Stop Clutter, Organize!

We're In!!!!

2014-12-12T08:24:00.003-06:00

I can't believe I forgot to do an update when we moved in almost a month ago! It's been so great living in our newly renovated home. We feel so very blessed. I've already got it decorated for Christmas, or at least the living room.. Our living room looks more like a music studio with its piano, ganjo, guitar, and drums sitting around, but hey, we do love music, and it shows. We're still working on things as we go about a normal daily routine. Build a shelf here, put a door up there, touch up paint the wall here, throw baseboard down there. I'll be taking a few snapshots today to post so stay in touch!

About Time!

2014-11-19T12:27:00.001-06:00

Wow! It's about time I updated this blog! We have been working hard to get the house ready BEFORE winter and BEFORE Christmas. We were not ready to move in by July 4th! I so wish we had though! We should be officially in in no time. Literally, this week! Or today! Nobody believes us anymore when we say "this week!" since that has happened for the past month or two! haha God has given me lots of grace for patience during this time. A few weeks ago, we move everything in except us, our bed, and clothes. So this week when we do move, there won't be much. I will be posting the big before and after photos very soon! Thank you, everyone, who has prayed for us and been an encouragement to us!

2014-07-10T10:28:00.000-05:00

If you or someone you know in Calhoun, Talladega, Etowah Alabama counties might be interested in having some organizing done in their home or office, please tell me about me or share with them my blog so they can contact me. I am wide open this summer and ready to help people get organized! Have a wonderful day and week this HOT HOT week!

2014-06-28T13:46:00.000-05:00

Here are some things that I've recently either bought or got for free.

Found this black metal plant holder for $2 at a yard sale. It needs some TLC.

Jerod was able to get these at work. He powder coated, then put clear coat on them. The white one, there's 2 total, will be our side tables in the master bedroom. The gray one, which is just a clear coat over original metal, will be in the living room between the 2 mid-century modern blue chairs, which I currently don't have a picture of yet.

This is an original watercolor painting that I found at a yard sale for $3. I wanted a matching set, but the seller sold the other one before I got there. Ugh!

We have a move-in date!

2014-06-27T10:03:00.001-05:00

~~July 4th weekend!~~ ...one day!

It has been way too long since my last update, but, my 6 year old Macbook Pro laptop decided to die and it's battery literally imploded. Its kinda scary looking. I'm hoping the Lappy can be fixed.

So this is going to be a long post because so much has happened since...April. After the floors were sanded and stained, the kitchen cabinets were installed and they look soooo good. See pictures below! In these pictures you'll see the new pendant light over the peninsula that we got at Ikea.

We also have the sink. Jerod ordered it online at Wayfair.com and got a great deal on it! Just under $300 with it retailing for over $1,000! The brand is "Kraus." It's black...oh yeah, baby! And it's made out of a blend of granite and something else. It's pretty cool. I really like it. Sorry, I don't have a picture of it yet.

Okay, so we move on to the master bathroom shower that Jerod installed. Piece by piece, frustration and frustration, he got it done. I am so proud of him! He can pretty much do ANYTHING. Tiling a shower isn't easy, folks, so make sure you really study up before attempting to do so.

I know I took pictures of the shower completed, but for some reason can't find them. I will take new ones when the plumber comes and puts the bling, bling on. ;)

Below is the floor of the same bathroom; in progress then complete.

Jerod also completed the laundry room floor tile:

Now on to the outside. In the middle of spring, I bought some lovely flowers to plant. I bought red lilies, yellow day lilies, and ground cover called Japanese Spurge under the 2 big trees in the front, right side of the yard.

BEFORE AFTER

I forgot to take a picture of the other tree. I do that a lot, huh? Already planted and growing up this spring were these GORGEOUS bearded Irises.

And then this summer, on June 21, the official day of summer, these beauties were right on time!
I have never seen a day lily such as this. I don't even know if it is a lily. Absolutely beautiful!

I got to do a smidge of decorating yesterday....ha :) Thankful for that smidge!

Okay, so thinking of sofas, we really liked the low ones like this:
But, they are too low. When you sit on this sofa, your upper back and head has no where to go. :(
So we will have to find something else unless this is something that we could get use to.

Lastly, at Big Lots, yes, Big Lots, they have this beautiful flax colored headboard for that price! It's the best price I've found so far.

My plan is to have a nice big headboard like this, or make one, and then buy this platform bed frame on Target.com.

That's all of the updates at the moment. ~~We do have a move in date now. The July 4th weekend!~~ In a weeks time we have to: get under the house and close up the air vents, seal up the crawl space with thick plastic to line the walls and floors to keep moisture (and snakes outs), install stainless steel counter tops, clean, buff, and poly coat another layer on the floors (3 layers total), paint and install baseboard and trim, finish painting in some areas, build and install 2 master bath vanities that we bought from Ikea, buy and install vanity lighting for that space, buy and install a few floating shelves for plates and cups to go on in the kitchen, put new laundry room light that we also bought from Ikea, clean every room and wipe down all the walls from dust, move in furniture and decorate. That sounds like a lot, but really, we can get it all done. I hope. :) Thanks for moving along with us through this adventure! Will have photos of everything new and ready to move in when we get there.

Seeing the light...

2014-04-02T20:21:00.000-05:00

So, alot has happened since my last post. We are almost to the finish line inside the house!
Here's a list of recently completed projects: sheet rock, paint on walls, electrical, floors stained and sealed, and next week in the master bathroom shower, Jerod will install the Schulter system then the tile. Next is to tile the floor, install vanitys, and lights in the bathroom. There's still more to do in the rest of the house like: install shelves in the pantry, all closets in the house (total of 5), install trim around the windows, add baseboard to the whole house, and to remodel the guest bathroom, which we plan to do later; we'd like to take a little break from renovating!
Pictures!!!!!

Tile for the master bathroom floor

Border tile for the master bathroom

Tile for the master bathroom floor of the shower

Wall tile for the master bathroom walls

2014-02-20T17:43:00.001-06:00

Hi, I'm Hannah and I love to organize. I have been organizing since I was a teenager, maybe earlier if you were to ask my mom. A well organized life is what keeps me going and allows me to live a peace of mind kind of life. If space isn't organized, my life and mind isn't either. I live in "sweet home" Alabama with my amazing husband and our Weimeraner dog-son, Jasper. I graduated with a B.S. in geography and minored in music, (odd combo, I know.) Back in 2006, I attended the Home Staging® course developed by Barb Schwarz (also who trademarked the name), in Nashville and received my certification as a professional home stager. But, since the housing market has been down in the past few years, Home Staging® hasn't been seen as a helpful tool, although homeowners don't know what they're missing! I also teach piano and love to travel internationally and have been to over 7 countries, which sparked my interest in geography studies.
I hope you are able to get some inspiration to help you organize your home and life!

Valentine's Gift

2014-02-18T12:38:00.003-06:00

For Valentine's Day, Jerod got me this 1970's hanging pendant light. We had seen it in Scavenger's Emporium and he remembered that I really liked it. What a hunk! It was at a great price, too! Only $32.00. It will go in our foyer for all to see and it will be the perfect light for that space. I can't wait to see it hanging up.

Off the subject, but I am really wanting to get a Papillon puppy after we move in...how can you say "no" to this adorable, squish-able face?

This is what they look like all grown up.

So feminine. I know. But I like it.

Pictures!

2014-02-05T10:18:00.004-06:00

Friends and family, here are pictures of the sheet rock that was put up yesterday. It looks so good! You can start to see how it will all look now. The crew is starting the finishing process today, which will take a couple of days. This Friday the man who will be making our cabinets will be coming by the house to show us samples. It turns out that the flat panel doors of the cabinets that we want are cheaper than the others, so that's great! After the sheet rock is completely finished (tape, mud, and sanding) in a couple of days, Jerod will be spraying all the walls and ceilings with Kilz. Then comes sanding and filling in all the holes the previous owners left us. I can hardly wait to see the walls WHITE! A slight off-white is the color that we will use the most in the house to give it that modern feel. We might throw another color or two in here and there, but, for the most part, the house will all be a slight off-white. My style for the house is vintage-modern. It will be mostly modern, but will incorporate some vintage items and warm woods; the floor will help alot. After painting, the foyer, dining room, and kitchen will have grade 1 hardwood floors put down. All of the floors will then be sanded down and stained with "dark walnut." Something similar to the image below.

On to the pictures!

Foyer ceiling

Living room ceiling

Dining room walls

Kitchen walls/pantry

Pantry walls

Kitchen walls

Guest bedroom #2 wall

Guest bedroom #2 closet

Master bathroom walls and ceiling

(the green board is mold and mildew resistant)

Shower

Toilet room

Master bedroom/bathroom closet and ceiling

We are getting closer and closer to the finish line! Thank you all for your prayers and support! God has given us favor and blessings all the way!

Progress!

2014-02-04T11:21:00.001-06:00

I am so excited about today, because sheet rock is going up! Below are some pictures showing where the sheet rock will go.

Master Bathroom New Layout

Shower is now on the left and toilet room on the right

2 Vanities will be on this outside wall. On the left, the new and larger master bedroom/bathroom closet

Guest bedroom #2 closet

Guest bedroom #2 wall/master closet on other side/master bathroom walls

Pantry/kitchen/dining room walls

Not shown, because I did not take a picture, is the living room ceiling which Jerod tore down. It will all be replaced with new sheet rock and a smooth finish. No more popcorn!

I will try to remember to post pictures of the fresh sheet rocked walls ASAP. Thanks!

Great finds

2014-01-22T11:55:00.000-06:00

I have forgotten to post pictures of things that I find at thrift stores, yard sales, and estate sales that I plan on using in our house. For these items, I will have to either clean or fix up in order to use them. A few months ago, at a local thrift store, which happens to be one of my favorites, I found a small vintage table lamp. It's all glass.

I will buy a lamp rewiring kit to make it look new again, although I really like these wires with plugs from VintageWire on Etsy. Also, their sockets are nice looking too.

I will try to remember to post more of what I'm finding!

Thanks for reading today!

Dining Room Chairs! SCORE!

2014-01-02T13:41:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, Jerod and I found 6 mid-century modern chairs, probably from the 1930's, made from either alder or cherry wood at Scavenger's Emporium in Oxford, Alabama. We were so excited to find these pieces! We now have our first set of unique and genuine furniture that all the stores are copying. We got them for $20 a piece!!! Even Ikea has mid-century modern chairs and they are well over $100 and not even made out of 100% real wood. We're hoping that all they will need is some tung oil. They also need seats made for them. This will be the fun part; getting to pick out the material to go on them! I think we should try to get into Dwell...maybe one day.

New House Pictures!

2013-11-15T15:36:00.003-06:00

Here are some new photos of the house. We recently had floor replacement on several rotted boards that were under the front door and back and also in the laundry room. New front door and side lite that was special ordered and made just for us and new French doors in the back that are by Anderson; $2,800 doors for only $500! God has been SO good to us! Also completed was the framing up for the master bedroom closet, middle bedroom closet, and the kitchen pantry. Up next is having the plumber come and rearrange some pipes, Jerod will finish the electrical, we'll have new hardwood laid in the kitchen/dining room, living room, and foyer instead of the tile that we had originally chosen, have cabinets custom made (we'll most likely do this, just not set in stone yet), have sheetrock put up on the wood framing, ceilings touched up with broque patterns, and that's most of all the big stuff. Next comes all the fun! We'll paint, buy light fixtures and ceiling fans for the whole house, move in...decorate, etc. :) I can hardly wait to move in to this beautiful house!

BEFORE

AFTER

New Mahogany front door and tongue and groove which replaced the old, fake wood siding. Door and siding will be stained a brown color.

Outside-New door handle Inside

Before-Inside After-Inside

Outside-New Anderson French doors

All of the fake wood siding will be replaced with the same tongue and groove as on the front porch.

Patio will eventually be stuccoed and painted and new rails put up;

Probably next year.

Pantry framed in the kitchen

Closet framed in middle bedroom

Master bedroom closet framed;

It's gonna be big!

New LED lighting chosen for the Kitchen, dining room accents, and living room

Night views of the front porch

New Samsung appliances: Refrigerator, oven, and dishwasher (not pictured, its in a box)

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking in on our progress! Please check back later for more photos and updates!

2013-10-09T10:16:00.001-05:00

SIGH

Organize. Just the sound of that word can send people to an unknown, unfriendly place in their minds. But, with my help, I will help you make sense of the word and show you that it doesn't have to be scary or a long and drawn out process that takes weeks to finish. Shoot me an e-mail today and let's talk about it. hannahtheorganizer@gmail.com is where to send your cry for help. We can either work together as a team to finish the jobs you have, or if you are unable to, I can work alone and accomplish it rather quickly.

House Update: New Front Door Ordered!

2013-09-20T10:34:00.002-05:00

Little by little, the house is coming together. I am very happy to announce our new.....

FRONT DOOR!!!!!!

Okay, so it's still in the store, but this is the style and design that we chose. It's an 8 panel, stain grade, solid wood door. We plan to stain it a dark brown, walnut or something similar. Also, the door will be flipped (left) so it's a right handed door, and there will be a side lite next to it that will let in lots of natural light! We have our order placed and they will be attaching the side lite to the door making it one big piece to frame in.

I can hardly wait for it to be installed! It is going to look waaaay better than what we have right now:

See?

More pictures to come when we have the door installed!

House Update: We Have New Windows In!!!

2013-09-07T10:12:00.003-05:00

Yay! We FINALLY have all of our new windows in, including this beast:

I think there was a total of 10 new windows put in and today and tomorrow Jerod, my husband, will put in the trim around the windows inside and out and also seal them up to keep that winter air that is approaching, out and the heat in!

More pictures will be put up when the trim is finished.

2013-08-16T10:39:00.000-05:00

Hey, moms and moms to be!

With school starting back, its a great time to get your home in tip-top, functioning shape! With an organized home and a place for everything, you can run a smooth household with ease.

E-mail me, Hannah, at hannahtheorganizer@gmail.com if you think it's time to get organized!
I can help with all of your organizational needs.
There are still some openings left for setting up a free organizing consultation and schedule. Call today!!!

House update: Windows!

2013-08-16T10:20:00.002-05:00

We finally have new windows! They will be put in hopefully next week or weekend.

Electrical work will be done in the kitchen and dining room this weekend. Woohoo! My skillful husband will be doing most, if not all, of the work.

It is a slow process, but it will be worth it in the end! This house is going to look flipping awesome!