*This is a sponsored post*

The Covid-19 pandemic has given us all the itch for home improvement. Naturally, being at home more makes us more aware of all the little (and big) updates that need to be made. Now is definitely the time to do it! I have made tons of updates to both the inside and outside of my home since the start of the pandemic and it has made my home feel so much warmer and more inviting.

With Spring approaching, it is a great opportunity to make some home improvement updates. I know you’re saying “help a sista out”! Ok, ok, I got you! Here are four recommendations for updates that you can make to your home: 

1. Redesign your entryway
This is an area that gets a lot of use as you go in and out of your home, so why not transform it and make it a statement area? Given that this space tends to be on the smaller side, it should be easy to make some quick updates to offer big impact. One of the things you can start with is paint, which is an affordable way to warm up the space. Try doing it yourself to save some money (put your back into it, honey!) 
 
You can also update the flooring to change the entire feel in the space. My old floors were a medium brown wood, but I really wanted a lighter wood with grey tones not only to go along with my decor, but to also lighten up the space because that hall doesn't get a lot of natural light. My hardwood floors are actually made of Brazilian wood. Places like Brazilian Wood Depot offer various flooring options – check them out to see if one of their flooring options strike your fancy. Their flooring is 100% natural with no added chemicals, which is a huge plus! 
 
As a final touch to your entryway, hang some pictures to give it some flavor. I personally like to display pictures in black and white from my travel adventures, so you'll see them in my entry way to welcome you as well as all over my home.

Did anyone else watch that HGTV show Curb Appeal? Man, I was OBSESSED with it! If you're the type who likes to wow when guests pull up to your crib, then curb appeal is what you need! I LOVE the look of wood siding on the front of a house – it’s so modern and chic! I especially love the look of and cost of Ipe siding. Ipe is a great material to use on your home, not only because it’s real wood, but also because it's durable and is maintenance free. You can add visual interest to the outside of your home by adding the IPE siding to key moments to highlight architectural details. It looks really cool around windows or against other materials like steel or concrete. Installing Ipe siding will def make your neighbors jealous and have you be the curb appeal queen of the block! Get it sis! ​

Did you know that the quality of your sleep could be affected if your room doesn't get dark enough while you sleep? I've noticed lately that the quality of my sleep has declined, so I decided to fix my drapes to darken the room - I sleep so much better that way!  If you love your drapes like I do, you don't have to buy new blackout drapes. You can simply add blackout fabric to the back of your existing drapes.

Here are the 3 easy steps:

1. Start by laying your drapes out flat on the floor
Make sure to smooth out any bumps or wrinkles.

2. Then layout your blackout fabric from Joann's
Be sure that you are laying the blackout fabric on the backside of the drape. Align the blackout fabric, then trim any excess so that it fits the shape of the drape.

3. Layout your iron-on adhesive along the seam of the fabric.
This can be purchased at Joann's or Michaels. To ensure it goes on straight, lay sections at a time and iron it on as you go. I would recommend sealing all 4 sides of the fabric, or at least the sides and the top, depending on how much adhesive you have.

Check to ensure all sides sealed correctly, and then you're ready to hang those drapes! 

Check out this quick video to see how I completed my blackout drape project.

Voila! It's super quick and easy! I'm looking forward to a darker, more comfortable room while I sleep!

Have you tried blackout shades? Comment below to let me know if you love them or not.
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Until the next adventure,
~T

Y'all - get into this ceiling fan! For years now I've been staring at this ugly white ceiling fan, and every time I looked at it I got a little mad. LOL. I finally decided to do something about it. I still can't believe I refreshed it for less than $12 with 2 cans of spray paint! It ain't one of my diy projects if it isn't budget friendly, amirite?!

Here is what you will need:
1. a can of brushed nickel spray paint
2. a can of black spray paint (satin finish)
3. a piece of cardboard
4 a drill to remove the screws
5. a hot glue gun

Here's the thing - I've installed a ceiling fan before and I know that it is a lot of work. Like, A LOT!. I was not about to pull this one down and reinstall - at least not completely. If you are careful with the spray paint, it can be done!

​Disclaimer: this is the process I chose to take because I have some experience changing out light fixtures/ceiling fans. Please proceed at your own risk and/or consult an electrician.

Step 1: turn off the power
Safety first! Turn off the power at the breaker box (don't just turn of the fan at the light switch!) Double check to make sure it's off

Step 2: unscrew the fan blades

Step 3: unscrew the lower portion of the fan where the light bulbs are
But don't remove it completely. You can let it hang from it's wires. Make sure you remove the light bulbs and the glass covers first - and when you remove those, that lower portion is not very heavy at all so it shouldn't put a lot of weight on the wires

Step 4: Remove the lower engine cover & filter from the fan.
Once you remove the lower portion (in step 3), it will be easy to unscrew and remove this portion. You'll notice that the cover has a thin piece of linen-like fabric that is glued to it. Gently remove this from it, and if  the fabric has dust in it, rinse it out and put it to dry.

Step 5: Spray paint the part of the fan that remains hanging.
Be sure to ventilate your room by opening the windows to promote airflow. Also remember to clear out the room so that the spray paint doesn't get on anything (because it will). And of course, wear safety equipment like a mask and goggles. 

Here is where the cardboard comes in. Use your cardboard and place it above the area you are spray painting. This way you avoid getting spray paint on your ceiling or getting it in your fan engine. If your ceiling fan has a down rod like mine, spray the down rod first, then once it's dry, put the cardboard behind the ceiling cap, then paint that.

Step 6: Spray paint your fan blades, hardware and your engine cover.
Do this outside. Place them on a piece of cardboard and go to town, spraying in smooth strokes. For your blades, detach the blade hardware from the actual blade, given that they will be painted different colors. Don't forget to spray your screws! (I sprayed mine black)

Step 6: Re-assemble the engine cover.
Once the engine cover and the filter fabric are dry, it's time to put them back together. Grab your glue gun and re-attach the dried fabric back to the cover

Step 7. Re-assemble the hanging portion of the fan.
Once the fan is dry, put the pieces back together (i.e. re-attach the engine cover, and the lower portion of the fan. Finally add the newly sprayed blades and hardware.

That's it! It was super easy and quick. And now I can't stop staring at how much I like the fan now. Talk about drab to fab! Yassss!

Do you have a ceiling fan that needs a makeover? If you decide to spray paint it, let me know how it turns out!

Until the next adventure,
​~T

After about 7 months of progressive work, I FINALLY finished my kitchen makeover!! Renovating your kitchen is a lot of work, especially if you plan on doing most of the work yourself. When we watch HGTV or other home improvement channels, we often see shows on which kitchens are transformed before your eyes within 30 minutes or an hour, but the reality is that the time-lapse doesn't often show you all the sweat and work needed. And of course I didn't do everything all at once. I spent a lot of evenings and weekends doing a little here, a little there until I got it all done. Some weekends I didn't want to even do anything, lol. However, despite all the work it took, I am more than delighted with the final project.

Why did I make over my kitchen in the first place?

Well, everything in my kitchen annoyed me - the cabinet colors, the paint, the appliances, the old sink, the floors...lol, shall I go on? But as a homeowner, one of the things I've learned is that you should decide what you need to fix on your home that would make you happy/love your home you are in, and work on that. With that "to do list" you have to prioritize, of course. In my house there was a long list of things that I didn't like, and the kitchen was definitely on that list, so of course it was a priority.

I'll show you the various projects I worked on and how I pulled it all together. I worked on 7 major projects to complete my kitchen makeover:

1. Cabinets
2. Paint
3. Countertops
4. Flooring
5. Appliances
6. Lighting
7. Backsplash

In later posts I can give more step-by-step tutorials, but I would like to use this blog post to showcase the dramatic before-after of my kitchen with these 7 projects.

1. Cabinets
First, I HATED the color of the kitchen - It was brown-on-brown-on-brown. Bleh. Not my aesthetic and it didn't tie into the rest of the room (i.e living room and dining room). So I first decided to tackle the cabinets which I painted myself! I painted them in BEHR Premium Plus Ultra interior paint (Satin sheen) in the color Ultra Pure White, which you can find at the Home Depot. Cabinet painting tutorial coming soon!

I kept the same hardware, but added cup pulls on the drawers to give it more of a dramatic effect. I only have 3 drawers, so it wasn't very expensive. I got them from target here. 

2. Paint
The kitchen was painted in a hideous pistachio that had to go, FAST! I painted the kitchen in my signature grey and now it feels modern and airy in the kitchen.

3. Granite Countertops
I replaced the hideous beige formica counters with this gorgeous granite in Luna Pearl. This is a mixture of white, gray and black specks, which was perfect for the color scheme I was going for. And I got it for a great price!

Here's a tip for getting a great deal on granite: instead of going to a formal show room, lookup local granite shops or distributors. It might not be fancy, but if they can do a good job, you'll save a ton of money. A quick google maps search will tell you where they are. But get a few quotes on price per square foot before you decide. But just know that you will usually have to pay for things like cutting out the sink plumbing, removing the old counters, and disposal. You also need to schedule a plumber once they're done to reconnect the plumbing.

After you get a quote you can have them come to your home to measure and give you a written estimate. You don't even need to complete the job right away. I waited 3 months after getting my quote to save money to pay for the granite. Don't feel like you need to rush.

4. Flooring
I actually had to change my floors because of water damage. And now that I think about it, I think the thought of replacing my floors is what motivated me to makeover my kitchen in the first place. My choice of flooring was hard because my countertops were quite busy, and I wanted to find a color that complemented it that didn't break the bank. I landed on this engineered hardwood in this beautiful Brazilian oak from Lumber Liquidators.

5. Appliances
Man, am I glad those hideous black appliances are gone! I hated them with a passion. Luckily, I got a great deal on these at a Labor Day sale. If you want cheap appliances, you won't necessarily find the best prices at large home improvement stores. You're likely better off going to smaller specialty stores, or in my case, Brandsmart. They might not be the latest model, but they'll have lots of packages that are way more affordable.

6. Lighting
Y'ALL!! Look at my snazzy stainless steel that I got on clearance at Lowe's for only $50!! (News flash, it's no longer at that price - Sorry!!) It's in the Allen+Roth brand, which I find to be both stylish and affordable. This fixture has 6 bulbs and is huge - which is perfect for my large kitchen. I put in some daylight bulbs so it's nice and bright in there compared to the ugly wrap light (builder grade) that I had before. And yes, I also installed this light fixture myself. 

7. Tile Backsplash
Last, but not least was my tile backsplash. I also installed this myself, which is why it took me a month (working on the weekends) to complete. Would you believe me if I told you that it cost me about ~$36 to complete this backsplash project? I decided to go with a 6 x3 inch white subway tile in a running bond pattern. I finished it with a light gray grout, which pulls it all together. Like with the cabinet painting, I'll do a whole separate post on how to do tile backsplash - it's super easy!

I am very happy with how the kitchen turned out. And I'm overwhelmed at how starkly different it looks from the old kitchen. Cooking and spending time in the kitchen is about to be lit from now on!

Have you done a kitchen project recently or are you hoping to do a kitchen project soon? If so, let me know in the comments below?

Until the next adventure,
​~T

You know that feeling when you finally complete something that's been on your to do list for a while? Yup, that's how I'm feeling right now about finally updating my master closet. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for a walk-in closet, but soooo many things were wrong with it: it felt narrow and tight on space, I was running out of space for my shoes and clothes, the blinds were broken, and don't get me started on that hideous brown paint the previous homeowners used. This room needed the Teljer touch, for sure!

Time to modernize this beast! Here are the steps I took to complete this diy project:

Step 1:
​Remove old wire shelves to make the closet feel more spacious, and paint the space in my signature gray that I have all over my home.

Step 2:
​Change the blinds. I have the cordless, faux wood blinds from Home Decorators collection that you can buy at the Home Depot here. They look elegant and expensive, and only cost around $22 for this small window.

Step 3:
​Install two custom ClosetMaid closet systems: one larger one for the long side of my L-shaped closet, and a second, smaller one for the shorter side of the "L". The only difference between the two is the width of the shelves.

I bought the big one at Walmart (one of the cheapest places to get them - you can find it here). The nice,  wide shelves are perfect for all my shoes. I got the smaller one at the Home Depot here. I was ok with the shorter shelves because I was planning on using them for folded clothes and for storage cubes - the shelves are the perfect size for 12 inch cubes! 

I also bought an additional shoe rack from the Home Depot (because I have that many shoes - don't judge me!)

Step 4:
​Add additional shelves to go above the hanging racks. Most of the ClosetMaid systems don't come with shelving, but I needed the extra space for storage. However, after I measured my space, nothing available fit the size I needed. Here is where I had to get creative. As a solution, I ended up buying another shelving system and used the parts to make 3 shelves. I used the two sides as shelves, and then I took the 3 smaller parts and glued them together with gorilla glue to make one longer shelf.

Just be sure to add brackets to the sides so you can hang it on the wall.

Now, glue the 3 smaller pieces together with Gorilla glue to form the last shelf

It's super strong! Just be sure to add brackets at the seams to reinforce before hanging the shelf.

You can watch my project video to see how I put it all together!
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Doesn't it look amazing! Straight outta HGTV! (kinda)

I'm so happy with how it turned out! No joke, I walk into my closet now and just twirl! The space feels bigger and more inspiring! It's a destination now, haha!

Have you done a closet makeover before? I'd love to hear how your project turned out - or if you were inspired by my project, let me know as well in the comments below!

It's back to school season and I wanted to do something special for my niece and nephews. I pretend I don't like to admit it, but I do consider myself to be Super Auntie! (I think I need my own theme song that I can cue after I say that. And a cape, lol). With 2 nephews and a niece still in school, I thought it would be a great idea to send them off to school reminding them who they are. Let's admit it, the world is constantly trying to tell our kids who they are, and I would prefer they know the truth about themselves, which is that they are special, AMAZING humans, children of God, who are loved and cherished by their family. 

There are personalized message pencils on the market out there, but I wanted to send them something Auntie Teljer made specially for them. Plus, knowing their personalities, I wanted to write just the right note that would be exactly the thing they need to be encouraged in and reminded of daily. Plus, y'all know me, I love to challenge myself. And p.s. They're not perfect, but I think they turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

OK. Now...onto the diy stuff. Here's what you'll need:

• Pencils, in their fav colors. I got ones that were kind of triangular, so there was a lot more flat space for the lettering. I got my multicolor pack of pencils at Target here.
• Rub on letters in 1/8 inch from Hobby Lobby here.
• Stick on gemstones or any embellishments
• Hairspray

Step 1. Start by writing out the phrases you want to put on the pencil. Keep it short and sweet. I wrote them out to make sure I liked the set of messages I would be giving to each child and that it was something relevant to them. I also liked that I wrote them down because I applied the letters backwards (i.e. from the last letter to the first letter) to ensure that I had enough space for the phrase on the pencil. Trust me, reading a word backwards off the page is easier than doing it from memory!

Step 2. Press the back of the sheet of paper with the rub on letters onto the pencil. You can cut out the letters individually if you'd like (which is what I initially started doing), but I preferred to just press the entire sheet onto the pencil because you get a better grip. I used the point of another pencil to press and thus transfer the ink of the letter onto the pencil. Try to keep a steady hand in doing this so the letters don't float too much and make the line of letters look crooked. Mine weren't perfectly straight, but I was okay with that. And remember, write each word/phrases starting with the last letter, closest to the eraser.

Step 3. Add your gemstones or embellishments. I knew my niece would appreciate these, so I added them for her really. My goal was to make hers look like unicorn pencils, and she LOVES unicorns. To reinforce the gemstones so they don't fall off, you can also apply a tiny bit of Modpodge (i.e. the adhesive every crafter has in their toolbox) to the back of the gems before applying.

Step 4. Spray some hairspray over the letters and gems to keep them in place and keep them from rubbing off easily.

And that's it, really. In 4 easy steps you can complete this cool fun, back-to-school project that kids will love.

Have you done any cool back-to-school project for your kids? Let me know because I'm always looking to score more Super Auntie points!

Adventure on!
~T

New desk, who dis? I'm officially two weeks into my new role and I am so excited! Naturally, I'm still getting settled in my new space. One of the first things I made sure to do is decorate my desk. We all love the look of a bland cube or office desk (said no one ever). Boooring!! If you're like me, your environment around you, the style and how it makes you feel matters a lot. The reality is you spend most of your day at work, so you might as well make that space as cozy and comfortable as possible. It will help with productivity, stress, and might spark conversation with coworkers sitting nearby.

My desk decor was pretty simple. Included 3 key elements: a message board, a picture board, and a tassel garland, which I made. I'll show you the first 2, and then I'll go into detail of how I made the garland.

1. Message board
I have one of these at home and I just love writing love notes to myself. I decided to get another one for work because, let's face it, I'm pretty witty and funny, LOL. Well, I am! I thought this would be a fun way to express myself at work and keep myself (and my coworkers) entertained. And who knows, maybe my coworkers will look forward to my messages as I change it out from time to time.

My first message on the board is self explanatory. I'm the newbie in the office, i.e. fresh meat. My immediate team members know I'm new, but not everyone knows - but hopefully now they'll know, lol. I paired it with this cute faux plant that I got at TJ Maxx for only $5!

These boards are typically around $14.99, but I got this one at Kohl's on sale for about $12. I prefer the black background boards because it's modern and looks cleaner. What I especially love about this board is that it comes will special symbols that you can use to flank your text (for example the 4 corners around "Fresh Meat"), as well as a few words in cursive. 
​

2. Picture Board
​This was a MUST have for my desk. Pictures make me happy, especially pics of my travels. I found this hexagon push pin board and thought it was the perfect architectural piece for my desk. It's large so can fill the entire space on that side of my cube. 

I got this set at Target for $6.99. It's two-sided; one side is cork board, but I preferred the black for the same reason I liked the message board - it looks more modern and makes a nice contrast to my colorful pics. The set originally came with 3M adhesive strips, which obviously won't work in a push pin cube. I got creative and used small file clips and push pins to hang it up. Looks good!

3. Tassel Garland
​Ok, now the fun part! These tassel garlands are becoming increasingly popular, and honestly I really like the look. But when I went to buy some, the price was like $10. If y'all know me, you know that I'm thrifty, and that my mantra in life is "I can make that!" LOL. For real, when you look at the construction of the garland, it's not complicated at all! So, in true Living Life to the T fashion, I decided to make my own. 

Let me lead with this: this garland only cost me about $3.50 to make! Here is what you'll need:

Materials:
1. Silver stringing wire (which I already had in my craft box; bought at Michael's)
2. Two balls of yarn in colors of your choice ($1.77 each at Walmart)
3. Scissors

Step 1. Measure how long you want the garland to be and then cut the wire. My wire is thin, and although I knew that the tassels would not be heavy, I decided to double the wire (in order to fold it over) for reinforcement. 

Step 2. Take your first ball of yarn and string it back and forth flat on the floor. The length is totally up to you.  I wanted my tassels more on the thick side, so I strung mine back and forth about 20 times.

​Regarding the length of each pile (i.e. from end to end), keep in mind is that you will be folding the yarn over the wire. So whatever length you would prefer your tassels to be, just double it when you are doing this initial stringing. (Trust me, it will make sense in a minute). Once you make your first pile of yarn, then go ahead and cut it off from the roll. ​

Step 3. Now, fold your first pile over the wire. Secure it to the wire by cutting another small piece of yarn from the roll and tying it to the top close to the wire. Once you have a good knot, feel free to cut off the ends of that piece.

Step 4. You might notice that the yarn has loops in it. That's ok, because this is when we cut of the looped edges. Take your scissors and try to cut the bottom of the tassel as flat as possible. Take some time to pat yourself on the back because you now have your first tassel!!.

Step 5. Repeat this process with the second yarn color. I decided to do a black-green-black-green pattern. Just be sure to determine how many total tassels you will need based on the length of your wire and make enough to comfortably fill the space. I made 8 tassels in total, 4 in each color. Don't worry about spacing too much because you will be able to slide the tassels and adjust their position once you hang the garland up.

And that's it!! Easy peasy tassel garland! The best part is, you'll likely not use all the yarn, leaving you with leftovers for your next project!! Score!!

​I love how it all came together at my new desk!!

If my post inspired you to make a tassel garland, please let me know! I'd love to see how you put your spin on it!

Until the next adventure,
​~T

It's the first day of spring and I am so excited! I've been waiting for the opportunity to take some of my decor savvy outdoors. As a new homeowner, I get so excited about taking on projects on new parts of my home. This time, I spruced up my front door. I'm a firm believer that your front door sets the tone for your home from the time guests step onto your property. Why not welcome them in style?

I don't know about you but I am FEELING this look! Can you say #fancy! Yasss honey!! I'm going to show you how you too can achieve this look. My front door project consists of several components:

1. Diy Monogrammed Grapevine wreath
This was one of the first things I made for my home. To me wreath's are like jewelry for the door. The hydrangeas scream spring and the grapevine anchors it well. And of course, because I am the monogram queen, I added a hand painted wooden "L" to mark my house with my family name. I'll post a video on how I made this on the blog soon.

2. Layered mats (& Diy coir rug)
After doing a lot of digging around on Pinterest and Instagram, I found that I really loved the layered mat look. The bottom, black and white rug I bought at T.J. Maxx. To my surprise it was the perfect size for my small front door step. It's a soft, woven rug and I paid only $16.99 for it.

The top coir rug was a plain rug I bought at Target and I painted "cute shoes" on it. I saw these rugs on Etsy and I just loved them. I want every person who steps to my front door to feel good about their shoes. But these rugs were selling for almost $40 on Etsy, plus another $17 or so for shipping. To me, that's too much to pay for a rug. Y'all know me, I love to save money. My philosophy is, why pay a lot of money for it when you can make it!? So I bought a plain coir rug and some acrylic paint at Michael's and voila! It cost me about $12 to make it. I will do a separate blog post to show how I made the rug and will provide details on where I found the lettering template (shout out to "Your marketing BFF" for it). 

3. Satin nickel handle set 
When I bought the house, the front door handle was a basic round handle and deadbolt in gold (oh, how I hate gold!) Plus it was all rubbed off. Ugh - it was hideous. I had to change the locks anyway, so I threw that thing in the trash. I found this door handle set on amazon and I just love it. I mostly love the classy elegance it brings to the door. When guests come over, they are definitely going to look down at your door handle - give 'em something nice and clean to look at and grab.

4. Modern lantern 
I wanted to give some more height and dimension to the front step so I decided to add this modern lantern that I bought at a sample sale at the Home Depot for $12! I haven't added a candle yet, lol. And maybe I won't. I have lights in my front yard, so maybe it's not necessary.

5. Simplicam video doorbell 
This last piece is not decor per se, but I think it is stylish compared to the plain non-smart doorbell that was there before. Plus, I get to see who is coming and make sure no one tries anything funny with my decor, lol. 

I'm so proud of myself in putting this door together! I'll admit, I now stare when I drive up to the house. Makes it feel more like home. 

​Do you have a cool front door project that you've done? If so, please share it with me!

Until the next adventure,
​~T

By now most of you have seen at least one episode of Tidying up with Marie Kondo. If not, check it out on Netflix! It's a show about this Japanese organizing consultant, Marie Kondo, who comes to people's homes to help them organize their homes that are in chaos. But it's not just about decluttering your home, she helps families declutter their lives and reconnect with one another. In this post I'll share a summary of the show. I also give my thoughts and share pictures from my own #KonMarie experience that led me to organize three closets in my home. I'll also share some organizational pieces that were my inspiration for organizing each closet..

Here is a summary of some the topics:
1. Clothing
She seems to always start with clothing (probably because Americans typically have much more clothing compared to the typical person in other countries ?). She also spends the most time on this lesson. She has you pull everything out of your closet and put them in a big pile. That way you reacquaint yourself with your belongings (hopefully see the ridiculous amount of clothes you have - preaching to myself here! LOL). Then, you are to take each piece of clothing one by one - and if that item doesn't bring you joy, then you thank it for its service before getting rid of it. My question is this tho - what if all your my clothes bring you joy? Do you get to keep 'em all? (Asking for a friend ?). But seriously though, it's a great way for you to take the time to evaluate whether every single piece of clothing you own is really necessary. Most times you can find a whole bunch that you simply don't need (or want). The final, really cool thing about this lesson is that she teaches you how to fold clothes! She uses a standing method, in which you fold clothes into thirds, and in a way such that they are standing up in the drawer - where you can easily see things from above - smart!

2. Kimono (Miscellaneous items)
Sorting through miscellaneous items can be challenging, especially because you typically don't know where to put them. The key, Marie says, is making sure every thing has a place/home. Other storage tips are putting things in boxes (something Marie seems to be a fan of). So for example, if you have a bunch of things from college you want to keep, try nesting them in boxes with the smallest items in the smallest box. Another example would be organizing your cooking utensil draw by using smaller trays to put cooking spoons, another for tongs, another for serving forks etc. (I actually already do this - wonder if I get extra points??). And as you do with clothing, store as many things upright as possible to ensure you can easily identify it, and use clear containers when possible. 

3. Sentimental items
Now this section is about storing sentimental items, and no you can't consider everything "sentimental" as an excuse to keep it! This includes true sentimental items, like your child's first pair of shoes, or a picture of you and your husband on your first date. Just as you would do with clothing, hold each one and see if it sparks joy. If it doesn't, toss that sucker! You can use the same methods storage (like using boxes, storing things upright, folding things in thirds) whenever you can.

My two cents
What stood out to me most is the importance of evaluating the importance of each "thing" in your home. It's so easy to accumulate "stuff." Marie's method forces you to evaluate each item and ask yourself - do I really need this? Can I live without it? And in all honesty, ridding yourself of unnecessary items makes it so much easier to keep you home tidy. If we're honest with ourselves, most times we don't necessarily need a sophisticated organizing system, we just need less stuff. In sum, I would say that there was an underlying message that decluttering your home was also synonymous with decluttering your life. When the families on the show paired down their lives and simplified, it ultimately brought them closer together and it helped improve their quality of life, not just as individuals, but as a unit.

How I got #KonMari-ed
The Marie Kondo method got me too! I decided to tackle, not my whole house, but 3 closets in my home that were full of stuff. When I moved from my apartment into my house, I didn't have much time to sort through things and minimize. What this led to were closets full of stuff tucked away that ultimately needed attention. Thankful that this show helped get me off my butt and got me excited to organize. See my Before and After pics below of my 1) entry way closet, 2) hall closet, and 3) home office closet. I'm quite happy with the results! It feels good to be organized!

First up: Entry way closet.
My inspiration piece were these CUTE baskets I got at TJ Maxx. I mean....look at them. They're wire and lined with fabric. Once I bought these, I couldn't WAIT to get this closet cleaned out. 

Second up: Hall closet.
My inspiration piece was this ADORABLE hanging organizer (in grey) from Target. (It's where I'll keep offseason clothes that need folding, and my secret TP stash ?). I looked long and hard to find one that didn't go all the way to the ground. This travelista needed space for all her suitcases! (which are all nested one inside the other of course :-))

Last up: Home Office closet.
My inspiration were two clear containers, which I also got at Target. In one I stored a few sentimental items I decided to keep. The other one has miscellaneous office supplies. These containers are practical because they come with a lids, which I really wanted in order to protect the items inside. I also wanted to easily remember what I have in there. I also used this black metal kitchen island that I had from an old apartment. I had it sitting in the garage, and instead of buying new storage, I simply used this one (reuse, reduce, up-cycle Woop woop!)  These shelves were exactly what I needed to store all my craft supplies, my camera and lenses, and all my day to day office bits.  

Have you seen the show? And if you have, what parts stood out to you? Comment below - I'd love to hear your story!.

Adventure on!
​-T

How much do console tables cost?? In my house - $15! This has got to be my greatest Ikea hack to date! I love it so much that I made two of them! Keep reading and I'll show you how!

I just bought my first home about 6 months ago and I've been busy doing lots of diy projects and getting each room set up. As I started to unpack, I realized there were a lot of items I had from my apartment that just did not go with my new home. One of those things was my old tv stand. About a year ago I bought this tv stand at Ikea for about $15. It's a low profile stand and is very narrow. Besides the tv, it couldn't hold much else. It was perfect for apartment living because I didn't have a large tv and I really did not want to spend a lot of money on a tv stand for an apartment, especially because I was gearing up to purchase my home. Additionally, I am all about reusing and up cycling things, if possible. I didn't want to get rid of it unless I couldn't use it for something in the house.

 Don't get me wrong - it's a super cute tv stand. It just didn't fit my needs (I'm mounting my tv at my new house). I literally stood there staring at the tv stand trying to conjure up some creativity. I was thinking "hmmm....how could I reuse this table elsewhere in the house?" And then BAM! It occurred to me! Stack the legs, mount it to the wall, and turn it into a console table! Simple, right?!

​I made a quick YouTube video of how I created it. Check it out below (subscribe to my YouTube channel while you're at it! #shamelessplug

I think it they turned out pretty good! I turned the original console I made into a bar. It's right by the kitchen and it gave me an opportunity to display my cool bar set I bought a few months before buying the house. I couldn't WAIT to bust it out :) I also bought a small wine rack from the At Home store for when I'm ready to pop some bottles. 

Here are some more photos of the finished product.

I turned the second stand into a more traditional console table that has books and frames. It will anchor the small sitting area behind the couch.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think or if you try this!

​-T