Sitting Pretty

I am an organizational freak. I’m a firm believer that everything should have a designated place or you’re destined to end up with unorganized piles of clutter all over the house.  Where most of you probably have tons of space due to basements and attics, Floridians lack both. So I’ve needed to get creative with my storage systems, always with specific functions in mind.

One of our hardworking organizational system areas would have to be this “portable storage” that you can put anywhere. As you can see, it really is meant to be an ottoman. However, in our home, it is a workhorse. We have a cubby like area by the front door where the coat closet is. Now, I am sure many of you are like me and the coat closet is NOT used for coats. Mine is storage and not gotten into often.

So, for a place to hang coats, purses, scarves, a multitude of dog leashes (not sure why one dog the size of a peanut needs so many), and anything else you shed when you come inside, we have created this area by the door. The ottoman functions as a handy place to sit down to remove your shoes (with hidden storage underneath the seat). For additional storage of shoes, gloves, etc, I want to grab some shallow baskets to slide under the ottoman. The ottomans can be found in all price ranges. 

 We picked up our handsome dark brown leather ottoman with hidden storage under the seat (at an inexpensive price of $89)  We also picked up a cute basket, handy for putting mail in. Now, I just have to figure out how I will be hanging it.

As for the coat rack, this will be shown in an upcoming post. I designed and Dave created the coat rack for me but the paint is still tacky and cannot be completed today. I don’t want to give it away and save it for it’s debut, but let’s just say when I saw the “hooks” I squealed and knew just what I would do with them!

For under $100 we are quite pleased with the storage and useful space we created.

Quick sack, twelve pack, back again

We came up with an easy upgrade that made a great gift. Dave and I needed a gift for a friend and snagged this sign, after I convinced him that the bright and cheery colors would look great at our friend's bar and complement his other bar decor.  

The sign is shaped as a bottle cap and it's lively colors will be oh so cheery! We picked up the sign for $6 and the clock parts for $5. All Dave had to do was locate the center,drill a hole and attach the clock parts to the sign. Results in about five minutes flat.

Simple? Check. Cheap? Check? Anyone can do it? Check. Plus it made a great gift!

And speaking of quick change-overs, what have you guys been transforming on the cheap? Any other projects going on?

Do tell!

Blogiversary Blog Math

When it comes to blog math, we bloggers usually do not take the time to add up how long, how many, and how often. For my  blogiversary, I thought I would do just that:

515: The number of posts that we’ve written to date

21819: The amount of comments we’ve amassed from our lovely readers.

8-10: The number of posts we like to have in the wings “just in case”.
11: The number I have currently in the wings.

60: The most posts that we’ve published in a month

4: The most posts that we’ve published in a day

40: The average number of hours each day that I sit at my desk chained to the computer. I also have a full time job at a computer.

Criminal Minds: Our favorite non-home-improvement show to watch. (P.S. Real Housewives is my ‘dirty little secret’ favorite)

If I missed anything that you’d like to know, just ask away. 

It's My Blogiversary --Yeah

You say it's my blogiversary

It's my blogiversary too--yeah

They say it's my blogiversary

We're gonna have a good time

I'm glad it's my blogiversary

Happy blogiversary to you.

Yes we're going to a party party

Yes we're going to a party party

Yes we're going to a party party.

I would like you to dance-- blogiversary

Take a cha-cha-cha-chance- blogiversary

I would like you to dance-- blogiversary

Dance

oh yeah.

 it it’s our Blogiversary!

WE ARE ONE YEAR STRONG!!!

 A year ago TODAY, I started this blog as a release, as many of us do.  

I was happy, yet surprised each time a follower added on. And to think, now I have over 2000!

WOWZA.

So, I want to send out a heartfelt THANK YOU to all my followers. Whether you are a Google follower, email follower, RSS feed follower, you are ALL SPECIAL to me.

 I also want to send another heartfelt THANK YOU to the DIY bloggers out there.

You are the special ones who inspire me and all of us everyday!

Goody Two-Shoes

When the Lonny blog turned me on to the video, "J.Crew Goes to Italy," I wanted the J. Crew shoes and I wanted to go to Italy (who doesn’t?). The ice cream wasn’t too far off either.  While President and creative director Jenna Lyons and Marissa Webb, in charge of design, toured the factory where they were having their shoes designed, the film, later titled, “About a Shoe” was being filmed about the visit.

In a word, sexy.

Lucille Is Back, Back Where She Belongs

If you are not familiar with the Melanie & Mike Gardner, may I suggest that you meet up with them at The Frosted Gardner? The produce some exquisite work. Take this piece for example:

The Lucille Buffet - Before & After

BeforeThey snatched up this Thomasville buffet that was produced in the late 1960s. While the photo makes it look fabulous to us in original condition, they gave it an updated look. 

After
They had this hard to fill spot in their family room, that they say is an already small room. Utilizing this space would be hard for others but not for the Gardners!

They updated the piece in their favorite white, proceeded to distressed it, and finally, added a fabulous hardware find. As lucl would have it, the hardware find for this piece matches the hardware on  the Amiyah Hutch, unifying the pieces.

Look at these clean, simple lines:Due to the location in which the piece sits and the height of the legs, this will also allow them to add baskets later.
Mike, ever the whiz at these projects, converted one of the drawer fronts into a drop down door that will accommodate their cable/dvr box. 

They are on to their next piece!

Stop over and see their other wonderful works. As I have followed them for sometime, there are some really exquisite pieces!

Sectional Seduction

After searching high and low for a leather sectional for the family room, the hunt finally came to an end at Haverty’s. I ended up falling in love with several sofa’s, but in the end, we could only agree on one. This gargantuan monster, with it’s rich leather, won out over all else:

This room better not be turning into a man cave. Over. My. Dead. Body.

This monstrosity had a monster price of $3,500 (before warranty, as well as tax and delivery). Spending this much scares the bejeebies out of me. We knew that we wanted something that would withstand kids (and all that comes with them…like leaking sippy cups), be comfortable, massively durable and last more than 10 years. And we know that is high expectations from any couch and comes with a high price tag. I want it to be liveable and usable. I don’t want to continually tell one of the kids to get away from the x#$%*&@ expensive couch with that sippy cup that is leaking (you know, the sippy cups guaranteed not to leak).And you guys know I love Ikea and I would have considered a sectional from them, but was so afraid because of what I’d heard from others.

The last thing we wanted to do was buy a cheaper sectional to save money, and that would end up being what still would have amounted to a lot of money, and end up getting this later.  After much search, we found Bentley, the Rolls Royce, er Bentley of Haverty’s. 

Our Bentley looks similar to the one above, however we switched the chaise to the opposite end for our layout. The chaise is a feature we loved for napping, hanging out, etc.  The Bentleys large size is accommodating for our large family and large get-togethers. For family evening (much less holiday) get-togethers there are at least 10, and often many more.

We’ve moved Bentley in and we’ll definitely share photos when we can (we had a camera mishap and are currently without (anyone have one they no longer want?).

Now, I will move onto mood boards to see what direction I want to go. Feel free to offer any inspiration using leather.

Elle Decor Table at A Steal!

While shopping Kohl's this weekend, I happened to come across this fabulous table:

The website shows this to be 89.99 (originally at 149.99). However, my store had it at 47.99! Great deal!

Want Your Name In Lights

Extreme Personal Measures is the place to feature your home design projects!  

Do you want to be featured? 

This is your opportunity to promote your blog and show off your skills.

Contact me at extrememeasures@bellsouth.net 

What I am looking for:

The project will need to involve home design, decor etc.

The project must be complete with clear before and after photos.

What types of projects are we looking for?

Tutorial

Remodeling

Before and after

Home improvement

Organizing

Decorating Projects

What you need to include in your email:

Your name.

Your blog name and blog address.

Links to the projects you would like to have featured

Please note: It may take some time for your project to be features as I feature them as first come, first served. All submissions may not be featured but I will reply to all submissions. I do ask that when your post is featured that you please post on your blog that day you are be being featured.

Got something? Get it over to me!

extrememeasures@bellsouth.net

What I am loving Right Now: Made By Girl Prints

I am loving Made By Girl Prints ....





Wouldn't this one make a great Valentine's gift?


Now, to decide which of her prints I want...Hmmm...Decisions...Decisions.

Dwellings By DeVore's Sofa Table Dresser

Sofa Table Dresser

Before....

and after!  

Run over to Dwellings By DeVore to read her fabulous rundown on this awesome redo!

The Weekend

Time for me to get ready for our weekend activities!  We are off work until Wednesday, but do you think that means we are relaxing? No way! We will be hard at work on the multitude of projects we have started. 


Hope you ALL have a great weekend. 

My To-Do List for This Weekend:

• Work on thrift store rescued chairs
• Organize office/craft room
• Paint trim & Doors
• Paint my coral art frame white to blend in with my beachy theme
• Check HD & Lowe’s for stencil for an upcoming project
• Paint armoire?
• Make hanging kitchen towels
• Laundry room- I would love the built in as seen on {Show and Tell}
• Work on my coat rack
• Shelf for beachy bathroom
• Pantry project

There's alot more i'm needing to get done but these are some that came to mind this minute. Talk to you Monday!

So tell me, what do you REALLY need to get done this weekend??!?

I found it on Craigslist!

Dave and I were researching Craigslist finds and spotted on Sunset: I found it on Craigslist!, featuring various finds and their transformations, including these fabulous candlesticks from Craigslist. They were spray-painted a bright blue (however, you know I would have chosen black!). Get step-by-step directions for this and other projects at Sunset.

Easy Entertaining

Love to have dinner parties but don't want to break the bank on dinnerware? 

It's easy to stock up at these prices:

Dollar Tree

$1 each piece

Crate & Barrel

Set of 4

Coupe Dinner Plates 

$12.95

Dollar Tree

$1 for a 2-pack

CB2

Flatware

9.95 set of 6 

Shimmer, Shimmer

From the many posts I have done on candles, I am sure by now you get how much I love them. These are no different. Special in that they are wax, will always look great and not melt down, they simply hold a tealight. The price is fabulous, sold only by the dozen. What a stunning display they would make.

Qcandles

DIY: Wooden Trivet

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Gorgeous!

Inspiration: Chalkboard Walls

We are seeing chalkboard walls all over the net. Here are a few of our favorites, sure to inspire you:

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{Image from Ohdeedoh}

I am loving the chalkboard walls, how about you?

And you all know how much we love to see before and afters of home makeovers (especially when we didn’t have to do ANY work) so, feel free to send us your before and after shots to be featured.

DIY: Stacked Crate Shelving

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I am loving the look of the crates converted into stacked shelving. Thinking it might be difficult to acquire aged crates, I think stained wine crates would look appealing. 

The Writings On The Wall

This is the best idea yet! IdeaPaint is Dry-Erase paint that turns just about any surface into a dry-erase surface. Best of all? They say it is one coat, no cracking or peeling, no costly removal-just paint over it, and works with all brands of dry-erase markers. Great for kids rooms but I am seeing it in my office/craft room...

DIY In My Future...

I am seeing a DIY project in my future:

Fashion Look Book: Great Looking Fashion

Every time I see an article that states it is on budget friendly fashion, yet is over $100 EACH piece, I cringe. Really? That is budget? Not in my world. There is quality at a budget price to be had. In my series, I will show you where you can go with really great prices.

First up, we have Dots. Hopefully you have a Dots in your area because they have fabulous prices. Take a look at the looks I found:

1- Look No.1 comes in at only $54.80. This includes the jeans, top and pumps.
2- This fabulous look is only $40. For this, you get the animal print top and the belted pant.
3- This simple but great look is only $46! This includes the work pants, tee and boots!
4- Our least expensive look here, this one is only $28 for the sleeveless dress, chain and earrings.
5- A fabulous look, No. 5 comes in at $50 for the maxi dress, heels and cuff. What a steal!

Look fabulous on a real world budget!

Closed: CSN $45 Giveaway!

WINNER:

Cathy W said...

Like Extreme Personal Measures on Facebook (Cathy Wallace)

CSN is a online shopping center which has over 200 online shops where you can find just about anything from home goods, to pet, kids and more! As a CN Preferred blogger, I love working with CSN. Their site is easy to navigate and they showcase some great deals on fabulous items! As someone who has made purchases from CSN stores, I can tell you I am quite pleased by the quality and service.


As someone who is doing a bit of remodeling, I am looking for quality modern bar stools. CSN stores showcases all kinds of different barstools They vary from swivel, to counter bar, modern, leather, wood and everything in between. As you know, barstools can often be over priced, as I know from shopping around. It has actually been quite difficult to find anything decent for under several hundred dollars! For one stool! I am glad I am aware of the CSN shop carrying bar stools because I will not be paying too much.

CSN is, and should be, your one stop shop. With SO many things to choose from, why go anywhere else? 

• PRIZE: The $45 CSN Gift Code provided by CSN.
• TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words “CSN HAS OVER 200 STORES”
• BONUS QUESTION: 

          Follow @extreme_measure on Twitter

          Like Extreme Personal Measures on Facebook (SIDEBAR)

          Blog about this review and giveaway and include link back to my site.

          Tweet this giveaway. Include link to the giveaway and @extreme_measure 

          (one tweet per day)

          Comment (a useful comment) on any non-giveaway blog post

          Post this giveaway on your Facebook and send me the link
          Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect
          Subscribe via email (sidebar)

          

• GIVEAWAY CLOSES: January 28th at 10:00 am EST
• NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
• PRIZE AVAILABLE TO: The United States 
• USUAL STUFF: The winners will be selected using random.org and announced on the 29th as an update to this post. That’s right, come right back here on the morning of the 29th for the announcement of our winner. Good luck…

Note: We weren’t paid or perked for hosting this giveaway, we just took it on to reward our readers! See our Giveaway FAQs page for more info.