Guests and The Big Green Monster

There was a time when I used to have 10+ people staying in my home overnight for Christmas. Back when the kids were small and their cousins would all sleep over....there were makeshift beds everywhere! 

But kids grow up and have their own lives and families get busier and traditions change. 

I still host my family for Christmas dinner but don't have as many overnight guests any more. 

Mom and Dad don't come back from Florida for the holidays. 

My sister and her family, with her grown kids, tend to travel back home after dinner. 

My other sister may or may not stay for Christmas night with her two boys. We'll see. 

Times change. 

Either way, there's room for everyone in my new house. We can have a big old fashioned sleepover if the cards fall that way. 

I never did share my guest room with you. Do you wonder why?

Because it's naked. 

Who wants to see a naked guest room? 

Well today's the day. Naked or not. Here it is. 

See what I mean? There is NOTHING hanging on the walls. At all. Completely naked. 

I wasn't going to show it to you at all except the sun was shining so beautifully through the windows this morning and I had to grab the camera and start snapping. 

Also, my all time favorite EVER piece of furniture is in the guest room. 

And about a billion plants that I moved out of the living room to make room for Christmas decorations. 

Did I mention I love plants? They make me happy. 

This piece of furniture has been in my last 4 homes. 

It was in my yoga room when I was married. It held my yoga DVD's and workout equipment. 

It had a spot of honor in my living room when I got separated - it held dishes since my itty bitty kitchen had no storage. 

And it was in my kitchen in my last rental. It held dishes and glasses. 

When I bought my house I stressed and stressed over where this piece was going to live. 

Because no matter what, I had to find a home for this baby. 

Do you have a piece like that? I call this one the Big Green Monster. 

I hoped I could use it in my dining room but it just didn't work. Too huge. 

I thought I could use it in my lower level but it didn't work. Too tall. 

But you know what? It works perfectly in my guest room. 

It stores my guest towels and sheets perfectly behind the glass doors. 

Lavender sachets make it smell so lovely when you open the doors to take out a set of clean sheets!

The lower doors hold some other bulkier bedding as well as a few misc items that don't have a home yet. 

It fit just perfectly on this wall next to the window. Don't you just love it?

And you know what? I get more comments on this piece than any other piece of furniture I own. 

Do you know how much I paid for it?

Nothing. It was free. Someone was throwing it out. 

Can you believe that? 

I really need to find something to hang on the walls in here, though. 

Nothing has jumped out at me. 

It will happen in time....you can't rush these things. The layers take time. 

Meanwhile, it's a sunny, happy room and I love having a dedicated guest room. 

When you look out the window you have a view of the horses in their paddock and their little barn. What's better than that?

When you come out of the guest room you meet my little happy fiber optic snowman (thanks, Mom!) and a couple of other little holiday items. 

And the guest bath is right across the hall. 

It's a sunny, happy room also with that skylight above the shower. 

I didn't have to do a thing but paint in this room - the previous homeowners had already renovated it fairly recently. 

Wait, I lied - I changed out the sink and toilet. 

Even the guest bath has some artwork on the wall yet there are many walls in my house that are just crying out for artwork. 

What's wrong with me? I have a hard time committing to hammering that nail into the wall!

So....welcome to my guest space. 

Let me know when you're coming and I'll turn the bed down for you. 

The Princess Room

Friends of ours came over for a visit the other evening and when they saw my master bath they immediately christened it The Princess Room. 

So The Princess Room it shall remain!!

Hey - why not? Every girl dreams of being a princess at some point in her life!

I first brought you in here when I showed you my Master Suite about a million years ago. 

Ok, only 3 months ago. I might have exaggerated a tad. 

Well, today I'm going to give you a peek even further into the inner sanctum...the stuff you always want to peek at when you use someone's restroom....come on, don't lie - you know you always want to open the medicine cabinet!

Maybe that's just me. Sorry. I can be nosy. 

Continuing with the Clutter Busters....here are my tips on keeping my Princess Room organized. 

I wanted a vanity all my life. It was high on my must-have list when designing this space. It's such a luxury to be able to sit down and take my time with all my little beauty routines. And let's face it, after 40 the routines take longer and longer each year. Wahh!

I like to have everything right at my fingertips when sitting at my vanity, but without being "cluttered." This marble tray that I picked up at Sierra Trading Post for about $3 does an incredible job. The coordinating marble cup holds my makeup brushes. 

I have two of these rotating cosmetic organizers, one on either side of the marble tray - they hold my cosmetics and they spin around so I can see what I have. And let's face it - I have a LOT of products. A ton. I have always been that kind of girly-girl. These organizers came from Joss & Main.  Love that place!

In the vanity cabinets I have these mesh roll out organizers - there are two in each vanity which keeps everything so nicely organized. 

Yes, I'm a bit of a neatnik. I admit it. These kind of things make me very happy. 

There's actually no medicine cabinet in this bathroom - I couldn't put a recessed one in over the sinks as it's an exterior wall and all the products inside would freeze in my climate. And I didn't like the medicine cabinets that aren't recessed - I felt like they would stick out way too much and I would bang my face on them when washing up! So, medicines are kept in the medicine cabinet in the guest bath....and I don't mind one bit if you peek when you come to visit! 

I loved the fact that these vanities had such a large drawer underneath - however, it led to challenges in keeping things organized. This deep drawer organizer is awesome, I love it. And these Ikea storage boxes are perfect to organize the drawers as well. I ordered 2 sets of these and used them elsewhere in the master suite as well. 

This rolling organizer holds some items I use regularly such as contacts, vitamins, face wash, etc as well as taller items that don't fit under the sink. I told you how much I love these organizers and gave you a link to buy one for yourself when I told you all about my Kitchen Clutter Busters.  I actually ordered this one for next to my washer to hold laundry detergent but it was too narrow for the bottles I buy - but it worked out perfectly right here. 

I absolutely adore the tub I had put in however I limit the amount of times I use it due to the fact that I have a well and septic. That just makes the times I indulge all the more special! I go all out - I light all the candles, put on some relaxing spa music, and have a glass of wine - there's nothing like it!!

When we were putting in the tub my contractor asked me if I wanted a little recessed area for products and the answer was a resounding YES. More space for products? That's a no-brainer for me. 

I chose the same stone as the fireplace to back the recessed area. It's the perfect spot for the products I use in the tub. And everything has a lavender scent to make the experience even more relaxing!

My bath salts are kept neat and tidy and ready for action right next to the bath in an old ceramic container that came from a floral arrangement. It's just the right size to fit between the tub edge and the wall - who knew that holding on to these odd items would work out so well in my new house?

In the shower I put a tension organizer in one corner to keep all my shower supplies handy. 

The model I chose is from Simple Human and it's terrific! It got wonderful reviews and I completely understand why.  It's so sturdy and has 3 adjustable shelves plus hooks, razor holder, toothbrush holder, and soap dish. I bought mine at Bed, Bath & Beyond with a 20% off coupon. It was the best deal I found on this item anywhere - and it's worth every penny! All the reviews say it doesn't rust - that was a huge selling point for me right there. 

Across from the vanity my contractor built in shelving to store additional supplies. The width and height of the shelves was decided based on the amount of space that was left after everything else was installed and it couldn't have worked out better if we planned it this way!

I already had 6 of these fabric boxes that I was using elsewhere. I was originally going to get baskets for the bathroom shelves but when I tried out one of these on the shelves it was just too perfect! I bought mine at Home Decorators with a coupon code. 

Did you notice that there is usually a coupon code happening with me? Yup, I admit it. I hate to pay full price for anything!

These over-door hooks are wonderful - I have them EVERYWHERE. Seriously. Addicted. 

All these organizers not only keep the bathroom looking fairly tidy at all times but make my morning routine so much easier. Even on Mondays!

I don't have to go looking for anything. I know exactly where every item is. Things I use morning and night are right at my fingertips. 

And at the end of the day, that's what makes this space even more beautiful. It's amazingly functional. 

What's better than that?

Before and After

Today is my anniversary!!  Well, half-anniversary, to be exact. I moved into my new home exactly 6 months ago today! 

I dug out some photos from when I toured the house back in November of last year - excuse the quality, most of them were taken on my iPad. I thought it would be fun to see what has changed since I moved in. Keep in mind the photos from the tour had all the previous homeowners' furnishings so that is, of course, a big part of the change. 

Ok, I'm excited, here we go!!

The Kitchen before had a very dark green paint which made it feel dark, despite the skylight. 

Now the kitchen is light and bright and sunny. My sweetie changed out the previous light fixture to a custom made cottage style fixture, created by me. And all the knobs got changed to these bubbly green glass knobs  from Pottery Barn's clearance page that I fell in love with. I bought them the day my offer was accepted!

Dining Room then.....

And now. Fresh paint, new rug, and new windows make it warm and welcoming. I actually loved the homeowner's dining room table and chairs so I bought them with the house. We had an additional leaf made for the table to accommodate larger dinner parties. It seats 8 comfortably now. 

Living Room then....

And now. Biggest change here was replacing the wood burning insert - the previous one was an antique and not energy efficient at all.  Of course fresh paint and new windows make a big difference as well. And the addition of a soft rug underfoot not only brightens the space but also makes it feel more welcoming. Someday I'll get around to adding some more artwork to this room and changing out those sconces. And of course I'm still debating how to hide the TV.

What once was two bedrooms.....

Is now my master suite. Open the one remaining door and get the full tour in this post

What was once this....

Is now this, part of the master suite. Huge difference! That's your sneak peek at the master suite.....

One of my favorite transformations that didn't involve major construction is in the lower level. 

What was once a man cave....

Is now a cozy and comfortable family room. 

I wanted to create a comfortable place for my daughters to watch TV, entertain friends, and just relax. I love this space! The sofa also pulls out for additional guests.  The door by the staircase leads to my younger daughter's room, which is an en-suite with a full bath and private entrance.  Very important when living with a 24 year old daughter for us each to have our own space for a little quiet time when the need arises!

The previous owners' little corner bar.....

Now houses an extra fridge and wine storage. 

The laundry and workout area....

Is still a laundry and workout area! In addition to a coffee bar and mini kitchen. Sort of, if a table and chairs, coffee maker, microwave, and fridge serves as a mini kitchen. It's plumbed for a sink as well if I ever want to turn this space into a fully functioning kitchen. Who knows in the future if that might be something our family may require....it was a great selling point for me. 

Behind the curtains is my older daughter's space when she comes home. The sofa pulls out to a queen size bed. This is also my workout space when she's not home. It didn't get much use this week....busy, busy. 

The laundry area is the largest and nicest I've ever had! It's mostly used by my daughter now since I have laundry facilities in my master suite. 

Looking back through the curtains you can see how the spaces relate to each other. If you make a right by the wine rack you're back in the family room. The curtains offer a hint of separation without blocking the amazing light that comes through the sliding doors in the mornings. They could always be changed out for more privacy if the need ever arises. The lower level is a great place for the girls to share - they each have their own space and can bring friends home at any time, knowing there's plenty of room. 

The original listing photo, taken obviously before the previous homeowners painted the house and deck. 

This space is now my heaven on earth. I'm so sad to say goodbye to this space for the cold months...

I hope you enjoyed my half-anniversary edition of the home tour as much as I enjoyed showing you around! The only space you haven't seen yet is the guest room and guest bath....soon!

Have a fabulous fall weekend, everyone!