7 Under the Stairs Organizing Ideas:

I am always flabbergasted by the fact that if used optimally, we can quadruple the space we have.  Easily ignored spaces are usually the best to squeeze out the maximum out of small places; all we need is the ability to look at things the way other people don’t. Stop dumping spare items under the stairs, as I’m going to surprise you with seven amazing ideas. Let’s not wait any more second.

1: LIBRARY

Area under the stairs can easily be transformed into a personal library by installing open shelves. If you have a good collection of books that you don’t want to let go off then you would definitely be interested in assigning them a proper place. What could be more cheery than a library smiling at you out of otherwise deserted area.

 

2: STORAGE

No matter how many we already have, we all need one more closet to store everything nicely. I would definitely be attracted to getting my hands on some extra storage for all the items that usually don’t easily find home anywhere else. Like all the sports gears, I wouldn’t want to clutter my bedroom with them.  



 

 

3: CRAFT ROOM

Not always we are lucky to have a separate room for our crafty projects; but, it shouldn’t mean we can’t have a peaceful space to be creative. Under the stairs area is definitely a fun place to be if it’s large enough to hold a table with drawers. From my personal experience, I can quote that having a proper place to complete a project where all the essential components are stored nearby, I feel more creative and more energized to finish off the task at hand. 



4: KIDS READING CORNER

It’s cuter than I thought it would be. Living under the stairs like Harry Potter might seem glum; but, having a colorful, designated area as kid’s corner is totally adorable. It’s a must have for me when I’ll be having kids (in case the house isn’t large enough to offer a separate room as a play area). Not that I would hate them and dump them in this corner; but, it would serve me two purposes.

1) For one, my kids will have a space to read and play un-distractedly.

2) The rest of the house will stay clean and I’ll not have to worry to put away things if guests pop in. 

 

5. HOME OFFICE

Currently, I am clearing up my bedroom to make space for my home office. I totally disagree to having a home office in the bedroom because it sucks my productive energy and entices me to sleep after every minute of “hard work.” But, I didn’t have any other choice. The idea of having a home office under the stairs is a treat for the diligent side of my soul. However, unfortunately, in my home, the area is not large enough for it.

 

6: PET’S HOME

Tom n Jerry once used to be my favorite cartoons; and, I often used to adore the coziness of Jerry’s home. Do you remember that episode in which a blow on Tom’s head makes him act like a mouse? That episode gave the first detailed home tour of Jerry’s dwelling. I loved that to bits. The motivation of having a home where you could hide yourself and just be yourself away from the rest of the world was exciting. I hope, your pets would love this coziness too if you give them this space as their new abode.  

 

7. COMFORTING READING AREA

When I was in my early teens, I, along with my sisters, used to find places where I could read every word published in the magazine without my mother knowing it. Sometimes, I used to leaf through in the store room and other times in the gallery (where my mother used to put out of season clothes). An area like this would surely have made reading comforting. 

 Which one of the above did you like the most? If you have a childhood memory that you’d like to share I am all ears. I’ll be waiting; till then,

Photo Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

 

 

 

Festive Table Decoration Ideas:

I love festive dinner parties; they glare the entire home with the mere look of decorative settings, hustle of guests approaching, clinking-clanking of crockery, and the notion of eating together. But, things that happen before this reunion is even more exciting; as, you get to pick a theme, choose the right colors, think of adornments that’ll sit on table, and prepare food that’s yummilicious. Meal planning is another story, today we are all focused on decorating dinner table.

TABLE "GARNISHING":

Table mats, runners, candles, and flower-filled vases together can make any dinner oh-so-lavish. If the table is not big enough for all these, then you might decide on a statement piece that’ll pep up the chic-look. What you can use:

Candles:

Candles are so style-flattering and can enliven the dinner party within minutes. Candles confined in cupcake wrappers and placed on cake plate are absolute knockout. Aren’t they super cute? I’m sure, they can make any evening special. For many years, It never crossed my mind that sparkling candles are in itself so awing that even if rest of the decoration isn’t up to the mark, it won’t show.

If you don’t have a cake plate or are short on cupcake wrappers then you might want to use your wine glasses for staging candles. Leaves, stuck under glass, add color to the canvas. If nothing else, use a bead-filled glass to spice up the view of candles.

Table Runners:

There’s no-way around a table runner. Seriously! Once you pick a theme, a table runner can vote for it big time. Whenever I’m invited as a guest, I keep gazing at the table before the dinner is served and for me the runner becomes the topic of the conversation. They are so festive and so fun. 

I, long time back, watched a video that customized a table runner using stencil painting. Take a piece of cloth, cut out a stencil on cardboard or a tracing paper and spray paint it keeping the stencil over the cloth. Voila! It’s as simple as that.

Napkins:

There are thousands of ways in which you can wrap, style, or plate up napkins.  It could either sit in the center, waiting for its user to pick up before having food. In that case, cutlery can sit on the table around the stacked plates.

You can also tuck napkins under plates or tie them in a ribbon made bow, it would surely look awesome.

People prefer to set tables differently; but, if you are looking for some basic understanding as in what order spoons, fork, knifes, and other utensils should go, then this picture might help you. Of course, you can play around with the order and tweak the arrangement to make things more accessible or according to your likings.

Next time you throw a party, it should be festive. Till Then,

Photo Credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Charm of Open Shelves:

Excited?  Yes! Jumping with ecstasy? Yes! Eyes shinning like a bright star? Yes! Heart beating fast? Yes! So many yeses for I’m to talk about the charm, mystic and breathtaking sight of open shelves. For many, open shelves are hard to deal with, require frequent cleaning and don’t allow burying clutter in life-threatening situations (unexpected guests unexpectedly ring your door bell). But if you look at these negatives, all of them are blessings in disguise. They don’t let you settle for less and keep dumbing clutter – otherwise one fine morning you open a drawer, scream as if you saw a monster and take it as an irreversible decision of nature. So, open shelves = frequent cleaning = always tidier home.

For my mother, everything that can’t be covered is a kitty-party for dust particles as no woman on earth would want to run through her life wiping counters, ship-shaping decorative items – in other words have no life of her own. Well, I can only laugh at this. I won’t counter argument but would whisper, “it’s worth it.”

YOUR BOUTIQUE:

Consider open shelves as your very own, personalized boutiques. The opportunity can be used to glamorize the presence of personal belongings. Seriously, there’s so much one could do. Instead of having to wait for opening the cabinet’s door, sensation of organized space can be easily felt even from far away.

    

FOLLOW A THEME:

Open shelves are a good example where careful use of colors speaks for itself. Once you are done choosing the right theme for the area, it sets tone for all the items that hit home. My personal choice would be to take my time but find maximum items that go along well with the overall color scheme. This way, the entire area will become an eye-candy and sugar plum.

 

CHOOSE WHAT YOU WANT TO DISPLAY:

Of course, not the whole shebang can be displayed as there are certain items that are not so fancy, don’t represent your personality, might look cluttered when displayed. If you are lucky to have a fusion of delightful open shelves and functionality of covered counters, it’s recommended to go through all the items belonging to that particular area for deciding on what can sleep in the drawer and what can shine like a star on shelves. One other criterion for sorting out things, other than aesthetics, is their frequency of usage. Things that stay in regular use could sit publicly as they’ll continue to go through the cleaning loop.

 

FRENZY SHOPPING EXPERIENCE:

I wish, I could demonstrate my condition when I step into a store – as if caged animals of Madagascar for the first time experience the world outside zoo. It becomes hard to control a racing heart that comes close to a heart attack, and frozen feet that just don’t want to move forward without picking a sample of every fancy item. Whenever, I go shopping with my sisters, I am the one with stuffed shopping bags and a happy heart. Open shelves gives me feeling as if I am shopping.

 

FOCAL POINT OF ROOM:

If a room doesn’t have a luxurious décor or seems to be falling apart with no focal point, open shelves can pull everything together.  It can give a new definition to an irky place, ask a sad abode to say cheeeese and fill your eyes will kilos of cheerfulness.  

 

EASILY ACCESSIBLE:

If you are running against clock and want to get things done speedily, open shelves are definitely something you should mull over. I wouldn’t want to open a counter every second to pull things out in phases. When everything is accessible easily, I can celebrate the finale of house chores in shortest possible time.

I have got wings and you? Do drop a line, I’ll wait. Till then,

 Photo Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

You "CAN" Surprise in 12 Ways:

I have been planning to write this post since the time I bought the smaller sized Pringles that came in a little cute jar. I remember, while enjoying the savory flavor, I was looking at the tin and thinking of the limitless creativity, equals to happiness, this jar had come up with. I honestly felt butterflies fluttering inside me as I got super excited to see to another DIY. Though, I plan to turn it into a bubbly eye-candy pens’ holder, I know there are zillions other ways to repurpose tin cans. Here are few of the ideas that you may find inspirational if you have tins lying around your home trying to find their purpose. Ready, get set, Go!

1: CUTLERY HOLDERS  

Trust me; I wouldn’t mind taking a pause amidst every food to complement the presence of these elegant, nicely-decorated tins cutlery holders. I have no doubt that it will bump up every flavor. My mother is very picky in terms of what can sit on the table as she often categorizes things as clutter and disregard their authority to sit on the dining table. You know what, I believe, even she’ll find it hard to say no to them.

2: GLOWING LANTERNS

I love the coziness of winter nights when I sip my coffee while having my socks on. It’s such a lovely feeling to snuggle the favorite teddy bear and look across the road at gleaming lights and wet road. Rapunzel dreams to see the floating lanterns but for me not even this home- made gleaming lanterns are that bad. How quietly they light up the whole scene is simply adorable.3: CRAFT STORAGE

I don’t think my passion for getting organized is new; rather, for as far I can look back at my life, I have always tried sorting things using different containers and jars. Just imagine how joyous and fun it becomes to let your crafty bone rule your mind when everything is in its place. My mum used to have a huge collection of colorful threads and getting them sorted out always lured me to stay close to the creative sewing space of hers.

4: MASTER PIECE

5: VASES

I am such a lover of fancy white candles that glorifies the surroundings with its sheer presence. Just imagine a cake with and then without candles. All of a sudden, the charm, the happiness, that brightening effect fades leaving behind a boring setting. These tin cans repurposed as vases and candle holders are great to dramatize the counter top.

6. PEN HOLDERS:

You’ll find this idea of using cans as pen holders very common. The three Pringles jars that I have collected so far are also going to be turned into pen holders. I am planning to use them in my office. What did I do to embellish them and make them look absolutely stunning? Well, you’ll find out in my next post. Till then, stay tuned

7: TOWEL RACKS

I wouldn’t mind sitting on the toilet seat 24/7 with such a darling towels’ rack made up of repurposed tin cans on my left. Use of pretty colors, ease of grabbing a towel, and the overall neatness is so adorable. Just a flowery-patterned wrapping paper has added so much elegance to otherwise plain steel cans.

8: RIBBON ORGANIZER

I think, I should gift this to my mother. The amount of ribbons that she has been safely securing in her craft closet is overwhelming. Otherwise easy to get tangled, ribbons would nicely sit in the can and will get rolled tidily out of the designated holes. What an idea!

9: SHOPPING BAG ORGANIZER

I currently store all of the plastic bags in a shoe box, immaculately labeled. However, they are stacked on top of each other; which means, one hazard can disassemble them all. This super easy to maintain idea of storing plastic bag in a can is such a life safer.

10: LAMP SHADE

Does anyone else love lamps as much as I do? I have got several lamp shops close to my office and I can’t take my eyes off the sparkling lights, lustrous crystal, and lavish lanterns. My elder sister shares this enthrallment. But looking at the picture, I know now that making a home-made lamp isn’t that difficult after all. Where one vase can hold the bulb, a well painted tin can cover it with its majestic look.

11. LIQUID BOTTLE

Would you believe if I tell you that I haven’t ever thrown a bottle that comes with a pump? Sound silly, but it’s true. A pump bottle makes it possible to handle any kind of liquid in a hassle free manner. And now, when I found out that tin can be turned into a pump bottle, I was dazed with the ecstasy. I mean OMG! OMG!

12: WALL MOUNTED GARDEN

Green = fresh. If the space you got is too small to have a lawn, you can use walls to introduce freshness to your place.

I hope you found these ideas inspirational. In my next post, I’ll share what I have done to Pringles cans to make them look super cute and super elegant. Keep your fingers crossed. Till then,

Photo Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

From Bore to Adore: Stencil Wall Painting

Are you bored? Old looking, one-colored, walls are not interesting – especially when on a lazy day, while sitting on a couch, you randomly gaze on your home’s walls and they are unable to catch your attention for more than few minutes.

Why not take advantage of these bored, lazy days? It’s time for decorating walls and adding some personality to rooms with stencil painting. What? Why not wall stickers? I wouldn’t want that seriously – given it would merely mask the walls with plastic sheets and it’s not fun at all, not for me at least.

It’s funny that I adore white furniture and still fall for the warmth that each color introduces to the room. Stencil painting is a harmonious marriage of my both the dreams, heavenly! Colors have such a romantic way of telling you life’s fun.

Since childhood, I always had a bad time drawing something. My cows usually end up looking doggies and pigeons looked more like a twisted candy bar. Whenever, I used to show my “art” to my teacher, she was always astonished at my skills to deform, otherwise beautiful, animals and birds. However, I love making patterns and get so excited to twitch and tweak things to define corners in a new way.

Painting with Stencil is easy (you can download read-to-use stencils that are available online for free). However, if you are looking for customization and want to exhibit your favorite flowery pattern on the wall, you need MS Excel, tracing paper, and your favorite image to make your very own stencil. Using Excel, paste your image (a repetitive pattern is easier to paint), take a print out and trace it using the tracing paper. Cut out the stencil and you are ready to rock.

Ah, Colors. Beautiful colors! Imagine your walls are spring green and you find bedding matching to the wall color, what would be the level of your happiness? It would make my heart pound, dance, jump and go crazy.

 

Sometimes stencil painting isn’t a pattern repeated on the entire wall or a large flower as the focus of the space; occasionally, it is small art gazing at you and making you smile with its notorious looks.  

 

Did you find this post inspirational? Do give me your feedback; and of course,

Image Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6