So, I was in one of those I-wanna-redecorate-the-entire-house-but-I-only-wanna-spend-$20 moods yesterday which always leads to a call to my sister, the last of these calls being one where she (thankfully) talked me out of painting flowers all over Lainey’s beautiful-just-as-they-are-perfect-shade-of-pink walls. She convinced me to simplify the living room (a.k.a. get rid of needless crap), and I decided to top it off with rearranging the room which always tricks my brain into thinking I’ve completely redesigned something. The product may not look much different but look closely…
THE BEFORE: (notice the after-first-birthday pile of toys overflowing the wall cubby which makes our house look like FAO Shwartz)
THE AFTER: (problem solved with prying off weird scrolly iron things on bottom of coffee table and storing all toys in baskets under table. So much better!)
…and throwin’ in for fun: (just one of her many “looks”)
I wish I were there, snuggled in one of those awesome couches with Lainey Bug on me…nice job, and nice idea with the basket bins under the coffee table–out of sight, with style. It is just the coolest thing watching a native Floridian begin her life there…not on vacation, not visiting…calling it home! I can’t wait to call it home too. Love to you all.
looooove the baskets. as they grow, it is SUCH a challenge to keep your house “kid friendly” and “hers”…with all of her toys just within reach, so when she feels an urgent need for a set of blocks or a baby doll, it’s right there…but to balance that with making your house feel organized, safe, presentable, and just plain homey. And of course, candlelit. 🙂 I also think they get overstimulated and/or bored when they can see all of their toys at once. she is going to peek into one of those baskets soon, and be all surprised to see a “new toy”. oh, i loooove toddlers.
and it looks GREAT!! i love other newbies too: the change in couch positions to create a different “conversation nook”, the moved red lamp thingie, the pretty long stemmed flowers over the fireplace, and the casually placed items on the coffe table, like they all just landed there as you polished off your latest book on the latest best-seller, “Decorating When You Have a Crawler and A Walker On Your Hands”.
whew, long comment, but i have two other thoughts…
1) i felt like 7 years old again, reading Highlights magazine, jumping between the two pictures, asking “what’s different??”
2) laughing hard at the thought of you prying said “weird scrolly things” from the bottom of coffee table. L…friggin…O…L.
Good job, Mommy. xoxo jc
I am so glad you have Jen and Kelly in your life…together, I swear you were all separated at birth! G’nite…I’m enjoying a pomegranate martini, chat with a neighbor about how we think another neighbor killed his wife and mother-in-law because we haven’t seen either of them in a long time…actually, we would have held her while he did…Oh, that was terrible to say…ok, it was the martini talking. G’nite again.
LOVE what you did in terms of furniture arrangement. Love the baskets! Beautiful!
I actually like it better without the scrolly stuff. looks awesome. wish I were sitting in it, sipping some dunkin donuts, playing with the lainster.
Yes! I totally know what you mean about rearranging and brain tricking. I do it ALL the time. And I repaint my house like once a year. Looks great. I am on a toy organizing mission today…
Big difference! Looks beautiful your house is beautiful! Love her looks she gets more beautiful everyday just like her mommy!
Seriously, that small of a change made such a great impact. LOVE IT!
I love the changes. It is so great to have kids toys on hand and also to have a presentable house that you would feel proud to have someone walk into.
With that said, I haven’t had that feeling in a long time, but maybe I will buy some baskets, light candles, rip scrolls off the walls, hang a monkey from a chandeleir…we’ll see how it goes. I’ll send pics:):) LOVE YOU, MISS YOU love your new look in the house. Very clean, simple, yet inviting, comfortable. Great Job Dahling!