Another Pinterest Success!

Hi everyone! I hope you are keeping warm wherever you are! It is super cold here in Virginia. We are getting
a nice little warmup this weekend though. I feel like the groundhog at this point -
I may come out of hibernation this weekend though!

I was all ready to have my leather ottoman reupholstered. Then I cam across - what else - a great Pinterest tip!
Well I dove right in to see if it would work. Because money saved is money I can spend on another project!
Look at how horrible this was looking. It sits in front of a chair in our family room and gets a lot of use!  The leather
is very soft and scratches so easily. I was pretty skeptical that it could be revived. Look at how the leather is so
scratched that the top layer is scraped off! This would be what you call "overly distressed"!

And it really just looked like that from end to end. I swear, it looks like someone threw it off a cliff!

So the Pinterest tip said to just rub some olive oil onto it and then buff it off with a dry paper towel. I used a old white
tee shirt to wipe the oil on. This poor thing was so thirsty it just sucked the oil right up. I worked in small sections
and just really rubbed it in. Here is the picture of me just starting to work on it! That is the first little spot I did.

You can see how quickly it is making a difference!

Here it is all finished:

The ottoman sucked up the oil so much I did not even have to buff with the paper towel.

I guess the leather was that dry! Yikes!

I may actually go back and do another coat.

So. Pinterest is proving to be a great resource if you actually end up doing all the things you pin!
Whoo-hoo! Success!

Time to get real. And admit my addiction...

Well in my last post I hinted at the fact that I may be a teensy bit OCD. I am. There is no denying it.
It's not too terribly bad. Not in a really horribly noticeable way. Just little things. Like, I can't fall asleep if the
closet door is open. I can't focus if a pantry or cabinet door is cracked. Or carry on my day in any
sort of sane way if I, say, forget to put earrings on. I always get complimented on my tidy house
but it is really driven by my little OCDs!

So. On to my next confession. I have a serious addiction. Compulsion. Whatever you want to call it.
Either way -
it's really not healthy. I can't control myself and I just keep doing it over and over again.
It affects my family. And my friends enable me as well.

So I am here to come clean!

Candles. Scented candles. I just can't stop! : ) (Sorry, I'm sure you were expecting something more exciting!)

They have their very own cabinet in my kitchen.

Yup. 2 full shelves worth. Stacked up. Summer scents, Fall scents, Holiday scents. The smell pretty much
sucker punches you in the face when you open the drawer above this cabinet!
I ran into my neighbor in HomeGoods the other day. She asked what I was shopping for.
I said "apparently this candle that I totally do not need!".
So I am on a mission! I am going to burn a candle every day until I get through this ridiculous stash!
Here is the one burning in the kitchen today - Yankee Candle Autumn Wreath:

But I have them tucked all over the house. There are 4 around the kitchen alone!
Here is one in the crate on my dining room buffet...

 And another under the buffet...

 Up on the corner of the family room mantle...

 On the coffee table in the family room...

 AND that smaller container on that table is another in the family room! That is too many for one room.

In my defense we do have a bagel (bassett/beagle) dog who can have some fairly intense gas!

Sorry to out you Burly - I still love you though! (aw, look at that face!)
And I have candles in the bathrooms, the master bedroom and basement too. Stop the madness!
BTW. That candle I got from HomeGoods is a Yankee - Coconut and Sea Air! To. die. for! : ) But I told myself
I can't light it until I get through some of these other candles! Candle rehab starts now!

My OCD disguised as Organizing

I want to share some of my tips for keeping my life organized and stress free uh… reduced!

Let me preface by fully admitting I am a little OCD. Having a tidy, clean house
just makes it easier for me to relax and, quite frankly, even think!

1.) Make my bed every day. It is amazing how nice it is to slip into a nicely made bed at the end of the day!
Before I got my dogs I would even turn down our sheets! Just think how lovely the turn-down service at a hotel is.
You should have that feeling every night. Go ahead and leave yourself a chocolate on the pillow too!

2.) I keep a running shopping list on the side of the fridge. Whenever something gets used up my
family knows to write it on the list the same time they throw the empty out. It took a little to time
to get them trained - but once you do it really works!

3.) I never leave dirty dishes on the counter or in the sink. Seriously. It only take a couple seconds
to throw them in the dishwasher. Your kitchen will just always look better and cleaner instantly.

4.) Keep up with the laundry! Do a load of wash every (other) day. If you just do one load every day/evening
it won't pile up to a mountain that you just keep putting off! Do ONE load and finish it. This does not mean you
leave it in the dryer. It means fold it AND put it away! Don't drag one load out over 48 hours.When you don't
do this you clutter your house. If the clothes are clean but in a basket to be folded or folded but still
sitting on the top of the washer it makes it seem like you still have a bunch of work to do!

5.) All of makeup is in desk organizers in the drawers in my bathroom. I totally lucked out and found some that
fit the drawers perfectly! That smaller one sits perfectly on the top edge of the drawer...

 So I can store more makeup underneath. This drawer holds some of my favorite eyeshadows, blushes and palettes.

 I have another drawer that is filled with my hair accessories and nail polishes.

Now. Don't judge. This next drawer has all my lip products, pencil liners and foundations. Yes. There are a lot!
In that little pink Vera Bradley bag I keep the concealer, powder and foundation I use most often.

I might as well put it all out there. I have already shown the worst. Let me prep you by saying I was a fashion
major in college. So I really, really love clothes and jewelry and makeup. And I really wanted to enjoy walking
into my closet each morning and "shopping" for my outfit of the day. I did not do any tidying up before I
took these pictures either. So this is pretty much how it always looks in the drawers and the closet.

So I have little jewelry displays in there. Those are my handbags along the top. And my jeans and leggings at
the bottom. All my clothing is organized by type and color - just like in a boutique.

Those pink bins up top have off season clothing like bathing suits and shorts and things. Next, on the right,
are all of my tops. Short-sleeve and sleeveless on top and long sleeve and jackets on the bottom. Keep in mind,
I keep all my clothes in my closet. So all my t-shirts, underwear - everything.
I am hoping that telling you makes it better and not so shocking! LOL!

And then the shoes…

with another shelf of jewelry display in the middle.

Well that's it for today. What do you do that helps you get through your days easier?