In the past few weeks, I've received the same question from several different readers asking for more specifics on how we installed our garage shelving system. I realize now that I clearly didn't provide enough information about our wall-mounted shelves and drawers in my previous garage organizing posts, so today I'm going to break down all the details.

Kids' Art Display & Organizing School Papers {Five Minute Friday}

When designing my boys' shared bedroom, I wanted to create a space that was stylish and fun, but also comfortable and functional! I added tons of storage for all their toys and books - low shelves that wrap the corner, a stylish cabinet on the other side of the room, and even hidden drawers in the bunk bed stairs. 

But with both boys in elementary school now, art and school papers were starting to pile up on every surface. Each week, the boys and I go through their papers to decide what is important to keep and what can be recycled. I want them to be part of the process, and I don't want to get rid of anything that feels important to them, but it usually turns out that it's almost all "very important" in the moment. 

I've discovered that we're better off keeping most of their art and papers until the end of each semester, and then when we sort through it after a little time has passed, it's much easier for them to choose just their favorites and the work they are most proud of. In order to make this system work, I decided to take advantage of the wall space in the corner of their room to give the kids a new place to display their art and keep their school papers organized.

How Lighting Affects Interior Design & How to Choose a Color Scheme

This post is sponsored by Babbleboxx on behalf of Soraa.

Whether I'm designing a space for my own home or for a client, selecting colors is always where I start. Sometimes I find a piece of art or a rug that I love, and I build a decor color scheme around that, but more often, I begin by thinking about the mood I want to create in the space, and then I look for color palette inspiration. 

HOW LIGHTING AFFECTS INTERIOR DESIGN

When choosing a color palette, it's important to keep in mind how the lighting of the space will affect the color.

Update Laminate Countertops with Paint Using Rustoleum Countertop Transformations

I have received a few questions from readers lately asking for DIY kitchen update ideas that provide a high end look without a renovation budget. Painting kitchen cabinets is always a good option (and I've got a tutorial to help you get a professional, even finish), but another of my favorite tips is to update kitchen counters on a budget with paint to create the look of high end stone.

A while back I wrote a post about how to use a Rust-Oleum Countertop Transformations Kit to DIY granite look countertops, but my tutorial was buried in the middle of a post about my upcycled bar cart, where you would probably never find it. The recent reader questions about kitchen updates made me realize that it was finally time to create a separate post about how to paint laminate countertops to look like granite.

How to Protect Your Family From Carbon Monoxide

Thank you First Alert for sponsoring this post. Don’t let the beep steal your sleep.

We do so many things to keep our families safe, but sometimes the simplest precautions are the most likely to get overlooked. Take carbon monoxide detectors for example. Do you have them throughout your home and are you certain they are in good working order?

I'm ashamed to say that, until recently, this was a NO for us! Our home was a built a year before a law in Colorado began requiring carbon monoxide detectors went into effect, so none were installed when we bought the home. When our first baby was born three years after we moved in to our house, we finally bought a CO detector for the nursery and for our bedroom. But six years later, these were still the only rooms in our home that were protected. 

I won't even pretend to make excuses for this... it's just a flat out bad decision! Even if you are a step ahead of us and already have carbon monoxide detectors throughout your home, there's a good chance they could be expired or expiring soon. I've committed to take the simple step necessary to keep my family safe, and I'm proud to be partnering with First Alert to make sure that your family is protected as well!

Clean Up After Painting: How to Clean Paint Brushes and Get Paint Off Hands

Any day is a good day to paint! Whether I'm creating art with the kids, painting furniture, or changing the color of your walls, I'm always having fun, but I used to dread the clean up. That is, until I learned a couple of simple tricks that save me lots of time. Whether you're using acrylic paint for arts and crafts, latex or oil-based paint on your walls, or wood stain, I'll let you in on my secret for how to clean paint brushes and how to get paint off your hands.

How to Choose the Right Moving Glass Wall System For Your Home

Summer is in full swing and we are practically living in our backyard. I work out there in the mornings, the boys play all afternoon, then it's time for dinner on the patio, and we've even been reading the boys library books under the glow of our patio string lights before bed. I absolutely love the outdoor room we've created, but the one thing that would make it better transition between indoors and out. My dream is a wide open moving glass wall system that looks something like this...

Making the Kids' Room Safer and More Fun With Onelink Safe & Sound

Thank you First Alert Onelink for sponsoring this post. Onelink Safe & Sound - Meet Your Family’s New Best Friend. #ONELINKSTORY

Last summer, we started adding some smart home features to our house, including keyless locks, light bulbs we can control with our phones, and even a smart garage door opener. I love the convenience each of these adds to our lives, but more than that, I love the ways in which they make our home a safer place for our family. 

Recently we added one more smart home addition that has quickly jumped straight to the top of my favorites list. We installed the First Alert Onelink Safe & Sound smart smoke detector and carbon monoxide alarm in the boys' room to help keep them safe, which mom and dad love! But it's more than just that... it's also an Alexa enabled premium speaker and nightlight, which the boys are just crazy about!

How to Properly Store, Dispose Of, and Recycle Paint and Paint Cans

As a serial DIYer, I'm always repainting the walls in our house, and painting just about everything else in sight with spray paint. That leaves us with a lot of leftover paint and, in time, a lot of empty paint cans. We have a very small utility room and a detached, unheated garage, so I had a lot of questions about how and where I could safely store my leftover paint, and how to properly dispose of paint and paint cans.

I did a lot of research regarding both paint storage and disposal options, and learned that we could recycle some of our leftover paint, as well as recycling all of our empty paint cans. Today I'm sharing all the findings of my research with some helpful tips for how to store leftover paint, how to dispose of leftover paint, and how to recycle paint cans.

Small Utility Room Shelving Solution & the Best Way to Organize Paint Supplies

Having a fully finished basement adds a lot of livable square footage to our house, but it also means that there's almost no storage space. But you know I love a good challenge, so we worked our magic and managed to squeeze in some much needed utility room shelving and organized every available inch of space.