Quick and Simple Closet Hack

Hello, my name is Lisette and I am addicted to shoes. I feed my addiction probably more than I should and what started out as a small collection has multiplied in my closet like a pair of rabbits on Viagra! My biggest issue has been finding a way to store them neatly without them hiding in boxes where I never see them and therefore don't use them (out of sight out of mind) or without them covering every inch of precious floor space in my various sized closets throughout the years. Well now that we have settled into what I pray will be our forever home and I have decent sized walk-in closet, I noticed my problem had still followed me here. I had hoped it would magically solve itself but alas, wishful thinking only.
So I'm sitting in my closet fumbling around with things and trying to figure out how to better organize my shoes and as I'm thinking about it, I'm staring at that bar, you know, that bar on the bottom half of the closet that is supposed to be for hanging pants (I suppose) but I don't know anyone who owns enough pairs (or hangs them up for that matter) to take up more than a quarter of that space? Ya, that bar.

 

 

So I grabbed a pair of fabulous dusty heels (they haven't got much love since I almost broke my ankle wearing them chasing my toddler) and put them on the bar. OH EM GEE.





 

It's like the Hallelujah chorus echoed from the heavens with a beam of sunshine onto my shoes! I found a way to save some floor space, have them displayed better AND fill up all that lonely space on the bar!

 

 

I had to show some love to them after seeing how pretty and lonely they were getting, I dusted them off (literally) and rearranged them some and of course, tried them on again as I squealed with delight at my new found love for them again.

 

 

So there you have it! My very quick closet hack for shoes! Now go and show yours some love and let me know of any other creative ideas you may have on better controlling the chaos of the closet!

Until I blog again my dears... <3 





A Quick Personal Touch

Hello once again my lovelies! I hope you all had a fabulous new year and pray that this year will bring you all great blessings and new beginnings. We spent it quietly at home with the kiddos having a "Star Wars night in," as we affectionately called it. But you know what? It was actually quite enjoyable. We have not been able to spend a New Year's Eve out since the BC (Before Children) days. But anywho, any of you who have ventured into the stores have witnessed the tornadoes of holiday clearances. On my weekly trip to the great Tarjay (Target in my fake french accent), I came across this cute table runner that was meant to be for Christmas, but I thought I could add just a little something to have it grace my table year-round without looking like its meant only for the holidays.

As many of you know, I LOVE the color mint/seafoam and it is all over my house. Gold and white pair quite beautifully with this color so all I needed to do was add some of that in this bad boy. First, I grabbed left over painters tape from my move and taped off a triangle shape at the bottom of each end.

I didn't have the color I wanted on hand, but I was able to mix the colors I did have into a shade I was happy with. I used craft paint (which I'm sure would work even more beautifully with fabric paint) but craft paint was all I had and I was too lazy to want to drive 8 miles out of my way to grab any.

So I just started painting and saturating it until the whole triangle was completely filled leaving no bald spots. Waited impatiently for it to dry (I grabbed the blowdryer), and pulled off the tape to reveal the simple awesomeness it created!

Perfect touch huh? I have had people ask me about it and they were quite surprised when I told them how I painted onto it saying that it looked as though that's how I bought it.

Oh yea, my coffee looks great there ;)

So then since I custom made the paint color, I had some left over and didn't want to leave it to waste, so I mixed in some more white to lighten it up and looked around the house for things to paint. Camw up with these two...

I had the gold craft paint already and just added it on after I painted the base. Then the mason jar looked so empty so I threw in some feathers and I love how it looks all together.

I try to transform or upcycle things I find around the house that are usually collecting dust in my cupboards somewhere. Gives me a great excuse to paint (which I find incredibly soothing and therapeutic), and it's also a free way to add personal and unique decor to the house.

Well I hope you all enjoyed this post and are inspired to look at things a little differently, if it's not what you want at first, then craft it til it is ;)

The Big Move

Brace yourselves and bear with me, I have a lot of catching up to do! Much has happened since my last post, the biggest one being that we are once again proud homeowners! We were once homeowners to a small brand new starter type home 3 years ago right before the infamous housing market crash. We were totally upside down on that home and after much prayer we decided to short-sale the house which in hindsight was one of our best decisions because we would have still been drowning there. The rules are that you much wait at least 3 years before qualifying to purchase another home and while we were forced to jump between two rentals until our time arrived, it was worth the wait and pain of moving! We got our keys on Halloween night and were ecstatic!

We weren't expecting to get our keys until about the following week so we were on cloud nine. The house was pretty much move-in ready with the exception of needing paint in every single room.

This was the very next day going by to officially test out the keys lol. The yard was left to die in both the front and back by the renters who previously occupied it unfortunately, so out of everything, this is what is going to take longest and the most money (fixing all the landscaping).
The inside has laminate wood floors and tile and carpet only in the bedrooms (which still need to be replaced eventually) but all the walls needed paint because they were scratched and touched up with the wrong color. It wasn't a terrible color (the infamous swiss coffee I believe) but of course, I had other plans hehe.

I spend the next week every day going to the house and painting my butt off. I had help two days out of the week which I was grateful for from my mom and her boyfriend. The entire house with the exception of the master bath and kids rooms (because I was honestly burnt out on painting) was painted two shades of grey.

Most of the house was painted in "Cathedral grey" by Behr and our master was painted a darker shade in "creek bend" also by Behr.

My room is my favorite, but then again I'm biased. We already had the furniture and bedding the only thing I added was the fabric garland above the bed that I had made for another occasion and it just happened to look amazing with the direction I was going.

These are quite easy to make and a good use of fabric scraps too (tons of tutorials on Pinterest to check out).

We also have a foyer for the first time ever!! I realized after this move how much STUFF we have (I am still mysteriously missing a moving box!) but up until now, we had nowhere to put it all, I mean we were stuffing things under beds, in closets and in every little corner we could find.. we were bursting at the seams practically and now we have the opposite problem here, go figure.

A trip to the farmers market brings a lovely fresh touch for my shabby mason jars! The rainbow succulent unfortunately is fake...but too pretty to care!!

So there you have it! A quick peek into our new place I hope you enjoyed or at least for those of you who were wondering were able to satisfy your curiosity lol. What do you all think? I would love to hear your opinions in the comments :)

Clearance confessions

Hello! My name is Lisette Lopez and I am addicted to clearance. The best place I find clearance?? Good ol' Tarjay (Target). Since the appearance of Super Targets, I have had a long love affair with them and find no reason to stop. I own a Target debit which saves me 5% automatically on my total purchase which may not seem like a lot, but for someone like me who shops there regularly and gets all my household and grocery items, spending $100 automatically drops down 5 bucks. I love that on your receipt it keeps track of your savings JUST with the card alone, but throw in Target coupons and Cartwheel and manufacturer coupons, the savings are massive and really add up!

My sister has frequented trips with me and always laughs at me because I have a "route" I always do as soon as I enter those glorious double doors. First stop, the oh-so-amazing dollar section. They used to strictly sell only items that were $1 but have since added $3 and $5 items too, which still is pretty great for certain items. Items I frequently purchase from this section are individual snack items to occupy my kids' mouths while I attempt to shop without a meltdown, craft items, storage items, coloring books, and I have even grabbed electronic items. Next on my route is always the end caps on the search for those shiny, beckoning red tag clearance sections! I always have a budget when I go in, so say my husband gives me a budget of $110, that includes everything from grocery to household and maybe even an extra item or two. No matter my budget, I will always squeeze in some sort of clearance if they have some good ones going on because in my mind, if I don't grab it right then and there it will be completely gone by the next trip the following week. This week had some good clearance sections of home decor and beauty products.

 The best time to purchase home decor on clearance is the turn of the seasons!!! Especially the transition from summer to fall because they are making room for all the seasonal items. I had my eyes on many of these decor items for a while but when you have a tight budget and what you want is normally 12 bucks, the choice comes down to sacrificing a couple dinner items or scraping up the money later to grab it lol. Almost ALWAYS, the items I have my eyes on eventually go on clearance...the hard part? Patiently waiting for that glorious day. My budget was a bit of a squeeze this week so I was only able to purchase this little beauty for.. drum roll please.. $3.98!!! I plan to grab a few more next week if they are still here.

Right now I just decorated my home for Autumn because I am desperately attempting to usher in fall with my seasonal "rain dance" of decorating early, probably TOO early lol. So this little guy would be what would normally be around for summer so it will be put away for a while, I MIGHT be able to sneak it in for my Christmas decor though. :)
At target, when they have big clearances they will usually reserve at least one aisle for it. In this case, there was one available in the home decor area (where the picture frames and art would be). Occasionally, they will have hidden little sections of clearance tucked into little places here and there in random spots in the aisles. Almost ALL of the Target home decor that I have in my house have all been purchased on clearance. I have saved hundreds of dollars throughout the years by being patient.. and its so hard to sometimes especially when its fresh out of the box onto the store shelves and sitting there in all its pretty newness and you just HAVE to have it.. but trust me, if you don't have the money for it, and the price is not on sale or clearance, you will be kicking yourself later when you see how low it drops and wonder, "Why didn't I listen to Lisette?? She was right all along and I could have gotten that vase I paid 20 dollars for only 12!!" OK maybe you won't be saying that... but still, be patient and it will be worth it I promise!

Of course, a good trip to Target wouldn't be complete without a stop at Starbucks. I loved their display for their newest blend of Ethiopian beans and Kenya beans. And it smelled AAAHHHHHmazing!!

But I went for my comfort.. slow roasted ham and swiss with a grande skinny iced hazlenut macchiato<-- yes i probably spelled that wrong. :/ The best way to cap off a great Target trip. <3

Do you enjoy clearance? Are you a clearance connoisseur or a savings amateur?  What have been your best finds in clearance? Let me know in your comments I would love to hear them! <3

Things I Learned from Moving and a tour of our New Place

I HATE moving!!! Where my haters at?? The process is so stressful and tedious and expensive one way or another its no wonder hiring a moving company can cost an arm and a leg and maybe even an eye lol! Our lease at our previous address was over July 1st and we had planned to do a few more months but our landlords had other plans for their son to move in so we were forced to find a short-term place (less than a year hopefully) until we are able to purchase our forever home. We had in mind the place my husband and I lived in our BC days.. (Before Children, that is lol) and luckily they has one opening just in time for us to move in! They are luxury townhouses and we LOVE being here!! It is a gated community, with a pool, playground, gym, lounge, and its very family oriented. The kids are over the moon about being here because of the amenities of course.
Our moving experience definitely taught me a few things though and I would love to share some tips that will hopefully help anyone else out there who may be moving.

1. Plan Ahead
We had about 2 months notice to find a place and plan our move. We had to quickly find a place and begin making calls to see if there was availability, we also called our utilities and notified them of our move-out date and the post office was notified of our new address and transfer date. This way, everything was ready in time for us without having to worry about it while moving. Ask friends in advance if they could hep with the move, the more strong hands you have that day, the faster it will go! We had my mom watch the kids for us overnight and we had help from my uncle, cousin, and mother-in-law. We were unable to rent a truck but luckily borrowed a pick-up and flat trailer from an aunt. We did our whole move loading up the truck beds, cars, and trailer.

2. Start Saving
If you are fortunate enough to have a bit of an advance notice, start saving for your moving expenses. Consider whether you will be moving yourselves, or hiring a company, gas, truck rentals, tips for any help you get, money for fast food for a day or two while you settle in, groceries, Deposits and first month's rent, and packing materials. 

3. Use a box numbering system
Instead of labeling everything on the sides of the boxes, assign them a number and keep a paper where you list in detail all the items you place in that coordinating box number. This way, if you need to find something specific, you can look on your sheet to find which box it is in. Also, use color codes for each room it belongs in, for example, red=kitchen, blue=living room, etc.  

 

4. Pack away decor in advance
I began packing about a month and a half in advance beginning with things I knew I wouldn't need immediately such as decor. I got free boxes from local stores and my father-in-law's work. I asked family to save newspapers so that I can use them for packing delicate items.

5. Keep your plastic grocery bags!
When it comes to moving food and other small items from your kitchen or even other parts of your home, these are very handy to have!

Using re-useable bags to carry small appliances  and other items is great too!

6. Use kitchen trash bags to move your clothes from the closet
Turn the bag upside down, cut a slit in the middle (on the sealed part), and feed about 6-10 hanger hooks through the hole (with the clothes still hung on them. The tie the drawstring closed, this helps to keep the clothes together and easily hangs right up in your new place.

7. Have a "First night" box ready
Pick a box and fill with your immediate essentials. A couple bath towels, coffee maker and cups and the like, a bar of soap, shampoo and conditioner and other basic toiletries, toilet paper, pjs and an outfit for the next day, and any other items you may want to have on hand right away. You definitely don't wanna be stuck without something to wipe your bum should the urge occur know what I'm sayin? 

8. As tired as you might be, try to get as much done as quickly as possible in the first day
This isn't to say you should forget about sleep and stay up all night unpacking, but try not to take more than a 15 minute break here and there and don't forget to HYDRATE!! We moved in the heat of summer in the desert no less, and water was DESPERATELY needed! Moving heavy things in the heat Will make you sweat like a sinner in church! Just saying...

9. If you really want to get done fast, Have one person stay at the new place unpacking
I was fortunate enough to stay behind after a few runs and start unpacking. This really helped get everything done quickly and made it feel like home faster. This isn't NECESSARY but if you can do it, go for it!

10. If your new place is a downsize or temporary, live minimalistically!! 
In our case, it's both. We are not hanging anything on the walls and the very few things we will hang will be done with command hooks so that we don't do any damage to the walls. We kept a lot of decor in boxes/storage, and took out only a few things that fit where they could.

                                                             And now...The tour!!

 This is the dining area. We squeezed in our portable fireplace and entry table.

I made these mason jars right before we moved.. I was on a bit of a crafting spree almost like a pregnant mother nesting like the apocalypse!

This is the only view you will see of my sofas because I am so embarrassed of them, they are in terrible condition and we plan to replace them as soon as we have funds.

This is my relaxing corner of the living room. My late grandparents chair and a wooden crate filled with magazines and books.

this is my son's bedroom..not very thrilling and not very organized lol

my daughter's bedroom...she had her cousin over.

this is the master bedroom tour.

This is the master bath

I apologize for the bed photos :/

This is the guest bath.

This is the Kitchen.

And here's a shot of us chillin on a VERY HOT day in the pool and at the playground!

We really do love our place and will enjoy every minute while The Lord has us here. We have been truly blessed and now He has great plans for us! It was just stressful being in "Limbo" and not knowing what was ahead of us but we have really learned to trust in God through the fog and He has never failed to provide for us even in our darkest times. I hope these tips help any of you or encourage you if you plan to move and I hope you enjoyed the little tour! :)

**If you would like to see tons of ideas on how to decorate rentals, check out my board on Pinterest labeled  "Portable design for the renter"