The Play Area

 And here is the grand reveal of the play area! (Sorry for the dark pictures, it is in the lower level and there are no windows.) This has always been a bit of a catch-all area. It helped when we got the EXPEDIT shelf from IKEA, but I still just needed to organize and purge to make it work. (You can see some of my inspiration here.)

 Now, it is a happy area, that the girls enjoy playing in and I enjoy looking at. This is saying a lot. Check out this awful before picture! (Now you know that I am perfectly honest with you in my blogging. I am airing our dirty laundry house with you all. Consider yourself loved!)

Ahh, that's better! I think it is partly due to organization, but also due to the fact that I finally cleaned it and you better believe I am keeping on the girls to keep it that way!!

(Do you see the photo bombers up above??) I mostly used items that we had already. I did buy the MAMMUT stools at IKEA. The rug under the table is from Walmart. I purchased the easel at a second hand store earlier this summer. And we have had the table downstairs since Peachy was little. It is actually an end table similar to the one in this bundle also from Walmart.

The cork boards are made from spray painted frames to which I added cork panels. (I have had good luck finding frames on clearance at Hobby Lobby and Michaels. You just have to imagine how good they will look with some spray paint.) The chalk board frame is made with chalk board paint. You can read about it here.

As long as I was doing work in the lower level, I added a collage above where I do my ironing. The print is from this great Etsy seller whom I had the privilege of meeting a sale we did together. Again the frame is a spray painted one that I added some extra color to. The other frames I picked up at Kohls at the beginning of the summer. (It looks like the exact frames I got are no longer available, but there are some other ones here.)

I also finally got some pictures of Cream up in their bedroom and her name on the wall. I guess you have to be a member of the family for two years before you get those honors.

Hope you like what I have done. What plans do you have to beautify an area in your home?

Foodie Friday: Power Muffins

It is no secret I love me some carbs, especially at breakfast. I blame the fact that I am a coffee drinker. Nothing goes better with coffee than a delicious baked good. However, I do try to be a little bit healthy with my choices. Some days it is whole wheat toast with peanut butter. Some days it is whole grain waffles and fruit. When I saw this recipe for Power Muffins at Domesticated Academic I figured it would also be a good healthy breakfast choice.

Yesterday morning I was planning on working out and then mixing these up before anyone in the house was up. Yeah, I got halfway through yoga and Peachy came up and was just finishing when I heard Cream. Not so much on getting the muffins done before everyone got up. After feeding the girls a yogurt, I got to work. It was hard for Cream to wait for me to make and bake the muffins.

If possible, she is more of a carb addict than her mother. We actually call her a carbavore. However, I do believe they were worth the wait. They have a light texture and are stuffed with yummy goodness. They also go well with coffee or milk!

Play Area Inspiration

One of the main areas I am focusing on in my organizational binge is the downstairs play area. Last year we made some changes down there. The main one being adding  an IKEA Expedit shelving system. And while that definitely helped in getting all of the toys corralled and put away, it still needs some work to make it functional and welcoming.

I put together my own little inspiration board for the space. Included are these ideas: (Please click the link to get the ideas from their original sources.)

I am loving these Mammut stolls turned mushrooms.

These play pillows are graphic and just plain fun!

The simple addition of paper pennants to a table add such a great splash of color.

And adding to the pennant idea, these gorgeous photo pennants.