LOOKBOOK: KITCHEN NOOK

     It's me ! Hey friends, so sorry to have been away. Between my day job and plain old life, I got sidetracked from the thing that brings me such joy ... eating pomegranates ! I meant *cough cough* ... BLOGGING ! But I'm back! And I've got another lookbook post for you all. If you didn't catch my first lookbook on my wishlist items for our master bedroom, check it out here.

     I think we have a good sized kitchen in our modest townhome and apart from the actual area housing our cabinets, stove, etc there is a small nook. This is the current state of our kitchen nook.





     You're not judging, right ??????

 

     Yes, it is a den of clutter. All of those little things and papers that seem to have no home end up on our kitchen table. Or our kitchen island, but I will save you the "pearl clutching" by not showing you that picture. You're welcome.

     Back to the nook. Besides purchasing a proper coat closet rack and/or a shelving system to rid the area of all those coats, I'd like to revamp the space altogether. I'd like for it to be a nice, bright nook that can double as a bit of an office ... with some motivational pieces. I know, sounds like a lot of stuff in one spot. But hear me out.

     I'd like to replace the bar height table with a wooden table that sits at regular height. I would prefer a natural wood table that I could paint red or white.

 

                    I love the details on this table and it clearly fits into my red color category. 

 

I really like that this table looks a bit old and worn. I also adore the bench seating since the benches can be pushed under the table for more space in the room. Because one side of the table would be closest to the wall in the nook, I would line the bench with throw pillows.  My husband HATES this look but I'm hoping his taste in decor will change as he too becomes older ... and more worn ( kidding babe ! ) :-)

 

Next up, I'd like to feature a small "wall of motivation". They say the kitchen is the heart of the home so why not have that heart speak directly to you and each day. In case you're not following my idea, here are some visual aids.

 



This wall is definitely a bit more bare boned than what I'd like to go for but it's just an idea of the feel good kind of stuff that I want to greet me every morning.

 



This multi-colored wall is something I would lean more towards but with a little less uniformity. I'm more of an abstract kind of girl ;-).

 

And last but not least - THROW PILLOWS ! Throw pillows are like the bright spot on a dark day for me. They're relatively inexpensive, easily interchangeable and you can never have too many. New throw pillows are also one of the easiest ways to update a space and achieve an almost entirely new look. So here are my picks.

 

I love the idea of grays and blues or greens together. Our kitchen has a few seafoam green accents already so it would probably be best for me to stick with that color scape.

 

 

It's no secret that I ADORE a good chevron pattern ... on just about anything. So of course this popped up on my radar. My only reservation would be that I have a chevron patterned rug in the kitchen and I don't want an overkill situation going on.

This beauty is the perfect shade of seafoam green and matches a patterned rug that's in our living room - adjacent to the kitchen. I like the idea of pattern matching from room to room when not actually color matching.

 





 

     I like the Ikat print on the middle throw pillow in this set but it also works within the idea of color matching different prints.

 

     Hopefully this vision of mine will just appear in my house ... this afternoon. But in case it doesn't quite work out that way, I'll be sure to take you guys with me every step of the way.

 

xoxo,

 

tanesia nerese'

    

PANTRY RENOVATION

     Happy Tuesday folks ! I began this post on Friday when I fully expected to be at home all day, sipping a hot cup of tea ( or maybe a "hot toddy" *wink wink* ), from my very warm bed. We had a bit of an unexpected snow storm on Thursday night in the DC area  and I just knew it would be my ticket to an awesome "skip day" from work come Friday morning. Alas, I had no such luck. Instead, I ended up sitting at my desk actually doing work *boo* where I was unable to blog *double boo*.

     Though things did not exactly go my way, the show must go on. "On where ?", you ask ? Well onto pantry organization, of course ! I have to admit, that I'm pretty excited about this one as it was a bit of a task. Our pantry was nothing short of a full on mess. There was stuff everywhere and I could not figure out where to begin. If you haven't had the chance to read all about my Pantry Storage Haul, make sure you check that out before getting to all the juicy tidbits below. If you're all caught up, here is where we will start.



 

 

     Welcome to my pantry! I'm sure you all have been there. Where nothing seems to have a place and clutter is the order of the day. I had actually been pretty disgusted with it myself but could never find the time to change it. But, like they say (but seriously, who is they ??? ), "where there's a will there's a way". And make a way I did.

 

     I picked up some items from the Wal-Mart and Ross stores located near me. To see the prices of the items I purchased, be sure to check out my Pantry Storage Haul post. Here are a few of the container types below.

 

 

 

     The containers above are from the Better Homes and Gardens collection and I picked them up at Wal-Mart. I wanted this set in particular because of the latching system on the lid that helps to seal in the freshness of your items. 



 

    
     I picked these cereal containers up from Ross on two different occasions. I actually bought three of them altogether but if any of you frequent Ross, you know it can be very difficult to buy multiples of anything all at one time. At least depending on the item you're attempting to purchase.

 

    
     These fancy guys were also purchased at Ross. They were made by the XOX Soft Works brand but were at least twice as expensive as the other containers I'd acquired :-/ Hence their "fancy" status.

 

    

     Although they were a pretty penny ( $14 per container is a lot when you only spent $7 on larger containers types by other brands ), I did love the soft push button on the lid that helps to seal in that freshness we all love.

 

     Now onto the actual fixer upper portion of this show : Below is a little Pic Stitch ( if you have an Instagram account, you should be VERY familiar with pic stitch-ery. New word alert! ) showing how I labeled my tea containers. Because I had not had occasion to buy actual labels, I decided to cut the brand labels off of each tea pack and place it against the front of the container. I originally wanted this to be a temporary solution but have found myself loving the idea more and more.

 









 

     The above picture is of two of my finished tea holders and I used 2 of the smaller containers.

     Next I utilized two of the cereal containers ( fun fact: 2 out of 3 of my cereal containers were marketed in Ross as containers for dog food, while the 3rd was marketed as a cereal holder. All 3 of them are the exact same type of container. ) for our stash of Cheerios. I wanted/needed the cereal containers to be very large because we buy our cereals in bulk from Costco ( the greatness of Costco deserves a post all by itself ). That was why I bought these from Ross instead of using the larger containers from Wal-Mart.





 

     The Cracklin' Oat Bran was able to make its ways into a shorter and skinnier container because we don't keep too much of it around. Below is a look at our cereal shelf in it's finished state.

 

     As you can see, I also kept with my tea container idea and cut out the brand labels from each cereal box to identify each different cereal above.

    
     Next I took a couple other items out of their boxes and placed them in my mid-sized containers on my baking goods and grains shelf. 2 of those items are above - our pancake mix and quinoa - but a couple others have been added since. Unfortunately I did not photograph them :-/

     I left our Truvia baking sugar in its original packaging because I actually plan to remove it from the pantry altogether and keep it in one of our counter top containers. I left the navy beans pictured in their original bag because it is the only type of bean we have right now. Also putting them in a container - even the smallest one - would probably have taken up more space - not less.

     This bad boy in the pic above is supposed to be an organizer for spices. I picked it up at .... you guessed it .... WAL-MART ! Are you seeing a trend here ? Anyhow, I bought 2 of them and used one for my canned goods. I did use the other one for spices but I'll show you that pic a little later as a bonus.

     I thought the spice rack worked nicely as a canned good organizer but it also depends on how many cans you keep stocked at one time. That space ran out very quickly and I'm sure you can tell that some of my cans are still hanging out by themselves on the side against the wall.

     I was able to separate Avery's items/goodies into a purrrty little basket that I found at Ross. It was the perfect size for her snacks, fruit cups and other miscellaneous items. The container in the back left corner is full of raisins. I left them on her shelf because she is really the only one in the house that eats them.

     On the other side of the same shelf were my jarred and bottled items. I attempted to use my spice rack system for them as well but realized it wasn't necessary. Unlike canned items that are typically the same height, the jarred items come in all shapes and sizes. Therefore making it super easy to organize them without any extra organizational tools.

     The bottom shelf consists of leftover containers - most of which have since been filled - and large liquids. On the floor, I placed 2 more baskets purchased from Ross to be the catch-all for our miscellaneous items. Sandwich bags, trash bags, paper plates and cups, foil, etc.

     Last but not least, the final result of all my hard work here below. Also check out my before and after shots where I zoomed in closer to showcase the transformation of each shelf ( I didn't include the top "cereal" shelf because I neglected to take a before picture of it ). Can you tell this mama is proud of herself ??? Til next time my organized friends!

The full pantry overhaul

Shelf 1

 



Shelf 2

 



Shelf 3

 



 

Shelf 4

 

xoxo,

tanesia nerese'

   





DECEMBER FAVORITES !

     Hey there guys and gals ! I just wanted to stop by super fast to share some of my favorite things with you all. I feel like my list is sooooo long so I'm going to keep it at 10 things that I loved in December. I'll try to keep going for each month of the new year.

1) Zulily: this place is an awesome online discount shopping site. They have THE best deals and I have done nothing but buy cute shoes for Avery since first realizing it existed. Seriously guys, the shoes below were each like $7 - $10. And they're good, sturdy shoes. Below are a few that I've gotten for myself and the little lady ...

 

2) AprilJustinTV: I'm sure this makes me a bit of a lame but I am obsessed with watching this show/couple on Youtube. They have a vlog that they update daily and they're just as cute and sweet as can be. They're also expecting a baby and who doesn't love a new baby!

3) Pomegranates: For me, eating a pomegranate is like eating dessert. They're so sweet yet so great for you - it makes them the perfect treat. I will drive around like a woman gone mad to find these things in stores and I usually get at least 10 at a time to make sure my stash stays stocked when they're in season. I won't tell you the # that I have eaten in one sitting. There needs to be a little bit of mystery in this relationship *batting my lashes flirtatiously*.

4) Old Navy: I don't think that much needs to be said here. Old Navy is awesome and they're clothes are affordable. I bought many items from them in December at their after Christmas prices. The end.

5) Dangerously Delicious: I learned of this restaurant from an old high school friend a few months ago and I've been addicted ever since. They sell pies. Savory pies, sweet pies and quiche. All pie, all the time ... and all the time is how often my husband and I frequent their establishments in DC. What you see below is a yummy quiche made with bacon, onions and Gruyere cheese and it tastes like what dreams are made of. Trust me on that.

6) Coffee/Tea Mugs: Whether used for coffee or tea, I was and am loving a sleek and sexy mug these days ... yes, I said sexy and yes I italicized it. See the proof below. Both mugs were purchased from Starbucks holiday collection last month.

7) Ikat: This is a type of design that is relatively new to me but I have already decided that I must have it in my home. Below is a throw pillow that I just ordered from Etsy for our Master Bedroom .

8) Etsy: You had to know this would be next. And it's another one that needs no explanation. If you are not familiar with it, do yourself a favor and head that way NOW. www.etsy.com On 2nd thought, maybe do your wallet a favor and stay away :-/

9) Christmas Decor: Last year ( being that we're only 7 days into the new year, this seems so odd to write ) was the first time I really went all out Christmas decor shopping and I loved it ! I can't wait to spruce things up even more this year. Check out my Christmas Decor posts for more.

 



10) Blogging: Well this is an obvious one. Of course I love blogging! I touched on this once before in my 50 Random Facts About Me post but this is definitely a big one that I loved in December. And though I don't plan to list it in each of my monthly favs, I do plan to keep loving it for quite sometime. As long as you all will allow me, really. Thanks for stopping by, til' next time all you lovers of decor!

xoxo,

tanesia nerese

PANTRY STORAGE HAUL

     Well hello there ! Happy New Year and welcome to 2014 ! In keeping with what I began at the end of last year (which feels like it was only 2 days ago - my how time flies ), I am forging ahead with tidying up, straightening up and adding a little more "pretty" to my home. The current task before me is to unclutter and un .... jumble our pantry. Because I will be showcasing the pantry over haul under my Organizing tab, I will only focus on the actual items that I picked up from my friendly neighborhood Wal-Mart store.

     I bought most of my organizational items from the Better Homes and Gardens collection at Wal-Mart. I will admit that I'm a bit of stickler when it comes to wanting my decor items to match. But from a functional standpoint, I also REALLY liked that these particular pieces came with a latched top that helps to seal in the freshness of whatever food items may be inside.



    
     These are just a few of the many pieces I picked up. The large box was $15 for 3 pieces. No worries, they are not the smaller ones in the front. The 3 pieces are still in the box in this picture. The smaller containers were about $3 each.

     The above container is the 2nd smallest - just 1 size larger than the 3 small containers in the previous picture. While not 1 of the larger sizes, it is still on the larger side in general.

     This picture - and the next 2 to follow - are a demo of how the lid and lid latch work to keep the freshness contained. The latch starts in an upright position ...

     You then push the lid down to fit snugly into place while leaving the latch standing upright ...

          Then you collapse the latch to either side to completely close the container. Perfection! Below are just a few more photo's and size/type comparisons of the other containers I purchased.

    Because you guys are my favorites, here is a very little sneak peek of what's to come in my actual pantry organization blog post. Be sure to keep your dials tuned here for more !



 

xoxo,

 

tanesia nerese