Notice the booklets on the right front corner of the vanity. The bottom booklet is from a dance weekend that Bill & I travelled to last July! I think maybe this cleanup has been needed for a lot longer than just since Christmas!
By 11:00 the vanity looked like this:
Isn’t it lovely?
This vanity belonged to Bill’s mom and she gave it to Kat when we moved from New York back in 1995. Kat used it for several years, but then she asked me to hang on to it for her until she asked for it back. I have been happy to do so and will miss it when she decides she has a place for it again.
If you look into the mirror, you’ll see a reflection of the dresser that Bill & I share. A bit of a mess also, isn’t it?
Are you ready for the transformation?
Here it is at 12:30, finished:
The jewelry boxes are organized and full; I think there is one small compartment left empty. My Contentment necklace drapes over top of the mirror and there are abundant flowers. I love it!
I had originally purchased the corkboards to hang necklaces and earrings from, but changed my mind after I purchased the larger jewelry box last week. That provided me with plenty of room for necklaces. Instead I am going to use them to hang mementoes, pictures, and sundry other items. Right now I have several crocheted hearts, my corsage from Charles & Rebecca’s wedding, and an Unschooling bumper sticker that I love.
I need to find some double-sided tape for the flowers; they are stuck on with straight pins for the time being.
So many treasures.
The small wooden box on the left belonged to Bill’s mother and has the initials of her mother (L.A.C.) inscribed on the inside. The little blue pot in the back is a Navajo pot, a memento from the trip we took to the Grand Canyon in 2002 with the kids. The large flat wooden jewelry box was a gift from my sister-in-law, custom made by one of her brothers-in-law.
On top of the jewelry box is a Navajo woven basket with lid, another memento of our 2002 Grand Canyon trip. The small container in front of the jewelry box was an heirloom from Bill’s mom.
The only part of the organization job that is not finished is my earrings. Currently they are all thrown into a baking dish!
I knew when I purchased the jewelry box last week that the earring holder section was not nearly big enough. I’ve looked at several earring “trees” and never really found anything I liked. So I did another search on Amazon and found this
which I promptly ordered. I will let you know how it works out!
Since I was on a roll, I decided to keep on cleaning and tackle the dresser that you saw earlier in the mirror reflection. It looks so much better now!
I finally finished at 1:30, more than ready to take a break and eat some lunch! Four hours – I knew it was going to be a time-consuming job. It felt great this morning when I opened my “to do” list and was able to cross it off, finally! And it feels even better every time I walk into the bedroom and see how pretty it looks!
Your spaces look beautiful. It must be nice to be surrounded by such lovely treasures. Good job on your clean up. I’m not seeing a link or picture for the Amazon earrings find. I’m leaving that last sentence just as I wrote it because it sounds so funny. 🙂
Yeah for clearing things off and tdying up. But even moreso for things that make you smile when you walk in the room. 🙂
You did a wonderful job. I love that you have treasure out to see and remember every day. And it looks so peaceful now.
Thanks, Carol. And yes, it does look peaceful. I am working hard at keeping it looking that way. I hope to post a picture shortly of the earring organizer, which has also worked out well (mostly).