Fabric and Ribbon Memo Board from Jewelry Organizer

Remember my jewelry organizer I made a couple of years ago?  I won't feel bad if you don't.

  Anyway, I found a different jewelry solution and decided to reuse this framed piece of batting and fabric covered board.

Took some ribbon out of my stash, cut and stapled it to the back of the frame, AND....

....instant memo board!

Helps free up precious fridge space for alphabet magnets and spelling tests.

Garage Organization

Garage right before we moved in

Filling it up

Our garage needed some storage and organization solutions in a bad way.  Piles of stuff everywhere, really hard to find what you needed, especially tools.

My handy husband got to work and built shelves everywhere.

The pantry section.  We are still working out where we are going to put everything and I'm trying to decide how to organize my cans, boxes of kleenex, etc.  It's so nice to have places for things now!  The tools are getting huge pegboard for storage and a workbench with drawers for the bigger things.  Spare minutes here and there are spent in the garage finding places for things...and we love it.  Great job, babe.

Drawer Sticker Labels

Two of my boys share a dresser and the youngest was having a hard time remembering where his clothes were stored.  I saw THIS at crafterhours and knew that was the answer to my problem.  I used her clothes template, tweaked a little bit and cut the shapes out on yellow vinyl.

One wears boxer briefs...

The other prefers tighty-whities...with Thomas the train on them.

Shorts, pants

Pajamas

The dresser is in a strangely lit area, so sorry for the bad photos.  I wasn't going to move the entire dresser, filled with clothes just for a couple of pictures.  Sorry, I love you....but not that much.

The good news is my no longer confused four-year old can find his clothes easily and quickly now. Hooray!  I love fast, easy, and functional projects.

Fabric Book Display Shelf

Loving this idea for displaying children's books over at Penny Carnival.  There is a good possibility my 3 year old would try to climb in it though.  I should really get that kid a hammock.

Library Book Bin

 I started bringing home more children's books home from the library, but was nervous about just sticking them on the shelf with our own books.  I have a very irrational fear of overdue fines at the library.  Those ladies that work there kinda scare me, if I am being completely honest here.

  I decided to make a bin just for library books, thus avoiding the wrath of the librarian squad.  I chose a bin that had low sides, making it possible to see most the books, perfect for catching my little ones attention and luring them in....he he.  I leave it out on my fireplace mantle, very accessible, and my boys are loving it.  My first grader has come home from school the last two days and immediately made for the book bin.  For someone who would rather read than eat or sleep, this is significant and heartwarming.  My baby wants to READ!  YES!

A $7 dollar paper file bin from Walmart, in the office supplies section.  They have several colors.  Cream colored vinyl cut with my Silhouette.  The font is "Albemarle Swash".

A New Desk: Before and (almost) After

Before

It's been a great desk/office space.  Tons of storage and closes up if you don't want to look at the mess.  It just doesn't fit with the look I'm going for in my room though.

Remove the desk....

....and have your hubby put in a new one!  

Well, it's not completely done as you can see.  There is a cord issue which I am all over as soon as I can make it back to the store.  The one leg will be replaced by a white wood filing cabinet.  We are ordering it soon and have already placed the desk at the correct height in anticipation of its arrival.  Although not complete, hopefully this gives you an idea of the look I am trying to achieve:  bright, uncluttered, and simple.

And those boxes!  I bought them at Target on clearance for $3 each.  I love them.  They are almost a perfect match to my wall color and they hold all of my office supplies.

A peek inside.  They are lined with a great pattern and the boxes are hinged!  I'm really happy with where we are going with this office space makeover.  More pictures to come when everything is complete.

My List Board

I've had some requests to see my wonderful "white" board hanging in my kitchen.  I bought it at IKEA on a bit of a whim and I am so glad I did.  I use it every day to make my grocery lists and if I remember I need to call or email someone?  BAM!  I can write it down quickly so I won't forget.  (And trust me, if I don't write it down...I will forget.)  I am list maker, so I love my List Board.  It is also nice for displaying kids artwork as you can see.

I'm thinking of getting a cool black and white photo to put behind or maybe some fun patterned paper.

Paperwork Pileup: An Organization Attempt

 

I have a problem with paperwork piling up all over my house.  Between school papers, sports, speech therapists, doctors' stuff, and, of course, bills, I can't keep it all straight.  It's been driving me crazy for a while and finally I decided to do something about it after I saw this: 

Jen at Tatertots and Jello did a guest post at Brooklyn Limestone and I was inspired.  I threw in a desire to use some Modge Podge thanks to Amy at Modge Podge Rocks.  I love checking out others' blogs and ideas and making them my own.

I started off with a clear wall hanging file ($2.99 each) from Target.  I grabbed the last two in the store.  I hope they get more soon.  I mounted mine on the wall with 3M strips because this will not be their permanent location.  Once my new computer desk is in place, they will be moved across the room.  This works for now and those 3M strips are amazing.

Here's the look with some files in them.  Not bad, but not my favorite either.

I loved Jen's idea with the pretty die-cut paper in her file, but decided I wanted to wrap this fun fabric around mine instead.  This fabric was purchased at IKEA a while ago and I have not seen it there since.  

Modge Podge directly onto the plastic file, press and wrap your fabric around tightly.  Pretend like you are wrapping a present and be liberal with the Modge Podge. 

When you are done, trim off excess fabric, give the outside of the fabric a liberal coat of Modge Podge and let dry completely.

Hang it on your wall and you are organizing in style.  I'll report back later on my paper filing progress.  I hope this will help solve the problem!

Jewelry Organizer

I have a little jewelry box that my dad gave me many years ago.  It's sentimental, and therefore I don't want to get rid of it, despite not having much room for necklaces or larger earrings.

I made this in 10 minutes.  I took an old picture frame that no longer had glass (the only casualty of our move), wrapped the back of the frame in batting and some fun fabric, taped batting and fabric down, and DONE!

I used picture frame hooks for the bracelets and necklaces.

The earrings hook in all on their own.

This is now hanging in my bathroom and I can actually see what is in my jewelry box without having to take out a couple of layers of jewelry first, and the rest is easily displayed.

Closet Organization

This is my nicely organized game/kids craft cabinet in my hallway.  Someday, I'm going to paint or re-stain the cabinet, but that's not what this post is about.  I am helping a dear friend of mine organize her craft/gift closet and I wanted to show her what some great bins can do for a lot of otherwise hard to organize stuff.  My six year old can grab a stool, climb up, and find exactly what he needs now that everything is in its proper place.  I don't have a "before" picture, but trust me, it wasn't pretty, and both my son and I had trouble finding what we needed for play and craft time.

I've got art supplies, wooden "paper" dolls (the one labeled "Joey"), and even a couple of empty containers for when we need to expand.

I found these bins at Walmart and they are perfect for what I need.  They come in a variety of sizes, range in price from $1.50 to $4.50, stack nicely on top of each other, and are easy to open and close.  I hand labeled my bins with some stickers for quick glace, grab, and go access.  My play food bin still needs a label.  That's my newest addition to this cabinet....thanks Grandma!

Stay tuned for the craft/gift closet makeover.  I'm so excited to organize that thing!