one major problem area in our house is the kitchen table and floor. first of all, it is a dumping ground for everything. we are people that pile. no matter how hard i try not to, and how much i teach my little la las not to, it happens (i’ll take piler confessions in the comments section, this will make me feel better).
worse than the piling is the floor on the table, is the floor beneath it. it usually is a bad situation after dinner with 4 little ones. i had a shaggy rug for the longest time, which was good in theory to hide things but probably there were small animals living in that rug. i couldn’t take it any longer. several of you suggested FLOR via twitter. i have been a long distance admirer of FLOR for the longest time so i thought now was as good of time as any to try.
if you’re not familiar with FLOR they are carpet squares you piece together (however you like) to create a rug, runner or carpeted area. besides having some really rad designs, i have been ooing over the idea that you can replace squares as needed for sometime now. say, little number 3 decides to paint with spaghetti sauce on the floor or the puppy you are training finds your carpet the place he likes to go, than you can replace what is needed as needed. i think it’s a great solution to any type of mess.
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do you find the kitchen table and floor beneath it to be a problem area for you? any great solutions that you’ve come across?
P.S. i have the re-oreinted rug in grey but i also love this one. also, FLOR is currently offering a 25% sale to customers until June 28th at midnight.
images : la la lovely / rug c/o of FLOR
by now, i’m sure most of you know lindsay of lindsay letters. she is a talented artist and friend and i’m super thrilled to feature her on monday mess. i’ve known lindsay for a few years and she is lovely. besides having a super talent for hand lettering she is a super kind, generous and fun gal. i love that her work is beautiful and meaningful. it’s pretty to feast your eyes upon and let your heart ponder on. if you aren’t familiar with lindsay letters than be sure to check it out and if you missed her office tour, you’ll want to see that too. oh, and she has some pretty rad t-shirts now too!
For a few days, all I could think was “I have a lot of messes, but none are really anything that I want permanently documented on the internet! But a few days later, I went to shake my ink without the cap on it. Whoops. Total ink explosion – all over my clothes and face. The table got the least of it. In a panic, I grabbed some kleenex and then laughed so hard at myself for thinking that several kleenexes could wipe the blackest black ink off my birch work table. Awesome. (I’m such an optimist!) At any rate, I don’t really mind the table being stained. It looks kinda like “yea, I do real work here!” My dress, however, is another story…
I sort of refuse to throw away any of my sketches. My sketches are a way of getting my lettering on to my computer. So it would make sense that I would scan them in and throw them away. Especially the ones where I mess up or spell something wrong or spill ink (*see “mess”). However, for some reason, I just can’t do it. I have boxes full. For some reason it makes me feel good it’s there. Like, proof that I really originally created it with two hands and some ink. It’s not a font, it’s me, and I mess up. A lot. And that’s okay because I’m human, and also because computers and cupcakes can fix just about anything. So I keep them, and I’m cool with that.
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why is that an ink spill on an artist table is endearing, enchanting and inspiring? i’m sure if i spilled ink on my own table i wouldn’t’ feel the same but i can’t help thinking that the ink on lindsay’s table only adds character and artistic value to her space. and i doubt i could throw away my sketches either. would you be able to? i told lindsay that one day her children and grandchildren will be very glad she held on to them. i know if i had something of this sort from my mother, grandmother or great grandmother it would be a priceless treasure!
so what kind of messes have you got going on this week? do tell!
images : lindsay letters
sometimes the mess is not just on the outside. the mental clutter, every now and again, needs a good clean too. i’m there. life is busy and just as school papers have piled up on every counter and shoes have made a mountain at the door so has the nagging thoughts to fix it all, be it all and do it all. and sometimes its the striving and trying that, instead of clearing the mess, only makes mountains out of it. and since we are on messes, i might as well tell you that most days i feel like a hot mess.
last week was harried and hot. last week of school. baseball games at night. the mister out of town. deadlines. head colds. and so on. last thursday night was almost comical. i was on day 3 of managing the home and kids solo, had a bad cold, 2 deadlines, baseball games . . . you get the picture. to top it off a storm rolled in and our power rolled out with our garage door up and my phone un-charged. my mom came to the rescue. she’s lived these days many and again and knows things like how to unlatch a garage door. we got the car out, the door down and headed to her house for the night. in our hurried and hectic ways, we made it to the last day of school, and stephen made it home before another night of bedtime negotiations.
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i found out about laura, affectionately known as the hollywood housewife, from a good friend who reads her blog daily. laura is a small town oklahoma girl turned hollywood housewife, for reals. i quickly took a liking to laura and her blog as she is a writer at heart and lover of books. her posts are honest, endearing and thought provoking. and if i’m ever trying to figure out what to read next, well, i know where to look. laura and i met at ALT and i only wish we had more time to get to know each other better.
My luggage. I travel at least once a month and usually more. This year I’ve already been to Colorado, Salt Lake City, Vegas, Oklahoma, Dallas, and Palm Springs. This bag is from my trip to a blogging conference down in Laguna Niquel. I’ve been home almost two weeks and the thing is still unpacked at the foot of my bed. If I don’t tackle it right away, I get super lazy about it. Come to think of it, this is true for most tasks in my life.
Books. I have a serious book buying addiction. I have more than I could possibly read. And since I bought a Kindle Paperwhite (you can see it peeking out at the top of the stack), the instant purchase gratification is out of control. Lest you think this is a humble brag, I really have forced myself on a hiatus until I make some progress on my current To Read list. I keep a stack of books that I’m excited about on my bedside table, which means that space is never as pristine as I would like for it to be. But I’m okay with that kind of clutter because having books around brings me comfort.
A major theme in my life is Start Where You Are. Too often I’ll talk myself out of trying something new or making a change because it seems overwhelming, or because I feel like I need to be more prepared in some way. But it’s not true. Start where you with what’s in front of you. One step leads to the next to the next. I have to remind myself daily.
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so, i this could totally be my monday mess. i don’t have a unpacked suitcase at the moment but, like laura, if i don’t do it right away than it just might stay packed until the next trip. what about you? and books, don’t get me started on bedside books. ok, do. i just added this book + this one, over the weekend. what books are on your bedside table?
p.s. last month i did an interview with laura for all parenting (where she writes a regular column) on moms who blog, you can read it here.
images : hollywood housewife
it’s monday which means there’s usually talk of messes. today, i thought it would be fun to chat about un-messing. and by un-messing, i mean cleaning. like it or loathe it? it’s debatable, i know. it’s one of those jobs that is never fully done and starts un-doing the minute it’s done. so let’s discuss.
when it comes to cleaning i’m always on the lookout for products that work well, are natural, and, of course, affordable. from my experience this combination is hard to come by (especially in the middle part of the country where i live). i’m by no means entirely green but i’m slowly making changes where i can.
i currently have a few faves from The Honest Company that i think you might like too. I’ve known about Honest for sometime but i got to know them at ALT this past year. i kind of took a big sigh and nodded with a giant yes when i heard their approach to going green, “make small changes and over time it makes an impact.” for most people it’s hard (and not accessible) to change everything all at once. and if you are considering, it’s the price tag that usually makes the final decision for you.
so, for me, instead of getting rid of my old cleaning products, i decided to add in. i simply tried a few new ones before i threw out the old. i ordered a few things from Honest and have been using them for several months.
these two cleaning products have become regulars + work like a charm + i’ve even found a secret use for both of them :
Multi-Surface Cleaner : like its name it works on multiple surfaces. i like using it on granite, high chairs, the kitchen table and toys.
my secret use : stainless steel. i don’t know about you but i’ve bought many pricey stainless steel cleaners over the years and none have wowed me. i was pleasantly surprised at how well the Multi-Surface Cleaner worked on my stainless steel fridge. smudges be gone.
Dish Soap : love it for dishes, yes and yes (and feel so much better knowing my littles cups are cleaned with non toxic soap. i do a lot of hand washing so this is big for me).
secret use : carpet cleaner. who knew? remember my new land of nod rug? well it’s already seen its fair share of spills. one winter day it was hot chocolate splattered everywhere and another random day it was smothered cuties crusted into the carpet. both stains came out with the Dish Soap and a little water.
have you tried Honest? i’d love to hear what products you love and how you use them.
a few products i’d like to try next are the Healing Balm (i heard some people are using it on their crows feet and blemishes – for real) and the Conditioning Mist (for both myself and my kids).
you can sign up for the subscription service here.
confession : i was always afraid to sign up for a subscription and not sure if i wanted that many products, that often. but, honestly, it has been perfect. if you bundle your products, you save more, and you can mix cleaning, baby, and bath and body products. you can even change your shipping frequency between 4, 6, or 8 weeks (as needed). and the best part is that you can easily make selections and updates on the Honest Baby App, which i’m slightly obsessed with. a few clicks on my phone and ta da everything shows up at my door.
if you’d like to give Honest a try check out their free trial. and, La La Lovely readers can enjoy $10 off a $40 minimum purchase on first-time orders only (one per customer) with code LaLaLovely10off40. expires may 20, 2013.
this post is sponsored by Honest. all opinions are my own.
if there is the slightest chance you don’t know camille than it is my pleasure to introduce you! camille is the founder and lady behind camille styles (and yes that is her real name) which happens to be a favorite stop for all things entertaining, food and beauty. if you want to know how to throw a beautiful party than camille is your girl. she has mad entertaining skills and doesn’t miss a detail. her site is one of my go to’s and i’m pretty sure it will become one of your’s too. thanks for sharing your mess, camille!
I’m a major card-sender and letter-writer, and I’m a total sucker for beautiful stationery – (if it happens to be letterpressed, even better!) The only problem? Organizing my growing collection and keeping it from getting out of control! I’d like to setup a system for corralling cards by occasion, so that when I need a birthday, thank-you or congratulations card, I can easily see all my options. I’m thinking that a file system might be my best bet…
Since the CamilleStyles.com office is on one side of my house, our dining room table often becomes my team’s “conference room” (or photo studio, or break room, depending on the day.) A typical Monday morning brainstorm session usually ends up with magazine tears, stacks of books and lots of coffee cups strewn about, and I actually kind of love it. This photo (above) is a visual illustration of all the creativity and productivity that is happening!
i’m curious … does anyone else collect stationery and cards? i do and, i have to say, my supplies are all squished in a drawer and i always find myself buying double because i don’t first check my disorganized stash. thanks to camille, i’m definitely thinking about a filing system now too. how do you keep your stationery and such organized? i’d love to know.
images : 1 + 3 by Suzy Q / 2 + 4 by Camille Styles
sometimes the messier the better? yes? i love a space that looks worked in. especially when there is creative work involved. my eyes find no offense or annoyance in this kind of chaos. i’m only left with curiosity and interest. i’d like nothing more than to comb over every little bit of something or anything in this space. i’m certain there are a lot of stories hidden in the papers, the paint and the piles.
do you think you your papers or piles say anything about you?
images / loveology
many of you probably already know, meg. she penned the popular blog mimi + meg which she recently transitioned over to meg biram – the edit. meg doesn’t just author a blog. she consults, designs t-shirts, and creates beautiful abstract art pieces. her latest endeavor is called the b bar which is all about cocktails and cure-alls for bloggers and businesses (such a cute site + full of great advice). i had a fun dinner at ALT with meg and few other faves, and it was so fun getting to know her a bit better. she is such a go getter and super inspiring.
My desk / I work better when it is neat and organized! But as the day goes by little piles and stack and lots of pens and highlighters find their way to the corners of my desk. There’s usually a stack on top of my wacom by the end of the day!
The bathroom/ My interns work out of my home, so I always keep the bathroom super clean and put away this little mess every day.
My bed & workout clothes / I don’t always make my bed — if I’ve got a lot going on I’ll just throw the covers up so it’s half done. And you can often find workout clothes strewn about the bedroom. I can shut the bedroom door, so it’s not as much of a priority for me as far as picking it up.
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so tell me about your desktops and counter-tops. do you keep them spotless or do they tend to pile up? i try to keep my desk organized but the truth is i always have two or three piles going at all times. i only have 2 small drawers so i try not to get too hung up on it. but, one day when i have more office space, i plan to do something about the piling system
p.s. speaking of #GSD (above photo). meg has a column by the same name, GSD. it highlights other creatives and how they get things done! tips, apps and a lot more practical pointers if you are looking to make things happen and quickly. it’s one of my favorite reads.
images / meg biram
