happenstance home

Hello :)

This Monday Mix is a little different than others I create - it's actually two boards I made for a very sweet young mom of two girls.   She sent me some pictures of her front room, and these are just my idea's on furniture placement and pieces that might work for her.   She already has a really amazing architectural piece of barn wood on her wall by the front door which would be behind that gray chair. I just played off of that when I picked out furniture.  I like a neutral room that color can be added to so I ran with that look.  Pops of pink and green and some navy.  Furry ottomans for the girls to love.  Baskets for toys and blankets.  We weren't working on style - just placement - but I think it helps to see actual furniture ideas to use as a guide.  Both looks use almost identical pieces - just a couple different swap outs on the second board.

Starting at the front door there is a little wall space beside the door - I thought a little drop spot for visitors and the family would be nice.   I have a painting on the wall with wall hooks below it for keys and coats, and a storage ottoman below that.  You could also use a mirror in place of artwork.

This painting is called Mornings Away and can be found on Minted.
The Calleo hook and rail system can be found here.
I like that this storage ottoman is adorable and functional.  It comes in about 5 colors.  Find it here.

So if you are standing on the far side of the room looking to the front door there is the door - a little wall - a big front window - and a little more wall.  Continuing to the right of the hook and ottoman set up I thought using a floor lamp - sofa - and little side table would be nice.

Tripod Floor Lamp
Tacoma Linen Sofa - I've alway had light slipcovered sofa's with kids - they are really easy to throw in the wash with some oxi clean - they come out fresh and new.
Marble Topped Table
Emerald Velvet Pillow
Stripe Grain Sack Pillow
Watercolor Floral Pillow

Now imagine yourself turning right in this room.  You would be looking at a wall with a window centered on it.  My thought was to use either a cabinet with storage underneath it or something open like a pretty bookshelf underneath.  In this board I used the closed storage on this wall, and open storage on the next wall.  The next board has the opposite idea.  You could also use an electric fireplace.

Adelaide Cabinet

Then I thought a nice chair beside that with another little table for your drink or book to rest upon.

Harper Slipcovered Swivel Chair
Reclaimed Wood Side Table
Vintage French Blue Striped Linen Pillow

On to the next wall - so imagine turning to your right again.  This wall is the one you see as you enter the house.  It has an opening - then a large piece of wall - and another opening.   On this wall I imagine using either a pretty open shelving type piece or a cabinet for storage with a mirror and art above it.  On this board I used the large open shelving unit with a pom pom basket catchall next to it.

Joanna Bookshelf - I've been in love with this piece for some time
20 Inch High Pom Storage Basket

Now I'm going to talk about right in front of the sofa - a big coffee table with a couple of ottomans that can be used for extra seating.

This coffee table is so nice with the rounded edges.  Growing up we had a large coffee table with wood on the bottom.  It was near our TV and I'd always rest my head on that bottom half of wood, and say a prayer that when my brother came flying into the room and jumped on top of the table it wouldn't come crashing in.  Lucky for me it was a sturdy beast!

Kelley Coffee Table
Coe Ottoman

Back to the front door - I found this gray chair - It would be placed so it is facing the far wall with the two windows.  On it I put a couple of pillows, and have more baskets resting beside it.  Oh, and a fun tassel throw.

Gramercy Club Chair
Stripe Grain Sack Pillow
Watercolor Floral Pillow
Navy Tassel and Pom Baskets
Tassel Blanket - West Elm - but discontinued






Here is another option using open storage between the windows, and the closed chest of drawers on the other wall.

Hampton Sofa Server Table
Harper Chest

Hello again.  Today I'm going to talk about how I pay our bills, and what I keep and don't keep as far as papers.

First, when I get a bill in the mail I open it, and keep the bill and the envelope whether I'm mailing a payment or paying online.  In my mind when both the bill and envelope are together it means I need to pay it.

As I mentioned in Part 1 - this mail goes into the bin at the top of our stairs.  Every few days I empty that bin, and take everything in it downstairs to enter into Quicken.

I stack all of the bills together, and then get to work.

The way I handle paying bills is pretty straightforward.  I go into my online banking and set up payments for all the bills that I pay online.  As I pay each bill I record the following on my paper bill - the amount paid - the date paid - and the payment confirmation number.  If the payment amount and or date is the same as what I would write then I just circle that on my bill.

Setting up payments as I receive bills in the mail ensures that:
I will not be late on a payment
I will not waste time looking at the bill multiple times while I wait for it to be time to pay
keeps my desk cleaner since extra papers aren't waiting around

After I pay the bill online I go into the checking area in my Quicken, and enter the payments there.  So I enter the date, the company, the amount, the category, and there is a memo section.  It pretty much auto fills everything so there is not much typing and it goes quickly.  In the memo area if I've paid online I just write online.  I don't enter the confirmation number.  Not necessary.   So now the bill is paid and recorded in Quicken.  I just make sure there is enough money in the account so I can avoid an overdraft.  Once the bill is paid and recorded in Quicken I toss out the envelope or keep them to use for grocery/errand lists.

Now I deal with the paper bill itself.  Other than bank statements and my main credit card statements I only keep the latest bill I've paid.  I have an accordion alphabetical file that I keep on top of my desk - this is where I keep my bills.  So lets say I've just paid a DTE Energy bill.  I will open my accordion file to D - take out the last bill I had paid - if that last payment cleared I shred that bill.  The new bill is now in the accordion file.  As long as I keep one bill I have my account number - that's all I need if there is a power outage or some reason I have to call the company.  In the past I kept so much paper, and then I realized that I never needed it.  I keep my credit card statements for 3 years.

So, I think that is about it for paying bills.   I handle bills I mail the same way.  The only difference is recording the check number on my bill and in Quicken.

Two great takeaways from this post:

1.   Paying bills online simplifies everything because you can schedule payments ahead
2.  You really don't need to keep a bunch of old bills

I will do a post on all my favorite desk organizing products too.  Things I use all the time.  I will also share how I organized my boys report cards/special papers from school so they are all together and easy to find.

Here are the links to the other posts I've written about how I keep up on mail, bills, and receipts:
Part 1
Part 2