Quick note: Tonight we’ll be in Minneapolis at the West Elm on 3879 Gallagher Drive for cookies, cocoa, and a book signing at 6pm (we hear this parking lot is small, but there’s a larger lot at a nearby Macy’s as well as a ramp that leads to a parking garage which should hopefully help – as will getting there early, carpooling, or getting dropped off). More info here. We’d love to see ya there!
Remember how you guys were asking us to take photos of the holy-cow-that’s-crazy playroom packed with secret book projects, stuff for our yard sale, and future projects so we could share them when the book was finally out? Well, I don’t think you’re ready for this jelly…
Were you ready? I told you it was crazy! But thankfully now that the secret book projects are out of the bag, we can share the insanity with you (since it’s no longer a spoiler for you to see our partially stenciled wall, the gray trim around that window, the green planter, that wooden headboard, the yellow branch wreath, or anything else that you might recognize from zee book).
Here’s a vertical shot. Just as crazy, right?
So when my mom came out for a visit a little while ago, we decided to tackle it together (me + mom = organizing nerdfest). Literally the second I put Clara down for her nap it was as if someone fired some imaginary gun at the starting line and we shot off in different directions to get that room cleaned up. Completely comical.
When you’re dealing with such an extreme volume of things that need to be sorted (since some were book projects that were going to be auctioned for charity, other things were going to be yard saled, and other items are still waiting to be made over and used in future rooms like the sunroom, Clara’s big girl room, the guest room, etc) – the first step is definitely clearing the room. So we scurried to bring everything out into the entryway, where there was more floor space for sorting. We had three zones going on:
- one spot for yard sale stuff
- one spot for the book auction items
- one spot for things going back into the playroom for future projects
Most of what you see in this picture are things that were going back into the room (the luggage goes in that closet, those shelves are for a future project, etc). And there’s my mom going through all the gift bags that I save to reuse (she was almost entirely on closet-duty, so she got to play with things like tissue paper, gift bags, and ribbon while I sorted things for yard sale and auction piles.
About an hour and a half later, we could see most of the room again! It was weird. Like those dreams that you have of discovering an extra room. Tip: don’t fill a room with junk and you won’t feel like you’re discovering said room after hours of cleaning it out.
Sure enough, as the cluttered playroom got emptier, the areas in the entryway (and the adjoined hallway) got crazier. This was our yard sale pillow pile. Yikes. Note: You can read more about how the yard sale went here.
Here’s what the room looked like after we loaded things back in (the items under the window were smaller auction items that we didn’t want to leave out in the sunroom with the bigger ones, so they’re actually gone now). But the rest of everything is still in there since we put the yard sale stuff into the sunroom to keep it separated. Oh and you’ll notice that we tossed up the old curtains from our bedroom just to keep them hung so they’re not wadded up in some closet (but clearly they still need to be ironed/retrained so they don’t look all ganked up).
Still looks pretty darn cluttered, but it’s not nearly as bad as it looked a few hours earlier. Whew. Thanks momma!
Here’s the view looking back at the daybed (Clara’s future big-girl bed) covered with pillows (yes, I have a pillow problem, but in my defense we still have a daybed in the sunroom and Clara’s big girl room to use them for). Then maybe we’ll need to have another yard sale… haha.
See that big rectangle of blue paint? Just another wall we painted for book shooting. That wall actually got painted three times (navy for a headboard project, paprica red for cloud shelves we made, and then blue for a tip about not painting all the way up to the ceiling). It’s crazy to think about how many things we painted and repainted back in January! Oh and see that green chair and twig mirror in the bottom corner of this pic? Those are book auction items, so they’re cleared out and no longer on the floor.
Speaking of the auction, we made $500 for charity thanks to generous locals who bid on our secret book stuff in the silent auction last week at the R. Home for the Holidays event. Woot! We’re so thankful to you guys for giving those items a good home. And we wish we could have opened up the bidding up to a wider span (nationally or even internationally) but shipping things (many of which were large and heavy) made it too complicated for a two person “company” like us (it also would have diminished a lot of the profit we were trying to make for the charity). But to any locals who went home with something, we’d love to see pics of things in your rooms! And to anyone else anywhere in the globe, if you DIY anything from the book (since you’ve definitely got the info on what we used/how we did it) of course we’d love to see those pics!
As for the closet, here’s my mom’s handiwork. She’s awesome, eh? I think sorting all of my gift bags and ribbon might have been the highlight of her trip. Well, that and seeing sweet Clara of course. Ok, Clara wins.
Oh and see that weird line of paint to the left of the closet in the pic above? Yet another wall that we painted at least three times for book backdrops. We so crazy.
Ahhh, but behold: nothing’s in the entryway or the hallway anymore. Can I get a what what?
I hope these long awaited playroom before and not-as-bad-now pics were fun for you guys. Seriously, this before picture gives me the willies:
Please tell me you guys at least have a closet or a junk drawer that’s looking pretty hairy, just so I don’t feel so alone. Haha. And you know what partially clearing out this room means… we’re one step closer to converting it into Clara’s big girl room (although we still have the hall bathroom and the basement to finish along with an untouched sunroom, carport, and guest bathroom). You know we’re all over the place, so it’s only a matter of time before we bounce in there too. Bring on the paint, the fabric, and the moose lamp!
Update: Nope, I’m not prego! Maybe I need to add an update to this post? Yup, I’m doing it. I, Sherry, hereby solemnly swear that I’m not with child. Haha. Spread the word!
Deidra says
I have a back bedroom that looks only marginally better than that. My parents get here Saturday night and that will be there home base for a week. Eeeps! Better start digging out. I wish I had a garage…
Elisa says
Wow, I don’t think I’m breaking any news, but lord this posts reminds me how busy you guys are!
We were happy to cut our last clutter-closet with the birth of our daughter – gotta put all those cute outfits somewhere!
jessibee says
What what! Yup, organizing…I love it! Not sarcastic I swear!
I do have a junk drawer that seems to be getting out of hand so it’s on my list.
I have (and love!) those pillow covers from Ikea. I actually found three of them in As-Is! Cheapo high five please!
I FINALLY got “the book” yesterday and I am slowly savoring my way through it. I want to rush but I want it to last forever too!
Megan says
Haha I don’t know how you guys stand the constant inquiries into your reproductive habits. If I type Sherry Petersik into google the first autofill I get is”Sherry Petersik pregnant” and if I type John Petersik the first autofill is “John Petersik gay…” This is beyond ridiculous and a bit ironic. Haha people are very strange…
YoungHouseLove says
No way. That’s crazy and kind of hilarious.
xo,
s
Meagan {Green Motherhood} says
Ack! I don’t think I would have been brave enough to go in there! Thank goodness for your momma!
Can’t wait to see what ya’ll are going to do with her room as she and Isla June will probably be moving into “big girl” rooms around the same time (if our house is finished being built in a timely manner!) But, I’m sad to see that she will loose her big, special closet. *tear*
Enjoy your stop today and take care of your busy selves!
paintergal says
Ya know, your house is close to convincing me that I could live with (and love) a ranch style home. The way you have styled it is so much more inviting than the run-of-the-mill ranch. Good thing to keep in mind when we sell our cottage and move on to our next house.
Katie says
Impressive! Thanks for the inspiration to take back our dining room – just in time for Thanksgiving!! Any chance you and your mom are available to keep me on track? :)
O, and awesome idea with organizing the gift bags – all of the ones I have saved end up getting a little extra wear and tear on our closet floor – until now, or now-ish – it may take me a day or so to get them all hung up…
Larissa says
The overturned lamp in there cracks me up. It’s like “screw it. The room’s a wreck anyway, just throw the lamp wherever.”
Looking forward to seeing you in Dallas!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha totally!!
xo,
s
Renee says
I have one of those rooms too! It’s a really big storage/laundry room that someday we’ll put up a wall and split it into a separate guest room and laundry room. It finally got a little cleared out after a garage sale this summer. But it magically starts to fill back up! What I’m wondering is how in the world did you manage to take pics in there for the book, lol?
YoungHouseLove says
Picture all this stuff piled into the guest room and the sunroom! The chaos just got spread around. Haha.
xo,
s
Katie says
I can’t wait to see the evolution of Clara’s big girl room & turning the nursery into a play room. So excited to see what you guys come up with! My guess would be that your new playroom (old nursery) will be filled with tons of bright colors :)
Erin says
Welcome to the Twin Cities! I was planning on coming to your book signing tonight (I was super excited to meet you), but my husband had to travel for work this week so it’s just me and the kids. My oldest has a Boy Scout meeting tonight where we get a behind the scenes tour of the library and we can’t make it to both events. Although your book signing will have cookies, the library has the kids votes. But hey, I have to admit, I am excited to find out where the books go after we return them in the drop off! Have fun in Minnesota!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Erin! Have fun tonight!
xo,
s
caroline says
im so glad you have a room like this too! unfortunately i cant seem to get rid of much. we have some pricier things that we cant seem to unload on craigslist [we are from a small area].
looking forward to the post holiday purge… thats my favorite!
Natalie Royall says
Inspiration!!! Thank you. I have a room that has office stuff, sewing stuff and hunting (yes hunting!!) stuff. Oh, and 2 doggy beds for their daytime napping pleasure. I’m going to “get on that” this weekend!
On a side note… I love to see your pictures of the book signings and your instagram pics. I love the fact that you have your signature style and you stick w/ what works. You go girl!!
Christa @ a*typicaljourney says
You’ll be thrilled to hear that my entire house looks like the before shot of your playroom right now >_< Have not been home since the weekend to unpack sinc ewe moved on Saturday… I'll be doing this in overdrive the rest of this week!!
Looks great :) Can't wait to see Clara's big girl room!!
Crystal @ 29 Rue House says
Oh yeah we’ve got these junk piles everywhere – can’t seem to get them under control! I’ve been bringing home boxes from work (they’re for printer paper) to start organizing the basement and get things out of bags.
Erin says
I would have loved to see you guys in Edina today. And you’re right, the lot is super small /usually packed, but hopefully you will have a good turnout of “Minnesota Nice” peoples at your meet and greet! :)
Have fun and stay warm! The Good Day Cafe is really good for breakfast, in-case you’re looking for a place to go!
Cassondra says
Yay for mom’s! Mine definitely helps out with things once in a while, it can be a pain but my house appreciates it!
Janet says
Hi Sherry & John! Love your blog, have been reading for years although this is my first post. I am hoping to get to meet you when you are in DC for the book tour!
I noticed the gift bags and wrap in the closet, and it looks much better, but wanted to suggest something! I got some hanging gift item organizers way back in 2008 when my hubby and I bought our first house and I needed some organizing solutions. These have worked great, corralled everything, and have held up great! 4 years old and they still look new. I purchased one of each of these and it has turned out to be all I needed:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067WSQ6/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001Z8SB2/
They’re double sided too, so there’s pockets on the backs of them that you can’t see in the online pictures.
YoungHouseLove says
Love the tip!
xo,
s
JG says
Is it awful that my eye and brain keep trying to rearrange items and turn your playroom storeroom into a real decorated room?! :} You know, like – put 1/4 of the pillows against the back of the daybed, unroll the rug in the corner and put the rest of the pillows on the rug as a fun floor sitting corner, turn the baskets on their side against a wall to make cubbies, put the light on the tuffet near the daybed, stick the artwork on the walls, hang the birdcage, etc, etc! Hee :)
Actually, Clara would probably love the pile o’ pillows, ha!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha I love it!
xo,
s
Emily says
Hi Sherry! Your efforts deserve serious applause. What a task and you were clearly equal to it. A point to ponder, though, have you ever imagined how much more functional that closet could be with an elfa drawer unit and a few more shelves? Certinly, what’s in the closet now is not there forever but that’s not a reason not to have better infrastructure. In fact, that’s THE reason to get yourself to The Container Store and get some elfa! Seriously, small closets can be maximized in a way that will blow your mind and you can ways add closet rod(s) for hanging clothes now or later. The closest Container Store to you is either in Raleigh or in Tyson’s Corner, VA. I live in Raleigh and if you come on down, we will shop the store together and get an awesome burger (not from Red Robin…even better). :)
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds like fun!!
xo,
s
Dawn says
Before I made my daughters room into the playroom it looked just like your before picture!It was like heaven when I got all the stuff out of there and now it is so cute all set up for toys and fun! Can’t wait to see her big girl room!
Esther says
Oh I understand the pain of having a bedroom like that!
Our spare room didn’t have the excuse yours did.
http://www.the6wolfeden.blogspot.ca/2012/10/all-grown-up.html
It still needs more decorating help, but I’m just thankful to have him in his own room!
I look forward to seeing the finished ‘after’!
BTW, I have that same flower picture from Ikea. It’s such a happy print :)
http://www.the6wolfeden.blogspot.ca/2012_04_01_archive.html
YoungHouseLove says
Love it!
xo,
s
Carrie says
I have not one but two rooms of doom! I was tornado displaced for 6 months and when I moved back in I just threw things where they would fit as I unpacked and stuff is pretty chaotic. Yeah, that’s the nice way to say it.
So, Sherry, if you and your mom ever want to come visit Missouri and become organizing geeks in my house you would be welcome with open arms!
Jeanie says
Welcome to Minneapolis! You are in my city! There aren’t any openings left for visiting you, but I am thinking of you two over there in Edina at West Elm. We were just at the Container Store the other day (our 4 year old son and me) and I was looking at that parking lot going “Oh, man….poor Sherry and John!” Hopefully you were driven to it and didn’t have to worry about the parking.
SO GLAD that you were able to come and at least take a quick look at our Twin Cities. It is nice to know you’ve been here, even if there is no more room for people to come and see you tonight. (You can’t possibly greet thousands anyway, so yippee for those who get the chance!)
Just wanted to say I wish you well on your tour, and most certainly while you are here in Minnesota!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Jeanie! We had around 600 and it was awesome! So much fun and everyone somehow found a spot to park!
xo,
s
Donita says
I LOVE seeing that before picture. This makes me feel SO much better about my messy sewing/craft/office room. ;-) This room seriously needs a redo, paint, flooring, tables……..sigh, someday. :-D
Wendy says
Is that the mirror from the laundry room/carport entryway? Darn, did I miss that change-up post?
Thanks for sharing your adventures… so fun!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s another one we got for five bucks at a thrift store!
xo,
s
Stephanie N says
What What…!! :)
Bet ‘cha feel a little lighter now. You are literally starting your book signing RIGHT NOW so don’t expect you see this for awhile.. BUT…
I have been lemming after your bathroom mirror and wondered where you may have got it from and lo and behold!!!! I found one today at Home Goods!! Yea! Now can I get a what what??
HaHaHa…:)
(Mine is grey)
Stephanie N says
Oh, I am not British, I just really like the word lemming…
:)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! What what!
xo,
s
Tia says
The previous owners of our house had built a nook to fit their gigantic tube tv. We inherited a bunch of stuff from a great aunt and we’ve stuffed the nook full with banker boxes. My husband recently said that we need to go through the stuff and get rid of it or he’s just going to drywall the nook closed and leave the boxes for the next owner to discover!
PS – Just watched two episodes of The Good Wife. Sherry, Amanda Peet should play you in a movie!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha so funny!
xo,
s
Debi @ Purple Veggie says
This is kind of the way my entire apartment looks right now. Okay, so we’re not piled quite so high, but it sure feels like it. Luckily we are in the (long, tortuous) process of buying our first home right now. Hopefully we can close soon so we can get out of our cramped apartment and I can start blogging some before and afters of our own!
Andrew says
Am I going crazy, or is there more than one stenciled wall? In one picture, it looks like there’s 3 rows, in one there’s 2?
YoungHouseLove says
There’s just one stenciled wall and there are three in a row. Hope it helps!
xo
s
rosa says
i “inherited” my family home (my parents are still alive, but they’ve moved to illinois) and my brother – despite several requests, has refused to get his things from the house. so his former bedroom has become my equivalent of your playroom. it holds everything, including last minute clutter from when guests are coming over and i just have to keep things out of sight. hopefully your post will make me want to clean everything up, or at least organize them.
Dee says
I have faith in this! I love the color scheme that you are wanting to work with. Can’t wait to see it when it’s all put together. Thanks for sharing.
istaistaista.blogspot.com
Sarah says
Finally, finally, finally my pre ordered book arrived in Australia yesterday. Love it, love it, love it!!
I’m buying more copies for friends for Christmas. I’m trying to savour it, but so far it looks like you achieved your aim of a great DIY book. Certainly makes DIY less daunting. I’m making a list of projects to do, yay!
Awesome job on the organising by the way…I must add that to my list… :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Sarah! You’re so sweet!
xo,
s
Ana says
My front bedroom, which started out gloriously empty when I moved here, slowly accumulated crap through a remodel (since it was where a ton of stuff got stored). Now I’m trying to work up the willpower to clean it out.
Johanna P says
I have two closets and a basement that are in desperate need of attention. In my defence the cupboards are waiting til there’s a day both my husband and I are home as a lot of it is his childhood items that need to sorted. As tempting as it is to sort it for him I’d never dream of tossing anything of his out without him knowing.
The basement is just a hot mess. We’ve been flooded twice and now I have corners of dried muck and damaged things I need to sort through. I didn’t even clean the walls properly after the last flood, there’s still a watermark. I think this weekend the basement will be my ‘dude get on that already’ project. Crossing my fingers we don’t have another flood before we move next year.
Tai says
I have a spare bedroom that is affectionately referred to as “the dumping ground” It’s incredible how much gets stashed in there! Shelves with extra kitchen appliances, pots & pans (I have a very small kitchen), “extra” furniture in need of a home/refinishing, along with other goodies like lamps, office supplies, ironing board – basically anything & everything! I’m slowly but surely getting things decluttered but am wondering if a high-powered blitz may be in order!
PS – I’m SO happy that your book tour brought you to the Twin Cities – it was SO AWESOME to meet you guys! And Thank You for the encouragement – I have caulk & putty & am ready to hang some art!!!
YoungHouseLove says
It was amazing to meet you too Tai!
xo,
s
Katrina Reinert says
I have a “craft room” in the basement that always fills up with everything that doesn’t have a place anywhere else in the house. The floor is currently covered and every table or flat surface is covered in stuff to be sorted. I told myself in September that once I got over the flu I would clean it up. Funny thing…turns out it wasn’t the flu, I’m pregnant…and I’ve been sick ever since. I keep thinking about that room down stairs and it is killing me not being able to spend a day cleaning it. Only a couple more weeks till hopefully I’m back on my feet! Thanks for giving me hope! I CAN DO IT!
Jenifer says
Ah, sweet relief of getting rid of things and organizing what you have!
Our place is a 450-500 sq ft cottage built in 1910. It’s storage is minimal — which isn’t a huge problem except in the kitchen. We honestly do not have enough space for our produce! There are no closets, and there is a small mudroom where we do a decent job of housing vinegar, baking soda, and castile soap.
We have a small room (10 ft by 7.5 ft), and that’s our “closet.” When we moved in, we used only a small portion of the room for our wardrobes, shoes, coats and luggage (which stores off-season clothing).
Then, our neighbors — very generously — brought us BAGS AND BAGS of clothing for DS, none of which we need or want (the grandparents like to ‘spoil’ the kiddo that way). Those are currently taking up too much space!
What I want to do is clear that out, and set up shelves to meet some of our needs. Shelves with baskets for our fruit and veg, for example. It’s only 3 steps from the kitchen, so it makes a logical extra pantry space. Likewise, I want to cull and reorganize DS’s toys and store them in there, and we will also have a home for books.
I think it’s a work-able plan. Assuming I can get someone *cough Dh cough* to drag those bags back to the neighbor’s. ;)
I look forward to feeling as excited about this room again, as you are about yours! It looks like you’re well on the way to reclaiming it to usefulness! :)
Paula M. says
Awwwwww!
Your description of the fun your mom seemed to have in organizing stuff makes me think of my mom, who passed away 6 years ago.
She loved doing that stuff, and on one of her visits years ago to my then-apartment in San Francisco, she took it on herself to completely neaten up and reorganize my kitchen odds-n-ends drawers with the help of hard-plastic dividers and her methodical, organizing way. I said, “MOM! Wouldn’t you rather go out and have FUN?” but she’d seen San Francisco so many times already by then, she said, “Honey, to me, this IS fun!”
And I tell you, those drawers stayed organized for the whole rest of the time I lived in that apt., AND because most of the contents of those 4 drawers were in the lift-out dividing plastic compartments, when I moved, I was able to simply lift those little compartments/trays out of the drawers and put them in my moving boxes, with their contents still in them, and then put the laden compartments in my kitchen drawers in my current place. Ta da! … Mothers can be geniuses! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw that’s so sweet Paula. She sounds awesome.
xo,
s
Angela E. says
Hello!
I probably should have asked this earlier but I was wondering if I should buy a book before your signing in Dallas… I know you asked for some people to buy from the event but have they been selling out at most stops?
Thanks!
PS. Welcome to Texas today! And happy birthday John!
YoungHouseLove says
We always have tons of books at each stop, so they love if you get it there. Thanks so much!
xo,
s
Melissa says
I am an organizing nerd too, but I had a room that started out as a “crafting/project room” and quickly devolved into a junk room/place to stick everything when company came over. I am now expecting my first baby, and that room is going to become the nursery… So I have been working a few hours at a time going through everything, donating big batches of stuff and hauling things up to the attic where I have neat shelves and clear plastic bins. I can totally relate to that good feeling of getting organized!
Erin says
I think you’re on to something with the “lazy girl’s mood board” idea! I buy and buy stuff, assuming it will all work together when I finally get around to doing a room, but I never thought to just lay it out and take a picture and see how it all looks together and edit before I even get started. Great idea!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, happy to help (and be lazy)!
xo
s
Stephanie says
We have a little one coming in less than five months, and no where to put him/her. I started cleaning out the office and its closet, only to put things into piles in the middle of the room. Where they haven’t moved for two weeks. Mix that with having no idea of what a baby needs, it is a bit of a disaster right now. One day at a time!
nikki says
seriously — i thought i was the only one on the planet who had the “extra room” dream! happy to know i’m not as weird as i thought…
Deirdre says
Nice work organizing!
In the picture of the organized closet you have a large crock with your name on it (where the wrapping paper lives). Do you know where you got that? I would love to have one made for my house.
Cheers!
YoungHouseLove says
That was from my BFF’s family in Iowa. Maybe google around for a personalized planter and see what comes up?
xo
s
Christina says
I just went through a major renovation on my our basement. Our guest room became the dumping ground to the point where I was just opening the door a crack and tossing stuff in there. I finally cleaned that room out only to put it into the closet in there. Again with the open the door and throw technique. I’m hoping to clean and purge and organize that one sometime soon as well!
Liz K says
Great job tackling that during nap time! Energizer bunny work for sure! And, so funny seeing that you guys have the same crock that we have…my in-laws gave us a “K.. est. 2007” crock for Christmas 5 years ago just after our wedding. So much accomplished and created over the past 5 years for us, and obviously so for you guys too. Thanks for sharing your world with us!
Natalie says
We just moved into our (first) house a few months ago, and still have a few clutter “zones” — in the office, the hall closet, guest room, and basement…
Do you have a recommendation for a good place to buy inexpensive but still decently attractive (basic is fine) picture frames? I would love to get more pictures on the walls.
YoungHouseLove says
We love Ikea frames and Target frames (sometimes they go on clearance). Yard sales work too!
xo
s
Amy @ This DIY Life says
I *can’t wait* to show this to the hubs tonight. He says I have an addiction to paint. He’s not wrong, but I’m excited to show him that other people have the same problem :) Enjoy Houston (love that city) and happy birthday John!
Stephanie says
We are in the process of cleaning/purging our basement clutter! We plan on finishing the basement soon for our kiddos play area. Do you guys by any chance remember the color of your blue rectangle on your wall?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, it’s in the back of the book in the source list. Don’t have it in front of us or we’d share it! So sorry!
xo
s