My Home Office Reveal...Finally

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I've been promising a big office reveal for MONTHS now, but I promise this is the real deal! It's finally done!

I probably spend more time in my home office than any other room in the house. It's the space where I create for my business, take care of home business, blog and keep track of my daily schedule. I figured that a room that acted as the command center for our home and family needed to reflect our personalities and foster a sense of calmness and order. Until this redo started, the office had NONE of those traits.

Before I welcome you to my new home office, let's take a look at the chaotic mess it used to be...

Yep, there she is in all her glory. We painted those stripes on the wall when we moved in 5 years ago in an effort to cover up the hideous Carolina Blue that covered the walls. Sure it was fun and neat, but ENOUGH ALREADY. Like I said, I'm in this room all the time. The stripes were about to cause me to go crazy.

And now, without further ado, welcome to my new home office!!
When I walk in this room now, I can seriously breathe a sigh of relief. Everything has a home. There is a reasonable amount of furniture occupying the space. Each wall and surface is filled with things that are inspiring and encouraging and things I love. This room is no longer a dumping ground for junk or extra crap. And I LOVE IT!!

Here are some other before and after shots to help you get the full picture of my office awesomeness.

Before...

After...

Before...

After...

Sometimes I still can't believe the transformation! Our budget was pretty small, so nearly everything used had to be something we already had. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting a breakdown of projects, organizational tips and how we spent our measly little budget. So check back often for tips on how to transform a space with little to no money!

-Sarai

This post is linked at the following:

Gotta Start Somewhere

Redecorating my office seems to be the project that never happens. I feel like I've been talking about it for months if not years, yet nothing seems to get the ball rolling. Yes, I have my handy little project book (thanks to another simple girl who knows me all too well) filled with paint chips and color palettes and furniture layout ideas. I have my to-do list ready. I have my shopping list ready. And yet...nothing. About the time I started seriously getting my plans together for this project, I took on the task of keeping my niece a couple of days a week. And while, that is one of the most fun jobs to have, it doesn't exactly lend itself to help in the home improvement projects!

A few weeks ago, my husband was out of town, and I was bored. I really wanted to dive right in and slap some paint on the walls. However, because of the stripes that are currently on the walls, I wasn't up for the sanding and priming that would have to precede said paint job. So I decided to start small. I checked out my to-do list and found that project that would require the least amount of time and would require only materials that I had on hand. And so, "Reupholster Desk Chair" had its day in the sun!

Here's the chair before in all its boring blue plain jane office-y glory. The office is blue now, so sure, it matches. But that doesn't mean it looks awesome. We need awesome.

And one hour, several hot glue gun burns and some black and white gingham fabric later...TADA!! Much more awesome and it will tie in perfectly with the black and white theme I'll have going on in here.
I didn't remove the old fabric. I didn't use a staple gun. I just folded and tucked and snipped and glued until it looks how I thought it should. No, it's not perfect, but it's prettier than it was. And while motivation for this project hasn't exactly turned into motivation (read: free time) to get the rest of the office started, it's one less thing I'll have to do in the long run. You gotta start somewhere, right?

My Dirty Little Secret

If you know me personally or have been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I'm an organizer. I can't help it...it's just what I do. Everything has to have a place and everything has to be sorted by color or alphabetically. Well...almost everything.

It's about to be confession hour here at Three Simple Girls and I really can't believe that I'm about to spill my dirty little secret. The information I'm about to divulge is mildly embarrassing, quite comical and strangely ironic.

I have an obsession.

I am an container hoarder.

I have a problem.

Don't believe me? Check out our hall closet...

Other than a vacuum cleaner, a drying rack and a few cans of spray paint, the entire closet from floor to ceiling is packed full of organization containers. Folks, we've got wicker baskets, lidded containers, plastic bins, drawer organizers, buckets and photo boxes. Yes, most of them were purchased for a clearance price. Yes, some of them are still covered in the original packaging.

I'm not exactly sure what it says about a person who is very organized yet hoards organization supplies. I do know that I'm past the first step (admitting that I have a problem) and maybe, just maybe exposing my little problem will bring the motivation and accountability I need to take this closet from that to something a little more like this:

(www.allthingsgd.blogspot.com)

Here's to more organizing and less organizing containers!

-Sarai

Christmas Planning Binder

I know what you're thinking...She's one of THOSE crazies who thinks about and plans for Christmas all year long. And you'd be right! And you're probably also thinking Christmas was over a month ago! Let it rest for the next 11 months! And sorry, I can't! Go ahead and throw things at me if you wish, but I promise this post can make your life easier!

So, it's January and I'm already thinking about next Christmas. (I've even bought a couple of gifts already! Please don't hate me!) I know it sounds incredibly crazy. However, by planning for one of the craziest times of the year during one of the least crazy times of the year helps me to really focus on what I can do to make it as seamless as possible. During the first few weeks of the near year, I update my "Christmas Planning Binder", which is code for simple 1.5" notebook with dividers and is labeled appropriately.

You don't have to have a cute page in the front like I do, but I'm finding that the cuter I make things, the more likely I am to use them. So, thanks to some free digital scrapbook downloads and about 5 minutes of my time I have a nice little cover for my binder.


Inside, I keep all the Christmas planning/event supplies organized with labeled dividers.
In the Gift Ideas section, I keep tutorials for how to make homemade gifts and also magazine and catalog tear outs that contain items I might be interested in purchasing for a friend or family member.

In the Gift List section, I have a handy chart complete with the names of everyone that we purchase gifts for. This helps me to make note of ideas for that specific person, items already purchased and any type of budget for that person. This is just a simple chart I've made with the help of Microsoft Excel and can be done in a matter of minutes. Each year, I just print out a fresh copy.

The Cards S/R section contains a list of all the Christmas card recipients on out list. I have another handy Excel chart here to help me keep track of the cards we send and receive each year.

In the Addresses section, I have an address database containing all the names and addresses for the cards we send. In this section, I also keep a tutorial (thanks, Mom!) for how to properly complete the Mail Merge Action for Word/Excel so that I can print mailing labels to slap on the cards. This saves me TONS of time!

Under the Games tab I keep, you guessed it, games! I have copies of a couple of different Christmas themed games that I can use for parties or family gatherings. Games are a HUGE deal with our family at Christmas, so this section has proved to be helpful.

In the back of the notebook, I have several clear dividers to help keep something wrangled together. I have a divider for receipts that correspond with the items we purchase for gifts. I have a couple of dividers for Christmas letter stationery and mailing labels.
I also stash a little notebook paper in the back for note taking along with an ink pen.

I know this system won't work for everyone, but nearly every woman on my mom's side of the family has a binder like this and it's worked for us for years! So, take this time when Christmas isn't being jammed down our throats to thoughtfully plan and prepare for the most wonderful time of the year!

Do you already have a notebook of your own like this? How do you keep your Christmas plans and ideas organized? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

-Sarai

What's In the Works?

I've got several blog-worthy projects in the works, but none quite ready to share in their entirety. So, I thought I'd give you a sneak peek into what I've got going on.

My mom and I are hosting a baby shower for my brother and his wife (who are expecting a little girl in November) and we are all about making it cute and festive and fun and homemade and easy on the wallet!! We've had so much fun browsing sites and coming up with decor ideas and then turning them into projects we can do together. And let me tell you, we have done ALL KINDS of thinking outside of the box on this one, people! For example, exhibit A:

The shower's theme involved pink, green and brown...and we're dressing up THESE fruit and veggie cans as part of the decor. The shower is in a month and after it's all said and done, I'll be filling you in on all the cost-effective and creative ideas we're using to pull off one amazing adorable afternoon!

And now, I move on to these beauties...

These 2 solid wooden chairs belong to my husband. In college, he decided to cover the ugly green and brown original colors with this oh-so-lovely cow printed contact paper. Considering these chairs still remain in seemingly good working order, I thought I'd rid them of their farming days and dress them up with some pretty fabric and paint for our living room. It's still a work in progress, and I'm telling you, that you won't even recognize these babies when I'm finished with them!!

That's what's in the works for now...be on the lookout for some pretty big "After" reveals coming up soon!

Have a wonderful week!
-Sarai