Home Decor | Mommies With Style

Laundry Room OverHaul; Arts & Craft Organization

February 13, 2012 By Whitney 7 Comments

I’m embarrassed to be sharing these before photos. The only reason I’m doing it is because I can post an after photo. Otherwise, I always thought that if anyone actually took a look at my laundry room they might apply on the sly for my family to appear on an episode of Hoarders.

Our laundry room is in the middle of our first floor and pretty much serves as the dumping ground for all sorts of nonsense. But mostly it has 3 functions: 1) laundry. 2) cat room (litter & food). and 3) arts & craft storage. And over the years, it has just piled up like crazy in there.

But I recently got inspired thanks to a post on Pinterest on how to use a door shoe hanger for arts & craft organization. Ingenious! I promptly ordered this Rubbermaid 20-Pocket Shoe Organizer ($19.98 with Free Shipping on Amazon) and decided to get serious about organizing my laundry room.

So this was yesterday’s project. Here’s the before. I know, I’m so mortified to post this:

And here’s the Rubbermaid shoe holder that is now on the back of the laundry room door. I hung it up and used my label maker to organize and label each pocket for various arts & crafts items that were laying around in those bags you see on the floor, and in the drawers in that organizing tower. I was surprised how much fit and how much we had: boxes of pastels, crayons, markers, scissors, glitter, paint, paint brushes and more.

Here’s the after of my laundry room – hard to tell but much improved, right?

Oh and I also got organized with the label maker and made specific drawers for my tower here.

What do you think? I just love the new shoe hanger on the back of the door – creative organization at it’s finest!

Filed Under: For the Home, Home Decor, Paper Products & More

Gifts to Keep The Family Warm

December 22, 2011 By kate 1 Comment

The holidays are a perfect time to bundle up and get cozy. Here are some great gift picks to keep the whole family warm this winter.

Sunbeam LoftTec Heated Throw – A good throw is great to snuggle down with. Even better? A heated throw. Available in two neutral colors – a dark brown walnut and creamy seashell – the LoftTec Heated Throw offers Sunbeam’s highest level of softness and comfort with a thick, lofty, polyester material and Sunbeam’s ThermoFine technology that “senses and adjusts to deliver consistent warmth.” In other words, a blanket that knows what you need and delivers. I love that the 50 x 60″ throw is big enough to share (when I have to) and has 3 heat settings on a 6 foot cord to provide the perfect amount of warmth. Plus, the 3-hour automatic shut-off ensures I don’t broil all night if I fall asleep in front of It’s A Wonderful Life. $50

Khombu Bell Tower Boots – My husband lives in sandals which surprisingly are pretty ineffective at keeping your feet warm in the winter. That’s why I love these fur-lined Khombu Bell Tower boots. They are similar to another well-known boot brand, but at a fraction of the cost. Available in black or brown, the durable PU exterior is waterproof and rugged though it also looks nice enough to pass as a mid-range shoe. The interior is insulated with soft, plush fur that gives the boots a cold rating down to 20°F and Khombu’s Therolite insole that is breathable, moisture-wicking, shock-absoring and anti-fungal. The end result? Toasty toes in a boot that can go from shoveling the driveway to dinner at the in-laws. $50-$70

Petunia Stroll - Instead of piling blankets onto your babe for your winter walks, encase your little angel in Stroll by Petunia, a luxurious bunting bag. Available in seven gorgeous chenille and printed polyester designs, Stroll is lined with uber-soft velour that will make you wish they offered adult sizes. Place the bunting bag into your stroller and weave through your stroller’s safety harness. Conveniently placed zippers make it easy to get your little one in and out while keeping them snugly and warm while bundled up. Plus, you can match your Stroll to one of Petunia’s chic diaper bags or accessories like the Adorn iPhone 4 case for a complete look. $149

Filed Under: Babies, Diaper Bags & Totes, Holiday 2011, Home Decor, Housewares, Strollers Tagged With: blanket, boots, bunting bag, electric blanket, Khombu, Petunia, Stroll, Sunbeam, throw, warm

Show Off Your Photos With Shutterfly

December 17, 2011 By kate Leave a Comment

I’m a big fan of Shutterfly’s photo products, and they have a ton of great gift ideas for everyone on your list.

FOR KIDS: Shutterfly’s CenterStage books are liquid gold in terms of “wow” factor and easy as pie on your part. Choose from one of Shutterfly’s 6 books featuring characters such as Dora, Diego and Sesame Street, upload a picture of your kid and a handful of facts and voila! – a personalized book staring your little munchkin. The books are $40, but are full color and include an average of 38 pages. But be warned – you’ll be rereading those 38 pages a lot. Kids love to see themselves in the story!

FOR GRANDPARENTS: Get your grandparents up to date with a reusable shopping bag that shows off the grandkids at the same time. Whether they’ll use it for groceries or the library, at farmer’s market or day trips to the beach, choose from 14 different photo layouts to create the perfect tote for their activities.

FOR DAD: I love the modern look and no-hassel approach to these desk plaques. No frame, no fuss – just a simple and easy way to display a favorite photo. You can choose from 3 different sizes and single or multi-photo layouts. You can even add backgrounds and print the photos in color, black & white or sepia tones. Perfect for dad’s desk at home or at work.

FOR YOU: Treat yourself to your favorite family photo turned into a beautiful canvas or acrylic print. Canvas immediately elevates an ordinary picture to fine art status while the acrylic prints provide a sleek, modern touch to your favorite photo. Get those prints out of a stuffy album and up on the wall! Both formats offer a variety of sizes, backgrounds, single and multi-picture layouts and the option of adding text.

Visit Shutterfly.com to check out all their holiday photo gifts.

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Note: MWS was not paid for this review. Shutterfly did provide some product samples.

Filed Under: Holiday 2011, Home Decor Tagged With: photo gifts, Shutterfly

Photo Gifts Worth Giving From Snapfish

December 14, 2011 By kate Leave a Comment

My family recently got our first ever professional photos done. And while I don’t know why it took us so long to do it, I’m thrilled that we finally did. The question now is: What to do with these awesome photos? The grandparents and great-grandparents are always fans of family photos, but I wanted to do something beyond just prints. Here are some great photo gift ideas.

Magnets: Cards are nice. I like getting holiday cards. I like giving holiday cards. But come January…I throw them away. I know, I know. There are some of you that hold onto them year after year to see the kids grow and reread the witty updates, but I think a good percentage of people throw your lovely family photo in the trash. But the magnet! The magnet easily attaches to the fridge of Grandma or Auntie or BFF. And all year long, they are reminded of your adorable, well-behaved children and that day your hair looked awesome. Visit Snapfish.com and check out their collection of 3×2″ or 4×6″ magnets. Starting at $4.99.

Puzzles: My grandparents are puzzle nuts. I’m sure they’ve done all the snowy forest, floral garden and cityscape puzzles they can handle in their lifetime, so what better gift than a puzzle of the grandkids? Maybe if I get my act together, I can even get a picture of them holding an adorable “We love you!” sign or something equally adorable. Visit Snapfish.com and check out their 8×10, 110 piece puzzles for just $13.99

Photos-to-Canvas: I love how printing your photos on canvas immediately ups the status of your prints from photos to art. Frames are great and very useful, but for those prints that you won’t have the desire to swap out in a few months, try getting them printed on Canvas or Visit Snapfish.com and check out their framed, collage and fine art canvas prints.

Jewelry: Those beautiful family pictures don’t have to be quarantined to the walls. Wear them! Constructed out of sterling silver, photo charm bracelets and necklace are the perfect way to show off your favorite family pics. I’m dropping hints to my husband for this one below. Visit Snapfish.com to see the entire line of photo jewelry.

Note: MWS was not paid for this review. Snapfish provide product samples for the review.

Filed Under: Holiday 2011, Home Decor, Misc Tagged With: holiday gift ideas, photo gifts, snapfish

This Thing is Really Cool: Himalayan Salt Lamp (For Your Living Room)

March 24, 2011 By Whitney 3 Comments

Last weekend we were over at my sister-in-law’s house when something glowing in her kitchen caught my eye. She had what looked like a bowl with glowing rocks sitting on an end table next to her kitchen table. I asked what it was.

She told me it was a Himalayan Salt Lamp and handed me one of the rocks. It was a big chunk of salt with a pinkish hue and it was warm. I was immediately addicted to holding it and playing with it.

She got it at a local New Age store but told me I could get one on Amazon. It’s a wire basket with a light bulb in the middle – the light bulb heats the salt up and in turn casts a wonderful pink-orangeish hue all around the room. It was totally calming to look at and it’s just one of those pieces in a house like a burning candle that makes you just feel more relaxed to look at it. Plus the heated rocks are awesome on your forehead or in your hands on a cold evening.

I immediately went home and ordered one. It came two days later (I love Amazon Prime) and my entire family has been obsessed with it ever since. Besides the fact that it’s completely soothing, this is what is written about the lamp’s tech specs on Amazon:

Works as an air purifier by emitting negative ions into the air and light therapy to reduce stress and increase energy

It’s only been a few days but I do really enjoy this and it’s been a definite conversation starter. Here’s the Himalayan Salt Lamp I have that I got on Amazon – it was $39.99 with free shipping.