Small beginnings, my first paid gig! You really CAN hire me you know

After my last closet blog, an Army wife acquaintance messaged me interested in my services available for help on her current rental home.  She just needed some paint ideas and ways to improve her kitchen that would be agreeable to a landlord. Obviously the changes needed to be diy, cheap, and removable. 

This is a common problem that plagues many Army wives, as renting or on post living is very common. 

I gladly accepted the small job- She sent me a few photos of her space and a Pinterest board ,of course, so I could get a sense of her style.  I provided a few hours of my time, the visualization above and a roadmap to explain how to achieve the look (exact paint names, approximate costs, tutorials on how to make your own pendant light). 

What do you think of this type of service?  I would love to do more work like this on the side, so please message me if you or a friend is interested! I can do most work over the internet, so location isn't usually a problem. 

Being a mom and wife is my first priority in this season of my life, but I must admit doing a little paid work was rewarding too :) 

If you want to see more of my work, my online portfolio can be found here:

http://www.coroflot.com/kmyers/sample-portfolio

3 more months

Last night I was reminded of my deep bond I have with Evelyn- I was lying there with pregnancy insomnia at 1am and thinking how much I missed her, how I missed getting up to nurse her or when she used to sleep all night with me in the crook of my arm.  I wished that she would wake up tonight, just for a minute so I could hold her and rock her to sleep in the dark.  Within minutes, I heard her wake up and cry for me- and I jumped happily out of bed to go rock her to sleep.

 It was so nice.  It's like she knows when I need her as much as I know when she needs me. She may sleep in her own room now ;she may not nurse anymore, but we are still connected in this crazy way that I never knew existed before having her.  

I hope I can remember this as I enter the chaotic time of having another newborn who has no sleep schedule and needs me so many times at night I lose track. We are building a bond that is worth it. 

I am so excited about having another little tiny life coming in three more months, but at the same time I think every second time mom experiences the jitters as the big day nears. 

See, as you might know, Evelyn is my whole world right now. I am feeling like that time of it just being me and her is passing by so quickly- I just want to soak in every sweet moment where life is this simple- one nap to worry about, one bedtime, quiet nights that are filled with sleep and predictability. 

At the same time, this new sibling can't come soon enough! Evelyn needs her sibling even though she doesn't know it yet. I see how I am at my limits at being able to play and interact on her level everyday - I cannot wait for her to have this new person in her life that is small like her and to see how they love each other.  I know it will take a little while for them to get used to each other, but like any special bond- all the ups and downs are worth it.  

Can a Master Closet Sell Your House? Our Master Closet Reveal!!

This one sure wouldn't... but when we bought our house I just KNEW this closet had the potential to be off the charts awesome, Carrie Bradshaw worthy, every girls dream.  It just needed a little TLC and some money.  Fast forward to now, as we are preparing to PCS (move thanks to the Army) and have decided to sell our home.  While I could leave it to chance that some other visionary type would love this closet, the odds are they will see paint splotched plywood and clutter.   

Don't judge- this was in it's best state before the makeover! We do have two another reach in closets in our master so this was just our overflow space we rarely went into because well..there was no floor!

Prepping the walls, painting every inch! Next the carpet went in (Absolute Flooring in Clarksville, TN did a great job and at a great price, highly suggest them!).

BUT what about this closet??  Same space, way different reaction right?  Low Investment -- BIG Impact --- = Successful! 

I have been doing a lot of research on what sells homes and for the least amount of investment.   Everyone knows kitchens and baths are a great return, but they are also a great EXPENSE.  The average mini kitchen reno is about $16k and the average bathroom reno is about $7k.  So we ruled out this option long ago.  I won'd reveal the final cost of this closet, but I will say with a little creativity, some great finds at Salvation Army and Lowes, it is VERY affordable for the impact it has.  It did not come from a box, but rather we (my awesome hubs was a huge help) pieced together several pieces that mostly came from Lowes and Home Depot.  We also had everything cut at Lowes except for the rods, hubs cut that with a hacksaw.  I will have to blog about the how-to's on future blog if people are interested.  All I know is,  I am excited to get dressed and put away my clothes now!

I am no real estate expert, but I do have a degree in Interior Design and job experience in professional sales.  So I started reading a good bit about the value of home staging and how to prepare your home for sale.  It is all about putting your home on display as if you live like Martha Stewart basically (that would be quite a lie for me personally but i do love her style).  It is quite deceptive in a way, but staging is proven to gain you significant advantages in selling your home- up to 10% of a better sales price.  The key is creating an emotional response from buyers when they view your home.  Buyers are viewing upwards of 15-20 houses a week sometimes- you need some way to be memorable.  Everything you have out should help them imagine what the purpose of the room is, what the possibilities are, and how living here would offer some taste of "the good life."  

Now back to closets...most people are moving because they want more space.  Many times if people cleaned and de-cluttered their own house while adding some minor cosmetic upgrades, they would probably be quite happy with what they have.  The last thing you want to do, then, is have buyers walking through, opening closets and having things falling out or blocking the floor space.  This alone will trigger their brains to think, " this house doesn't offer enough space for us, we could never make it all fit because even they can't."   But well organized spaces are going to create the opposite feeling- leave them thinking - "wow, this person takes care of their home, and I could be this organized if I lived here."  If you know me, I am not naturally organized...so this IS a challenge.  

So without further ado, I introduce you to our new Master Closet/ Dressing room.   I'd love to know- what are your thoughts?  If you were on the fence on two properties and both had similar stats - but one had the closet of your dreams ready to move into.... would you bump it up on your list?

His and Her sides - well mostly he got his own side but you know how that goes... (but I had to steal that space for shoes on the left there ).

 A little motivation to start the day- nothing like your toddler's smiling face!

Rope lights to light up the floor

 the hardest part was collecting all the parts and pieces and measuring! I am not so good at that, but luckily my wonderful husband is!

this is how the 26 week preggo lady gets things done with a toddler! I was in charge of procuring and getting all items cut- husband never even made a single trip to the store! Tula carrier to the rescue at Lowes trips.

after revamping my salvation Army finds!

 My Stud Husband hung EVERY inch of this- because I am quite terrible at measuring as I said, and also securing anything to walls.  One day I will learn...he did awesome though!

 another sad before photo.

Will I miss this closet when we move in a few months?  YES, absolutely...BUT we learned a lot about closet design and how to execute on our own.  I hope our next house we can do this right when we move in!