organizing, behind the curtain

A little order is in order around here. Since having the baby, things have gotten a little disorganized in this house. I arrange and rearrange and gather when I can in any spare moment (ha!), but I've needed a good chunk of time to really be able to get a handle on all the junk our pantry has been collecting. But I never seem to get it. Michael's been working extra hours to make up for the fact that I'm not working, though I've been trying to maintain a few clients and take care of a baby full-time too. Add to that teething, restless nights, and ridiculously short naps, and we have had zero time for projects of any kind.

I can't believe I'm showing you this room. Tools, paint supplies, gardening stuff, baby stuff, bulk paper goods, and cleaners of all kinds have ended up here, with no particular place to be. The other day I had a spare hour with Michael home before we needed to get dinner started and I just decided to dive in and tackle it all. I moved most of the tools and painting stuff to the basement and kept only what we need access to most often up on the first floor: baby stuff, summer/beach things, cleaning stuff, bulk goods.

And about 60 minutes later, I was feeling SO good to look at a neat space, knowing where everything goes, and to have control over something around here! What have you organized lately? And how good did it feel?!

basket, basket on the wall

Oh man, do I love a good basket. I have at least one in every room. The look is totally charming, and the texture (whether natural fiber or wire) can add so much interest. As a bonus they are just so darn functional, corraling catalogs, toys, towels, etc. Recently, I've been noticing hanging baskets and thinking how genius to get them up on the wall—it frees up floor space and can create an almost art-installation effect.

all images via pinterest

getting creative: kids' playrooms

Since becoming a mom, my design focus these days is pretty much on the bebe—her crib, her clothes, the walls in her room. Someday we hope to have a space where she can play to her heart's content too.

creative and cozy, via lonny

I'll never cease to be amazed at the ingenuity I see out there in kids' playrooms these days. Whether it's a whole room or a cute curtained-off corner, these spaces are so clever and so appealing. They're the perfect spots for little ones to be escape to, to create, to dream, and to just be kids. And of course, if they're put together to look good to a big person's eyes, organized and "designed," all the better.

the storage and symmetry are so perfect here

sometimes a little reading nook is all you need, via decorpad

absolute perfection, by steven gambrel

art room

graphic black and white scheme keeps things looking neat

teepees are everywhere these days—what kid doesn't like hiding out?

if you're feeling adventurous, the rope ladder is very cool

tented ceiling has a fairy tale feel

love the idea of recycling a large spool as a table 

Do you have a playroom for your kids? Is it a whole room or just part of one? Would love to hear how you pulled it together or if you don't have one, what you're dreaming of for your little ones!

patio diy dreaming

Spring is definitely here (finally!) and as always I'm looking to my backyard and seeing just a few things that need tweaking. Any yard needs some hardscaping to provide definition, and ours has very little. We've got a deck but could use a stone walkway. And I've dreamed for a years of a pea gravel, paver, or cobblestone patio—really almost any material would do. How much better would our backyard look, and how much better would summer life be, if we could diy something like this?

pea gravel is so charming & seems so easy to achieve, though i know it still requires a lot of labor to prep the ground underneath

great checkerboard design with grass growing between the stone

pavers look diy-able, if perhaps a bit too clean and perfect-looking for my taste

i like the varying shapes and sizes of these stones

brick in a herringbone pattern=perfection

gasp. i am pretty much speechless here

Sadly, a backyard patio is not in the cards for us this year. We have too many other projects and not enough dough to go around. But if you're inspired and have the muscle, determination, and budget to do it, check out these how-tos from This Old House, Style at Home, and DIY Network and see how John and Sherry did it here. And then come back and let us know how it turned out!

catching up

I know I have more than a little catching up to do, folks. Here's a little roundup of what we've been doing instead of blogging!

practicing our yoga (okay, just playing in the living room). and oh yes, recovering the ottoman

enjoying a little spring color on a warm evening

learning to crawl

having a blast on vacation with the family

loving the water

enjoying this south carolina view

Now that our spring vaca is over, I really am looking forward to getting back into organization, client work, and blogworld again. Also looking forward to spring in the Northeast. Has it come to you yet?