Foyer Update

What an overwhelming task! Truthfully, I gave up on sorting through the mail and paperwork- it was mostly David's anyway, so I delegated.  In two grocery bags. :)

So here we go...... I forgot to take the before picture before  I started pulling junk out, so it looks worse than it really was.

BEFORE

See, everything gets dumped as we walk in!  I was not kidding.

AFTER 

I painted the banister black. I don't think David

was impressed (that is why I waited until he left)

The five cube tower.  Kinda proud of myself on this one.  I wanted one with five cubbies, they only had ones with 4. Then I remembered that I had a 2 and a 3 already and was not using them- so I used Liquid Nails and some screws to make my own!

And here is the side view- I added some hooks for David's

coach clipboard and my purse.

Foyer (otherwise known as the dumping ground)

I hate our foyer.  This is where everyone enters the house.  And then drops everything.  It is typically a heap of shoes, sports equipment, books, mail, dog fur and anything David has used for work in the past 5 days.  If there is a flat surface, someone will pile stuff up. I have purchased "lockers"for the kids, which they use to shove anything they don't want to take the time to put away.  David has taken to piling stuff on top. the key hooks have turned into some kind of mail holder and it looks odd....

So i plan to clean, organize and revamp the foyer.  I do realize it will last about 6 minutes and a 15 minute living room and foyer tidy will have to be on my daily agenda, but so be it..... This is the first thing I see when I get home and it actually deflates me the minute I open the door.   In fact, there have been days I cannot open the door because there is a flip flop or other shoe wedged under the door path.... 

CHECKLIST

• Clear out trash
• Clean out drawers
• Clean out lockers and tops of lockers
• Take out bulletin board that never gets used
• Replace short tower with tall tower
• Stain lockers and tower darker color
• Add baskets to tops of locker
• "Decorate" table top in attractive manor*
• Use new tower to hold keys, sunglasses, receipts, camera, ipod,  etc.
• Paint pantry door with chalkboard paint
• New rug
• Paint stair area
• Hang new pictures

I know it sounds like a lot, but this area is a mess. It needs to function to keep us in order and also look nice.  It won't all happen in one day, but i do have all summer to keep rotating rooms until I am done.  

The "Green Thing"

So, what HAVE I been up too?  Well, besides trying to "declutter" my world, I have been trying to find ways to make our house work for us.  Not always an easy task,by the way.  I have been trying to find to figure out what we really need, how to store it and put things to good use......

Many years ago, in Boone,NC,I bought this green cabinet thing for about $30.  It was one of the few things I have kept from my first marriage (David keeps threatening to use it for a bonfire).  It was originally the TV stand. Then a stereo cabinet. Then a storage cabinet for serving pieces and wine glasses. Then  a toy cabinet in my daughter's bedroom.  Now it has returned to my living room to once again hold serving platters and board games (if I can evict the cat- he seems to find it homey).  Since my beloved cookbooks were scattered all over the house, I got them all together and put them here.  The shelves were on clearance for $12 each at Target.  The framed pictures are ones my children made for Mother's Day when they were 3 and 6. The Volkswagens are vintage Tonka that I bought for David years ago. When Helen came along we put them away...seemed like time to get them back out.

Dining room

This was my project for today...... the dining room.  I am determined to take this room back and eat dinner in it!!!!  This is what I started with:

The children had a large cabinet with doors that housed school supplies and things for crafts.  No one really does craft anymore, and if they do, I have the craft room in the basement they can go to.  Plus I had junk from my classroom that came home with me.

And this is after.  I still have plans for the room.  I plan to paint the desk/sideboard with cream colored chalk paint, the dining room table will be painted graphite or black.  I will also paint the wooden chairs. I have not decided what color.  Curtains will be grey and I will get new chair covers for the fabric chairs. Of course, I need to rethink the art in this room as well.  I have had the same stuff since we bought the house and am ready for something new.

I do still have a small chest in the dining room for paper, pencils, etc. the kids need for homework. The bulletin board will also be hung over it.  When you live in a small town home, the rooms must do double duty!