New Years Resolutions

Morning, all.  We are but weeks away from 2013, which is so hard to believe.  It is probably no surprise that I, a big list maker, love to make new years resolutions.  I do them every year.  Here is my list of 2013 resolutions for the home.

1.  Paint the, um, entire house.  As much as I have tried to convince myself to live with the current paint color, I simply cannot.  Everyone knows how much I love, love, love white.  And there is white on the walls in the entryway, hallway, living and dining rooms, stairwell and upstairs hallway. It is all the same shade of white.  But the white is cold and has a lot of blue undertones, which makes the place feel cold and institutional.  The moldings blend into the wall color.  It looks dark and depressing. So, I will paint.  I have to decide the color, and because I am renting, I need to keep it light and neutral so my landlord is happy.  I will probably do a reader poll in the new year, but I'm thinking my choices are among (1) a warm white like I used in the kids' bathroom [Sherwin Williams Alabaster]; (2) a warm cream like I used in my first home's bedroom [Behr Cottage White]; or (3) a very soft tan like I used in my second home's playroom and Jamie used all over her house [Sherwin Williams Rice Grain].  I can't wait to do this.  It is going to be a *project* and will certainly take a long period of time, as the same color has to go all over the place.  Plus, the stairwell has super tall ceilings.  I may be enlisting will definitely be begging the help of Jamie and her super long legs and arms for that part of the project. 

2.  Hang more pictures.  It's a chicken and the egg thing right now: do I wait to hang pictures until I paint or should I just get on with the pictures and paint later?  I will figure this out.  I plan to hang black and white pictures of the kids on the TV wall.  I also plan to hang pictures in the stairwell.

3.  Make a mirror.  I want to DIY the Eagan Mirror from Pottery Barn. I have seen a ton of tutorials in blogland.  I'll hang it behind my dining room table and move the oversized frames to different spots - one over the buffet in the dining room and the other probably in the stairwell.

image courtesy of Pottery Barn

4.  Work on the kids' rooms.  I have a good start, but their rooms need more decorating: more on the walls, more function, more organization, and a fresh coat of paint.

5.  Update the kitchen.  The kitchen is the same color as the rest of the house.  Once I paint the other spaces in the house, I'd like to paint the kitchen as well, but I want a different color.  I'm thinking the same Sherwin Williams Mindful Gray as in the half bath and my bathroom.  I need a color that will somehow magically make the oak cabinets look better.  I may also add some hardware to the cabinets.  

6.  Paint and pretty up the laundry room closet.  I would like to spend a day one weekend making my little laundry room closet pretty and more organized. I could paint it either the Mindful Gray (I have two nearly full gallons that I could use up) or search for a pretty "Oops Paint" at Lowe's or Home Depot.   I am leaning toward the latter:  a bold, deep color would be a lot of fun in this space.  

7.  Work on the downstairs patio.  I love this space and this year want to make it more inviting and fun. I have the two adirondack chairs I painted a few summers ago, but they are in need of a fresh coat of paint.  I think I'll paint them a fun color and add pillows, an outdoor rug, and some lights around the space.  This is a great bonus area that I hope to make more use of in the warmer months.  I am also resolving to get over my fear of gardening and add some flowers and (gulp) a container garden, including herbs.  I think I can I think I can I think I can. 

8.  Organize Closets & Drawers.  Even though it's last on my list, this project will most likely be the first thing I tackle in 2013.  I tend to get bitten by the organizational bug in the new year (as seen here and here and here and here and here and here and here. wow).  I need to do this - so many of my closets and drawers are in desperate need of organizing. Among them: the hall closet, my walk-in closet, the kids' closets, my bathroom vanity and cabinet and the kids' bathroom vanity and cabinet.  Oh boy.

That about wraps it up!  I will be busy in 2013, that is for sure.  What about you?  Are you a list or resolution maker? What tops your resolution list for the next year? 

See you swoon,