, I came across this fantastic idea for a DIY Love Note Board! I love the concept and wanted to post it here for a few  reasons.

1.  I don’t think we take enough time out of our daily lives to tell people how much they mean to us.
2.  While I don’t have a significant other right now, I think it is absolutely adorable and wanted to share it for those of you who are married!
3. It can be used for more than just love notes. In fact, I’ve been thinking of making one for myself to write daily affirmations on.

For the details – click the link below!

Love note board.

So, I encourage you to take a few minutes out of your busy days to let the special people in your life know how much you love them.

Bathroom Bling!

One of the goals for me with my bathroom was to make it sparkle and a little more girly. Given that most things in bathrooms are so utilitarian, there weren’t a lot of opportunities to add bling, but I managed to find them! One was in the DIY artwork I made and the second was in my version of a bathroom garbage can. I will show off the garbage can at a later date.

When you see the total bathroom make-over, you’ll see that I had some pretty perfectly sized artwork for the bathroom. It was tall and skinny and had two coordinating prints, one for either side of the mirror. For the last month or so I’ve been on the lookout for new bathroom artwork that I really loved, but I just wasn’t seeing anything I liked. While I was getting really frustrated, it’s probably just as well – now I had the opportunity to make what I wanted!  I have found really fantastic inspiration just by meandering through the craft store. My advice to you, however, is to make sure that you give yourself enough time to browse through the aisles multiple times over. Sometimes it takes several passes through the store for an idea to really take form.

The Artwork

For some reason or another, I am really inspired by making art using unconventional objects, and the bathroom seemd like another area that this made a lot of sense. You don’t have to do this using the materials I used – find what you like and what inspires you when you’re perusing your craft store! Do you prefer buttons, or ribbon? Use that!! There are lots of awesome materials out there, so get creative!

My Materials:

• (2) Small Frames
• (2) Medium Frames
• (1) Bag of Glass Beads
• (2) Packages of regular sized clothes pins
• (1) Package of mini clothes pins
• Cardboard – to use as the backing for the artwork
• Craft glue – make sure it dries clear
• Spray paint
• Scissors

Step 1:

I found these really girly frames on sale for half price. They were super inexpensive, because it is literally just the frame. No glass, no backing, just the frame itself. I purchased the materials below for $30 total, and it produced 4 framed pieces.  For some reason, I am obsessed with those glass beads that people put in the bottom of their beta fish bowls. Something about them just makes me happy, much like glass mosaic tiles make me happy, so I bought a pack of those. And then, since it is my bathroom, I bought packs of 2 sizes of clothes pins pre-painted in white and light blue. I already had glue, cardboard and spray paint.

Step 2:

Measure and cut cardboard to fit in the frame. I just used an old box that I had in the garage needing to be broken down for recycling. I did this for each frame and then spray painted each one For a little bit of variety, I used white spray paint on the larger frames and silver on the smaller ones.

Step 3:

Put a light layer of glue on the back edge of the frame so you can inlay the cardboard and keep it secure. I prefer Aleene’s Tacky Glue and have been using it for projects for years. Give the glue a few hours to be sure it’s dry, because as you start inlaying the materials, you don’t want the cardboard to pop off. [[ I speak from experience, I’m just too darned impatient!! ]]

Step 4:

Then start playing with your materials to find the layout you like best! I had an idea in my head when I purchased everything, and they definitely turned out differently than I’d anticipated. 🙂

Step 5:

After deciding on your final layout, it’s time to begin gluing! Again, I prefer Aleene’s Tacky Glue and have been using it for projects for years. And I’m not getting paid to say that, either. It is just so easy to use and wipes up/cleans up so easliy. I really layered the glue on, especially to the clothes pins, since they are uneven. With that being said, be sure to give your artwork plenty of time to dry when using thick globs of glue. I let mine sit overnight.

Step 6:

Once the piece(s) is/are dry, it’s time to hang them!! I don’t have a completely finished photo, yet, because I need to finish touching up the paint in my bathroom before I hang these. But as a teaser, here is one of them, before the glue dried and turned clear again..

Bathroom Storage: Part 3

Drawers. Oh bathroom drawers. I feel like they have always been my nemisis.  Especially for us females, no? So many little things of varying sizes and shapes that need to be stored, and drawers are just big cavernous holes in which we dump them! How do you find just the right storage pieces so things fit, are organized and work in the way you need them to? I have always struggled with this. About a year and a half ago I made it my mission to organize them once and for all. And I bought some little storage thingies for drawers and got all excited because I could remove this hideous storage thing from the countertop. But these storage thingies weren’t quite the right size or shape and left a gap to the right or left and what did I do with that space to make it usable?

Make-up Drawer Before

Make-up Brush Drawer

Random Stuff Drawer Before

My attempts at storage weren’t working. And I got frustrated. So I resurrected the hideous storage thing and back on the countertop it went. And it was still HUGE and took up virtually all of my counter space.

See this monster?? Ignore the box, that’s where I was storing stuff while I was purging.

Well, I am very pleased to announce that I think I have finally conquered it once and for all!! I no longer have any make-up on the counter. None! Well, except for those days where I don’t have a chance to wipe down the counter after my powder dust settled  while I was doing my makeup. 😛 But the point is that the countertop is no longer being used for make-up storage.I’ve lost all of the men at this point, haven’t I? Yep…thought so. Well, men, let me get your attention back – because if your wives are having this problem, sometimes the answer is a very simple fix!

How did I do it? The answer was so obvious, I am actually a bit embarassed that I had not figured it out before. I took the slidey drawer parts out of my hideous storage thing (which were just the right size and shape for what I needed, and thus the reason I kept bringing it back). Turns out, they were pretty much exactly the right sizes to go in the drawers right next to my existing drawer organizers. Doh! How did I not see this before? They were black, though. So, my solution? Spray paint, of course! I just sprayed them white and then got to work re-organizing everything to go into the drawers.

Before Spray Paint

After Spray Paint

 During this process, I also purged things I never use, including make-up. This made room for an entire drawer devoted to jewelry storage! Woohoo!! I love finding extra room for things that previously had no home! 🙂 Ready for the end result?? 

Ta Da!!!

 

Kitchen DIY: Artwork & Calendar

Artwork doesn’t have to be expensive or elaborate to be creative and interesting, and the following project will show you just that!  I completed two projects this weekend, for a total of $30 spent. The bulk of the cost for both was the frames that I had to purchase after failing to find anything that would even remotely work while at thrift shops and garage sales. The calendar was a bit more time sensitive, because I am using it as a tool to help my daughter cope with time between visits with her daddy [this came about after a suggestion by her counselor, so I am giving it a try in the chance it may help her] so I wanted these projects done ASAP.

I purchased the following supplies for both projects

The Artwork:

The inspiration for this project all started with a wishbone. I saved the wishbone from our turkey last Thanksgiving and kept meaning to break it to see which one of us got our wish. We just never got around to it. I debated throwing it in the garbage more times than you know, but that just seemed like eternal bad luck! Then, when debating how to decorate the house and specifically, what to do with the big blank wall in the kitchen, I was reminded of it. With all of the wishbone jewelry and imagery out there right now, I thought I might be able to do something cute with it. I knew I somehow wanted to frame it, and had a rough idea in my mind, but it wasn’t until I got to the craft store that I completely figured it out.

          Materials:

• (1) 12″x12″ Shadow Box
• (1) 12″x12″ piece of scrapbooking paper
• (1) 8.5″ x 11″ piece of scrapbooking paper
• (1) Turkey Wishbone (or object of your choice!)
• Spray Paint
• Scraps of Cardboard
• Scissors, Glue, Tape, Pencil

Step 1: 

Spray Paint the wishbone. I used white, but for your project, use whatever color you’d like! You can do this with something other than a wishbone. Get creative and share your ideas!! I also think this could be very cute for a child’s room using the wooden letters and their initials.

Step 2:

I used two different types of scrapbooking paper.  I chose a high-contrast pattern for the background  (12″ x 12″) and a solid (7″ x 7″) to use as a smaller accent on top. I wanted the wishbone to pop, so placing it against a solid was the critical piece. I eyeballed the proportions of the paper and the wishbone to decide on the size of the smaller piece.

Step 3:

Carefully measure from the corners. For my proportions, I measured in 2.5″ from each corner to center the solid paper. Use a pencil to mark very small dots on the patterned paper where each corner of the solid paper should end up.

 

Step 4:

Once I had the size and location of the solid paper measured, I used craft scissors to cut it so that the edges had some interest.

Step 5:

Because I used a shadow box frame, I wanted to add some depth between the two papers. I always seem to have some cardboard lying around, so I used cardboard. You can use whatever you’ve got. Small craft wood bits, a piece of thicker plastic, etc. I made sure the cardboard was at least 1/4″ away from the edges of the solid paper edges so that you wouldn’t be able to see it when looking at the final product. And I used tape to adhere it to the two papers, because I didn’t want glue to warp the paper, like glue tends to do.

Step 6:

Now, it’s time to place the wishbone! I carefully measured to locate the center of the solid piece of paper and marked it with my pencil by making a small dot. I also drew a very faint line down the vertical center line.  The rest is just eyeballing what looked good to me, visually.

Step 7:

I used craft glue to lightly glue the “low” parts of the wishbone to the paper. Once the glue dries, be sure to erase the pencil marks you made in centering the wishbone.

Step 8:

Now that you’ve finished mounting the papers and the wishbone (or object of your choice), place your creation inside the shadow box. It’s now ready to hang on the wall!!

The Calendar:

I actually wasn’t sure how I was going to make a calendar until I got to the craft store and found some things to piece together! It was just luck that the frames seemed to work so well together, even though they are not both shadow box frames. This was a super easy project, and a fun way to involve your kids in daily activities!

          Materials:

• (1) 12″x12″ Frame
• (1) 12″x12″ piece of scrapbooking paper
• (1) Clear Plastic Calendar Sheet. If you’re not sure what I mean, check it out here.
• Dry Erase Markers

Step 1:

Write in the month and dates for each day on the calendar sheet.

Step 2:

Add the special details for your calendar. On mine I added the days she gets to see her daddy, but you can add birthdays, holidays, special family activities, etc.

Step 3:

Put your work into the frame with the scrapbooking paper behind it and Ta Da!!! You’re done!!

The Final Product:

My Happiness Project

As I have mentioned before, I have spent much of my life trying to appease others. One thing that has really stood out to me as I reflect on my adult life is that I have spent far too much time thinking about everyone else around me, and not enough time focusing on what makes me happy. I think my selfless nature is a great thing – in moderation. But everything can’t be about someone, or everyone, else to the point that I lose my own sense of self.  I’ve even tried so hard not to disrupt or be of inconvenience to others that it has actually really hurt me and caused some deep emotional wounds.

In thinking further about this, I realize that sometimes being selfish is good. Sometimes, being selfish means that you are more whole and healthy to be able to give even more to those around you. And that’s where I am today; I lost myself for a while and I am now on a path of re-discovery.

This brings me to this blog post. I started my blog after thinking long and hard about how best to move past the end of my marriage. One of the key concepts I honed in on was re-discovery of who I am and focusing on the future instead of on the past. My initial concept in how to do this was to start a home decorating blog that I could use to explore my own likes and dislikes in creating a home I love. However, as I dig deeper, I have found that there are a lot of things about my life that I’d like to make over. Up until this point, I’ve been so eager for change that it’s resulted in my being a bit scattered in my focus.

I want to craft, thrift, re-purpose and create!

I want to paint my house!

I want to delve deeper in photography!

I want to exercise more and eat healthier!

I should get more sleep!

I want to get out and meet new people.

Introduce my daughter to new and exciting experiences!

See my friends more!

I want to have girl’s nights!

PURGE!

Get out into nature! Go hiking and camping!

Heal old, I mean really old, wounds!

All of these ideas seemed to be flying at me faster than I could keep up and my progress was slow because I kept getting distracted by all of the ideas.  One day, I found myself in a bookstore, just perusing the different books, and came upon a book called “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin. She is well researched and smart, thoughtful and kind, and the type of person I would love to be like. Her book documents her journey to explore what makes her, and perhaps even people in general, happy. I had what Oprah would call an “ah ha!” moment and thought that perhaps this was a project I should start, as well. After all, I did need to focus my energies and organize my goals.

In thinking about what I would like my Happiness Project to start with, I have a lot of ideas. Should I focus on purging and de-cluttering my home? That ties into what I’ve already been doing and is something I tend to avoid because it’s hard for me to purge. I can’t be the only person who thinks “but what if I need this for xyz??”  “But what if I lose 30 lbs?” “But what if my daughter would want that?” 

I really liked that Gretchen focused on this in her first month.  Her category was much broader and included a wide variety of things, such as getting more sleep, de-cluttering, exercise more, and so on. All of those things are things I would also like to do more of.  I don’t know how she had so much time to focus on all of these things in one month, but I am not going to include so many items. After all, I do have a full time job and a 3 year old. Oye!  Trying to tackle too much could end in utter failure, which would just de-motivate me to continue. And, her second chapter may or may not have focused on marriage. Unless I want to practice relationship theories with my cat, this area of focus won’t be necessary.

As time ticks away, I am rapidly approaching my 30th birthday.  A whole decade has passed! When did that happen?  I distinctly remember my 20th birthday and thinking it was so weird to no longer be in my “teens”.  And now suddenly, my 20’s have gone by in a blur. I have been married and will soon be divorced. I’ve started my professional career, purchased my first home, had a child, saw her through cancer treatment, and so many other things. While a lot of goals have been reached, I still feel in some ways like I am stuck back where I was when I was 20.  Who am I? What do I want out of life? What do I like? What makes me happy?

So, beginning in September, I am going to begin my Happiness Project. I will take the next few weeks to further narrow my goals for my 30th year and will reveal my goals in a future post.

Have you completed a happiness project? If so – what were your goals? Did you blog about it?

August 10 on 10

I’ve admired the 10 on 10 Photo Project from afar for several years now. I’ve even met the creator, although she probably doesn’t remember me! 😉 She photographed an event for a friend of mine. But I digress – I have wanted to do the 10 on 10 but just couldn’t quite find the time. Photography has been something I’ve enjoyed for years, but have never taken the time to really work on.  I’ve decided that during this journey of self-discovery, I am going to take the time to work on it! This first 10 on 10 was done with my dinky little cell phone camera, so the images aren’t the best. However, I committed to doing it, so I wanted to follow through. I’m hoping that over time, the photos will get better and better. 🙂

As you can see, we had quite a fun day!  Birthday party in the morning filled with bouncy house and pony rides!  That afternoon we walked to the grocery store, made dinner and had a fun movie night to round out the evening. It was a great day!

What is “My Style”?

Many of you may ask yourself “how do I know what my style is?” I think that’s a very valid question, and one that I struggle with as well. I venture to guess that many of you can look at something in a store and be able to give your opinion on whether you like it or dislike it.

Which sofa do you prefer?

 

 

What lamp do you prefer?

What type of draperies would you choose?

 

Then the question is: How do you put it all of your ideas together in a way that makes sense and is really your style?

I will say, with my background as an interior designer, I have often struggled with this.  I appreciate many different styles and perspectives on design, and I am good at narrowing it down for other people.  This is a gift, but also causes me great confusion when I go to design my own space.  With an appreciation for many styles, I often find it hard to narrow down what is really my style! In the last several years, I have learned some things and have some general advice for how to go about decorating your own home.

Concept #1:

Begin by gathering ideas so you can create a plan. You can look through design magazines, pinterest and furniture showrooms. Pull pages out of the magazines, take pictures of things you see that you like or pin items to a concept board on pinterest.  I tend to create boards specifically for each room and just pin everything I see that I like. I then have it all in one place so I can begin narrowing down ideas and concepts that I want to include in my own home. The biggest mistake I see is that people often don’t think comprehensively in their purchases. By creating a concept board, you will see your ideas as a whole, instead of many different little ideas.

Concept #2:

Pay attention to your surroundings and notice the spaces that make you feel good. What is it about those spaces that you like? Is it a particular color pallette? Do you love how they used light paint colors and neutral finishes to make the space feel fresh and airy? Do you prefer the warmer, cozier spaces that feel plush and homey? Look at how the spaces are put together. How did they arrange the furniture? What types of draperies or window coverings were used? How was the lighting done? What did they do to accessorize? All of these things impact the way a space feels and are important to take note of. Pay attention to the details.

Concept #3:

If you’re struggling with it comes time to begin when designing your space, draw inspiration from one statement piece. Choose a rug or a piece of artwork that you absolutely love, for example. You’ll then be able to pull accent colors and other inspirations from that piece. I did this in my living room with the area rug. That rug has been the inspiration and the one piece I keep tying back to whenever I want to add something new. It helps focus you in your purchases, as well.

Concept #4:

Don’t rush your decision making and be sure you’ve really thought about what you’re buying before you buy it.  Be sure you love it. Buy things and complete projects with a specific end-goal in mind. Do you have a blank wall that you need artwork for? Do you really want a specific style of mirror for your entry-way? Keep looking until you find just the right thing.

Your home should make you feel happy and comfortable. Life is too short to buy or create things that you’re just feeling “so-so” about. This is a big lesson that I’ve learned: In my haste to try to make updates on the cheap, I bought some items that I don’t actually like that much only because they were a great deal. You can still make updates inexpensively, but don’t sacrifice your own personal style to do so.  And if you do buy or make something you don’t end up liking that much – re-sell or donate it and find something you do love!

Concept #5:

Test before you paint! Paint makes a huge impact in a room and is very time consuming when you’re doing the labor yourself. Nothing feels worse than finishing your paint job and not loving the end result. I have been impatient in wanting to make decisions regarding paint colors, but have forced myself to slow down. I ordered larger samples and hung them on the wall for weeks just to see the paint in different lighting and to gauge how I really felt about the color. In fact, I painted just one wall in my bedroom and I’m waiting to see if I really love it before I move on to the other three walls – all of which require moving cumbersome furniture.

You also need to factor in that different light bulbs and times of day cause paint colors to appear different. You really want to be certain that the color you’re choosing doesn’t have a strange undertone. Some browns can appear more pink once it’s on a larger scale in certain lighting conditions. Some can appear more yellow or more gray. The same goes for whites and other neutrals.

Concept #6:

Select neutral items for your large or more expensive pieces. Then, if you want to spice it up with bold colors, do so with throw pillows, artwork and other decorations. These things are much less expensive to swap out as your tastes and preferences change. Afterall, wouldn’t it be a bummer to have to replace that expensive bright red couch in 2 years when you’re sick of it?

Concept #7:

Don’t feel like you don’t need to buy specific pieces from showrooms or mimic Pottery Barn catalog pages just to have a put together space. Matchy matchy furniture sets can look cliche and predictable. While you want things to coordinate, they do not all have to be exact matching sets. In fact, I feel that the most interesting spaces have collected items over time and include a mixture of old and new.  Items with a story and history can add just the perfect touch of interest and intrigue to your space. The same can be said for re-purposing things. Move the item to a different room or make it look new by using it in a new way.

Concept #8:

DIY art and craft projects can really personalize a space and offer you the opportunity to customize things to your exact preferences. Even if you don’t want to craft often, just by adding a couple of pieces can make it feel much more your style.  It can also add a little something unexpected to the space! Take a look at one of my favorite DIY bloggers, Dwellings By Devore, to see what I mean.

This isn’t a comprehensive list, but it’s a good start to help you begin deciding how to go about making your home reflect your own style and tastes!

Tell me, what has worked for you in designing your home? And no, please don’t say “hire a decorator!” 😛

Bathroom Storage Part 2

You may recall my post about bathroom storage about at the end of last month. That was only scratching the surface!! One thing I am not afraid to show you, the blog-reading world, is the behind the scenes. Many of us see these beautifully perfect images on blogs, but how did they get there? How do I get from my cluttered mess to a more reasonably organized mess solution?

In order to tackle the drawers and cabinets, I needed a massive purge. And by massive, I mean, gigantor! You see, when The Ex moved out, he left behind a bunch of his old junk that I don’t want or need and he clearly doesn’t want or need. My drawers have been poorly organized, but I’d tried to tackle it a couple of winters ago. It was slightly better, but still not as functional as I’d like. The embarassing part?? The cabinets under the sink were moved into when we moved in (over 4 years ago) and have never been cleaned out.  Horrid, I know.

Before

One evening, after my daughter was in bed, I decided to tackle the daunting task! I started by pulling literally everything out of the cabinets.

My cabinets exploded!

And that’s not even everything!  No wonder I could never find anything! I purged over half of it, which made for a much more manageable task of fitting it all back into the cabinet in such a way that I knew where things were now. As for the canvas storage boxes, I will address my plans for those in another post. For now, let me just tell you that they’re mid-makeover, which I am very excited about!

Now, what to do with those pesky hair appliances. Previously, they’d all been tossed in my bottom drawer. 

And, now that I’m completely humiliated, let’s continue.

That only lead to a tangle of cords and appliances, which was really annoying every time I wanted my blow dryer. Or hair straightener.  It always turned out that what I wanted was on the bottom of the pile. As a result, I tended to just leave them out on the counter which lead to clutter and cords all over the place. What to do, what to do…and then I found it! 3M Command Strip Hooks are an awesome way to hang things without putting nails in the wall (or cabinet door). I chose a more decorative version, but there are a lot to choose from.  Now, I hang my hair appliances from the inside of my cabinet door and I just increased my drawer storage in the drawer!

For the final part of my under-cabinet make-over, I needed something to contain my cleaning products. I snapped up an inexpensive white plastic bin at Target, and combined everything in one place.

Ta da! Not totally done, but looking much better. I’ll provide a final when I’m done with the storage bin make-over project.

Have you had any ideas for bathroom storage that I can learn from? If so, do share!

One Line A Day

Shortly after making the decision to end my marriage, I knew I needed to take care of myself to heal and move forward. I have done a few things, which I will post about in time.  One thing was this blog! I knew I would need a good distraction to take my mind off of the stress and craziness that divorce brings, and it has definitely done that for me! I also read a book about how to get past break-ups. More about that at a later date.

While I was perusing at the book store, I came across a diary titled: “One Line A Day: A Five Year Memory Book”.  I was immediately inspired! I thought to myself, if I write down where I am now in short statements and continue for a long period of time, it will be a really concise and interesting record of this incredibly tumultuous time in my life. You see, I tend to write too much – I am working on that. I am very detail oriented and generally want to include very little tiny thing. A teacher once told me that I tend to focus on all the trees, and thus lose sight of the forest. That can definitely be true about me at times, although my professional career has also forced me to be more concise and direct. Because this diary limits my ability to spew randomness, it forces me to focus on the highlights or most dominant aspects of my day.

I am hoping that over time it will show growth, strength and me coming into my own. Regardless, I think it will be an really neat experiment.

Shortly after The Ex moved out, I began documenting each day with just a few quick thoughts. It is a great exercise each evening to spend time reflecting on the day and my feelings about it. Due to the short nature of the entries, I also don’t find myself obsessing about all the details and unnecessary stressors, which is great!

What the inside looks like

Do you keep a diary of any sort? What does it do for you?