Keeping It Real

I know I post a lot of pretty pictures with my house looking all neat and tidy.  Now, don't let me lead 

you wrong, I am a very neat and tidy person, but seriously, my house doesn't look like that all the time.    

This is what it looks like on a normal afternoon. 

With five people in our family, there is no shortage of laundry.  It's time consuming and never ending.
In an attempt to make my life easier, I once went so far as to hide a ton of my four year old's clothes so he wouldn't change his outfit four times a day. Worked like a charm until he found them in my closet.
I do laundry just about every day and usually more than one load a day.  I put it in the washer, put it the dryer and then throw it on our bed, wait for my husband to fold it and then I put it away. Works out well for us.  Since there's nothing too exciting about our laundry room (no great before and after pictures),
I might as well show you.

The best part about our laundry room is the location. It's not a huge room with tons of space and storage, but it's located right off the master bathroom with another door leading to the 2nd floor landing.  It's easily accessible to everyone in the family.  In our previous house, we moved the laundry room from the basement to the 2nd floor.  When we were house hunting, another 2nd floor laundry room was always at the top of our "Wish List".  During the renovations of our current house, we were able to squeeze the laundry room into the new master suite.  

Here is the lone sock graveyard.  Underneath this bulletin board is an ugly electric panel.  I couldn't come up with anything else to cover it up with, so why not display our single socks.  I swear my dryer eats socks. These things have been hanging here for a long time and the mates just never seem to appear.  I'm sure I am the only one this happens to, right?

So there you go, now I've aired all my dirty clean, but unfolded laundry for you.  

Feel like you know me a little better?  How about you, does laundry seem to consume you?

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Laundry Room Nitty Gritty

The Laundry Room is finished,

and the Studio 5 segment turned out great --

Now... I thought I would share with you a few of the fun little details.

BEFORE

We have had this washer and dryer for about 3-4 years. 

My husband purchased them as a surprise for me

while I was out of town! 

 So nice. 

 They really have been so great after 14 years with a used pair

 that we got right after we were married. 

I think they look very fashionable

with the newly designed laundry room!

AFTER

It is fun to incorporate the colored appliances into the overall design.

I really never used this space ---
 it was honestly filled with more boxes that needed to be emptied. 

What a great excuse to get them put away!

This is in the middle of the job.

End Result. 

I knew that I wanted to paint the walls green ---

next I had to find fabric that would work. 

 I found some wonderful green but definitely needed to add

a couple of other colors to make the space feel right. 

 I ended up with a great striped fabric

 --- it had the colors of the washer and dryer

and some brown, as well as the green.

I found this big mug and it was just the right color. 

You want to place the colors around the room

so that it ties the space together.

I added a little more fabric on the chair

with a pillow and a sash. 

 It softens the chair and pulls the color around the room.

I must say, I do love the sash!

The bulletin board is just made of heavy card board

 covered in batting and fabric then placed in a frame that I already had. 

It helps to take that blue color onto the wall.

The brown ribbon and the green apples

 lined along the top

 are more pops of color around the space.

We just took old buttons from granny's button box

 to finish off the board!

See more touches of brown and blue. 

The fabric on the baskets is just glued along the top ---

no sewing involved!

I like to collect frames. 

The three above the sink are shadow boxes

 that I found at Burlington years ago. 

 The were filled with little oriental ladies on sale for $1.88. 

 I bought 30 of them!!

They have come in handy over the years. 

 I just glued in scrapbook paper that had the same colors.

 It made for some great artwork!

I wanted to add fabric to this space

 and since the cabinets did not have doors

 this was the perfect place to put some little curtains. 

 I got a tension rod, very inexpensive---

then hemmed up the fabric,

 added the three kinds together,

and it works!

This is an old mirror that I have had in my basement for years. 

It came from my great grandpa's house. 

The frame was pretty boring

so I added a few little decorative swirls---

I used puff paint (glitter glue with paint in it),

because I had it,

but I am thinking that Elmer's glue may work just as well.

Then I spray painted with a can of white paint.

It is always nice to add a few older items

when you are decorating a space because

you can make it more interesting and more personal.

Well, here it is BEFORE--- quite uninspiring yet with great potential!

And the AFTER has been such a joyful, happy place to be in!

Hopefully you can take a few of the tips

 and do something with your washing space!

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Studio 5 - Loving Laundry Rooms

Here is the Segment that we did on Studio 5 today---

Simple Ways to Make Your Laundry Room Fun

 4 tips to help create a more happy space:

1. Add Color - A quick and easy way to do this is with paint. No matter what size your space is, a little paint can make a BIG difference. I chose green because it makes me happy and it just feels good to me. You can also add fabric with fun colors as well as a few accessories to tie the color throughout the room.

2. Add Light - A laundry room is a space that you want to see what you are doing. You can use a task light, there are many varieties even some that can be clamped onto an shelf. In my laundry room there is also space to do some craft projects so it is nice to have a lamp to see better with as well as create a more comfortable atmosphere.

3. Add Greenery or Flowers - You want your laundry room to feel fresh and clean. The greenery gives a fresh feel to the space and flowers just make you happy.

4. Personalize the Space- Add in some of your personality, with photos, artwork, items that you love.



I added a photo bulletin board and filled it with pictures and attached little items that I like. I also added a mirror and some hooks that belonged in my great grandfather's home.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, no matter what size your laundry room ---

you can do a few things to love it more!

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Laundry Room Surprise

I just redesigned my Laundry Room for a segment on Studio 5
 (a local TV program)

What great motivation to get something done!

Here is a little taste of what it looks like.

BEFORE

We have lived in this home for 6 months and the laundry room is one of the last rooms to get any attention.

But when Studio 5 asked me to do a laundry room ---

 I thought this was the perfect time to do mine

and give me a deadline!

It really makes me happy to go in there now . . .

The show will be on Tuesday, August 24th 11:00 a.m. 
on KSL TV channel 5.

I will post the video here after it airs.

So fun--- 

 I will give you all of the little details
and how I decided on everything!

Stay tuned . . .

 I joined transformation thursday at the shabby chic cottage.

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My Frugal Cottage Laundry Room

When we had a family room built in our basement, a few years ago, the laundry area was walled-in but not finished.  That left the back of the new walls exposed - studs and back of drywall - and the existing basement exterior walls, which consisted of plastic-covered pink insulation, a cement floor, and an exposed ceiling.  Not very inspiring, to say the least.

(I could only find photos from prior to the basement renovation, but you can see the yucky floor and pink insulation that was still visible in the laundry room even after the family room was complete)

Funds were low after the basement work, so I plotted and planned how to makeover this space using next-to-no money.   I love the colour red, but it just didn't seem to work anywhere else in the house, so I decided the laundry room would be a rustic cottage room in white and red.

Here's how I dealt with each area:
  
Ceiling: I figured that I don't look up when I do laundry, so the ceiling could remain unfinished.  Hubby added a light - a real up-grade from the bare lightbulb ghetto look.

Floor:  The previous owners of our house had painted the cement floor with the wrong kind of paint, so it was a peeling, unsightly mess.  I thought it would be too much trouble to remove that paint and paint it again, and there was no way I was going to actually finish the floor properly because then we would have to move the machines.  So I took the lazy (but clever!) way out.  I bought dollar store woven grass beach mats and covered the floor with them and then put a red IKEA floor runner on top.

Walls:  I painted the back of the drywall and the exposed studs white, so it has that cottage look I was going for.  I only used primer and I am, frankly, quite happy with the clean white look.  The exposed pink insulation was much more of a problem.  I had some huge old painter's drop-cloths that I decided would do the job.  It wasn't easy to measure around the pipes and window etc and it was even more difficult to secure the drop-cloth to the wall.  I should warn any pro-home builders to go and read other blogs right now or at least skip the rest of this paragraph while I describe how I attached the drop-cloth to the wall.   I managed to fit the cloth behind some of the pipes, and the pipes do the bulk of the work in holding the drop-cloth in place.  I then used some straight pins and double-sided tape and they do the rest.  It isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it has been in place for well over a year now and still holding strong.  I had to make the wall purty, so I spent some time at the local thrift stores in search of wall decor.  What I finally found was a vintage tablecloth with just the right feel, and the colour red.  So home it came and I pinned it in place.

Covering the very bad, very ugly, no good areas of the laundry room:  Two main areas fit this description, the sink and a storage area under the stairs.  I was very fortunate to find two tablecloths with the same pattern, in two different thrift stores - and in a lovely cottage red and white check, no less.  I used double-sided velcro tape to secure them in place and they are holding strong.  They don't get moved much as there is another access to the storage area and nothing is under the sink.  I also painted a board and lay it on top of the sink.  It is a good spot to dry clothes.

Pretty Touches:  I added some metal buckets from the dollar store to put the dryer sheets and stain removal stuff in.  Of course I got them in red.  I also had a tin with a red lid that I put the laundry detergent in.  Hubby installed a shelf for the laundry detergent so it is near the washing machine.  I also added a laundry basket for dirty clothes and a red dollar store bag to put lost socks in.

We all want to know the bottom line on projects, so here it is (although approximate as I did this over a year ago and I can't remember exact amounts):

COST:
paint: already owned
dropcloth: already owned
tablecloth on wall: $8
2 check tablecloths: $12 ($6 each)
velcor tape and pins: $5
board on sink: scrap wood
beach mats: $3
red rug: $30
ceiling light: $6
shelf and brackets: $10
bag for lost socks: free (gift from sister-in-law)
red buckets: $3
TOTAL: $77

There you go - a fresh cottage laundry room for $77.  How about you - have you ever made-over a room with more muscle power than money?

This post linked to Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous

Metamorphis Monday at Between Naps On The Porch
Before and After Party at Thrifty Decor Chick 

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