Ready, Set, Organize: Build A Wall Command Center


Command Centers are all the rage now-a-days. I'm pretty late to the train but glad I finally got on board. About 8 months ago one of my friends gave me the suggestion of making a command center. I saw many on Pinterest that were super cute, I had a blank wall, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

Over the past 6 months I have slowly been turning my hallway wall into a command center. What is a command center you may ask: Well the best I way I can explain it is that it's a go-to area for mail, calendar, to-go list, notes, memo, etc. Think of it as the business hub of your home.

Some things that were necessary for my command center was a calendar, pin board, mail area, and a clock. I wanted to stay on a small budget with this thing so I was careful in my planning and purchasing. To add a bit of jazz to this command center I used chalkboard paint as a background for the wall. This was my first time using it and I love it!


I painted the wall about 6 months ago and my daughter and her friends have had a good time drawing and writing on it. Here's how I addressed the area of my command center

Mailboxes:
Our kitchen counter is generally covered with mail. To address that I decided we would have a dedicated area for mail. I had some thrifted file folders on hand that I figured would be good to hold mail. I spray painted them bronze and turned them on their side. They were a dollar a piece..talk about bargain!


Calendar:
Although it is only 3 of us in the house, we have quite a busy schedule. Keeping up with dates can be somewhat of a challenge, so having a calendar is a must. Since this is a wall command center I knew it would need to be oversized. I purchased a desk calendar from Target for about $8 that fit perfectly.


Notes/Memo:
Our daughter gets a million little notes and reminders from school. I knew a pin board would be needed to keep all this together. I used small corkboard squares to gather all of the random notes we get. Another thing that is important is to just leave messages in general for each other. We don't always work the same schedule so leaving reminder messages on the board is a great way to quickly pass a reminder.


Clock:
Time management is a must in every house. The message board is right outside of the bathroom. We all tend to use the same shower, although we have more, we favor the water pressure and size of our daughter's bathroom. In the mornings, we easily lose track of time. Now we have a clock right where we need it! ....when I ran across this clock in Target's clearance section, I knew I have to have it! I love it! Can you tell?


Lastly, I added this bowl I found at Goodwill $3.00 to collect pens, pins, dry erase markers, chalk and anything else we need.


Putting this wall together was a blast! Loved-loved-loved doing it! Truth is, I am so unorganized that I need this in my life. It's a shame it took 6 months to get this done, this easily could be done over the weekend. But hey, it's done now!


Here is how it all looks together!


Now that is is all finished, we have been enjoying using it!


How to Plan a Room Makeover with Polyvore

One of my favorite online tools I use when planning a room is Polyvore. Polyvore is a site that allows you to make 'sets' or collages of things ranging from fashion to home. Today I wanted to share how you can also use this easy tool, giving you my step by step process. There are some great benefits from using this site:

1. It's a super easy to use tool...that can become quite addictive lol 
2. You can get a great visual on how all the pieces and color/patterns will look together....that way you don't waste money buying items that won't really work all together.
3. All products listed on the site gives you the price point and where you can purchase the items from.....this reduces time in needing to browse a million websites

I primarily used Polyvore when planning my dining room. Here is my 'Chic Dining Room' Set I design:

Although I didn't stick strictly to my original idea, I came pretty close: I added a round white table, the zebra print, a fiddle leaf, two upholstered chairs and two metal style chairs to my dining room.

READ: The Two Year Dining Room Makeover


Polyvore was super useful in planning and executing my dining room makeover!

To do this you will need to first make an account on their site. After getting all logged in, select the option to create a set. (You'll find this on the set menu under the 'more' button.) Once doing that you will come to the blank screen where you can create a collage.


The first thing you want to do is use the search box on the right hand side of the screen to look up items you want in your room. I pick my larger items first and then begin to build around it. In my set, I am starting with a bed. 

 
Next I begin to add pillows. Pillows are a great way to add color and texture to the room. I added a pink and white furry pillow. When clicking the image you will see the options to remove, flop, flip, clone, forwards, and backwards. To achieve a layered look you can place some images behind the other. Here you can see I placed the white pillow behind the pink pillow, similar to how it may look if on a bed. Also note the three image buttons that comes up. I'll explain more on that a little later in the post.


As you begin to build your room think about the kind of look you are going for...what colors do you want to pull together or what decor style will you be using. I wanted something that had an unexpected piece, such as this nightstand. As I mentioned above, it's great that you can see everything and get a feel for how it will all look together. I added artwork, a plant, more pillows and a cowhide rug. 


You may notice that I did some re-arranging and moved my pillows to the bed. Some of the images on the site has a write border around the image. The white border can get in the way, so a great way to get rid of this is to crop. When clicking on the image you will see three images examples (that I mentioned above) of the images. One with the white background, one with a transparent background and a custom option. Choose the custom option to get a better crop on the image. On that menu you will have the option to crop yourself or use the provided crops. I used the provided crops.


With everything put together I decided against the dresser. So I instead swapped it out with two side tables. You can easily remove an image by selecting it and selecting the remove button or delete key on your keyboard.


When I had everything completed I named my set as 'Tween Glam Room'. You can add text to your set by choose text from the embellishment menu on the bottom of the right side of the screen. The font and text can be updated using the font menu that appears after selecting your initial font.


Lastly, you will need to publish your set. Give it a name that represents your project so that you can easily remember why you created it.



After everything is completed, you will have your own room on the screen that will help you with planning. I love putting these together. It helps me stay on track when decorating a room and also, give me the opportunity to come up some DIY projects. (I'm thinking of how I can DIY this feather chandy!)



You may have noticed that a lot of the price points are pretty high or you might not find exactly what you need. If you run into this, you can use the clipping tool offered by Polyvore. This allows you to clip items from the web to use within your collage. Find out more about this option: HERE.

Now what do you think of this site? Will you be giving it a try, or do you already have an account? If so, leave your handle in the comments so I can see your great work!

If you would like to follow me you can do so here: http://alayadonetta.polyvore.com/ 

5 Senses Valentine's Day Gift Guides

It's that time of the year, Valentine's Day! Valentine's Day is hands down my favorite holiday! ....or may be a close runner up behind New Year's Day. Either way, I find that finding the perfect gift for your loved one on this day can sometimes be difficult.

A couple of years ago I heard of the 5 Senses Gift idea. The jist of the idea is to give one gift that caters to each sense: sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell. You can package these gifts together care package style or buy any one of these individual gifts by itself. Today I've done the heavy lifting for you and have put together some gift guides for Her and Him.

Gift Guide for HER:



TASTE:
2-Piece Pink Foil Stemless Glass Set - $10 | Ferrer Rocher Chocolates
TOUCH:
In Home or Professional Massage | Massage Oil & Goodnight Spray - $30
HEAR:
Earbuds w/ Mic and Carrying Case - $16 | Beats Pill Portable Speaker - $229
SIGHT:
Nars Duo Eyeshadow - $35 | Spitfit Round Sunglasses - $31
SMELL:
Dozen Roses | Bath & Body Works Candle - $14.50

Gift Guide for HIM:


TASTE:
Libbey Craft Beer Set - $25 | Starbucks Gift Card
TOUCH:
SMELL:
Cologne
SIGHT:
Sporting Event Tickets
HEAR:

The main thing with doing the 5 Senses Gifts is the presentation. Be sure to explain to your loved one the meaning and to relate the senses with each gift. You can package these gifts in multiple boxes stacked together and secured with a ribbon or in one big box.

Need more Valentine's Day gift ideas? Check out my other post!

Pantone's Color of the Year - Greenery: Ways to Add to Your Home


Are you curious what the Pantone color of the year is all about? Every year, in December, Pantone releases a color that they choose as the color of the year. From their site Pantone says:

What is the PANTONE Color of the Year?
"A symbolic color selection; a color snapshot of what we see taking place in our global culture that serves as an expression of a mood and an attitude."

I am usually on board for their color choices and this year's color is no exception. I don't decorate much with green, outside of my faux and real plants, but I have seen beautifully decorated places that is fully infused with this color. You can add this color to your house in a large or small scale way. 
My favorite large scale use of this color is palm leaves wallpaper. This wallpaper called Wildly White from FlavorPaper is certain to turn some heads and is a great way to add some jazz to your space

In addition to wallpaper you can add large furniture or rugs.
On a small scale you can add these colors through accents pieces such as throws, pillows, vases or small accent furniture. 
Also, actual plants, real or faux, are a great idea for incorporating this color.
I am not totally surprised about this color choice. The social stance over the last few years has been about going green and rejuvenating our environment. Green always gives this feelings so this color choice is right in line with social trends. 
What is your opinion of this color? Will you be adding it to your home? Share with me!