I’ve wanted a space that was completely my own where I could create beautiful things and dream up my next project…

Think along the lines of Miss Mustard Seed – how she has a studio that’s a mix of woods and whites, airy yet grounded, vintage touches all over… it encourages one to dream up a project. I wanted something like that.

As I have an Etsy shop, I knew I also wanted one section of my studio to assist me in packaging orders. This brings us to the first installment of my studio makeover!

The kick in the pants I needed to start happened when I was approached by a company, Garage Royalty, to come up with a creative way to use their products outside of the typical garage setting. At once I knew it would be perfect for my Etsy packing station / workbench. I love the flexibility of the system – it’s so easy to move things around as my needs change and holds all my packing tools nicely! Plus, it is reminiscent of white shiplap which fits in perfectly with my vintage vibe.

And who says it has to just be for tools?! As you can see, I had a lot of fun decorating it with everything from vintage books and plates to my homemade “Market” sign! (I’ll link all the resources at the bottom of this post for you!)

Around the same time, I found this vintage sideboard on Facebook Marketplace to use as my workbench. I’ll be writing a post soon about how I cleaned it up, along with some tips for refurbishing antiques.

For my space to have the desired feel, I really wanted something besides bare cement under my feet. For a while I had a large thrifted rug in this area, but it had seen better days and was adorned by everything from water stains to crayon from my toddler. I wanted something that felt more upscale and that covered from wall to wall.

I thought about simply painting the floor and trying to stencil it, but wasn’t convinced the outcome would be very good – plus, as much as I like DIY projects, my time and energy are definitely worth something! My pregnant body can only handle so much… So one day when I was shopping at Target I stumbled upon these peel and stick tiles – a lovely light bluish-green with a vintage style pattern! I was in love!

Admittedly I’m not finished tiling my whole area yet – I’m about halfway done because there’s so much stuff on the other side to shuffle around. However, these tiles went down very quickly and easily. I made sure to thoroughly sweep & vacuum, mop, then let the cement dry completely before laying them and tapping them down with a rubber mallet. PLEASE NOTE: the company recommends painting the cement with latex paint first. I chose not to do this, at my own risk, but please be sure to read their instructions and decide what is best for your space!

I’m thrilled with how it’s all turning out and I can’t wait to start the next phase of this makeover! Items left to do include:

• Finish installing floor
• Paint and Wallpaper Wooden Display Cabinet for Dish Collection
• Paint Freestanding Work Table & Add Storage Underneath
• Find Comfortable Seating
• Hang Artwork

I hope you’ll join me as I continue this process! We’re also in the midst of redoing our master bedroom, so it’s all the projects all at once!

Resources:

Garage Royalty CrownWall System

Peel and Stick Floor Tiles

Hanging Storage Baskets

Large Storage Baskets (Sold as set online, individually in store.)

Vintage Flowers (I made them into a swag)

Blank Sign Template

Small Faux Plant

I don’t know why, but there’s something about a New Year that makes me want to declutter the house. Maybe it’s packing up all the Christmas decor. It was so cozy and inviting when we first put it up, but after a few weeks it always begins to feel a little heavy and I’m ready for the space to be able to breathe.

Here are a few areas – both big and small – that I like to declutter:

Confession: I have more clothing than I actually wear. Why? Probably because I hold onto things that I “might fit into again one day” as well as items that “just need the right shirt to go with it” (even though I don’t currently have one).

Because of this, I’ve found it difficult to pick out something to wear even though my closet is filled with clothes. What I’ve started doing is this:

I turn all my hangers backwards (hooking it on the bar from behind). Then whenever I actually wear something I hang it back up the right way after washing. (If you just try it on & hang it back up, turn it the wrong way – you haven’t actually worn it!) That way I can see what I’ve actually worn in the last 6 months or year! It’s been quite eye-opening for me.

I know many people have started using “capsule wardrobes” where they have just a few main pieces that are interchangeable with all the others. This results in fewer articles of clothing with more options. I’m not quite ready to do that yet, but I know it works for a lot of people.

My theory is to only keep the pieces that Fit, Flatter, and make me Feel good.

This goes for shoes too.

My intentions in stocking up are good – really they are. But sometimes things just go unnoticed and unused and expiration dates come and go without me noticing. Now is a great time to sort through your canned goods and your freezer and pick out the stuff that’s no longer fit for consumption.

Move older (but still good) cans towards the front so you’ll be sure to use them. Make a list of what is in your freezer that needs to be used up and design your next few weeks of meal plans centered around using up those ingredients. Epicurious.com is a great website (and free app) where you can search for recipes by ingredient. Use their advanced search option to sort by cuisine, cooking method, and more. Allrecipes.com also has this feature.

While I do use cookbooks, many of my recipes get printed from the internet. I like to keep them all in a binder using page protectors. This way they are easily accessible and I can make notes in them with a good old fashioned pen. The tomato sauce splatters on the pages just add character – ha!

Every now and then I go through and clear out the recipes we got burned out on and replace them with new favorites. Going through the binder is also a great way to remind myself of recipes we haven’t had in a while – “oh yeah, I should make that again!”

You know that bottle of stovetop cleaner you bought that you thought would be all that…and it wasn’t? Might it still be residing under your kitchen sink? Now’s a great time to clean out the cleaning supplies and only keep the items you actually use. Just be sure to discard items appropriately according to package instructions and warnings.

This is where all the stuff goes when we don’t know what else to do with it. It’s where our giveaway pile resides. It’s where our seasonal not-currently-in-use stuff goes. It’s where all the “let’s keep this just in case” stuff goes. Can you relate?

Because this is where the random stuff we’ve forgotten about goes, it’s usually the easiest for us to purge (and make more room for stuff from upstairs – it’s a cycle, haha). Here are a few things to look for in your basement/attic:

• Empty Boxes
  • I don’t know about you, but I often keep the packaging for small appliances, kitchen gadgets, toys, pots & pans, etc. While these can be useful if you’re planning to move, chances are you probably won’t need them otherwise – and they take up a lot of room! Time to recycle!
• Outgrown Kids’ Toys or Clothes
  • Even if you think there’s a chance you might have more kids some day, it’s good to weed through it all. Items tend to accumulate beyond what we actually need. That little outfit that was cute but never got worn because the fabric was weird feeling? Let it go – you probably won’t use it for the next child either.
• Seasonal Decor
  • Working on putting away Christmas decor? As you put things away, take note of what you didn’t use this year and ask yourself if you’ll really use it next year. If not, it might be time to let it go. Apply liberally to any holiday or season.
• “Guilt” Items
  • Have you ever received gifts that really weren’t your style? Did you return them, donate them, or are they still in your storage tubs because you felt guilty about getting rid of them? Don’t feel guilty! Appreciate the thought the person put into it, but let it go! It’s a win-win – you’ll have more room in your house and someone else will have a great find at the thrift store! Chances are, the gift giver will never know, but even if it gets brought up in conversation, show gratitude but be honest. It happens and most people will understand.
  • Similarly, if you have items passed down to you from family members, but those items mean absolutely nothing to you (or worse, they bring back bad memories), don’t let them weigh you down. First offer them to other family members who might appreciate having them, but if there are no takers, consider donating or selling the items. If you want to remember an item, take a picture of it before donating.

Finally, if you’re having difficulty deciding if you should get rid of something, try asking yourself these four questions:

If not, and it’s not an essential item you must have on hand (please don’t get rid of that spare tire for your car!) then get rid of it!

Do you enjoy decluttering or do you dread it? Let me know below!

I enjoy thinking about what people like and trying to come up with things they could use to make life easier or more fun. Unless we’re talking about my brother – he’s the most difficult person in the world for whom to buy, so I always get him fun socks plus whatever extra ideas my mom has. Ha! I can write that because I’m 99.9% sure he’s not reading this.

Sometimes, though, it can be easy for me to lose track when gift buying – I may forget that I already bought x thing for this person or not realize just how much I’ve already spent on gifts in total. Seeing as that money tree in our backyard never did start producing, my husband and I have had to set a gift budget. While giving gifts shouldn’t be about how much you do or don’t spend on someone, staying within budget is a very real aspect of life for most of us!

The past few years I have kept a list of the people for whom we buy gifts, what I’ve purchased for them, ideas of things still to purchase, item prices, and the total budget we’ve set for each person. It’s really helpful for me to be able to see at a glance who is already “done,” what I have left to buy, and how much I’ve spent.

In case this idea may be helpful to some of you too, I’ve created a printable!

Christmas Gift Planning Printable

There are 2 pages to the printable:
* “Short list” = fewer lines per person
* “Long list” = more lines per person

Please note: the number of lines included on each list was guesswork and very much an aesthetic decision. It in no way reflects what I think you should or should not be buying. Do what works for you, your budget, and your situation.

I figured both lists may be helpful in different settings – we probably will need more lines for our children than our husband’s second-cousin-once-removed, right? You can always use more than one section per person if needed.

There are 2 versions:

–> Please note these printables are for personal use only and may not be modified, sold, or republished without express permission of Hymns & Home.

Print Version – Physically print & write your list

Digital Version – PDF with fillable fields and checkable boxes to use on the computer

There is only one of each list in the digital version.

I decided not to duplicate the pages for the digital version ahead of time as I don’t know how many you will need and I wanted the files to be easily navigable.

If you want to add more pages to your digital list, do this:

On Mac using Preview
Go to view -> Thumbnails, hold down the “fn” and “option” buttons at the same time, and drag the page you want to copy downward. It will add another one.

On PC using Adobe (Haven’t tried this – don’t have a PC)
Viewing thumbnails, hold down “control” and drag the page you want to copy downward.

I hope this little printable brings some organization to your Christmas shopping! I’d love to hear if you use, if it works well for you, and any changes you might like to see in a future printable.

Do you love gift shopping too, or is it something you dread? Leave a comment below!

Blessings,
Melissa