Week 2 Challenge - "The Launch Pad" - Update

After posting about this challenge on Sunday, my mind started to work and work and work on ideas for how to create my launch pad.  I laid awake Sunday night as the ideas really started to roll.  See I have this area next to the counter and between the door that is where I believe I have some very usable space that is right now "trashed" ;-) 

Yep, it has housed the trash can since we first moved into this house 7 1/2 years ago.  Now, it also holds that cart, my creative way to have a place to store mittens and  .. . the cat while she is sleeping.  I like the idea and it really was a test to see if that area was "usable" and it is.  As I laid in bed, I thought about what storage unit I could put there . .. and I thought of this:

That is my husband's current end table (which brings up another issue - we have NEVER had matching end tables and by "matching" I mean that matches our bedroom or each other!) This particular stand we got as a wedding gift and it has been used in every room from the kitchen to the bathroom to our bedroom (obviously)  It came with some wire baskets but I have put them to use elsewhere.  I loved this idea for my launch pad because it is tall but still slightly shorter than the counter top so it won't "become" extra counter space.  Also, it has that nice flat surface which is the right size to put a few basics but not too large to carry too much stuff.  With three cubbies (which I will find the perfect baskets for) it is the perfect space for mittens and gloves, cloth shopping bags and whatever else I can think of :-)  So I took this table and turned it from the bedside table to this:

I pulled the green baskets out of Josh's room and found the basket downstairs.  I still have a little work to do on it - I want to mod-podge some pretty paper on the top.  I got that idea from Organizing Made Fun - see her cool dresser-turned-launch pad - - -

Don't you just love the look of that music on top???

Shoes.  Gotta love 'em; gotta wear 'em.  We get a pile of 'em.  So I saw this really cute idea out in blog land:

I really love this idea but I haven't figured out quite yet how to corral our shoes.  There is not enough space next to the stand/launch pad to put this (which is why the trash can still sits there . . .) So for now the shoes are staying put - on our entry rug.
The other area of my entry way is where to put coats.  There is no coat closet in this house.  We actually added a closet rod to a closet in the bathroom for a place to hang our "extra" coats but none of us walk to the bathroom to hang up a coat when we get home - they just get thrown over the banister.  So, I saw this great idea for a peg board (sorry no picture :-( ) that is exactly what I had in mind but, as a "test", I've hung up some command hooks right here in our stair well.  This is better anyway because I will be painting soon and don't need to fill in MORE holes!.

Here is the nice open wall . ..

Now I added a couple of command hooks.

I LOVE these hooks that I saw over at A Bowl Full of Lemons, though.  If I can find hooks like this I may not build the peg board since it would be easier to just hang hooks!

I'm also thinking that this is the perfect place to add this:

The top step is very wide so there is plenty of room to stand without worrying about falling plus, I think it would be super cute as part of our "entry". 

So that is the basics - both some things I've done and some things I'm thinking about.  Before I conquer any more of this project though, I HAVE to get our bathroom done.  Maybe I need THAT to be a challenge ;-)

Too Cute Not To "Toot"

Lets just jump into the ideas!! First up is a super cute idea from Craftomanic for adorable homemade Valentine's.  How much cuter are these than the little store bought items you can get?

And, here's another idea from 24-7-365 for Valentine's as well.

OR, if you really want to go the extra mile, check out these creative Valentine's from FamilyFun.com

Over at Oopsey-daisy is a great tutorial for Rose Felt Trees.  These would also be a great idea for a bridal shower centerpiece or even at a wedding.  They are super adorable!

Ok . .my ideas are short today.  If you follow blogs that have "Linky Parties" you probably saw that they have had to pay for that service that used to be free so a lot of the places I find cute ideas either didn't have parties this week or they are much smaller.  I didn't have as much time as I do sometimes to search individual blogs so . . .hopefully these ideas help a little!  (And hopefully I'll be back next week with tons of ideas now that I'm a little more prepared for the search!)