Summer Goods: Keeping the House Clean

We all know how it goes during the summer with the kids home from school.

More bodies at home ='s more bodies to make messes.

Here is my plan for battling the clutter trail that seems to follow my children around the house in the summer.

A Ransom Box!

No big surprise here, I found this idea on Pinterest.

This cute and free printable comes from Just Another Day in Paradise. Head on over to print your own ransom box sign.

Here are a few of our chores:

-Get a wet wipe and wipe down all the bathroom sinks

-Clean the toilets

-Write a letter to a friend or relative

-Make your bed and your siblings bed

-Clean off the trampoline

-Call a relative

-Dust the windowsills

-Dust the family room

-Clean the clutter off of the stairs in the garage

-Clean out the van

So far the ransom box has worked pretty well.  Sad to say, however, we have so much stuff around here that half of what ends up in the ransom box isn't missed for days. Not only that, our children aren't really motivated to do chores to get everything back. I think there are a pair of Crocs, some random toys and a few books that have been in there for two weeks! Hmmmmm...well, I can't really blame them. Why would you choose to clean toilets to get your Crocs out if you have 5 other pairs of flip flops, sandals, or sneakers to wear???  My solution is this: we are going to DONATE the items if they aren't rescued from the box within one week.  If our kids can live without it for a week and they aren't willing to do a chore to get it back, then there is probably someone else out there who needs it more than they do. 

Wait a minute.

Ummm...

Maybe grownups need ransom boxes too! ;)

Hope you are finding ways to have a clutter free summer!

xoxo,

Elisabeth

Daddy Goods: Father's Day DIY

Happy Father's Day to all the hardworking Dad's out there!

I had a few other things planned for Mr. Bovagoods this year but I am thinking next year this closet organizer is a sure thing! 

How great is this?

I found this super great DIY on pinterest, of course. 

You can go straight on over to Lookie What I Did for the complete step by step. 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

xo,

Elisabeth

Summer Goods: The List

We made our summer list today.

I got the idea here. 

Meg's a pro at the summer list.

Here's ours:

I hope you are planning lots of fun this summer!

xo,

Elisabeth

BIG Baby Goods: Easy Colorful Baby Shower

I recently co-hosted a baby shower for a close friend of mine.

This is her fourth kiddo and we wanted to shower her with love and gifts before life gets even more crazy.

She totally deserves it. What mom doesn't?


And, by the way, she had the baby on Mother's Day........... 

{{{ELEVEN POUNDS, THREE OUNCES!}}}

Not only that, she sent me a text that her water broke and they were on the way to the hospital and less than three hours later I received another text that the little big guy was here. Whew! That is fast! 

Um, yeah...she totally deserved to be pampered!

So, the shower was at my house. We kept things pretty simple, but not without lots of fun and color.

It was a brunch, so we served mini-muffins, carrot cake cupcakes, fruit and breakfast casserole cupcakes.

 Glass mason jars for drinks. (Casserole muffins in the oven.)

Sweet tea, pink lemonade, and water served in $5 Wal-Mart drink jugs. 

I loved the opportunity to pull out my Great-Grandmother's china, my milk glass, and other serving pieces that typically sit around collecting dust. 

And a bit of a splurge here....Starbucks! Do you know about these "Coffee Travelers"? So great for serving a large number of people...and with my coffee making skills, our guests were much better off!!! (Make sure you call ahead-the Coffee Traveler takes about 15 minutes to make.)

I made about 30 fabric flowers (go here for the tutorial) and added brooches to the backs.  They served as the center piece for the shower and at the end the guests got to choose one to take home.

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Now, back to that big beautiful baby boy!

Have you ever seen an 11 pound, 3 ounce newborn?

Isn't he just the cutest thing? The best Mother's Day gift, ever! I cannot wait to get my hands on him. He looks perfect for snuggling!

xoxo,

Elisabeth

Someone Else's Goods

I spent a little bit of time on Craigslist this morning. Remember when I vented about how frustrating the list is where I live? Well, I still think things are overpriced here in the low-country but I was able to find a few goods that caught my attention. 

 Hear me out on this one....this cabinet is listed for $90. That seems like a deal to me. Look at all the storage this would offer. I like how the curved lines of the bottom and that it has legs.  And, yes of course I would paint the heck out of it!

 There are two of these cute little cafe chairs. They are listed for $25 each. I love the rustic quality of the woven seat paired with the quirky swirled metal back.

 I actually think this china hutch is pretty in it's natural wood finish....although, imagine it in sleek shiny black with patterned wallpaper lining the back of the shelves! I like the clean simple lines and at $200 I would really consider this piece if I needed something like this. I kind of wish it had some legs to stand on though.

 How cool is this restored vintage floor fan? Oh, those red blades are calling out to me! And look a the base...how pretty is that? It's listed for $125.  Because I have children this wouldn't be a safe choice for us- with the unprotected blades- or I would be taking some action!

 I really love old metal beds. This one needs some paint but for $50 I think it is priced right.

 These vintage chairs are so fun.  If the fabric is in good condition, it might even be fun to leave the orange and paint the wood white. They are listed for $150 for the pair. That's a lot of personality for $150.

 This cute little wagon is listed for $50. I could see using this to cart supplies around the yard while gardening.

 I am a sucker for rooms that have matching twin beds.  These sleigh beds look like they are in pretty good condition. I think $350 is a great price for both of these.

 Ahhh....more metal beds. I'm not sure if it's the beds I like or the fact that they are sitting in the middle of a field. You can get both of these for $180.  

 Old typewriters are so cool. I love the way they look on display. This one at $20 would be a fun purchase.

Please remember to be safe with Craigslist transactions. Never go alone to someone's home and always meet at a public space like a Wal-mart parking lot whenever possible. 

XO,

E.

 

Tile Goods: One project I am glad I didn't DIY!

We have a friend that just happens to be a very talented craftsmen when it comes to all things renovation related. A while back we hired him to transform our dull kitchen to something a bit more interesting and custom. We needed to get a lot of bang for our buck and Chad was able to help us do that with his crazy tile skills. It was his idea to lay the floor tile on a diagonal brick pattern and I couldn't be happier with the results. I was also very impressed with the amount of brain power it took for him to lay out this pattern. My brain hurt watching him do it....but he did it perfectly and the end result takes our "affordable" tile to a whole new custom level. We also had him add a white subway tile back splash.  We used very very very affordable tile from Lowe's. (I had considered tackling this project on my own but after watching Chad painstakingly and efficiently make sure everything was level, lined up, flat, straight, etc....I  am so glad I left this project to him!)

{VIA}

If you live in the Low-country and have a renovation project that needs a professional, we 100% recommend Chad and his team. Click on the link to go to his blog, or call the number on the photos. You can also find Absolute Renovations (his company) on Facebook.

XO,

Elisabeth

Pinterest Goods: Your Pins Could Be Illegal!

A friend of mine Pinned this image the other day:

{VIA}

I re-Pinned.

Then I clicked through and actually read the article. 

How often do you do that? Actually click through and read it now instead of, "Whew, it's pinned...now I can go back and read that later".

Wow, I am so glad I read it right away.

This blogger is raising some very important Legal issues regarding Pinterest that I had no clue existed!

While I'm not running over Pinterest and deleting all my boards, I am definitely Pinning forward with Care and Caution.

If you are a Pinner...then I highly suggest you click on through and read this very well written post by "Blogging With Amy".

XOXO,

Elisabeth