Going Into the Closet

You know what's very easy to NOT do? Take some super grim-looking before shots of a closet that you plan to overhaul. I totally forgot to take a picture of what this closet looked like behind those doors a few days ago. But, I'm sure you can picture it: lots of plastic boxes full of crap, piles of computer cables, and some art supplies scattered around. It is the office closet afterall - our catch-all closet that had everything but clothes in it.

So, since Mom was in town, I decided to take advantage of her great ideas and organizational skillz and put her to work! Hah. I'd had this idea brewing in my brain for a while now: I needed a desk. Not a computer desk or a work desk, but a Mari desk. One where I could create artwork, write letters, etc. But, most importantly, one that I would not have to clean each time I used it. A tall order, I know. That's probably why I have no before pictures - because I didn't think I could pull off my plan! I wanted to turn the office closet into a space where I could close the doors and hide the clutter that a creative space would surely have. And that, ladies and gents, is what we did!

It's a closet desk!

Basically, we took two nightstands (circa "I don't know when") with drawers and stuck them in the closet facing each other. Then my dad and Ryan went to Lowe's and bought a beautiful wooden "shelf" (for only $35). They cut it to fit and we stuck it on top of the tables. It ended up being a bit short, so we propped it up on some 2x4's and voila: desk in a closet!

Beautiful drawers (lol)

The perfect space for creating!

Paint Box

So, there you have it! It really was an incredible transformation (sorry you couldn't enjoy it as much without that darn before pic...). And I can't wait to get in there and start creating!

~ Mari

The Bleak Mid-Winter

Ok, so it's not so bleak for us here in Kathleen, GA. But, in Atlanta it's more than bleak. Luckily, I didn't have anywhere I had to go today, so I organized and such. But, I did manage to pop outside for a bit to take some pictures of the ice.

Icicles on Icicles?

Front yard

Back Porch Lights

Back Yard

A little goldfinch enjoying the suet :)

Hope it's warm where you are!

~ Mari

Late Summer Update

After all those years of watching my mom and dad garden and do yard-work, I realized how much I didn't want to have any part in that world. The world of spiny plants, yellow jacket attacks, and rushing inside to take a shower to get the ticks off. Yeah. Not really appealing, right?

Wrong. Ok - so, the actual act of gardening isn't a super fun time, but the result of all that hard work is quite magnificent. Especially when you can eat the things you grow!

I started a little herb garden next to the garage. At first, I was dissapointed with my thumb and it's ability to grow healthy plants (the leaves were a little yellow and they were growing pretty slowly), but after a month, the garden is doing quite well!

I have mint, basil, sage, oregano, parsley and... sunflowers (just for color). I've been using herbs from my OWN garden and am quite proud of myself. :)

Here was my other project - the front flower bed. The rose bushes don't look so hot and they will probably be gone (by way of Ryan and a big shovel) by the fall, but they shall stay there for now. I planted some Gerber Daisies, Pink Vinca, Lantana, and a Butterfly bush. It looks so much better now that we've mulched it and planted a few things!

And there's the front porch - where I sit and watch the hummingbirds guard their feeder. :) I cannot tell you how GLAD I am that it's starting to cool off here. Yahoo!

Thanks for looking!

~ Mari

Yard Sale Finds

Yesterday was Yard Sale Day in our neighborhood. There must have been 6 or 7 yard sales going on in our neighborhood alone. So, of course, I took full advantage of all of the junk close at hand. See that super cool chair that just happens to match our decor in the photo above? It was only $25! We got another to match, so we now have an actual dining room where people could sit! YAHOO!



And that, my friends, is my pride and joy. That is a REAL Oriental rug... that was our neighbor's mother's rug from the Middle East. It was $20. Oh... I know. I stilll can't quite believe it myself. Plus, it fits perfectly right in front of our front door. AMAZING! I'm proud of myself because I normally just buy random junk that I don't have a place for but can't live without at yard sales.

Hopefully each weekend in our neighborhood won't be as fruitful or we'll be broke before August!

~ Mari

Springtime in Middle GA

There she is! Can I just tell you how ridiculously exciting it is to have your own yard? I never quite understood why people would work SO hard planting things until I did it myself. It's so satisfying! I can't take credit for those gorgeous rose bushes in the photos (thank you, previous owner), but I will post pictures later of the things that I did plant.


I can't wait to get down there and spend some quality time in our yard and on our porch! It won't be long now... the wedding is in TEN days! I can't believe it myself. I'm crazy excited! So, if the posts slow down (or stop) for a bit, don't fret! I'm just becoming wed! ;)

~ Mari

Spring Spruce-Up

It has poured all day today. Not cool. So, in defiance of the weather, I've decided to post some photos of ways to spruce-up one's home for springtime! In the photo above, I planted an African Violet (Lowe's $5.99) in a giant red cup and saucer (T.J. Maxx $4.99). Then I put some candy sticks (Cracker Barrel 40 cents a piece) in a little glass container (Goodwill 50 cents) and placed a little container of fake raspberries (Michaels $2.99) on a cool tray (Hobby Lobby $7.00). Instant springtime feeling in the kitchen!

Above is a picture of Ryan and my dining room table (not that anyone can enjoy it... we have no chairs yet) ready for Easter! I used our "fancy" plates with some French napkins as placemats. That green mossy stuff is...well...green moss! You can buy it at craft stores and it just rolls out like a table runner (which is what I used it for)! Then I used some white ceramic bunny napkin rings to hold the cheap little pastel napkins from the grocery store. I found some really neat little votive holders at Anthropologie (my most favoritest store ever) - on sale, of course - and put some eggs I found at T. J. Maxx in them and... voila! Instant egg cups! For the centerpiece, I used a bunny statue, a little bunny soap dish (full of eggs), and a dome with a bird's nest under it. I'm quite pleased with how it came out! Too bad we can't eat our Easter meal on it... (again, no chairs)!

Finally, this photo is here at my parent's house in the G-burg. I love this little display on a side table near our family dining table. We just took some china plates and put them on a plate stand, added a nest (from T.J. Maxx), some cool vintage glasses (one filled with acorns), some dried pomegranates, and put it all on a vintage silver tray!

Spring is in the air.... time to spruce!

~ Mari