It's almost here!

Sorry my posts have been kind of infrequent lately. I have been super tired and have also been spending a lot of time on another project that I am a part of. Friday and Saturday are finally going to be our rummage sale. I have never done this before so it will be rather interesting. I am hoping the weather will be nice - the past couple nights we have been hit with heavy thunderstorms. I have found some things to sell and plan to start advertising a little later today. I will let you know how everything goes and all the details when I can. We have another busy weekend ahead. Rummage sale Friday & Saturday, then on Sunday church and our daughter is performing at Summerfest with her Irish dance class, plus my husband is helping his cousin move into his first home. Hopefully I will get a chance to sleep as well because I really need it! Until next time, keep dreaming design. : )

New Updates

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! I have gotten some planting done, now hopefully I don't kill the little things! Unfortunately I won't be doing any decor stuff this weekend as I will barely be home! Saturday I will be taking the kids to a couple of activities, church and then a friend of mine is turning 30 and having a little party. Sunday we are going to Polish Fest and then a Father's Day BBQ. Monday morning I have a dr's appt so I get to hear the heartbeat for baby #3 and I have some real estate work to do for a friend. Phew! Also, I have been doing projects for my online shop as well.
Far as my decor goes - I got my new Ballard Designs punched metal mirror up in the living room - gorgeous! I also had my first experience with Homegoods store. Bought quite a few things there for my youngest daughter who is converting to a 'big girl' bed. I bought her a kind of night stand type table, a little ottoman thing that she absolutely loves, a table runner and several picture frames that I filled with simple art that I made. I also bought her some of the Amy's Romantic Floral bedding from Pottery Barn Kids in the pink. She loves everything and is very excited!
I also had my first experience with Craigslist. I was kind of scoping it out to see if I should maybe advertise my upcoming rummage sale there. While browsing I found a solid wood, french style twin bed for ONLY $45! The very next day we went and picked it up. A little sanding and paint and this thing will be amazing, I can't wait! Ofcourse I will post some pictures once things are closer to completion. I will post again soon, until then keep dreaming design!

ALSO: If you live in southeastern Wisconsin (milwaukee, waukesha areas, etc) and either you yourself or someone you know has a home not currently listed but that you want to sell quickly, I may be able to help you out! I do not charge you anything for this service. Email dreamingupdesigns@yahoo.com for details.

Getting it Clean: The Bathroom

We are into June now, how is your spring cleaning coming along? I am one of the crazies who looks forward to spring cleaning. I love spring, everything coming awake and alive from its winter slumber. The first fresh warm breeze I feel I am popping open the windows, picking up the first cleaning product I can reach and getting down to business. Ofcourse, I am aware that the majority of people do not feel this way. I am going to walk you through some cleaning tips to get you on the way to a fresh clean bathroom.

Let's get started!

1) Set aside time for this project depending on how messy the space is and if you have more than bathroom you plan to tackle. It is always better to overestimate so you can ensure the project will be completed.

2) Take a look at your bathroom in general. What does it look like? How does it make you feel? Also, get some supplies together such as garbage bag, cleaning products, etc.

3) Remove all visible garbage.

4) Remove all visible dirty laundry.

5) Take a look in any cabinets you have in the bathroom along with anything sitting out that is not part of the decor. What products are being used on a regular basis? Which items have been sitting for a long time unused? If its been awhile it is likely there are even expired items. First, throw out expired products. Next, sort through what is left. Remove unused items that are wasting space. Throw them away or give them away when applicable. Next, I highly recommend going to a local WalMart, Target or even the dollar store to find small storage bins to organize what is left within the drawers so it stays clean and accessible. Put away everything. If it does not all fit you may need to eliminate more items or find another place to store some items.

6) Next spend time thoroughly cleaning the sink/vanity area, mirrors, toilet and shower/bathtub areas.

7) Sweep/vacuum and wash the floor.

8) Next is the detail work. Clean light fixtures and replace missing light bulbs, wipe walls and baseboards, clean/dust artwork and decor, put out fresh towels, etc.

9) Take a look at your work! The bathroom should now be clean! If budget and desire allow, you may want to go further. For not too big of investment you can replace a shower curtain, towel, rugs or even accessories. You could even try painting cabinets or walls or switching out hardware. These are fairly easy, inexpensive changes that can make a big impact.

10) You don't want all this work to be for nothing! Make a plan. Choose one day a week for deep cleaning the bathroom. If you stay on top of things you shouldn't need more than 15 min for a small bathroom, slightly more for grander spaces. On 'deep clean days' you can empty the garbage, clean shower bathtub, wash floors, etc. On a daily basis, every time you enter the bathroom, clean anything that can cleaned under a minute. Put away/remove any items left out that don't belong, quickly wipe away that blue toothpaste your kids love sticking to everything. It will save you time and stress later. Enjoy your clean bathroom and keep dreaming design!

Weekly Update

Hello! Haven't done too much remodeling work this past week. We will probably be selling our home, but not for awhile yet. The details are still a little sketchy. I am waiting on an approximate date and then will be making a list of what needs to be done when as far as projects to do beforehand. Right now I am going through our storage areas and cleaning and purging. Because of other obligations we had to postpone our rummage sale until probably the end of June. I am finding more and more items so it is not all bad.
We also find out this week we are having a boy! I am already looking at the Pottery Barn Kids website for some nice bedding.
My Ballard Designs items (punched mirror and topiaries) came so that was exciting. Now I am just waiting on the pedestal which is on backorder until September : (
Is anyone else looking forward to the new season of Designstar starting in June? I can't wait!
Back to cleaning I go - Have a great Memorial Day everyone & keep Dreaming Design!

Some Updates

Sorry I have been MIA for a bit. We have been trying to get out and enjoy the weather and been very busy with other things as well. Our curb appeal projects are on hold, I am not sure for how long. More progress was made on cleaning up the massive tree that once lived in the front yard and we enjoyed a nice bonfire the other night from the wood. As far as the living room goes, I received my Medici capitals from Ballard Designs this past week. They are gorgeous! I believe I will use them as a small side table, but we'll see. I used my coupon from there to purchase 2 dome topiaries, a punched metal mirror in cream and a mercury glass pedestal. I can't wait for them to arrive! The topiaries and mirror should come within the week, but the pedestal is on backorder until September 13. I also priced furniture (way more than I thought it would be!) There is one large set that contains couch, loveseat, oversized chair, accent chair, coffee and end tables. I would like to get all the pieces, 2 accent chairs, 1 of everything else, and divide them up between living room, LL family room and master bedroom. That way if we ever move to a better space we have all the pieces to work with. I also looked at bedroom furniture and bedding for my two year old. We are expecting a baby in October and the 2 year old will lose her crib to the new baby so she needs her own special 'big girl' bed. I am holding off buying anything for now, waiting to find out if the new baby is a he or a she. Hopefully we will find out in the next few weeks.
Mainly I have been doing major cleaning and reorganizing, setting items aside for our rummage sale. If weather and my husband cooperate this Friday should be the day. I also found out we may have to move, but will know more within the next week or two which is why some of our projects are on hold as we learn more. Today I will be trying to finish going through the master bedroom and office areas, reorganizing and finding items to add to the to sell pile.
More posts to come soon and until next time, keep dreaming design!