Organizing My {Spice} Cabinet or More Uses for Velcro

After about four years of rummaging through a cluttered, overly-crowded spice cabinet, I decided that enough was enough.  My spice cabinet is an awkward corner cabinet that limits arrangement options.  It's difficult to see what I have and almost impossible to find what I'm looking for. This problem has often resulted in my double purchasing a spice that I already own. Grrrrrr!!!! 

Here's my problem.

Here's my solution!! 

When you really begin to put some thought into it, uses for velcro are limitless! I looove this stuff.  So when I was hatching a plan for my new, ultra-organized spice cabinet, I turned to my good friend velcro.  My husband so graciously picked me up some of these square velcro pieces.  I only had to use them for the second row of spices on each shelf.  And here's the result:

 Deciding where to place my spices took considerable thought.  I ended up placing the spices I use most often on the bottom shelf; spice blends and lesser used spices on the middle shelf; and extracts (except for vanilla. that went on the bottom shelf), homemade spice blends, and doubled spices on the top shelf. Hopefully those double spices will stop showing up!  This project took me all of 20 minutes  to complete and collectively will save me probably hours of searching through jar after jar of spices to find what I need.

A Corner of My {Craft} Room: Arranging Items on a Bookshelf

What is it about women not being able to use something for its intended purpose and call it quits? For instance, this is a picture of a black bookshelf not being used as a bookshelf but rather as a display case.  It cannot simply house my books. No. I find it difficult, very difficult to allow my things to just "sit" somewhere.  It must have function AND style. This bookshelf is a part of my craft room, something  else that ironically has lost its original purpose as being a place in which to craft.  It has morphed into a museum.  Really a storage room that caters to my Audrey Hepburn obsession.  In my defense, I will say that along with Audrey one can find in this room pretty much anything with which they might need to craft something. 

Anyway, back to my bookshelf.  I'm particularly proud of the items on these shelves because most everything has either been DIYed, recycled, or thrifted. Even the black mirror (originally gold framed. spray painted black) and photo board were found at thrift shops. The candle stick holders were purchased at an antique store and many of my books were found after scouring second hand stores (a treasure trove for classics). To spruce up my books and bring some uniformity to the overall look, I covered many of my books that had unattractive or damaged covers with packaging paper purchased at the Dollar Tree. I also used some scrapbooking paper for a few. My "L.U.V" book ends were a previous project of mine.

I had a lot of fun arranging and rearranging these items until I was quite satisfied with this little corner of my craft room. There are a myriad of ways to arrange items on a bookshelf.  Here are a few things I kept in mind while putting together this bookshelf.

• I arranged books horizontally as well as vertically.
• I stuck to a single color (white) for most of my accessories.  My craft room colors are black, white, and Tiffany blue.  I didn't want to stray too far away from that color scheme, but  I did allow a few of the book covers to add variety.
• I kept in mind that less is more.  I could have easily packed much more onto each shelf, but opted to display only some of my favorite book titles.

Is it a {picture} frame or a {shelf}?

These are ingenious! I really thought they were frames at first glance.  What a creative way to display books, DVDs, and CDs.  I'm just wondering how I can get these without paying the price. ???

Knocking Out My {To-Do} List

It's summer time and with that kind of freedom comes my never ending battle with laziness.  Really, all I want to do sit on my back porch with the over-head fan on, hold my dog, sip some sweet tea, and read a book.  That's ALL I want to do.

But, alas, my neglected house, piling projects, endless errands are calling my name and they will not be ignored.  If you've ready my post The Power of a Post-It, you know how serious of a list person I am.  Well, my list is quite long, but I'm proud to announce that it is getting shorter.

Things of which I am very proud that I've accomplished over the past few weeks while fighting my urge to veg:

• filed my state taxes
• jump started my car (first time by myself - thank you, YouTube), and took it to the auto store to get a new battery
• push mowed my lawn AGAIN (our riding mower is on the fritz)
• removed my riding lawn mower batter (first time by myself - found out I didn't have to but still proud of myself)
• loose-leash trained my dog (well, he's almost there)
• baked 50 cookies for our church camp (and I am NOT a baker)
• finally got an estimate done on our banged up car
• finished a decorating project that is long overdue (surprise - I'll post about it soon - that's still on my list)
• started P90X (fourth time through - excited to be doing it again)
• organized my sheet music (it was such a mess - I'll post about my new music shelf soon)
• learned two new piano pieces for church (I'm ahead of the game!)
• organized our office and all the millions of papers, manuals, pictures, and other misc items that are held within
• Took my dog to the vet (first time - I was nervous)
• Got my NC drivers license

Those are the major things.  This post was all about boring you with details.  Hope you enjoyed! Well, I hope you were at least inspired to make a list of your own and start checking them off.

Sorting {Buttons}

A couple of weekends ago, some friends and I spent about fives hours hitting garage sales.  So much fun!! What I thought was a total jackpot was this large shoebox full of buttons that only cost me $1.00!!

Have you ever tried to buy buttons for a project just to find that they are NOT cheap?  I was very excited about this deal.

Last night, I started the seemingly never-ending task of sorting the massive pile of buttons.  As non-stimulating and monotonous as sorting buttons sounds, it's actually quite therapeutic.  No thinking required and a sense of accomplishment in the end.

Well, I didn't reach the end last night, but I did make some headway.

 I have been saving just about every plastic and glass jar that has found its way into my house.  I didn't know what I was going to use them for, but now I do.  A little Goo Gone to get the labels off and Viola! They are just perfect for my colorful little buttons.  So cute!

I started off thinking that I'd sort them according to the colors of the rainbow. You know: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple.  Then I began to realize there were more categories than that: dusty rose, gray, brown, light yellow (because in the regular yellow pile, they looked white).  I didn't have enough jars so Ziploc bags will have to do for now.

So what was probably a fairly simple project, I had to turn into a more complicated one.  Oh well, it's fun.  And I'm going to have quite a complete and well-sorted collection of buttons when I'm through. Can't wait to show you the end result!!

The Secret of the Three Baskets

Baskets by Ziggi Ziggi

It's the age-old question: Should a laundry room be downstairs or upstairs? Well, maybe not an age-old old question, but didn't you think of it when you were looking for a home?  We sure did.  If it's upstairs, you take the risk of the washer leaking and soaking through your ceiling.  If it's downstairs, it's probably a long walk from the bedroom.  

When we built our home, my husband probably thought more about the hundreds of dollars it would cost us to fix our ceiling than the hundreds of trips I'd make up and down the stairs.  Totally fine, I need the exercise. So our laundry room is downstairs.  That means lugging laundry down and up the stairs is a several times a week routine.  

I had to figure out some kind of system so make this easier.  I'm constantly trying to figure out how to do the tasks around the house more efficiently. This is what I came up with:

We have three laundry baskets (not including our lights/darks hamper in the laundry room.  One basket stays in our master bedroom, one stays on top of the washer, and one "floats."  The bedroom basket is where we toss our clothes.  The washing machine basket houses clean clothes, and the floater basket carries clothes up and down (and any other items around the house that need transportation).

And here's the process: When the floater basket happens to be upstairs, any dirty clothes from the bedroom basket (whether it's full or not) goes into the floater.  When we are ready to go downstairs (no extra special trips allowed), the dirty clothes are emptied into the laundry room hamper.  When clothes are clean they are emptied into the washing machine basket, folded, and loaded into the floater.  Then, when we are ready to go upstairs (no special trips allowed), the clean clothes are put away.  Then the floater is already upstairs readily waiting for its next refill. 

We also use the floater for any items that need to go downstairs or upstairs.  We use the same process.  It helps me stay on top of things a little at a time.  This way, I'm not hauling loads worth of clothes up and down the stairs.  It works for me!

Here are some snazzy baskets I found online, just for your entertainment:

Apartment Therapy

Crate and Barrel

Anthropologie

Clever Tricks: Repurposing to {Organize}

I love to repurpose.  If I think it could store something, decorate something, or double as something, there's no way it's going in the trash.  It may take me awhile to get around to actually using it again, but I eventually get there.  Here are a few of my favorite repurposed items that have made organizing around the house so much simpler.  

Coat Rack as Jewelry Holder

Even a jewelry box won't keep your necklaces as untangled as this will.  Only costume jewelry here, though.  No pearls or diamonds please!!

Tissue Box as Bag Holder

Decorate your box and you'll be proud to have this helpful item sit just about anywhere in your home. 

Binder Clips as Linen Organizer

Make sure your clips don't clamp down to tightly or they will leave creases.  Believe me!

Dryer Sheet as Drawer Sachet

One of my ultimate favorites!!  Dryer sheets help keep my clothes smelling fresh even after my clothes have been sitting in my drawers for an entire season.  Also, try placing them in shoes or between folded sweaters inside the closet.  Fresh, fresh, fresh!

Eyeglasses Case as Manicure Kit

Great for someone like me who does not where glasses but loves those cute cases.

Jewelry Boxes as Drawer Organizer

I NEVER throw away jewelry boxes.  Ever, Ever! My bathroom drawers are full of these boxes.

Zipper Bed-linen Bag as Art Supply Carrier

Don't stop at art supplies.  Be creative and use these for just about anything.

Photo Album as Business Card File

I haven't tried this method yet but what I love about this idea is that you have all of the adorable photo albums in the world to choose from : )

Plastic Bags as Wet Umbrella Holders

 Okay, all of my rained-on Washington friends, this one's for you.  What a fabulous idea!

Shoe Box as Ribbon Organizer

Poke holes through the front of the box and use the extra space for supplies.

Business Card Holder as Gift Card Organizer

Love this idea but don't have enough gift cards on a regular basis to use it.  Hope it can help someone out there.  

Shoe Box as File Storage

Since my shoe boxes don't come in these wonderfully brilliant and solid colors, I cover mine with wrapping paper.  I use the thick cardboard wrapping paper from the Dollar Tree. These boxes are incredibly useful.

Suitcase as Linen Storage

If using old suitcases like these (which I loooove), make sure they are clean and free from odor.  Otherwise, your linen will also smell. 

Hanger as Ribbon Organizer

After applying a little elbow grease to untwist the hanger, slide on the ribbon and twist the hanger back, you will enjoy an inexpensive and very efficient way to organize your ribbon.  

Zippered Plastic Bags as Soup Saver

My sister-in-law uses these whenever she freezes soup.

Zippered bags as Packing Material

No more paying for expensive bubbler wrap.

I get most of my repurposing ideas from REAL SIMPLE.  I love their magazines because of their practicality and variety.  If you've never read an issue, you should. Anyone out there have any other great ideas for repurposing to organize?

A cleaning schedule I can stick to

I've been "keeping house" for a little over four years now and all that time had searched in vain for a thorough yet doable house cleaning routine.  I would make charts and lists and check off each completed task as I made my way through my week.  But inevitably, I would get behind or have a busy day or get sick or have company and my schedule went straight our the window.  Then I would play catch up the next week with little success and feel like a total failure.  How could I be a good wife if I couldn't even keep my house clean?

I think the worst part of it all was the clutter that would pile up around the house.  My husband and I are the total opposite of pack-rats.  We actually throw away or give away more things than we probably should.  There have been many occasions when I've thought of something that I really needed or wanted but realized we had gotten rid of it.  Because of this, I'm was always surprised and frustrated when we had CLUTTER everywhere.  Where did all of this stuff come from?  I finally discovered it was just our everyday, normal things that weren't getting put away on a regular basis. 

While googleing "cleaning routine, cleaning schedules, how can I keep my house clean?, etc, etc", I came across a website called  http://www.flylady.com/.   Not exactly sure where the name came from, but it has an amazing cleaning routine.  The creator of the site separates the house into zones and you only work on a detailed cleaning list of one zone per week.  Then there is one hour of "blessing your home" that you choose to do one time a week that involves basic sprucing up around the house.  There are small tasks to do before you go to bed and small tasks to do after you get ready in the morning, all helping to keep your house clean without spending hours doing it. Very simple!!!  Very easy to follow!!!!  I've actually been using this cleaning schedule for about three months now and it works.  I used to feel like I had to clean my house from top to bottom every week.  With a 2700 sq ft house and ONE person to clean it, it's not going to happen.  This schedule keeps me sane, and I always feel like my home is in decent order.  Maybe not always spotless but definitely presentable. 

Are you feeling overwhelmed with your cleaning routine? Do you even have one?  Please, please, please check out this site!  It will change your life.  It's definitely changed mine for the better.

Flylady   http://www.flylady.com/

The Power of a Post-It

Summer! All year long, I've been looking forward to these few short months when I would finally have more than enough time to dive into and enjoy conquering my ever growing list of hobbies and projects.  More than enough time?  Is it a law of human nature that the amount of free time one has is directly proportionate to the amount of time wasted? Maybe that's just in my case. I've been on vacation for....let's see...almost two months now and my list's surface has not been scratched.  Why does tomorrow or next week always seem so much more opportune than today or NOW?

The solution?  I don't think there is a solution, but a plan of action would be a good start.  I've divided my list into three categories:

1. Pressing Projects
2. Pastime Projects
3. Permanent Projects

One thing I've learned about myself through the years is that I am a "lists" person.  I think I get that from my Mom.  : )  I'm the type of person that writes something on a list after I've done it just so that I can cross it off.  My house is full of lists for everything!   As crazy as it may sound, it really does help me stay organized.  Now everyone is different, but the above three categories might just help you narrow down what you would like to accomplish in the time you have. 

#1 PRESSING PROJECTS:  Just as it sound, these projects are urgent.  Maybe not as urgent as cleaning up the glass of milk you just spilled on the carpet, but they are projects that you definitely want to get done SOON.  In my Pressing Projects category was planting our two baby pine trees in the back yard.  They were planted in large planters but kept getting blown over during storms.  They would have died if I hadn't transplanted them (they still might but, I tried to give them a starting chance!).  This was a project that I wouldn't normally have on my cleaning or to-do lists so I needed this to be in the Pressing Projects list.

#2 PASTIME PROJECTS:  The word Pastime is used because this category should be filled with things you LOVE to do.  It should consist of all those hobby-type projects you never seem to have time to do but wish you did.  Right now, on the top of my Pastime Projects is to sew our living room curtains.  I've already bought the material (which I got 50% off at JoAnns) and only need to find an accent material, then I'll hit the sewing machine.  Now I understand that if you have a husband and children, it may be difficult to find time to work on projects like this, but you'd be surprised how much you can get done by scheduling it into your weekly routine.  Even just a few mintues a day.  You may only get one project done for the whole summer, but, hey, you got ONE project done and hopefully had fun doing it. 

#3 PERMANENT PROJECTS:  Once again, like it sounds, this category would consist of those projects you would like to work on over the long run.  Maybe you want to learn another language, write a children's book or learn an instrument.  Those projects definitely need to go on this list.  At the top of my list is drawing.  I love to draw, but I have a lot I still need to learn.  My husband has bought me several sketching tutorial books that I've been working through, and I need to practice, practice, practice.  Obviously, this isn't something I'm going to do and then check off my list.  I will be working on this PERMANENTLY.

After you've identified your categories, you can get to work on scheduling them into your routine.  The Pressing Projects need to go first, but the other two categories or interchangeable as far as importance is concerned.  My advice would be to allot a certain amount of time per week to work on a project and then just pick a category. 

If you don't have any real interests or hobbies yet, adopt one! There are so many interesting things to do.  You could set a goal like reading 10 classics or learning the spelling and definition of 30 new words. The  opportunities are endless, but find something you enjoy.  I've also discovered that sometimes my mind gets carried away and I THINK I'm going to be really interested in something when it turns out I'm not.  Don't be ashamed to cross that off your list.  You don't want to do something just for the sake of doing it.  You'll get bored and frustrated. 

So what do Post-It's have to do with all of this.  Nothing except to encourage you to "POST-IT"!   Post everything you want to accomplish.  If you right it down, it's always before you reminding you to get it done. By the way, post-its ARE very handy in this instance.  I have this great feature on our computer called "sticky notes".  I have four sticky-notes on my computer right now, each one containing a list!


PS: I'll let you know at the end of my summer how my list are looking.  : )