The other side of our Basement

CABIN FEVER is biting me real hard this winter.
Actually for me it's more like a "BASEMENT FEVER"! ;-)

After I fixed up my Decor Stash Closet in the basement, I turned my attention to the rest of this space.

When I shared with you our Updates on the Basement last summer, 

I did not show you the other side of it.

The other side of this end of the room 

And this is that side....

Chaos everywhere

This is the kids area mostly

This is actually the gaming area.

When I say gaming though, I mean VIDEO GAMES.

You guys know how many game consoles are out there, we luckily only have 2, but the mess it makes is just too much.
Also we have our exercise machines here too. Hence, the difficulty in decorating or organizing such a space.

This is it on a good day BEFORE

And this is this side WAY BEFORE

So last Tuesday, I did a bit of a switcheroo with the rugs.
I moved the blue geometric rug on the other side to this side...

A bit better don't you think?

The brown sofa in front of the TV was the very first one we bought (our 1st ever was a hand-me-down), and it was originally pushed against the wall. I moved it closer to the tv.

I also moved our old electric fireplace and flanked my 2 blue vintage chairs at the back to create more seating. The stationary bike & treadmill can now also get a good view of the TV.

Of course, the mismash of old furniture (yup futon has to stay for now) is still gonna be there, but for now, the space is more tolerable and pleasing to the eye.

Now we have comfy seating for us when we watch the kids play

Because everything is better in baskets

I organized their controls in these 2 baskets that I had.
And hung these beehive wall decor from Nate Berkus for Target to house their Disney Infinity and Skylander game accessories!

see

I bought these 2 wall decor a year ago on clearance and never found the space to hang these or use these until now.

Discs in place

My husband bought this shelving online and actually got me started into fixing up this area.

Definitely better

The other side

I also spruced up this side of the space by placing our old rug that has been in my closet to here, and added these 2 side tables to hold more of the kids stuff.

I still need to decorate this space more, and I'm excited, will keep you guys posted for sure.

I''m busy planning for my friends Chinese-themed 50th birthday dinner at our home, so hopefully, I can share that with you too soon!

Have a Great Weekend!

VEL 

 Would love to hear your thoughts! Please share away...

Linking back to...

Thrifty Decor Chick, Linda's Coastal Charm, Fluster Buster, Serenity Now, Friday Favorites, The Shabby Nest, A Tray of Bliss

MY TOP 10 Favorite Oscar Looks for 2015

It's that time of year again that I round up my favorite Oscar Red Carpet Looks!
And as always my favorite Red Carpet to watch did not disappoint!

Do we have the same top 10? Take a look at mine!

1) Lupita Nyong'o's Pearl-studded gown from Calvin Klein

She has never disappointed me so far and this is one of my most favorite for her so far!

2) Jennifer Lopez in a stunning Elie Saab creation

I think no one can ever pull of a number like this other than J LO - well maybe Halle Berry can to?!

3) Reese Witherspoon is this clean and flawless Tom Ford gown

Unlike her character in "WILD" this is definitely tame and classic all the way!

4) Jennifer Aniston in this gorgeous beaded nude number from Versace

With a body like hers, I would wear a gown like this everyday if I could! Fabulous!

5) Julian Moore's smashing Chanel gown

A real winner, no doubt!

6) Lara Spencer in this super simple but ultra-chic hot pink gown

I always love how she looks and this dress is just so her - relaxed and pretty!

7) Dakota Johnson in the prettiest red gown that night by Saint Lauren

Good thing she didn't wear GREY, she looks stunning in this red number.

8) Anna Kednrick in this simple but gorgeous salmon Thakoon gown

This dress isn't spectacular but for her, it's perfect.

9) Faith Hill's gorgeous dress from J. Mendel and that ooh-la-la hairstyle

Faith's modern and glamorous look is just red-carpet fabulous!

10) Felicity Jones' Grey romantic gown from Alexander McQueen

I love the flower detail and the ball gown skirt, it can even be a great wedding gown I think!

And as always, with the BEST, I have to show my not-so-favorites this year.

Laura Dern in Alberta Ferretti

I think it's just too much metal. The cut is really nice, but man, I feel like this gown feels greasy somewhat?!

Nicole Kidman in Louis Vuitton

Nicole usually looks fantastic on the red carpet, but this gown, even though an LV, just looks like fish-scales to me. :-(

Blanca Blanco

Not sure who she is but the gown is just over-the-top!

Lorelei Linklater in Gabriela Cadena

For someone so young, this number is just too much of a mix of everything.

There you have it friends, my picks for 2015.

Did you watch last night? Did I miss your faves? Do share!

Have a Great Week!

VEL 

 Would love to hear your thoughts! Please share away...

Furniture that can grow up with your kid - Part 2

There are so many "kid Furnitures" out there that are so versatile that I just had to post about it one more time! If you missed my first round-up, you can check it out HERE.

This time around, I'm heading off to Pottery Barn Kids and Teens.

Maison Book Case

I want this in my own room!

Emery Dresser

Tatum Extra-wide dresser

Gemma Campaign Extra wide dresser

Indigo Woven Side Table

Bubble Side table

Zoe Dresser

Lots of nice stuff right? From the bedroom and beyond, kids furniture have truly come a long way!

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

VEL 

 Would love to hear your thoughts! Please share away...

Play Space for Sophia

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had a great Valentine weekend. 

The family and I went to a party and while the kids swam, the parents danced! ;-)

Anyway, back to reality. I wanted to share with you Sophia's Current "play Space" by our living room.

The many things we get for our baby's 'happiness (& ours)

Currently my MIL is taking care of dear Sophia until June.  When she leaves, we plan NOT to send her to Day care and hire a day time nanny to be with her at home.

And with that, we had to ensure that Sophia will have her basic necessities outside of our room too since I'm still not sure when I could get the nursery done. This space will hopefully be only temporary.

We have this small space in between the living room & breakfast area. It's also the door way leading up to the pool. But knowing that that door will be used only during the summer, we decided to stash all of her stuff here. And hence, the problem.

My mis-trial rug

I tried putting this green tile carpet I bought from Home-depot, but I didn't think it looked good...

I want to make this a bit more pleasing on the eye and not just a mish-mash of her things. 

Something like this...

Sophia's Space

I know I just added a rug. But just like what a tray does to coral our table vignettes, I think a good rug can anchor a space very well too.

I'm still at a loss on what to do.
Do you have any suggestions?


Have a Nice day!

VEL

Skeleton Closet NO MORE - Part 1

I'm sure you still remember my super messy and chaotic Decor Stash Closet/ Room??

Yes, have to show this again.. 

I mean, who could forget (well actually it is quite forgettable or something you'd wanna forget) this space???? I still see it in my sleep, a real nightmare!

Anyway, I did it! Fixed up and spruced it up and I'm pretty pleased for now.

Take a look...

Not bad eh?!

 I added these inexpensive plastic shelves I bought from Menards.
And purged a lot and gave it to Goodwill.

Happy "Shopping" in my home from now on

 The pillows up top are usually inside zipped bags I scored from the Dollar Store to keep the dust away!

Bottom organization

 I placed all the wall decor and frames here along with all the basket, some seasonal stuff and sewing supplies.

This is the other side of the room...

Much better

 The black drawer bins contains gloves, scarves, mittens and hats for winter storage.

Master Bedroom Comforters organized!

 I moved the comforters out of Sophia's closet here. And I am happy to free up her closet for her own things finally! Now I can begin fixing it up too!

I hung other pillow covers on the side of the shelving. And placed other room pillows here too.

It's still needs a lot of tweaking, like changing the floors and painting the room (I do want it to look good like the rest of the basement), and I need to add peg boards to display wall-arts I have hanging around.

But after, the very SAD BEFORE  I am pretty shopping in my HAPPY AFTER!!!!

Have a Great Valentine Weekend!

VEL 

 Would love to hear your thoughts! Please share away...

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Six on Saturday

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A little bird told me Linky Party, Frugal Friday, Five Star Frugal Link up, Pin Junkie Pin party, Serenity Now, Friday Favorites, Thrifty Decor Chick, Linda's Coastal Charm, Fluster Buster, Dwellings the heart of your home

Skeleton Closets

Hello Friends!

First of all, thank you for all your kind words of sympathies on my friends demise.
There is still sadness in my heart but of course, life has to go on.
And so today, I share with you these:

Nope, this is not about a closet full of skeletons...

source

I'm sure if it was, you'd stop reading right now and never return to this blog! LOL!

It's about those closets that we all wish WE DIDN'T HAVE.

I take that back, I still want the closet, it's just how it looks in it's current state that I DON'T WANT TO HAVE.

First up, Sophia's Closet/Linen Closet

Only one side of the closet

 You see our Master Bedroom linen is stashed up in my little Sophia's closet on the other side (Sorry, forgot to take a picture since I just moved some of the stuff out already).

 And since we're so close to doing the nursery, I better get rid of our stuff fast and stash it somewhere!
The problem is these bulky comforters just take up so much space ( I promise never to buy these again, will just buy lovely duvets which are easy to store and keep from now on!).

Second Closet - Decor Stash Closet/room

Since you all know I'm an avid Redecorator, I have a lot of stuff that needs to be stashed in a room .
This is that room in it's current chaotic state....

I know, horrible isn't it?!

Mishmash of stuff!

Sad but true, this room exists in my house.
I need to re-organize this fast since I need to know what I really have and don't have and appreciate what I have more!

There's a HUGE lamp in there somewhere????

Also, I want to make "shopping in my home" a little more fun too!
This space just needs a good cleaning, purging and organizing I think and it will be ok (easier said than done, ha!)!

Anyhow, now you've seen my "skeletons in the closet" , I mean, "Skeleton closets" I hope you don't judge my messy little self. After all, I'm not proud of these spaces, but I thought I'd put it out there to motivate me more to FIX IT UP!

 I can see a solution forming in my mind and I know with a little elbow grease I can fix these messy spaces soon!!!!

I better get my apron and cleaning gears on, I will surely keep you posted!

How about you, do you have 'secret' "Skeleton Closets" in your home too?

Hope your havin' a Mess-Free day!

VEL 

 Would love to hear your thoughts! Please share away...