Happy happy joy joy, guess what I’m having today?   A YARD SALE!  Sheeeesh, I’ve been trying to have one all summer long, and waited till the last weekend in August.  Can’t wait to get rid of all that stuff!   Aaaaaaaand to add to the madness, my two young nephews and niece are in my custody for three days while their parents fly to Savannah, Georgia for my brother’s job interview.  It’s gonna get crazy I tell ya.  

Meanwhile, for your enjoyment, I bring you the one and only Gussy !  You know, Gussy! 

Have you read her startup story?  Quite compelling, definitely inspiring! 

Why is her name ‘Gussy’ ?   Glad you asked, the answer is here. 

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I’m making my way around my four year old boy’s room, slooooowly attempting to spruce it up and give it some real style.   One day when it’s all done, I’ll show you the blah before and you’ll see just how drab it was.  His room, like all kids rooms, was in serious, and I mean serious, need of storage ~  I was stepping on all those Legos in the middle of the night.  For four, he’s usually pretty good at putting those toys away, but since he had no real storage, I really couldn’t get too upset.  But something had to be done ! 

Yet again, I shopped my house for the perfect solution.  We had a tall tower made up of stackable cabinets (purchased here five years ago) that used to sit in the playroom, but since I now want to find a desk in there for homework and art projects, I decided to repurpose these honey wood cabinets for the lad’s room instead. 

Their size couldn’t be more perfect ~ they now sit right next to his closet on a narrow patch of wall space.  Problem ?   They were all scuffed up and I couldn’t visualize the the honey stain look in his room.  And if I don’t get to paint something at least once a month, I start to twitch.   

Some primer, paint, and crown molding transformed these cabinets in a weekend, and gave his room the splash of color it needed, plus the tower provides fantastic storage for all those toys, books, and collected treasures.

Before & After:

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Did you know that the average person spends 13 hours online every week?   The average person, not blogger.  13 hours online is an extremely low figure if you do happen to be a blogger.  I imagine most full time bloggers spend three to four times that amount online each week, perhaps more.  Why do I mention this ?

Because just like where you sleep, where you spend a healthy amount of hours staring at a computer screen is a reflection of who you are.   Yesterday, I tweeted a question:  who is interested in a “Where Do You Blog?” linky party where you show your little nook or corner of your home or office?   Plenty of peeps replied “Me!”

I find this question fascinating, because we are all so different, we have various lifestyles, and yet we all have a certain place we’ve reserved where we connect online with each other.

Where do you sit down in front of a screen to connect with of the rest of the world?

So here is the challenge for the weekend:

Linky Party on Monday August 30th !

Have you carved out a little space to call your own ?  Perhaps you dream of a perfect closet space like this one from Country Living.

Perhaps you’ve styled an amazing space you’d love to share!  Or perhaps you simply belly up to the dining room table with a hot cup of tea.  Great !  Cause guess what?  I’ll let you in on a little secret.  As much as I love my home office, and even though I spend most daytime hours and late night hours writing in this space . . .

. . .  when the kids are home from school I find it works much better for me to plug in my laptop on the kitchen island.   It’s the one place I can prep dinner, check emails, monitor homework, raise my eyebrows at any child attempting to raid the pantry, and play referee during TV hour.

What about you?   If you’re a busy multitasking mom, where do you steal a little time online?  If you’re a career gal, how have you personalized your office space?  If you’re a part time or full time blogger, what are your tips for a comfortable workspace ?

Snap a photo and tell us your story !

Tell us not only where you blog, but why  you blog in that place.  What makes your space special to you?   What would you improve?   If you hate it, what are your plans for improvement? If you love it, why?

I’ll put the linky party on Sunday night for everyone to link up their little office nook, large, or small, simple or grand.    If you’re not a blogger, feel free to post a picture of your workspace on my Facebook Fan Page, I’d love to see it !

Sound like fun ? 

I’ll post the linky party Sunday evening.

A very sweet giveaway coming later today . . . here’s a clue: she’s a character from Charlotte’s Web.  Intrigued ?  Stay tuned !

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Congratulations to the following winners:

In the Pine Cone Hill Giveaway, #327: Jessica B. who wrote:

“Lenox, Links, Scramble…oh my, they are all lovely. Thanks !”

The winner of the Wine Country Pantry Giveaway is #79: Rachel F. 

In addition to winning all the goodies, Rachel also posed this question with her entry:  

“As we continue through grad school we are still renting housing and it is becoming a bore, and quite frankly getting me down on my decorating abilities.  White stark walls, cement walls, old dingy cabinets, etc.   What in the world can I do to make this temporary home my own ?”

Great question Rachel!  You have the same dilemma many renters face:  turning white walls into a stylish and comfortable home that you want to return to at day’s end.   There’s not much you can do to dingy cabinets in a rental without permission to paint, beyond giving them a good scrub.  As for white walls ?  There’s a lot that can be done to bring warmth, color, pattern, and style to your abode. 

My Best Tips for Decorating with White Walls: 

Splurge on a Colorful Patterned Rug.   Pick a bold color or interesting design you love, then go for it !  These two examples by Pottery Barn and West Elm are staged on wood floors, but you’ll have a harder time noticing your less than desirable rental flooring with area rugs like these.   Plus, you’ll anchor your seating area and brighten your space.

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