Plan with Me: Christmas Lists
Learn how to use The Nice List giving lists for a happier, healthier Christmas season.
I created The Nice List to help you plan your entire Christmas season — from baking and entertaining, to finding the perfect gift for every person on your list.
In this Plan with Me session, I walk you through The Nice List’s budgeting tools and unique list-making strategy which will help keep your Christmas gift giving on budget.
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Plan with Me: Christmas Season Calendars
Learn how to use The Nice List calendars for a happier, healthier Christmas season.
Your time is valuable, and none of us seem to have enough — especially at Christmas. So start with your time. Begin with the essential questions: What sparks joy for you? Then use your answers to set your priorities for the holiday season. Plan time to bake, to make, to wrap, to celebrate — and decline the invitations that don’t spark joy!
In this Plan with Me session, I walk you through my calendaring process using The Nice List. I’ll show you how I set out my calendar and how to use the monthly and weekly calendar pages in The Nice List.
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Fall 2019 ORC: My Favorite Rooms
My favorite rooms from the Fall 2019 One Room Challenge participants
Almost 300 people participated in the Fall 2019 One Room Challenge, and I have read alllllll of the posts. That’s 220 bloggers, 58 Instagrammers, and the 20 Featured Designers. And if you think about it, that’s 298 rooms around the world that have been completely transformed. Astonishing, frankly. As I was reading all of the posts, I posted the following appreciation for all of my fellow ORC’ers:
No matter how big or small the project is — or how big or small your budget may be — doing one room in six weeks is a feat of strength! Most of these people have jobs and families and other obligations. For most of us this is a hobby — and a crazy one at that! But we love our homes, and we want to make our homes more beautiful. This is one great way to do just that!
This little community represents an extraordinary amount of work and ideas and creativity, and I wanted to share some of my favorite projects with you. You’ll note that none of these projects are from Featured Designers. I hoped to shower sunshine on some of the smaller but no less worthy participants in the Fall ORC. I hope this whets your appetite! There are some amazing rooms here!
Bathrooms and Powder Rooms: DIY and Inspiration
Maybe it’s because I have three bathrooms all in need of renovation, but I thought the bathroom category for this ORC was particularly strong. Here are a few of my favorites.
This bathroom has it all including wit and whimsey. But my favorite part: this framed life jacket! Victoria’s bathroom is fabulous and is worthy of a closer look!
Jessica and Chris transformed their powder room into a darling, vintage-inspired room with all kinds of pretty. They cleverly made use of the entire space tiny though it is, and I love all of their thoughtful details!
I love so many details about this bathroom including this gorgeous hammered copper sink and the light fixture, too! Tanya did a beautiful job in a tiny powder room that is now fresh and full of character.
Wallpaper is Back!
I love wallpaper, and I’m so glad to see it making a strong comeback in home decor. There are soooo many options now — self-adhesive, removable, wild patterns, murals, and everything in between. Of course, I used wallpaper in my Workroom Makeover, and I’m glad to see so much variety in the others who used it, too.
If you’d described this wallpaper to me, I would not have believed that I would like it, but OMG… I do! This is such a lovely entryway. Not stuffy or expected in a Craftsman house, but I do love it! Angela isn’t afraid of risks, and they pay off here.
The wallpaper choice in this bedroom is cool and coordinates with the light fixture in all the right ways, but what I really love is that by not wallpapering the slant, Valerie emphasized what could be an awkward space in all the right ways.
Fellow Coloradan, Meg, transformed her guest room for this ORC, and it is all gorgeous, but that floor just makes me swoon! It is plywood, people! Plywood and a lot of geometry! Oh, and the wallpaper is two discount shower curtains. You need to check her out!
So it isn’t actually wallpaper — it is a stencil. But I love Brianna’s bedroom wall! It looks like Sashiko, Japanese embroidery, and it is such an elegant addition to this room.
ORC Budget Makeovers
Even an unlimited budget doesn’t guarantee great design, but it’s the truly creative projects on tiny budgets that make my heart sing. I’m always working on a small budget, and I get inspiration from clever people who make the most of every penny spent.
Rhiannon proved that a little money and a lot of work can turn even the most humble and forgotten parts of a house into special places. She completely transformed this strip on the side of her home in Australia into a gardener’s paradise.
Jen and her family tackled their bathroom and proved that you can stretch a small budget — $1000 — really far! You have to see the before photos to believe the transformation!
Carrie took on a budget kitchen makeover done with sensitivity to the home’s MCM origin. I love the wallpaper — you will see that is a theme here!
Laundry Rooms
I have a laundry room makeover in my future as well, and several people tackled their laundry areas with great results!
Heather-Scherie took on her hallway laundry space which is a major thoroughfare to their family room. I love this green and the wallpaper is fantastic! I would be happy for anyone to walk past this in my home!
This mudroom/laundry room combination is absolutely dreamy! Look at all of those windows — and plants! Grace gave this room a makeover playing up all of this room’s assets.
Offices and Workspaces
I was watching the office and workspace transformations very closely, and there were several fantastic transformations. Some rooms like mine are workhorses, others are more showcases. But I thought these were particularly lovely.
Sadye proved that you don’t need a whole room to have a fabulous creative space. Her work corner is cheerful, well-organized, and colorful.
I loved Alisa’s goal for her office at the outset: to furnish her room almost completely from the Facebook Marketplace. You know how I feel about the Marketplace — save money and save the Earth, too! Well, she succeeded, and her room is so elegant!
Kitchens and Dining Rooms
Having gutted two kitchens, I think the people who tackle kitchens for the ORC are more than a little nuts. There is just sooooo much that can go wrong! And there are several kitchens that didn’t make it across the finish line. However, there are a few that did — and they are truly a testament to the power of paint. If your kitchen just needs a facelift — not new cabinets and wiring and plumbing — but paint and hardware and countertops, then it can be done. And here are some fab examples.
Leslie’s kitchen had great bones, but she took it from basic to beautiful with brick and other classic touches. It is gorgeous!
Linda took on a great room — kitchen, dining, and sitting area. She didn’t do any major construction, but her work shows the power of fabric and tile and color. I love her tile, and this chandelier!
Lindsey of Building Bluebird took her dining room from ho-hum to beautiful with some gorgeous MCM influences. I love the picture ledge on the far wall, too.
You must see the befores of this kitchen. The transformation is remarkable! I love the after, and it shows what some paint and hard work will accomplish!
Living Spaces
Technically Cyd redid two rooms: a den and adjoining powder room. And both are stunning! I love every choice she made — and am coveting the wall-mounted lamp in this photo. For those of you in homes with paneling, I love the choice she made — accenting it but not covering it up. Beautiful!
Clark + Aldine is the work of husband and wife, Danielle and Michael. Their home is gorgeous, and this room was awesome before, but they added both a fireplace and a really unique window surround which elevated this room further. I love it!
Moody and boho and colorful all at once, this living room with a full library is gorgeous. Kate is a pro at creating one-of-a-kind rooms with that prefect balance between old and new, color and neutral, light and dark. This room does not disappoint!
She isn’t finished yet, but this fireplace transformation is breathtaking! That tile is original, and she spent hours stripping paint and painstakingly restoring this gorgeous hearth. I can’t wait to see the rest of the room when she finishes!
To check out all of the ORC rooms for Fall 2019, click the links: Featured Designers and Guest Participants.
Thanks to Linda of The One Room Challenge for organizing the One Room Challenge! Thanks also to Better Homes and Gardens, the ORC media sponsor. On Instagram, check out #oneroomchallenge and #bhgorc to see all of the amazing room reveals, or visit the One Room Challenge Blog where you’ll find the link-up to all of the participating blogs. There are rooms of every kind, aesthetic, and design. It is an amazing thing to explore and get inspiration!
And just in case you missed it, be sure to check out my Workroom Makeover. I am in love with this room! I hope you love it, too!
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Ciao!
Angela
PS: obviously, copyright for the images from other sites belongs to their respective owners. Not me.
ORC Week 6: A Place for Everything
The Big Reveal for the Fall 2019 One Room Challenge: the Workroom Makeover
It’s done! Pop on over to see!
Workroom Makeover
One Room Challenge Fall 2019
ORC Week 5 Update and More
Happy Halloween! This week has been all about making a Halloween costume which won’t require a coat since we got almost 10” of snow this week! It’s cold but beautiful! So I’ve been making a very warm Harry Potter costume, and Bambino and his dad turned the wand on the lathe. So fun!
The One Room Challenge Week 5 update is live, and it is filled with organizational ideas that could be adapted for any home office, art studio, sewing room, or crafting space. I hope you’ll take a look!
ORC Week 5
Organization Solutions
And I know you’ve been worried about my lighting situation! LOL! Well, it is solved, thank heavens! There are more details in the ORC update, but let’s just say… this isn’t what I imagined for the Workroom, but it works very well!
Next week: the big reveal! Lots to do before then, but I’m excited to share that with you next week!
Oh, and Christmas is coming… but let’s get through Halloween first.
Happy Halloween!
XOX
Angela
And the illustrator is...
Announcing Jone Hallmark, the illustrator for the 2019 edition of The Nice List! Pre-orders are now open!
I am delighted to announce that Holly Kennedy, my graphic designer, and I are working with the ever-so-talented Jone Hallmark on the 2019 edition of The Nice List. Jone’s gorgeous, hand-drawn illustrations lend both an elegance and a simplicity to The Nice List — and they are exclusive for us! I can’t wait to show you the finished book, which will be coming soon, but for now, just know that it is magical!
Pre-orders for The Nice List are open! If you are new to The Nice List it is sold by pre-order in July and August. Prices include shipping, and orders are delivered by the end of October.
The Nice List is part-planner and part-journal — and it will help you bring sanity and thoughtfulness to the frantic pace of the Christmas season. Keep you shopping organized. Set a budget and stick to it! Plan the cooking and baking you want to do. And keep track of everything you give and receive — as well as those thank you notes you write!
For a flip-through of the 2018 edition of The Nice List and lots of other how-to information, visit the link below. And if you have questions, don’t be afraid to ask!
Only 152 days until Christmas! It is coming sooner than you think!
XOXO
Angela
Planning on Paper and for Christmas!
A sneak peek at the artwork for the 2019 edition of The Nice List — now available for Pre-Order. And all about the new section of the website: Planning and Planners.
It may only be July, but I am already getting things ready for Christmas! In fact, we are putting the finishing touches on the 2019 edition of The Nice List, and pre-orders are open! You only have until the end of August to order your copy of The Nice List! More on that in the coming days including the big reveal of our new illustrator! OMG! Just wait until you see the gorgeousness she is drawing for The Nice List! Everything is hand-drawn and absolutely beautiful.
Ok! Ok! Here’s a tiny sneak peek…
Oh! I can’t wait to show you more, but we have to be patient just a little longer.
In the meantime, I did a really fun webinar with the Okayest Moms Blog on Monday. The replay will be available soon if you missed it, but I also have a whole new section of content on the website: Planning & Planners.
If you have been around awhile, you know that I used to be a teacher. I am still very interested in brain research, and several studies were published a few years ago that really caught my attention — and confirmed what I suspected. Students who take notes by hand have a distinct advantage over their peers who type notes on a computer. Writing something down by hand activates memory in significantly different ways and assists in deeper learning.
What does that have to do with planning?
Well, planning is more than just running a calendar. It is deeply thinking about priorities and allocating resources (time, talent, and money) in ways that meet goals. That calendar on your phone or your computer doesn’t require that you actually plan. It just schedules. But using a paper planner takes that schedule to a deeper level and helps you prioritize.
Deep? Yep. But planning is a practice. I call it my “mental yoga,” and my new planning section has articles detailing HOW I plan, what materials I use, and WHY I do what I do. It improves my memory, my time management, and our family’s schedule. That’s also why I wrote The Nice List! It is a planner that will help save Christmas!
So I hope you’ll stop by and check it all out!
Stay tuned for more this week! I’ll be revealing the illustrator of The Nice List on Instagram (and here, too).
Be sure to pre-order The Nice List, and have a Happy Wednesday!
XOXO
Angela
Planning on Paper Webinar: Okayest Mom's Summer Series
Join me and the Okayest Moms for a webinar called Planning on Paper and learn how to get started or to improve your planning practice.
Tomorrow morning I'll be joining this impressive group of women on the Okayest Moms Summer Series. We are super excited to provide knowledge and actionable steps to help you feel comfortable discussing these often taboo subjects. There's a space for every mother here, whether you are directly impacted or not. The more we can learn about one another, the stronger our community will be! I'll be talking about Planning on Paper — How going Old School Can Improve Your Memory and Your Life! I hope you will join me!
The webinar starts Monday morning at 10 am Pacific | 11 am Mountain | 12 N Central | 1 pm Eastern .
To register for this session — or any of their other excellent sessions in the series — check out The Okayest Moms:
