What’s New in the New Year – 2014

Two weeks in to 2014 and I am already behind.  I guess I should give myself a little leeway since my first day back at home from the U.S. was Jan. 6th. I will consider my self one week in as a consolation!

The new year means lots of resolutions and things I want to accomplish in the next year so I thought I would share with you a few I have in mind.

1. Eat healthier and exercise regularly – Okay that one is no fun mostly because this is the most resolved thing every year. This year it’s a must for me since I spent the last 3 weeks of 2013 eating my way across the U.S. Gulf Coast. In the process I may have gained a pound or two so I will get started on this one ASAP otherwise my pants won’t fit.

Okay so that is the only real resolution and mostly just because I can’t afford a new wardrobe so lets move on to the things I want to accomplish…

As you may have guessed most of these have to do with my house.

1. Take down all those Christmas Decorations– Okay so this one I completed with only a few minor casualties. It makes the house feel empty which is weird since it never looked empty before. I guess I just need to get used to it.

2. Fix all blog posts that have photo link errors– I admit this one does not pertain to my house but it does affect you guys. When I moved from WordPress.com to WordPress.org I lost almost all of my photo links and was not able to fix them without going through manually and reinserting each pictures one at a time. I have worked on this a little everyday but with 100 posts it has been quite a task. I hope to have this one done in the next week so I can mark it off the list. So satisfying!

3. Work on the decor in my upstairs hallway – This is a room you have not seen before but needs a bit of work. It is a good amount of space but also has lots of doors so it will be a bit difficult. I plan to use my new Dash and Albert Zig Zag rug here but beyond that I just don’t know. Don’t worry, I’ll come up with something!

4. Create some interest on the stairwell wall– The wall under the windows is seen from both the upper and lower floor so I would like to do something on this wall to tie the two spaces together and basically spice it up. Right now it is really, really boring!

5. Clean out the garage– It would be nice to be able to use my garage for some of my bigger projects. You remember this photo? Need I say more…

6. Organize sewing room drawers and cabinets– From the outside everything looks fine but open a drawer and you will find my dirty little secrets. When we moved in the goal was just to get everything out of the boxes so most of the small stuff just got stuffed into a drawer to be dealt with later. Later has arrived!

7. The Man Cave– This one gets sub categories since I do have a plan. I just need to execute.

• Reorganize wall lockers – My husband appears to have started this task and gotten distracted (not unusual) so I may have to intervene if this is to be complete anytime soon. Good start baby! He says he needs shelves to help organize. May be a good task for today!

• Finish curtains to camouflage wall lockers
• Find coffee table – My husband would like one that will double as weight bench for free weights. No power lifting required so maybe an ottoman type bench.
• Find a console for a TV– I have seen some new pieces that would work for this but I am really wanting a mid-century piece. We’ll see how long I have to hold out.
• Make pillow– Easy one, just waiting on the zippers to arrive.
• Re-upholster swivel chair for desk– Need more fabric for this one,better order while its on sale.
• Hang artwork– This I am saving for last since I need to get all the furniture pieces in place before I complete the artwork placement.

8. Make slip covers for parson chairs in living room – These little chairs have to be 25 years old and have been re-upholstered and slip covered  over and over again. I am thinking pink for these and a few more years of life.

9. Slip cover Sofa– This one is a pretty big project but I have had this sofa for about eight years. It is still in good condition but the dark brown shows lots of lint and pet hair, plus I  have moved to a lighter and brighter color scheme in recent years.

I have always loved the color the sofa in this photo via BHG which looks very similar to mine, I think something like this might be the way to go. Plus I already have the green chair.

10. Update bed in master bedroom– I have been eyeballing the upholstered headboard for years and have even made a few for others but I still don’t have one myself.The mission style bed in out bedroom is fine but I keep wondering if maybe there is a way to transform  it into something upholstered.

Ten is a good place to stop plus I am getting tired thinking about the garage. I’m sure these projects should keep me busy for a while but I am also sure I will get side tracked from a few and find lots more to do along the way. It will be fun to see how much I can actually accomplish in the next year. I’ll keep you posted!