Master Closet Makeover Reveal

This might possibly be the most excited about a makeover that I have ever been!  Yesterday I shared with you about my closet dreams and some of my selections for the closet makeover.  You can read about that here.
Before you see my closet makeover you need to see the before.  It isn't pretty... it is pretty junky!  I can't even believe that I'm sharing this with the world but, to appreciate what I have now you need to see the before.

In my previous post I did say that I had to rehome many things from my closet, you can kinda see that now.  There was so many things in the closet that just didn't belong there and I mean lots!  Some of it was shuffled to other closets, some of it was sold at a consignment sale and lots went to Salvation Army!

So after years and years of  dreaming about a closest makeover...here it is!

One thing I'd like to point out, I did not stage my closet for photos.  This is everything that should belong in my closet.  It is either hanging up or in storage containers.  I'm sure you are wondering why I have my pants hanging like this, I despise that crease that often times happens across the middle of them and this keeps that from happening.  Yes, they do take up more space this way but I'm okay with that since ironing is not my fav chore!

 As the seasons change I am certain that I will move my colder weather attire to the back of the closet and the summer stuff up to the front.  All of my t-shirts are folded in the off white fabric bins on the shelves.  Scarves are also stored in the smaller fabric bins.

The small 3 drawer container houses makeup that I either have extras of or is not being used at the moment.

The shelving at the end of the closet holds bins that contain items not used too often like my machine for asthma.  I'm happy that doesn't have to come out too often!  In the drawers are my unmentionables.  Command hooks hold some of my costume jewelry pieces.

The 3 drawer tote holds my numerous pairs of shoes, mostly flip flops.  Not sure why I still have most of those since I can hardly wear them since my foot has been broken.

The storage tubs are from WalMart and were the color I searched everywhere for.  There are tubs for purses and my reuseable bags.  I have an extra tub that I will put blankets in when they come off the bed in the summer.  Why tubs?  My closet often gets dusty so this keeps everything dust free!

Since the closet underwent the transformation I have truly enjoyed it.  It has been easy to keep everything organized.  No more just throwing clothes on the shelves to deal with later.  The closet system was easy to install with easy to follow instructions.  It is a closet system that I'd definitely use in any of our other closets.  Honey's closet is next on the list!  This is not an ad and I was not paid for my opinions with the Rubbermaid Home Free Series.

Sharing @ Savvy Southern Style, Between Naps on the Porch, DIY by Design

Master Closet Makeover {part 1}

Until house #3 we had not had a closet that had anything other than your standard wire components.
Houses 3&4 both had custom closets that were divine.  The photo below is of the Oklahoma house prior to our moving in.  When we would tell people where we lived they would always say "oh you have the house with the closet."  Seriously ya'll they said that.  It was pretty dang incredible.

This photos has all of our stuff in it.   Honey's side of the closet mirrors this side.  This closet was as large as my kitchen in our current home.

Note the stucco room on the second floor, that entire space is the closet.

Then we moved to Auburn and we were back to the standard wire set up.  Let me just say I really missed those closets!  To say that I wanted a closet makeover would be an understatement.  The 3 things stopping me from changing my closest were cost, I had no idea what I really wanted or how to do it.  I can't even begin to tell you the hours I've logged on Pinterest, Lowe's and Home Depot's websites trying to plan out or pick out a closet system.  Initially, I thought I wanted a system like I had in the previous homes that looked like wood.  Then a few of my fav bloggers began to sing the praises of Elfa from The Container Store.  Enter the closet of my dreams...until the reality of the expense of their system.  On the day that I wrote down exactly what I'd need from their website and the corresponding cost I closed the tab on my computer and walked away.   I'm certain their system is worth every single dime, it just wasn't in my budget.   More months pass and in frustration I google "closet systems like Elfa."  Rubbermaid's Closet systems popped right up.

 Finally, I have something I can work with on 2 fronts affordability and function.  Please know that this is not an ad, this is not a sponsored post for Rubbermaid.

Long before my handyman started the demo on the closet I began the purge.  This happened even before I selected a paint color.  This was a smart move as all my clothing laid on the living room sofa for well over a week.  I'd also made the decision to make sure the contents of my closet belonged there and if not were rehomed to a new location.  In regards to paint, my first thought was to paint something pretty, maybe a blush or soft turqoise.  Then I decided maybe just a nice clean neutral would be best.  It was a smart move to go neutral considering the weeks and I do mean weeks I spent searching for "pretty storage bins."

Next came flooring.  Have I mentioned that we have a 15 year old bulemic cat.  Oh and his favorite spot to be bulemic is in MY closet! #nobueno

With carpet out as an option, I opted for laminate flooring(easy cleanup)it is after all a closet so no need for something super pricy. I found a very affordable option and by very translate that to cheap laminate.  I heaved 2 boxes into the shopping cart and headed out.  Best I recall they were just a bit over $15 per box.  As I headed to check out, I couldn't miss this large display of clearance laminate.  Ya'll it was $10 a box and looked exactly like what was already in my cart.  Flooring for $20....SCORE!!!!

It turned out to be perfect for this project!

Be sure and come back tomorrow as I share the makeover reveal!

For the Love of Blue Willow

If you've followed this blog for any length of time you know that I positively adore all things blue and white.  There has always been Blue Willow in my life.  As a wedding gift, my parents were given an 8 place setting along with serving pieces by my Father's parents.  Doesn't that sound like an incredible gift?  I wish someone would "gift" me more Blue Willow!

 Here is the problem, my mother never and I do mean never liked it.  She so disliked the pattern/plates that she allowed us (me&Sister) to play in the dirt with them.  Ya'll I played house and made many a mud pie with Blue Willow!

Now if you've either stopped laughing or crying I'll continue...

It wasn't until I moved to Auburn in 1983 that any of us realized the value of those "dirt" plates.  There was an antique show in the local mall and I couldn't believe there were Blue Willow dinner plates with a price tag of $50.

  I recall the phone conversation I had with Mother, her disbelief of their value.  My next trip home I made sure a piece came home with me.

It is truly something I can't explain but I'm drawn to blue and white.  Surely it was imprinted on my mind as a tot!

My love of Blue Willow has never been stronger.  My collection or obsession which ever you'd like to call it continues to grow.   The majority of my collection has come from thrift stores and antique stores alike.  Of my Mother's original set I probably only have less than 4 pieces which is really a shame.  When you play in the dirt with anything you can't imagine it will be around years later though.  Sometimes I vow I will never buy another piece....then I come to my senses!

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Savvy Southern Style

A New Sofa

I'd like to start this post by saying how absolutely excited I am to finally have a new sofa.  If you've followed the blog since the beginning I bet you are wondering why we got a new sofa as the other one was not quite 5 years old.  There is a story that I need to tell to explain why we had to get a new sofa.

 
Way back in September on a Sunday we opted to not attend church.  I don't even recall the why of not attending but we didn't.  It turned out to be a blessing that we didn't go.  Around 11:30 am John was having lunch at the island and I was standing at the sink when he yells to me "Mom, you have to see Cody."  There stood Cody covered in blood from his mouth to his toes.  I began to shout out orders and I put shoes on and swooped him up and headed to the vet's office.  After a few minutes the vet informs me that Cody has a laceration under his tongue and would need to stay the night after surgery.  What we thought was a laceration turned out to be far more critical than we ever would have imagined.  I won't go into graphic detail but, Cody's health declined over the next 6 weeks and at the end he had lost all control of his tongue.  He had a mass at the base of his tongue and what was believed to have been a laceration under his tongue was most likely a rupture of yet another mass.  We buried Cody in our back yard with the other cats we've lost since moving back to Auburn.

On the initial day of his illness had we not been home from church that day he would have bleed out.  He lost a tremedous amount of blood that day and the bulk of it was on the back of our sofa.  No one discovered it until I got home from having taken him to the vet.  I did my best to clean it up and for the most part I did.  Cody owned that sofa!  He was responsible for every single solitary claw mark on it.  He gave that sofa a good working over no doubt.  It might have only been 4 years old but it looked 20.  I had said long before the event that I wouldn't get a new sofa until Cody had passed knowing he'd ruin the next as well.
With Cody now gone, I knew I could consider getting another sofa.  There isn't a furniture store in a 60 mile radius that I didn't travel to and window shop sofas.  When all was said and done the sofa I liked the best and felt would be the most serviceable sofa for our family that still includes 2 more 15 year old cats(think crazy cat lady, I'll own it) was one I found right here in Auburn at Badcock furniture.  This is most definitely not a sponsored post!

There were 2 sofas that I liked, I even did an instagram story about them back in early December.  The" Charlotte" came with a total of 5 throw pillows that while they were nice, they didn't go well with the custom drapes I have in the room.  So for now I'm still using the pillows that I already had on the old sofa.  Expect to see some different pillows in the future as I'm officially on the hunt!

 The color is pretty similar to the other sofa, you might not have even noticed the difference had I not mentioned it was a new sofa.  The color is kind of a tan with a twinge of gray...I'd call it Puddy if I were naming the color.  Badcock offers a warranty against a host of things that can go wrong with your sofa.  If you don't have to use the warranty they give you the price you pay for it (which is $60) back after the 3 year mark.  I assured the sales gal that no worries with that as I have every intention of using this warranty... think 2 cats left and kids still at home!

 I was pleased to find a sofa that was affordable, less than $600 on sale. The sofa was made by Simmons.  It is comfortable to sit and lounge on.  The pillows on the seat are firm so I hope this means they hold up well to our use and the remaining cats...Avery and Smokey.  You see a shot of Avery coming around the side of the sofa in this pic.

Thanks to you all for letting me tell the tale of our cat, Cody.  I have had cats for the entire 52 years of my life and I have to say he is without a doubt the best cat of them all. Everyone that ever met Cody would tell us what a great cat he was.  When we vacation we always have someone stay in our home and this past year the guy that stayed called me and said that Cody was nothing but a love sponge....he soaks up all the love in the room.  He really did. 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  I hope you all don't think I'm late in my wishes, somehow when the kids go back to school it marks(for me) the beginning of the new year. 
This year I plan to share more about shopping for and selecting antiques that fit your home and decor style.  I'll be sharing the do's and don't along with what I believe is a fair price to pay for an assortment of antiques both large and small.

 

There will lots and lots of rearranging of vignettes through out our house!

Tablescapes will continue to be a part of my blog.  Some of my most viewed posts have been tablescapes which tells me you all like those. 

I've been working on my closet with a complete gut job that I hope to have up on the blog soon.

 I'll include things like what made me chose the system and finishes along with what it cost!
There will be trips, I'm already planning 3!

 Ya'll our older son's girlfriend makes the absolute best spaghetti ever and that will come soon.  You won't dare wanna miss that!
I hope to share a little bit more of my actual life and everyday joys and opportunities I have.  One thing I'm doing right now is the 14 week Home Organization Challenge that a Bowl Full of Lemons hosts each year.  If you find yourself or your home in need of a bit or organizing or sprucing up join all of us that have already started the purge!  I'll share the corner of my dining room where I'm piling that I've purged that will end up at our local Salvation Army later today on my Instagram stories.

Today, my senior makes his last back to school trip after Christmas break.  John has less than 135 days left of high school and somehow that catches in my throat.  Later on I will be sharing all about our college visits and the things we wished we knew then and the changes we would make if we had a do over.

A post I absolutely dread writing about will be the sending my child away to college....y'all how can it be that the "baby" will leave the nest in just 8 months.  I'll share his highs and my lows through the entire process.

I don't always make new years resolutions but this year I've made 2.  I plan to share each month all through the year how I'm doing with those.  What are those resolutions you ask?  Keeping my car clean and keeping our garage tidy.  I'm gonna be real, my car looks like a homeless shelter often times and it makes me feel icky.  This IS the year I will make this change!  Our garage...I have no words.  I'll share pics  of it as soon as it warms up a bit!

A number of years ago the big thing with bloggers was to post their word of the year early in January.  When that fad fell by the wayside I will admit that I've missed it.  I found it inspiring to have a glimpse into what others in my profession selected for their word.  While I'm not bringing that back, I do want you all to know that my goal for the year not just in regards to blogging but in my life as a whole is to stay motivated.

Motivation is key to everything we take on in life.  

As we begin this new year, my wish for each one of you is peace, love and the ability to stay motivated in all your endeavors!