"M" is for March and Master Bedroom Challenge - Come Join! - Page 4

[greenmansions]

I am in, but it will be a slow start for me. As I mentioned on the kitchen thread, we have been sick. This morning I was feeling optimistic that we were finally on the mend, then tonight DS threw up and has diarrhea. And I am feeling queasy too. Lovely. And tomorrow is his bday, poor little guy. At least he'll have new toys to distract him from his illness.

I have the same issues as some of you where DH has more clothes than I do, tho he did a major purge about 2 years ago. I have been continually purging my things and sent 4 boxes of clothes to charity last month. It seems like after being in maternity clothes and then the baggy clothes phase after birthing, I went back to my old clothes and had a lot of clarity about what I will and will not wear again.

I do not use top/flat sheets in the winter, but I do use them in the summer. In winter we have a big down comforter so use the duvet cover with that, no sheet. In summer we have a lighter weight blanket and use a flat sheet under that. Sometimes I have taken the top sheet and sewn it into a duvet cover if it belongs to sheets I usually use in winter.

If you don't use flat sheets, what do you do - use comforter covers all year long?

I'll fill out the "startup questionnaire" later on...

[Annalisasmom]

YAY I'm here I'll post pics and such this after noon

[quirkylayne]

We just use a duvet from IKEA (no cover, hm maybe I should work on that).

[KKmama]

MY MASTER BEDROOM PICTURE TOUR Not gonna do it. Nope.

WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT MY MASTER BEDROOM I have to admit that I really like the the room in general. It has awesome windows with a great view. It's very spacious and open.

WHAT I LIKE LEAST ABOUT MY MASTER BEDROOM Where do I begin? : Our house has been a real "project", and we haven't put any time into making this room homier. There's a cast-off glider from my grandparents which really isn't my style. Our bed really isn't my style, either (It's the girly 4-poster bed that I grew up with, converted to a queen, with a humongous thick mattress on it... poor thing looks like it's on steroids). We need to paint. We need to put up curtains. We need to have some human touches.

HOT SPOTS Actually, there's very little clutter. The top of my dresser is a landing spot because it's the only spot in the room out of reach of little hands. The glider tends to collect clothing.

MY PLAN OF ACTION - here is where you can be as agressive or laid back as you like. If you want to list a series of goals

(1) Talk to dh about what to do with the glider. Honestly, I don't like it, and I think maybe we should just get rid of it. I *would* like to continue to have some kind of seating in the room, though, so we might wind up putting a throw over it or moving a couple of other cast-off chairs ( into the room. (Putting money into new seating is not a priority, and besides, we're Compacting!).

(2) Think of some way to organize the top of my dresser so Crap doesn't accumulate there.

(3) Come up with a plan for the bed. At this point, I'm ready to consider taking the mattress and box springs off the bed and put them directly on the floor. I would also like to make a nice duvet cover for our down comforter. (Right now, we've got a hunter green one on there, and that's just not our color.) In general, I would like to make the bed look/feel more inviting.

(4) Break down and put away/get rid of the toddler bed. No toddler has ever slept in that bed (thank goodness we got it 2nd hand! ). Why would you want to sleep in a toddler bed when cuddly warm mommy and daddy are 2 feet away?

(5) I'd like to paint, I'd like to deal with the curtain situation, but honestly, we have painting projects going on elsewhere in the house which are more pressing. I think we *can* decide on a color scheme and a window solution, though.

(6) The only light in the room is a hideously ugly wall sconce. I would like to replace that and maybe look into a floor lamp and/or lamps for nightstands. Something we can make ourselves/refurbish (for the lamps) would be .

Wow. A plan.

[mightymoo]

Originally Posted by greenmansions

If you don't use flat sheets, what do you do - use comforter covers all year long?

I use a light blanket generally in the warmer months. Somehow just a sheet never feels right to me!

[serenetabbie]

I am in! I had such good results with the kitchen I am inspired to do all the challenges... well, until you all get to the basement, that it a HUGE job for me

When we were snowed in Valentine's day week (for 5 days! ugh!), DH helped me move all the matresses & boxsprings, clean under the beds, put on dust mite covers and flip the matresses. So that puts me one step in the right direction already!

I will try to post pics ASAP. This month, as soon as it gets above freezing a few days in a row, we are going to paint my room! I am so excited. It took so long to pick the perfect, calm color. We are going to paint the floor too. It is already painted, sort of... one of the prior owners painted the floor but did not move any funiture, so it looks really weird. It's two colors as they did it twice. Anyone have any links or suggestions for a 1920's floor? I was thinking of doing a stencil or simple boarder in earthtones.

Right now I have white sheers on the windows, but once I get the room painted I hope to get new curtains and a duvet cover. I need to spray paint the lamp too. It is a very nice shape, but was used on an houseboat for years and got all pitted from the salt & damp.

[AutumnMelody]

Pictures and all coming today, I promise.

Meanwhile, a question: does anyone have any ideas for cheap and safe (i.e. not chemical laden) dresser type thing or dresser alternative??

[mightymoo]

Originally Posted by AutumnMelody

Pictures and all coming today, I promise.

Meanwhile, a question: does anyone have any ideas for cheap and safe (i.e. not chemical laden) dresser type thing or dresser alternative??

Look for a cheap one on craigslist...

[knitting_mama]

i'm in! i'll post pictures & what not later, if my kids allow

[mightymoo]

Today we worked on DH's closet. He had a stuffed closet and 7 rubbermaid containers tucked in back. He now has about half the stuff hanging and piled in there, and ONE rubbermaid container of summer stuff! Yay! Now I need to get all those bags ready for donation.

I had peeled off a little of the wallpaper to se ehow hard it was going to be, and that started a chain reaction. The kids had a blast today and yesterday peeling wallpaper. of course it only peeled off the front half of the wallpaper, the walls still need to be wet down and scraped. But there is just something about wallpaper removal - once you start you feel compelled to pick at it...

[Miss Juice]

Originally Posted by mightymoo

Badminton?

Technically I think it would be Bedminton :

OK, I am soooo in on this. Pics and all. Our bedroom is The. Worst. Room. In. The. House. I am determined to stop the neverending cycle of laundry PAIN. I use our bed as a folding surface. I get tons of stuff folded - 3 or 4 baskets usually. Then something pulls me away, I never get it put away properly, it ends up stacked on the floor at bedtime, people root through piles and baskets looking for clean undies, and eventually it looks like... well, like the pictures you're about to see.

You're all going to hold my hand and be nice to me, right? This is hard. Thank goddess we have 31 days this month.

I am not tidying up before I take pics because this really and truly is what it looks like every day. To tidy up would be to lie.

MY MASTER BEDROOM PICTURE TOUR
I cannot believe I am actually posting this.
Hugs and words of support and encouragement would be welcome :

WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT MY MASTER BEDROOM (Include a picture!)
It's big! I like the yellow walls.

WHAT I LIKE LEAST ABOUT MY MASTER BEDROOM
The green carpet. But that's not going anywhere just yet. And the clutter! But that's the point of this exercise, right?

HOT SPOTS (spots in your room that tend to collect clutter)
The whole darn room, at this point. However, even without all the laundry in there, my dresser is *always* bad. And the nightstand by the door. Any horizontal surface, actually.

MY PLAN OF ACTION - here is where you can be as agressive or laid back as you like. If you want to list a series of goals

1. GET THE LAUNDRY OUT. At least everything that isn't mine, DH's, or the baby's.
2. Get rid of all the clothing I'm not using. That's a lot. The reason my clothes are all over the place is that the dresser is FULL of things I don't use. So the things I DO use never get put away... they cycle from the dresser top or the basket on the floor, to the laundry chute, and back to the top of the dresser. I HATE IT. ALL of the stuff to the right of my dresser is stuff I want to get rid of. Maternity clothes, etc. ALL of the stuff on top of the dresser by the crib is too small for the baby.
3. Empty my closet of everything that isn't getting used - and that's most of it.

If I can just get the unused stuff OUT, and the used stuff put away, it will make a world of difference.

[mightymoo]

Originally Posted by Miss Juice

I get tons of stuff folded - 3 or 4 baskets usually. Then something pulls me away, I never get it put away properly, it ends up stacked on the floor at bedtime, people root through piles and baskets looking for clean undies, and eventually it looks like... well, like the pictures you're about to see.

Welcome to the challenge!
I'm surprised at how fast I could get through my stuff once I set my mind to it. It really isn't all that hard when you realize as you do that the stuff is not needed or used.

I used to have this laundry problem. It would get washed and maybe folded, but not put away. I started switching to folding right wherever the things go and putting them aways as I fold them, one at a time. So, since DH and I and DS clothes are kept in the bedroom, I do ours there right in front of my closet, while throwing anything I find of DD's in a basket. When I'm done with the stuff in my bedroom I go to DD's bedroom and put things away from there. So, while things do get left in baskets for a while unfolded, they no longer get folded and left. It works so much better for me. I originally adopted it becuase I spent way too much of my laundry time being mad at the kids for messing up what I was trying to fold. This way they can't mess anything up, and it doesn't get left out.

[anthasam]

Originally Posted by greenmansions

...
It seems like after being in maternity clothes and then the baggy clothes phase after birthing, I went back to my old clothes and had a lot of clarity about what I will and will not wear again.
...

I am in the same boat! Plus, I am back to my pre-pre-pregnancy size and have a lot of stuff that is just too big. Right now, DH has about 3 times the amount of clothes that I have (and I still think I have too much!) :

[anthasam]

My bedroom

MY MASTER BEDROOM PICTURE TOUR
Bed
Long view of room
Dressers, small closet
Long view toward bathroom
Back to bed corner

WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT MY MASTER BEDROOM
or the "Things we already changed/updated list"
- 2 large closets (DH installed a light and shelves in the smaller one)
- new wood floor we installed
- new paint on walls and trim
- Our king-sized Pacific Rim bed and latex mattress

WHAT I LIKE LEAST ABOUT MY MASTER BEDROOM
- It tends to be dark (2 windows on north side of house)
- I'm not thrilled about the current layout, but we co-sleep w/DD and we need the bed against the wall. Her crib is in our room so she can play safely while I shower each day. (She likes to be able to see me in the bathroom, talk to me, etc)
- Our bed gets made every day, but it looks sloppy because of the wall. (We have a platform bed and a crib bumper shoved between the mattress and wall, so we can't easily tuck anything in over there. DD insists on sleeping "neck-u wall" so that has to stay.)
- I'm not a fan of the dog crate, but our curmudgeonly beagle needs containment at night. (And we have a bed for our other dog.)

HOT SPOTS
Any flat surface :
Specifically: the double dresser & top of chest

MY PLAN OF ACTION
1) Declutter DD's crib toys. Put away soft books, etc for next baby (: ) Get rid of that basket which encouages me to pile stuff...

2) Declutter my clothes and many of DH's clothes.

3) Artwork? Pictures?

[rainyday]

Miss Juice, I LOVE your walls! Your bedroom is going to look amazing at the end of the month with that fabulous wall color and everything cleaned up.

[Miss Juice]

Originally Posted by mightymoo

I started switching to folding right wherever the things go and putting them aways as I fold them, one at a time. So, since DH and I and DS clothes are kept in the bedroom, I do ours there right in front of my closet, while throwing anything I find of DD's in a basket. When I'm done with the stuff in my bedroom I go to DD's bedroom and put things away from there. So, while things do get left in baskets for a while unfolded, they no longer get folded and left. It works so much better for me. I originally adopted it becuase I spent way too much of my laundry time being mad at the kids for messing up what I was trying to fold. This way they can't mess anything up, and it doesn't get left out.

OK, now THAT is a system that has potential. I could take my 4 baskets of laundry and sort them into unfolded baskets by owner (or destination), and then do the folding and putting away there. Hmmmm. Might just work! I'm going to try it. I DEFINTELY spend too much time being aggravated at people for undoing my work.

: I see your name, I see your avatar, and I want to say "mighty meow"

Originally Posted by anthasam

MY MASTER BEDROOM PICTURE TOUR
I'm feeling a little shy about this one.

It can't be worse than what i just posted. Can it?

Originally Posted by rainyday

Miss Juice, I LOVE your walls! Your bedroom is going to look amazing at the end of the month with that fabulous wall color and everything cleaned up.

Thank you! We painted it ourselves. It was a dark, smoky lavender before. Though that actually sounds kind of nice - this was just oppressive.

I'm quite psyched about this. I think I'm changing my plan so that order #1 is actually cleaning out the closet, so I have a place to put some of the other stuff as I go through it.

[SkylarJulesmom]

I'm new and I'm in!!

Hello! I'm new to these boards! This is my very first post! I have been lurking around and reading other posts (alot of which has helped out even though I didn't post threads.) I wanted to join the Feb. Kitchen Challenge, but we were in the middle of our own Kids Room Challenge! LOL Kids room is now finished and I'm ready to take on the Master Bedroom! I'm happy this one is going on because I've really wanted to clean out and declutter this room for months! Ok so here I go!...

MY MASTER BEDROOM PICTURE TOUR: our masterbedroom tour!


WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT MY MASTER BEDROOM:
Its huge! We moved here 2 yrs ago from a basement apt. with a bedroom size of 10x12 (And that was the master!) now our bedroom size is 14x16 Approx. and we get alot of light in there!

WHAT I LIKE LEAST ABOUT MY MASTER BEDROOM:
No place to put anything! Our closet is a big void I would love to put shelves in it but right now we have just a rod with a shelf above. Things just seem to ooze onto the floor, clothing falls off hangers never to be found again! LOL
I don't have a head board for my bed so it tends to look messy even when we make it! Plus its on wheels and rolls away from the wall and pillows fall behind it!

HOT SPOTS: Where do I start?!? Pick a place any place!

MY PLAN OF ACTION:

I've begun painting last weekend, our entire apt. is/was painted the same ugly color (a cross between yellow and mustard and coffee!) So I'm on a personal mission to oblitarate that color from the house! I choose bird's egg blue for the color of the walls with white for the trims! All I have left to paint is the ceiling! (I know I work backwards)

Next I plan on cleaning out the closet I have boxes of pictures in there on the shelf that I would like to someday scrapbook! So I plan on moving those out of the room and into the craft area.

My sister gave me her old dressers and we recently changed them over from ours Much nicer a little fancier tough to get used to but getting there! I would like to go to Ikea and get a Billy book shelf for all dhs videos and games!

If I can do all this and keep the kids toys out at the same time I'm doing good!

[BinahYeteirah]

bs"d

MY MASTER BEDROOM PICTURE TOUR: Hopefully I will add this later.

WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT MY MASTER BEDROOM: It has a good amount of light during the day. I never have to turn on lights in the room when the sun is out, even when the blinds are closed.

WHAT I LIKE LEAST ABOUT MY MASTER BEDROOM: It is too small for all that we have to fit into it. We live in a small 2-bedroom apartment. Dh and I each have our own bed, plus our computer and my sewing area all live in our bedroom, so it is a very multi-purpose room. It is very cramped! I also hate the carpet. The color is fine; I just hate carpet in general. It gets so nasty and dirty. There is not enough storage.

HOT SPOTS: Under Dh's loft bed is my sewing area and it needs major help. My ironing board is there and is always piled with stuff. I also have a full box of stuff I hope to sell "someday" in that area. I have a safety barrier around our heater and that is usually festooned with clothing. One section of the closet is a place where stuff seems to collect.

MY PLAN OF ACTION:
--Have carpets cleaned
--Go through stuff in closet and try to organize better
--Maybe install as shelf or something for my sewing supplies since they really don't have a home
--Organize the computer wires
--Go through everything looking for chametz (leaven; Passover is coming).

[KKmama]

Originally Posted by Miss Juice

Technically I think it would be Bedminton :

OK, I am soooo in on this. Pics and all. Our bedroom is The. Worst. Room. In. The. House. I am determined to stop the neverending cycle of laundry PAIN. I use our bed as a folding surface. I get tons of stuff folded - 3 or 4 baskets usually. Then something pulls me away, I never get it put away properly, it ends up stacked on the floor at bedtime, people root through piles and baskets looking for clean undies, and eventually it looks like... well, like the pictures you're about to see.

You're all going to hold my hand and be nice to me, right? This is hard. Thank goddess we have 31 days this month.

I am not tidying up before I take pics because this really and truly is what it looks like every day. To tidy up would be to lie.

MY MASTER BEDROOM PICTURE TOUR
I cannot believe I am actually posting this.
Hugs and words of support and encouragement would be welcome :

Juice, we can be in this together. Notice that I didn't post pix.

Re laundry... I try to get the boys to help me (esp. T--very much a "let's do it together, let's race, help me and then we can go play a game" kind of thing). Also, my laundry folding strategy: I pick things off the drying racks by person, fold them, and put them directly into a laundry basket (ie, L's go in the bottom, then Z's on top of her stuff, then T's, then mine, then dh's). Anything which needs to go in the linen closet (downstairs) goes on top and I hit that on the way to the stairs. The laundry basket with the folded laundry sits at the base of the stairs till I go up next, then I take it up. I put a stack on everyone's dresser, and they're supposed to put it away themselves (obviously, I put away the baby's, and I help Z).

If it helps you any, my br is the opposite of yours. Just think bare (to the point of barren). That's not nice, either. I really like that shade of yellow, btw.

[Kateana]

I am so-o-o excited about this challenge. I took pics already, and got started, but something is amiss with my internet connection (or SOMEthing), so I can't post my pics to blogger just yet (it seriously takes at least a half hour for the page to load! - some sites work fine, some are painfully slow). : Anyways, this is a big, overdue project for me... our MB is OK as far as clutter, etc, but it's so big and all we do is sleep and store clothes in there; lots of wasted space. Our craft room is tiny and too cluttered to do anything in. So we're swapping rooms. Two for one. Woo-hoo!

Oh, and I can't view anyone's pics, as those sites tend to take forever to load, too. :