Family Room Blank Slate

One perk of redecorating our family room just before the holidays is that we have been able to skip over regular accessorizing and jump right into Christmas decor.  However, I want to share this room in its blank slate phase before any posts with stockings and reindeer pop up.  The room's new hardwood flooring, white curtains with bamboo shades, AirStone fireplace, IKEA cabinets for our games, new TV stand, natural fiber rug, and gray sectional couch make up the bones of the room.

 

Family Room Floor - DIY Hardwood Floor

The flooring we have chosen to install throughout most of our house is Buffalo Ridge Plank Ash from Chelsea Plank Flooring. 

Make Holiday Pillow Using Tea Towels

I found myself killing a little time in Tuesday Morning the other day and decided to look for some inexpensive holiday pillows.  Instead I found towels.

Living Room and Dining Room Hardwood Floor Refinishing

Having refinished the floors in our first house ourselves, Mike and I immediately saw the golden oak flooring in the living and dining rooms as a future project when we bought our current house.  That particular floor (and banister) color just isn't our preference.  We envisioned darker wood and looked forward to bringing that look to life.

Organize Kids' Closets for Easy Mornings

Before the kids begin kindergarten in the fall, I wanted to make their closets and dressers more functional so they can get their own clothes ready for the next day as I have always done for or with them since they were babies.

Both of their closets were equipped with the standard high bar with a shelf on top, and we kept those.  We simply added Ikea Billy bookcases (that were previously in our hallway) and attached a lower bar between the bookcase and the wall.

 

Projects We Left to the Professionals

This summer we have made the following improvements to our home:

-Had a stamped concrete patio added out back.

Father's Day

Create Gift Mugs Using Sharpies and Dollar Store Cups

I promise I'll have some bigger home stuff to share again eventually, but in these first few weeks of summer the progress around here has not been terribly visual.  There has been a lot of talking, planning, shopping (but not yet buying), list making, and so on.  The more observable accomplishments have been a few little crafts that Pinterest helped me with. 

The kids and I made Sharpie mugs for Mike and the grandpas for Father's Day this year following the directions on I Heart Arts n Crafts.  We also made a soup bowl for Mike since that is what he often eats at work for lunch.  He now has a matching bowl and mug to keep there.

Mike's set in the sticker phase

Create Gift Tote Bags Using Hand and Foot Prints and Dollar Store Bags

To thank my mom for generously caring form my kids two days a week during the last five school years, the kids and I made her a little keepsake: a tote bag with a butterfly made from the kids' footprints and flowers from their hands.


 

Organize a Kitchen Pantry with Baskets

When our kitchen pantry started feeling out of hand, I made a plan, and organized each shelf with baskets.  It looks and functions so well now!

Create Book Storage with Floating Wall Crates

After consolidating all of the children's books onto bookshelves in our upstairs hallway, I recently settled on a solution to enable the kids to store a some books that they want nearby in their rooms.  My inspiration was a set of shelves made from crates that I saw on Hellobee.

$2 Tablet Charging Station

I decided to create a charging station for my kids' tablets because ever since the kids got their tablets for Christmas, our kitchen counter has been home to this:

 

Children's Book Storage Ideas

As Michael and Sophie have grown, so has their use of books. We have always kept the more durable books in the playroom, either on a low shelf or in the basket they are in now, and I switch those out periodically with others in a bin in the basement.  We still read those together during play time, but the interest in Ten Little Ladybugs and Guess How Much I Love You board books just isn't what it used to be (sniff, sniff). We can probably sift out some outgrown books and merge all books into one location now.