Day 9 - Home is Where You Hang

Wordless Wednesdays:  Beer + Men + Egos + Time + Space + Opportunity + Balcony = Tipsy Pull-Up Competition

Photo Courtesy of Tati. 

Day 8 - The Fun Stuff

Hi, Islanders.

My name is Tabitha.  I'm a decorator-aholic.

I find it difficult to pass a fabulous pillow or a small tchotchke or a pretty picture without feeling the need to have it.  I stroll the aisles of Target in search of amazing affordable pieces (even when I go just for trash bags).  Thrift and antique shops are my favorite places to hunt for unique pieces.  I enter these locations with the eye of determination... Determination to seek and FIND something pretty.

In the new house, I've spent six months fighting this urge. Telling myself I need to think about things before I purchase.  As a result, I've loved every purchase I've made but I've also come to a realization that I may be of OVER-thinking things sometimes.

I have friends and family around me who own beautiful homes.  They've taught me the nesting is active art... as in, happening right now... as in, it won't stop.

 

They've reminded me that it's ok to refresh my space periodically (within reason).  Now, I mentioned the level of effort required to make my parents feel better about their home in time for Mike's birthday.  Well, one of the fun things for my mom was decorating her spaces.

I watched her face light up fluffing pillows and hanging photos... you know, while doing "fun" stuff.

It hit me.


I've been depriving myself of the "fun" stuff!  I need to get back in the groove of moving things around the home and experimenting until I was satisfied with where decor landed (for that moment).  Hmm, I'm going to allow myself to shop and, more importantly, to shop the fab finds I already have.


Uh-oh, I've got the urge to do something new.  Let's talk tomorrow about quick and affordable ways to refresh spaces :)

Day 7 - Good As Great

I am supposed to share pics of my pantry today but I've got to interrupt the daily program to share a little about this weekend.

 

I mentioned we celebrated two birthdays this past weekend, remember?

 

First, we attended Chazzy's 6 birthday party.  It was a bubble gum theme!

 

 

Misty did her thang, as usual :) 

 

 

I used my beloved apothecary jars to create a fab candy display and we had a poppin' good time with our little sister-cousin :)

 

I left the bubble gum party and rushed to my parents' for my brudder, Mike's, beer tasting party:

 

 

 

It was a great time with family and close friends.  I do, however, want to share something.

 

This party was a major stressor for my parents.  Somewhere along the course of this year, my mom has developed a serious insecurity over her home.  She doesn't think it's big enough, new enough, clean enough or, simply put, good enough.

 

Mind you, we have always gathered at their home for Sunday dinners, holiday dinners, birthdays - you name it.  Their home is the heart of our family. 

 

 

This past year, however, my parents have not hosted a single event at their home.  When my mom announced that she wanted to surprise my brother, she also told me she needed my help pulling together some home projects.

 

I spent every Sunday since mid-August working with my mom to clear out, donate, redecorate, paint, update - CHANGE her home to be good enough in her eyes.  My parents and I stayed up until close to 4:00 a.m. the day before the party painting, decorating, cooking and WHY?!

 

Sure, there may have been some external triggers or some opinions that helped drive the changes but still...

 

With 60 people inside, outside, upstairs and downstairs, one thing was made clear the day-of the party.  Home is not about the standards of others; it's about what is important to the people who live there.

 

Gone are the days when home was a place for guests to feel comfortable.  You know, when you decorated with the opinions of others at heart... Yes, those days.

 

Homes are like a favorite pair of jeans... They don't need to fit or look great on anyone but you :)

 

My back hurts and I'm far too sleep-deprived to share the details of our labor but there is much more to come on the updates at the 'rents' place :)

 

Stay Tuned,

 

Day 6 - Free Pantry Printables

In the town house, we had a decent pantry.  It was long but narrow (about the width of a cereal box).  As you can probably imagine, I was excited to see the new house had a pantry cabinet:

 

I loved it. 

 

There are shelves on racks that sliiiiiiiide out, everything is hidden behind pretty cabinet doors... The cabinet opens and goes all the way to the ceiling for maximum storage... They are totally opposite what the other house had and I LOVED that.

 

After 6 months of real-time use, however, I've learned some things.  My snack storage needs work.  When I pull out the snack shelf things fall on the floor, it's a hassle to reach for the boxed snacks in the back, all of my snacks aren't contained to one area... It's just in need of some work.

 

Guess what?!

 

Today is the day!  I'm organizing my pantry :)

 

Want to join me for a pantry cleaning?  I'm going to wipe out the shelves, figure out new ways to store things, review the labels on goods to make sure nothing's expired, etc. 

 

Yep, I'm going to get my pantry life in order :)

 

To help motivate US, I've pulled some free pantry labels in case you need them for your pantry mission:)

 

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I can't wait to share my progress tomorrow!

Count this as a small victory, Islanders.

Go US!