Getting Organized: Entryway

I have always been an ‘everything in its place or it will be on the floor’ type of person. I’ve also been pretty cheap in the past. If I found something I loved, I would typically purchase the next best thing because I didn’t want to spend the money. I am NOT this person anymore. After years of doing this, I realized that it doesn’t work to get the next best thing if you have the option of getting the best thing.

When it comes down to organizing, you have to ask yourself, “Self, is this efficient? Is this working for me?” Be prepared to be brutally honest. Disregard whether the methods or tools you use to organize is cheap or good enough or even expensive. The only way to measure if your money was well spent on whatever methods you used to organize is if you are now organized. Did it work? If you’ve set up a system for organizing and it still isn’t organized, it didn’t work.

Sooooo, I’ve been having to take stock of where my organization is failing and what is actually working for me. This is when I realized that I need more stuff. I need stuff to put more of my stuff in…hahaha…ridiculous.

One issue in many households is the entryway. A lot of things get lost in translation here. Before you know it, you have a pile of shoes, a pile of mail, and a pile of other crap you’ve unloaded either on your way in or out.

Here are a couple of pictures of my entry way prior to reorganizing it.

 

This was not working for us. The shoes were piling and looking crazy, and so was the tower of mail on the table. Thanks to our local Ikea (and by local, I mean 2 hours away), we were able to find a great solution to make our entryway transition more seamless by organizing that area with the Hemnes shoe cabinet.

Here are the progress pics. I had a long day so there is a cup of coffee on it. So what? Sue me. Seriously, don’t sue me.

It isn’t perfect as yet, but I know that this system is working because this area doesn’t really get messy anymore. The drawers on this unit is perfect for storing keys, dog leashes, or other small items that you typically carry in and out of your home. The other 2 larger sections beneath the top drawer holds 6 pairs of shoes per section, on average. If you have smaller feet or if you’re storing flip-flops, flats, or sandals, you can get away with a lot more.

The next task for this area is adding some color, more of our personality, and a section to hang things (we don’t have a coat closet of anything). I can’t wait to see what it will look like when it’s finished. Then again, I like changing things around so much, so is it every really finished? It will be a surprise to us all.

xoxo

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In other news…

I’ve decided that I want to start posting random thoughts, things I find interesting, and other musings in what I’m calling ‘In other news…’ because sometimes I have random things to say or share quickly. So there’s my explanation. Now, just let it happen.

1. I’ve developed a sudden interest in gold home decor. I’m in the process of planning and implementing decor in my office/studio space at home (I will share before and afters later). I don’t know why, but I just noticed the deer above the cork board frame. I actually pinned one I like earlier today.

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2. I hate asking myself everyday, “Self, what’s for dinner?” This is why I am trying out Emeals. More on that later.

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EMeals: Paleo Day 1. Breaded Turkey Cutlets w/ Spring Salad, Apples, Walnuts in a olive oil, apple cider vinegar, raw honey dressing. #paleo #foodstagram #pcos #pcosaa #pcosawareness #emeals #nofilter

A post shared by Satoya Foster (@satoyafoster) on Feb 3, 2014 at 4:51pm PST

3. This snow art dude is pretty amazing. I can’t imagine the amount of walking and planning that was necessary to get these cool patterns.

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4. I have a new family member and he’s super cute. Meet Milo. If you know me, you know why his name is Milo.

5. In reference to #4, he’s named after this.

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Apartment Therapy January Cure 2014

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Last year, I signed up for this. I didn’t do any of it…smh. THIS time, I’m getting it done. The task for today was to make a list of things that I need to organize or spruce up in each room. I actually managed to get most of this done. I’m trying to decide what is most important for me to get done for now because there is a lot that I want to do with my humble abode. I don’t want to bite of more than I can chew so I tried to limit each area to 6-7 projects.

Here’s what I’m working on:

Living Area
-Change the slipcovers on the sofa
-De-clutter the right corner in the LR
-Add a bookcase
-Change the coffee table
-De-clutter media console drawers

Foyer
-Make a place for incoming/outgoing mail
-Make a place for keys
-Add a basket/bin for returns/things that need to leave the house

Dining Room
– New curtains
– Storage unit/dresser/buffet
– Find 6 different chairs for dining table

Kitchen
– Make better use of open shelves
– Store away excess plates/cups/etc.
– Organize cabinets
– Get rid of old/unused/broken items
– Clean the refrigerator

Hall Bathroom
– Utilize shelving on the wall
– Throw out old products
– Get drawer organizers
– Get over the door hooks

Studio Office
– Organize papers/filing/trash
– Organize business cards
– Get drawers for organizing makeup

Small Bedroom
– Change the paint color
– Remove bookcase and put it in the living room
– Purchase curtains

Master Bedroom
– Paint the walls Silver Sateen
– Purchase curtains
– Change the knobs of chest of drawers
– Clean out closet
– Purchase area rug
– Replace old/mismatched bedding

Master Bathroom
– Add organizing shelves
– Toss any old products
– Remove small hook on the door
– Add over the door hooks

I’ll be taking pictures of my progress along the way. I’m excited to go through this process and seeing the change.

If you want to get in on this organizational extravaganza, you can sign up here.

Chattanooga Fashion Week Recap

The Hunter Museum of American Art

View from the Hunter Museum Rooftop

View from the Hunter Museum Rooftop

Chattanooga Fashion Week had another successful year, holding its second event here in Chattanooga, TN. The runway event was held on the rooftop of The Hunter Museum of American Art. The venue was absolutely beautiful and the view was lovely as well.

The Children’s Runway Show came up first featuring designs from Accessorize by Monsoon, Blue Eyes & Bare Feet, Southern Grace, and Sada Fashions. Those kiddos were absolutely adorable. I appreciate that the kids looked like children. They had age appropriate makeup and charmed everyone as they galavanted down the runway. There also gave a little sneak peak on the collections that we’d be seeing later in the evening.

Makeup and Models Backstage

Two cutie patooties striking a pose backstage.

The Grand Finale took place later on that evening. The pieces were a mixture between of Evening wear, Lingerie, Swimwear, and Ready to Wear Casual/Formal pieces.

There were 7 designers present: Jenna Colina, Francine Elizabeth Designs, Yatra, Odelia Rouse, Vic & Kimchi, Navy & Pearls, and Ajnel.

Jenna Colina

Jenna Colina’s line of swimwear was not your conventional swimwear. She has many different style options to choose from, which is great so you can find one that compliments your body type easily. She custom makes swimwear as well, which would be most necessary for women that are ‘gifted’ in the mammary department.

Yatra

Following the Jenna Colina  Swimwear line was a global/india inspired ready to wear line called Yatra. This collection featured a lot of tunics and fabrics with shine and bold patterns.

FrancineElizabeth Designs

Francine Elizabeth Designs collection consisted of a lot of cocktail-esque dresses with lace detailing along with metallic, camel, and bold statements of color.

Navy & Pearls

The Navy & Pearls collection had a lot of southern charm to it. Every piece from this line had a very feminine feel. My personal style isn’t super feminine but I could see myself wearing some of the dresses with a leather jacket to toughen it up a bit.

Odelia Rouse

The emphasis of the Odelia Rose line was bold color, mixing prints, and mixing textures. I could tell that this line was meant to be daring, bold, and sassy. She also used one of my absolute favorite neutrals…Leopard Print!

Vic & Kimchi

One of the runway announcers gave us a good heads up on what he called “a super conservative line; something that could be worn to church.” It was a good laugh because the next presentation was a lingerie line by Vic & Kimchi. They seemed to have thought out of the box with their negligé. I don’t personally wear undergarments that I may possibly need instruction for, however, there was a model with a faux hawk that KILLED it on the runway.

Ajnel

The Ajnel Collection had a certain amount of whimsy to it. A few pieces reminded me of a fairy tale, while some of the other dresses can be worn to a cocktail party.

My favorite things about Chattanooga Fashion Week was the diversity of shapes, shades, and sizes represented. There were women with beautiful deep mahogany skin, lovely olive tones, and pretty porcelain skin tones. There were hourglass, pear, apple shaped women, and any other fruit you could think of. There were also children and women with beautiful straight hair, regal coils, and everything in between.

Gage Talent Agency did an amazing job of highlighting beauty in a diverse and cognizant way. Their intentionality in making sure that many different types of women were represented is not only a step in the right direction for the fashion industry, but for women in general.