The most favourite part of any re-decoration is the putting back together. I have always hated things being untidy and being unorganised drives me absolutely potty. It literally muddles my brain and I can't think! Everything has a place and sometimes it does send me over the edge....just one of my issues I'm working through! My excuse is it runs in the blood- growing up, things were always alphabetically sorted and everything had a functional purpose! It has now rubbed off onto the kids and they are following suit- sometimes it has its' negatives mind, but tit is a blessing for an OCD mother.
The first thing was to add a door. The previous door was original I think, and god it had seen better days. I mean we couldn't even open it fully or go past when it was eventually shoved open. The hallway is quite narrow, as with most spaces in this house, so I have become a massive fan of a sliding door. It saves so much space and just looks so tidy. Yes it's a magnet for trapping fingers, but the kids were warned and aren't allowed to play with them (for the Susan's of the world). I would never have thought this would be so exciting, but with the kids continuously wanting to go in their bedroom or to the toilet, it was the best solution. Plus I could work with the door open and not feel like I was being locked in a cupboard.......although the prospect of locking myself in with a Gin was most appealing.
Anyway, Grandads' dresser was screwed to the wall with an additional shelf added for storage and stability. We left it just shy of the ceiling, to give me another usualbe shelf. We also had 2 units from before, one of which went in our new cupboards under the stairs (another one of Matt's projects). The other was positioned in place, and shelves (taken from the kids bedroom when the bunkbeds were put up) were added to the top, to give it greater height. The point behind this was to reuse as much as possible.
One of our only purchases was a table top from #IKEA.
Unfortuatly the first one came and was beyond damaged. Another was sent- and was also damaged. This was then refunded so actually cost us nothing! The damage was to a back corner which could be disguised; and for the grief of another 40 minute phone call, I could live with it! Until Matt could fit it, he had 2 shelves he had taken down and screwed together as a make-shift bench so I could get started.
I then stole the #kallax unit from the kids room (I mean they still have 20 Kallax boxes alone- they wouldn't miss a set of 4!). I did say we were self confessed #IKEA addicts/storage solution experts!
It took 2 days (in-between feeding the kids, doing school runs, doing the washing blah blah blah) to sort through the accumulation of stuff. I mean I had 21 odd green highlighters. Why you ask? Well we used to use them for marking when I was teaching, and somehow manage to acquire a few more than I had thought. It was such a great feeling de-cluttering and taking stock of what I had! I managed to sell some things I had doubles or triples of. This money then went towards finding suitable storage for all the bits and bobs.
(picture above is featuring the first desk top that came damaged).
I really love the idea of a sewing box; the one above my mum got me when I first started showing an interest in sewing again. The only problem is I have too much stuff! I remember buying Matt an organiser for his shed, as he was fed up with loose screws etc, and was excatly what I needed! I wasn't keen on the original colours of the #vonhaus organiser so managed to find a white/grey one! It's perfect for all those little things, safety pins, stitch markers- you name it I have got it! The sheer amount of stuff you can fit in is amazing! I was in heaven. I haven't gotten rid of my sewing basket- I'll use it for a project I'm sure!
Next came the vast amount of material. Up until now, I had in a trunk which required taking everything out and sorting through. I now have a whole shelf dedicated to material. YES!
I now had a shelves for embroidery and cross stitch, paper crafts, scrapbooking, material, wool, my family tree box and soooo much more.
I'd like to add, this process wasn't a solo affair. I have had my trusted shadow, aka Pippa the kitten, every step of the way. She such a great listener and never questions what I am doing or why I am talking to myself. #jokes
Now all that was left to do was to make it beautiful!
Coming soon- the great reveal!
Comments