"Clutter sucks the life out of any space..."

"It is impossible to have a centered inner space, when your outer space is a chaotic mess." (article, Peter Walsh, Enough Already)

As I mentioned back when I started our blog, I was going to attempt to include other aspects of my life besides my zillions of pictures of the little man! Although my whole life revolves around him, and I live and breathe for being a mommy, I thought I would show you around our condo. Our home is a constant project for me, with my mind constantly reeling about how to use the space more efficiently, provide for the most floor space possible, all while trying to be budget-friendly, use and rearrange what we already own, and stick to my modern seaside decor.

Although our condo is over 1000 sq.ft., with 2 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, it is quite narrow and has an awkward lay out. When we moved in as newlyweds, we didn't buy any new furniture except for in our bedroom (because we didn't have any!) so what large pieces we have are what stayed and found a comfy place to remain since. When we put the condo up for sale a year ago and that fell through, we had to come to the realization, as so many others have in the state of our economy, that we will be here for quite sometime. And we really do appreciate how fortunate we are to have a home, own our home, have comfort and safety in it, and do with it as we please, but we have taken some time to get over the disappointment that our son doesn't have a backyard he can roam around in and be adventerous in, and that when we do have another baby, they will share a super duper tiny room, not ideal, wasn't in our life's master plan.

That's my same old sob story and I'm sticking to it.

These are the only sculptural pieces we own. They are from Crate and Barrel, and to me resemble the back of a sand dollar, again keeping with my modern seaside theme. However Jason thinks they look like inverted nipples on wrinkly boobs...to each their own! I love them though!

I was on a whirlwind organizing kick this past week after reading the March issue of Better Homes & Gardens...every page offered great ideas on how de-clutter, organanize all of those random toiletry items that pack our drawers and cabinets, and utilize the space you have. One woman's linen closet had itemized woven baskets which separated everything from cold/allergy meds, and vintage pillowcases, to guest soaps, and dental products. I took a cue from this idea, bought some lined baskets and off to de-clutter I went. Besides the baskets, I purchased some tags at the dollar store which are currently awaiting to be assigned labels. I used some wire shelving that we already owned. So all in all, I think my OCD is more under control with this new storage. I am quite pleased, Jason thinks I've gone mad.

This cabinet is in our kitchen, and used to be the catch-all area for anything from OTC meds, sunscreen, cameras, pictures, artwork, lightbulbs, cologne, and fish food. Now although many of those items are still in this cabinet, they each have their own collectively assigned basket, and no longer roll around, get knocked over, fall onto the floor, or become lost.

My closet is a constant work in progress

T's closet installation has made a huge difference. I didn't want to use up the little floor space he has in his room for a separate bookshelf, so we decided to put them in the closet organizer...this new better-used space really has made a huge difference for all 3 of us when it comes to clean-up time, finding outfits, and storage! Hooray and thank goodness for OSH!

My frugal attempt at giving our bedroom a more streamlined, clean appearance. I do want it to feel more like a hotel, with not a lot of clutter. Again, this is still a work in progress also. The headboard, which is actually a woven screen, is from Cost Plus World Market, lamps from Target, and pillows from Marshalls.

We remodeled the bathrooms last Spring but didn't actualy complete painting, touch-ups and hanging the mirrors until this past November....it's funny how 8 months can pass by and we lived with such chaos in our bathrooms for so long that it just became normal!

My Dad and I hung some Ikea shelves in our living room to have a place for my shells, other knick-knacks and pictures. I feel like they have given the room more openness and height, which it lacked before. The baskets hold T's movies.

That hole to the right, which is above the fireplace, is a big empty gaping hole which is meant to house a TV. For anyone else who has one of the so-called "TV nooks" know just as we do how completely ineffecient they are, as putting a TV at that height causes back and neck strain, headaches, and in general is awkward. After taking the house off the market, we bought a bigger TV and placed it where you currently see it, and the TV nook has become an eye sore. We would like to use it as DVD storage but again, have a limited budget, and don't want it to become a bigger eye sore!

Any thought or comments are welcome