Saying Goodbye...To Picnik

Wow, what a wonderful weekend!  I was lucky enough to spend it with three amazing women in Chicago.  The weekend was highlighted by a fabulous dinner and Aida at The Lyric Opera.  Much more fancy then my real life! 

But there was one major disappointment which came in the form of an email Sunday morning that started something like this..."Official Announcement: Picnik is closing." 

Yes, you read that right my beloved photo editing website, Picnik, is going away.  I knew that they had been purchased by Google a few months back and at the time I thought good for them but now that I know Google will be closing them down I am super bummed.  Yes, many of the Picnik features will be offered through Google+ and yes I will probably check it out to see if it is just as wonderful as Picnik but I am skeptical to say the least. 

But there is some good news...Picnik will be offering all of the advanced features for FREE until they close in April.  So although I hate to get you hooked on something that is just going to go away, the advanced features are great and until now I have been paying for them so take advantage and check it out! 

So here is a quick tribute to all the wonderful pictures Picnik has helped me create (cue sappy music)...

Mudroom Redo - Part One Complete!

In an effort to make my mudroom work as a shoe / jacket / hat / scarf storage area and as a welcoming entrance from our garage the first step was to create a complete mess.  And that is exactly what I did!  Last week I pulled out the old shoe rack and stuffed everything into the closet so I could put some paint on the walls.  (Here are the deets on that.)  But of course the shoes quickly overflowed into the hallway and jackets ended up all over the floor.  Complete project backfire.

Well, today I took the first step into organizing the chaos.

Now before I go any further, let me please apologize for all pictures that come from this space.  Awhile back the overhead light exploded.  No seriously, EXPLODED!  Smoke coming out of it and everything.  It is on the list of things to get fixed, but until that happens it is really hard to get good photos in here.  OK, but back to the story...

So yes, hooks is where I began.  Crazy, I know!  But of course I couldn't just screw hooks into the wall.  I needed a little more style then that.  So I cut two pieces of wood down to size and painted them the same color as the opposite wall, Fire and Ice by Benjamin Moore. 

Then I found the studs and drilled them into the wall.  One at adult height and one at toddler height...

All working around the alarm control panel (big ugly white box on wall).  Next came 5 hooks, Antique Brass Finish from Home Depot.

Throw in some "warm things" and my mess has taken one giant step in the right direction!

So, I'm feeling good about getting this first step accomplished but there is still a long way to go.  My mom and I will be swinging by IKEA on our way home from Chicago this weekend.  She is taking me to see the Opera (wow, I am so fancy!).  So I'm hoping to pick up some storage ideas for the laundry room because my capacity for the mess is shrinking daily.  

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