To Do List-Get Organized!

Remember how I said my "big little grey house" was small?  Well that was an understatement...especially now that my little side Etsy business is taking over every room...literally.

Here is my cute little screened in porch that I was going to paint cottage white and then sit out and read design magazines and drink lemonade...yeah not going to happen anytime soon.  With the Atlanta summer heat, this space has turned in to a place to work, paint, clean my frames and vintage items, and get some relief from the heat and bugs.  And no those are not body bags hanging from the walls...but rather my new coffee sacks that just came in and I am airing them out.  Lovely huh?

Oh and these guys are all over the place...I love my frames but man do they take up a lot of room...

My would be office that has turned into another space to put frames and now shipping boxes.. and all things without a home...

and how about that dining room..huh? Won't be having any formal dinners here anytime soon..

Are your eyes burning yet?  


Well this morning I woke up and decided I couldn't take it anymore...I am almost finished with the living room/office area and then I am off to organize the screened in porch.  I am determined for it to stay this way until....well at least until Monday morning :).

Cleaned up the dining room and organized boxes...when in doubt, find a basket to disguise clutter.

Cleaned up my little makeshift office...

Organized my frames that are ready to be shipped out...

Ahh much better.....  




Of course my dream would be to have a entire room to devote to my little side business...something like this

Check out the framed, painted in a soft teal, peg board...this would be perfect for my frames!

www.lauratrevey.com

or this...

all images from www.countryliving.com

images courtesy of 
www.home-designing.com

decorpad

decorpad

A girl can dream right???

And to all my Etsy sellers...how do you stay organized?  Where do you keep your inventory?  I would love to know...shoot me a quick line in the comments.

xoxo,
Karen

Welcome! Come on In...

So it appears that most of you started off by giving a tour of your homes.  Since we just moved in I don't have a lot of "afters" but I can certainly show you my "befores".  So come on in and make yourself at home!

 Here is the "little big gray house."  I haven't lived on one level since I was a kid but I must say that I could get used to this!  Living in such a small space has really forced us to be extremely organized.  There is no extra room for just stuff...everything has a place and I love it.


So here are the before shots:


The exciting foyer (NOT)

The formal living room...although there is nothing formal about this one!

The dining room....have you seen enough yet?

 

  The guest bath/Jordan's bath/powder room...don't you love rooms that have multi purposes? 

 

Ok that's enough for now.  You really don't want to see the master bath...it's a little scary.   In the next post, I will show you the progress.  Whew....


Karen

Hi There,

My name is Karen (you can call me Mrs. Rubbish) and I am married to a wonderful man, and we have one son and one yellow lab, Brody.  I am a full time real estate broker and my husband has just started his own business.  See pic below of the ...fam.

We just sold our very large home and are currently renting while we figure out our next move.   We moved from a huge 6000 sqf. home to a small one level ranch with rustic details that I absolutely love.  I don't miss the big house, in fact, I am having a ball decorating this little home and the change it represents.  I have deemed it the "little big grey house" :).

Why blog? This blog is a way for me to share my passion for decorating on a budget.  I enjoy the challenge and feel that I have finally found my voice.  And while I didn't ask for the turn of events that happened over the last three years, the struggle of finally living within a budget and below my means has restored my soul, my faith, and the belief that beautiful design does not have to be expensive.   The words that most resonate with me these days is

I now spend my days scouring flea markets, thrift stores, and antique booths looking for items that I can add my personal touch to.  I love reading designer magazines and then recreating those very looks for a fraction of the costs.  There is nothing I enjoy better than reading all of your wonderful blogs and feeling again as if I am home.


My hope is to become part of this wonderful organic community, and share some of my insight and ideas in the process.


Thanks for having me!
Karen