The Summer of Amy

 So, every summer I create a giant to-do list of all the things I am going to accomplish during the summer and every summer I do like three things on the giant, overwhelming list.  This year was no different, except for the fact that I was determined to accomplish EVERYTHING that was on the list.  I divided the list into two colums- work and home- and got to work.  I am proud to say that I have accomplished everything on the list...and there were FIFTY things on this list!  This is a major accomplishment for me and I will probably have to do multiple posts on the projects I did.  These are in no particular order.

I blame/thank Pinterest for all the ideas too!  One thing I had to get down was get the artwork/keepsakes/random stuff the kids have made organized.  I saw the crate idea on Pinterest, as well as the scanning the artwork into the computer and make a photo book idea.  I scanned one million pieces of work and saved some to (if it had a handprint, fingerprint, or picture that was for sure saved).  I filed everything by year and even used the binder rings to put all the cards together!  They have an organized keepsake crate with artwork in their closets and I also have a box to put all artwork in until I have the opportunity to go thru it.



The next thing I did was tackle the kid's closets (and bedrooms, but I am waiting on furniture to arrive so that will be a later post).  I have cleaned these things out a million times, but never to my liking.  This time I got them completely organized.  I ordered the hanging racks from Land of Nod and I have to say, I love them! I went through closets, drawers, the attic, etc. and got rid of anything that didn't fit.  I saved a few of the special things, but have consigned or donated anything else.  Everything in their closet fits and they play with.  Ahh, I love it!



One of my most challenging projects was the playroom.  The space is interesting and I could never get it right or get the toys organized in a way that I thought would work.  I love that they have a playroom, but honestly they never used it.  Since I got it organized this summer, they have played up there everyday! 

The dress up clothes needed some sort of organization, so I got two racks from Land of Nod and hung the clothes up and then hung buckets to put the accessories in.  I moved Madelyn's kitchen upstairs too, because they both love to play with it.

I had this wooden frame that I painted white and hung, then used chalk paint to make the board.  I hung the bucket of chalk using an old curtain hood.  I love to diplay the kids artwork, so I got some clips to hang it on the wall.  I saw the sideways bookself with baskets idea on Pinterest too.

I have had these shelves and bins since Andrew was tiny, but they never stayed organized and they took up more space in the playroom than I liked.  I moved them to the landing area upstairs, where our desk used to be (more on that in a later post!) and it works out well.  I labeled each bin with a tag that has the picture of what goes in it.

I had made bookshelves using rain gutters, but my kids would rip them out of the wall, so I splurged for new book racks!  I cut the rain gutters and moved them up higher on the wall and use it for stuffed animal storage.  I have artwork framed with painters tape on the walls.  Genius, pinterest! 

I got these shelves and bins from Land of Nod.  I love how colorful they are!  I labeled them too.  I realized that the majority of the kid's toys were downstairs and the toys they don't ever play with were upstairs, so I got rid of the stuff they don't play with and moved what they do play with upstairs. Plus, I left some room for new toys- as Christmas and Birthdays are coming soon!  I did get a new table for them too.  I needed something cute, that matched, and they couldn't break!  This is a view of the entire playroom.  I think it's completely done!

I started this project in the fall, but just got it done over the summer.  We have a weird hallway that I just couldn't get fixed right.  I had pictures hanging, but the frames didn't match and it just was irritating to me (yeah, I know how it sounds).  We had family pictures done in October and I still hadn't ordered them, because I wanted to have all of them.  I love the Bloom frames, but come on, I can't frame 15 pictures with those prices!  I used a link from Pinterest for a guy that makes them.  All of these frames were less than one of the large Bloom frames.  The quality is great, I just had to paint them, but I actually enjoyed doing that!  The largest frame holds a 20x24 and the smallest holds a 5x7.  I had everything printed on matboard so I didn't have to buy glass.  I know we aren't going to have fancy family photos taken every year, so I love that I can display all of the pictures. I have a couple in the dining room, but I can't decide if I like that yet!  The dining room wasn't on my summer list!

So that covers just a few things on my list, but The Summer of Amy will be continued!