the boy's closet - baseball hat and tie storage

If you've been looking for a way to organize baseball hats, ties, scarves, sunglasses or jewelry this simple 10 minute project could be just the thing.  It's working like a charm in my boy's closet!  As you know I've been working on reorganizing his entire closet after I had a meltdown and declared war on the wire shelving.  ;)   

I took a project panel from The Home Depot (they come in all different sizes and they'll cut them for you in the store), stained it and then added 2 cafe rods......and boom, I had a cool industrial-esque looking storage piece for my little dude's hats and ties.  I pulled the ring clips off of some drapery rings I had lying around to hang the hats.  

You don't really have to use a project panel.  You could totally just attach the cafe rods to the wall like I did in the master closet for my hub's ties.  I chose to use the panel in my boy's closet to help protect the beadboard wallpaper I hung and also to give it a more cohesive look........and okay, because this project panel was leftover from another project, and I was tired of staring at it collecting dust in my garage.  #keepingitreal  

So if you've got 10 minutes this weekend and you've been looking for a smart, inexpensive way to corral your man's ties or your scarves or hats I highly suggest grabbing a cafe rod or two and getting your organization on!  This is such a great way to make use of the wall space on those "unusable" walls of a walk-in closet, like the wall behind the door and you could even attach the rods to the back of the door too!  I'm all about getting the most out of every square inch of storage in a closet! 

Happy Organizing!  

you know you're a diy design addict when...........

you take a restroom selfie at a restaurant while on date night because you're in love with the way the space was designed.  That's totally normal right?!

This past Saturday my hub and I popped in to Enoteca, which is a fun little wine and tapas bar here in Lexington.  We've been there before, but I had never been in their restroom.  It's a relatively small one-person-at-a-time space, but the designer nailed it - in my opinion.   Whoever designed this space did a really superb job of making the space feel larger.  I think a lot of times people use light colors in small spaces thinking that it will make a room feel open and airy, but a dark color, when used right, can actually be a better choice in a tight spot.  Even with the absence of any natural light, this space felt nice and open.  Carrying the grey slate floor tile up one wall created the illusion of more space as the defining line between the floor and wall just sort of fell away.  On the opposite wall the designer hung 3 massive mirrors reflecting that gorgeous tile wall.  That was a smart, cost effective way to get the most decor-bang-for-the-buck out of tiling just one of the walls.  

I was also in love with the night stand that was being used for storage.  Painting it the same shade as the tile was pure genius as it blended in keeping the small space from feeling cluttered yet looked so chic and made a traditionally utilitarian space feel more like a room- than a restroom.  

People often ask me where I find design inspiration.  I find it all around me  - all the time...........even on a trip to the ladies' room on date night.  ;)

Where do you find design inspiration?  

Outfit deets for anyone else that might want to look like a cruise ship director on date night  ;)   - blazer from Gap (I actually found it in the store, and it was marked down even more than the online price.) - white shorts similar - nude pumps similar. 

little girlfriend's gallery wall

If loving gallery walls is wrong, I don't want to be right.  I love them in a major way.  I especially love those that mix lots of different elements together showcasing a collection of special moments and sentimental treasures.  

I just love walls that have a history and tell a story! 

Recently I finished putting together a collection of items to create a gallery wall in my little girlfriend's bedroom.   

It's a fun, whimsical mix of handmade items, keepsakes and vintage treasures.  I painted the canvas a while ago, made the silhouette art, framed a couple of special instagram prints I turned into watercolors and used a cabinet knob to display her first birthday dress.  

I found the brass wall planters at one of my favorite local shops - Street Scene.  And the arrows were a super easy little diy project that I recently shared over at Infarrantly Creative.  

Read more about how I updated her nursery rocking chair in less than 5 minutes here. 

I love walking by her room (when it's clean).  It's such a whimsical, girly space that exudes her fun personality! 

Now, I'm thinking it's time for those closet doors to get a makeover!  Did you spy the broken door knob?  Yeah, it's been like that for um.......2 years......but who's counting?     

Get the deets on the gold polka dotted ceiling here, carpet here and paint color here. 

For the gallery wall lovers, check out the one in our dining room and the one in the guest bedroom.  Oh and this one in our basement is probably my favorite!  When I told you I was gallery wall lover I wasn't lying!