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5 Ways I Control The Clutter Chaos in My Daughter’s Room

5 Ways I Control The Clutter Chaos in My Daughter’s Room

Posted on by Kelley Elmore

Here is everything used in her room: https://liketk.it/4nY34

My daughter has an amazing imagination. She sits in her room by herself and plays with her toys for hours. She has a LOT of toys which I don’t mind (because she actually plays with them) but we’ve been struggling to figure out the best way to store them. I needed to implement a process that was easy for her to handle on her own. Otherwise, cleaning her room always ended with tears and her begging me to help her. I think we’ve finally figured it out!

  1. Her Barbie Dream House doubles as a night stand. There really wasn’t much room to add more furniture so the “Barbie room” closest to her bed is where she stores her alarm clock, water, and remote control (yes, she has a tv in her room. I know that’ll be frowned upon by some but it works for us.)

2. We found this huge basket to store all of her stuffed animals. Before, they covered her bed or floor. This makes it easy for her to control the mess.

You can see how tall it is in relation to her below. It’s about 2 foot tall and 2 foot wide.

3. I mounted her own cork board on her wall at her level. She was actually using tape to hang up pictures she drew or her friends gave her. Now she has her own space that she can manage. She can display the art work that’s important to her and even switch it out seasonally if she chooses.

4. She has started to really enjoy reading lately. I mounted these book ledges and we keep seasonal books on the lower levels for her to easily grab. The remaining books are neatly arranged at the top of her closet. Every few weeks, we rotate them to keep her interest.

5. The biggest help in her room has to be the wire shelving and labeled bins/ baskets. She does have a cube storage cubby in her closet but she needed something for her larger toys. I like the fact that you can clearly see what is sitting on the shelves.

I asked her what are the top items that she plays with and that is how she labeled the storage bins. I figured the more control she had over this project, the more likely she’d be to stick with it. So far, it’s worked really well.

She does still use the cube bins but we’re down to only one “random” bin which is great since it used to be everything just randomly dumped into all of the bins. She definitely thrives in an organized space.

Again, she had full control of what she wanted to label each bin. Some were pretty specific and some, not so much…

I hope you found this helpful! Here are all of the items used in her room: https://liketk.it/4nY34

Black Cat Halloween Decorations

Black Cat Halloween Decorations

Posted on by Kelley Elmore

The other afternoon, a neighbor’s cat wandered into our yard and my daughter said, “I wish we could get a bunch of black cats to hang out in our front yard for Halloween.” So, if you need me, I’ll be here trying to make that happen.

We have wood left over from previous projects so I put one up on two saw horses and started sketching (and erasing, and sketching again) cats. Once I got it right, I outlined it with a sharpie to make them easier to see.

The next step was to cut them out. I use this corded jig saw and it worked like a charm. This thing is so simple to use! https://outlook.office365.com/mail/inbox/id/AAMkADYyZTBmNzA0LTgxZGUtNGNkYy05Mjc0LWE0Y2ZlNGVlMDM4NwBGAAAAAADjzLN%2BiUlyT7C3uqlCh4aiBwCHFPe2R4sySaIvHM7xsXwuAAAAAAEMAACHFPe2R4sySaIvHM7xsXwuAATNoDu%2BAAA%3D#:~:text=%EE%A5%B2-,6.5%20Amp%20Corded%20Variable%20Speed%20Jig%20Saw%20Kit%20with%20Kit%20Box,-rstyle.me

After I had them all cut out, I painted them black with left over paint I had from (you guessed it!) a previous project.

I had to do two coats on each side. Once they were dry, we brought them inside to paint the eyes. We did two coats of white craft paint and two coats of this glow in the dark paint. Then I went back with the black paint to add pupils.

https://rstyle.me/+8bJOaMfzSEAKPpAjJyqeZA

This is the finished product! Now, when it’s dark it looks like a bunch of creepy glowing eyes in the yard. But then, when it’s light outside, it looks like cute little black cats. The plus is that these guys are so thin that they should be pretty simple to store until next year.

You could also make these out of cardboard with scissors if you only need them for a short time (like a Halloween party).

Here’s Your Sign To Start A Garden!

Here’s Your Sign To Start A Garden!

Posted on by Kelley Elmore

This post contains affiliate links.

We have a section of our yard that gets amazing sunlight but wasn’t being used for anything. I’ve been wanting to start a garden for a while so this past spring, I pulled the plug! I was planning on building a raised bed but once I figured up the lumber prices, I decided it was a lot less expensive to purchase a galvanized garden bed. This is the one I purchased and it was so easy to assemble. I plan on getting two-three more!

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__rstyle.me_-2BkJQCcJCCGPZq1KATdy1P6g&d=DwMFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=ugJ3gGlD3mFTXUxxevZOD-kSkdpXUgP9uYZ_Ag5wsG1oSckytcYE5NYxCgZwdslD&m=OOQQ1OKlBA0w16rqjDandB22WHcBtvH904l2Xn286q2W_60DV33sBCSsTSrUjNtZ&s=KLtOg8sDy-eYjZmOUegQLXODVLsbJOjAvRfbHhuWYNU&e=

The one thing I completely underestimated was just how much dirt I would need! I ended up getting sixteen bags (5 bags of Black Kow compost, 5 bags of garden soil, and 6 bags of top soil).

I planned to add green bean plants but quickly found out that I was a little behind. I went to multiple stores and ended up only finding three plants at Lowes and they were on their last leg. I actually got them for 60% percent off. I planted them and bell pepper plants on one side of the garden. I added four rows of Blue Lake green bean seeds on the other and a bag of onion bulbs.

You can tell the difference in the below photo. The plants on the bottom left are the ones from Lowes. The seeds are on the bottom right and they came up nice and strong. The bell pepper plants are at the top left and the onions are top right.

The seeds grew quickly and produced beans within a few weeks. Unfortunately the squirrels were just as interested in my garden and started to eat the veggies and dig holes in the dirt.

I got three 10′ pieces of Conduit and deer fencing to rig up a make-shift cage. I used zipties to secure it all so that I could easily cut them when it was time to harvest and not destroy the fencing.

This is what I used:

Conduit: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__rstyle.me_-2B-5FM-5FC07tpQHtq7-2DhmroJYsw&d=DwMFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=ugJ3gGlD3mFTXUxxevZOD-kSkdpXUgP9uYZ_Ag5wsG1oSckytcYE5NYxCgZwdslD&m=XNjBWRnLoLayqD4FKQw0rh0NZpMmrpuLZGiKMSg6gfvjVCjtKjOvpefH0TI0VFGt&s=aKvXJUPSdR6__wgBnWeF39JyguCC2BfxsCDT4nPB1i0&e=

Garden mesh: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__rstyle.me_-2B6UXxwBXvAzgoM9mnlFCnsg&d=DwMFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=ugJ3gGlD3mFTXUxxevZOD-kSkdpXUgP9uYZ_Ag5wsG1oSckytcYE5NYxCgZwdslD&m=m66CNVgeE6m-9ziwVfOQ_rRt_V9V7sSj-mDtO-x-hAwTiUbSI9u9JI-VsT_qqvUk&s=aFAMkf_-cjcy1U3PTlMCuVMvfknrvt0gjTyaNyxReHI&e=

Once everything was nice and protected, the garden flourished! So far, I have gotten four huge bell peppers, a few large bowls of green beans (still more to harvest), and plenty of chive shoots.

Along with the raised bed, I planted a few other things in pots. Currently, I am growing cherry tomatoes, rosemary, lavender, oregano, mint, basil, and cilantro. I also have two blueberry bushes but they haven’t produced fruit yet. I tried growing strawberries but the dang squirrels eat them before they ripen. I need to build some kind of cage to protect them, too. I also have a lime tree that is covered with limes; just in time for summer margaritas!

We live in a normal neighborhood with an (annoyingly strict) HOA. You do not need a big piece of property to start a garden. As a matter of fact, since mine has done so well, I’m thinking of adding a few more raised beds and turning the whole side yard into a garden. But I kind of want to pull up the grass and add pea gravel with a stone walkway, an arched trellis for grapes, more fruit trees, and the list goes on and on. I’ll be sure to share whatever I do so stay tuned!

Please let me know if this inspires you to start your own garden. I did not have any clue what I was doing when I started, but I am really happy that I tried. I do have to say that I’ve been able ti get my super picky eater to try some new veggies because she “helped grow them” so that’s a plus!

Medicine Cabinet Upgrade

Medicine Cabinet Upgrade

Posted on by Kelley Elmore

When I redid the bathroom, I knew I wanted to remove the medicine cabinet. I wasn’t really sure what I would do once I removed it, though. Sometimes when I don’t really have a plan, I just start and hope that it comes to me. So far, that plan (or lack of) has worked out.

This is what the medicine cabinet looked like before. Since this is a guest bathroom, storage wasn’t really a problem so I wanted to remove the mirrored cabinet and add open shelving.

Once removed, I was left with the exposed drywall (and instant regret). I painted it like the walls but of course that wasn’t enough.

I’ve always wanted to attempt tiling so I figured this small area was the perfect place to give it a go. Turns out, it’s a lot harder than expected. I used way too much mortar and the lines definitely did not line up perfectly. Once I grouted it, you really couldn’t tell how bad it was. I used extra wood from previous projects to frame it out and add a shelf.

I also added a frame around it to make it look more finished. Because I used too much mortar, you could see it coming through the grout in certain areas. I found a black Sharpie paint pen and colored over the exposed mortar. I’m not going to lie, I was even surprised with how well it worked!

What do you think? Improvements? Or should I have left the mirrored cabinet ?

Click here to see more of the cosmetic upgrades made to this bathroom: https://www.fixinuptheplace.com/bathroom-upgrade/

Click here for all of the items used to update this bathroom: https://liketk.it/48mkb

Target Home Decor: Spring Edition

Posted on by Kelley Elmore

I don’t know about you but it was in the high 70s this weekend and I am so ready for spring! I’m starting to switch out my home decor for more light and airy decor and Target has some really pretty items. Below is a round up of my favorites!

Click the link below to shop.

https://liketk.it/40zuR

Click Here: https://liketk.it/40zuR

I’m thinking that rug and chair would look great in my new office.

Seasonal Sign Post

Seasonal Sign Post

Posted on by Kelley Elmore

This post contains affiliate links.

Material List:

I grabbed an 8′ 4×4 post and had the employee at Home Depot cut it in half so I could make two signs (one for my mom for Christmas).

We had left over plywood in the garage so I measured and cut two squares. One was 8″x8″ and the other was 6″x6″. I put the 6″x6″ square in the center of the 8″x8″ square and secured them with wood screws to create a base.

Next, I secured the post in the center of the base with more wood screws. I found it was easiest to turn the post upside down and secure the base through the bottom.

Then, I added the post skirt and cap with my nail gun (but you could use wood glue). The below picture shows where the post skirt should go, at the very bottom of the post.

I sanded it a little and painted it Dark Secret by Behr.

Here are some hanging signs that I am loving! https://liketk.it/3UcU9

The Simplest Accent Wall

The Simplest Accent Wall

Posted on by Kelley Elmore

Friends of mine just bought a house and asked me to do an accent wall in their daughter’s room. They wanted something simple that would grow with her as she got older. So, here’s what I did…

I purchased screen trim (pictured below) from Lowes. It’s super thin and easy to cut without a saw.

Screen Trim: https://rstyle.me/cz-n/g4qbwpc6p4f

Trim Cutter: https://rstyle.me/cz-n/g4qeewc6p4f

The beauty of using these strips of screen trim is that you can cut them with trim cutters. No saw required.

Another plus, the strips are so lightweight that I used painter’s tape to hold them up while I made sure the spacing was right.

Once I was happy with the layout, I used my nail gun to secure it to the wall and removed the tape. If you don’t have a nail gun, you could use a hammer and finishing nails (especially with the painter’s tape holding it for you). You also could use Liquid Nail but expect it to cause damage to the drywall should you want to remove it in the future.

This is the nail gun I use: https://rstyle.me/cz-n/g4qeewc6p4f

This is how it turned out. I filled all of the nail holes, sanded them, caulked everything and left it for paint.

This is how it looked after the painters were finished. I really like how it turned out and now I’m trying to figure out where I can do this at my house. I’m thinking vertical strips would look good, too!

This year’s Halloween decorations got an upgrade!

This year’s Halloween decorations got an upgrade!

Posted on by Kelley Elmore

I went to Home Depot to look for the 12′ skeleton that was so popular last year but once I saw that it was +$400, I changed my mind! I found these 5 foot posable skeletons https://liketk.it/3QRmt for $30 each and decided to get a few of them. I think these are more fun than one giant skeleton anyway.

We used twine and zip ties to attach them to the gutter and the roof.

Now, I’m trying to talk myself out of getting more of them. Maybe I’ll wait until after Halloween to see if they go on sale for next year.

5 Ft. Posable Skeletons: https://liketk.it/3QRmt

Half-Bath Upgrade: Board & Batten

Half-Bath Upgrade: Board & Batten

Posted on by Kelley Elmore

I had the pleasure of making over my first half-bath for a client this past week. It was a nice size for a half-bath and it wasn’t in bad condition at all. It just needed a little personality.

Here is the before…

I really like the color but she wanted board and batten. I was pleasantly surprised when she agreed to do a bold color on the top.

Here is the after…

Here is the breakdown of the supplies and cost:

I used 3x8s as the vertical battens, 1x4s for the horizontal board across the top, and the 1x2s for the top ledge. For convenience, I pre ordered all of the MDF boards from Home Depot and picked them up. We decided on Very Navy by Behr in eggshell for the top of the wall and Bright White in semigloss for the bottom. We chose to not replace the baseboards so instead, I cut all of the boards at a 45 degree angle at the bottom. That way, the wood landed on top of the baseboards and didn’t hang over.

She is still in the market for a mirror and maybe a new light but over all, I really like how it turned out and am trying to figure out where I can do board & batten in my own home.

Back Porch Roof Extension

Back Porch Roof Extension

Posted on by Kelley Elmore

This was one of those projects that I didn’t completely understand, until we did it. Brian was adamant about extending the roof to the end of the back porch. Now, that it is done, I feel like we have a whole new room in (well, I guess out) our house.

Before:

After:

Before, the rain would just barely miss us when we were sitting on the couch. Now, we have so much space, I’m thinking of getting a dining table for outside. In Florida, an outdoor living space is a necessity and I’m so happy with ours. Now, I get to decorate! I’m thinking hanging patio lights, outdoor area rug(s), more plants… duh!!! Stay tuned for the update.