Double-Duty Drawers
In the past 4 months, Adam and I have given away about 1/3 of our belongings. It feels so wonderful to create more room for our new lifestyle with baby West! Here are a few little modifications that we made that really helped us free up floor space, and eliminate clutter:
1. Built-in Pet Toy Storage
For the past 5+ years, these four drawers on my side of the bed were filled with my socks, underwear and swimsuits. I'd placed an open basket at the foot of the drawers, and that's where we stored the dogs' toys. But the basket got in the way a lot-- mainly when I was trying to access the storage under our bed, or when I'd groggily wake up in the middle of the night to pump. I realized that I could easily get rid of one drawer of accessories, and then keep the puppies' goodies in the bottom bin. Now I can easily tuck the toys and container away:
2. Extendable Nightstand
We have wonderful little built-in nightstands on the sides of our bed. But lately I've been wanting a bit more surface space at night so I can keep West's books and toys at the ready (we're currently co-sleeping). Rather than buying a new piece of mobile furniture to wheel in during the evenings, I opted to make a cover that I can slide over one of the open drawers at night:
Luckily the removable lid to the basket located one cubby up worked PERFECTLY for this project. But had it not, I would've simply had a lightweight piece of plywood custom-cut at the hardware store that I could use in the same manner. During the day, I would've stored it on the shelf alongside the books. In this case, I just replace the basket top during the day. This little extra table-top space is so helpful!
3. Trundle Storage for West's Toys
As West's toy collection grows and evolves, we'll need a big, easy bin in which to put everything. However, there is no room for an additional large catch-all basket or box in our house. So I decided to donate all of the clothes I kept stashed in the trundle-drawer on my side of the bed. (The neighboring bin is for laundry.) Now every bit of clothing I own is stored in our garden wardrobe.
My hope is that this easily accessible, oversized drawer will be a handy tool in the future, when West is able to pick out and play with his toys on his own.
Sophee - Cottage Rescue Pup no.2
Back in August, we adopted another dog-- this time from Much Love Rescue. She was three months old, and was going to be put down after being a cosmetic testing animal. Luckily, Much Love saved her. They provided her with some necessary surgical procedures, and planned to put her up for adoption once she healed.
Adam and I initially intended to foster her... but we fell victim to a serious case of #FosterFail. We fell in love with Sophee immediately, as did Stanlee:
It was a tough start with little Soph-- she's had a run of serious bad luck and health issues. But, after months of routine trips to the vet (general and emergency), she finally seems to be on the mend. By mid-Jauary, we hope she'll be enjoying a healthy re-start.
Thank you Jax & Bones and Healthy Spot Marina del Rey for Sophee's new, custom bed in "Gatsby Grey". It looks beautiful in the Cottage, and both she and Stanlee use it constantly.
Here's to 2 (loud) dogs and 2 (large) humans living in 362 sqft and still loving each other endlessly.
More photos of the pups are available via our IG hashtags: #🐶sophee / #stubsandsoph / #stanleestubs