Closet Cleaning

I am one month away from being halfway through grad school. It's a really good feeling! However it hasn't left much room for much else, between commuting, work, and all my endless research papers. This problem is being resolved this summer- I'm moving to new digs much closer to campus in a few months.

This means going through all my stuff before I move, since I will no longer be allowed to use my parents' house as a storage unit. One major problem area that I have deliberately ignored through five years of college is this:

The fleshy thing you see on the right of the photo is my arm. I had to hang onto the doorway with one arm to get far enough back into the closet to get that shot. My closet is the toxic dumping ground for everyones' stuff, especially my things no one wanted to deal with, plus it is long and narrow.

Instead of working on my final papers for the semester, I cleaned all that and organized all my clothes. First was going through everything- even leaving out the things that were in okay enough condition for Goodwill, I still threw away six trashbags' worth of pure garbage.

One quick trip to Walmart later and I netted this cute shelf liner (lucked out- this was the only non-boring/ugly/bland one they had).

I put my clothes back in, added in my hanging fruit basket full of gloves and winter wear,shoe rack, and BAM! A very nice looking closet for the few more months I have it.

And then with what was left of my closet possessions fitting onto one shelf, I was able to move some things into my closet that I previously couldn't.

The best part is that I still have half the roll of that shelf liner. I may line my dresser drawers with it, it's so cheerful and fresh.

Virtual Redesign- Kitchen

Back in 2000, when we moved into a new house that Mom didn't like much as my Dad did, the agreement was that she be allowed to pretty much redecorate the entire place without having to consult him. Unfortunately, two of the biggest eyesores- the kitchen and the upstairs bathroom- have been untouched (Dad doesn't understand that there's a problem. There are walls, and the doors work, so everything's good, right?). It's finally been delegated to me, as the daughter bumming free rent during grad school a concerned family member to make the rooms pretty.

Things that can't change in the kitchen: the white cabinets, island counter and plantation shutters have to stay as they are.

Ideas:

^I love the color and look of these countertops

^The wood panel island idea is fascinating.

^When I showed it to mom, this was her favorite.

I like the walls, light fixtures, and everything about the

countertops (color, texture, rounded edges)

^Accent color tiles

The main thing is to replace the countertops and repaint in our kitchen, those two things alone will completely change the room. Next update: the upstairs bathroom ideas!