The Morganizer....and other obsessions

Can't take it anymore!

2010-09-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

Once I get something on my mind, I obsess about it (hence the blog name) and once I decided to fix up our master, I can't seem to stop thinking about it!! It's terrible and boring! I think I have to crack down and at least start it this weekend. Going to paint the cabinets, frame out the mirror, change the lighting, and paint the back wall. It's the master, shouldn't that be the most comforting room in the house!? It's practically my most hated, and when are they going to stop using Hollywood lighting?!! Stay tuned....

(These were before we moved in, so extra bare, but it pretty much looks the same!)

White (and black)

2010-08-17T14:01:00.000-07:00

Loving these! Can't go wrong with the classics...

*images via PLUSH PALATE and ??

Our Backyard

2010-08-10T18:50:00.000-07:00

Here are the before pics of our backyard. It was pretty neglected when we moved in (obviously!!!) But it had a good base, a good amount of landscaping, not pure dirt which most Vegas Tract homes have!

AFTER:

This yard has been a work in progress. We did the patio cover pretty soon after we moved in, then the pavers on the sides, then removed all the rocks around the edges and replaced it with black mulch. I tried to start a little vegetable garden, but that failed miserably!! So after about a year and a half of work, we are pretty happy with the outcome. Oh and I want flowers on my patio but they are going to have to be fake, or you will have to like dried flowers :)

Genius organization

2010-05-14T15:39:00.000-07:00

So I'm getting myself involved in ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) again. (I'm the new Design Community Coordinator, woo hoo!) Anyway, I went to an event the other night and the speaker mentioned this product, I looked it up and WOW! I mean I still love traditional kitchens but this is absolutely genius, especially in a sweet city loft where space is at a premium! Too bad it's not available in the states yet (it doesn't meet our codes).

Pics from BULTHAUP

Master Closet

2010-05-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

This is one of our most recent projects. We got the shelving system from Home Depot, think it's Closet Maid. It was super easy to put together and much cheaper than I thought it would be!! It is pretty much heaven having a closet organizer, although I still can't get Johnny to actually do his laundry!!!

BEFORE:
Such a poor use of space!

DEMO:

AFTER:
This is my side...drawers are for my jewelry and hats, scarves, etc...Did I mention it's like heaven??

4 levels of shoes!!!

Catching up...

2010-05-14T14:57:00.001-07:00

As usual I am behind!

I spent the last 4 months of my life studying for the NCIDQ exam. Probably one of the biggest tests I will ever take in my life! I feel so accomplished, yet frustrated because I won't know my results until July!

This project I did all by myself over my Christmas break (wow I really AM behind!)

THE OFFICE:
Really loving the gray and white schemes... still need to hang some more pics up in the room, but haven't gotten around to it...

Before...by the way, free desk from work!!

DURING...

COMPLETE!

My art, beading, idea and storage area. I haven't pulled this stuff out for years! Now I need to find time to use it!

Front yard!

2009-09-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

Another project to report on! This time we worked on our front yard/patch :). It had grass but looked drab and we were tired of wasting money on watering since it is a desert out there (be water smart). So we gutted and replaced with some desert friendly plants and this vibrant red mulch. I have to say, our yard definitely stands out now! Oh and Johnny put a coat of paint on the front door so it's not so sunfaded anymore :) Enjoy....

Before (when we bought the house)....

After we gutted the grass...

And the results:
(I admit the plants look a little puny, but either they fill out or we replace them - gardening is definitely a new hobby for us!)

Updated 1/2 Bathroom

2009-09-04T15:53:00.000-07:00

Aye, I thought I blogged this, but I am clearly behind! :) Johnny and I did some work on our half bathroom downstairs. We updated lighting, the mirror, removed medicine cabinet, painted the walls and the cabinetry and various other little things. We LOVE it! It's dark, but we love the warmth and coziness to it. Even better we did it for less than 500 dollars! Check it out...

BEFORE -BLAH!

DURING...

AND AFTER....

Real Estate obsession...

2009-06-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

So, here I go again. After 6 days of being bed ridden because of my sinus surgery (which, by the way, went very well!), I spent way too many hours watching way too much HGTV, DIY, and reading too many design magazines (not that that's a bad thing :-)..)....

Also, Johnny and I have tossed around the idea of moving to Austin, TX. We are super attracted to that town and it's one we both agree on. I, of course, love Seattle and Portland, but he hates the rain, clouds...which I think I would also get sick of, being a California girl and all. Oh and another huge reason is that my sister Dara lives there. She absolutely loves it! Hopefully she stays though...she is working on her Doctorette and may or may not find a job there/be able to stay. I have visited it once (and plan to drag Johnny there soon) and loved it! It's such a funky and fun town. And obviously the fact that it's the "Live Music Capital of the world" is a huge draw too. AND there are some Master's programs that I'm very interested in there, it's one of the few places I would consider going to for grad school. Even Johnny is thinking of going back to school! Only drawback would be that it's pretty far from friends and family. :-/

So of course, in my boredom I began to look up housing there. I really think I should be in Real Esate...I LOVEE looking at homes! I don't know why! I would love to live downtown, or close to it, and be a part of all the action! I want to be able to walk to coffee shops, restaurants, shopping, etc. I told Johnny we should just sell everything and get a 500 sq ft. loft and go for it. He said "ok", kinda... haha. The thought of getting rid of all my unnecessary junk is highly appealing right now. Just have what you need and love and get rid of the rest. (Maybe I need to dejunk :)). As I was browsing lofts and condos I came across this absolutely adorable loft. PERFECT! What I've always imagined!! A little sleeping area above the kitchen, built in shelves....cozy, quaint, PERFECT!

Check it out... (can you not post PDF's on here?! - click on more info)
http://www.urbanspacerealtors.com/properties/510

Dreams do come true

2009-04-30T15:57:00.000-07:00

So many girls desire clothes, shoes, makeup, etc...I desire furniture hehe. After MONTHS and MONTHS of waiting for this stupid couch, I finally got it! From my favorite store Cost Plus World Market... It starts as a couch, turns into a chaise or lays all the way flat into a bed. I love it! Johnny made that table in wood shop in high school...I keep trying to convince him to going into business with me...I design the furniture and he builds it?! It could work! ha

So our done loft....

Guest Room!

2009-04-30T15:48:00.001-07:00

Aww finally some substantial projects have been completed!! I'm loving it! Our house gets cozier and cozier every day!

One random project was these little nightstands that Johnny's dad gave us. He is a true junk collector - he see value in EVERYTHING which is cool and annoying at the same time (most of it is really just junk) but success with these nightstands...free plus a can of stain, some sandpaper, new knobs and some elbow grease....

and after...

so here is a more final guest room....

and yes Johnny hates this picture that I painted in college...but he hung it anyway hehe

oh and the famous costco wine crate/boxes...

CREATIVE URGES!

2009-03-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

Oh screw you economy!!! All I want to do lately is quit my job and stay at home and play, decorate, paint, bead, read, update my music life or wander around town, go to the gym, cook, etc! So my hopes for working at home (but not work hehe) are at an all time high. Sigh!

MAYBE I COULD DO THIS IN THE GUEST BEDROOM OR EVEN SOMETHING SIMILAR IN THE 1/2 BATHROOM. LOVE THESE DECALS! TOO MANY OPTIONS!

I KINDA WANT QUARTER SLEEVE TATTOO'S...MMM MORE MONEY LOL (I THINK I'M IN A FLORAL PHASE).....

ANYTHING WITH COFFEE MAKES ME HAPPY....

GOING TO GET THIS WITH TAX REFUND MONEY, A PRETTY RUG, SOME PILLOWS AND PUT IT IN THE LITTLE LOFT...2 GUEST SPACES NOW! OH AND IT WILL BE GET AWAY READING SPACE...CAN'T WAIT

I LOVE THIS ROOM...ANOTHER OPTION FOR THE GUEST? I CAN'T MAKE UP MY MIND!?

OK ...BACK TO MY REALITY....

SETTLING IN....

2009-02-26T22:23:00.000-08:00

THIS IS A HIGHLY OUTDATED POST (BY MY STANDARDS-MAYBE I'M STILL RECOVERING FROM THE MOVE? OR I'M JUST LAZY :))...BUT HERE ARE SOME PICS OF US SETTLING IN! THE DOWNSTAIRS IS MOSTLY DONE...ALTHOUGH I THINK I NEED TO PAINT SOMEWHERE (ESP THE 1/2 BATH!!). UPSTAIRS HAS TONS OF WORK NEEDED TO BE DONE, BUT WE ARE ON BROKE STATUS NOW SO IT WILL HAVE TO WAIT (OR COME SLOWLY) :)

SNOW DAY!!!

2009-02-26T22:11:00.000-08:00

Holy cow...has Vegas had an incredibly wet and wild winter!? We had 4 inches of snow in ONE day...set the record I guess. It was soooo beautiful! Kind of made me wish I wasn't in Las Vegas hehe...here are some gorgeous pics of our new house in the snow...

Gardening Day!!

2009-02-26T21:57:00.000-08:00

Johnny parents showed up at the house on Sunday with pounds and pounds of Steer Manure, trees, flowers and the eagerness to help my pathetic 'black thumb'. It was so fun, so therapeutic!! We (they) planted some trees to create privacy (see how you can see into the neighbors yard..) and we are trying to salvage the grass. I was amazed at how much they know about gardening, I am so eager to learn. Made me feel like a true homeowner!! Now I just can't wait to get a covered patio for some summer BBQ's!!

Here's an obsession for ya...

2009-02-26T16:41:00.000-08:00

So my latest obsession (or ongoing shall I say?) is social networking sites. (AH) I just joined Twitter...and know like 4 people on it, but have checked it obsessively all day. Then there's Myspace and Facebook of course! I dont know what it is lately...maybe because I have been sick for the past 2 weeks and haven't seen anyone but Johnny and coworkers, or just that I'm bored at work. But either way, I'm obsessed and want to get a new phone so I can be 'connected' even more. GAG

PS I've been meaning to update this for a while, but haven't been much in the mood, or known what to write about. I gardened this past weekend...will post pictures soon!

2008-11-24T09:02:00.000-08:00

JOHNNY & MORGAN'S NEW HOUSE!!

2008-11-13T10:35:00.000-08:00

Aww.. finally something to write about. Quite a lot has changed, and that's a good thing!! So, for a hot second Johnny and I bought a brand new home?!?! KB Home lowered their prices, so we went (on Halloween), picked a lot, signed contracts and thought we were on our way to being owners of a brand new, semi-custom built home (5 months later of course - build out time). A few days later, the stress and money built up. It starts out at a great deal and then you have to upgrade, then pay association fees, master plan fees, SIDS and LIDS, buy appliances, lot premiums,and damn, we weren't ready for that (and honestly it wasn't worth it)!! So we cancelled....

The day after we cancelled we heard on the Salt Marsh Court house (the one we have been waiting on for 5 months now). Soo, there was finally some action and by, let's say, this past Monday, they finally, fully accepted our offers, terms were set and all that jazz. On Friday night, Sam (our realtor,good friend) took us to see the Salt Marsh house. O.M.G it is sooo much better than I remembered!! People were living there when we first saw it, but now, empty, it's great!! The whole house is painted a warm beige (perfect blank canvas), the downstairs is fully tiled and in GREAT shape, I thought the counters were gray but they aren't!! Basically everything is perfect it just needs a good cleaning and a few minor updates (a couple ceiling fans and blinds). The backyard was like a jungle, but once we get that cleaned up it will be a nice little oasis!! We are sooo incredibly happy with our decision of cancelling on the new house. It was too far out of town (Mountain's Edge), too expensive, and honestly I would have been bored with everything being brand new. The Salt Marsh house is ready for me to finally get rid of the jumble of project ideas in my head!!

Of course, now I'm completely stumped as to what to paint, garden, etc...I'm sure it will all come to me once I get in there! Soo, our projected move in date is December 10th (is that 6 months from date of offer?!?! eesh). That is right before Christmas!?!?! How perfect!! Tree will be one of the first things to go up! We are so ready to be 'on our own' again! I think it will be like a huge weight taken off...FREEDOM!!!! So, busy and exciting days are soon to come! Woooo hooooo

WAITING....

2008-10-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

Waiting, the waiting is KILLING ME!!! It has been about 3 months since we have signed papers and also 3 months that we have lived with Johnny's parents. I know, I know, it's a great opportunity to save money and blah blah blah...but really I don't do well NOT in my own space. If we don't get into the house by the holiday's I might have a major breakdown haha...ok enough of the dramatics.

The previous lienholders have accepted our offer...that part is done. Our actual home loan has gone through and is good for 3 months. So now we are just waiting on the closing costs. I guess some negotiator is working on "all" the short sales in town because it is taking forever! Either way, we are going to hear "any day" now (which we have been told for over 3 weeks now). Then, once we hear, it's still another 3-4 weeks for escrow. Killer process eh?

I'm at the point where I'm like, jeez let's just get a piece of crap house, get a home improvement loan and just flip it! (Actually this would be a huge dream) But, I think pretty much all the houses on the market are either foreclosed or short sale, which would be the same torture all over again. So patience is the key, right?! I guess one thing I am thankful for is that Johnny and I have remained very close, or have become even closer. That, and I have bonded a lot with his mom, we actually have a lot of fun together. So I know good will come out of this, but still, I'm ready! Oh and I have refused to cut my hair due to the cost and it's now down to my shoulders, but the time we get the house it will be longer than I have had it in at least 4 years!!! Oh, and I really miss the gym...both Johnny and I have stopped going and it's definitely showing on me, that and all the bad food. Not helping the situation any more.

More Pictures and Ideas

2008-09-23T16:22:00.001-07:00

Just some more stuff I want and ideas I dream about.....

Put this (or something like it) by the stairs ....
dropping ground for crap...

gosh storage gets me excited!!

Cool firepit for the patio.

Come over and have some beers with us!

Elfa (from the Container Store)...The coolest stuff ever!! I want to put it in the closets too! Someday... Oh, and why isn't there a Container Store here?

I want a great chandelier somewhere! Either over the dining table or over the master bed! Too bad they are way too expensive for my blood. I will have to search second hand stores or Craig's List!

The Planning Stages

2008-09-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

So, as usual, I have some free time at work. I will try to put some posts up of what I have accomplished on the house design thus far. Above is the bedding I bought this weekend at BB&B. I saved 80 dollars...that makes me happy! I bought some chocolate brown satin pillows to throw on it as well as chocolate brown towels for the bathroom (the rooms flow together-no door). Also got some hot pink/fuschia towels for the downstairs bath. I am undecided on what colors to do for the master bedroom (well walls, and curtains). I want to do brown walls but that might be overkill and would blue curtains be too 'matchy matchy'? Your input will be much appreciated. We will see. Oh and I also got some bedside lamps at Linens N Things...they were going out of business (so check your local store :)...

Let's do a rundown of the house...just for fun (sorry a bit fuzzy...)!!

Downstairs....

All open, already tiled and already painted beige. Going to try to leave it that way since there are vaulted ceilings and a stairwell...don't want to attempt to paint that just yet.... So, downstairs should be pretty easy and will progress later. We already have the furniture...so nothing new. Oh and I want to have a 'coffee bar' area. Heaven :)

Downstairs half bath will be painted chocolate brown. Then I'm going to use white and hot pink as accents. I bought these great white frames at target (5x7) 2 for $1.24 BARGAIN BIN!!! (That should be my theme for this house adventure!). I think I will photoshop up some cool photos for those. Maybe a collage of Pancho (our beautiful black cat :)...see pic) and his new buddy Nacho (the dog we will eventually get)?

Outside will be new and fun. Never really had a yard of my own after years of dorm and apartment life. It is already landscaped (woohoo). Has a decent amount of grass and trees/rocks surrounding that. There is plenty of room for seating and a BBQ! Perfect! For now we just need to bring it back to life a little and we want to plant some bushes along the block wall for privacy since it's too low. Thank goodness Johnny's mom has a greent thumb and Johnny is super excited to mow the lawn! Oh, and my coworker promised to give me an Aloe Vera plant...I am on my way to being a seasoned gardener :)

Upstairs.....

Don't want to put a desk and 'business' stuff in that open loft so plan to put our huge bookcase there and make it a reading area. I want to get a papason chair and a lamp or something and just make it a cozy place to sit that's NOT in front of a TV. Also, Johnny spends hours going through his baseball cards...he can use this area for that.

Master bedroom...well, see above. Eventually I want to replace lighting and ceiling flans...they are a bit outdated. Oh, and I can't wait to organize the walk in closet WOOHOO!!

My plans for guest bath and bed are just totally shot. I was going over my color schemes with Johnny and he took the colors from the guest bed to master bed (see the above bedding). He messed me all up now!!! I have an existing brown comforter and was going to use that and do ice blue walls in the guest and then blue walls and chocolate towels in the bath, but if I did it would just be brown and blue overkill. So for now I'm banking on finding a really cool pillow and taking the colors from that. Maybe a green?

As for the guest bath...oh, that's going to be fun! I want to make it like a spa!! So maybe the green from the guest, and white? I want to have toiletries and 'extras' of stuff so that if you are visiting and forget something, we will have it! Going to try and make it an awesome place to come visit (HINT HINT!!!).

(PS...ALL of the bedrooms have walk-in closets...I know ...I'm spoiled lol)

3rd Bedroom ... My favorite room, yet the least completed (in my head). This will be the office, arts and crafts room. Need to eventually get a new desk or something that both of us can have our laptops and printer, etc. Still at a loss for finding that in a reasonable price range. Not up for spending hundreds of dollars on it! I found this amazing one at Pottery Barn (see photo) but it's $1100!!! I was thinking of making it, but that might be pretty expensive too. I asked one of our installers at work to piece something together from the warehouse and so far he has a pedestal (in furniture world...2 small drawers and a file folder drawer). Also have my drafting table that will mostly be used as a beading table (kinda want to start selling jewelry!) As for colors? No idea. I really like this deep purple and burnt orange combo I keep seeing but not sure how to pull that into this room. This room will most likely be done later on. (see below for orange and purple theme I like...thanks to Hostess with the Mostess)

First Time Blogger

2008-09-17T15:57:00.000-07:00

I like writing (mostly in my diary), making lists, and dreaming. Since I'm buying my first house this year I think this would be the appopriate time to start a blog. I am usually bursting with ideas (especially now) and kind of want a place to track all of them, receive feedback as well inspire others, oh and keep track of my projects!

A little about me...

I work as an Interior Designer and do space planning for a commercial furniture company. I don't necessarily get my creative fix from that type of job, so I have to find ways on my own to get it out (exactly why I'm dying to get my own house!!) Most of my friends/family have pointed out my obsessive list making and/or obsessive organizing. I've fully come to terms with it and now actually enjoy it. I have dreams of owning my own professional organizing/design firm someday (sick?), oh and a coffee shop too.

Besides all of that, I moved to Las Vegas about a year ago to be with my boyfriend, Johnny (see photo-he's special :)). I've finally become accustomed to the strange lifestyle and the strange people, oh and living with a boy!! :) We are in the process of buying our first home in the southwest part of Vegas (and currently living with his parents...interesting). It's a great home but very tract/standard/nothing unique...oh and we haven't even closed escrow on it...so this blog may be short lived. :) It's a little hard for me because my dream home is a loft or condo above a coffee shop in Seattle (or some other great city) but this works for now, and cost of living is MUCH more tolerable. Since I'm a cheap ass and am usually stressed about money I am very happy with our decision and the life we will make here for who knows how long!