Small Commitments

When I started this blog I knew my lifestyle needed a bit of a turn-around to get my house (and life) in order. I knew it would take a long time to form a habit. (Fly Lady says it takes a whole month of daily practice), and I knew it was worth 365 of the days to get to the point where my other hobbies of painting, and collage, and typography, and art and baking could get their own bits of time committed to them so they (and I) could thrive in a neat and orderly space that didn’t need my constant attention.

I think I made a slight over-commitment in wanting to blog about it all of those 365 days. I love this blog and I want to keep loving it and nurturing it, so I’ve decided to keep the year and ditch the daily, unless ideas flow daily. I’m focusing a slightly smaller commitment. I will continue to blog regularly, but this will give me and Daniel a little leeway to do the projects and then blog about them. So please, stay tuned! Quality over quantity is a pretty good thing to commit to, so I’m working on bringing some new topics to Behind Closed Drawers, and I’m looking forward to revealing more how-to’s, project before and afters, shopping guides, Nashville Craigslist finds and other good stuff. I’m also working on more blog layout tweaks (such as the new blog banner and colors).

I’m also always eager to hear from others who have hints and tips to share, so please feel free to contact me with your own projects! I’d love to spotlight them. Definitely drop me a line if you have one to share. I’ve added my contact information to a new page you can access above the banner.

Happy Organizing,

Andrea

{Image: Andrea B of Behind Closed Drawers; collage in acrylic and vintage ephemera}

Nashville Craigslist Finds

Anyone else in Nashville looking for some quality furniture at a reasonable price? I know I am. Now, I can’t use these, but if anything catches your eye, I’ve found a few things you might want to click on and check out further. I’ve add things that catch my eye in the mid-century modern, modern, and eclectic styles. Happy hunting!

Mid century modern lane side table/coffee table – $89 (Franklin) (ABOVE)

Mahogany Armoire – $300 (Hendersonville)

CLAWFOOT TUB – $175 (MADISON NEAR RIVERGATE)

Pair HOT PINK Mid Century Modern Arm Chairs – $175 (Franklin)

Modern Floor Mirror- Black Distressed – $199 (Nashville)

West Elm Bond Desk (Large) – $200 (Franklin, TN)

The Lettered Cottage Link Party: Wifi Digital Thermostat

I participated in the lovely Lettered Cottage’s how-to link party this month. I hope our experiences putting in our wifi digital thermostat will help others save money, like we did! (As in, yes, the purchase of the thermostat literally paid for itself in savings.)

If you’d like to check out the rest of the how-to’s just hop on over to this link, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click away on the other links. (I’m having serious gorgeous picture envy! Our how-to was technical and boring, although very helpful. Many of the others are simply stunning and decorative!)

On Life, Not Organizing, and Making French Toast

I sat with my laptop for over an hour and tried to think of something snazzy and inspiring to write about organizing the house and I realized … I haven’t participated in any projects to write about. Home improvement blogger fail!

Sometimes life is just life, those day to day existence things that take your attention away from the projects. At first I felt guilty for not pushing forward, but then I realized I’m just living in the present, and sometimes the present is work and traffic and vegging on the couch watching Bones.

Yes, as a matter of fact, I went to work, filed paperwork, ate a bag lunch, then left and got stuck in traffic, and decided to spend the rest of my evening watching Bones. On the couch.

I did make some GREAT French toast to go with our “breakfast” dinner. It was quite scrumptious. If you’d like to make a great French toast breakfast dinner sometime, here’s my recipe:

4-5 pieces of whole wheat bread
4 eggs
A splash of milk
A smidge maple flavoring
A smidge vanilla

That is correct, the measurements are not precise! In fact, my proportions of the ingredients changes at whim. It’s all to taste and preference.

Combine eggs, milk, maple flavoring, and vanilla in a casserole dish or similar flat-bottomed dish until fully blended. Heat a skillet or pan on medium temperature and melt a tab of butter (about 1 Tblsp.) in the skillet. Dip the bread in the egg and flip on the other side. Place wet bread in the skillet or pan. Fry until golden brown. Serve with maple syrup, or, if you prefer powered sugar and fruit.

(Tip: If you want all the slices to be warm when served at the same, simply just warm the oven and put the slices, after frying, into a pan in the oven.)

Unfortunately, I ate mine before thinking to take a picture. So I borrowed a slightly different version to illustrate.

{Many thanks, shugarhigh, for the shot above of some other delicious-looking french toast.}

I Washed the Dishes (Because the Cards Told Me To)

So, we tested out the household chores “lottery” for the first time today. And I did what was in the cards …

So far? So good.

Design News: Ideas You Should Steal

Brought to you from Kelly+Olive, a design duo that offers their services over the ‘Net. They believe that everyone should have a chance to enjoy a beautiful home, so they’ve teamed up with some of my favorite home and design bloggers to create a lovely eBook filled with ideas and projects to try.

I downloaded my copy yesterday and am looking forward to browsing its digital pages this afternoon. Ideas You Should Steal costs a whopping $1 (or more, if you’re feeling generous) donation and its proceeds benefits Dwell With Dignity.

Young House Love, Yellow Brick Home, Brooklyn Limestone, House*Tweaking, and other favorite bloggers share the pages of the pdf. It’s well worth a buck, and it is a good feeling to know that the splurge helps provide the less fortunate with a better lifestyle. I just found out about Dwell With Dignity, and I gotta say, I like what I read. So go support their cause! Buy the eBook.

p.s. I wasn’t paid, bribed, or in any way rewarded for this blurb. I’m just glad to be able to share the news.

{Images: Kelly+Olive, Dwell With Dignity}

Jewelry Organization: $100 and less

1) PreZerve Anti-Tarnish Embellished Jewelry Organizer, silver, $19.80; 2) Modern Red Lacquer Jewelry Box Wood Gloss, $69.99; 3) Jewelry Organizer Tree, $32.99; 4) Nambe Crystal Heart Ring Holder, $29.99; Jewelry Polishing Cloth 6″ x 8″ Teal Color, $5.65; 6) Glitter Square Silver Jewelry Box, $18.99

The Household Chores Lottery

Daniel and I are working on a joint project. He came up with the idea, we went to Target and bought 3×5 cards, we both made a list and mutually designated values associated to the listed items, and then he wrote them down on the cards.

We’re still working on a keeping place for the cards. And a post to discuss how they work. But for now, let’s just say it’s an ingeniously little low-tech way for us to randomly and impersonally assign chores each day. Daily chores should take no more than 30 minutes. Weekly chores, perhaps an hour. Monthly, semi-annually, and annual chores, either longer than that or just more infrequently than daily, weekly, or monthly.

P.s. Anyone know where to find a recipe card box? Apparently they don’t exist at Target. Who knew?

{Photo: vierdrie}

Dining Room Sneak Peek

I don’t want to do a full reveal until I have some decoration up and go for a full SHAZAAM! but I’m thrilled with the lovely results and so I can’t wait until then … here it is a sneak peak with some fresh spring flowers I gathered after work today.

{Images: Andrea B @ Behind Closed Drawers}

Elfa System Inspiration

There’s a lot of great inspiration for closets out there. I drool over them regularly, in magazines and blogs. And even advertisements. So many ways to keep things in order in attractive ways!

Of course the royalty of closet organizers is the Elfa System at The Container Store. You can even design your own.