All My June Favorites, Including The Ones I Buy Again & Again

The month of June may have been one of the busiest months of my life in the last few years. Buying a home 8—9 hours away in another state was both exciting and challenging. The sellers of the home I purchased, asked to remain in the home for approximately two weeks after the closing. They were being transferred to another state, so they had their own moving challenges with which to deal. Though I was excited to get into the Dollhouse (as I’ve now affectionately named it) I sympathized with their situation having gone through a military move a couple of times myself in the past. I also feel like what goes around, comes around, and their situation tugged at my heart. If you put out good things into the world, it often comes right back to you. I felt very blessed to have family with whom I could stay and decided to use those two weeks after closing (which really turned out to be around 9–10 days) to start purchasing the items I knew I would need as soon as I moved in.

As much as possible, I hoped to avoid purchasing things that I already owned back in Georgia since I will most likely be moving to the Dollhouse full-time in the future, but I also knew that wouldn’t happen for a while since there are a lot of things I want and need to get done in both houses before moving. During that 9-10 day, cooling-my-jets waiting period, I purchased a second Dyson vacuum. I have so enjoyed the one I already have (it has cut in half the time it takes me to vacuum my home!) so I’ve often thought that I’d love to have a second one so I could keep one available on each level/floor of my home. Now, I really had a good excuse to go ahead and make that purchase.

This is the model that I purchased and that’s currently tucked away in a closet back at the Dollhouse. I don’t think this one existed when I purchased my first vacuum, but Dyson did a good thing when they designed this model and greatly enlarged the size of the bin. It’s probably a tiny bit heavier, but I love that I can vacuum the whole house before I even have to think of emptying out the bin. LOVE this vacuum and can’t recommend it enough! When I return to the Dollhouse, I need to decide where I want the charging station mounted, looking forward to getting that done! Definitely recommend this vacuum if you’ve been thinking of going with a cordless one! You’ll find it available here: Dyson Vacuum with Large Bin.

Not wishing to drag a blow-dryer back and forth from Georgia to Ohio every time I’m there, during my 10-day waiting time, I went hair dyer shopping online for the first time in many, many years. I knew from watching a few “beauty” YouTubers online that blow-dryers have changed a lot over the years and I was excited to try one of the new ionic style dryers. Wow! What a difference from my old-school blow-dryer back in Georgia. After using this one a few times, it’s all I can do to restrain myself from buying a second one for when I’m home in Georgia. It’s much quieter and more gentle on my hair, and I love how fast it gets my hair dry. It’s incredibly powerful, you can tell that when you’re using it, so I’m amazed by how much quieter it is than my old blow-dyer. Love this hair dryer! You’ll find it available here: Amazing Blow Dryer.

Before moving into the Dollhouse, I had come to the conclusion that I could comfortably get by if I had two needs met: A place to work and a place to sleep. That meant I needed to concentrate on making my office and bedroom comfortable and functional. For the bedroom, I really just wanted a bed and a couple of nightstands. Since I knew I’d have several items to assemble once I moved in, these nightstands were two items I went ahead and put together while I was still staying with my son. The instructions were great and they were easy to put together. The drawers open and close effortlessly. They are sooo cute, I’d love to find a use for them somewhere in the Dollhouse once I move everything up from Georgia. These would be perfect for any bedroom, but I think their height also makes them perfect to use alongside a chair. You’ll find them available to purchase as singles or in a set here: Scalloped Front Night Stand.

I am a fan nut, I love the breezes and the white noise while I sleep at night, and enjoy the same as I work (and play) in my office throughout the day. Just before moving into the Dollhouse, I purchased one of these fancy high velocity fans. I’ve never had one of these before and this thing still amazes me each time I turn it on! The volume of air it moves is shocking! It works so well, when I had an electrician in to make some updates, he walked in front of it and asked if it was actually cooling the air. I wondered the exact same thing when I turned it on for the first time! I couldn’t get over how cool the air felt. I guess it makes the air feel that way due to how much air it can move and how fast it can move it. I liked the first one that I purchased for my bedroom so much, I immediately ordered a second one for my office. It’s pretty amazing, and I love that it came with a remote—so convenient if you’re sitting at your desk, or you’ve gotten into bed and suddenly decide you want the fan on. If you could use a great fan, you’ll find this one available here: High Velocity Fan with Remote Control.

I quickly realized I needed scissors after I moved in. I really like these “heavy-duty” scissors that I have tucked away in several places back home in Georgia, so I purchased two pairs for the Dollhouse. I keep a pair upstairs and one down so I’m not having to run up and down the stairs each time I need scissors. You’ll find these available here: Scissors.

So, you know how I really love alllll my DeWalt tools. After I built a potting table a few years back and came to purchase/own quite a few of their tools, I was so impressed with them, I made the decision then to try and buy DeWalt tools whenever I needed a new tool. The tool I use the most often is my drill, and once I started assembling furniture for the Dollhouse, I was badly missing it. I borrowed my son’s drill, but it just wasn’t the same!

It was a bit of splurge since I won’t really need two drills once I move to Ohio one day for good, but I simply could not live without my drill. It’s almost like a security blanket because it has come to my rescue so many times over the years! It was invaluable when I put together my desk, bedside tables and bed. I’ve already used it so many times in the new house, including for tightening up some of the door hinges on the cabinets in the kitchen. This is a great set, and you’ll find it available here: Dewalt Drill Set. (Great gift for the DIYer!)

I tried to use it to remove the wire shelves from the garage walls at the Dollhouse, but the supports were screwed into brick walls, so that took an impact driver. I have often noticed the sets available that include an impact driver, and I always wondered how an impact driver worked and when it was needed. Now I know! The electrician who came out was so nice to help me get these off the wall, and it took an impact driver to do it. I probably won’t buy an impact driver since that is the only time I’ve ever needed one, but it was cool to see how it worked! If you find yourself needing something even stronger than a drill from time to time, you’ll find the set that includes both the drill and the impact driver on sale for incredible price here: DeWalt Cordless Drill and Impact Driver Set.

I re-purchased these two sets, as well. They are invaluable to have/use with the drill! You’ll find these available here: Screwdriver Set and Drill Bit Set.

Moving into a new home, I really needed a good flashlight. I absolutely love the DeWalt flashlight that I have at home. I have three back home, one in the garage, one in the basement and one in my office. They give me so much comfort and peace of mind knowing if the power goes out, I won’t be fumbling around in the dark. I already had an extra DeWalt battery from the drill set I purchased, so I was all set. I’m taking a few more batteries up with me on my next trip, as well. You’ll find this awesome flashlight available here: DeWalt Flashlight.

I love the DeWalt leaf blower that I have back home. I purchased it many, many years ago, and it’s still going strong. Over the past year or so, I have been tempted to try one of their newer models since they are supposed to be a bit lighter than my old one, so I purchased this one for the Dollhouse. I haven’t actually had time to use it, yet. I had so much going on during my time there, I never got around to unboxing it, but the reviews look great. I’ll have to give up a follow-up report to let you know how I like it after I unbox it on this next trip up. In the meantime, you can read more about it here: DeWalt Leaf Blower.

I really like this toothbrush holder that I use back home that stores and hides toothbrushes.

So, as soon as I moved in, I bought one for my bathroom in the Dollhouse. It goes great with all the other stainless steel fixtures in this bathroom. You’ll find it available here: Toothbrush Holder.

On a previous trip to visit my son/DIL, I was returning something and ended up using their packing tape dispenser. It worked so much better than the one I already had (the dark blue one) I purchased the brand dispenser they use since I knew I would have a ton of packing coming up soon. It works great, so much better than my old one! If you could use a great tape dispenser for sealing up boxes, you’ll find this one available here: Great Packing Tape Dispenser.

After being in the house for a few weeks, I quickly came to the conclusion that I want to make the basement a place my grandsons can use and enjoy. I have some big plans for this space that I hope to work on in an upcoming visit—looking forward to sharing those!

So many favorites this past month, this is almost a Best of the Best list that I’m sharing this month. You know I love something when I buy it over and over again! Let me know if you have any questions. I can’t wait to share the plans I have for this basement! It will be very different from anything I’ve done in my home in Georgia. Looking forward to sharing that very soon! Happy weekend!