Pinterest: My favorite pins of the week!!

I don't know about you, but I am a HUGE Pinterest fan.  

Here are my favorite 10 pins of the week (in no specific order).

What a great way to store your long, dangling necklaces so that they won't tangle and you can easily find them.  Image via Country Living

I don't have an iphone (yet) - I just recently crossed over and got a Macbook pro - but I sooo love this iphone case.  Awesome.  Available on Etsy

Gouda melted sauce - this looks insane!!  Check out the recipe HERE

These lace inspired envelopes are absolutely gorgeous!  Image via HERE

Madison Harding Casey platform wedges available at Shopbop

Love this idea.  MarthaStewart.com

The ikat print wall coverings, combined with the straigh tlines of the desk, and the whole look of the entire room in general is just amazing!!  Designed by Sara Gilbane

These velvet backed note cards are just gorgeous and so sweet.                                                                                                                   Available at Burke Decor designed by Velvet Raptor

The ombre effect of this floral arrangement is just stunning.
image via Vintage Rose Garden

This pair of benches could be my favorite pin of the week.  How gorgeous are these - I really want to duplicate this some how for my own home!  Image via Good Bones Great Pieces

Tip: Keep your cosmetics up to date!

Beauty products do have a shelf life** that isn't always stated directly on the packaging.  To help you out - put a sticker with the date written on it of when the product was first opened.  

If it starts getting gunky looking, you will know if its time to buy a new one. 

**FYI - Expired beauty products can leave to nasty bacterias, infections, and breakouts.

Image via Real Simple 

What did we do before Ziplock?

Those guys over at Ziplock really have their Thinking Caps on!  

Now - I am talking from complete experience because I travel A LOT - and this right here is brilliant.  The TILI Bag (Take It or Leave It) are reusable Ziplock bags that are great for travel.  They come decorated in 3 different color ways with fun, and happy prints.  You can stash anything in them and are great especially when you have to take your stuff out for security...  I don't think the entire airport security line needs to meet your toiletries.  Wet bathing suits, jewelry, rolled up belts, underwear, make up... these will schlep it all! 

Get 'em HERE!

A laundry basket with a brain!

Isn't this brilliant - a decorative collapsable laundry basket with handles to easily transport?!  This is a fabulous find for the apartment dweller who has to carry laundry to the laundry room, or easily take it to a laundry facility.  And -- I think they are quite pretty.  Available at World Market - $17.99  

Lets get Martha-nized!

Oh Martha, I am completely amazed by your talent.  

Martha Stewart is pretty much THE complete bad ass when it comes to making everything look beautiful, in its place, and properly function.  I don't know if you have ever seen her craft room - but holy cow.  It is sooo organized.  I want to be THIS organized.  Here is my problem - I'll organize an entire closet.... cabinet... anything - and then the moment I need to get something out of it - I feel like I am screwing it up again.  

Oh well.  I am on my way to be "martha-nized, just got to figure out a few kinks first!  

Al of those little white jars are different colors of glitter.  How many scissors do you have in your home? I've got kitchen shears, craft scissors, a cutting board (I needed it in art school) and finger nail scissors.   I am at 4.

all images via MarthaStewart.com

THE Goal.

Alright guys - here is the goal: To have every drawer, cabinet, and closet to look as beautiful and organized as this.  Can I do it?  You bet I can!

Image via Lonny

What household items they can't live without!!

Decorative Trays:

1.Simrin Tray at Burke Decor
2. Python Tray at Shop Furbish
3. White Tray at Z Gallerie
4. Copper Tray at Overstock.com
5. Bone Inlaid Tray Wisteria
6. via Overstock.com
7. Floral print tray at Burke Decor

From the Personal File.....

This image right here has now made me a die hard Lonny Fan.  I am absolutely in love with this lavish dressing room.  Oh a girl can dream!

Mary McDonald - dressing room via Lonny

And the organizing continues

With a new season brings on my itch to organize... So here it goes...

These white cabinets are in my foyer (yep - that's Lincoln in the corner) and they hold an amazing amount of storage - BUT its also a great sneaky spot to stash something real quick. I let these cabinets get messy. I have the tools to keep it tidy, but every few months or so, it all just gets out of wack.


So earlier today it was here:
- The towels were messily folded, sheets unorganized, everything just jumbled.
And now.... TADA.....
An organized place for everything!!
** Good Tip --- I am not good at folding fitted sheets - so I keep the fitted sheets (messily) folded in the large wicker baskets so I don't even have to stress about how it looks.

I pretend to be a chef....

I pretend to be a serious cook. I have a stack of recipes with full intentions of making them.... Honestly.... it doesn't happen. BUT - I won't throw them out, so instead I've decided to organize them (this being extremely helpful with planning my dinner party for this Saturday night BTW).
So - I went to Home Goods and purchased an inexpensive accordion file, took labels and sectioned each tab accordingly by group. Now, I have my own recipe box filled with recipes that I most probably will never use. You would think I would have high hopes in being the next Barefoot Contessa. At least I'm prepared should the urge arise.

PS- If you have any fantastic organizing tips - please do let me know, I'm looking for inspiring organization tips for future posts! Thanks!!!

Stylish Products while Making a Difference

It's so fun to go shopping for your home - and being so excited when you find a great deal on something you've really wanted. Well, how much better would it be if you were shopping for your home, found exactly what you were looking for at a great price - AND on top of it - you were supporting a fair trade, sustainable, non profit company? SERRV.org is that place to go!! SERRV builds strentgth in weak communities allowing artisans to practice their craft and make a living out of it. Their mission is to resolve poverty throughout the world.

So, I did a little comparison for you -

You can buy these canisters over at William Sonoma for $125-$150 for each canister, or....
You can get these beautiful Floral canisters at SERRV. The entire set of three is $55.




But - on my personal want list from SERRV - It would have to be This Zorbisi basket made by artisans in Zorbisi, Ghana

On My Mind....

Right now I am really focused! It's like my A.D.D. has officially left and I am ready to knock stuff off of the "To Do List!!" A lot of things on my list are organizing projects around my place, painting, that kind of stuff....

I made a promise to myself that every single day after work I will get rid of one thing off that list whether it be an errand to run, or something to do home...

So today it began with cleaning under the kitchen sink! Ew not fun, but here's how it went:

It started like this.... nasty!
Lincoln assisted and gave input from time to time.
And voila. A clean spot for a cleaning section.

The next thing on my mind actually is paint! I still want to be in the neutral lighter scale. but I can't decide if I want to be in the super pale blues or pale greys. So - We are here and I haven't elimnated a single swatch card yet.... If anyone has a tip for choosing a paint color - please do share!!

Anyway - I will keep you in the loop as more things get crossed off that list!

Glamorous Organization

I would love to have a space like this for my jewelry and accessories. This feels so glamour to me! But, for me to have it this organized and perfectly displayed I would need a way larger piece of furniture -- and I'd have to get rid of a ton of stuff.

image via Lonny

A Cool Key

I saw these keys in an old issue of Real Simple (October 09) and thought they were awesome. What a great way to tell your keys apart. I have a long hot pink nail polish stripe going on my house key for easy identification, but these are way cooler than that. www.statkeycompany.com

Decorative Trays

I have always liked decorative trays to group things together, I have a gold vintage bamboo tray on my dining table with vintage mid-century glass bottles, and then another bamboo like tray with a stack of books on it, and then another tray keeping my perfumes and make up brushes nicely together in the bathroom. I think they are so useful and decorative. Here are some of my favorites. (Also -- check out the last page of Elle Decor Jan/Feb 2010 issue for some really pretty trays as well).

www.iomoi.com

www.iomoi.com

www.iomoi.com

www.iomoi.com

www.decorativethings.com

www.decorativethings.com

www.decorativethings.com