The Bright Side

mission accomplished!

Hey all you procrastinators! Welcome back! With one day to spare, I finished my Procrastinator Party project and I am pretty pleased with the results.

The project I chose was to fix up my food pantries which were jam-packed and completely disorganized. Sadly, my cupboards have been this way for sometime. I tackled one section at a time and it really surprised me how little time it actually took once I got started.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

A few close-ups:

My canned goods:

School supplies:

Liquor cabinet:

Broom closet:

Cooking dinner in my kitchen tonight was a joy! Each time I reached for an ingredient from the cupboards, I grinned like an idiot. No digging, no searching, no wishing I was more organized.

And here is the second cupboard I tackled.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I love these expandable 3-tier shelves from The Container Store. They expand from a width of about 14" to 25". I bought the type with a little textured no-slip surface.

The cupboards aren't super stylish or cute, but boy are they organized! Thank you to Melissa over at The Inspired Room for holding this Procrastinator's Party. I hope she will do this again as it was really motivating and I can't wait to see all of your after pictures!

meet me on the equinox

Source

Here's a little something for all of you closet TwiMoms out there (you know who you are), the just released, Death Cab for Cutie video, Meet Me on the Equinox. This song will be featured in the second movie of the popular Twilight series, New Moon. The movie opens on November 20th and the soundtrack is due out on October 20th.

My daughter, Chrissie, got me hooked on the books and we have really enjoyed sharing this interest. It took her forever to talk me into reading the first book. Vampires? Really? Thanks, but no thanks. But, after reading the first one, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the subsequent books. I read them in record time. For me, it is the relationships between the main characters that is the real story, not the whole vampire thing. Thanks to the Twilight series my daughter and I have had many great discussions about life, love, and loyalty that we have both enjoyed. Thanks Stephenie Meyer!

So, what do you think? Have you read the books? Are you looking forward to the movie? Wish the whole Twi-thing would just go away? Bonded with your daughter talking about it?

Be sure to check out the party over at Julia's Hooked on Fridays.

procrastinator's party

I'm so excited to tell you (deep breath) that I am joining my first procrastinator's party over at the Inspired Room.  

So, here goes, my project proclamation. (This part is a bit embarrassing.) I have chosen to organize the contents of our food cupboards. They are a MESS and in dire need of some love and attention.  As you can see, I have been putting off this project for a long time! But, now thanks to Melissa's party, I can't wait to get started.

The "before" photos (blush):

The second cupboard doesn't look so bad, but to find something usually involves taking 10 other things out to locate the desired item.  Some sort of organizational system is badly needed!

Now on to the fun part, pulling everything out and starting over.  I'll post my "after" pictures on the party deadline, October 20th.  Good luck on your party projects!!

fall foyer

Good morning!  It is a drizzly, cool fall day here in my neck of the woods.  A perfect day to light the candles, turn on the mood music and cozy up to the new season.  So, I pulled together a few things and began to set the stage in my foyer.  This is what I have so far...

I am totally lovin' my new little finds from the ever-popular "Tar-jay" boutique... I can't quite decide what to put in the apothecary jar, though.  Maybe Ryan and I will take a nature walk later when things dry off a bit and see what little autumn treasures we can find.

This pumpkin spice candle with the tiny acorn doo-dad is my favorite thing on this little tableau.  The candle has a wonderful pumpkin-y aroma.  The scent is subtle, quite pleasant and not at all over-powering. Paired with the vanilla votive candles, it all smells quite delicious.  Now if I could just get Alex to stop blowing out every single lit candle that he sees, the moment that he sees it....

Here's how it all looks, standing back a bit...

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the results.  I would like to add a bit more texture of some sort.  That's half the fun though, isn't it?  Having a work in progress?  It will be interesting to see what else gets tucked in here and there. I do think it will be a nice warm welcome for family and guests.  Hmmm....suddenly I have this strange urge to bake pumpkin bread!  I wonder where that came from?  

Be sure to check out all the great ideas over on Beautiful Life Fridays at The Inspired Room and at Hooked on Fridays over at Hooked on Houses.

How's your fall decorating going?  

have you been to janet hill studio?

Have you discovered Janet Hill Studio? Janet Woodward-Hill is a talented artist from Stratford, Ontario. Her blog, Janet Hill Studio is where I purchased one of her oil paintings and I love it! In case you haven't found her on your own, I just had to share. Her work is wildly popular, it seems that almost as soon as she lists it, it is gone.  So, you have to be quick!

Fairy Lights

Janet describes her work this way, "I call these paintings my oil sketches because they are quick impressions of people, interiors, table settings and other household objects."

The Cake Show

I just call them heavenly! Each one is more delightful than the last. I am captivated by the colors, the textures, the subject matter and their smaller size. You can also find Janet Hill Studio on Etsy.  Be sure to check it out as she has a wonderful selection of very affordable prints there.

Petal Shoes

Janet also paints portraits.  I'm not sure if they are real people or right out of her imagination.  Either way, they are dreamy, thought-provoking and often mysterious.  How about this beauty?  Isn't she lovely?  

The Piano Singer
And finally, this is the painting I was lucky enough to snag.  It is called The Pool House.  Doesn't it just look like the perfect spot to curl up with a good book on a sunny summer afternoon?



The Pool House
I hope you enjoyed my review of Janet Hill Studio.  Check it out, I think you might really enjoy it.  She usually posts new paintings in the early evening and remember they go fast.  If you are interested in purchasing one, I suggest bookmarking her blog and checking it periodically during the late afternoon, early evening.  That's how I got mine.  
Be sure to check out the fabulous Hooked on Fridays blog party over at Julia's Hooked on Houses. Plus, I am certain this recommendation also qualifies to participate in the Beautiful Life Friday happening over at The Inspired Room. And a great big thank you to Janet for allowing me to use your beautiful photos!!

So, what do you think?  Isn't Janet Hill Studio awesome?
Happy Friday!!