Home Tour Link Up!

Last December, a fellow blogger came up with an idea I loved!

Andrea started a year-long Show and Tell Link Up series,

which happens two Tuesdays every single month!

I knew I wouldn't be participating in every single one,

or even every month for that matter,

but a few struck my fancy and I marked them in my planner!

I take pride in keeping a nice, clean home,

and am always thinking of ways to redo or redecorate something.

So you bet I was excited for today's Show and Tell:
HOME TOURS!!!

While I don't currently live in a house,

I have worked hard to make my apartment a "home"

and I'm excited to share it with you guys today!

Come on in!

I almost always have a some sort of seasonal decor outside my front door.

And if it's a wreath, you can bet I made it myself!

Two different views of the front door from inside.

While I do wish I had a more updated kitchen, as a renter I can't be too picky.

I do love how open it is though, because it makes entertaining so much easier!

I also love the open living/dining room with vaulted ceilings.

Confession - my living room already looks a tad bit different. 

I made some small changes, but I didn't have time to snap new pictures!

A few more shots of the dining and living room from different areas of my apartment.

Head down the hall and the guest bath is the first door to the left.

Having an extra bathroom is a must with any type of company!

The rest of the hallway from a few different directions.

Continue down the hall and the second door to the left is the den.

Also known as the guest room when I have family in town visiting.

And at the end of the hall you finally reach my bedroom!

And guess what? These pictures aren't 100% accurate either

because I've made a few small changes in here too.

I told you at the beginning of the post - I'm always redecorating!

More views of the bedroom.

And yet even MORE views of the bedroom!

I lost a walk in closet when I moved into this place,

but the wall of closets has proved to be pretty amazing too!

Lastly, the master bath that is connected to my bedroom.

I hope you've enjoyed the virtual tour of my little home in Los Angeles!

Show & Tell: Organization

When I saw that Andrea was hosting a Show & Tell Link Up about Organization,

I KNEW that I had to post, link up and show you all about my crazy ways!!!

Yes, I know my antics are crazy and yes, I know I'm a little OCD.

Okay, maybe more than a little...

Anyway - I know this post will be kinda long,

but it covers a lot of different aspects of organization in my life!

From the kitchen, to my closet, to holiday decor and more!!!

Keep reading to find out all about how I keep MY life organized!

Let me start out with lists.

I'm ALL about lists!

For me - using them makes it easier to prioritize, 

and I end up getting a lot more done!

I used them both at home and work.

My kitchen/dining room closet comes in very handy 

and if organized well it can store quite a bit! 

I purchased the baskets years ago on clearance from Target

and they've come in quite handy since day one.

Yes, even my freezer and fridge are organized.

I can't stand just throwing things in 

and I get more use out of the space this way!

And the organization extends to my pantry as well!

This makes cooking MUCH easier for me.

More baskets!!! I like lists, but I may like baskets more...

I don't have a linen closet and I had to come up with a solution.

I have a rather large bedroom closet, so I decided to use that

and organize my linens by type into different baskets. 

You didn't expect my linens to be organized and my clothes not, right?

Of course I organize all the clothes in my closet and dressers too!

In my closet, I separate things by sleeve length and then by color.

It makes finding whatever I'm looking fo a lot easier!

And my shoes are pretty organized as well.

I know that it takes up quite a bit of space,

but I like to keep my boots in their boxes.

They keep their shape much better and don't get dusty!

Most of my scarves are folded and organized in a dresser drawer...

But I also have a lot of my infinity scarves hanging here!

I'm not going to show you all my dresser drawers...

but just know that all the drawers are as organized as my sock drawer!

My brother and sister-in-law got me that jewelry case when I graduated from college.

It's super awesome and holds quite a bit!

But I now have too many bracelets.

So I made this handy little holder myself!

You're not surprised that my organization extends to my crafts too, right?

Again, being organized here makes finding what I'm looking for so much easier!

My cardstock is organized by color.

And my stickers are organized by occasion or holiday.

Last but not least, my holiday decorations are all organized into plastic tubs.

Years ago I had one, yes ONE tub, for all the holidays combined.

But since I like decorating SO much (see examples here, here and here!)

multiple holidays now have their own box(es)!!!

So that's it!

Like I said before...

I know that I'm a little (maybe a lot) crazy,

but this is what works for ME!

Not everything will work for everyone,

but I hope you you have found something useful.

Now go to Andrea's page to see more Show &Tell: Organization posts!

Garden: New & Improved!

The building I live in is currently being repainted. That obviously includes painting balcony and if you follow my blog, you know how many plants I have on my balcony! While I'm happy for a newly painted balcony, I was not looking forward to moving everything.

I got a notice saying they were going to be painting my balcony on this past Saturday. It actually worked out great because I would have hated to take apart and put my balcony back together during the work week. It sounds like it's not that hard, but I have quite a few plants...

I woke up early Saturday morning and took all the small pants inside. The only thing left on my balcony was a tall storage unit, an old piece of furniture that I use for a multi-level plant stand, my lime tree, the climbing jasmine and a few succulents. Everything else basically took over my apartment den!

Plants, plants and MORE plants.

They were wasn't much room to walk.

This made me realize how many plants I really have.

And it's LOTS!!!

A different view from the hallway.

The almost empty balcony.

And the windows getting protected for painting!

They were done painting by about noon and I was outside setting everything back up a few hours later. While it was a little annoying to move everything in and out, it gave me a good opportunity to clean the balcony like crazy. I even decided to do a little reorganizing in the process. And due to that, I just HAD to buy some new goodies for the garden to fill empty space! :)

I rearranged the hanging flower boxes...

Added some new flowers...

And even added two new flower boxes too!

The climbing jasmine and flower boxes.

More flower boxes and other garden goodness!

White Geranium

Geraniums in two shade of PINK about to bloom!

A corner filled with many different flowers.

Basil, Mint and Flat Leaf Parsley

Thyme, Rosemary, Oregano, Sage and NEW Dill.

Trying it for like the third or fourth time... please work this time dill!!

The Jalapeno Plant 

There are just SO many peppers, blossoms and buds! 

I'm thinking, and hoping, it's going to be a good year for my jalapeno plant!!!

Look at my tomato plant take off!

There are already multiple little cluster of flowers growing. 

I moved the lime tree to a different corner.

And I'm thinking it's new placement is much better!

I decided to add a raspberry plant to fill some empty space! 

Oh and a blueberry plant too!

Check back soon to see the progress on all the new and old garden favorites! The weather has been amazing and everything is really starting to grow like crazy!!!