Senin, 30 September 2013
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September Highlights & Happenings
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Fall Who?
I can hardly believe September is over. Man, where does the time go?
I must say I am enjoying fall weather (which is weird since I hate the cold). I love the yummy flavored donuts, the gold & red leaves that pepper the landscape, and the corn mazes! Ah fall!
So why I am I shopping for summer??
Well you know how frugal I am...I'm a price matcher, a certifiable coupon carrier, a DIY'er, a roadside furniture junkie...which you've all seen on the blog, so I'm guessing you already figured out I'm cheap. But seriously, I wanted give ya'all a heads up...forget about holiday shopping, it's summer shopping season baby! I purchased a few of these exact same items at their full price at the beginning of the summer, and now they are practically being throw away by the stores ( Walmart was selling them for a pittance!)...oh if only I had just waited. Well, now I have enough pool filters to last me two summers...I'm not getting caught spending $59.82 for pool filters again next year (dude, 59.82 vs. $6 dollars for the same 6 filters!!!!). It's like a punishment for teaching my kids to swim (not to mention my water bill) *furrowed brow*. Can you believe these before & after prices?
Like I was saying...time to go summer shopping peeps!
Meanwhile, Back In Blog Land...
I've discovered yet another great site to add to my ever growing list of addictive sites: Hometalk! This past month Hometalk asked me to curate a board on one of my favorite topics: organization! Entryway organization to be exact...see my post here and my curated board on Hometalk here.
Septembers Cold Weather Project
Speaking of frugal projects... have you been following my newly made-over coat closet? I am so grateful to have a truly functioning closet. It was really causing me stress before. Just in case you missed it, here are a few links to my favorite projects in this coat closet, and you can see the entire reveal here.
DIY FLIPPED SHELVES
DIY KEY ORGANIZER
COAT CLOSET ORGANIZATION TIPS
What Project Is Next?
Well, done with one, on to the next! I have so many horrid spaces in need of lots and lots of TLC I hardly know where to start. Ok, it has been a toss up between the Laundry Room and the Bathroom. I really WANT to do the laundry room...I've seen many great ideas on Pinterest. But then again with the holidays just around the corner I might end up hosting some overnight guests, and all three bathrooms need a lot of work. *Sigh* I think my head is going to have to win out over my heart this time.
So, may I present to you my next project: The upstairs Jack & Jill bathroom, and the downstairs powder room!
What do you think? I would have done the powder room last if it hadn't been for the special "help" my children gave me by peeling the wall paper. Brilliant *shakes head*. I'm guessing one of them got carried away with all the wall paper peeling we did in our last house before moving here, and just kept right on.
As for the girls Jack & Jill bath, well for starters, its just not my taste, and more importantly it is not functioning well for my kids.
Ok, I have an important question....how do I ask this...
How in the world do you get those non-slip stickies off the bottom of a bathtub?? I mean, ew... they aren't effective anymore, maybe they were when the previous owners first put them in, but now they are just dingy and gross. If you have any suggestions for me, please let me know! I have scrubbed, scraped, and bleached until I was lightheaded, but to no avail! *my best martyr pout*
May your October be filled with mild days, corn mazes, and the beauty of fall colors!
I can hardly believe September is over. Man, where does the time go?
I must say I am enjoying fall weather (which is weird since I hate the cold). I love the yummy flavored donuts, the gold & red leaves that pepper the landscape, and the corn mazes! Ah fall!
So why I am I shopping for summer??
(Yeah I know, I'm a bit of a nut...you wouldn't believe how heavy this stuff was! Although, I was exaggerating a bit for my little photographer who was giggling the whole time! -Thanks middle munchkin!)
Well you know how frugal I am...I'm a price matcher, a certifiable coupon carrier, a DIY'er, a roadside furniture junkie...which you've all seen on the blog, so I'm guessing you already figured out I'm cheap. But seriously, I wanted give ya'all a heads up...forget about holiday shopping, it's summer shopping season baby! I purchased a few of these exact same items at their full price at the beginning of the summer, and now they are practically being throw away by the stores ( Walmart was selling them for a pittance!)...oh if only I had just waited. Well, now I have enough pool filters to last me two summers...I'm not getting caught spending $59.82 for pool filters again next year (dude, 59.82 vs. $6 dollars for the same 6 filters!!!!). It's like a punishment for teaching my kids to swim (not to mention my water bill) *furrowed brow*. Can you believe these before & after prices?
Meanwhile, Back In Blog Land...
I've discovered yet another great site to add to my ever growing list of addictive sites: Hometalk! This past month Hometalk asked me to curate a board on one of my favorite topics: organization! Entryway organization to be exact...see my post here and my curated board on Hometalk here.
Septembers Cold Weather Project
Speaking of frugal projects... have you been following my newly made-over coat closet? I am so grateful to have a truly functioning closet. It was really causing me stress before. Just in case you missed it, here are a few links to my favorite projects in this coat closet, and you can see the entire reveal here.
DIY FLIPPED SHELVES
click here to read more
Tutorial on how to create these easy build shelves and add function and style to any space!
DIY KEY ORGANIZER
click here to read more
Always losing your keys? No more with this key organizer tutorial!
COAT CLOSET ORGANIZATION TIPS
click here to read more
Bring high function as well as high style to your much needed coat closet!
Well, done with one, on to the next! I have so many horrid spaces in need of lots and lots of TLC I hardly know where to start. Ok, it has been a toss up between the Laundry Room and the Bathroom. I really WANT to do the laundry room...I've seen many great ideas on Pinterest. But then again with the holidays just around the corner I might end up hosting some overnight guests, and all three bathrooms need a lot of work. *Sigh* I think my head is going to have to win out over my heart this time.
So, may I present to you my next project: The upstairs Jack & Jill bathroom, and the downstairs powder room!
What do you think? I would have done the powder room last if it hadn't been for the special "help" my children gave me by peeling the wall paper. Brilliant *shakes head*. I'm guessing one of them got carried away with all the wall paper peeling we did in our last house before moving here, and just kept right on.
As for the girls Jack & Jill bath, well for starters, its just not my taste, and more importantly it is not functioning well for my kids.
Ok, I have an important question....how do I ask this...
How in the world do you get those non-slip stickies off the bottom of a bathtub?? I mean, ew... they aren't effective anymore, maybe they were when the previous owners first put them in, but now they are just dingy and gross. If you have any suggestions for me, please let me know! I have scrubbed, scraped, and bleached until I was lightheaded, but to no avail! *my best martyr pout*
May your October be filled with mild days, corn mazes, and the beauty of fall colors!
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Coat Closet Reveal
Jumat, 27 September 2013
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These days it seems everyone is turning their coat closets into mudrooms and reading nooks. I love the idea, but I couldn't practically give up my closet space. What I could give it was new life with lots of pretty and practical solutions.
Beastly Before
Oh mercy, I'm loath to remind you of the before photos. For those of you who haven't seen them yet, don't be scared. *wry grin* It's pretty awful, and I'm truly ashamed to say that these before pictures occurred while I live here...these aren't from the previous owner. It always amazes me how quickly a little space can become a disaster... one little person searches for "the other glove", and in one minute flat it looks like a tornado hit. I would open the coat closet door, sigh in frustration, and quickly shut the door behind. I tried hanging sweater organizers and rolling bins, but to no avail. I am so relieved to finally be able to open the closet door and not have an anxiety attack. *lol*
The Completed Closet
l want every space in my house to be pleasing to the eye, even if it spends lots of time behind closed doors. And why shouldn't my coat closet be attractive as well as have optimum function?
I hope you enjoy the tour of my completed coat closet!
Lest you think this closet is just another pretty face, it is chock full of practical storage solutions! I really enjoyed finally organizing this space.
Oh mercy, I'm loath to remind you of the before photos. For those of you who haven't seen them yet, don't be scared. *wry grin* It's pretty awful, and I'm truly ashamed to say that these before pictures occurred while I live here...these aren't from the previous owner. It always amazes me how quickly a little space can become a disaster... one little person searches for "the other glove", and in one minute flat it looks like a tornado hit. I would open the coat closet door, sigh in frustration, and quickly shut the door behind. I tried hanging sweater organizers and rolling bins, but to no avail. I am so relieved to finally be able to open the closet door and not have an anxiety attack. *lol*
l want every space in my house to be pleasing to the eye, even if it spends lots of time behind closed doors. And why shouldn't my coat closet be attractive as well as have optimum function?
I hope you enjoy the tour of my completed coat closet!
My favorite part of the closet are these cubby-like DIY flipped shelves. They were easy to make, but more importantly they allow us to get out the door just that much faster.
When designing this closet layout, I wanted it all... hangers for hanging, hooks for hanging, lots of shelf space, you name it! I was determined to have a high functioning coat closet!
Are you one of those people who is constantly misplacing their keys? Yeah, so am I. Creating a dedicated space to keep my miscellaneous keys made life just that much simpler. Small empty frames turn Key Organizer is a great afternoon project you and your spouse will be glad for in the long run.
I recognize that art in a closet is not typical. My philosophy is every space deserves a touch of something pretty, and hanging art on the upper walls of the closet adds the unexpected.
Thanks for touring my closet space! I am loving it, and it is loving me.
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Closet Organization
Senin, 23 September 2013
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I live in the snow belt of Northeast Ohio, so I need my coat closet like you wouldn't believe. A practical closet that keeps everything we need in immediate reach, neatly organized so we don't need to search is what I had in mind when I first set out to makeover my closet. Well, I'm over-the-moon to finally put everything back into my closet, and add the final organizational touches! And not a moment too soon, this week has been a cold one. *pout* I should have moved somewhere warm.
Make A List, Check It Twice...
The first step to getting the most out of my closet was to make a list of all the things I expect of it and organize accordingly.
I've gotten off to a great start by creating a practical layout, adding lots of hooks, building cubby shelves, and even making a key organizer, now on to the final organizational touches!
Purse Hangers
Remember these handy babies? I first used them in my middle munchkin's closet to wrangle her little purse collection. Boy they start young! *tee hee*
Not only do they work wonders in her room, but I can keep my frequent use purses in one place, right by the front door. Trust me, I need to do this. If I don't I am the one running frantically around the house looking for the purse with my wallet, and of course it will be 5 minutes after I should have already left for an appointment. *hands thrown up in the air* I don't do late...I hate late.
Basket Storage
I love baskets. I think they make for the prettiest form of storage! *happy sigh*
Before I even finished this coat closet I put in my baskets and tried them out to see what the best most convenient use of them would be. After a week of use, I discovered the ideal use of these baskets fitted to the way we live.
Basket #1 will sit on the floor under the shoe shelf to hold all our reusable grocery bags. Before a trip to Aldi I let the girls gather up the bags into one bag, and after our trip they know just where to fold and put them away! My darling little helpers! (Please excuse my proud mama moment).
In addition to the basket below that stores bags, I keep three baskets on the shelf above.
Basket #2 serves to catch all items that need to be returned to the store, or to a person. Every time I have a guests someone inevitably leaves something behind.
Basket #4 holds special occasion winter gear. This isn't every day winter gear -that is stored in easy access in an over-the-door shoe organizer. Nope, I keep the kids extra nice winter gear up high so they aren't tempted to use them for muddy outdoor snow fights. These babies only come out for church or events!
Over-the-Door Storage
Every winter day we do the same dance...every. single. winter. day. *grimace*
Just as I am ready to head out the door, after asking the girls for the fifth time if they have used the bathroom, gotten their shoes and coats on, have all necessary cold weather gear, someone inevitably says "oh mom, but I couldn't find my other glove!". *ugh* Then we spend 20 minutes searching for this munchkins hat, and that munchkins missing glove, which we won't find. WHY??
This over-the-door organizer serves as a much needed sanity saver! Each family member gets two spaces. That leaves two spaces that are used for special occasion items and generic gloves for visiting guests who didn't anticipate our outdoor winter antics. *mischievous grin*
Make A List, Check It Twice...
The first step to getting the most out of my closet was to make a list of all the things I expect of it and organize accordingly.
I've gotten off to a great start by creating a practical layout, adding lots of hooks, building cubby shelves, and even making a key organizer, now on to the final organizational touches!
Purse Hangers
Remember these handy babies? I first used them in my middle munchkin's closet to wrangle her little purse collection. Boy they start young! *tee hee*
Not only do they work wonders in her room, but I can keep my frequent use purses in one place, right by the front door. Trust me, I need to do this. If I don't I am the one running frantically around the house looking for the purse with my wallet, and of course it will be 5 minutes after I should have already left for an appointment. *hands thrown up in the air* I don't do late...I hate late.
Can you believe these pretty little things are cheap shower curtain hooks from a thrift store? Here it is in it's original condition, but a simple twist of the thin metal hook and it becomes an ideal purse hanging hook. (And no, it did not require my husbands muscles to bend. *grin* Mine were good enough!). It is better than using extra sturdy non-bendable shower curtain hooks. It allows my purses to face to the side rather than forward, so the straps aren't twisted and they store more conveniently while taking up less space.
Basket Storage
I love baskets. I think they make for the prettiest form of storage! *happy sigh*
Before I even finished this coat closet I put in my baskets and tried them out to see what the best most convenient use of them would be. After a week of use, I discovered the ideal use of these baskets fitted to the way we live.
Basket #1 will sit on the floor under the shoe shelf to hold all our reusable grocery bags. Before a trip to Aldi I let the girls gather up the bags into one bag, and after our trip they know just where to fold and put them away! My darling little helpers! (Please excuse my proud mama moment).
In addition to the basket below that stores bags, I keep three baskets on the shelf above.
Basket #2 serves to catch all items that need to be returned to the store, or to a person. Every time I have a guests someone inevitably leaves something behind.
In basket #3 I keep our special occasion scarves, wraps, and purses. They are so rarely used I was loath to allow them to take up space in my tiny bedroom closet, so this serves as the perfect home for these guys!
Basket #4 holds special occasion winter gear. This isn't every day winter gear -that is stored in easy access in an over-the-door shoe organizer. Nope, I keep the kids extra nice winter gear up high so they aren't tempted to use them for muddy outdoor snow fights. These babies only come out for church or events!
Over-the-Door Storage
Every winter day we do the same dance...every. single. winter. day. *grimace*
Just as I am ready to head out the door, after asking the girls for the fifth time if they have used the bathroom, gotten their shoes and coats on, have all necessary cold weather gear, someone inevitably says "oh mom, but I couldn't find my other glove!". *ugh* Then we spend 20 minutes searching for this munchkins hat, and that munchkins missing glove, which we won't find. WHY??
This over-the-door organizer serves as a much needed sanity saver! Each family member gets two spaces. That leaves two spaces that are used for special occasion items and generic gloves for visiting guests who didn't anticipate our outdoor winter antics. *mischievous grin*
Each child has their frequent use hat, gloves, and scarf set in one space, with an extra alternate color set and/or heavier glove set in the second space. When we leave the house, they can reach in and grab the desired trio, and when we come back the first thing they are required to do is put them away immediately. No more frantic searching!!!
All it takes is a few practical organization solutions to make your winter outings easy and stress free! I am officially ready for cold weather...well, no - no I'm not. But at least my closet is! *flex* BRING IT winter! (no, I'm sorry, don't bring it...don't)
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