My own little feminine space...

This summer during one of the few weeks when we didn't have sports, or we weren't traveling, or we didn't have company in town, I took on a project that I had been wanting to tackle ever since we moved into this house 3 years ago! My closet! Now a lot of people have said to me, "Why would you waste your time or money to revamp your closet?" But it was just so blah. It was painted with flat white paint, which over the years had become so nicked and dirty. And the shelves were super dusty and it was unorganized. And I just had always envisioned it to become a fresh, pretty, girly space for me in my home full of super heroes and noise and toots and dirty undies! So I finally made time to do something fun for ME! 

It took me a lot longer than expected and it's still not completely put together, but it's well on it's way to being the breath of fresh air I need it to be during the very few peaceful moments I spend in there dressing and primping or sometimes on my knees praying or crying. I love this little space because it's where I can go to be still and to prepare for my day ahead. 

Here are a few before shots: 

Clothes and jewelry piled.

Chaos and junk on Mark's side. 

We had left over paint from when we painted our bedroom last year, so I used that to freshen up the walls. 

The taping of everything took FOREVER AND A DAY! But the fresh white paint I put on the shelves felt so much cleaner! 

I spent many hours in that closet over the course of 5 days! The boys enjoyed checking in on me and climbing out the window to sit on the roof while I painted away! 

This guy helped me take the tape off! 

Mid Project

The tape off! 

My side! 

Mark's side! 

I found this cool little hat rack for him at Hobby Lobby. His side deserved a little spice as well. 

A few special touches of inspiration! My Grandma Verna was a beautiful woman inside and out. She loved to shop, she loved department stores, she loved jewelry, she loved getting her hair and nails done. She took pride in how she looked. I spent many a weekend with her visiting different malls, checking out racks and makeup counters at Marshall Fields, and poking through her jewelry boxes at her home. Her love of pretty things has stuck with me. And this jewelry box that I inherited from her was the inspiration for my special space. 

I love seeing it every morning and putting my earrings back into it each night. I can still picture her earrings in this box and can still remember the feeling of her gold bracelets stacked around her wrists. I  remember that I would rub her bracelets up and down around her wrist and think that there was no one more beautiful or fancy than her. Maybe that's why I love gold so much now too. 

I also inherited this sparkling bauble from my Grandma. I LOVED when she wore it. She wore it up until almost the very end of her life. And then she gifted it to me in her will when she passed. Sapphire is my birthstone and this ring is one of my most treasured possessions. Although it is pretty amazing in it's present state, I know that it is just not practical to wear. It just isn't my style. And I don't want it to just sit in a box in my closet. So, Mark and I visited a jeweler and we worked on some tentative designs to revamp and recreate Verna's ring into a few thin and eclectic bands to stack with my present wedding band and engagement ring. 

Of course my rock is no where near the size of the diamond in the picture above, but this is the look that I am going for. Thin bands with diamonds and sapphires. And every time I see the rings I will be reminded of my awesome VEEHMMS! 

I love that my closet is now organized and pretty! 

And I purposefully left a little bit of space to hang additional necklaces as I add to my collection. The print I found at Hobby Lobby is my mission statement as I enter my days: "LOVE one another as I have LOVED you." John 15:12  I hope to show Jesus each day by loving well. 

And finally, while I was at it, I also freshened up my laundry room too! (Another space that seems to only be visited by the lone female of the house! Well, some little rascals do throw their stinky socks and inside out pants onto the floor of this room, but mainly, I'm the only one who sets foot in here. Ha!) I still don't love that the BRIGHT orange laundry pack tub is glaring at me on the top shelf, but for now it's good. I'll keep my eyes open for some sort of cute plastic tub to pretty that corner up as well. 

But I had a pretty fun week doing some simple things to redecorate and feminize my full of testosterone home!