Updating Your Home Using What You've Got

Especially at the start of a new year, when one of my goals is to save money, I try to make updates in my home that don't cost much, if anything.  Are you doing the same thing at your place right now?  One way to change up a space is to "shop your house" and move things around.  Sometimes, once we put furniture, rugs, framed photos, etc. in a certain spot in our home, we think they have to live there forever.  Well, part of the fun is mixing things up and just seeing how they look in different places.  It might not work, but I like to try it just to see.  Also, I need to see things in place to really tell how I feel about it, as opposed to some people who can visualize more in their heads.



The evolution of our sitting room is a prime example of changing things up.  It's not my dream for the space, but I'm trying to work with what I have.  That big leather chair/ottoman and I go way back to my single days!

A while ago, I moved that chair/ottoman to the living room to provide more seating and to hide one of the toy boxes.  So, the sitting room sat rather empty for some time.

At Christmas, we put our tree in the curve of the staircase, so we had to move the Target settee somewhere, and it temporarily went to the sitting room.

The scale is off, but it was only temporary.  After the Christmas tree came down and I wanted to give my son more play room in the living room, the chair went back upstairs.

But this time, I also added our Beni Ourian rug from Pottery Barn that was previously in the entryway.

So now, the sitting room looks like this.  (The side table was moved upstairs from the living room too).

A woven basket adds another layer of texture and conveniently holds magazines or an extra blanket or pillow.  I still really like the mini wooden crate (on wheels) that I got at Joss & Main to hold James' books.  

And fresh flowers always help breathe new life into a room.  These are from Whole Foods. :)

So, what are you moving around in your house these days?

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Basel III - Kicking The Can Down The Road?

Banks have been given several years to meet new rules governing the amount of liquid assets they must hold on their books to see them through a short-term market crash.

The Basel Committee on Bank Supervision has stated that banks would only need to have 60% of the necessary short-term funding in place when the rules become effective in January 2015, and would have until 2019 to fully implement the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR).

The new rules also widen the range of assets that banks can put in the buffer; these now include shares and retail mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), as well as lower rated company bonds. Despite the fact that these can only be included at a hefty discount, this is an indication that the Committee recognises that there are problems within the banks' balance sheets.

The rationale for this easing of the rules was explained by Sir Mervyn King, who told the Telegraph that it had decided to opt for a “graduated approach” to avoid “disruption to the orderly strengthening of banking systems or the ongoing financing of economic activity”.

In other words the Committee was worried that the rules would knock any nascent recovery for six. As to whether this slackening of rules actually helps banks and the global economy recover, or simply kicks the can further down the road, remains to be seen.

Fabric Covered Books & Washi Tape Bookmarks & Magnets

I hope you all had a great weekend!  I've written "2013" a few times now and I think it's finally sinking in that we're in a new year.  And I couldn't be happier to welcome it.  This weekend, I organized a few more parts of the house and just focused on getting over this lingering cold.  A few weeks ago, I was feeling the urge to do something crafty and found some coordinating fabric to wrap some old books with.  I adore how the project turned out and wanted to share it with you.



I did a few books in a bold fabric with pinks and oranges . . .

and another set in blues and aqua.  Since you don't need too much fabric for the book covers, it's a great way to use excess scrap fabric.

It only takes about 5 minutes to cover one book, so once I got going, it was hard to stop!  I even wrapped a hard-backed journal in my Grandma's favorite fabric and sent it to her as a gift.  

You'll just need a book, fabric, spray adhesive, and scissors (I used a rolling cutter).

1)  Cut your fabric about two inches larger than your book.

2)  Cut the corners off at an angle so you don't have too much excess fabric.

3)  Spray the back of the book with adhesive and fold over the fabric taking care to press out any bubbles and pull the fabric taut.

4)  Cut a strip of fabric where the spine of the book is.

5)  Cover the top and bottom of the book.  Repeat steps 3 and 5 with the front cover.

6)  Cut off some of the excess of the fabric at the spine.

7)  Use your scissors to press the extra fabric between the spine and the fabric covering the book.

8)  Here's how your spine looks with the fabric tucked in. 

* before and after *

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While I was at it, I made a couple of book tags, one with scrap paper and a couple with washi tape.

I used blank tags from from the craft store- they look like the picture below and come in different sizes. You can buy a bagful for just a couple of dollars.

My next easy craft will be these magnet covers I saw on Just Bella.  She actually used craft paper stuck to magnet strips- how cute!!  If you're new to Just Bella, head on over, she has a beautiful sense of style and a super sweet little baby!

via Just Bella

DIY Upholstered Headboard with Nailhead Trim

I am smitten with this DIY upholstered headboard with nailhead trim that Freckles Chick made.

I wanted to share it with you because she has one of the easiest-to-follow tutorials I've seen and her version is super inexpensive.  Her headboard fabric is actually a drapery panel from Target's clearance section!  Genius girl!  Go HERE for the full post.

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Also, if you're working on getting your home organized this weekend, Kate at Centsational Girl is offering some tips from a few blogging friends, and was kind enough to include me in her post.  Go HERE to read her article.  

Have a great weekend friends!

Accountancy Age's Financial Power List 1013: Big Hitters

I have been placed 25th on Accountancy Age's Financial Power List 2013: Big Hitters, a rundown of who the magazine thinks will be the biggest players in accounting and finance during 2013.

25 Ken Frost, serial blogger and HMRC agitator
A long-time thorn in the side of the ICAEW in his blogging capacity, Frost has found that HMRC's travails have taken up a bigger chunk of his social media efforts. Not that the institute is out of his line of vision, but his probing questions and good contact base make http://hmrcisshite.blogspot.co.uk an amusing and revealing read.

Home Organization (DIY Toy Labels)

Try as I might not to overwhelm my young son with too many presents at Christmas, he has extended family- you know who you are, ahem, GRANDPARENTS, who love to spoil the little guy.  They give in love and are just delighted to be able to give.



This Christmas, my son slept until 8:30 (he normally gets up around 7), leaving two very anxious parents sitting on the couch waiting for him to wake up and see what Santa brought.

When he finally woke up, he spent over an hour playing with his new train . . .  

but then got the hang of opening the rest of the gifts.

Later that night, with a toy explosion occurring in our living room, I knew I needed to get the situation under control and find a new home for these toys.  

I gathered all the toys together, including emptying out James' two toy boxes in the living room, and sorted his toys into piles.  Five main categories of toys emerged and I figured the quickest, easiest solution was to put them in baskets with labels so he knew where they go when it's time to put them away.

To make the labels, I googled clip art for each item, then copied and pasted the image into a blank document on my computer and also spelled out the word in an easy-to-read font. 

I cut each label and taped it to a pieced of card stock, then laminated it and tied it to a basket.

I moved the big leather chair and ottoman back into the bedroom sitting area so James could have more room to play downstairs.  

Now, he helps put all the toys away before nap-time and bedtime.  We still use the toy large white toy boxes for miscellaneous toys.  It's nice to have the living room cleaned up at least twice a day now!

If you have kids, have you figured out what to do with the new toys?  

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Home Organization in the New Year - Starting with a Clean Refrigerator

Happy New Year friends! I hope you rang in the new year in whatever way felt right to you.  For some, it's glitz and glamour and high heels with a midnight champagne toast, for others, it's a night in alone or with the kids that may or may not include staying up until midnight.  I've done both in the past, but this year it was the latter- home on the couch nursing a little cold.  I'm okay, nothing extra sleep won't cure.  I really appreciated reading your comments on my "Less // More in 2013" post.  It seems most of us are on the same wavelength this year. :)



I make a conscious effort to regularly clear my life of the physical and mental junk that builds up over time.  I want to keep the energy around me vibrant and alive, as opposed to stagnant and stale.  Cleansing, purifying and revitalizing my life and home tend to go hand in hand.  That is, when my home is organized and clean, I seem to breathe easier in my personal life.



That's not to say that there aren't often toys strewn about the living room or that I don't find random action figures, Thomas the Train, or odd tupperware in the most surprising places- we live with a two year old after all.  It's his home too and I don't want to be so rigid that he doesn't feel free to be a kid in his own home.



What I'm emphasizing, however, is having good, clear energy in your home and everything having a place where it belongs so that your life and household runs as efficiently and smoothly as possible.



In January, after we've put away all the Christmas decorations, we're left with a house that begs for revitalization, open windows bringing in fresh breezes and clean air.  It's time to clear out the clutter and get organized.  I have a new year tradition of bringing crisp, white flowers into my home- they are a nice way of simplifying after the abundance of holiday decor.  You can see my latest bunch of mini white carnations on Instagram (@honeywerehome).

This month I'll show you how I organize the areas in my house, and the first thing I like to do is clear off and wipe clean all surfaces such as counters, coffee tables, nightstands, and mirrors.  I also do a deep clean dusting, sweeping, vacuuming (under the couch cushions too), and wiping down the furniture.



Then, because it's January, and many of us not only want to get organized, but we also want to be healthier, I deep clean the fridge and freezer.  It's time to get rid of stale, expired items, and bring in fresh produce and fruits.  I think we all know how to clean out our refrigerator (empty it out completely, wash the insides with warm, soapy water, then put the items back in a way that makes sense to you).  It may not be a fun chore, but the results are worth it.  And it only takes about 30 minutes.

Here's how our fridge shelves and door looked BEFORE the clean up.

and AFTER

The drawers BEFORE

and AFTER

I also put a sticker on the clear bin for my 2-year old's snacks. His favorite yogurt, cheeses and portioned-out cut up fruit go in there.

We've also got a snack drawer in the kitchen for him with portions of organic Cheetos, goldfish, pretzels, raisins, etc.  Everything is labeled with his name for him to take to school. This makes packing his snacks so much easier because I just grab one container from the fridge (fruit), a yogurt, and one container from the drawer, add his juice and milk and he's good to go for his school snacks.  I think I bought the labels here.

I hope this helps you get your new year kicked off in a fresh way.   To see more of my ORGANIZATION posts, go here.  

Here's to 2013!

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