This month's featured artist

I love every piece of paper my boys scribble on. I don't keep every piece of paper, but I do keep enough to embarrass them in high school. The frig was an okay space to display but I wanted something more "artsy" plus I had a large blank space on which to play. Our walls are paper-thin so I wasn't keen to use nails and string and things. Some sticky velcro tabs were just right for attaching clip boards and old school slates (hot glued with mini wooden clothespins) to the dining room wall. I found the huge frame on the side of the road already painted red — sweet! I'm happy with the results. And so are the boys. 

(The mini-poster in the middle is hard to read. It says "Good Moms Have Sticky Floors, Dirty Ovens and Happy Kids." Awesome! It's a free printable from Paper Coterie — double awesome!)

Showing off at The Southern Institute and Skip to My Lou.

Come and sit awhile

My neighbor and friend Christine is starting her own decorating business — Reinspired Living. She can help you redecorate, restyle, repurpose and reorganize. In other words, she takes what you got and makes it look a hundred times better!!!

Christine offered to redecorate my porch to fatten her portfolio.* Took me about five seconds to say, heck yeah! It could use it! In the winter, the area turns into a dumping ground — stuff that should go in the shed but it's too cold to walk the extra five steps. In the summer, the area turns into a dumping ground — stuff that should go in the shed but it's too hot to walk the extra five steps. But in the junk, Christine found a few pieces to transform with a little paint and a lot of creativity and now I have a wonderful space to relax, entertain and/or enjoy dinner alfresco. 

Before she could get to work, I had a lot of work to do. From the porch and shed I took six big outside trash bags to the curb! All the stuff on the porch that should go into the shed finally got moved to the shed. It took several days but when I was finished, Christine pretty much had a blank slate to work her magic. I got out of the way (okay, I tried to stay out of the way).

BEFORE I CLEANED

(I know, can you believe it?!)

AFTER I SWEATED IN THE HEAT CLEANED

CHRISTINE'S MAGIC 

She painted the chairs to give the space some color, using the pillow/tablecloth fabric as inspiration. The desk now acts as a buffet. The file cabinet is repurposed to hold napkins, candles, plates, stuff for entertaining while the bottom has a cooler for cooling drinks. Cool!

BEFORE I CLEANED

(A toilet?! So ashamed.)

AFTER I SWEATED IN THE HEAT CLEANED

CHRISTINE'S MAGIC 

You're welcome to come over anytime for a visit. Be warned, you must follow the rules!

*Christine did not ask for anything in return, like this post. Of course I was going to show off my new digs! Love it too? Contact Christine — reinspiredliving@gmail.com

Just what I wanted

Do ever wish you could move into the Pottery Barn catalog? Actually I'm not that picky ... I would be fine with Land of Nod or Restoration Hardware. But we all know the real reason those rooms are clean ... they're not real. Real rooms have a trail of crumbs leading to the toddler holding half a cracker. Real rooms have a least four missing toy parts under the sofa. Real rooms can be clean one second and then look like a F4 tornado struck. I like my real rooms ... but a girl can also dream as she thumbs through the pages of a magazine.

I have long wanted the Collector's Shelves in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog. I finally got around to asking my uncle to make one for Will's room. My uncle is extremely talented when it comes to wood and can make just about anything. It took longer for the paint to dry than it did for him to build.

Chris installed it yesterday for me. It's a little higher than I would have liked it. Being next to the bed, he was worried that Will would roll in to it and hurt himself in the middle of the night. I wasn't mad when it wasn't hanging where I suggested — that's what dads are suppose be, protective of their little ones. 

Will immediately filled the shelf with his favorite books. I also intend for library books to hang out here so they don't get lost among our books.

I like it. But now I'm thinking we need another one to hang above it ... 

oh Uncle Bill ...