Well it's taken me longer than expected, as most projects do but I'm so happy to check this one off my list. It's a dress up dresser for our little bug. I'm working on a couple dresses, tutus, jewelry and some other fun accessories to hopefully fill it up in time for her birthday.
This project was super simple and there are some tutorials out there on the web or even better, Pinterest. You simply take out the drawers, I left one for shoes and other accessories, paint it and attach some fabric to the inside. I'd say the fabric was the hardest part but once it's full of fun stuff you wont even tell it's not perfect. I kept mine neutral anticipating it may go in a fun playroom one day but you could do all kinda of fun colors.
Stay tuned for fun posts on DIY costumes/ dress up items!
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.
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!
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!
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!
The bucket I once used to store hair accessories for my little girl was suddenly overflowing and I had clips and headbands everywhere. I don't use headbands much any more since they are immediately pulled off but every now and then when I would go to find one, it was a big mess. I'm all for organization so I researched some ideas on the internet and then created my own with supplies I already had.
First up this embroidery hoop with a hanky from my grandma and some lace ribbon to store clips. As always, I love the vintage look and it's perfect to display clips so I can find one to match quick. Once my little girl's hair grows out I can add more lace ribbon to hold more clips too!
Next, this simple formula container covered in scrapbook paper. Super easy and I love that you can see the headbands out in the open rather than thrown in a drawer. Plus, you can store extras inside. With fall and winter approaching I'll have to swap out some other colors.
I don't have picture of this rack before I hung it and inserted the book but I think you can get the idea. It was basically just an old floor heating vent with no middle that I just cleaned...a lot. I got this for free from a antique store downtown. I don't know the name of this store but it is in an alley and whenever I go in there the guy just states a price, nothing is marked. On this trip I had an old window and this vent and the guy said "I'll take $5 for the window and you can have the vent." Shortly after, we walked over to an antique store across the street and similar windows were selling for $20 and similar vents for $10. I thought I got a pretty good deal.
Anyway, this old vent was missing the middle and it wouldn't quite work
to hold magazines so I had to find something to put in the middle. I
thought of using it as a picture frame type thing but if you have been
to my house you know I have enough pictures hanging around. Then as I
was going through our bookcase to get rid of some, I came across this
book that I had from college and thought it would be perfect to put in
the "frame" of this old vent. So there you have it, that's all. It's
just an old heating vent with a book in the middle screwed upside down
to the wall. Perfect for our little reading nook on our porch. I love
sitting out there in the spring and fall.
With two days of no sitters, I got to stay home and be with my little girl. We were busy reading books, rolling balls back and forth, listening to music, etc but as all parents know, there comes that much needed regroup time for parents...nap time! I got so much done during nap time, I was impressed with myself. My pile of projects is slowing being dwindled away.
These storage boxes used to be our file cabinet until our pile of paper exceeded these boxes and we got a real file cabinet. You can find the tutorial on how to cover them with fabric on my previous post here. Now these lovely storage boxes are going in our living room to store 1. my crochet supplies and 2. baby toys. Keeps things neat and tidy, just the way I like them. :)
This is my favorite project ever!!! I seriously love this and I'm so proud of myself for finally finishing it. I started this project about 6 months ago. I had this old sewing table that I bought along with a cool antique sewing machine at Goodwill Last Chance for $6! Six dollars!! How I wish I could thrift shop all day long... Anyway, I wanted the pair for the old Singer sewing machine, the table was a plus. Well, I tried to use the table for my up-to-date sewing machine but it just wasn't working and I found an old army table from my dad (which I love also for it's amazing "antique, I've been through soo much look") was a better fit. So, then I had this extra table laying around.
Well, I stumbled upon this blog where the crafter transformed her old sewing table into a kitchen island. Perfect! Hers was much more elaborate as she had a larger kitchen and more space to work with. My kitchen is fairly small so I had a little space planned out where I could stash this "island" when not in use. The table originally was a bit to big for the space so I had to trim it down. After adding a shelf for extra storage, some wood glue, spray paint, wheels and decorative knob I am in LOVE!!
In the middle of this project I had thought I was way over my head by trying to cut it down to size, put it back together, and add a shelf and it sat in my garage for quite some time. If my carpenter dad ever looks too closely he will have much to say about my horrible craftsmanship but to the "normal" eye it looks just fine. There is a little shelf inside where I'm going to store our towels and washcloths and the shelf on the bottom is for a bread basket. The wheels allow me to cart it around and use it for whatever the need is.
These bins are similar to the storage bins I did awhile back except that I lined them with plastic to help save the box. These bins are so easy and fit perfect on my little shelf. I don't exactly have room for those huge recycle bins I see in the stores. Plus with a detached garage and 20 degree weather, we don't exactly want to take our recyclables out to the giant bin everyday.
First start out with you box and some fabric.
I just cut fabric to fit around my box and modge podged it to my box. I didn't have enough fabric to make a box to pull over it like my previous storage box post.
Then I took an old waterproof mattress liner and lined the inside of the box and around the top edges. This will help protect it from water damage.
I used modge podge to attach the liner as well.
Then I just lined the space where the liner ends with ribbon to hide the frayed ends.
I also glued an extra piece of cardboard to the bottom of the boxes to make them a little more sturdy. Finished...
I love getting cute Christmas cards every year but they start to become irritating when I line them up on my bookcase and then every time I walk by one falls down creating a domino effect where they all come down. So this year I decided to hang them up. I didn't want to tape them to the wall so I bought some wooden clothes pins from hobby lobby, painted them red and hung the cards up using a piece of ribbon. Nothing too terribly exciting but with all the cards on it, it becomes another Christmas decoration.
We have been trying really hard in household to cook dinner and eat out less. We started looking through our cupboards on Sunday night and making a menu for the week on piece of scratch paper. Then throughout the week the little piece of paper would get misplaced. I've seen these menu boards that other crafters out there have done so I thought I would make my own. I know I say this a lot but this project is super simple. Just take an old frame, mine is 8X10 so we have enough room to write in our meals. Then I just simply took a piece of scrapbook paper and printed the days of the week on it and put it in the frame. I had these wooden squares so I painted four green, cut out MENU on the Cricut and mod podged the letters to the squares. You could also just print out MENU on the top of your sheet of paper. Super simple project that cost nothing. Now we can just write on the glass with dry erase markers our menu for the week.
I love the look of cute little baskets throughout your home to store little nic-nacks but baskets seems ridiculously expensive to me. I have a few that I find on clearance every now and then but now with a newborn I've found it hard enough to run to Target for a few minutes, I don't have time to shop around for deals anymore. So, I decided to make some storage boxes out of all these diaper boxes I have laying around the house. Plus it's a great way to use up some of this extra fabric I have laying around that I have no idea why I bought in the first place.
What you'll need:
A cardboard box (you want it to be sturdy enough to stay together once you put stuff in it)
Fabric (as much as need to cover the size box you want)
Mod Podge
Ribbon (optional)
First cut the box to the size you'll want your storage box to be. I just cut a diaper box in half to make two storage boxes.
Then measure the bottom of your box and two sides. You'll want to cut a piece of fabric that is the width of the box (plus an inch for seam allowance) and the length of the box plus the height of the side (plus a couple inches to fold over the top). Then you'll want to cut two pieces of fabric that are the width of the box (plus an inch for seem allowance) and the height of the side (plus a couple inches to fold over). The picture may help explain this better.
Then you sew the two sides onto the long strip to make a fabric box. Again, the picture may help.
Finally, you pull the fabric over your cardboard box. I like to make mine fairly snug so it may take a little while to get is on and positioned right. Then I simply modge podge the fabric down over the side (on the inside of the box) and finished it off with ribbon.
They are nothing terribly fancy but they work fine for me. I made a bigger one to hold blankets too.
