Closet Reveal - So Far

This has been quite the journey for us this month as we have worked on this closet project and we are totally loving our new bright, fresh and organized space.  There are definitely things we would still like to do and add but it is a million times better than it was before. We have purged, painted, replaced, organized and cleaned our little hearts out.  So come take a look at what we have been up to:

Here is where we started, that classic ugly paneling that we have/had scattered across our house, ugly old linoleum and a closet stuffed with things that we just didn't need or use for that matter.

Everything was pulled out so we could begin the long task of purging and organizing.  This process took us weeks.  Mainly because we only had a few moments here and there to work on it.  After it was all said and done we got rid of 4 trash bags full of clothes and shoes and such - ready to be donated.  This project was not only about remodeling our closet but also a chance to simplify.  Did we really need five shirts that look almost exactly the same?  No. Did I need six pairs of flip flops when I always wear the same ones anyway? No.  So purged we did and wow, what a great feeling that was.

After, we had a clean slate to work with and everything was primed and painted - including the floor.  You can check out our how-to on paneling and floor painting for step by steps on what we did.  This was already a totally new space after all of the painting was completed.

 

Originally we had lots of plans to build storage ourselves but as time went on we realized that it just wasn't going to happen right now so we opted for something we wouldn't have to build or put together and was fairly inexpensive.  So off we went to Target (of course) and decided on the Itso organizers and bins.

Since we don't have a lot of clothing storage in our bedroom I need a space for things like t-shirts, pajamas and such so we picked up a few of these Itso storage cubes and bins.  I wanted to grab four but they were totally out of the white so I'm being patient and we will get one soon.  

I love these small Itso bins - right now I have scarves in one and the other is totally empty.  I can't believe I have a bin that is totally empty.  When I said we purged earlier, I really mean that.  I also grabbed another large bin for my top shelf to throw sweatshirts and sweaters in that I didn't want to hang.  Also on the top shelf are my boots and a jewelry stand.

So another addition was new hangers, I decided to go with the felt covered space-saver ones.  I picked up two packs at Homegoods (for $12.99, best price I could find) and then realized I didn't have enough. Of course, once I realized this and went back the green color I had already purchased was totally gone so I opted to grab some purple ones.  I decided it doesn't matter to me that they are different colors - they are still all uniform in size and shape.

I love these new hangers, they absolutely save on closet space.  So I got all crazy and organized my clothes by color.  Am I the only one who does that?

Shoes are something that got neglected in this project.  We plan on getting some shoe shelves in the future, but for now they have a spot on the floor.  

And, here is Justin's side - he is very proud of his neatness and organization.

His hangers didn't change much except for that he kept all of the plastic ones we had, another thing we will eventually do is grab some new hangers for him.

His shelf houses all of his pants, shorts and jeans.  And under he got a large Itso bin for all of his socks. 

So, that's pretty much it for now.  It's one of the places in our house that I love being in and now that we have a pretty and functional space we are hoping to keep it that way.

So one more quick before and after..

  We are so excited to be joining in with the Imagine the Impossibilities challenge.  Take some time to check out all of the great projects that have been a part of this challenge! And, thanks so much to all of the great blog hosts!

Thanks for joining us today!

Closet Progress Report

Question: Were we able to finish our closet redo this weekend?  Answer: Sort of.  We have definitely come a long, long way.  I'm actually really pleased with where we are so far.  I realized this weekend that this closet is going to be a work in progress for a while.  Mostly because we have ran out of closet remodeling funds and have limited time.  And, that's just the way it goes sometimes when you are on a budget.  Our ideas on what we wanted to do in this space just began evolving and changing as we went along and we just decided that we would add a little bit here and there as we go.  As of right now, its totally functional, clean, organized and much, much prettier.  Here's a little glimpse:

Tomorrow I will share with you the details and such as I link up and share along with the: Imagine the Impossibilities Challenge - that's coming to an end tomorrow.  After everything that has gone on in our personal lives over the last couple of weeks, this closet project has most definitely been a nearly impossible challenge.  But somehow, we have made huge progess and I'm eager to share tomorrow!

Also this weekend, someone in our house (I'm not naming names but he might be affectionately known as the King) thought it would be a really great idea to dump an entire box of cheerios on our living room floor.

Ok, so I might be partly to blame since I gave him -said box- of cheerios to play with.

He's just so cute though - all we could do was laugh.

Have a great Monday!

PS - Don't forget we have a giveaway going on, click here to enter ! - the winner will be announced Wednesday!

Our Painted Closet

Throughout last week I was able to get our closet completely painted from top to bottom (I don't know how that even happened).  When you start a project like this there is something about it that causes a chain reaction for other projects along the way.  If one closet gets cleaned out then all of the others need to be as well.  So last week we felt like our house was turned upside down, as we started cleaning, clearing and organizing but we are starting to slowly get things and back in order.  Let me share with you are closet progress to far...

Here is where we started:

Everything was cleared out to be purged, organized and simplified.

Priming was the first step - I ended up applying two coats of primer (this is just the first coat).  I followed the same steps for painting paneling as we did in our bedroom. 

Then two coats of white for the trim and shelves - I just used off the shelf Olympic white (like the rest of our house).  Then I applied two coats of Olympic silver lake - I found this paint in the Oops section at the Home Improvement store, it was $2.50!  I wanted a gray and just happened to really like this color - so always check there first, you never know what kind of deal you will find.

Next, our floor - I painted it the same way we did our bathroom floor, but essentially all I did was apply two coats of primer, two coats of paint - this was not any special kind of paint - once again I found this paint on the oops shelf (this one was a whopping $5), this paint started as Olympic Steeple Gray but the lovely people there tinted it darker for me since I was wanting a more slate color.  After the paint fully dried I applied three thin coats of Safecoat glossy floor sealer.  The key to this is to use a brush and to apply thin, even coats to assure you don't get any bubbles or streaks in your finish.  You could definitely add more coats of sealer for an even stronger finish.  I just used the minimum number of coats recommended since this is in a closet.

I have to say I have been pretty pleased with the way our bathroom floor has held up over the last several months.  The Safecoat sealer is the key to painting a floor like this.  I just love how the original floor pattern comes through the paint, it adds so much character.

So here is where we stand, all painted and pretty, ready to be filled.

Thanks for stopping by today!  We have a fun giveaway coming at you this Wednesday so make sure you check back to enter.  Have a wonderful week!

I'm a little late to the game but I have joined up with some other great bloggers with the Imagine the  Impossibilities Challenge this month with our little Closet Revamp/Purging/Organization Project.  Take some time to check out Thistlewood Farm (one of the awesome hosts) - check out some great projects and link up with yours too!!!

Just Another Day

Yesterday, after a messy meal, my sweet little Silas really needed a bath.  So off we went to fill up the tub, get his bath toys in and get ready for bath time.  It was a normal day, just like any other.  After I got him in the tub I reached over to grab a little washcloth and I sensed something strange happening.  He was giving me a funny look and wouldn't sit down - the vibe just wasn't right.

When I got closer to figure out what the deal was to my complete surprise my little sweet boy had pooped - a lot - right in that bath tub.  Panic set in for a minute, I froze, I think "What do I do?" came out of my mouth a few times.  Then I snapped out of my frozen state, grabbed him out, set him on the bathroom rug and began quickly grabbing all of the toys out of the tub.

As I did this, a very foul odor began to fill my nose - I thought for a minute, it must be the tub poop, but oh it was strong.  Well turns out I was very wrong, as I looked down I saw that my precious child had once again pooped - this time on the bathroom rug - had stepped in it and walked it all over the floor.
Panic number two set in - I believe the words "You got to be kidding me" came out and then "What do I do now" over and over.

Poop was everywhere and I felt like crumbling.  But somehow I snapped out of it, picked up Silas, washed off his feet, finally put a diaper on him, threw the rug in the wash and cleaned up the floor.
This missing part of the equation here is the poop in the tub.  See, Silas loves bath time, it's his favorite time of the day so once he realized he wasn't going back in the tub, a panic struck in him and fits ensued.

So out of the bathroom we went - still with a tub of poop and in walked in my knight in shining armor (that would be Justin).  I said, "He pooped in the tub!!!!" - to which he laughed.  "It's still in there!!!!" - to which he smiled and said, "I got it."  At that moment, I thanked God for such an amazing husband, because dear friends, I was pooped out.

Did you see I finished the trim and painted the walls in our closet? - that was just the side note of the day.

Cleaning Out the Junk

So this weekend might not have been as productive as I hoped - or maybe this little closet/laundry revamp is just going to take a lot more time than I originally thought, either way, we're taking it one step at a time over here.  My hope was to get the closet at least totally primed and even get all of the trim painted white.

Instead, we went from this-

To this-

I know it's not a huge improvement but it's definitely a start.  We now have a nice clean and empty space to work with.

Of course all of that stuff had to go somewhere....

This has now added fuel to the closet project fire.

Now begins the tedious task of purging and creative organizing - I say creative because we have quite a small space we are working with, as well as a small budget.  Hopefully some light bulbs will go off soon about what to do.  Maybe today's nap time will be rather productive.

Our life can be like this closet sometimes - overstuffed with things, some of it junk, some of it guilt from the past, some of it good.  In order for us to have a clear vision and understanding of God's precious love and grace we need to purge and re-organize.  What are some things we are holding onto that holds us back from experiencing God's abundant love and mercy? - They need to be purged, given to God and let go of.  Some of us are holding onto sins - junk that we just can't part with, that too hinders our faith and allows disobedience to creep in.  Some of us put importance on things that really aren't that important and then life gets messy - we need to re-organize our heart in this way: Loving Jesus should be the most important, and loving your neighbors second.  When we get rid of all that junk and reorganize our heart we can celebrate and rejoice in the blessings that Christ has poured out on us because our focus becomes clear  - our sights are set on things above.  So here we go, the cleaning and re-organizing and remaking of a closet leads to a heart check too.  God is awesome!  

Ephesians 5:1-2  Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Have a productive week!!