Toy Clutter

With all of the beautiful weather we've been having in NY I decided it was time to organize the garage (which by the way is only half done).  To start, I wanted to find a solution to Wyatt's outdoor toy chaos.  It was important to make whatever system I created easily accessible to Wyatt.  I wanted him to independently take his toys out & maybe, by some miracle, put them away too!  I decided that bins were the easiest way to store the small toys and I moved the shelves so that Wy's big trucks could fit in the cabinet too.

Repurposed File Cabinet

Everything has a place!

 Believe it or not, Wyatt absolutely loves this system!  He is able to open the cabinet on his own & easily take out the toys he wants to play with.  Since taking this picture, one of the white bins is now solely dedicated to his garden tools. :)  This cabinet is a huge timesaver and definitely helps keep the toy clutter in one place.  To top it all off...Wyatt puts away his toys & closes the doors of the cabinet!

It was really difficult for me to not make the cabinet "pretty".  It was more important to put a system in place and use it.  Maybe the "prettying" of the cabinet will happen at a later date. :)

Happy Organizing,
MM

"Tie" Raid

Alrighty, I am back in business!  I finally purchased a new memory card for the camera today which means lots of new DIY and organizing project pics.  Woohoo!

To kick it off let's talk ties. :) So, as part of the hubby's Daddy's Day gift (& my obsession with organizing) I took it upon myself to find another way to organize all of his ties.  In hindsight, I wish I would have taken a before picture of the ties.  I did take a picture of the "tie hanger" they've been on for years. Looks like this. 

Old system = tie hanger

 It looks like a fantastic idea and definitely kept the ties in one place.  However, there are fifteen spots on each side which totals thirty ties.  The hubs has 50+! I know it seems like a ridiculous amount, but he wears one every day.  When the ties were on the hanger he was only circulating through a handful because they were doubled up or on the floor.  There's no way he even knew what he had.  You should have seen his face after I organized the ties...there are some he hadn't seen in years!  I will definitely repurpose this hanger.  The wheels are already turning.  

Okay, time to share my $ Store solution!  I posted about their "compartment bins" a few weeks ago.  I use them to store the cords for the electronics. Well, turns out they're perfect for organizing ties too!

Yes, I color coordinated each bin!

Q:  What do I love about this?  

A:  EVERYTHING!  

It allows my hubby to see each tie (he purged a few ties so he now has 48).  ALL of the bins fit in a dresser drawer (6, that is 6 bins not 6 drawers!).  It is easy to rotate the bins so there are new ones on top each week!  And yes, it was so nice to color coordinate the ties in each bin (especially for a color-blind hubby).  Bonus, according to the hubs...he has more room in his second closet ( I know, not typical, but his suits, dress shirts, and ties take up an entire closet).  Taking on the second closet is going to be like an Olympic sport.  Not ready to do it yet,  but will in the near future. 

$ Store bins were the perfect solution!  

Turns out organizing the ties was a gift my husband appreciated and one that made me happy too! Thanks for stopping by!

Spotlight Time!

Thanks for visiting!  I am so excited to share with you today.  After seeing one of my most crafty friends post a recent project on FB, I knew I had to share it with you.  My very good friend Sarah was kind enough to send me the step-by-step for her patriotic wreath (click on the Projects 4 Fun tab at the top for the how-to).  I think it looks amazing!!  Take a look for yourself.

Sarah's Patriotic Wreath

Can't you just picture creating some of this yarn and ribbon goodness for every holiday?!  Orange and black for Halloween with little pumpkins or spiders on the side.  Maybe green, red, and white with Christmas trees or blue and white with snowmen.  I'd love to do one like this, red, white, and blue, with the Buffalo Bills logo in place of the stars or maybe little footballs or #22 (yes, I heart Freddie Jackson!).  How cool would that be for the football fan in your life?  I always see fans flying their game day flags...why not a game day wreath?!  The options are endless!

A huge thank you to Sarah for taking the time to share this wonderful project!

Broom Closet Bliss...Finally!

BEFORE 

AFTER

Goodbye clutter, hello organization!  My broom closet/cleaning closet was a nightmare.  After we moved last August the closet became a catch-all for anything that didn't have a place in the kitchen.  My cleaning supplies were stored under the sink (horrible when I was pregnant and trying to get to everything!).  I always imagined having a place for the ALL of the cleaning supplies:  swiffer, bona, broom, floor cleaners, fresheners, glass & counter cleaners, refills, garbage bags, sponges, and caddy.  Well, imagine no more.  I've also added some details under the PROJECT ORGANIZE tab.  

Daddy loved his gift...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Father's Day!  It was such a beautiful weekend.  Believe it or not, I finished the Daddy's Day gift just in time!  I created a photo collage of Wyatt and daddy fishing for the first time together.  I loved the black and white pictures and thought the collage would be a wonderful addition to his hunting/fishing mancave.  Although I still need to frame it, I thought I would post a picture anyways.  I used foam board, sticker letters, scrapbook fishing, & mod podge.  I think once I frame it, it will have a nice finished looked.  I'll be picking up the frame from a large barn sale over the 4th.  Pictures will follow!

Father's Day

Yes, it is only 2 days away!  I know I am probably the only wife, daughter, and daughter-in-law on earth that's waited until the last minute to create, buy, build, order, beg, borrow, or steal Father's Day gifts.  So, here is my quick fix for all of you "last-minuters" like me (yes, that is now a an official title).  I found some great gift ideas on Pinterest today that led me to a blog I find myself constantly looking at, The Tip Junkie. (Click on the link to see 32 homemade gift ideas for dads/grandpas.)  There are really cute ideas that have been gathered from various sites.  I LOVE the homemade cards! I posted a few of the ideas found on The Tip Junkie's (Laurie's) site below.  

Daddy's Car Wash Kit

Daddy's Tie Rack

I'm as lucky as can be...

I would love to know if you complete one of these projects! I'll be sure to post daddy's gift next week.  Yes, I am still in the process of finishing it with the two best helpers I could ask for, Wyatt & Weston. :)

Wyatt's Garden

With the summer weather finally smiling on us (at least it's just started in upstate NY:), I thought I would share a project Wyatt, Grampy, & I worked on in May.  When we moved in to our house almost a year ago, the former owners had an herb garden on the side of the house.  I know some of you would probably be so excited, but I don't know the first thing about herbs.  If it's not garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, or pepper, I'm probably not using it when I cook (yes, on those rare occasions when I am hands free and can actually prepare something before 9pm).  With that said, I decided to dismantle the garden (ok, tear out all of the herbs). but I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with the space so I left it alone.  In May I finally decided to make this a special space for Wyatt (my super active 18 month old who loves to dig whenever & wherever the mood strikes him).  My hope was to create a space he would :

1.  recognize as his own
2.  learn to care for
3.  contain his digging in one area

Wyatt's Garden

Let me just tell you that to say this space was a success is a gross understatement!  Wy absolutely LOVES his garden!  He waters the flowers (and seems to think that pouring dirt on them helps them grow too), he digs in the dirt, he kisses the frogs, & waves hello and goodbye to the garden.  It really makes my heart smile to see him so happy & independent.  (We had a playdate a few weeks ago and the two toddlers that visited loved watering the flowers too!)  It keeps him busy for hours. :)

If you'd like to learn more about the the materials I started with and what it cost, please click on the EVERYTHING KIDS tab.  You'll find Wyatt's Garden details listed.

Great Baby Gift Idea

Thought I would share something I make often thanks to my mom.  These wood blocks with vinyl lettering and bows make such a cute baby gift!  I've given them to many new mommies.  It's great because I can pick colors for the blocks, lettering, and ribbon to match the nursery.  Usually you see these blocks displayed on book shelves or wall shelves, but a nice twist is to adhere them to the door or a wall of the nursery.  I will post more pics of these blocks under the Gift Ideas tab this week.  So fun to make and such a personal touch.  

Upcycled Crystal Light Containers

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!  It was a very productive and fun one in our house.  I did realize that I need to organize the way I tackle projects.  I have a list of projects (literally a mile long) I want to do.  I have a bunch of projects halfway done.  I have a handful of projects done and ready to share.  I just get so excited about the ideas I see and the ideas I have that I just go for it.  Starting today I will be catching up on posting the projects I have already completed, starting with the upcycled Crystal Light containers.  I will continue to share one a day.  In the meantime I will be working on putting the finishing touches on other projects (broom/cleaning closet almost complete & bucket game almost done).  

Upcycled Crystal Light Containers

On Pinterest (of course :) I saw an idea to store crayons in a parmesan cheese container (anything is better than the cardboard packs they come in).  The only thing I didn't like about it was how difficult it was to get the crayons out, especially for Wyatt.  So, I started looking in the cupboards and realized the hubs and I drink a ton of Crystal Light and I'd been throwing out the containers for years.  So, I used the individual packs container and the pitcher packs container to store Wy's crayons.  They work perfect!  It is easy for his little hands and fingers to retrieve the crayons and he loves taking on and off the top. Plus, he can see the crayons through the container and loves to put them away!  BONUS! :)  (I added the vinyl pics & label for fun.)  I've also used these containers to store craft supplies, chalk, office supplies, batteries, ...you get the picture.  The see-through aspect makes these containers so versatile!  I love them!  How will you upcycle your next empty Crystal Light container?

Catching Up

I've been so excited to share some of my recent projects with you!  I am happy (& relieved) to say I put the finishing touches on many of them & took some pics.  Thanks again for your patience.  Chasing around a 20 month old & caring for a 4 month old keep me busy & on my toes. :)  Just wish I could bottle their energy for myself!

Okay, here goes.  Most recently I completed a pallet table.  I found pictures on pinterest & knew it would be a perfect fit for our patio.  We live on a wooded lot & the views in my opinion are breathtaking.  My hubby & I love to relax on the patio every chance we get, but the patio set is so large and located on the side patio.  We wanted something affordable (under $25) & durable. To complete the look, we added 2 plastic Adirondack chairs (perfect height for pallet table!)  I LOVE the table.  I mean really LOVE it.  My hubby was so nervous that it would look "junky" ...not anymore! Check it out!

Click on the Projects 4 Fun tab to view the step by step directions for the pallet table!

Genius Storage Containers

All I have to say is SCORE!  In the midst of Project Organize I came across two very cool storage containers for cords, etc.
Option 1:  Because I am sticking to a budget and trying to be quite frugal, I originally used baskets I had around the house and used the bottle dividers found in cases of adult bevies.  It worked wonderfully!  That is, until I started to organize the linen closets, I really wanted to use the baskets to store hand towels & wash clothes.

My solution, Option 2:  I went back to one of my fav shopping spots, The Dollar Store, and found "canvas" bins (like the ones I already had for my family file system) that have dividers that velcro in!  They aren't as sturdy as the bottle dividers, but they worked great!

Option 3:  Yesterday I was shopping and came across the Rubbermaid Bento bins...OMG!  They are an organizing blessing.  A ridiculously awesome idea (one I should have thought of!).  The "bento" part actually reminds me of those snap bracelets from the 80s & 90s.  They were reasonably priced & came in a bunch of cool colors & patterns.  Tops or "trays" for these bins were available to purchase separately.  They can be put on as a top or flipped over to create a tray to store more on top...genius again!

There you have it.  Three options varying in price range.  One upcycled, the second a dollar, and the third a little more expensive, but sturdy, versatile, and just plain cool!