#'W[05G

[sunsetcorvid]

GOING FERAL OVER THE SPLATOON DLC IM SOBBING

CALLIE...MY GIRL....

AAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[oldcurrencyexchange]

Irish Coin Daily: Elizabeth I, First issue, Shilling, mm. Rose. Legend "REGI" (no stop)

Irish Coin Daily: Elizabeth I, First issue, Shilling, mm. Rose. Legend “REGI” (no stop)

Date: c. 1558

Elizabeth I, First issue, Shilling, mm. rose, bust 1B, reads “REGI” Description:

Elizabeth I (1558-1603), First issue, Billon Shilling

Weight: 9.05g

References: S 6503; DF 240

Obverse nearly Very Fine (nVF) with some surface marks, reverse is a bit better

Obverse:

Crowned and mantled bust left (Bust 1B)

Mintmark: rose

Legend: ELIZA[B]ETA D’·AH G’·ANG’·FRA’.·Z. HIB:·REGI

Translation:

[hamfatter]

I matched the shell spec and the finish. Both the size of the set and the custom snare are not in the catalog at the time. Size: 14"x 4 1/2" Shell: 4ply maple w/ 4ply maple reinforcement Hoop: RIM-1408BRB / RIM-1408BRS Brass Hoop Tension: 8 Strainer: S-016G (Gold) Snappy: S-022 NG (Gold) Rug: RL-05G (Gold) Bolt: T-061G (gold) FInish: No128 tobacco sunburst lacquer #パール楽器 #pearldrums #pearl_drums #sabian (金沢産業展示館１号館) https://www.instagram.com/hamfatter/p/BxXD7vKBSOF/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1pt73ryool2oq

[uptodrivers]

Samsung SC-05G USB Driver Free Download

Samsung SC-05G USB Driver Free Download

Free Download and Install USB Driver

On the off chance that you simply just unit a owner of Samsung SC-05G and scanning for the USB driver for your device, at that point you have arrived on the correct page. Free Download Samsung SC-05G USB driver from here, introduce it on your laptop computer and associate your device with laptop computer or PC effectively.

Need USB Driver Downloads for Windows…

[laurelbledsoe]

Officially, the first day of Fall this year is September 22nd.  However, to most of us Labor Day signals the end of summer.  It’s crunch time to make our days run more smoothly.  Here’s a recap of  our Declutter and Get Organized By Fall Series.  

Just Get Organized!

No one strives for an unorganized life.  Do we ever wake up and say “Today, I think I will do all I can to mess up my house and create as much chaos as possible!”  Yet, it happens.

We’ve got expert after expert who show us all the benefits of an organized home.  Our design firm, laurelbledsoedesign.com, assists our clients everyday to create systems in their homes that help make life better.  However, we’ve learned that each of us have different areas that are important to us to keep organized and make our lives run better.  Below are the 10 Main Areas we are asked to addressed.

 Could these areas be a bit better in your life?

  WEEK # 1

WEEK # 2

WEEK #3

WEEK #4

WEEK #5

WEEK # 6

WEEK # 7

WEEK # 8

WEEK # 9

WEEK # 10

Having Our Homes Organized Frees Up More Time

Wouldn’t it be nice to have just a few extra minutes a day to decompress?

One thing we do agree with the experts ….keeping clutter at bay in our homes is not a one time event.

5 Minutes To Beat Clutter Each Day

Unclutter.com

Get Organized By Fall – 10 Week Series Round Up Officially, the first day of Fall this year is September 22nd.  However, to most of us Labor Day signals the end of summer.  

[heisenberggggggggg-blog]

XTOL fomulas

Mocon is a two-part developer consisting of a long lasting liquid concentrate and sodium sulfite powder used one-shot. It was originally intended to be an XTOL-clone, but it turned out to be not quite that. Mocon generally gives slightly finer grain than XTOL and slightly lower true film-speed. To match XTOL, you can modify Mocon, or try Mocon-X which is also described in this article. Mocon stands for "Mark Overton's Concentrate", and its temporary name was 214D. The goal of this project was to create a concentrate that lasts a long time (over a year), and that gives the image-quality of XTOL. This developer is intended for those of us who don't shoot enough B&W to consume 5 litres of XTOL before it goes off. Mixing Working Developer You can mix working developer in two ways: (1) Measure concentrate into your beaker, and add sulfite solution (mixed ahead of time) to the fill-line, or (2) Measure both concentrate and sulfite powder into your beaker, add water to the fill-line, and stir until dissolved. Here's more detail: METHOD 1: Alan Johnson had the following idea which makes using this concentrate as easy as Rodinal. First, make a batch of sulfite solution by mixing 46 g/L sodium sulfite into distilled or DI water. Make enough to last a couple of months given how much shooting you do. You can refrigerate it to ensure longevity. To make working developer: 1. Using a syringe, measure 15.5 ml/L (18 grams/L) of concentrate into beaker. 2. Pour in sulfite solution to the fill-line.​ It's that simple. As an example, to develop one roll of 35mm film in a stainless steel tank, you'll need 220 ml (0.22 L) of developer. Measure 3.4 ml (=15.5*0.22) of concentrate with a syringe, and add sulfite solution to the 220 ml-mark. This works out to 1+64 dilution of concentrate+solution. METHOD 2: If you don't want to keep sulfite solution around, you can mix working developer as follows: 1. Put a plastic beaker on your scale, and press Tare to zero it. 2. Pour in 18 g/L of concentrate (same as 15.5 ml/L). 3. Press Tare to zero the scale. 4. Pour in 45 g/L of sodium sulfite. 5. Pour in water to fill-line, and stir until dissolved (about 3.5 min at 20C).​ For the one-roll example above, you would weigh out 4 g of concentrate and 9.9 g of sulfite into the beaker, and add water to the 220 ml-mark. You can use tap-water if you develop within 30 minutes; waiting longer risks having dissolved minerals in hard water precipitate onto the film. The pH is 8.08. An electronic scale with .1 or .01 g resolution only costs US$12-15. That's the cost of three rolls of film, so there's no excuse to not have one (or two). Search for "scale .1 g" or "scale .01 g" on amazon.com. Quiz: Why does sulfite solution contain 46 g/L of sulfite instead of 45 g/L as used in method 2? Making the Concentrate Mix the concentrate below at 75C, stirring constantly, adding the next ingredient when the current ingredient is mostly dissolved. I use a glass thermometer as a stirring rod so I can stir and watch temperature concurrently. Hot-time will be 20-25 minutes. I suggest quadrupling the one-litre formula below, and mixing in a 100 ml beaker. The quadrupled concentrate fits nicely in a 60 ml bottle, although I suggest using two 30 ml bottles instead. That way, one bottle remains unopened while you use the other, so it'll last longer. The formula: Propylene glycol .................... 12.2 g (same as 11.8 ml) Sodium metaborate 4 mol ..... 1.8 g Ascorbic acid ......................... 4.2 g Dimezone S ........................... 0.08 g (or .05 g Phenidone, but note issues below)​ When stored frozen (preferred) or refrigerated, it should last over a year and probably over two years frozen. At room-temperature, count on six months. If you store it frozen, and forget to take it out of the freezer ahead of dev-time, you can immerse the bottle in a pan of water, which will quickly warm it to room-temperature. I don't advise opening the bottle when frozen to avoid condensation adding water to the concentrate. Developing Here are the times at 20C. If you agitate constantly for the first 30 seconds, and once per minute after that, these times will give a Contrast Index (CI) of about 0.58, suitable for printing at grade 2. Agitating Mocon once per minute is the same as agitating XTOL twice per minute, because it results in the same number of agitations, because Mocon takes about twice as long as XTOL. All the films below have been tested with Mocon, measured and graphed, and are known to work fine. Tri-X ............... 13.5 T-Max 100 ...... 14 (see note below about early shoulder) T-Max 400 ...... 13.5 Delta 100 ........ 12.25 Delta 400 ....... 18 (see note below about long toe with Phenidone) Delta 3200 ..... 25 or longer (not recommended due to some speed-loss and long dev-time) Pan-F+ .......... 12.25 FP4+ ............. 16 HP5+ ............. 15 Acros ............ 15 Neopan 400 .. 14.25​ As mentioned above, Mocon generally gives slightly finer grain and slightly lower film-speed than XTOL. However, this difference varies among films. For example, I could see no difference with Tri-X. The speed-loss is small enough that I'll accept the finer grain in trade. If you want the same film-speed as XTOL, boost Dimezone S to .1 g/L in the concentrate and reduce dev-time by about 5%. For pushing, I suggest boosting Dimezone S above .1 g/L, but this change needs testing. Further Notes T-Max 100 has exceptionally fine grain with Mocon, but has a very early shoulder, forcing you to meter accurately at box-speed (EI 100). This early shoulder also occurs with some other popular developers. You can think of Mocon as a highly compensating developer with T-Max 100, probably even more so than Diafine. It will compress bright highlights for you, but overexposure will reduce gradation in normal highlights. The grain Mocon gives you is considerably finer than XTOL, and sharpening is the same. That finer grain is worth the effort to meter accurately. If you choose to use Phenidone instead of Dimezone S, you'll see two changes. First, Delta 400 will get a longer toe, so you should rate it at 200 or slower. Second, Phenidone increases fog by .02-.10 depending on film. Neopan 400, FP4+, Delta 100 and Delta 400 get the greatest fog-boost. T-Max 400, Tri-X and HP5+ get little fog-boost. I recommend Dimezone S which can be purchased in both Europe and the USA with international shipping. Mocon has the following advantages over XTOL: * Stored cold, it lasts far longer. * It does not form a precipitate on the bottom of the bottle. XTOL makes me wonder if those particles will leave spots on the film. * Slightly finer grain (much finer with T-Max 100). * You can tell if the concentrate is going off by its colour. It starts clear, then turns yellow, later turns orange, and finally close to red. Light yellow is of no concern. Dark yellow and orange means boosting dev-time. Alan Johnson tested an orange developer (D316) that was stored for a year at room-temperature in a mostly empty bottle, and densities indicated that it needed 30% longer dev-time.​ Mocon has the following DISadvantages compared with XTOL: * Slightly lower true film-speed with many films. * Less convenient to use. * You have to mix it.​ Based on the formula, you might think Mocon is the same as XTOL diluted 1+1. But Mocon was designed to have twice the dev-time of XTOL with half the sulfite, which you don't get with 1+1 dilution. PE confirmed that, within limits, doubling time and halving sulfite will have the same solvent-effect. Alternative Similar Developers The four components propylene glycol (G), sodium metaborate (M), ascorbic acid (A) and Dimezone-S (D) or Phenidone (P) can be combined in different quantities. Sodium sulfite (S) is added separately for all such developers. Here are some of the better ones I've tried: Mocon-X, which had the temporary names of 119D and 119P, produced results identical to XTOL with the few films tested. Its one-litre formula is: G=10g, M=1.5g, A=3.5g, D=.1g -or- P=.05g Usage: 14.7g concentrate and 45g sulfite in 1L of dev (pH=8.15)​ Here are the few times that I determined: Tri-X ............... 13 HP5+ .............. 14.25 Delta 400 ....... 17.5 Neopan 400 ... 16.25​ Notice that these times are slightly lower than those for D316 described below, so the D316 times minus a bit would be good starting points. If you want to create a developer that's good for pushing, I suggest boosting the Dimezone S in Mocon-X to .12g or higher. I think the increased concentration of developer will cause increased exhaustion in midtones and highlights, giving the toe more time to develop, increasing true film-speed. But grain will a little worse. D316 was first formulated in January 2012, was tested thoroughly, and performs similarly to Mocon, but I rejected it because it produces a longer toe with Delta 400, and also because it can only use Phenidone (not Dimezone S), resulting in higher fog. Its one-litre formula is: G=16ml(=16.6g), M=2.2g, A=4.5g, P=.05g Usage: 20ml (=22.8g) concentrate and 45g sulfite in 1L of dev (pH=8.08)​ The times for D316 are: Tri-X ................. 14 T-Max 100 ........ 13.75 (shoulder is higher than Mocon, but still lower than most films) T-Max 400 ........ 12 Delta 100 .......... 13 Delta 400 .......... 17 Delta 3200 ........ 25 or longer Pan-F+ ............. 12.25 FP4+ ................ 16 HP5+ ................ 14 Acros ................ 13.5 Neopan 400 ..... 16.5​ Locon-1 was another discovery from January 2012, and is suitable for pushing or low contrast. But it has had little testing. Its formula: G=17.5ml, M=1.2g, A=2.8g, P=.15g Usage: 20ml concentrate and 35g sulfite in 1L of dev (pH about 8.2)​ To reduce fog, I suggest using .2 or .25 g of Dimezone S instead of Phenidone. Starting dev-time is 8-10 minutes for T-Max 400. This formula has relatively little ascorbic acid and sulfite, so restoration-rate will be lower and thus the developer will exhaust more quickly in midtones and highlights, so the toe will develop even more than modified Mocon-X. SMAP Family All developers described in this article are members of what I call the "SMAP family", where the letters S-M-A-P stand for Sulfite, Metaborate, Ascorbic acid and Phenidone. Dimezone S is part of the Phenidone family, so it's included. You can create a surprising variety of developers using only the four SMAP chemicals. And many of them can be mixed as concentrates. Locon-1 has SMAP = (35, 1.2, 2.8, .15p), where the "p" at the end denotes Phenidone. And "d" denotes Dimezone S. Mocon has SMAP = (45, 1.8, 4.2, .08d/.05p). The SMAP of (90, 6.7, 8.5, .2d) is a developer with the same dev-times as XTOL, same image-quality and same pH. It appears to be a clone of XTOL in all respects. But the concentrate crystallizes after a week or two, separating into a cream and liquid (more about this problem below), so it's unusable as a concentrate. However, you can mix the formula directly into water and omit the propylene glycol. If you want to try this, I suggest dissolving the Dimezone S in a separate 2% solution of propylene glycol to make the small quantities easy to measure. Also, propylene glycol changes developer behavior a little, and its absence means you might need to change the 6.7g of metaborate a little to perfectly match XTOL. Rolls of HP5+, Acros and Tri-X all matched XTOL. PC-Sulfite is what I call the "D-23 of PC developers" because it's so simple. Its SMAP is (90, 0, 2.8-3.5, .15p). Notice that it has no sodium metaborate. Add about 15% to XTOL's times. Grain is the same as XTOL or a bit worse, depending on film. Although I haven't tested it, I suggest using .2g of Dimezone S instead of Phenidone. Using less Phenidone or Dimezone S should improve grain a little. Peter Svensson independently discovered it 5-1/2 years before I did, and his SMAP was (64, 0, 3, .08p). Here's my posting about it: http://www.apug.org/forums/forum37/99921-pc-sulfite-simple-developer-giving-xtol-quality.html Here is Peter's posting: http://www.apug.org/forums/viewpost.php?p=313770 Here are some more interesting SMAP developers that I haven't had time to pursue. Each has been tested only once, except Instant Mytol which I've never tried. All except Instant Mytol can be mixed as a concentrate: (75, 1.5, 4.5, .08d/.05p) My notes say "top quality". Use about 2X XTOL's times. (90, 4, 10.7, .15p) Grain a bit better than XTOL. Add 30% to XTOL's times. (90, 4.1, 9, .2d) Matched XTOL; a promising clone. (60, 7, 11.5, .15p) This is Instant Mytol, by Jordan Wosnick.​ Advice to Designers of Developers Crystallization in a concentrate means it is collapsing as some chemicals go out of solution. It first appears as crystals on the bottom of the bottle, or as white smoke-like wisps in the liquid. It often continues until the liquid has separated into a cream and liquid. At first I thought that a high concentration-ratio (powder-weight divided by liquid-volume) was the primary cause, but further experiments disproved that. My latest experiments indicate that a major factor is the M/A ratio. D316 is barely stable, and its ratio is .489 (2.2/4.5). Mocon appears to be more stable, with a ratio of .429 (1.8/4.2). Dimezone S reduces the threshold-ratio a bit, and that's why the borderline D316 cannot use Dimezone S. I suspect that reducing the M in D316 to 2.0g (from 2.2g) would reduce the ratio enough for it to be stable with Dimezone S. That change would give D316 an SMAP of (45, 2, 4.5, .08d/.05p), and my few tests of the Phenidone-version of this show that it's a good developer. The .489 is not a hard limit. I had a stable concentrate with ratio .533, but its concentration-ratio was lower, so that's a factor also. If crystallization is going to occur, I've always seen it within two weeks stored at room-temperature. Interestingly, substituting some (but not all) of the M with TEA (Triethanolamine) makes a concentrate more prone to crystallization, despite the low M/A ratio. TEA and sodium metaborate don't get along in a glycol-based concentrate. "PC" developers are those which use Phenidone or Dimezone S in combination with ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate. The major problem with PC developers when mixed into water is the catalytic Fenton reaction, in which iron and copper impurities slowly destroy all the ascorbate. This is true even if using distilled or DI water, because the iron and copper come from your own chemicals. With a high quantity, it's been reported that substantial ascorbate-loss can occur within one hour. XTOL uses DTPA-Na5 as a sequestering agent to remove these metals, and you can too if you can find some DTPA-Na5. Or you can create a concentrate using propylene glycol or TEA. No water means no Fenton reaction. But the ascorbic acid in these concentrates slowly oxidizes, causing them to turn shades of yellow and then shades of orange. At room temperature, they seem to last about 6 months without excessive ascorbate-loss. However, I have found that glycol-based concentrates can be stored chilled or frozen with no precipitation, so I strongly recommend doing so. I suspect they'll last years in the freezer. All the concentrates described in this article take advantage of these discoveries that I've made: 1. Sodium metaborate dissolves into propylene glycol. Ordinarily, such an inorganic salt does not dissolve into an organic solvent, but this is an exception because borate esters are formed (Gerald Koch realized that this is the reason). Actually, Paul Verizzo discovered this and posted it to apug a few years before I did. The same happened with PC-Sulfite. See the pattern? The motto of my work seems to be "go where others have gone before". 2. Crystallization does not occur if the metaborate/ascorbic ratio is at or below .489 (a little lower for Dimezone S). 3. Precipitation does not occur in glycol+metaborate+ascorbic concentrates when chilled or frozen. 4. Dissolving some sodium metaborate into propylene glycol increases the amount of ascorbic acid that can be dissolved. Or it at least makes it easier for ascorbic acid to dissolve. This fact allows the concentration to be high. Using Mocon as an example, when you pour the ascorbic acid into the solution, it'll seem impossible that such a large amount of powder could dissolve in that small amount of liquid. But it will. In fact, there seems to be no solubility-limit. That, plus the fact that freezing produces no precipitation, tells me that ascorbic acid is combining with propylene glycol in some way, as also occurs with sodium metaborate. This is not simple dissolution.​ As noted before, using Phenidone in a glycol concentrate boosts fog by a film-dependent amount. Neither chemical alone boosts fog, so something about the combination of Phenidone and propylene glycol together is causing the fog. That's a reason to use Dimezone S. Also, Dimezone S is less prone to hydrolysis in water, but this advantage does not matter with glycol- or TEA-based concentrates. If you are designing your own developer, be sure to test T-Max 100 (TMX) and Delta 400. TMX has an unusually early shoulder with many developers, and you'll want to know where your dev puts it. Delta 400 can easily get a soft toe, so keep an eye on that one as well, comparing the toe with that from a common developer such as D-76 or XTOL. I suggest testing all B&W films made by the big-three makers (Ilford, Kodak, Fuji). These are only 11 films, and it only takes a few weeks to test all of them. A factoid that's nice to know: When dissolving the MAP chemicals into propylene glycol, the volume of the liquid in ml will increase by about 0.6 times of weight of those powders in grams. This lets you predict the volume of the resulting concentrate. And my final bit of advice to designers of developers: Get a densitometer and a Stouffer step-wedge. It's the only way to know what your dev is doing around the toe, where and how quickly it shoulders off, and if there are any anomalies in between. Acknowledgements I'd like to express my gratitude to the members of apug who have helped me learn about developers and answered my many questions. Special thanks should be given to Ron Mowrey (Photo Engineer, PE) who has tutored me from when I knew almost nothing about all this, and to Alan Johnson who has tried some of my developers and run experiments that I would not have thought of, producing valuable results. Whew! Now that this project is over, I'll have some spare time to do some shooting. Mark Overton, 2013-4-6

[oldcurrencyexchange]

Irish Coin Daily: Elizabeth I, Third issue, Copper Penny, 1601, mm. Star

Irish Coin Daily: Elizabeth I, Third issue, Copper Penny, 1601, mm. Star

Date: 1601

Elizabeth I, Third issue, Penny, dated 1601, mm. Star Description:

Elizabeth I (1558-1603), Third issue, copper Penny, dated 1602. The reason for this coinage was to deny good silver to the rebels in the north of Ireland so they would not have anything with which to buy arms from abroad. The idea was to flood Ireland with base money and get everything else out of circulation.

Weight:…

[laurelbledsoe]

Are you laughing or cringing at the thought of the age of the spices in your cabinet?

Before we get into the post, isn’t this Ikea hack, in the photo above, pretty cool?  A small rod on the inside of a cabinet door with small portions of spices ready to use.  This could even be on the wall in a pantry, or the back of a pantry door.

Week # 8

So here we are fast approaching the end of our 10 week series about getting organized by fall.  Each Motivational Monday, we have talked about areas in our homes that we use daily and that can quickly get out of control.  Spice cabinets are one of these areas.

How Long Are Spices Good?

Depending on the type, spices can be good anywhere from 1-4 years.  The exception is if you are that cute guy in the movie who has been keeping his Indian mother’s spices sacred as he learns to cook in France.  Did you see this movie…it’s a foodies delight.  The fact is very few spices will hurt us if consumed past these dates.  However, most spices will lose their flavor much sooner than a year.  Yet there is a simple way to always have fresh spices and stay organized.  But first let’s have some fun.

What Kind Of Spice Organizer Are You?

Full disclosure-we have permission to use and talk about these photos from real life clients of laurelbledsoedesign.  To the left, a photo of a client who might have every one of these containers from The Container Store.  To the right, a client that may have too many spices.  These are his “leftovers”!

To be fair, this is my combination spice and jar/can pantry cabinet.  To the left the before and the right after I shamed myself into getting it back in order before this post.  Odd how things in the cabinet shift downward behind those doors!

Spices Are Enticing

The whole idea of curating a spice cabinet is a bit romantic wouldn’t you say?  Alone, spices allure us in with their colors and aromas.  With one whiff, we envision all the wonderful food we can conjure up.  Mr. LBD and I have been known to work in a stop at a local spice shop as part of a date night or errand day.  I swear there is a connection between buying spices and stopping for a glass of wine.  Who wouldn’t want to do this more often?  Buying smaller amounts of spices, more often, is how to always have fresh spices.  Buying only what we need allows us to stay organized.  All we have to do is start TODAY. (photo courtesy of Jodie’s Touch of Style blog…just love this spicy outfit!)

Storing Smaller Portions Of Spices

As you might be able to tell from the photo of our cabinet, we use all types of containers for our spices.  Sometimes the bottle/jar the spice comes in is fine.  However, mixing spice blends requires other containers.  Pesto from World Market comes in the jar below and is a great size for larger batches, the take out small container on the left is great for smaller mixes.  It’s a nice mix of recycling and using a disposal item for the spices that are so potent.

2oz Condiment Cups with Lids 

(also known as jello shot cups…)

Pesto Jar

  Spice Organizers Dream

Because we plan and set-up so many kitchens for clients, we are always looking for better ways to do things.  Using a drawer for spices, with an organized set like the one below, is a great way to see and reach our favorite spices all the time.  Buying loose spices online, like from Spice Jungle below, or locally at a spice shop or grocery,  works beautifully with a system like this.

  Spice Organizer Set

Spice Jungle

Fresh spices, in just the right portion, and in reusable storage containers.  Throw in a date night to be organized and romantic!

Need More LBD?

Please Subscribe…Or At Least Pass On To Another!

Follow Us On Pinterest..Food Inspires Interior Design!

Do You Have Spices Older Than Your First Born? – Week # 8 Are you laughing or cringing at the thought of the age of the spices in your cabinet?

[laurelbledsoe]

What a lovely area this is!  A perfect, walk in the door, stop and drop all our stuff.  Wait…what if we don’t have one of these amazing mudrooms and still long to be organized?

Week # 7

Mudrooms

The idea of an area a family enters into their home is not new.  We imagine the name mudroom comes from the days when more families came in off the farm “muddy” after doing their work in all kinds of weather.

Today, home interior design has evolved for the mudroom to become so much more.  No longer are these areas just to trap mud…now we count on them to completely organize our lives.

Two Essential Elements Of A Mudroom

1-Hooks, Hooks and More Hooks

Hooks are by far the number one single item that can help us all get, and stay organized quickly and, well cheaply.  We plan for hooks in nearly all  of our designs because they work.  Seems to be human nature for all of us to hang something on a hook when we see it!

However, nothing is more frustrating than when a hook falls off the wall.   Taking the time to anchor a mounting board is worth the effort.  Double hooks mean double function.

  Bronze Double Hooks

  Brushed Finish Double Hooks

Faking A “Mudroom”

Think a board of hooks is too boring, or simply does not fit into the decor? So did this savvy Mom at carriethishome.com now this is a great looking and performing “mud hall”! 

2-Baskets

The second essential element for a working drop area is a quick, easy to use storage space for each person in the family.  Let’s look again at that mudroom we are still drooling over.  What do we see?  Baskets and lots of them.

Yes, these woven baskets are wonderful and fit perfectly in this custom designed space.  However, we’d like to recommend an option that works in so many ways.  Especially for shoes!

  Sturdy Stacking Square Laundry Baskets

At 19x19x13, these stacking laundry baskets line up and slide easily on the floor and are lightweight enough tote from one space to another.  We’ve got Mom’s who have individualized baskets for everyone in the family and even have baskets for each sport.  From house, to garage to car these babies become workhorses that keep busy lives organized.

Back To School And Off To Work

School has started for some and is just around the corner for others.  Soon backpacks, shoes, school projects, sports equipment are going to be begging for their own space.  No matter the space, take a quick look and see if a few hooks and baskets can make it function better.

Don’t Forget All The Design Ideas On Our Pinterest Boards

Home Work Stations Can Be Cool!

Home Offices Go From Boring To Beautiful!

Fall is Coming…Please Subscribe For More Interior Design Ideas Every Week!

Oh If We Only Had A Mudroom! – Week # 7 What a lovely area this is!  A perfect, walk in the door, stop and drop all our stuff.  

[laurelbledsoe]

Yes, last Motivational Monday, we talked about how to better use the drawers we already own in our bathrooms.  We mentioned one thing we learned from Martha Stewart years ago, that our make up and hair area does not have to be in the bathroom.  Wait….is that where your make up warehouse is?

Our Make Up Area Inspiration

Before we delve into one of the areas of our homes that can use a good de-cluttering and organizing, we want to share a fellow bloggers morning make up area.  How perfect is this repurposed dresser for a spot that is all hers?!

 un-fancy.com always inspires us to do more with less.  In a nutshell, she reminds me to perfect what really works for me and not be drawn into doing more when it does not fit my lifestyle.

Organizing The Bathroom

It’s hard to say how many bathrooms laurel bledsoe design has designed for our wonderful clients.  No matter the decor, all bathrooms have to do the same things for each of us.  The number one request we get for a new bath design is to add more storage.  Reality check.  The thing with more storage is that if it’s not the right storage soon the same problems come back bigger!  A good design plan will allow for an auxiliary area, away from the steam and too deep vanity, with individual storage that is easy to maintain.

Why The Skinny Make Up Area?

 So We Can See Up Close!

Being able to get up close to a mirror, with good natural light is the ideal situation to create our best selves each day.  I’ve seen younger gals sit in front of a stand up mirror that reflects the natural source of light in a room.  Good plan, but if I did that I might need help getting up each day!  Here’s what is working for me in our current home.

  This TJ Max, 15″ deep, $69 cabinet, has made the cut in several homes.  In it’s previous life it housed candles.  Now it fits nicely in the hall between the bed and bath.  The mirror, which never got hung on the wall, used to hang over a bed.  It’s a funky little space with just enough surface to hold a speaker and to spread out the things I use everyday.

  Organization in the cabinet is with several flat acrylic trays that slide out easily, a pair of Burma Shave jars (a memory of my Dad), and a deep sided perfume box.  The small travel mirror is lightweight and good for closeups.  A pair of travel make up bags stay close for quick packing.  Baby wipes are a quick way to clean brushes daily and wipe up the counter.  The photo to the right are the only items I keep in the bathroom by the sink.  Basically, things that require a hand wash after application.

Quick Make Up Stash In A Medicine Cabinet

  Years ago I started stashing a duplicate set of my absolute make up must haves somewhere other than in the master bedroom/bathroom.  When someone in the house is retired, (Mr. LBD) schedules are hours apart.  When I travel I use a glass to keep things on the counter but easy for housekeeping to move.  Currently I use a tall  Tervis 16oz Tervis Tumbler that holds what I use on most days and it is in the guest bathroom medicine cabinet.  It has also been on my desk and kitchen counter more times than once.

Sorry…It’s All Staying In The Bathroom!

Other Ways To Free Up The Vanity Drawers

  Again, we stress that what works for one might not work at all for another.  If you’ve got a system that works seamlessly for you now, does not create stress hunting for that perfect shade of lipstick you know you bought last month, or is so organized there is no hair or goop in site, then you don’t need to do a thing.

Or if you are like the rest of us, take some time to rethink how the area that you count pretty heavily on everyday is working for you.  A remake could be just what you need for a few extra minutes each day.

Enough Storage For Most Make Up Needs

 Look around and see if you can find three to four feet of wall space near natural light.  Decide if you want to sit or stand so the new space works best for you.  Perhaps existing furniture can be used in a different way.   We reuse kids desks all the time to make gals a personalized finish up spot.  Think about how fewer fights in shared bathrooms there will be some school time again.  Creating a personal make-up station, with new pieces, does not have to be expensive.  The more unique the pieces the more fun!  Here are a few universal pieces we suggest often.  We’ve got one savvy Mom who even attached a hair tool holder to the vanity she made for her daughter.  Smart!

Wall Mirror with Shelf

Parsons Console Table

  Make Up Organizers

Hair Tool Organizer

Subscribe Here

To be the first to get the upcoming weeks of our Summer De-Cluttering and Organizing Tips

Are You Following Us On Pinterest?

No Stainless Steel Appliances!

Why A Skinny Make Up Area Outside The Bathroom Is Best – Week # 3 Yes, last Motivational Monday, we talked about how to better use the drawers we already own in our bathrooms.