Marie Lotto Design: Cleanin' out my closet

This is one of those projects that you get halfway through and you wish you never started! After having a lot of fun in Boston all day Saturday, I determined that I needed to tackle a project over Labor Day weekend so I decided to clean out the closet on the third floor. Easy enough, right?

This was a straightforward choice for two reasons. First, the Epilepsy Foundation is doing a donation pick-up on Tuesday and I am sure there are coats and gloves and all sorts of good stuff that others could use more than we could. Second, we have reached the critical point where a place for everything and everything in its place no longer applies because we have run out of 'places'. This just was not cutting it because I pride myself in organization and anti-clutter. What kind of self-proclaimed organization queen would I be if my art studio & Kevin's workout room, aka the third floor, was beginning to look like a place to stash stuff.

Since I was taking everything out of the third floor closet, I might as well paint it! And since painting is boring, I may as well take this opportunity to design something cool on the painted floor. Now, two days later, I am exhausted, the third floor looks way worse than when I started (see images below) and I look like I was just out on a paintball battlefield and the other team won. You have to realize, I am writing this mid-project and my smile-o-meter is only now just starting the upswing after reaching the low point a few hours ago.

The fun part about doing a thorough closet cleaning is the random stuff you find. Amongst my favorites this time around were:

My first license and passport. My passport looked like a mug shot. They very clearly told me I was not supposed to smile. Luckily, the rules have changed.
$3.39. I am actually making money on this project so far!
My calculus book from college. This made me feel really smart for a second...did I really learn all of that?!
Ornaments that I had misplaced
Kevin's red tie. Oooooh, my favorite!
My cheesehead. Just in time for the season!
Satin wedding shoes. Yes, of course I tried them on in my painting clothes!
My wedding bouquet. Gardenias and mini-calla lilies. 'How many lilies should I have?', I inquired. My florist replied, 'Enough to be proportional with a tall girl. I will decide.' You did good Gene!
A broken window behind the piece of insulation that was tacked over the window. Well, at least I have $3.39 for a broken window fund.
My materials science and engineering course books with my professor's monkey sketches. Totally random, I know. Also, totally hilarious!
A piece of wood with names carved in it.

The previous owner's must have salvaged the piece of wood when they finished the third floor. To me, this is one of the perks of owning a 110 year old house. Imagine the history! This may have been from the guys that built the house or kids that lived here once. I am not sure I like the idea of a guy named Wimpy building my house though! Hopefully, this is one of those ironic nicknames, like 'Tiny' for a 400 pound beefcake type.