April 2012

Although it's not a tutorial, this post is something I'm very excited to share! As we have just moved into a new house and are finally homeowners again (Yea!), I have become overwhelmed with the home decor side of home ownership. I have so many ideas and so much I want to do, but very little time and money to do it with. I also have been out of the home decor world for so long while we were renters that I never know where to go to get what I want and where I might stumble upon something perfect for one of the many "work in progress" rooms in my house.

Enter the DIY Home Decor Organizer & Quick Reference!

I needed a place to keep track of all my paint colors and fabrics that was light weight and easy to carry so I could have it with my all the time. I found that I would remember to bring the paint chips/fabric samples when I took a trip to Home Depot or Garden Ridge, because the odds of finding a potential treasure for the house was high. But I also found that I sometimes didn't have them with me when I was running other errands and had to either guess if something was the right color, or just leave it behind and hope to remember the color chips next time.

So I did some dollar bin digging at Target and bought one of those thin plastic picture albums for $1 to hold all my home decor sample and chips. It's the perfect solution! I am still working on the right order, but basically each room that is not completed (a.k.a. every room in my house!) has a few sleeves in the organizer that I stash all the paint chips, fabric samples, measurements, etc. that go in that space. So easy! So perfect!

I also plan to make a 'measurements' cheat sheet for all the rooms that will help me keep track of the dimensions for all the walls, windows, doors, etc.

And since this is a photo album I plan on taking pictures of what gets added/made for each room as it's completed to add to the organizer.

I have also found that it helps to have paint chips in the organizer for things other than the wall paint. For example, I have some in my master bedroom section to match the color of my duvet, and others in the dining room section that match the color of the rug. This protects me from any color variations that will come from my lack luster photography skills as I take pictures of those items.

I still have some rooms to add to the DIY Home Decor Organizer & Quick Reference, but it's serving it's purpose now and will be something I keep with me for years as this house grows with us!