Merely Home Projects

Closet Cleaning: Before and After.

How often do you clean/organize your closet?

I usually organize mine during the Spring and Fall seasons but, I couldn’t remember the last time I gave it a good clean. It was a disorganized, dusty mess.

Cleaning it felt so overwhelming that it took several attempts, on several different days, across several different weeks just to start!

I’d move a couple shirts around one day. Line up a pair or two of shoes on the floor on another. Pull a wool skirt to pack away for next Fall…each instance would occur just before pulling the doors shut and walking away.

I was procrastinating BIG TIME!

Until, one day, I took the closet doors off the hinges.

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by MerelyMarie on June 1, 2013 18 Comments

Meet Mr. Migsley.

We built our first snowman together!

His name is Mr. Migsley (though, Husband likes to call him Archie). He’s the first snowman that I’ve ever made.

When I packed in that last rock to complete his smile, I busted up laughing. Because, he looked absolutely nothing like I expected him to.

Mr. Migsley is still cute though.

Making a snowman is hard. As a matter of fact, just making a (round) snow ball isn’t as simple as it seems! I was shocked. Husband laughed at me as my gathered snow seemed to dissipate in the wind as I patted, rotated, twisted and rolled it between my hands. I did end up making one decent snowball. It was shaped more like a cylinder but, I was satisfied. By the time I gathered the rocks to form his face, my fingers started to freeze. And, it took awhile to get those rocks to stick.

Still. It was a lot fun. Pretty impromptu too. Building a snowman had been on my list but, I hadn’t planned it for Superbowl Sunday. Thanks Mr. Marie!

We almost used a carrot for his nose. But. With Mr. Migsley being a foot tall (maybe), we couldn’t have him enticing any roaming raccoons. Opossums. Or, that creep of a peeping squirrel, for that matter.

We’re looking forward to getting more snow this Winter. Archie is looking for a Mrs. Migsley!

Have you ever made a snowman?

by MerelyMarie on February 4, 2013 6 Comments

Simple Autumn Decor, Year-Round.

Quick!

Go outside right now.
Grab some fallen leaves* from the ground. Remember to be discerning! Only pick the best ones.
Put them in a glass vase.
And Voilà!

Oh! When snow starts to fall, it’s absolutely crucial to turn the furniture to face AWAY from the windows. And towards your beautiful display of “Autumn in a Vase”.

This way, you can pretend it’s still September!

* The pictured leaves are from last October. Should I pick some fresh ones?…

by MerelyMarie on November 9, 2012 2 Comments

Home Project: Staining Wood Desks.

Before beginning the staining process, we opened windows for ventilation, laid down heavy duty sheets of plastic to protect the flooring, and put on rubber gloves.

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by MerelyMarie on March 3, 2012 Leave a Comment

Home Project Results: Parson-Inspired Desks.

These are our new Parson-inspired work desks that I mentioned before. We couldn’t be happier with our first home project, D-I-Y results!

I hand-selected wood pieces (red oak), with my dad at Menards. He built the desks using a print out I gave him from West Elm. From there, Husband & I conditioned, stained, & treated them with a coat of polyurethane gloss.

Be back with a photo-tutorial on how the staining process went & what we used…

by MerelyMarie on February 28, 2012 2 Comments

Love Seat Makeover + New Desks!

We recently finished clearing some serious clutter. YES!!! Our sofa, kitchen table (we had 2!), and small coffee table are all gone! We gave them away to family.

Now that we can breathe a lot easier, I’m making tiny…tiny efforts to “beautify” our apartment, especially the living room/office space. It’s funny, initially Husband & I weren’t really seeing eye-to-eye on the subject. I’d been telling him the ideas I had in my head, & I imagine all he saw in his head was “$$$”. He didn’t want to spend a lot of moolah on new items that probably weren’t going to move with us when we buy a house, and I didn’t want to live in an “ugly space” just because it’s temporary; it’s “home” to us nonetheless.

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