Get a Handle on it

Or trying to get a handle on it, at least. I know--another terrible post title, but the gem "Knobby Need" was already taken. So, I've successfully cooked and washed and hosted and generally survived in my kitchen for about 3 and a half years now. And all without pulls on my kitchen cabinets. I didn't love any pulls when I was getting the cabinets and I like the clean uninterrupted look of plain cabinet doors, so I didn't hesitate to nix the idea of pulls entirely. But now I'm starting to feel the pull...of the pulls. Thanks to an AT-documented condo renovation that used these knobs I've started to feel like I could meet my cabinet pull match. These are some ideas I've been batting around so far:

GlideRite pull Overstock

Amerock knob Overstock

 Lewis Dolin pull knobs4less

Lewis Dolin knob knobs4less

Manhattan pull Overstock

GlideRite Euro pull Overstock

Amerock knob Overstock

GlideRite knob Overstock

Stainless knob Overstock

Michael Aram knob Lowe's (I'm not really sure how this works...)

Hickory Greenwich knob Lowe's

Michael Aram pull Lowe's

I have stainless appliances, but I don't want to have giant stainless-looking pulls. I'm thinking of something that's not so attention-grabbing--either with a darker metal that blends a little more with the cabinet or a smaller size. Any thoughts?

It would probably help to post some photos of the kitchen so y'all could weigh in with a little more information, since the kitchen glimpses here and here don't really offer much perspective. I'll get on that soon--if you promise not to judge me for living backsplash-less for 3.5 years.

Ironing Out the Laundry Zone

I don't have a laundry room so much as a laundry closet and (much like my actual closet) things can get crammed and inaccessible if I don't have some method of organization. I didn't take a photo prior to these organizational improvements, but I'm sure you can use your imagination to picture the worst scenario possible so these photos seem even better in comparison.

For pantry proximity perspective:

I came into the shoe shelves at various times and put them to use here since my shoes are already housed in this structure. The basket is the same as the kind I use in the pantry. I've been gradually working through duplicate cleaners--you would have seen 25 bottles of various cleaners if you had been unlucky enough to look in here 6 months ago.

The hooks for the ironing board and the drying racks have made a huge difference in appearance and cutting down frustration from digging out tangled dryer racks from the side of the dryer. I air dry pretty much everything besides towels and use the outdoor line for any drying rack overflow or bigger items like sheets or tablecloths. There are hooks specifically made for ironing boards, but I found these in the hardware section and I think the ones for the ironing board were about $2 a piece and the longer hooks I'm using for the drying racks were about $5 each.

Without studs directly behind the hooks, it's a good idea to secure a board to the studs and then screw the hooks into that. Even though these things aren't too heavy, the drywall on its own might not hold up over time to tugging them off the hooks and plopping them back on.

So, the laundry closet isn't stunningly attractive, but it's nicely functional and pretty organized, which almost makes up for the lack of a swanky front loading washer and dryer and a utility sink and counter space. Almost.  Any laundry zone organizational tips? Any success with those cleaning products that "do it all"? I'm still in the process of culling my stash of spray bottles.

Zip it Good

I was extremely surprised and super excited when after I opened my big Christmas gift from the bf--a LAPTOP! Looking back, I don't know how I survived without one--or a computer, actually, since I just borrowed my sister's and used my phone. Yes, those were dark days.

One my first searches on the new piece di techologie was for laptop covers. Because what good is the portability factor of a laptop if you're afraid to cart it around for fear of it getting damaged? Ok, and there are some cool and stylish looking laptop sleeves and I like shopping for cool and stylish things. Well, the shopping turned into window shopping when I saw prices on some laptop sleeves so I decided to enlist some motherly assistance to make my own! I was thinking I could save some money and I'd be able to pick the exact combination of materials and style of sleeve that I wanted.

I found my inspiration via Pinterest but couldn't find the seller information (why don't some Pinterest users credit their pins appropriately?!). This was the photo I used:

Maybe someone will know the seller and I can credit correctly.

I could have added this to the Mothers' Day post because this was another Super Mom project. Fortunately for me, my birthday follows Christmas, so the project was able to manifest itself as a birthday present for me. Here it is:

I got the materials at my favorite always-an-adventure discount fabric store and showed my Mom the inspiration photo and talked about spacing for the different materials.


Look, she even quilted the interior!

Here are some other handmade laptop sleeve offerings from etsy.com:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Faded ombre, bright orange, Pendleton wool fabric and fun, bright prints? Yes, please.

I think that some of these could work as cool oversized clutches, too. And since I couldn't pass up some other materials when fabric shopping, maybe there will be a handmade clutch in my future...

Bathroom Reflections Follow-Up

Back in this post I gave an overview of the current state of the master bath. Well, nothing has changed permanently, but I did get some mirrors that will add more character above the sinks. Here there are propped up against the existing mirror.

What do you think? (About the new additions, not my inability to take level photos.) I don't want the look to go too rustic (whatever that means), but I think that the midcentury dresser and the simple palette could help the balance. When the mirrors are actually hung they'll sit a bit higher since they'll be above the lip of the counter (which is good because otherwise I won't be able to see the top of my head--oh the perils of height). I'm start thinking of potential changes to the vanity lighting, but I don't foresee any rapid changes in that department, especially since I have no idea what to do!

Any suggestions on lighting? Any cool and inexpensive glass soap pumps that you've seen recently?

More Containers

Ok, it's a slow news day and I'm sharing that I came across another set of glass food storage containers...

The only problem is that they're in museums instead of in my fridge! (at MoMA (photos via MoMA), Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art...)

Well, I won't be adding them to these buddies, but I'll add this to my list of items to search for online and through craigslist and garage sales and Goodwill trips! Maybe there's a "knock-off" that's available somewhere?