Quiz: Which Mrs. Meyer's holiday scent suits you? (Plus, claim your FREE holiday set from Grove!)

It's officially here, lovelies: The season for eggnog sipping, gift shopping, Christmas tree trimming, and scarf wearing. And along with all the holiday cheer and Christmas songs, Mrs. Meyer's holiday scents are back: Peppermint, Orange Clove, and Iowa Pine.

Make more time for summer fun with Grove Collaborative

This offer has expired, but stay tuned for more special deals.

It may not be "officially" summer yet, but the beautiful weather has arrived. For me, that means weekends and weeknights spent outside grilling supper, sitting next to the fire pit, and (eventually) floating around in the pool with a refreshing drink.

My 5 Favorite Spring Cleaning Essentials + Free Seasonal Set from Grove Collaborative

Spring Cleaning. Two words that are almost as daunting as Daylight Savings. Almost.

Not only am I dragging myself out of bed (thanks to the dark mornings again), but I'm also dragging my feet when it comes to housecleaning. It's hard to keep the rooms spick 'n' span with house projects going on. 

The truth of the matter: Sometimes I have to bribe myself. In the mornings, what motivates me to get out of bed and get my butt to the gym? Well, the promise of coffee and thirty minutes to catch up on my favorite blogs before clocking into work for the day. When it comes to motivation for rolling my sleeves and tidying up? I can be coaxed by the prettiest, smell-goodiest cleaning supplies—and like clothing, decor, and candles, I enjoying switching up my scents for each season.

Keep your pumpkin spice—pass me the apple cider everything!

Boots. Blanket scarves. Pumpkin spice lattes. These are sure signs of fall—as are the grey skies, crisp air, and beautiful golden leaves. For me, fall is all about the smells. The dry, dusty harvest air. Hearty soups in the crock pot. Baked goods in the oven. And while I enjoy pumpkin spice to a degree, there's nothing that quite puts in me in the mood for autumn like the smell of apple cider. Keep your pumpkin spice. Give me apple cider everything!

Gift Ideas with Caldrea's Summer Entertaining Kit (Get one for free!)

Summer—'tis the season for bridal showers and weddings. Not to mention college students heading off to college dorms and many moving into their first apartments. And, of course, a housewarming party here or there. I love gift-giving for these special occasions, but it's easy to end up stumped trying to find a balance between budget, function, and style. 

Get a free Caldrea Summer Entertaining Kit (Your kitchen will thank you—and smell lovely!)

Cleaning should smell good.

I have a confession to make: I'm a compulsive cleaner in the kitchen. No, not because I'm afraid of germs. And not because we're extra messy cooks. But because I love the smell of my cleaning products. Lovely-scented countertop spray makes wiping down the kitchen a delight. And dish soap that smells good and doesn't eat away at my hands? That makes washing the dishes that can't go into the dishwasher so much more bearable. I just really enjoy walking into a clean kitchen that smells of rhubarb... or basil... or radish... or currently: pear blossom agave. Mmmm.

Bug Off! | Getting rid of unwanted guests of the 6- and 8-legged variety

To know me is to know I'm afraid of anything with more than four legs - except butterflies. After over a month of living together in our new-to-us, 105-year-old house in a semi-rural small town... G is just finding this out. He's come home to a beetle trapped under a mason jar, fireplace wrapped in tape to keep honeybees out, and me nearly in tears because there were two wasps upstairs.

One of the biggest, scariest adventures in having our own house has been dealing with the uninvited guests. The job has mostly fallen to me since I work from home... and our house is now also my office. So far, I've been pestered by ants, spiders, bees, wasps, and a solitary beetle. And with two furry co-workers - errr, uh... cats - I want to keep my extermination methods as eco-friendly and pet-safe as possible. And I thought I'd share my product reviews and recommendations with you!

Let's get down to the creepy crawlers, shall we?

6 Ways to Hide a Bulletin Board

From the coral and turquoise color combination to an inspiring view of my Birth of Venus folding screen, I really love having moved my office into the front room. It's brighter, less isolated, and vibrantly colored to fuel creativity. All in all, it's a great space to walk straight into after work - and perfectly situated for evening blogging or writing. 

Cleaning Product Love: Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Radish & Basil

You know you're really starting to get the hang of 'adulting' when you get excited about cleaning products. You caught me. And it's all because of radishes, basil, and pretty labels.

$5 Bathroom Vanity Makeover and Re-Organization | My Apartment

I know that I said decorating and organizing wouldn't be part of my Apartment Purge, but last Friday I took on a problem zone that I just couldn't put off any longer. It was part purge, part organization project. It was my mess of a bathroom vanity:

The Great Apartment Purge | 3 Problem Zones, 3 Ways to Live with Less

Behind the Blog Posts: It looks so organized... until you take a peek under the bed. :S

Over the past few years, I've accumulated too much stuff. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a pack-rat. I tend to be a little overly sentimental about letting things go. But as I grow up, my desire to live with less also grows. I'll never be a minimalist when it comes to decorating, but it's my new Mid-Year Resolution to minimize what I own. Because I really don't need the amount of clothing, books, and random decor that I currently possess.

The source of my accumulation: college moves and my recent relocation to a new town. In April 2013, I got a job offer I couldn't refuse. I had two weeks to wrap up my then-job, find a sub-leaser, pack my things, and hang out with friends before kissing my college-town goodbye. Junk got packed away instead of getting thrown away. And now it's here cramping my lovely apartment's style - and cramming up all the storage space that my apartment has to offer.

It's time for a change.

12 Ways to Add Style & Storage to Your Apartment Kitchen

Apartment kitchens are notoriously difficult to deal with - they lack storage, space, personality, and (oftentimes) luxury. However, they're fully loaded with bland surfaces, lackluster materials, and often outdated appliances. Decorating and organizing a tiny kitchen is a big challenge. 

Guest Post | De-Stress the Spring Mess: Fun and Functional Pieces

Today's guest post comes from special guest Steven Athea: co-founder of Modani, the ultra-modern furniture company. Known for his eye for design, Steven has helped launch Modani into national success - even attracting the attention of celebrities including Lady Gaga and Sean Combs. We welcome Steven to The Lovely Side today with his expert organizing tips for creating a fun and functional space. (Pssst! You can also leave storage, organization, and design dilemma questions for Steven in the comments!)

______________________________________________

De-Stress the Spring Mess: Fun and Functional Pieces

Guest Post by Steven Athea, Co-Founder of Modani

Clutter is a major distraction - something we can't afford to have when we need to be productive. As responsibilities and deadlines pile up, the chaos can cause even more stress! Get a breath of fresh air this spring by bringing these fun and functional organization pieces into your living space. These budget-friendly ideas are guaranteed to relax the racing mind!

7 Non-Toxic or Natural Bug Repellents & Killers

Whether you live in a dorm, rent an apartment, or own a home - you'll probably encounter a creepy crawler at some point. From ants and fruit flies to centipedes and spiders to silverfish and earwigs. Ew, ew, ew. It's not fun to deal with these buggers - especially when chemicals can be stinky, damaging, and even dangerous. Luckily, there are non-toxic and natural ways of repelling and even killing insects. And I've been on a mission to find some solutions.

Share Your Tips for a Pest-Free Apartment or Dorm | Natural Pesticides & Insect Repellents

Howdy, lovelies! I've got a not-so-lovely story. In the whole eight months I've dwelled in my lovely little apartment, I've never had a bug issue. I've seen and killed maybe two spiders. Had a few fruit flies in the early fall. And saw one earwig last summer. No biggies.

This past weekend, I encountered my worst fear. Something I hate more than any other bug - more than spiders even. A silverfish. A little one. On my bathroom wall. I almost mistook it for an earwig. I sprayed it with hair mousse, grabbed it with a tissue, and flushed it. Then yesterday, I saw another. In my beautiful clawfoot tub. Again, I thought it was a small earwig... but the bf quickly and horrifically confirmed that it was indeed a silverfish.

Storage: Lotions, Perfumes, & Products... Oh My!

"...Try as I might to organize my room... It seems like there's too much stuff. I have an obscene number of lotion and perfume bottles, along with random small things that have accumulated over the years. My room looks really cluttered and I hate it! There's a drawer in my bathroom filled with things I don't want to through away, but don't know how to organize. Do you have any tips on how to organize random small stuff like this?" -Etta

Win $50 To Get Organized | Apartment Guide's Lost & Found: Do You Know Where Your Things Are? (Closed)

Source: The Container Store

And the winner is... 

Ellen B.

(Congrats, Ellen! I'll be in touch with info about your prize!)

**This giveaway is now closed.**

DIY Multi-Tasking Desktop Organizer | Lost & Found: Do You Know Where Your Things Are? (Closed)

Do-it-yourself multi-tasking desktop organizer.  Now that's a mouthful.  As part of my partnership with Apartment Guide for the Lost & Found: Do You Know Where Your Things Are? Blogger Program, I was assigned a mission to create a rental-friendly organization project.  I got to thinking about what organization challenges I faced myself.  Much of it came down to paper: magazines, documents, homework, cards, craft scraps, etc.  Paper piles up on the desk and other surfaces.  So I wanted a way---well, a pretty way---to organize it.  

Make It Work: 9 Ways to Style a Chrome Shelving Unit

Shelley sent me this email,

"Hi Jessica, I am absolutely crazy over your blog... you are so inspirational! I have a shelf dilemma I need help with! I have a a metal shelving unit that looks a little bit like this (photo above), but taller: I am moving into a new apartment with some of my girlfriends and we are all tight on cash, so we want to use what we already have! My only problem is that this shelving unit is just so... industrial! I have more of a cozy, traditional style and looooooove color! I just don't know how to make this unit more homey and cute! Thanks from a fan!"

Funny you should mention that shelving unit, Shelley!  I actually used to have the same one.  It's a shiny chrome shelf from Target that is as easy to assemble as it is easy on the budget.  Too bad it's just not so easy on the eyes!

Organized Desktops Roundup

source

Industrial file bins organize papers.  Mismatched cups keep pencils and paintbrushes at bay.