Last time the challenge was to make our kitchen sink pretty. This time, to make our entry welcoming. Not only for friends, but also for ourselves!
Anyway, Rosie's post inspired me to get up off my duff and DO something about the mess that has been depressing me all day. I took "before" pictures for contrast and motivation:
The front garden, completely ignored. Daisies gone to seed in the back, mint gone to seed in the front. Ugh.
The toys...well, there's not a lot I can do about those. I hope that they say "children live here, and yours are welcome too!" :)
The entryway, full of random stuff. I've been tripping over it for two days - time to move it out!
This counter is my nemesis. Somehow everything collects on it! I think it has magnetic powers.
The table top has magnetic powers, too. This is remarkably clean, actually.
Amazingly, there is no laundry on the couches!
The general mess on the floor needs to go, though!
So those are the "before" pictures. And now...the "after"!
That looks welcoming!
The garden has been entirely fixed up. Dead plants cut back, dead leaves raked and deposited in the worm bin, daisy seeds and sweet peas planted in hopes of a secondary summer growth (we can do that in sunny socal!) And everything covered with beautiful rich dark worm dirt.
We took a break to eat cherries and finish up a couple of fun projects (which had been sitting on the counter!)
Hey, we can walk without tripping now! All the way through!
And my counter is gloriously clean. A mug of pens, a basket of fruit, and a plate of cookies are the only things on it!
Frankly, I feel fantastic now. :) I hope this post and all the others have inspired you to go make your entry a welcoming place!
10 comments:
Love it, way to go!!! Amazing the boost we can get from something like this :)
You feel fantastic, and it looks fantastic.
Great job. You guys with these open plans have a real challenge, and you rose to it!
And yes, I think the riding toys are welcoming and say "Kids live here!" What we did was "park" them in a row -- when in doubt, line your things up -- it makes them look so intentional :)
It looks great! I know you must feel good. Oh the countertops, so so hard to keep tidy! We often have Lego creations on ours to keep them away from little hands.
Nice work! It's amazing what a difference a few cleared-off horizontal surfaces can make!
Thanks for the encouraging words, too! :)
Good job, Emily!
I was thinking about posting a version, but I don't have any before pictures... I read the first post over a week ago and got up and got going on all of it. The stuff that really would help now is out of my control - things like landscaping around the front door, getting all these tools out of the house, finishing the trim around the windows, improving the state of the furniture with new slipcovers, etc, etc, etc. *sigh*
But it certainly is a good reminder about keeping surfaces clear, doors clean, and kid vehicles and such neatly parked! And isn't it amazing how a counter and table can be such clutter point? My dining table that place in my house - especially on the weekend!
Excellent! I think we all have one of those magnetized counter tops.
Good work!
My counters are constantly a mess...at least in my current home the kitchen isn't immediately visible ;)
I think the toys absolutely say that children are present, loved and welcome!
Laundry on the sofas and a magnetic counter top. This cracked me up! It's nice to know I'm not the only one who has to be aggressive with a certain counter in my house...
IT LOOKS AMAZING!!!!
Great job. You're inspiring me to go work on that Mount Doom of Toys upstairs in my boys room. :)
As far as voting you can vote again today -- it will reset once 24 hours hit from when you voted last. I am so grateful. Really -- the budget is so tight for our books this year and winning this would be a tremendous blessing for our family.
Blessings, blogging friend!
Rachel
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