M stands for Mudroom

I know... I'm a terrible blogger! I've left you out of nearly two years of my oh-so-fascinating life and let me tell you - a lot has happened. New job, new car, obviously new clothes, shoes and handbags, but who's counting those? My fellow fashionistas, of course! Don't worry - photos of my favorites to come in future posts. (I can't wait to introduce you to some new delicious friends named Gucci, Fendi and Prada...) I will point out I do have the same husband, and we have recently worked on his wardrobe as well, so that's a win-win for everybody (alleluia that he is not so chummy with my friends mentioned above, or else we would really be in trouble).

But I'm back (for now) and am going to try harder to "commit" this time. If you're still here, thanks for reading and thanks for waiting for me. Sometimes sticking to something is hard to do... Like when remodeling the smallest room in your house turns into something much bigger. Bigger project, bigger budget, bigger marital dispute, or just all of the above!  Mini Mudroom definitely turned into major endeavor.

Yes, this near-clinical type A person recently allowed a DIY home improvement project to take place in her home. Actually, "DIY" is the wrong term; the husband is a general contractor, so this was hardly a little craft project from the Real Simple magazine I pretend to read each month. We took the tiny room off our kitchen door and frankly, made it a (teensy) masterpiece! But not without a pretty price (from both my checkbook and my sanity). I'll share my findings during this super special time in our marriage.

Here's what I learned:

• deadlines are my obsession. They are not, however, a friend of the husband's. Actually, I think until he married me, he maybe did had never heard the word.
• one more difference between us: I always thought "1 weekend" meant 2-3 days; he apparently interprets it as 4+ weeks. Is this kind of like a fortnight where no one really knows what that means?
• painting is way harder than it looks and makes my arms tired.
• if you paint while drinking wine, it just gets harder and looks worse. Dang.
• men should never select paint alone. This creates a mean(er) wife and multiple trips to home depot.
• I am always right. (Funny how this seems to be a recurring lesson in our marriage.) What color did we paint the tiniest room in the world? Creme brûlée. EXACTLY what I said from the beginning. Spotted it amongst a million little paint samples and it matched the kitchen perfectly.
• just because the room is literally 3x3 does not mean the mess can't spread across multiple floors and multiple rooms. This is simply torture for someone who can't sleep unless the house is dusted almost daily.

Take all of the above plus 5 weeks of my gentle "reminders" (aka psychotic ranting and nagging), and wa-lah! There is a darling little room that I come and go through every day. Yesterday, I learned how much the whole thing cost, and if there is such thing as "designer" mudrooms, I've got one! It's functional, and of course it's fashionable...

This handy set of hooks holds my my aprons (that I have never worn, but they look adorable, don't they?). They're  both from Anthropologie - check out the darling new ones here . (I must say - they are great gifts for brides-to-be who have aspirations to be great housewives - like I once did!)

The white hooks (steal of a deal at Target) also house my reusable totes. Yep, I am "green" now! (Don't even get me started on the annoying bag ban in Seattle though.) This is my favorite shopping bag, so I keep it on display and stuff the others inside. I found this one and a few others with fun prints at TJ Maxx - only $3 each and they hold a ton! (Just remember to tell your bag boy at Safeway not to FILL the bag - holy smokes - you could throw your back out when the bozo packs it full of bottled water.) It is so much more fun to be green when you can look good doing it (obvi). 

Last but not least - here is a great shot of the Creme Brûlée shade of paint! Isn't sweet? My vintage milk sign and bottles are from Cost Plus World Market (LOVE that place!), but I feel like they definitely look like an antique store find. I'm sharing my secret with you though, so you too can have cute accent pieces without spending your weekends trolling dusty, overpriced antique warehouses (that can be fun, but who has the time? Especially when World Market is right by the mall).

Clean Freak

I just need to talk really quickly about how much I love Anthropologie (the store, not the science – duh.)Amidst a busy day at work, I stopped in there on my lunch break, and found instant satisfaction in spending a ridiculous amount of money on post-it notes and pretty notebooks. Oh, and I found some fabulous file folders as well. I know, I know – you could buy things that serve the same purpose at Office Depot or wherever for 50 cents – but, I ask, would they make you feel as good? NO! Even if you are doing something ultra-lame like writing a grocery list, how much better does that feel when you are writing with your favorite pen and on a gorgeous, decorative piece of paper? Ten times better, at least. And then, as you waltz through Safeway with that list, you are still feeling good, admiring your lovely stationary and all the good karma that comes with it.

Now, speaking of lists, I admit that I have become a bit freakish with the organization/cleanliness part of my life. I attribute this clean-freak-syndrome to living with the Dorito King – aka husband. First of all, I HATE Doritos. Second of all, I apparently cannot say the word. Just because I pronounce it how it looks: Door –eee – toes, I take a wide array of criticism. Supposedly, according to their number one consumer, my genius hubby, you say it like this: Der –ee – toes? I don’t know. One vowel makes a big difference I guess. Anyways, I also hate those dang chips because I believe no food should be that color! And what is with the stench? It lingers. Why did I marry someone who those Doritos so? I kick myself for that all the time, especially when I awake after my precious beauty sleep to find Mr. Dorito King’s ORANGE CRUMBS all over my couch (yes, the cream couch that only recently recovered from its wine tragedy). This is when I FREAK OUT, and start vacuuming before 8am. Not a good thing in a new marriage. Or a good thing for the new neighbors. Oh well!

However, living with the man who constantly leaves a trail of crumbs on the counter, caked dirt from his construction shoes on my hardwood floors, or dirty dishes from his quesadillas (his other favorite food) in the sink, has taught me many things… well, most likely just one thing: cleaning helps de-stress me from the monster of mess, but only when I have the right supplies (as in, don’t expect me to use plain old soap and water – boring!) and set up (as in, I clean if I want, when I want, and you should establish the same schedule for yourself). Here are a few tips to get you started:

First, you must get organized. Make a list with those cute post-its I was talking about.

Then, you have to be in the proper I’m-cleaning-and-I-look-good-doing it outfit (back to Anthrolopogie, I think their aprons are darling. There are lots to choose from, but my favorite is the yellow one a the top of the blog.)

Finally, to be most successful, you need to have the right supplies. (I love Method because you can buy it almost everywhere and the French Lavender scent smells delicious!)

Happy spring (well it's almost summer, so hurry up!) cleaning, my fashionista friends!