utility room overhaul: organize! organize! organize!

We took on the (daunting) task of organizing the utility room!!

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of my utility room before we went all medieval on it's tuckus.  You see, the utility room was always the part of my house I was most ashamed of.  That's probably not true... there are, and have been, many embarrassing parts of this house... but this is one of the tops!

What I DO have, are pictures of the room from move-in day, way back in 2009!  

The dryer wouldn't stay closed- it was taped shut.

Dingy, to say the least.

And then there was this pleasant surprise- the drain was hooked up to... nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  Imagine my shock when I first used the utility sink.

Game Plan: 

Step 1) Take out EVERYTHING in the room, organize/take stock and toss the trash:

FYI- that is a bag of hay.  Do you keep hay in your utility room??

Where paint and wood go to die.

This is what the room looked like without everything in it:

As you can see, it is less of a storage room and more of a storage hallway.  How convenient.  The cabinet against the back wall is from the kitchen (removed when I relocated the fridge.)  I was using it as a makeshift tool bench; it failed splendidly at this task.  You see, the back corner of the room is kinda dark and you have to weave around all the other items to get back there.   I realized this was a stupid layout, as tools are the number one item I go into the utility room for, so why in the world would they be located the furthest away?!  And why would I make it so difficult to see what I am reaching for??  Yeah, pure genius this was.  

I hated that room, back then, sooooooooo much.  So, so much.  Dark, cramped, hard to get around in, and nothing in its own “place.“

I also want to demonstrate for whining purposes how the washer and dryer doors bang into the studs, and therefore do not open completely, let alone have room for me to stand in front of!  I tell ya, my kingdom for a real laundry room.  Ok ok, enough ranting and back to the actual project...

Step 2) Pegboard for tools:

This undertaking was also a perfect excuse for us to break in our new toys!  For Christmas, we were lucky enough to get a Jawhorse, which we used to clamp onto anything and everything, as seen above.  For those interested, it works as advertised- that wood is going NOWHERES!

We also got a kick-a$$ miter table saw, which we used to make perfect 45 degree angles, even though no one will see it!

Quick tutorial: using 1x2s, we made a basic frame to the desired specifications.  We put a middle bar/ brace that lined up with the wall stud for added support.  This frame (which, for the record, you dont have to make 45 degree cuts,) was screwed into the wall with wood screws: 3 inchers for the stud and 2 inchers when just into the drywall.  Everything got a healthy squiggle (technical term) of Gorilla glue before mounting, as well.  Next, the pegboard is glued & screwed* to the frame in the same fashion.

Voila!

Note: NO organizing should be undertaken without jazz hands and wine.

Step 3) New storage bins.

 We got these puppies from Amazon- they come in four different sizes (and many colors!)  There are also dividers to separate each bin further and they are stackable!  Perfect.  After laying out all our stuff, we calculated how many bins we would need, that way ensuring we weren't left with a bunch of extras.


Final Results:

The corner between the shelving units makes the perfect place to store extra lumber!

 Before, we had all the extra lumber, drywall, and insulation* stacked against the right-side wall... needless to say this is a HUGE improvement!!

PEGBOARD! of TOOLS!  Like in a REAL WORK-ROOM!!!  

And before you say anything, no- we aren't going to outline the shapes of the tools to designate their places.  That's just too much commitment, which wouldn't allow for organizational change-ups!** 

 That's right, AND we got a small-drawer unit for all our fasteners.  We're gangster like that.

Little background on that table you see- IT ISN'T ONE!  WA-BAM!!!  Didn't see that one coming, did you?  Well, the beau happened to have a Lack floating shelf from Ikea that was narrow enough to fit our needs (we didn't want a table that was too deep and would intrude into the already narrow walkway,) but big enough to hold the fasteners container and some miscellaneous items.  So, we installed the shelf and secured an extra 2x4 to the corner for added support and to complete the “table“ look. 

We've put any duplicate items and tools too small to hang on the board in the tool boxes, as well as extra pegboard hangers.  All other bulky tools, like the palm sander, are kept on the shelf above the smaller board by the door.

So, yay?  I SWEAR this would be incredibly impressive if you saw pictures of how it looked before.  So, let's just pretend you saw the non-existent pictures and you are currently sitting there with your socks knocked off.

*We stored the insulation in the attic after cleaning it out.

**change-ups, a necessity!

attic clean-out: crap left from prior owners

Foreboding

So, for those of you who don't know, this house is the house that keeps on giving.  You may think to yourself, "Self, you know what I need?  A bike mount for my car!" and my house will give it to you!  For free!  All you have to do is dig it out form under 4 years worth of leaves!  Or, if biking isn't your thing, you may say "Gee willikers, I could really use a broken gas grill," you'd have it!  But, if what you really covet most of all are bags upon bags upon BAGS of clothes, purses, miscellaneous papers, and pictures from strangers, well... look no further:

WHO LEAVES ALL THIS CRAP?!?!?!

So, the beau went up into the attic and dropped all the bags, with gusto and glee, onto my poor unsuspecting head.  Don't believe me?  PHOTO EVIDENCE:

I think it was around now that I started freaking out and feeling like I should go on the show Hoarders.*  Couldn't get this stuff out of the house fast enough!!!

You can't tell me this wouldn't push you towards insanity

There was a solid 20+ bags left behind by previous residents in the attic.  The idea of throwing out good clothing when people need it pained me.  Couple that with an intense curiosity as to what was in all these bags, and the beau and I soon found ourselves opening every single one and riffling through!

We threw away most of the clothes because they were stained, had holes, or were too old (gotta love when the elastic waist band tears at the slightest pull!)  But, on the positive side, two 55gallon bags made their way to Goodwill!

We also found tons of pictures, mainly from concerts (weird), in the bags, but a few photos were taken in the house!  I was excited for these, as I wanted to see how the house was with all the crazy colors (seen here) but in the pics all the walls were white!  What gives?  Did they decide to just go NUTS right before leaving for my benefit?!?!?

Other fun things?  This shell box:

So pretty.  I think I should have gifted this to someone...

How 'bout some fashionable Betty Boop shoes:

Ooh la la!

There was a bunch of traditional clothing:

Kinda cool!

There were a few purses and shoes thrown in, and some great (read: ugly & falling apart, see above) Christmas decorations.  But the most random items?  Two $100 bills... from Korea and Brazil; an MS-DOS manual (the beau got a kick out of that,) some paperwork regarding immigration of a family member, and THIS:

A retainer with fake teeth?!?!?!

Well, if you're gonna loose teeth, at least it's the front ones.

The Aftermath:

These suckers were HEAVY!

We also found that our attic had not one, not two... but FOUR open holes in its side!!!  No wonder we had a little squirrel making himself at home right above our bed (most annoying & scratchy squatter ever!)  Soon after getting all these bags cleared out, we patched the holes from the inside.  When it gets warmer, we will properly seal up all holes from the outside of the house and replace any shingles.  I'm beside myself with excitement for this thrilling task.  Sarcasm.

Holes.  Lovely.**  

This is a mound of insulation.  This is also the freakin' PENTHOUSE of a nest that blasted squirrel made!  

After all this was done, it was TO THE SHOWER!  Nothing like being covered in attic insulation and up to your elbows in other people's clothing to make you crave clean.


Yup!  That was our New Year's Eve fun (that I teased you with here.)  The rest of the holiday was much better: celebrated our anniversary!!!  Ahhhh, amour.



*I love/hate watching that show.  It's fascinating, but after every episode you want to throw at least 16 items out from your house!  I fear ever watching a marathon of that show would make me neurotic...
**Oh yeah, the beau?  Was seriously unexcited (some may say "dreading,") at the idea of laying down & inching into that corner to access that far hole.  I don't blame him!

power to the people; except us

You know, it's pretty.  It really is.  All the branches are hanging low with the weight of the snow, which was so wet that it stuck to everything.  But... but maybe it's a little too heavy?  Maybe it would have been a touch nicer if this was a dry snow, and, oh I don't know... MEANT THAT WE COULD HAVE KEPT OUR POWER?!?!?!?  

Speed Limit: Snow

Yup, officially without power since 7-8pm last night.  We are officially in Pioneer-Mode.  The bummer is all our wood to make a fire in the outdoor pit?  Not protected from the elements.  And is covered in snow.  Man, a fire would have been so awesome- grill some sausages over the open flame!  But it was not to be.  (We do have a grill, so in the event that our power is still out for more than one day, we can always use that.  Or just eat out.  Every. Day.)

We have a pair of hurricane lanterns from my aunt and uncle that are AWESOME!  If you don't have any, go out and get some.  Seriously.  These puppies on full-flame give off an insane amount of light.  Plus, they are sturdier than candles and the flame is almost completely enclosed, so there's less worry about one knocking over or lighting your hair on fire.  Just passing on some advice to anyone else in power-challenged areas!

Keep warm, you guys!

holiday re-cap: fa la la la la

 Not too late for a Christmas post, right?  Right.  Again, we didn't want to ruin the surprise for when our families came to visit, so no pre-holiday post!

First things first: The Tree.

This is one fat tree, lemme tell you.  We went to a cut-your-own farm, and SOMEHOW found ourselves looking at the 8-10 footers... our ceilings are not 8-10 feet.  Details, details.  We found that the more mature, taller trees had a better shape (the perfect triangle!) and tended to be fuller all around (particularly at the top).  As luck would have it, many of these larger trees also have a bare trunk for a couple feet before the branches start.  So we simply cut the tree to our height, leaving the rest of the bare trunk behind, and lugged this sucker home!

Next Step: Decorating the Tree!

We are some crazy-lights people, so 345 strands of lights later... ok, maybe not THAT many strands, but close!  We make sure to fully light from the inside to the outside of the tree before thinking about hanging ornaments.  I, also, hang ornaments inside for depth and interest- I found some mirrored star ornaments (Ikea) which reflected all lights and other colors awesomely!  I put all of those puppies deep in the tree.

Also at Ikea, I picked up two other types of ornaments: some black & white and red & white Scandanavian folk style bulbs, and some clear bulbs with red bursts inside.  You can see both in the pics above and below- I cant tell you how much these new ornaments make me happy!!!  

 Another thing we like to do is to have an ornament that is for/represents each member of our family... this gets to be A LOT of fun (read: I took poetic license.  Liberties.)

 First we have me and the beau: I am the mixer- I love how retro it is, and obviously I am le chef de extraordinare.  I am also le French language master.  The beau is the Grill Meister, and if you've had his ribs, you understand why!

Then we have my brother...

Apparently, he is an alligator.

With grey hair and a cape.  

Ok, I will admit that this has nothing to do with my brother, but it cracked me up and I liked the idea of getting him the most ridiculous ornament I could find.  Besides, it is hand-crafted.  From Germany.  He should feel honored I found such a high-quality piece of art.

We found a great golf ornament for my father, and a pagoda for his fiancée.

This piece of awesomeness is for the beau's brother's girlfriend, who works at an aquarium- I think anyone would be honored to be associated with such a character, don't you?

 And this guy just made us happy- Santa is a bad-ass snowboarder.

Ok, ok, enough with the close-ups, you say, and give us some full-tree-action?  Well, alright already, here it is:

Ta-da!  I love it.  We have a good amount of basic ornaments, and I look forward to accumulating more and more personal (unique!) ornaments in the years to come!

Now, onto the stockings!!!

These babies are from Target, and I instantly fell in love with these guys when I saw them online.  I love how bright and fun the green is, and (in case you can't tell) that white one is more of a cream.  I like the knit look- it feels more authentic and cozy... like these were actual socks that we hung by our, er, TV with care.  Plus?  POM-POMS!!!!

Anyways, it wasn't all snowflakes-on-my-lashes and holiday cheer trying to get these.  You would think it's just a simple trip to the Big T, pick up two of each color and call it a day, wouldn't you? BUT NO!  The first (yes, first) store we went to had all but a second green stocking.  So, we bought them and figured we will just hit up another store for the final one.  Only to go to another store and see they were almost completely out of this style!  This is when I start worrying obsessively.  They did have an extra cream, so we bought that one just-in-case.  THEN, I called every single Target within 20 miles in the hunt for the stocking... I finally found it, and, after sitting almost an hour in rush-hour-traffic, that sucker was MINE!

Totally worth it.

Yup, that's me!

And here are the stocking holders!  Side note: who knew stocking holders were so freakin expensive?!  Back to the matter at hand: these were totally DIY holders.  The base was from Target (and THESE were just as hard to find as the stupid stocking!!!  Every time they came into stock, they flew off the shelves!  Sigh.  Luckily, the store with the stocking had a ton of these guys, which is total fate,) and the picture frames were from Michael's.  A quick bead of super glue (hot glue solidified instantly,) secured the frame to the base, and VOILA!  Instant personalizable* stocking holders!  Now, you can buy these in a store, but they will be a good $5-10 more expensive than crafting it yourself.  We also picked up some garland and cut off a piece and glued to the holder for added decorating awesomeness.

The rest of the garland went around the chandelier... BONUS!

 We threw a set of battery-powered lights (maybe 15-20 lights per strand) in with the pine cone centerpiece to make it more festive- I totally love this effect!  It is one of the first things you see coming in the house, and really added a sense of romance and magic.  Confession: both this and the chandelier garland ideas were courtesy of the beau.  But I will take all the credit that you may chose to bestow on me.

This little guy has been with me since college.  I gave him an update this year by spray-painting the base white, and dusting the needles ever so lightly with more white spray paint.  The overall outcome is awesome- looks like a blue spruce or a light snow dusting!  I also found some silver glitter/shimmer spray paint and put that on, cuz... why not?!  Love.**

Other un-pictured decorations include the previously-posted dining room table centerpiece, some garland on the metal railing, candles in red, silver & green scattered around the house, and a fantastic red, green & white outdoor light arrangement!

And now for the horrors that no one tells you about.  The embarrassment that comes after the lights go off.  The death of the tree:

Our tree skirt is made of pine needles.

Oddly, this tree started falling apart in record time.  Which was, ya know, fun.  Always a good thing to have your tree, that has to survive not one, but TWO Christmases, to clutch desperately to the needles within two weeks of bringing it home.  And we had an automatic waterer!   Not fair, tree nymphs, not fair.  Anyways, every time someone touched the tree- hell, every time you BREATHED on it- a shower of needles would pitter-patter to the floor.  This made getting presents out from under the tree particularly amusing.

We ended up cutting the branches off the trunk, and putting those in a trash bag, instead of carrying the whole thing out of the house.  If we did the latter, for one thing, we wouldn't have been able to get the full width out the sliding door, and  secondly, there would have been a mammoth trail of needles the entire way.  The divide-and-conquer method definitely kept all carnage to one area of the house.

Lovely.

So there you go!  Our holiday house in a nutshell.  Ho ho ho.


*I will make this a real word.  Watch me.
**I have pictures from this, and the spray painting re-do of that little white basket: promise, promise, PROMISE to post that soon!