Organization

A Decorating To Do List for 2012

Remember when I used to keep monthly lists of things I wanted to do around the house? With all the traveling I just couldn’t keep up so I stopped but I miss them. I’m one of those people who always has a ton of lists: errands to run, things to look up later, restaurants to try, things to pack, etc. I have lists in my calendar, in my journals, on post-it’s and on scraps of paper all over the place. I love making them because they make me feel so much more organized and I also love the satisfaction of crossing items off.

I did a lot of organizing over the weekend and of course I made a bunch of lists and a lot of it had to do with the house. I wanted to be realistic since I already have a lot of traveling on the books for 2012 so I decided to make one big list for the year and see how that goes.  I’m sure the list will get amended throughout the year but here are the main things I’d like to get done this year.

  1. Get all the art lying around framed and hung.
  2. Finish* the family room – find a side table, find a basket/bin for firewood, maybe get a console.
  3. Finish* the master bedroom – reupholster the settee, refinish the coffee table, finish hanging art, find light for entry.
  4. Finish* master bath – find new shades for sconces, get new rug(s), find towel rack, hang art.
  5. Reorganize closet – install rack for scarves and hooks for bags, organize jewelry, hang art.
  6. Finish* guest room #1 -finish art wall, find better night stands.
  7. Finish* guest room #2 – get blinds, hang art.
  8. Finish* office – hang art and organize.
  9. Rearrange art studio and organize all art supplies.
  10. Do something with the laundry room – possibly wallpaper.

Oh my god, could this list be any longer? Writing it all down I realize it’s almost the entire house. What have I been doing with my time?? Well, at least the living room, dining room and kitchen are done!  So, what are your decorating plans for this year?

*By now, you all know by “finsh” I mean just get it to the point where I’m happy with it. There will always be tweaking down the road.

(Photo: Elle Decor)

The Day of Reckoning

So, it’s June 1 – the deadline I imposed on myself to complete my Scary To Do List. I knew from checking in a month ago that I had bitten off more than I could chew so I decided to focus on the first floor of the house and at least try to get everything done there. Did I make it? Well, not exactly. But I didn’t do too badly. I also got some things done that weren’t on the list originally. Have a look:

Dining Room

  • Find a light once and for all. Done.
  • Reupholster brass chairs. Done.
  • Paint sideboard. Done.
  • Paint chairs. Reupholster. (I’m trying to decide on fabric.)

Living Room

  • Reupholster green chairs. (I’ve ordered fabric that should be here any day now so this will be done soon.)

Family Room

  • Decide on and get window treatments. Done.
  • Find sconces. Done.
  • Find new rug.

Powder Room

  • Re-wallpaper. Done.
  • Get artwork framed.

I’m hoping to get the remaining items knocked out before I go on vacation in two weeks. I think I can do it!

So, this leaves the rest of the house. Publishing my to do list for all the world to see is definitely good motivation so I’m going to continue with it and also set another deadline. I’m adding a few things to my original list and giving myself until August 1 to finish the following:

Master Bedroom

  • Find ceiling mount light for entry.
  • Get drapes?
  • Hang art.

Master Bath

  • Order x-stool. Done.
  • Find new shades for sconces.
  • Find a towel rack.
  • Hang art.

Guest Room 1

  • Find nightstands.
  • Hang art.

Guest Room 2

  • Get shades.
  • Hang art.

Hallway

  • Organize shelves.
  • Hang art.

Office

  • Hang art.
  • Finish organizing.
  • Reupholster Baughman chair. Done.
  • Paint fireplace.

Studio

  • Find light fixture.

But first I think I need a nap.

P.S. Is anyone else having problems with Google Friends Connect? I don’t know if it’s related to all the problems Blogger has been having but blogs I’ve been following/joined have disappeared from my list ….. I think I’m going to have to update my entire list. Ugh.

(Photo via Nice Room)

Progress on To Do List, One Month to Go

So May is here (already) which means I have one month left to complete my scary to do list. Here is how I’m doing:

Dining Room

  • Find a light once and for all. Done.

Living Room

  • Reupholster brass chairs. (Chairs are going in the dining room instead and staying black for now.)
  • Reupholster antique chairs.

Family Room

  • Reupholster antique chairs. (Chairs are going in the living room instead. See above.)
  • Decide on and get window treatments. Shades ordered.
  • Find sconces. Done!

Powder Room

  • Re-wallpaper.

Master Bedroom

  • Find ceiling mount light for entry.
  • Get drapes?

Master Bath

  • Order x-stool. Done.
  • Find new shades for sconces.
  • Find a towel rack.

Guest Room 1

  • Find nightstands.

Guest Room 2

  • Reupholster Baughman chair. (Chair is going in the office instead. See below.)
  • Get shades.
  • Hang art.

Office

  • Hang art.
  • Finish organizing.
  • Reupholster Baughman chair. (Fabric found; need to send to upholsterer.)

So I’m doing better than a month ago but I still need to get things in gear if I’m going to finish all this by June 1!

I want to thank you for all the kind comments about the Nicholas House room makeover. The project presented quite a few challenges so I really appreciate the nice feedback. Thank you!

(Photo: Skona Hem)

 

Progress on To Do List

Yikes, is it really April already? Since that means I have exactly 2 months left to complete my scary to do list, this might be a good time to check on my progress. Here is where I am:

Dining Room

  • Find a light once and for all.

Living Room

  • Reupholster brass chairs. (Decide on fabric. The hard part.)

Family Room

  • Reupholster antique chairs. (Decide on colors and fabric. Again, the hard part.) I really like the pink in the photo above.
  • Decide on and get window treatments.

Powder Room

Master Bedroom

  • Find ceiling mount light for entry.
  • Get drapes?

Master Bath

  • Order x-stool. Done.
  • Find new shades for sconces.
  • Find a towel rack.

Guest Room 1

  • Find nightstands.

Guest Room 2

  • Reupholster Baughman chair. (Choose fabric.) Fabric bought.
  • Get shades.
  • Hang art.

Office

  • Hang art.
  • Finish organizing.

Um, yeah. I guess I better step things up. Between that, getting things together for my Nicholas House project and catching up on everything around here, my weekend is looking pretty full. How about you? Have a good one!

(Photo: World of Interiors)

Scary To Do List

You may remember that when we moved into this house, I decided to take a slow and steady approach to decorating it. I wanted to take my time and get things right instead of rushing to just get it “done” like I had in all my previous homes.

Well, it’s been just over a year and I think I have been taking things a little too slowly. The main reason for this is my inability to commit (to colors, patterns, etc.) But I’ve decided enough is enough. I’m at the point where I know the house really well – how we are using it, the best furniture placement in all the rooms, etc. – and it’s time to wrap this up! There will always be tweaking and reworking (of course) but it’s time to get the following things done:

Dining Room

  • Find a light once and for all.

Living Room

  • Reupholster brass chairs. (Decide on fabric. The hard part.)

Family Room

  • Reupholster antique chairs. (Decide on colors and fabric. Again, the hard part.)
  • Decide on and get window treatments.

Powder Room

Master Bedroom

  • Find ceiling mount light for entry.
  • Get drapes?

Master Bath

  • Order x-stool.
  • Find new shades for sconces.
  • Find a towel rack.

Guest Room 1

  • Find nightstands.

Guest Room 2

  • Reupholster Baughman chair. (Choose fabric.)
  • Get shades.
  • Hang art.

Office

  • Hang art.
  • Finish organizing.

I’m one of those people who works better under a deadline so I’m giving myself one: June 1 to complete all this. Care to take bets?

Have a great weekend!

(Photo: Lonny)

What I Did On My Blogging Break

I got so much accomplished around the house last week while I was not spending time online. (Gee, could there be a correlation?) Here are the things that I finally got to cross off of my to do list:

  • Clean/organize garage.
  • Clean/organize storage room.
  • Organize kitchen office.
  • Donate household items and clothing to Goodwill.
  • Organize linen closets.
  • Reupholster dining chairs.
  • Organize office. (Almost done.)
  • Organize art studio. (Almost done.)

I also got the guest rooms set up before Christmas. So this means every room in the house is finally cleaned and purged of unnecessary stuff. Now comes the fun part of organizing and decorating. I’ve been dying to get to the point where I could say that ever since we moved in!

Here are the dining chairs before:

and after:

Nothing too drastic. I just wanted to give them an update and I also didn’t want to mess with the wood. I really love the bold black stripe of this fabric (found at Fabric & Fringe, a fab store that Julie has been telling me about for months).

I know it’s sick but in all honesty, this is exactly what I wanted to do over the holiday break. How did you spend your holidays?

(iphone photos: From the Right Bank)

October Recap and a Little Preview of November

tig

It’s the end of another month and time to visit my to do list. Here is how I did on the October list:

OCTOBER TO DO LIST

1. Organize important documents and papers. (My dear husband actually did this but I still get to cross it off of my list!)

2. Organize vanity drawers; toss old makeup.

3. Organize office supplies.

4. Clean garage.

5. Take donations to Salvation Army.

6. Organize coat closet.

Not bad, eh?

Now normally, this is where I would post my to do list for the coming month but something big has been brewing around the Right Bank household recently that is going to consume November and probably the rest of the year. It’s all good but I’m feeling a little like this right now:

Picture 46

More on this next week!

Finally, I would like to thank some lovely people for blog awards this month. For the Kreativ Blogger Award, I have to thank Natascha from Mocca and Me, Daniella from Dress, Design & Decor, and Sanity Fair. I also want to thank Lucy from Four Walls and a Roof for the One Lovely Blog Award. It’s really an honor to receive awards from such wonderful bloggers so thank you all!

If you haven’t entered yet, don’t forget the All Modern Giveaway will be ending at midnight tomorrow PST. The winner will be announced on Monday. See you then! Happy Halloween!

(Photos 1. via This is Glamorous 2.Glamour)

October To Do List And September Recap

sh

Can you believe tomorrow is October already?? September turned out to be a complete whirlwind and I had no time for anything so I’m kind of scared to visit my monthly to do list but here goes:

SEPTEMBER TO DO LIST

1. Organize important documents and papers. [Nope. Still didn't get to this one. You were right, Jane!]

2. Organize pantry. I just can’t seem to keep it neat. Am I the only one?

3. Organize vanity drawers; toss old makeup.

4. Organize master bathroom drawers.

5. Organize travel toiletries. Prepare a set ready to go.

6. Organize office supplies.

Yikes. 50%. That’s not very good now, is it? Oh well, all I can do is try again next month. So as usual, the unfinished items go to the top of the list:

OCTOBER TO DO LIST

1. Organize important documents and papers.

2. Organize vanity drawers; toss old makeup.

3. Organize office supplies.

4. Clean garage.

5. Take donations to Salvation Army.

6. Organize coat closet.

lovethissite

And in other news this month, I was very pleasantly surprised to find out that I have been nominated for a Love This Site Award from Divine Caroline. The other blogs nominated in my category (Style) are some of my favorites and I’m really honored to be included in such good company. If you’re feeling so inclined (and you aren’t totally sick of all of my shameless self promotion lately!), I would love your vote! Thank you and I promise not to ask you to vote for anything else ever again!

September To Do List, August Recap And Some Misc. Bidness

DSC_1372

Can you believe tomorrow is September? Where did the summer go? Here’s what I got done on my August to do list. (In case you’re new to my blog, I keep monthly to do lists and revisit it at the end of each month.)

AUGUST TO DO LIST

1. Toss magazines older than 1 month. [I think I need to give this up. At least for a while. I'm NEVER going to catch up.]

2. Clean the rest of the filters in the house.

3. Organize important documents and papers.

4. Move bookshelf into guest room.

5. Move sideboard to kitchen area.

6. Hang Tord Boontje curtains. [I still can't decide where I want it.]

7. Move striped rug back to the living room.

So I didn’t get to everything but I actually did something not on the list which was to organize my dressing area.

DSC_1362

I even broke out the camera and shot some details.

DSC_1383

And by popular request (and by “popular” I mean like 3 people), here’s a little shoe porn. And yes, I’m a label whore. I admit it.

DSC_1258DSC_1268

I couldn’t resist the gold heel/silver strap combination.

DSC_1290DSC_1278

And these are now the highest shoes I own. LOVE.

I decided that I’m not going to tackle any big projects in September and instead do a lot more organizing.  Here’s what I’m hoping to get done.

SEPTEMBER TO DO LIST

1. Organize important documents and papers.

2. Organize pantry. I just can’t seem to keep it neat. Am I the only one?

3. Organize vanity drawers; toss old makeup.

4. Organize master bathroom drawers.

5. Organize travel toiletries. Prepare a set ready to go.

6. Organize office supplies.

header909

On another note, what do you think of the new banner? For the moment, I’m kind of liking just the simple black text with no images. But I’m also thinking I might like to have something designed. [Anyone interested in volunteering some graphic design services?] ;)

blog-loving-awardhonest scrap

And finally in wrapping up August, I’d like to thank Macy at Me Oh My and Trish at Under Lock and Key for blog awards this month. Thank you girls, I really appreciate it!

(Photos: alek)

August To Do List and July Recap

Happy August, everyone. It’s the beginning of a new month so that means it’s time for my monthly to do list. Here’s how I did in July:

JULY TO DO LIST

1. Toss magazines older than 1 month. [I'm about halfway through. They just. Keep. Coming.]

2. Find an outdoor rug. [Decided we didn't need one after I completed #6.]

3. Clean all the filters in the house. Yuk. [Didn't get to all of them.]

4. Clean the chandelier. Double yuk.

5. Get a coil hose for the garden. [Thanks, Christy!]

6. Rearrange outdoor seating area.

7. Organize important documents and papers.

I really didn’t get very much done and the list is doing its job of making me feel very guilty about it! As usual, the unfinished July items go on the top of my August list.

AUGUST TO DO LIST

1. Toss magazines older than 1 month.

2. Clean the rest of the filters in the house.

3. Organize important documents and papers.

4. Move bookshelf into guest room.

5. Move sideboard to kitchen area.

6. Hang Tord Boontje curtains.

7. Move striped rug back to the living room.

one lovely bloglemonade-gratitude-award_thumb2_thumb-146x150blog-loving-award

I also want to thank all of the lovely people for blog awards in July. First, Julie from Chic Little Shop for the One Lovely Blog Award. Second, Lola from the Johnson Diaries and Monika from Eco-Stylista for the Lemonade Stand Award. And last but not least, Samantha of Bromeliad and Christy from Simply Dwell for the Blog Lovin’ Award. I really appreciate your thinking of me and am really touched. Thank you all!

I’m guest posting today at one of my favorite blogs so I’ll be back with all the info on that in a little bit.

July To Do List and June Recap

Picture 37

Where does the time go? It’s already a new month so time to face the list.

JUNE TO DO LIST

1. Plan potagère.

2. Weed!

3. Toss magazines older than 1 month; read them first(!)

4. Unpack everything. (I have a bad habit of leaving souvenirs and random items in bags for weeks after a trip.)

5. Find an outdoor rug. 

6. Have windows cleaned. 

7. Cull dog toys.

June ended up being crazy busy and I’m not sure why. So there was no time for the magazine purge. So this will be number 1 for July. And I just can’t seem to find an outdoor rug that I like that doesn’t cost a fortune. At this rate, the summer will be over and I won’t need one anymore. Any suggestions?

JULY TO DO LIST

1. Toss magazines older than 1 month; read them first(!)

2. Find an outdoor rug.

3. Clean all the filters in the house. Yuk.

4. Clean the chandelier. Double yuk.

5. Get a coil hose for the garden.

6. Rearrange outdoor seating area.

7. Organize important documents and papers.

Are any of you keeping lists? How are you doing on them?

(Photo: Mark Lund)

My Organizing Prowess

seejane

You wouldn’t know it by the look of my workspace these days but I’m actually big on organization. Boxes, folders, bins, labels . . . they make me positively giddy. So I was really excited when Jen at the Haystack Needle started up a new series called Lost + Found where bloggers share their organization systems. I was even more excited when she asked me to participate! Head on over today if you’d like to see how I organize all my crap I mean, earthly possessions.

(Photo: See Jane Work)

June To Do List and May Recap

Picture 35

In May, I got to everything on my list – but only because I purposely put just 3 things on it(!)  Hey, I’m no dummy. There’s nothing like a short list to make you feel like you accomplished something. :)

MAY TO DO LIST

1. Finish fixing up the guest room. 

2. Rearrange outdoor space.

3. Take donations to the Salvation Army.

I’ve got pretty modest plans for June as well.

JUNE TO DO LIST

1. Plan potagère.

2. Weed!

3. Toss magazines older than 1 month; read them first(!)

4. Unpack everything. (I have a bad habit of leaving souvenirs and random items in bags for weeks after a trip.)

5. Find an outdoor rug.

6. Have windows cleaned. 

7. Cull dog toys.

(Photo: Ferm Living)

May To Do List and April Recap

dsc_6576(the new entryway)

I’m a few days behind with my monthly recap so here I am posting on a Sunday. (How’s that for dedication?) So, this is what I got done on April’s to do list:

1. Spruce up dressing area.

2. Finish decorating entry. (Photo above.)

3. Decorate studio; organize art supplies.

4. Have the lawn looked at. It’s a hot mess!

5. Plan/start on potagere.

6. Fix up the guest room. (Almost there!)

I didn’t get to #1 and frankly, I don’t know what to do with it so I’m putting that on the back burner for now. 

As for #5, I actually think it was a little too early to start on it so it’ll go on my list for June. 

May’s to do list is going to have to be very short because I’ll be away for part of it plus I have guests coming so there won’t be much time for any big projects. 

MAY TO DO LIST

1. Finish fixing up the guest room. 

2. Rearrange outdoor space.

3. Take donations to the Salvation Army.

And that’s it. We have to stay realistic, right? For those of you keeping lists, how are you doing on them?

April To Do List and March Recap

42-16716129

Wow, is tomorrow April already?  I guess this means I  have to face March’s to do list. Here’s what I managed to get done this month:

1. Clean up the studio; hang artwork.

2. Add hanging space to dressing area.

3. Spruce up dressing area.

4. Move armoire.

5. Hang artwork in bedroom.

6. Find place for two end tables.

7. Finish decorating entry. 

8. Hang photo(s) in powder room.

Hooray! I actually did clean up my studio. Now I just need to start decorating it. Numbers 3 and 4 are easy enough but March just ended up being a busy month so I didn’t have a chance to get to them. But I will and they will actually be fun to do. 

So my to do list for April is:

1. Spruce up dressing area.

2. Finish decorating entry.

3. Decorate studio; organize art supplies. (The photo above is just fueling my current love of yellow with red. More on that this week.)

4. Have the lawn looked at. It’s a hot mess!

5. Plan/start on potagere.

6. Fix up the guest room.

What projects do you have planned for this month?

March To Do List and February Recap

ilse2(guardian.co.uk)

I don’t know how it happened but I managed to do everything on my February to do list with one giant exception. To recap:

1. Clean up the studio; hang artwork.

2. Decide how I want to reconfigure the closet.

3. Organize closet. (In progress and should be finished by this weekend.)

4. Hang artwork in dining room.  (I’m counting the mirror as the artwork.)

5. Get new dinnerware.

6. Organize pantry. 

7. Move writing desk from living room?


Of course, number 1 was the big one and I did not get to it. So it goes on the top of the list for March. 

1. Clean up the studio; hang artwork.

2. Add hanging space to dressing area.

3. Spruce up dressing area.

4. Move armoire.

5. Hang artwork in bedroom.

6. Find place for two end tables.

7. Finish decorating entry. 

8. Hang photo(s) in powder room.

 

What projects are on your to do list? Have a good weekend, everyone!

To Do List for February

gasl_organizing_tips_05(dominomag.com)

To help me be more productive in the month of February, I’m making a to do list for the house.  I’ve always loved lists. There’s nothing like making a list to get yourself organized. I have tons of them floating around: restaurants to try, calls to make, books to read, etc. The key to a good list, I’ve learned, is to make it realistic so you have a decent chance of actually getting everything done. Here’s my house list for February:

1. Clean up the studio; hang artwork.

2. Decide how I want to reconfigure the closet.

3. Organize closet.

4. Hang artwork in dining room. 

5. Get new dinnerware.

6. Organize pantry. 

7. Move writing desk from living room?

I think that’s plenty for one month so I’ll stop there.  I’m going to go get an early start on number 1. Have a good weekend, everyone.

New Year, New Closet

gasl_organizing_tips_13(dominomag.com)

I decided my next project is going to be to pretty up my closet. And yes, I said “my” because I took over the entire walk-in closet/dressing room in our bedroom. In my defense, it’s not a *big* walk-in. Say, like this one, for example:

gasl_lyons_10

Thankfully, my closet is fairly organized already; I’ve been good about purging things from it on a fairly regular basis. But apparently I still have a lot of clothes. And shoes. And bags. I’d like to be able to see what I have and just generally get the entire closet to function better while making it more pleasing to the eye.  Perhaps this weekend?