Memo Station

Chalkboard paint...it's a wonder.  And even better, it comes in spray paint!

When I learned of this marvelous wonder, I knew it'd be perfect for some revamping to create a memo station.

I recently mentioned that I got rid of all junk drawers in my house.  That left a little problem for the kitchen where a quick notepad and pen is often needed and spare keys are occasionally needed.

So, I present to you my new memo station:

I love it.  It keeps my life organized and both my husband and I on the same page.

That chalkboard was made from this old pan.

Simply spray painted with chalkboard paint and it is an instant magnetic chalkboard.

If you're wondering about that menu board...check out my post here.

Go get organized with your own memo station!

Fall/Thanksgiving Dress

After seeing this adorable little dress on Pinterest...

I knew I wanted to recreate something similar for my little girlie.

This was the first dress I made without a pattern and I can't believe how easy and quick it all went.

I used my husband's old t-shirt for the yellow portion and some scraps for the rest.

Absolutely love the way it turned out!  It was perfect for Thanksgiving.

I'm inspired now to recreate other looks I've seen.

It's intimidating but once you get going, it's so simple.  You should try it!

Toy Storage for the Car

Kids inevitably cause your once clean car to become a child's battle zone.

Having a like new clean car is a thing of the past but some of the mess can at least be haphazardly organized.

I decided to tackle this mess after cleaning my attic and running across this college days shoe organizer.

I thought this would be perfect for some storage on the back of the car seat.

I simply cut a section about the size of the back of our seat and attached ribbon to each corner.  Tie your new storage solution into place and you have instant organization.

The shoe slots are perfect for diapers and wipes too.  Which is perfect for quick day trips in the car.

This was so quick and I've seen these shoe organizers at the dollar store or the dollar section of Target so inexpensive too which we always love!

I {heart} IKEA

Bookcases are great until all the piles of paper take over and your bookcase ends up to be a giant mess.  Or at least this is what I saw when I looked at our bookcase.

Now it is clean and organized thanks to about $10 of boxes from IKEA.  IKEA is amazing for organizational items on the cheap.  Unfortunately there are none around here.  Thankfully I have family that brings me back stuff. :)

Our desk is nice pretty now...

These Flyt files are $1.99 for five.  Simply cover them with some scrapbook paper and you have pretty paper storage.

IKEA's Kassett collection is also great for desk storage.  These hold all those odds and ends that go along with computers.

And, what about those junk drawers?  Mine are ALL GONE!  I hate junk drawers.  They are just a collection for anything you don't know what to do with (aka junk) and that is why I saw no thank you.  Now we have organization....ahhhhh...

Simple and inexpensive changes have a huge impact when organizing your home.  I always felt items like these were not necessary or at least not a priority at the moment but I am so in love now.  They make all the difference!

Closet Storage

Closets.  There are so many types…

broom closets, linen closets, coat closets, spear closets, utility closets, walk-in closets, pantries, craft closets, toy closets, his and hers closets, outdoor closets…

All of which are a dream for me.  Unfortunately in our old house, closet space is lacking.  We have two closets in the whole house, one for each bedroom. 

Finding ways to store everything that the above closets are designed for has been an ongoing challenge for me.  I have found a few ways to improvise.

My first piece of organization advice for anyone lacking closet space is to invest in some trunks or chests.

 

Since we bought our house, we’ve inherited two big trunks.  One is for extra blankets, sheets, pillows, etc. and one for coats and winter gear.

They have been a lifesaver.  I tried the hooks and still use those but honestly, how many coats can you have hanging out in the open.  With three seasons in Nebraska of wearing coats or jackets, we own quite the coat collection.

Bonus, use your trunks as benches, coffee tables, side tables, etc. to act as double duty. 

Second organization advice for those lacking closet space is to create makeshift closets with curtains.

Old houses often have little alcoves which tend to be wasted space if not used efficiently.

I turned our bedroom alcove into a “his” closet for my hubby.  Yes, we now have his and hers closets…well our version at least.

I bought this Whitmore Double Rod Closet System off Amazon.  I was a little hesitant because often those store bought closet systems can be flimsy and fall apart.  But after reading the reviews, I decided to go for it.

I’m so glad I did.  This is such an awesome storage system, I highly recommend it.  It is very sturdy and compact yet has tons of storage space.

It fits perfectly in our little alcove, with just enough space for the hamper.

Simple solutions to the closet dilemma so many have with old homes.  Bonus, they are fairly inexpensive!

"Let's build a fort!"

I've never really understood the point of sheets.

Who can really sleep with just a sheet?

And, if I have a blanket, quilt or comforter; I'm just not comfortable with the bundled up sheet underneath.

So, what to do with all those "non-fitted" sheets?  Why not make a permanent fort?

All you need is two tension rods and your sheet.

First you'll need to plan a spot for your fort.  You'll need a place where either the end of a bed or crib leaves a space between it and the wall.

Then, simply take the sheet and sew two pockets for your tension rods to run through.  You will need the space between the pockets to be the width of your crib or bed (or dresser, bookcase or really any other piece of furniture).

Hint: You could use double fold bias tape for the second pocket in the middle of the sheet.  Not necessary though.

Then all you have to do is hang up your fort.  Be sure to make it extra tight so your little one doesn't pull it down easily.

There you have it.  A little fort, tent, play house, whatever you want to call it.

Hanky Scarves

After inheriting quite a few hankies from my grandma I was hunting for ideas to use them rather than have them stuffed away in a box.

My first creation was this adorable little hanky shirt for my babe.  You can find a tutorial over at Trey and Lucy.  It was the perfect lightweight fabric for summer and I'm pretty sure it will still fit next year.

I knew I wanted to make something I could wear as well to show off these vintage hankies.

So, who doesn't love scarves?  I wear them all the time and I knew these hankies could easily make an adorable addition to my wardrobe.

They are so simple to make.  Just pin the ends of two scarves together and sew with as little of seem allowance as you can.  Repeat to your desired length.  Mine was about six feet or six hankies long.

If the edges don't match up due to the sizes of the hankies, don't worry about it.  Once your scarf is complete, you won't even notice.

I am in love! With so many different colors in the hankies, their are endless possibilities.

I'm back!!!

Hello there!  I’m back! 

As you probably figured, I decided to take a little break from blogging.  It all started out by me wanting to reorganize and clean up my blog.  Then things happen and I got caught up in life.  A day turned into a week and a week turned into a month.

I was overwhelmed and inspired by all the feedback I got when I took my blog down.  I’m so happy to encourage others to create! 

Well, since I’ve been gone, I went on somewhat of a rampage on my house and decided anything and everything needed to be cleaned and organized.  It’s an ongoing process and is a bit more work than I had planned; probably another reason blogging was put on delay.  But honestly, all the work is completely worth it.

Having an organized house puts you at such peace.  I will continue this voyage with the hope of one day having a place for everything…not that necessarily means everything will be in its place.

I hope to share some of my organizing tips in the next couple months of course with crafty inspiration mixed in and of course some Christmas goodness.  

For now, let’s enjoy some Halloween craftiness.  I realize Halloween is over and these don’t help much this year but if you’re like me, get started on them now and quite possibly they will be ready for next Halloween.

I have to have a little disclaimer here…all these ideas came from Pinterest.  If you haven’t checked it out, you should!

First up, these cute little lanterns.  They are made from recycled glass jars I had been saving up and left over paint.  Which made them free!  I hope to save up some more jars and create a bunch more for next Halloween to light up our porch windows.   Get the tutorial here.

Next up, pumpkins galore.  These pumpkins are so quick and easy…and you don’t even need a sewing machine.  Although, I’ll admit, I used mine to speed up the process.  I used some lefover fabric so mine are in more neutral colors but they'd be super cute in bright, bold colors too.  Find out how to make your own here.

Finally, our little girl’s Halloween dress.  I wanted an outfit for Halloween for our little stinker but wasn’t really finding anything I liked in the store.  Then I came across this free pattern and knew I could turn it into something perfect for Halloween.  It’s such a simple and quick tutorial; I plan to make a couple more everyday dresses as well.  For this one I just shortened the sleeves, added a bow on the collar and some ruffles on the bottom.  You could do all kinds of things with this simple pattern.

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween.  Can you believe it’s November?  The holiday season is upon us!

I’m excited to be back and thank you for all your support!