I began this transition from baby room to big boy space several months ago, but I hit a few road blocks along the way.  One of the challenges was finding a proper dresser for my little guy ~ one that provided plenty of storage, complemented the style of his room, and was the proper scale for the wall where it sits.

For months, I’ve had my eye on the IKEA Hemnes dresser in white.  I delayed purchasing it because it’s a two hour round trip to the closest IKEA, and it’s $300 buckaroos, plus California state tax, plus assembly.  Grrrr.  Delay. Delay. Delay. 

So when I spied a listing for an Hemnes dresser on Craiglist last week for sale by a couple in my hometown for half the retail price, I scooped it up.  Only problem ~ it was black.  Not that I don’t like black furniture, but it was too dark for the little lad’s room. 

So I painted it.  Then added some blue stripey trim around the drawers just for fun. 

Before:

After:

Perfect !

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There is a strawberry field on a corner of Arnold Drive that I pass every time I visit  Sonoma.  You’ll see cars pulling in all day long for a batch of the farmer’s strawberries fresh picked that day. 

We eat store bought strawberries all summer long, but there’s something extra special about picking your very own as they ripen in the summer sun. 

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Congratulations to lucky #1,369 Kristen Madsen who won the Silhouette !

Kristen wrote:

“Oh I have been wanting one of these for so long! The first thing I would do is vinyl I’m sure, but I’m dying to make some cupcake wrappers, etched glass jars, iron on transfers oh just so many things!”

Don’t forget there is still a promotion going on if you buy and enter the code CENTS.

AWESOME PROMO

(running from August 1st through August 9th at midnight)
Buy a machine and receive the following:

- $50 off the Silhouette Craft Cutter; 2 rolls of vinyl (Valued at $15.98); 1 roll of transfer tape (Valued at $7.99); Scraper (Valued at $6.99); Home Décor CD (Valued at $50); – $10 Gift Card to the Silhouette Download Store; Cutting Blade; 2 Cutting Mats

All for $249.99, a savings of $130.96

GOOD PROMO

(running from August 9th through August 14th at midnight)
Buy a machine and receive the following:

$50 off (receive for $249.99); 2 rolls of Heat transfer ($29.89 value); $10 Gift Card to the Silhouette Download Store; Cutting Blade; 2 Cutting Mats.

All for $249.99, a savings of $79.98

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Getting and staying organized is a huge challenge for anyone with a busy life.  Between blogging, projects, and the daily ‘mom’ obligations, staying organized is definitely one of my biggest challenges too. 

What about you?  Do you struggle with staying organized?  Do you want to declutter your home, but don’t know where to start?  Whether your home needs a complete organizational overhaul, or you have just a room or two that is outside of your clutter comfort zone, here’s an opportunity to discover how to create an organized space you’ll love.

This weekend, my lovely sponsor Simplify 101 is offering two readers a spot in the online workshop Organizing 101 ~ the opportunity for a fresh start!  

In Organizing 101, you’ll learn basic organizing concepts, plus you’ll uncover the reasons why your past efforts may not be working.  The workshop is packed with motivation, inspiration, and most importantly, the tools you need to get organized once and for all and just in time for back to school.  Here’s a sneak peek 2 minute video that gives you the skinny on what you can expect in this workshop. 

Spread out over six weeks, you’ll have plenty of time to review the materials that provide answers to your pressing organizational issues.   You’re free to review the weekly materials on your own time over the six weeks, online or in PDF format, or even in MP3 format.  

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You’ll have the support of a professional organizer to answer questions, plus a friendly online community, you can take action and organize your home. 

The kind folks at Simplify 101 are offering two lucky readers a free spot in the Organizing 101 online workshop – a $75 dollar value, starting this upcoming week.      

Eligibility to win one of two free spots in the Organizing 101 workshop:

1)  Leave a comment simply describing your biggest organizational challenge !  

2) For a second chance to win, either link to this giveaway on Facebook OR tweet this giveaway with a link on Twitter, and then leave a second comment telling me where you mentioned this giveaway (FB or Twitter). 

Giveaway ends Monday August 9th at 8 p.m. PST ~ two winners chosen by Random.org. 

If you’d like more tips on organizing your home or office top to bottom, sign up for Simplify 101’s organizing newsletter right here !   You can also follow the blog and get even more daily tips.

GOOD LUCK and HAPPY WEEKEND !

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