I’m working with Apartment Guide to dress up and organize our apartment for the holidays. It’s part of the Holiday Home Organization Blogger Challenge that they’re sponsoring.

I’ve been sprucing things up over the last few days and today I’m sharing my holiday decor with you. That means you also get a mini tour of our apartment. Let the festivities begin…

SPACE SAVING CHRISTMAS TREE

Square footage is precious in our ~900 sq ft apartment, so I picked up a live tabletop tree but chose to use it on the floor flanked by two side chairs.

I placed the petite tree in front of the patio sliders so it can be enjoyed from the inside and outside. A larger tree would have jutted out into the room too much and blocked much needed natural light from the sliders.

Our Christmas decorations are in storage but I did manage to coax Handy Hubby to hunt down one Christmas tote {mainly for the Elf on a Shelf for the kids} and was able to reuse some of our past tree dressings: lights, ribbon, bead strands. The rest of the items I picked up at various craft stores.

As much as I like natural light photos, there’s just something about a glowing Christmas tree at night that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

The tree came with a small stand and watering bowl. I propped the stand up on a box inside of a metal bucket that I already had on hand. {It was previously corralling rolls of toilet paper in a closet.} I disguised the base with our traditional tree skirt from storage.

There aren’t any ornaments on the tree. Instead, I bought 10 of the glittery ornamental wands from JoAnn’s {crazy cheap!} and stuck them throughout the tree for some more shimmer.

The topper consists of a few glitter wands zip-tied together with a trio of peacock feathers. {I have plans for gift wrap that will pull the dark teal color from the peacock feathers.}

I fell in love with the feathers at the craft store. When HH saw them, the first thing he sarcastically said was, “Peacock feathers just scream Christmas.” I could have kicked him. I didn’t.

I like the way the feathers resemble the plume of tall ornamental grasses used in landscaping. Maybe it’s just me. Layne and Everett told me feathers don’t belong on a tree.

The budget {assume anything not included was available on hand}:

• tree & stand – $15 {Lowe’s}
• peacock feathers – $3 {Hobby Lobby}
• 10 glitter ornament wands – $4 {JoAnn’s}
• pack of 100 zip ties – $4 {Home Depot}

TOTAL: $26

I had big plans to create some sort of hanging tree out of wire, fabric and lights to hang from the blinds’ rod above the patio sliders. But once I realized that the wire I bought wasn’t sturdy enough to support my creation without being all lopsided and my boys frowned at me saying, “It doesn’t even look like a Christmas tree”, I returned everything and resorted to the petite live tree. Sometimes my ideas stay that way…as ideas…for a reason.

LIGHTED BREAKFAST BAR SKIRT

Previously, the breakfast bar in the apartment was just one big mess of chaos. I brought two counter stools from our old house to put at the bar but they were far too low to use for eating at the bar. In the last 3 months, we used them once. More often than not they became a dumping ground for coats, backpacks and bags, and they took up precious traffic flow space. I don’t plan on using them at the Underdog, so I donated them to Goodwill {made sure to get a tax receipt!} and got to work redefining the area.

I placed a wing chair and side table in the nook as a place to sit and put on/take off shoes. I put the kids’ school stuff on the chair the nights before school days to make mornings run a little more smoothly.

I sewed a custom skirt/tablecloth for the bar and attached it to the kitchen side of the bar with removable velcro. It serves as a dressy holiday backdrop for the seating area.

For added ambiance, I hung a string of white icicle lights behind the skirt.

I simply tapped a few nails into the underside of the breakfast countertop {making sure not to tap them in too deep to the other side!} and attached the lights with zip ties. The white lights look like little stars at night and give off a warm glow.

But the skirt is not only decorative, it’s useful too. The shorter side of the breakfast bar looks unassuming enough…

…but pull back the fabric to reveal storage.

I relocated this shoe rack from the coat closet to free up closet space for hidden holiday gifts and any guests that may come visit over the holidays. Originally, I had wanted to create a wrapping station here but I came up with a no paper/no tape gift wrap idea that I plan on using for Christmas this year instead. Hence, no glamorous wrapping station is necessary. Still, this space behind the skirt has so many possibilities: wrapping station with hanging wire baskets, boot tray, hanging storage with Command hooks, mail collecting station with hanging organizers, etc. I added a removable hook behind the wing chair and skirt to store gifts until they are wrapped. No peeking!

The budget: {assume anything not included was available on hand}

• striped fabric – $14 {JoAnn’s}
• paisley fabric – $18 {JoAnn’s with coupon}
• gold ribbon – $3 {JoAnn’s}
• velcro – $2 {JoAnn’s with coupon}
• icicle lights – $9 {Home Depot}
• trio of 3M Command hooks – $6 {Home Depot}

TOTAL: $52

My favorite part about this project is that we actually use the space but it looks less cluttered now. The kids love the glowing lights at night.

GLITTER WREATHS

Nothing says ‘Happy Holidays’ like a wreath. I found two of these gold glitter wreaths at a local craft store on sale. I suspended one wreath by green ribbon in front of canvas artwork.

The sparkle is a shimmery contrast to the matte painting. At night it looks warmer…

I hung the second wreath from a standing shelf in the living room.

I like the circular shape of the wreath against all the straight lines of the bookshelf and bins.

I suspended the wreath by a green ribbon tied directly to the top shelf of the bookcase.

It’s just the hint of Christmas cheer that the corner of the room needed. It glitters at night beneath artificial light.

The budget: {assume anything not included was available on hand}

• gold glitter wreaths – $18 each {Michael’s on sale}

TOTAL: $36

My wreaths are store bought but you could easily DIY something similar with a plain stick wreath and gold spray paint.

HOOP PENDANT SHADE

Remember the gold chandelier that hung too close to the ceiling? I hated it. Wanting a cozier, more intimate and warmer feel for the holidays, I finally did something about that chandy.

I DIYed a 24″ high fabric shade and hung it over the existing chandelier.

The new shade diffuses the light from the chandelier in a lovely way.

The oversize scale of the pendant helps connect the once too-high chandy to the dining table.

I can’t keep the light off at nighttime now.

Due to lack of time and energy, I didn’t add fabric to the bottom side of the shade.

I hung the shade from the existing chandelier’s chain with fishing line…it’s strong but virtually invisible.

The budget: {assume anything not included was available on hand}

• large embroidery hoop – $6 {Hobby Lobby}
• fishing line – $6 {Target}

TOTAL: $12

Could it be that my favorite holiday decor project is the one the cost the least? Yes! I plan to post the DIY specifics in a future post.

Keep in mind that all of these projects are completely temporary and easily removable – great for our temporary living situation. Thanks to Apartment Guide for sponsoring my holiday projects. I probably wouldn’t have put too much effort or thought into our apartment’s holiday decor otherwise. But now that it’s all done, I’m feeling pretty good about our warm and cozy interim housing. It was definitely worth all the time and effort put into it. My hope is that someone is inspired to make their home {whether permanent or temporary} an organized and inviting place for the holidays.

FYI – Apartment Guide is owned by Consumer Source, Inc. Apartment Guide partnered with bloggers such as me to participate in its “Holiday Home Organization” Blogger Challenge.  As part of that program, I received compensation.  They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used for the “Holiday Home Organization” Blogger Challenge. Apartment Guide and Consumer Source believe that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Consumer Source’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

Don’t forget to like Apartment Guide of Facebook or follow them on Twitter!

images:  1) Apartment Guide  all the rest) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.*

When you start contemplating any renovation, you will hear and read that you should expect the renovation to take longer than your guesstimate. We’re finding that to be true. We had hoped to be in the Underdog {with not every to-do marked off our checklist but just living there} by the end of October/beginning of November. Obviously, that hasn’t happened. Our next ETA was somewhere right around Christmas which looked pretty doable on paper.

However, HH was sent out of state on a trip for work two weeks ago that set us back. And just last week we learned that he’ll be traveling for work for another two weeks in the month of December. All of this was unexpected and makes our Christmas move impossible since the last projects on the list require HH’s DIY skills.

You know what that means? Yep. We’re planning on spending Christmas in our cozy lil’ apartment. So when Apartment Guide asked me to participate in their Holiday Home Organization Blogger Challenge I felt the timing was right. Why not?! My creativity has been so pent up over the last few months waiting and waiting to decorate the Underdog that I need a good crafty release.

Apartment Guide is not only a source for finding and researching apartments, but did you know they also offer useful advice for apartment dwelling? Holiday decor that meets apartment complex restrictions, storage options for surprise gifts and an inviting atmosphere for holiday guests are all covered by Apartment Guide.

{our holiday mantel last year}

I’ve been asked to come up with a few holiday decor and organizational ideas/projects that can be implemented within an apartment setting. So far I have plans for a space-saving Christmas tree, a wrapping station and temporary seasonal decor. I’ll be sharing all my projects with you here on H*T, so stay tuned!

{my holiday gift wrap last year}

Until then, Apartment Guide is graciously offering up a $100 American Express gift card to one lucky H*T reader! Use it to prep your place for the holidays, to help out with holiday shopping or for something totally unrelated to the holidays. It’s up to you. Here are all the details on how to enter:

• PRIZE:  $100 American Express gift card which has a U.S. restriction for in-store purchases but works online anywhere. Should there be an international winner, the gift card may be awarded in the form of an e-gift card depending on the winner’s location.
• RULES:  You must be at least 18 years old. One entry per email address.
• HOW TO ENTER:  Leave a comment on this post proclaiming “GUIDE ME!”
• DEADLINE:  Enter before Thursday, November 24th at 9:00 p.m. EST. One winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced on Friday, November 25th.
• WHILE YOU’RE AT IT:  Share your favorite holiday-related DIY project. Recipes, gift wrap, decor, handmade gifts and snow angels all count! OR like Apartment Guide on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

FYI – Apartment Guide is owned by Consumer Source, Inc. Apartment Guide partnered with bloggers such as me to participate in its “Holiday Home Organization” Blogger Challenge.  As part of that program, I received compensation.  They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used for the “Holiday Home Organization” Blogger Challenge. Apartment Guide and Consumer Source believe that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Consumer Source’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

images:  1) Apartment Guide  2&3) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Do you like practical style?  You know, stuff that not only looks great but actually works for you?  I do.  So when Scout by Bungalow contacted me I was more than willing to pass on their freakishly fab and functional goods to you.

{Doesn’t their Atlanta, GA showroom look like a fun place?}

The Scout collection features stylish tote bags, collapsible storage bins, insulated coolers, picnic and party coolers, travel bags, travel accessories and wedding favors.  The best part?  They’re totally wipeable!  That’s right.  With a durable water-resistant surface, any item will have you on your way to Easy Cleaning Street.

Here are a few of my favorites…

1 –  The Stiff One is a modestly sized insulated cooler.  Think picnics for two or BYOB.

2 – Little Draw is a drawstring backpack that keeps your {possibly smelly and dirty} tennies or cleats separate from your clothes.  I’ll admit.  It might even persuade me to workout at times when I’m really not feeling like it.

3 – The Original Deano is a generously sized carry-all perfect for trips to the pool or beach.  For you moms of school-aged children, I could see this bag making its rounds to holiday school parties and toting around all those classroom treats.

4 – This Megah Lil’ Slim fits laptops with a screen size {measured diagonally} of up to 13″.  The water resistant shell keeps your PC safe from spills and rain drops.

5 – How tough would this Junque Trunk look in a boy’s room?  Store Legos, blocks, cars, books and train tracks out of sight and in high style.

6 – If I had to pick one item, the Hilary Duffle would be it for me.  Small enough to fit in the overhead on a flight but large enough for a weekend getaway, this multifunctional travel bag fits the ‘does everything’ bill.

7 – Don’t let the name fool you, this Doggie Bag isn’t brown and boring.  It’s insulated, wipeable, reusable and available in an assortment of colors and patterns.  Eating leftovers for lunch has never looked so good!

But don’t let my picks sway you.  Click over to Scout to find your favorite product in the perfect pattern and color to keep your days feeling cool, colorful and collected.  And maybe if you’re lucky you’ll be able to put a $50 credit towards your purchase!  Here are all the details you need to enter the giveaway:

• PRIZE:  $50 worth of goods from Scout by Bungalow
• RULES:  You must be at least 18 years old and have a street mailing address {no P.O. boxes} within the U.S.  One entry per email address.
• HOW TO ENTER:  Leave a comment on this post proclaiming “SCOUT ME OUT!”
• DEADLINE:  Enter before Thursday, October 27th at 9:00 p.m. EST.  One winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced on Friday, October 28th.
• WHILE YOU’RE AT IT:  Tell me your pet’s/pets’ name/names and how they got their moniker. ‘Scout’ is actually a real mascot in the flesh for Scout by Bungalow.  See his cuteness here.

images:  Scout by Bungalow

We closed on our previous house nearly 3 weeks ago and I’m just now getting around to sending out change of address postcards.  It took me a while to find just the right ones.  I decided on these Etsy ‘new digs’ postcards…and I’m so happy I did.

They’re made of heavy weight, 100% recycled card stock.

I love their simple, natural style.

I needed more than the bundle of 40 that was for sale on the Etsy listing.  I convo’d the seller and she quickly set me up with a reserved listing for 75 postcards at $37.50.

I adore the cute lil’ birdhouse on the front.  Somehow ‘new digs’ sounds a little less severe than ‘we’ve moved!’

The back is short and sweet and includes our new contact info.  I just have to address them and add postage.  Guess you know what I’m doing this weekend!

I purchased my custom postcards from Jack and Ella Paper.  The Etsy shop has various other notes, cards and stationery available for purchase as well if you’re interested.

FYI – I was not compensated for featuring my postcards.  I’m just sharing a great handmade purchase I received from Etsy.

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

We were in dire need of a place to hang school papers/pending bills/kids’ artwork, jot down grocery items and daily reminders. I decided the back of our apartment front door would work well.  It’s in a convenient location where we’ll see important items on the way out in the mornings.  It’s metal, so papers and artwork can be hung with magnets.  It doesn’t take up any precious wall space in our small apartment.  Most importantly, it can be painted and easily primed back over when it comes time to move in a few short months.

Last week, our front door became our message center for less than $20.  All it took was a can of chalkboard paint, a few handmade magnets and a store bought magnetic notepad basket.

First, I taped off the door into 3 sections.

My goal was to make the flat facade look like it had more character {since metal apartment doors lack that sort of thing}…without actually adding molding or trim.

Everett pretend painted with a dry roller before I opened the can of black chalkboard paint.

Then I went to work with my foam roller.  It took 2 full coats of chalkboard paint…

…and another touch up coat in select spots.

I skipped priming the door prior to painting because the door was painted out in matte paint to begin with.  If the door had been slick or shiny, I would have added primer first to give the paint something to stick to.

As for the peep hole, I stuck a wad of rolled up toilet paper into the hole before painting then removed it with tweezers once the door was dry.

I hot glued a few magnets that I bought at JoAnn’s {for less than $4} to the back of two wooden toy blocks.  Don’t tell Layne and Everett I sacrificed two of their blocks for the message door!

One magnet holds Layne’s school calendar/papers and the other magnet holds Everett’s preschool calendar/papers.

I bought this magnetic wire basket at Target for less than $4 too.  It came with a little notepad and pen.  I tossed a few sticks of chalk into the basket as well.

It didn’t take Everett long to add his own artwork to the door.  Layne was at school or I assume he would have gotten in on the chalk action too.

Four days later, our message door is coming in pretty handy.  We’ve added a few grocery items, more kid artwork and a pending bill to the little metal basket.

Feel free to laugh at Everett’s very first preschool craft.  I did.  ”I like balls.”  I laughed until I cried. Then laughed some more. Then couldn’t breathe properly.  I’m that mature.  ”I like sports” just wouldn’t have had the same effect.

Sorry, E, that one’s making it to your high school graduation party.

It feels great to have an outta-the-way space dedicated to important notes, daily reminders and funny kid crafts.  It feels even better to know that when we move out in a short while, all I have to do is remove the magnets, wipe the door down and prime. Easy.

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

We are settling into apartment living nicely.  The boys really seem to like it.  I think they see it as a big playhouse.  It’s a welcome change for them from the ‘showhouse’ {i.e. previous house we sold by owner..more on that next week} conditions we were living in for nearly five months.  The words “No!  Don’t touch that!” haven’t slipped through my lips once in the past two weeks. The kids happily litter their toys around the apartment and make tents out of furniture, blankets and pillows. Sometimes I don’t even make them put it all away at night because, well, it doesn’t matter.  No one’s coming to visit and we aren’t hanging by a thread waiting for a call from potential buyers who want to come see the place.  We’re just living here.

Still, after living in the apartment a few weeks, I’ve decided there are some things that need to be addressed to make our new space function well and feel a little more like home…albeit an interim one.  Not all of the things I want to do deal with are major design dilemmas – by god, there are plenty! – because we’re only going to be living here temporarily.  Most of the projects I want to take on will affect the way we use the apartment and how it works for us.  Don’t worry, though, I don’t think I can completely steer clear of all design-related ideas!  I’ve gotten a bunch of different feedback concerning interim housing and possible projects.  Some people advise not to touch a thing and focus all energies on the Underdog while, at the opposite end of the spectrum, I have others saying to go all out on the apartment and make it ours.  I appreciate all the input and I can see the pros/cons of both sides.  Maybe you’ll be happy to know that I’m taking the middle ground on this one. Not really to appease any one side but simply because that’s how I feel about the matter.  I could not live in a place for longer than a month without changing something.  That’s just not me. Tweaking is what I do.  And it usually improves our everyday living.  On the other hand, I will have a lot of ideas that don’t make the cut due to time, money and energy constraints.  I can’t see putting in tons of work and money into a space that we’ll only be living in short-term.  So, my to-do list will focus only on those projects that will enhance our apartment living experience without cutting into our wallets, renovation time {at the Underdog} and everyday life.  With me?  Okay, here are my top priorities as of today.  Maybe once I check them off, I’ll move onto other like minded ideas.

1 – Hang stuff.  I purposefully selected a few wall decor items to make the move to the apartment versus storage.  I chose items knowing exactly where I wanted to put them so I didn’t end up with a bunch of unnecessary stuff in our small apartment.  Plus, as long as I don’t make any holes in the walls larger than the size of a dime, we’re not responsible for patching them when our lease is up.  No skin off my back!  Still, the few paintings, frames and mirrors I brought to the apartment haven’t made it off the floor.  I’ve left them propped against the walls out of harms way just waiting to be hung. I’m ready to put some {small} holes in the walls!  The bare white walls are starting to feel a tad asylum-like.

2 – Organize the utility closet.  For an apartment, I think ours has ample closet space.  I’m just not really using it to it’s fullest potential.  This utility closet just off the dining area is a case in point. While it’s plenty large enough to house the things we need it to house {safe, printer, steam mop, broom, important files, etc.} it’s not functional.  It’s one big pile o’ stuff. I think adding some freestanding shelving and wall hooks would improve this storage space tremendously!

3 – Remove cumbersome folding doors.  There are a LOT of folding doors in the apartment.  4 to be exact:  one near the front door {shown above}, one off the kitchen that hides the washer/dryer, and two in the boys’ bedroom that act as closet doors.  I’ve already decided that the one right near the entrance to the apartment needs to go.  It doesn’t open or close properly and when it is open, no one can open the front door or else the two doors just bang into each other. The folding door in the kitchen doesn’t seem to be too much of a problem {just hideous to look at} since I’m the only who uses it for doing laundry.  I think it may stay.  The closet doors in the boys’ bedroom are a safety hazard.  Everett has already pinched his finger in them once and I’m betting it’ll happen again.  They’ll be coming down as well.  I plan on hanging fabric panels in place of the folding doors I remove.  Oh!  And I’ll have to reinstall the doors I remove when our lease is up.

4 – Add to our house plant arsenal.  If you’ve ever lived in an apartment you can attest to what I like to call the apartment smell.  It smells like a hot mix of old water and musty carpet.  It doesn’t go away no matter how often you clean or open your windows.  While it has definitely improved since the first day, our apartment still has a faint, distinct odor that doesn’t quite smell like home.  I’m using my Scentsy burner and it helps some, but I think adding in more air purifying house plants would help too.  Plus, greenery in a home is always pretty and lively.

5 – Do something about the dining chandelier.  The light above the dining area is too small, too high and not anywhere near our style.  I’d love to tweak it somehow so that we have a larger, more stylish, lower hanging light above our dining table.  With the ceilings being 15′ high, I can’t remove the light myself but I’ve been conjuring up ideas for disguising the light and making it seem bigger than it actually is.  I think it could really become the focal point of the open living space if I play my cards right.

6 – Transform the front door into a message center.  In our last home I painted a sliver of wall in the kitchen with chalkboard paint to act as a message board.  I miss it!  I didn’t realize how useful it was until now.  We would jot down needed grocery items, daily notes, reminders and even inspirational quotes to keep us on our toes.  We definitely need something like it in the apartment and I think the back of our front door will be a great spot for it.

So, those are my current projects for the apartment.  I plan on tackling some of them this weekend and brainstorming the rest.  That light is gonna be a doozy!  But I like challenges and some of my most creative work comes from the most awful ‘before’ setups.  Keep in mind that all projects need to be budget-friendly and reversible, so as not to sink money into a space that is only temporary. The jury is still out on painting any walls….hmmm.

images:  Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

There’s no question in my mind that selling our previous home was the right decision for us.  That doesn’t mean I don’t miss little things about it though.  One thing being the smart setup we had under Handy Hubby’s side of the double vanity in our master bathroom.  From the outside all closed up, it was average enough.

I never did get around to painting the mismatched, orange-y stained oak.  See how the doors were more of a golden brown and the cabinet frame was more orange tinted?  That’s how the kitchen cabinets looked before we painted them too.  If only we had lived there another month or so, I think I would have worked my magic on that vanity.  Anyhow, the vanity itself is not what I’m missing these days {far from it} but what was inside.  Don’t judge a book by its cover…

Do you see what I see?  Look past the manly toiletries to the electrical outlet on the upper left hand side of the cabinet.

That outlet came about after I complained for months to Handy Hubby how much I disliked seeing and cleaning around his electric razor and electric toothbrush that he displayed on the sink countertop.  {My razor and toothbrush are manual and tuck away nicely into drawers.}  I can’t blame him too much.  The nearest electrical outlet for charging the personal hygiene machines was located right above the vanity next to HH’s sink.  I don’t know if it was my endless nagging or HH’s engineering mind that finally turned the tables, but eventually HH came up with this neat little charging setup for his razor and toothbrush.  It was a win-win project.  I got the unsightly devices off the top of the vanity and HH had fun rigging up his own charging station.  He simply added the outlet and tied it into the existing one.  It worked great for us.  And I miss it more than I ever thought I would.  I’m sorry I took you for granted little under-cabinet electrical outlet.

Because now I am greeted by this getup every morning in our apartment bathroom.

Behold.  The electric razor and toothbrush have made another countertop appearance.  I’m not crazy about it.  To make things look a little tidier, I placed HH’s razor and toothbrush in a wooden Goodwill tray that I primed and painted white. Yes, that’s my pot o’ cosmetics but, in my defense, it’s just there to disguise all the manly devices.  It’s not doing a very good job, is it?  Oh well.  It’s temporary.  Because when we get to taking on the master bathroom at the Underdog I fully expect us to come up with another creatively functional way to stow HH’s electric razor and toothbrush. It’ll be a challenge.  The Underdog’s master bathroom is not master-ish at all.

{BEFORE}

A teeny single vanity is all there will be room for.  But I’m confident we’ll think of something.

Think, think, think…

images:  Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Boxes are slowly but surely beginning to take over corners and rooms of our house.  I’ve been tackling packing in my own way going room to room, starting with the least used areas {i.e. guest room} first.  I haven’t been numbering boxes and then detailing specific items according to box number on a separate sheet of paper like so many people do.  Instead, I’ve just been writing a general one word description on the box like ‘decor’ and then listing each item in the box under the description word. For me, keeping track of a separate piece of paper with our entire home’s inventory seems daunting.   And when it comes to unpacking and looking for specific items, I’d rather just go straight to the boxes and find what I need.  But that’s just me.  There are probably a million different ways to pack for a move.  I’m just doing what feels comfortable and what I’ve done in the past.  This is my second time packing up our family and it worked well the first go around.

We bought our moving boxes, bubble wrap and packing paper off Craigslist from a family who had recently moved.  We have plenty – maybe even more than we’ll need – and they only cost us $25. I fully plan on reselling them once we’re all unpacked after moving into the Underdog in a few months.  I think we can make our money back.

Besides labeling each box by category or room with specific items listed beneath, I’m also writing ‘apt’ or ‘no apt’ on them. Since not everything that will eventually end up at the Underdog can fit into our interim apartment, we’ll have to store many boxes elsewhere.  I frequently find myself staring into the abyss contemplating ‘apartment or storage?’  I’m really trying to minimize what we take to the apartment just so I don’t have to turn around in 3 months or so and repack it all.  But I also want to make the apartment somewhat homey and familiar for the time that our family will be living there. So packing is taking longer than it would with a typical home to home move because I’m trying to decide what we will use or need at the apartment and what we can do without for a few months.

{How freaky does that reflection of a throw blanket look in the fireplace glass?  It looks like a sobbing tragedy mask.  Anybody else see it?  As you may also see, the kids aren’t stressed one bit by the whole packing thing.}

It’s amazing how quickly a home can go from show house conditions for selling purposes to complete and utter disarray for moving purposes in just a matter of weeks.  Our home is starting to look less like a home and more like a house.  Meaning it’s becoming more and more barren and sterile with each item I pack.  It makes me think of when we bought the house and how I saw this huge empty space that we could bring to life.  It’s been a kind house to us over the last 3.5 years. No major issues…just little cosmetic changes here and there that didn’t require permits {besides the man shed} or lead or asbestos testing before digging in. It’s been a good home for Handy Hubby to piddle around on acquiring more DIY know how along the way.  It’s been a good canvas for my design loving heart allowing me to experiment with interior design without hardly any construction dust. We’re very thankful that we got to live here and play around.

Thank you house!

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

From the title it sounds like this could be some kind of science fiction twist on the Underdog. Luckily, it’s not.  I really don’t think I could handle aliens invading the Underdog at this point. Maybe in a few years when things have settled.

Back when Handy Hubby was down with his septoplasty, he wasn’t able to work on the Underdog at all and it was killing him.  So, he came up with a tedious Underdog-related project to keep him busy until he healed.  May I present to you…ta dah!…The Underdog Files…

Although I’m more of the house/everyday living organizer in the family, HH is definitely the paperwork/bill organizer.  It works out well for us.  HH is very detail-oriented when it comes to ideas, projects, estimates, and costs for the Underdog.  He is saving everything that relates to the renovation.  To keep it all organized {and to keep us from searching through piles and piles of paper}, he put together this accordion folder complete with labeled tabs.

There’s a tab for everything:  insulation, plumbing, roof, landscape, electrical, HVAC, framing, windows, receipts, permits, inspection and loan.  While some tabs have very little filed under them {plumbing} others are already bulging with information {electrical}.  I guess that just shows where we are in terms of renovation projects.  {I.e., we feel we can live with outdated, ugly bathrooms for a while but we should probably get the electrical system upgraded to avoid any safety issues.}

HH’s folder is pretty impressive.  So much so, that I’m thinking of starting one of my own for all of the decor related projects for the Underdog.  It would definitely help me to focus on the task at hand while still gathering information and ideas for other projects.  The only question is ‘How do I label it all?’  Do I go the obvious route and label files according to room {kitchen, living room, bedroom, etc.} or do I keep decor categories separate {flooring, lighting, fabrics, furniture, etc.}? Or do I combine both methods, labeling each room with subcategories under them?  For example, the living room tab would have flooring, lighting, fabric, furniture, etc. subcategories.  How would you approach the organization of so much decor information?  Any suggestions are appreciated!

images:  Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

As in, I use lots of hooks for lots of different purposes in my home.  {Gotcha.  I thought that title would grab your attention.}  Not only are hooks inexpensive and easy to install, but they also keep clutter up off the floor {somehow it looks a little better on a wall?!}.  That leaves more floor space open below for traffic flow, furniture, playing, parking, closing/opening doors, or just breathing room. Right inside our front door, I have a row of wall hooks for guests to hang up their coats, hats, or bags.

There’s even a lower set of hooks for little people who visit us:  our kids’ friends, neighbor kiddos, and our nieces.

In fact, we have no closet on the entire first floor of our home.  That’s not to say we never had a closet on the first floor.  We did.  But we found the closet door to be cumbersome in a small, crowded hallway so we DIYed it into a mini mudroom sans door.  There are hooks for coats, purses, backpacks, and lunchboxes.

I even hung a double hook at kid height just inside the mudroom on the doorway wall that we opened up to accommodate the mudroom.  When the kids are sitting on the bench removing their shoes, the hook is just to the left and in front of them.  It makes a great spot for them to hang their bags and jackets.  It’s amazing what kids will put away if you make storage options accessible to them.

Across the hall from the mudroom is a half bath.  I attached a wall hook at kid height between the sink and toilet to make hand-drying and towel-hanging easier on the kiddos {which ultimately is easier on me!}.

Having a large pantry off the kitchen area makes living without a traditional first floor closet doable. Behind the pantry door I hang a broom, dust pan, and small rechargeable sweeper.  That leaves plenty of room for the actual vacuum cleaner to sit on the floor without crowding the small space.

Handy Hubby installed a similar hanging system in the garage for outside brooms, shovels, trimmers, and other long miscellaneous items.

We have ceiling hooks in the garage to store our bikes.  {I can get my bike down but need help putting it back.}

And we hung two rows of hooks at the door where we enter the house from the garage to keep reusable shopping bags, swim gear, and helmets in check.  In the summer, we also use these hooks for wet swimming trunks/suits and drying beach towels.  {Our neighborhood has a community pool within walking distance.}

Right inside that same door, I hung a cork board organizer that has a trio of key hooks.  When we come home, before we even close the door to the garage, we always make it a point to hang up our keys.  Handy Hubby has a nasty habit of hoarding all sets of car and house keys in his coat pocket, leaving me stranded at home when I need to be at work or elsewhere.  Figuring out a simple, no-fail key hanging system was a must for our marriage!

I’ve utilized hooks upstairs in my home too.  Three of the four bedrooms have hooks located right inside the door for items that get used more frequently than things stored in the bedroom closets.  I hang up the kids’ comfort blankies {my guys have a fondness for silky blankets…especially Layne who chews on his…which is why I have to hang it up every morning to dry…it still smells awful to me but awesome to him}, a special kindergarten bus hat, toddler sleep sack, and guest towels on these bedroom hooks.

In the second floor laundry room, I have a row of hooks behind the door for hanging ‘line dry only’ items.  It works great!  Not only are my wet bras hidden out of sight, the heat from the nearby dryer shortens drying time.

And, finally, I used a double hook to hang my ironing board on a skinny wall in the laundry room. That way it’s up off the floor but not hidden in a closet somewhere further away from the laundry room.  Not that I iron all that much.  But still.

So those are a few ways I’ve incorporated hooks into the whole storage scheme over here. Currently, we have over 2,500 square feet of living space and plenty of closet space.  However, that’s all about to change when we downsize.  Finding even more clever ways to store things on a wall/ceiling, off the floor, with a hook or two is going to be a must.  Have you ever used hooks to resolve a storage problem? Share, please!

images:  1) TR Woodworks for Etsy…all the rest) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking