Getting Organized + Pictures

Happy Friday!  I came straight home today super excited to get this closet organized and switched over to Fall/Winter attire. 

Since I reached out for some organization help on my earlier post, first I should sort some things to see which solution would work best for me.  

Items that need a little more attention:

• Costume jewelry
• Hair products
• Receipts 
• Small packages/gift boxes
• Gym bags
• Camera equipment 
• Shoes that does not fit in the over-the-door shoe hanger (boots, etc.)
• Various sample packets (you know the free stuff you get from retailers)

Items that are actually in good standing:

• Nail polishes
• Fashion scarfs
• Winter scarfs
• Winter hats/gloves
• Hair equipment (flat irons, blow dryer, hot rollers, etc.)
• Swim attire
• Clutch purses

I used bins from the Container Store that I found on clearance for everything except the nail polishes.  Those are on the wall using an acrylic nail polish holder from Amazon.  

I got some ideas from my lovely blogger friends for the items needing attention, and I really want to try some out.  Question for you: how long do you keep items that you have never worn?  I swear I tell myself "I will wear it next season" and that never happens.  I think I may have a small issue with letting go of things.  

This is what I am dealing with now.  I hope to have things sorted with 90% done by morning, so I can run to Target or the Container Store in search for a better solution!  Let the coffee making begin...something is telling me this is going to be a long night!  

Above: Ziploc Space Saver Bags

Above: Costume necklaces

Above: Belts

Above: Bangles/bracelets 

Above: Samples from retailers 

Above: Sunglass holder

Above: One of the few items with a home!

I will post the final closet once I have sorted through everything and found a home for the lost items!  

xoxo

Winterizing My Closet (before) + Pictures

Finally, my favorite season is upon us!  Fall is everything to me: scarfs, boots, cute hats and my favorite drinks at Starbucks!  #PSL

As you know, my closet is the Elfa System from the Container Store.  You can see my initial closet setup here.  Maybe it's just me, but I still feel I could use more space!  For as long as I can remember, I have been switching out my Spring/Summer attire to Fall/Winter twice a year.  I store my out of season fashions in Ziploc Space Saver Bags, because they actually do save a great deal of space and they are a super easy and affordable solution.

Since I was making the switch, I wanted to show you all my closet...the good, the bad and the ugly!  Most of the time, this space is kept pretty neat because I like to just grab-and-go!  When I am trying to find something for date night, or for an event, that is where you will meet the monster side of the closet.  I fail to hang things in the correct location, or hang things back up at all!  The good thing is I have a door, so it should not cause a problem for the day or so I leave it a mess.  HAHAHA

I love my closet, but for the life of me, I still do not have a place for most of my costume jewelry.  Originally, I purchased a cart with a jewelry hook and since then, the cart is in another closet (empty) and the jewelry hook is on the floor the spare bedroom.  Ladies, where do you store your cute necklaces/jewelry?  I am open to any and all help!!!

Here are some pics of my closet as I move in my clothes for the cooler months.  There are some other items that I need to figure out because they are also a hot mess.  For example, I keep my receipts for almost everything I purchase.  If it's a bigger item, I keep for...forever.  For other items like clothing, I keep until the return policy expire, just in case I need to return them.  This bag of paper is going to drive me crazy, so I have to think of a creative way for this madness.  To keep this post from going any longer, I will do the 'after' post separately.  

*Warning: the following contains messy (but truthful) pictures*

Above: Saying good-bye to my maxi dresses and other spring/summer items...

Above: ...which left me with a mess...

Above: ...or two! Never mind my Epsom salt and lavender from the tub area...trying to multitask!!

Above: Going through dresses...

Above: ...and skirts!

Above: Jeans and sweaters stay around all year...

Above: ...and so does most blazers!

 But then the real problem is revealed...bags of crap in need of a home!  

Above: My bag of receipts that I keep for return purposes. This creates a chore of me going through them monthly

Above: Another bag of crap! Boxes/containers from smaller gifts

Above: AND another load of crap...hair products in containers that drive me up the wall and back! 

Above: Original setup using the cart 

 I'm wondering if I should use the cart again?  I just hate that it closes the closet off a little more.  Currently, I like walking right in without much thought.  LOL  

Let me work on cleaning up this mess and I will post the final closet soon.

xoxo 

It's Almost Friday (again)!!!

Can you believe it's almost the weekend again?  I absolutely adore my weekends as these are the only days 'The Shop' (official name of or our garage) is open for business.  Most of my DIYs/projects are done in the garage...so the name thing just happened and stuck!    

My recent IKEA trip!

Last weekend, I completed my monthly tour of IKEA.  I seriously go there and walk around the whole store lookin' for items I don't need have never seen before!  My husband hates IKEA and has only graced me with his company about 3 times.  He says you have to put everything together and the directions are horrible.  I have to agree sometimes, but the price and cuteness of the items out-weigh the headaches of putting things together right?  If any of you want to head to IKEA with me, let me know.  I have fun alone but can have even more fun with a little company.  This time I actually went to return a nesting table I purchased as the plan was to hack it, but unfortunately, it did not work for the space.  It was a little too small, so the hunt is on for a better fit.  Instead of just returning the table and leaving, I went in and left 2 hours later.  #yikes  

As far as our home, we submitted our first two applications for exterior changes!  One application is for a fence in the backyard, and the other is for grass in the front.  Our community of townhomes were delivered with mulch in the front (instead of the much preferred grass).  Personally, I think this was just an easy and cost efficient option for the builder.  When it rains, the mulch just runs down the street which sucks because who wants mulch everywhere?  And who wants to keep replacing it??

It could take up to 45 days to get our applications approved, but I hope it comes quick because we are running out of time to seed or sod.

How are you all doing?  Any updates or planned projects before the holiday season or winter weather hit us?  I hope things are going well and I have some posts pending for you all.  I am making a real stride to update more frequently and let you know how things are going over here!  

I will be sure to post an update on the fence and grass situations.  The "Finishing Our Garage' series is about to start again.  After a lot of research and questions, we have our materials ordered  and currently waiting on their arrival.  We have installed sconces and extra recessed lighting in the master bedroom, received furniture and the area rug for the 'Woman Cave', had a storm door installed in the front, and currently building a barista bar for the dining room.    

Until next time...

xoxo    

10 Month Inspection (Part II)

Painted the house in blue tape

We had our inspection today, so I wanted to follow up on my previous post and show you some of the 21 items on our list!  We painted the house in blue tape, most of which were nail pops.  Our dry-wall service is scheduled for November, so we started early to make sure we get every single item!   

In my opinion, most of the items on our list were great items to have addressed, and others...well...we had to ask ourselves "do we want to take the chance on messing things up more?"  For example, you remember that leaky sink I spoke of here, well they fixed the leak but the few water buckles left underneath the cabinet...we still have those!  In order for those to be fixed, they would have to basically rip the entire island out, including removing the granite.  Sometimes, things are better left in their current condition.  We felt like removing the entire island was a huge risk that could potentially cause more issues later.  You know things never go wrong until after the warranty has expired right?  LOL

Other than the sink, they addressed everything on our list and a few items require parts to be ordered so the crew will be returning soon to finish those.  They started bright and early at 8 o'clock on the dot.  The doorbell seemed constant with guys coming to fix different items.  They were here for about 3 hours total and everyone was super nice and helpful!  

I love pictures, so I figured it would be easier to touch on each case individually:

Above: Kitchen sink filled to the no-leak-maximum
Now it's fixed and we can fill to the top!

Above: Two steps being fixed because they squeaked

Above: In certain light, you could see the roller marks
The crew re-painted the ceiling to fix

Above: Outside paint missing because it was too cold when we moved in for painting. We decided to wait until now to have it fixed, because it was no big deal for us due to the location.

Above: Example of areas needing caulk

Above: Construction wrap not fully cut around window

Above: Wood in need of a new polyurethane coat

Above: Past home of a towel rack
It was broken and after a previous fix, it broke again. I had it removed today and I will replace with another solution. The cause of it being broken was it was installed too far apart. 

One item that I was not able to capture was a hole in the man cave, underneath the carpet.  My husband informed the head guy about the item, and his response was "it's concrete underneath".  When they pulled back the carpet, there was a hole in the floor.  They filled it and replaced the carpet.  This is why I suggest that you walk all floors and stairs.  We also had 2 wood planks replaced in the kitchen that had a little squeak.  

We have many nail pops, mostly in the ceiling, along with cracks and seams.  We will continue to mark these with our handy blue tape and have them addressed in November.  Some of the nail pops are on our custom colored walls so we will re-paint those few areas afterwards.  

Note: I like to have things planned when possible, so looking ahead at the dry-wall schedule, I was informed they do not have any openings until late November.  This was perfect for us, but I suggest that you schedule ahead if possible.  Remember, the certificate is only good for one year so please take into account their schedule.  

Overall, we are pleased with how things turned out and the responses we received about all the items.  I asked very specific questions and received very straight answers.  One can appreciate someone not dancing around the questions or trying to give you the most expensive solution all the time!  For this, we thank you NVHomes!  

xoxo

10 Month Inspection (Part I)

WOW, it's hard to believe that it has been 10 months already!  Overall, we LOVE our home, but for us the 10-month mark is another opportunity to get minor fixes addressed from the builder.  Here is our chance to pull out the blue tape and paint the house with it!  Ours is scheduled for tomorrow, which is great because it allows extra time for re-visits before the holiday season!   

I have been holding back from posting some of these items before, because I knew I would have more pictures to share if I waited until we were nearing this inspection.

For homeowners who have yet to have their 10-month,  here are some suggested checks (in addition to the 'regular' checks) based on our experience:

• Walk all wood floors and check for squeaks and separations (don't forget your stairs if they are covered with carpet)
• Check wood flooring to ensure they covered all the nail holes
• Walk carpeted floors to look for "lumps & bumps", and tacks 
• Run all appliances at max/min levels to ensure they work properly (you will still have the manufacturing warranty where applicable)
• Run all faucets, plumbing, showers and bath tubs to ensure they are working properly
• Ensure all outlets are working properly 
• Fill kitchen sink to the max and check for leaks underneath (more on this below)
• Make sure water pressure is at a desired state (this may be a simple fix such as cleaning the screens, but now is the time to address it)
• Check the outside perimeter, including the roof, for any cracks, missing siding, separations, etc.

Basically #CheckEverything

As I mentioned above, fill the kitchen sink to the max and check for any leaks.  Why?  Because a couple of weekends ago, I was so busy playing with Diesel that I let the sink overfill.  The good thing is the granite lip on the island prevents the overflow from pouring all over your kitchen floor.  So imagine the look I had when I stepped in a puddle of water!  After my investigation, I determined we have an improper seal where the sink was installed.  We have the standard two-sink shindig and because it happened on one side, we wanted to 'test' the other side.  Turns out we have TWO sinks that are NOT properly sealed.  One side is definitely worse than the other, but because we have never filled the sinks to the max before, we had no idea.  When we went to clean up the water from underneath the sink (in the cabinets), we noticed a few brown spots and some buckling of the cabinet floor.  This means that water had escaped before and now the builder will have a larger lift to address this issue.  I am not sure what will be required to have this issue fix and returned to its 'new' state, but I will be sure to post an update afterwards.  

I should also mention that anything pertaining to drywall will be fixed when you redeem your one-time use drywall certificate.  This includes minor cracks, nail pops, and caulking.  This is not something the builder will fix during the 10-month inspection.  If you have painted your walls a custom color, they are only required to repaint repaired walls with the original builder paint color.  The drywall certificate is good for one year.  Since this is a 10-month, you may opt to use it now or you can wait roughly two months to use it, but it will have to be scheduled separately.  We have decided to redeem ours as close as possible to our one year anniversary to get the full benefit.  Remember, anything 'drywall' after the one year is your responsibility.  #yikes

Using it at the one-year mark allows for your home to cycle through all four seasons.  

You will still have about two months to give your builder a call if something should go wrong after the 10-month inspection, but try to address as much as possible during this time.  NVHomes will send out the notice and you are responsible for listing your concerns (don't be shy...add additional sheets if needed).  The notice will have a tentative date and time for your inspection, pending your return of the notice.  They may have questions about your concerns so it is very important to return the notice within the given time-frame or you may risk your scheduled date and time not being available.

Here are a few items we will have addressed during the visit!  I have also included one of the major nail pops we will address when we redeem the drywall certificate.  As always, let me know if you have any questions!  I will update on what things in particular we addressed and how they were handled.  

Part II will cover all the issues we addressed and how they were handled during the inspection!  My husband just told me we have 21 things on the list!!!  LOL 

Stay tuned...

Above: Separation crack in the molding 

Above: HUGE nail pop and crack.  We have lots of nail pops (mainly in the ceilings) 

Above: Separation near vanity area in guest bathroom

xoxo

  

Giveaway Winner Announced

Congratulations to dwtimes2!!!  

Enjoy your gift card and tune in for more giveaways soon!!!

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to enter.  You all shared some really valuable tips that's sure to help new and future homeowners!  

This giveaway was not sponsored or affiliated with The Home Depot stores.

xoxo