Quick note: We love connecting with our community! Keep an eye on our social media channels for updates on future book signings and local events where we might be sharing more home improvement tips and behind-the-scenes stories.
From Chaos to Clarity: Our Epic Playroom Transformation After the Book Launch
Every creative endeavor has its behind-the-scenes chaos. For us, the launch of our latest book brought with it an unprecedented level of disarray, particularly in our dedicated playroom. This wasn’t just any mess; it was a testament to months of intense work, secret projects, and the sheer volume of DIY experiments required for the book. Many of you had asked to see the ‘holy-cow-that’s-crazy’ playroom, packed with prototypes, yard sale treasures, and future project materials, once the book was finally revealed. Well, the wait is over, and I don’t think you’re truly ready for this!
Were you ready for that explosion of creativity and clutter? I warned you it was intense! But now that the secret book projects are out of the bag, we can openly share the glorious insanity. It’s no longer a spoiler for you to glimpse our partially stenciled wall, the distinct gray trim around that window, the vibrant green planter, the rustic wooden headboard, the unique yellow branch wreath, or any other element you might recognize from the pages of our new book. These were all backdrops and components of the projects that filled our lives for months.
To truly grasp the scale, here’s a vertical shot of the same space. Just as overwhelming, right?
The Catalyst for Change: A Mother-Daughter Organizing Nerdfest
The moment for intervention finally arrived when my mom came to visit a little while ago. Recognizing the mammoth task before us, we decided to tackle it together. Me plus Mom equals an organizing nerdfest of epic proportions! Literally, the second I put Clara down for her nap, it was as if an imaginary starting gun fired. We shot off in different directions, fueled by a shared mission to reclaim that room. It was truly comical to witness our coordinated chaos.
When you’re dealing with such an extreme volume of items, each destined for a different fate – some book projects slated for a charity auction, others earmarked for our upcoming yard sale, and many still waiting to be repurposed for future home makeovers like the sunroom, Clara’s big girl room, or the guest room – the first crucial step is invariably clearing the room. We scurried to bring absolutely everything out into the entryway, where we could leverage more floor space for proper sorting. This immediate act of emptying the room provided an essential blank slate, making the subsequent sorting process much more manageable.
Our Efficient Sorting Strategy: Three Key Zones
To manage the overwhelming quantity of items, we established three distinct sorting zones, a strategy we highly recommend for any major decluttering project:
- Yard Sale Zone: This area was dedicated to items that were still in good condition but no longer served a purpose for us. These were objects we believed someone else could love and utilize, contributing to our upcoming yard sale.
- Book Auction Items Zone: These were the precious prototypes, styled pieces, and unique creations from our book projects that we had decided to auction for charity. Keeping them separate ensured they remained protected and accounted for.
- Future Projects Zone: This zone housed items that would eventually go back into the playroom or other areas of the house. These were pieces destined for future DIY projects, furniture awaiting a makeover, or decor elements waiting for their perfect spot in a new room.
Most of what you see in the accompanying picture comprises items from the ‘future projects’ zone. For instance, that luggage belonged in the closet, and those shelves were earmarked for a subsequent project. My mom, a true organizing hero, took on “closet-duty,” meticulously sifting through all the gift bags, tissue paper, and ribbons I had saved to reuse. While I meticulously sorted items for the yard sale and auction piles, she happily organized the smaller, often overlooked treasures within the closet, demonstrating the power of teamwork in decluttering.
Witnessing the Transformation: From Clutter to Spaciousness
About an hour and a half into our relentless decluttering marathon, a truly magical thing happened: we could actually see most of the room again! It was an uncanny feeling, akin to those dreams where you suddenly discover an extra room in your house. The immediate surge of relief and satisfaction was immense. A valuable tip we learned (the hard way!): don’t fill a room with junk if you want to avoid feeling like you’re embarking on an archaeological dig to rediscover it after hours of cleaning.
Sure enough, as the once-cluttered playroom steadily emptied, the areas in the entryway (and the adjoined hallway) began to get progressively crazier. This temporary displacement is a natural, albeit sometimes daunting, part of the decluttering process. Take, for instance, our yard sale pillow pile – a true testament to our “pillow problem.” Yikes! (For those interested in how our overall yard sale went, you can read more about it here, offering more insights into our strategies and discoveries.)
The Reintegration Phase: Purposeful Placement
Here’s what the room looked like after we carefully loaded things back in. The smaller auction items, which we didn’t want to leave exposed to the sunroom with the larger pieces, were promptly moved to their final destinations and are now gone. The remaining items, however, are still in there, as we deliberately placed the yard sale inventory in the sunroom to keep it entirely separate and organized. You’ll also notice we temporarily hung the old curtains from our bedroom. This wasn’t for aesthetics but simply to keep them hung and prevent them from getting wadded up in a closet. Clearly, they still need to be ironed and retrained so they don’t look so disheveled, but it’s a step in the right direction!
While it still looks undeniably cluttered, it’s a monumental improvement compared to its state just a few hours earlier. The sense of relief is palpable! Whew. A huge thank you to my amazing momma for her invaluable help and tireless energy throughout this demanding process.
Here’s the view looking back at the daybed, which is destined to become Clara’s future big-girl bed. Currently, it’s still covered with a plethora of pillows. Yes, I openly admit to having a “pillow problem,” but in my defense, we still have a daybed in the sunroom and Clara’s actual big girl room to furnish, so they will eventually find their perfect homes. After those projects are complete, perhaps then we’ll finally need to host another yard sale to address the remaining pillow surplus… haha!
Behind the Book: Painted Walls and Charitable Efforts
See that prominent rectangle of blue paint on the wall? That’s yet another wall we transformed multiple times for book photography. That particular wall actually underwent three paint changes: first, a deep navy for a headboard project; then, a vibrant paprika red for a set of cloud shelves we crafted; and finally, this calming blue for a design tip about not painting all the way up to the ceiling. It’s truly incredible to reflect on how many surfaces we painted and repainted back in January alone!
Oh, and notice that charming green chair and the unique twig mirror in the bottom corner of this picture? These were special book auction items. I’m happy to report they’ve since been cleared out and are no longer contributing to the floor clutter, having found new homes thanks to our generous community.
A Successful Charity Auction and Community Support
Speaking of the auction, we are absolutely thrilled to announce that we raised an incredible $500 for charity! This achievement is entirely thanks to the generous locals who enthusiastically bid on our secret book stuff during the silent auction last week at the R. Home for the Holidays event. Woot! We are so immensely thankful to each of you for giving these cherished items a wonderful new home.
We truly wish we could have opened up the bidding to a wider audience, perhaps nationally or even internationally. However, shipping many of these items, which were often large and heavy, proved to be too complicated and logistically challenging for a small “two-person company” like ours. Furthermore, managing extensive shipping would have significantly diminished the profit we were striving to generate for the charity. To any locals who went home with something special, we would absolutely love to see pictures of those items in your rooms! And to anyone else around the globe, if you DIY anything inspired by the book (since you now have all the information on what we used and how we did it), please don’t hesitate to share those photos with us too! We love seeing your creativity.
The Final Touches: Closet Organization and Clear Pathways
As for the closet, behold my mom’s exquisite handiwork! She’s truly awesome, isn’t she? I think meticulously sorting all of my gift bags and ribbons might just have been one of the highlights of her trip. Well, that and seeing our sweet Clara, of course. Okay, Clara definitely wins!
Oh, and do you see that peculiar line of paint to the left of the closet in the picture above? That’s yet another wall that served as a backdrop for our book projects, painted at least three times. We truly embraced the “go big or go home” mentality during our book preparation!
Ahhh, but behold the ultimate reward: nothing’s in the entryway or the hallway anymore! Can I get a what what?
Reflections and Future Dreams: A Step Towards Clara’s Big Girl Room
I sincerely hope these long-awaited playroom before and “not-as-bad-now” pictures were both insightful and enjoyable for you all. Seriously, looking back at this original “before” picture still gives me the willies – it’s a stark reminder of the organized chaos we navigated:
Please, tell me I’m not alone! Do you guys at least have a closet or a junk drawer that’s looking pretty hairy right now? Just knowing that would make me feel a lot less isolated in our pre-organization struggles. Haha. And you know what partially clearing out this room truly signifies for us: we’re one significant step closer to converting it into Clara’s much-anticipated big girl room! While we still have the hall bathroom and the basement to tackle, along with an untouched sunroom, carport, and guest bathroom, this recent achievement fills us with renewed motivation. You know us – we’re always bouncing between projects, so it’s only a matter of time before we dive into that playroom transformation with full force. Bring on the paint, the fabric, and of course, the moose lamp!
Update: Nope, I’m definitely not prego! There seems to have been some speculation, so I felt it was important to add this update. Yup, I’m doing it. I, Sherry, hereby solemnly swear that I’m not with child. Haha. Spread the word!