Some New Before and After's!!

Feeling frustrated with my current make up situation in my small master bath, I decided I needed a new solution. I was tired of picking through my makeup bag, having to rummage through all my eyeliners, mascaras, and concealers until I found just the "right" one. Plus, I hated the counter top being so cluttered! I decided I wanted a set of cute drawers, something I could open & clearly see the contents. I bought this small drawer unit at my local Target, but I wanted to embellish it a bit, add some "pretty" so it's not just sitting on my sink looking blah. I went to Pinterest for some inspiration, and many had used paper to line the bottom or the fronts of the drawers. I didn't think I could line the front of the drawers, due to the shape and the handle, so I just lined the bottoms. I had bought this paper on clearance at Hobby Lobby, it is embroidery paper made by the Paper Studio, all in shades of black and white.




So, first things first. I took out one drawer, traced the pattern, and cut it just a bit smaller. I did a dry fit it to make sure it was going to work, then used double sided tape to anchor it down. It has a vinyl feel to it, so I hope it stands up for a long time; I didn't want to permanently adhere it so I can swap it out later, when my color mood changes. 

I had some rub ons left over from my sugar hand scrub jars, so I decided to use those for the fronts of the drawers. I wanted some "bling" so I then used Stickles to embellish those just a bit, but only on 2 drawers. Once I get the other color I want, I will add it to the other drawer.


 I then cut some paper to stick to the top, added a strip of the paper leftover from the drawer liners, added a circle & circle frame, and of course, some flowers with some "shiny" in the center. 

There you have it!! Now to fill it up with my makeup and admire it on a daily basis!! I plan to also add some labels once I figure out what is gonna go where, kwim??!! :) I love it, it is so pretty!

Counting Collection

My 3rd grade daughter's teacher sent home a letter asking for help and donations for "counting collections" for the classroom. This is a technique they use to help the students with basic math skills when they need practice, like counting, sorting, and place value. We started saving lids from 2 liter pop bottles and water bottles, and I wanted to send them to school in style..so I started looking for a cute container that I could re-purpose! I finally found one that was perfect, so here's the before and after!

Before: A plain Planters cashew plastic container.
(The tray is for another project I am working on...that will be posted later.)















I measured all 4 sides, cut some paper to fit, and using double sided tape, I attached it to the container. To better hold the paper in place, I covered it all with a coat of clear Mod Podge. I also wanted to spice it up a bit, so I added a ribbon around the top, and it also covers up the stamped expiration date on the container. I wanted to decorate it further, so I added some felt sticky back numbers that I had left over from another project. I felt the white ones faded in to the paper, so using some Sharpies, I added some dots. 

Here is the finished project!

I threw in the bottle caps we had been saving & sent it to school with her. Now, for the next one I am going to decorate it a bit more, but since I wanted to keep this one simple, I held back and used the "less is more" theory. It is for 3rd graders, ya know!!??

Organizing 101

I happened to find this blog while I was searching for organization inspiration (say that 3 times fast, LOL) and found this workshop called Organizing 101. They were offering the first part of the session for free, so I checked it out! I decided it was a great opportunity for me to focus on my need to get organized, so I signed up for the entire session. I am glad I did! We just began week 2 and were given a small task to organize something small--I decided to tackle my hall closet that had been begging for a clean out for a looooonnng time! So, here are some before, during, and after photos!!

First, the before. I used the center shelves to store towels so they were easy for everyone to get to. The top shelf I had drawer units where I just "threw" stuff into, and it had no organization whatsoever. The bottom shelves held extra shampoo, body wash, feminine products, rags, cotton balls, and whatever else didn't have a home! It was time to purge & clean!


I also store a step stool inside the door so I can grab it when I need something out of any of the closets. That is going to stay, but I might try to devise a hook system to keep it out of the way...


The obstacles of this closet were: 
*the size: it was narrow & tall. There is a lot of space at the top but it is hard to get to because of the doorway. The shelves were installed by the builder, so they are fixed. I am trying to make the most of the space without having to do any structural changes. 
*I had too much stuff to store in there! I had to make some decisions as to where stuff needed to go. 
*Since I had too much stuff in there, just thrown in, I was constantly searching for stuff! I hate that! I want to know where stuff is & where it goes when I bring something home from the store!

Step 2: I cleaned out the bottom shelves, threw out, recycled bottles, found other homes for stuff and installed some spice racks I bought from Home Depot. I wanted to use the space on the door, but it was pretty narrow to use a standard over the door hanging device. These are actually installed into the door. The over the door unit was pretty spendy, so I opted for these instead (each unit was $14 each). I thought they would be perfect for those bottles that were taking up space on my shelf, and they are! 2 of the shelves are wider than the others, and they hold shampoo & body wash perfectly, while the narrow ones hold nail polish & smaller items. I Love It!!!!!


I utilized a basket that wasn't being used (2nd shelf from bottom, Left) to corral the feminine products so they weren't on full display. I tossed the cotton balls on top. The basket next to it houses some other items that didn't fit in the spice racks and needed a place to go. The bottom of the closet I used a wicker basket to hold my cleaning rags & swiffer dusters. The plastic bins on the left are going to be cleaned out later. 

I took the drawer units out, emptied them, labeled them, and organized them!! I am much happier now!! 

Top shelf of closet. I found a plastic shelf and placed it to give me some more vertical space. I emptied the bottom drawer into the bin next to it, because there were so many little samples & travel sized items the drawer was beyond capacity. I also wanted something I could grab and take into the bathroom when I pack. I moved the basket with the rags up here too, since it fit so well under the shelf. I am very happy with this so far, and totally pumped that I have an empty drawer!!!! 

This is my closet today. I am pretty satisfied with how things are looking!!

Here is the bottom shelves now. I moved the other drawer unit lower since it has things we use most often. The little bin on top is my daughter's nail stuff, and I will have her clean that out when she is home. I plan on getting a cleaning supply organizer to put on  the bottom in the empty space so I can access it quickly. Since I don't have small kiddos anymore, I think it will work out well!! 
Now to go make some labels for my baskets!!

Happy New Year!

2012 is here. Time for reflection on the past year. Time to look forward to the new year. Time to get all those items checked off my to-do list, and probably add more....

I decided to make "goals" this year, not resolutions. I like goals so much better, because I know how to make them attainable. I am also vowing to get more organized (I know, it's a life long process) by keeping better home records, conquering my clutter areas, battling with my paper burden, and just keeping my calendar up to date so I feel more in control.

Here is my 2012 mantra:

I plan on posting this where I see it frequently, and it is also the background on my laptop. I have this beautiful space I call home & I am so not happy with how it looks. I need to find the peace & happiness that organization will bring me.

So, what are your goals for the year? I have many more, but those are on a list in my mind...yes I need to write them down. "Don't just think it, INK it!"

Wowza, look how much time has passed since I have updated this!! I guess that means I have been busy!! Some days just seem to fly by, and my days off are gone...too fast. I only work 3 nights a week, 12 hours, and my nights/days off just fly by.

A lot has happened this year. I didn't fear turning 40, but things have sure gone downhill since. I truly don't have much to complain about, however, I have been given some additional battles to fight that I was hoping to never have to fight. I try to keep my chin up, but some days are a total waste of make up.

Well, better log off for now, hope to post again soon with other news!!

Take care, ya'll

one year later

A lot has happened since my last post. I am a big slacker for not keeping up better, but I manage a lot of stuff on the web...email, a family website, other blogs, facebook, digital scrapbooking, and the list goes on some more. I just happened to find myself here tonight after a search for a medical term landed me on dear nurses, another blog that I started reading. I thought, what the heck, I will do a quick update since I am here and awake (duh I am at work!).

The summer is going fast. Dani is officially a college freshman. She starts Aug 24, and we move her into the dorm on Aug 19. My 20 year class reunion is July 31 and Aug 1. School registration for the other 2 is Aug 4 and 5. Taylor starting middle school is scary...we may have many visits to the school to try and help her manage being a 6th grader. She is borderline ADD, I swear. Jordyn will be fine, she has the same teacher for 1st grade.

I just lost my last biological grandparent, my dad's dad, June 27. He was 86, would have been 87 in 4 days. He wasn't the same after grandma passed, they had been married for 65 years when she had her stroke and moved into the care center. It was good to see relatives on my dad's side I haven't seen in ages. My stepmom's mother is living in assisted living in Florida, and she is having health problems also, but I think things are status quo for now.

I am getting my holiday pay tonight. The fireworks got rained out for Friday night, maybe Saturday's will go on ok and the hubs and kids will get to enjoy them (without me of course). Oh well, I've seen plenty in my life time so not a big loss.

I will try to make another entry when I am not so tired and sound so boring. Bya!