Jane's Random Thoughts

I am inspired every time I put baby food in a bowl.

A few years back, I bought a Kalas bowl set from Ikea for $1.99 because I loved the bright colors (and they were such a bahgain!). Today, they serve as baby food bowls because they are totally kid friendly and dishwasher/microwave safe. Buy them if you have not already.

A recent trip to my in-laws in Florida offered me some insight about how disorganized my own bathroom cabinets are. Their drawers and cabinets are meticulous and everything is SO easy to see and to find. My kids were contantly needing medicine or ointment or tweezers to help with the normal splinters and bug bites that are part of childhood - and each time we returned to their bathroom, I saw the interior of a new drawer or cupboard and marveled at the order. I was determined to do it at home.

They will offer snapshots of rooms the way they looked when we first saw them - and then photos of their transformation after we designed them to fit our style and lifestyle. I hope you find them inspiring and that the photos offer you ideas of how to look at rooms differently. Figure you might like to see how we live as you get to know us. We love to accessorize finished spaces with our ARJ accessories - but sometimes you need wood and paint and a contractor to get to work first.

Has wrapping gifts gotten out of hand for any of you? It seems it's no longer what you give, but also how you give it.

I get it, I love a perfectly wrapped gift as much as the next person. But days are too busy and the last thing I need is to procrastinate while trying to find the newest and brightest wrapping paper on the market. Plus, most of them are just too expensive.

I just made a fantastic collage highlighting a recent sledding adventure with friends. We had so much snow in the Northeast this winter, it got a bit crazy. Thank goodness for sleds and Sorel snow boots. But I digress.

I used one of our 16x20 reversible collage mats in the color Denim. I hope it's going to insipire you to make your own. It was so simple and the finished product looks like I spent hours on it. Isn't that the idea?

Did Valentine's Day sneak up on you like it did me? I was totally unprepared for my son's school party. And with allergies, he has to have a safe alternative...so I couldn't not make a safe treat for him. Thankfully, Divvies swooped in and came to the rescue. Divvies is a fantastic allergy-free bakery that happens to be located near my home, but their products are available in many stores, as well as online. And they happily ship all of their products. Their kettle corn is a personal fave and they've been a wonderful resource at Easter. See for yourself.

Dogs have always been a part of my life. I recall believing our golden retriever Morgan had the same birthday I did and that we came home from the hospital together. This lifelong love for animals has continually challenged my obsession with a clean, clutter free home since nothing about pets is clutter free. Leashes, collars, food bowls, water bowls, beds, towels and crates absorb any free...

I am a photo nut. I'm proud to admit that it's one of the reasons ARJ was born. Sometimes I like to add to my collection with a different sort of photo project that my kids can help with. One such project involves these adorable, and inexpensive photo cubes. I bought mine at Michael's though I cannot find any on their website right now. Here's the link to find a comparable item on a different site. You might have your own local resource, too.

So, my once favorite phrase "I just had a baby, I will get back in shape someday," has finally come to an end. "Someday" has bit me in the a--. My boy is eating solid foods now, so exclusive breast-feeding isn't keeping the pounds at bay anymore. Slowly, the scale is headed in the wrong direction. What am I going to do? How did Kate Hudson drop 70 pounds so easily after her son was born? How is it that Gwyneth Paltrow looks like she never even birthed a child? If only I had a celeb trainer. If only, so I thought.

I have always loved monogramming, personalizing and customizing totes. They make gifts more personal, turn something basic into something finished and they remind me of my parents. But who wants the permanent label DIAPERS on a new tote? Given how fast life moves, this perfectly acceptable and needed Diapers tote will be my husband's gym bag in no time. How do I continue to personalize, customize and monogram in an ever-changing, ever-evolving world?