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Aug23
Tag Archives: organizing
Aug23
The Stuffed Animal Tree
I have two of these in my daughter’s room. I love these things! They hold at least 30 animals a piece. The “tree” has over 30 elastic bands attached to it and you just slide the bands around the animal – it’s easy to put the animals on and easy to take them off! This is also super simple to assembly. I had it up in minutes with out the use of any tools.
Stuffed Animal Tree
Aug22
Stay Organized This School Year By Thinking Ahead!
Today we went to Target to get our school supplies. I homeschool my kids so I don’t need much – a few folders, notebooks, binders and pencils (we always seem to need pencils). While I walked up and down the aisle of super cheap school supplies, I thought about all the projects I plan on doing with my daughter this school year. We do a lot of science projects (we love science) and I try to incorporate art into everything I possibly can (art is my favorite). Now is the time to be purchasing all of the items I’ll need through out the school year.
I have the advantage of knowing what projects to buy for, public or private school parents probably don’t. Even if you don’t know what projects are in your kids’ future, you can bet it will probably involve markers or colored pencils, glue sticks and poster board. By thinking ahead (and buying ahead), you can save money and frustration in your future. Buy up these things now and keep them in a cabinet or closet so when you’re kids need them in 2 weeks, or 2 months, you’ll be prepared. Look at what’s on your kids’ school supply list and buy extra of the things you’ll know they’ll run out of before the school year is out (notebook paper, index cards, erasers, etc).
It doesn’t take much room to store these items throughout the school year. Everything but the poster board can fit into a basket or small bucket that your kids can retrieve whenever they need it. Poster board is easily stashed upright in a closet next to something that will keep it upright. I have a cabinet in a desk my husband made (I’ll write about that in a future post) that I store all of our extra school supplies in. Before the amazing desk was built, I kept everything in a basket in a closet.
School Supply Cabinet
On a side note – did you know that glue expires? This came directly from the Elmer’s Glue website:
“If stored properly and capped tightly, Elmer’s school glues and wood glues have an average shelf life of 2 years; Krazy Glue, also known as a cyanoacrylate, has a shelf life of approximately 12 – 18 months.”
Aug12
Super Cheap Pen/Pencil Holders
I needed something to keep my pens and pencils in but didn’t want to spend much money…or any money if I could get by with it. I came up with this super simple (and inexpensive) idea.
Things you need:
Cans (mine had enchilada sauce in them…Yum!)
Craft paper
Glue
Ribbon
*The first thing I did was to use a drill to make two holes in the can (one on one side of the can, and one on the other side directly across from each other). Even though I used a drill, you could a screw (or something else that is sturdy and sharp) and hammer it through the can.
*I then cut the paper to fit around the can and glued it on. If you’re impatient and don’t want to hold onto the can while the paper dries you could wrap a rubber band around it (just don’t wrap it too tightly or it could crinkle the paper).
*Use a nail (or ink pen) and poke a hole through the paper where the holes in the can are.
*Thread a piece of ribbon in one of the holes and tie a knot on the inside so the ribbon won’t come out of the hole.
*Thread the other end of the ribbon into the other hole on the opposite side (starting from the outside of the can). Before you tie it in a knot, decide how long you want the ribbon to be. I marked a spot on the ribbon where my knot should go. Once you’ve decided on your length, tie the ribbon on the inside of the can. I put a little bit of glue on each of the knots to help it hold a little better.
Now I have super cute pen/pencil holders and I made them from things I had in my home! I love them so much I think I might make some more!
Aug12
Turning A Wasted Space Into a Work Space
I have a small area between the living room and the master bed room that is just wasted space. It’s only about a 4×4 foot space. It’s a bright area; light comes from the living room, plus there is an outside door in that tiny space as well. Since I moved here, that space has stumped me. I hate wasted space!
One day I was thinking about how nice it would be to have a space I could sit and drink my tea and look out at the birds in the back yard. It would also be nice to have a little area to read, write letters, be inspired (I know, I want a lot of things). Could I make all that in that little 4×4 foot space? Could I make a mini-sunroom, work space, creative nook, and reading area? I could try!
I worked on it all day today, and I have to say that I’m really happy with my new space. Not only did I get all the things I wanted out of this space, I also made homes for things that didn’t have a home before:
*I added space for several books on the new shelf. On a side note, that shelf came from Hobby Lobby and I got it half off so it only cost me $22.
*I added a space for colored pencils, pens and other office supplies. The step shelf also came from Hobby Lobby and was also half off so I paid $10 for it.
*I used a chair that has been in my garage for 2 years.
*I used a table that came from outside. The paint was worn so I made an easy table cloth.
*I used an old picture frame to make a cute cork board.
If you’d like to see how I made the cute little pen/pencil holders go to my “Make It” section! You’ll also see how I made the cork board.
In case you’re wondering “Hey! What’s that white thing hanging on the wall in the “before” picture and where did it go in the “after” picture?” That is my door bell. I hung the shelf directly under it and put a book in front of it to hide it. Pretty clever!
You may also be wondering who that person is in the back ground of the “before” picture. That is my daughter – I have no idea how she sneaks into some of these pictures!
Aug7
How To Make Your Own Cork Board
Yesterday I decided that I needed a cork board. I’d actually like to have a few of them. I don’t need anything very big – just something small (and cute). I don’t like to rush right out and buy something new if I don’t need to. I like to think about how I can make things using what I have lying around. A little light bulb went off in my head (or maybe above it, just like in the cartoons). I remembered that I had a very plain picture frame in my closet. I decided to paint it, and get rid of that ugly brown.
Now for the cork part. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a 20×28 cork project sheet. It was $6.99 but I had my 40% off coupon! If you’re looking for these handy sheets, they are in the same aisle as the poster board and foam board. I came home and traced the cardboard piece that came with the frame onto the back of the cork sheet. I used a craft knife to cut it out – so easy!
I then slid my cork sheet into the frame and viola! I had a cute cork board that will fit perfectly in the small space I have for it. Better yet, I have a lot of the cork sheet left over so I can do this project again and again! I have some very small frames that I don’t have any use for and I think I’ll turn them into adorable baby cork boards! I know, it doesn’t take much to get me excited.
Hopefully in a week or so I’ll show you where I’m going to hang my new cork board. But, that is still a work in progress 🙂
Aug6
A Beautiful Book on Design
If you like Shabby Chic design you’ll love this book. It has the most beautiful pictures in it.
Aug6
Super Inexpensive Drawer Organizer
I have a little drawer in my laundry room where I keep a few tools and miscellaneous pieces of hardware (nails, bolts, picture hangers, etc). Every time I need something I have to rummage through there to find it. Not anymore! Today, while trying to find some tiny nails that I KNEW were in there somewhere, I had an idea. Why not use an egg carton?
I put the egg carton in my drawer (it fit perfectly!) and filled it up! Now I can see exactly what I have! This would also be a great idea for a drawer in a home office (you could fill it with tacks, rubber bands, paper clips, etc) or for your bathroom (this could be a great way to keep track of your jewelry).
I love it when simple, inexpensive things make a big difference!
Jul27
Using Facebook To Sell Things
In my book, Border Hoarders, I talk about the many places you can take your unwanted things. Facebook never entered my mind until I was on there today and I saw a friend list several things she wanted to get rid of. My home page was flooded with pictures of items she no longer wanted, along with a description and price she wanted for each one. I kept an eye on them through out the day and I was surprised to see how many people actually wanted these things! There were several items that even had more than one person wanting it!
If you have a lot of friends on Facebook, this can be a great way to sell things you don’t want – and it’s free! After seeing how she did things, I’ve come up with a few tips for you in case you want to try this yourself:
*Take a good picture of each item.
*Make a new post for each item.
*Give each one a good description.
*Either list the price you want or let people know you’ll take the best offer.
*Wait until you have several items that you can put up all at once. If you do a little at a time, day after day, people might get annoyed and unfriend you.
*You can make an album on Facebook called “items for sale” and you can add to this every once in while. When you do, put a post on your page that says “I just added more to my ‘for sale’ album. Come check it out”. Just make sure to delete pictures of items that you’ve already sold.
I might try this out next time I have some things I want to get rid of!
Jul24
Fun With Cafe Rods
I love cafe rods almost as much as I love tension rods. There are so many things you can do with them! Today I was wrapping some gifts for my daughter’s birthday and thought about how nice it would be to have a place to put my wrapping paper. I always keep it standing up in a corner of my closet and it gets unrolled and crinkled too easily. Then it hit me – cafe rods!
I installed one under a shelf in a closet (husband not required for assembly) in about five minutes. Before, it was just wasted space. Now it’s a great place to store my wrapping paper. I added another one right next to it for ribbon. My ribbon stuck out a little too far and the bar wouldn’t sit in the little hooks. That’s ok! I just hung the bar from some ribbon! Maybe the next time I’m at Home Depot I’ll pick up some bigger brackets for it…or maybe not. I kind of like the way it looks. The best part is, they were only $2.50 a piece.
Cafe rod for wrapping paper and ribbon