Several weeks ago I shared with you my horrible disarray that is the top of my dresser.  I found a way to organize my jewelry by making a necklace holder.  The next step in this project was my out of control make-up.

I decided to make something that is neat and easily cleaned.  Most importantly is that I need my make-up to be hidden.

I bought a bolt and nail holder at The Home Depot.

I also bought a 5 pack of fat quarters at JoAnn’s.  I picked fabrics that I thought would coordinate well with my new necklace holder since they would be near each other.  All I needed was my spray adhesive, fabric scissors and tailor’s chalk.

I began measuring the fabric so I could cover the fronts of each drawer.  I didn’t want to be able to see what was in each drawer from the front.

Once all was measured out I glued the fronts of each of the drawers with a piece of fabric.

The next step was taking all of the make-up that I had and organize it in each drawer.  I  wanted to keep like products together.  It’s funny what old lipsticks you hold on to for no reason at all.

After I was done I put labels on each drawer using my Brother label maker.  (Of course I have a label maker.)

There you have it.  All of my make-up is now cleverly concealed in a pretty easy to access place.  The total cost of this project was $30.

Stay tuned though the final reveal of my dresser is coming very soon…

Day 2: Re-upload a post you wish more people had read and explain why it was important to you.

I know this may sound silly but I recently posted a project I did.  I was really proud of Back To School I Made This: A Can For Art Supplies, and I know some people saw it but I felt like this was an awesome project, so I want to post it again.  It’s not a thoughtful piece or a mind boggling piece or anything that needs deep thought.  This is a project I felt proud of and just wanted it to get a highlight.

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I wanted to make some easily accessible containers for my kids to have their various art supplies in. I went to Home Depot and bought quart size paint cans in order to paint them. Doesn’t that sound weird? Buying paint cans to paint them. Sorry back to my project…I got lime green spray paint and tintable chalkboard paint in deep teal.

It starts with spray paint. I chose a very vibrant lime green.

After 2 coats of spray paint and 24 hours I used painters tape to make a 1″ band around the paint can in the middle.

Once that was done I opened and stirred my tintable chalkboard paint in deep teal. (Sorry for my foot in the pics.)

The instructions say that you may need 3 coats of it. I decided after reading that I would put the 3 coats because the green is quite vibrant and I’ll need to cover it well. I would say that if I didn’t have such a vibrant color underneath I would have been able to do 2 coats.

In the end when I peeled off of the painters tape it wasn’t perfect, but it has a rustic look to it.

When I showed the boys their new art storage cans they were so excited. It was so cute watching them scramble to figure out what to put in each of them. We spent about 15 mins deciding, and in the end not only was I pleased but they were too. The great thing about the chalkboard stripe is that we can change what is in each can and re-label them easily.

Maybe these will inspire them to keep their supplies where they belong. A mom can dream right?

One of my crafting gurus is Kathe Holden of Just Something I Made has rocked my world yet again with the Cigar Box Tape Dispenser.  First let’s discuss the fact that I never knew about Japanese Paper Tape.  I mean this stuff is right up my alley and I didn’t even know it existed.  Kathe came up with a great way to keep your tape well organized.  It really amazes me every time I see one of her tutorials what a true artist she is.

I’m always a sucker for memory boards of all kinds.  When I find another one I think I’m going to finally get down to making one as I always promised myself I would do.  Jamielyn of I Heart Naptime made a Dressed Up Magnet Board.  She is a kindred spirit in that she frequents Lowe’s and Home Depot.  As most crafters don’t want to admit going to those stores aren’t as bad as we want our husbands to believe they are.  I’ve had a magnet board for 1.4 years that I haven’t put up yet.  I should really use it and follow Jamielyn’s instructions.

Amy of Modge Podge Rocks truly rocks herself.  Her amazing I Like Things That Hold Stuff.  Like The Kids’ Safari Tote is such a cute way to store kids stuff in a little tote.  Her end product is so cute it makes me think this would make a great addition to the boys’ playroom.  I think I’ll add it to my never ending list of craft projects I need to conquer.

Today’s post will be a list of items you should have on hand to create a homework station.  There are many containers you can use and I’ll give you some suggestions, but in general if your child is elementary school age as mine are, it’s important to make it easy for them to complete their homework by having supplies ready for them to complete their homework easily.

Most of you had to buy school supplies for your child, but I know a lot of schools now make those supplies classrom community.  What happens when your child comes home to do their homework?  Do you want them to be scrambling around looking for supplies they may need?  It’s harder on you and them.  If you have the supplies all in one place or better yet you have them in one container they can grab it and begin their homework.

My suggestions for containers are as follows: a paint bucket (stay tuned tomorrow for a how to make this simple craft work for homework).  My favorite is a Stuff Bucket.  Staples is having a sale on plastic containers in different sizes I got one that is long enough for the ruler.  Another simple one is just to buy an extra pencil case. 

I’ll admit I’m using all of the above, but that’s because I love the office products so I’m a little bit much.  Do not feel you must follow my lead.

Here’s my list of homework essentials:

crayons

pencils

ruler

erasers

markers

scissors

glue

tape

pens – for the older children, I do suggest 1 for the younger kids in case you need to sign any paperwork to go back to school

Paper – I have 2 kinds: plain computer paper for drawings and the special lined paper for the early years, but if the kids are older using notebook paper I would have that available.  I put the loose paper not in a pad in a folder.

What was I missing?  What would you add to help make doing homework easy?

Shit

I forgot to take the before pictures.

How can I share a how-to with out effing pictures.

So please trust me when I tell you that this post was going to be awesome with all of these great pictures.  I will tell you the process I went through and I how came out with more then an organized clean room.

When me moved into this house it had this add on that is best described as a enclosed sun room.  We were going to tear it down.  My mother had a genius idea to leave it up while the boys are small as a playroom.  I was so excited to get all of their toys out of my living room.

Now it’s become this mess of crazy stuff and a room I’m afraid to go into.  For the past 4 weeks that room looked like helllll!  I told R that when I got back from New York, I was going to gut that room of trash and toys.

I went in with 3 garbage bags, a 6 year old and a 4.5 year old.  I wasn’t sure if all 3 of us were going to come out of there alive.  I told them that 1 bag was for us to throw away the toys that were broken, all papers and “art work”.  The other bag was for all of the toys we were donating.  (The 3rd was a 2nd trash bag.)

I explained to them that by donating toys they would be donating to their schools for all of the kids to play with.  This really excited them both but especially E.  He immediately pulled out all of his plastic dump trucks.  He was so excited to give all of them for the sandbox at school.  He loves the sandbox, and I think he’s pretty excited about sharing them with his friends.

I decided we’d do the playroom in corners.  We had 3 corners to clean.  Left hand picture is a picture of 1 corner after being organized.

We first sorted toys.  Star Wars toys together in one clear bin.  Matchbox cars in another clear bin.  We wound up with the one with matchbox cars filled to the brim.  They weedled them down to 1/3 of what they had previously.

When we went through all of the puzzles I thought we would give some of those to A’s daycare.  When I told them my idea, they decided all of the puzzles should go to A’s daycare.  They said that the kids there would like them.

When we got to the books we made 3 piles.  One was to keep, one was to give to E’s classroom and one to give to J’s classroom. We got rid of about 1/4 of our books.  We love books in our house and we are overrun with them.  I thought that donating to the schools allowed us room for new books, while helping the schools build up their libraries.

In the end despite having to raise my voice more then I ever thought possible, and 2 kids who couldn’t focus, it was a fantastic experience for all 3 of us.  I included them in the process of giving to others.  Yes, it was their schools, but they felt like they were sharing.  I want them to learn the power of sharing and how it can make us feel good about ourselves.  Children should feel the giving part first hand.  I’m glad to see that joy in them.

one angle of the pile of toys to give away

the toys they are donating

So I’m sorry that I don’t have a tip laden clean the playroom post.  I think that I can give you this tip though: getting your children in the process of purging is a wonderful bonding experience.  I may have lost my mind in that playroom, but I came out happy.

Today is a bittersweet day for me, and I’m sad.  My oldest, J, has his last day of Kindergarten.  I just dropped him off for the 1st day and we are at the last day.  I really don’t know how I got here.  It all goes so fast.

I’m going to undertake the project of going through my big box of papers that came home with him every week, and do some major weeding out.

My suggestion to you is to do the same before you forget.  I know I have a tendency to say I’ll do it later, only never to actually do it.  Well, tomorrow bright and early J and I will sit down with a trash bag and decide what to keep and what to toss.  Remember that although it’s all very precious you don’t need to keep it all.  It’s only the best projects and papers that should be kept.

Wine Lovers Haven

If you are a wine lover such as myself you have to check out Lee Anderson’s Wine Rack I found on Ready Made.  Now I’m aware that you have to have a HUGE space to make this wine rack, but it was so brilliant I couldn’t help but share with you.  Oh and admit it, it’s pretty funny too.  This idea is one of the best reuse project I’ve seen in a long time.  I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking in my dream home when I win the lottery and my husband has a man cave I may have to make this for him, right?

Art Supply Shelf

My children have a ton of art supplies.  I admit I buy them more then they need.  I read this great post on Curbly from 2007 about this art supply shelf for holding all of their art items and I’m realizing I need to make this.  Of course R will say we have no where to put it, but I think that we’ll have to make room, because it looks too perfect not to.  I think of the pencils, crayons, paint brushes and more that is on the wall as apposed to in a drawer and on their table, and it makes me giddy.

Family Bulletin Board

Real Simple has a great idea for making a Family Bulletin Board.  The supplies needed are simple and when this board is complete you will everything you need to keep the family on track.  Although, the mesh pockets are suggested for kids to find what they need, I would use them to divide up the mail and paperwork I need to keep handy.

I hope to have some more great finds for everyone next week.

Eames Hang-it-All Inspired DIY Tutorial on The Thompson Family Life makes the most adorable coat rack I’ve ever seen.  That would be great for A’s room when she’s a little older.

If you are inundated with children’s books as I am then the $20 DIY Book Display-4 Shelves on Frugal Home Design will make you very happy.  The title had me at $20.  I only wish I had a wall long enough to do this, but it really is a wonderful way to both display and hold your child(ren)’s books.

The last one for today is from one of my favorite blogs called Craft.  One of their writers Brookelyn posted a great blog post How To: Make a Magnetic Organizer.  This simple project is a wonderful way to get little items put away and up on a wall.  Although the purpose of the article discusses putting craft supplies away.  The first thing I thought of when I saw it was how great this would be over a desk.  I was thinking of different sized containers to hold paper clips, rubberbands etc.  I’m going to have to consider making this one very soon, as my crafting supplies are growing exponentially.

I can’t wait to find more items for next Wednesday.  See you then.

Image via Wikipedia

In continuing the Memorial Day weekend theme I’d like to give you a checklist of what to pack no matter what you do on this wonderful 3-day weekend.  Whether you are out of town or going out for the day here are the essentials for your “outing”.  Every trip or outing varies by what you are doing, but we have to start somewhere right?

- #1 should always be sunblock.  Do yourself a favor and invest well in sublock.  This is always money well spent.  If you are fair like me go 50-70 SPF.  If you do not want to go that high please keep it at minimum 15 SPF.  My highest recommendation is to know what chemicals you are buying.  Tania of Pure Natural Diva does a great explanation on her site of what to look for when sunblock shopping.  Also, if you have children who are not good about standing still think of getting a spray sunblock.

-A beach bag or tote - make sure you can get a ton in it, you never know what you’ll be carrying.  If you have kids then you know there will be some unexpected toy or book that you suddenly have to carry so make sure you aren’t stuffed to the gills.  Have room for an unexpected item.

-An eco friendly water bottle – I try to avoid water from plastic bottles whenever I can.  I have an array of stainless steel options at home.  Our favorite bottles are the Klean Kanteen bottles.

- A sun hat – this goes back to my sun care obsession.  Get yourself a foldable shove it in your bag hat.  You will never be sorry you have it especially if you’re out in the sun.  I actually need a new one myself and I found this one.

- A great book or magazine – this speaks for itself

- Camera and/or video camera – there will be great moments you won’t want to miss so make sure to bring your camera(s) along.  Reminder: make sure all batteries are charged and memory discs have been cleared.

- Snacks – whether you are going on a long trip and need car/plane snacks or to a day event having some snacks with you will come in handy.  If you or a child have allergies to particular foods have your go-to foods with you will make it easier not to worry about whether a food is alright to eat.

- Windbreaker or light sweater (for everyone) – weather changes quickly here in SoCal so I have to always have a sweater type alternative.  I imagine that this might be the case all over the country, so I say better safe then sorry.

Optional: a blanket or towel for sitting on.  I have the Tufflo outdoor blanket and I just love it.  It works well on grass because it keeps the moisture away and on sand it is super easy to get sand off of.

My last piece of advice is this: If you forgot it there’s a store wherever you are going.  You can buy it somewhere so have a great time and enjoy whatever you are doing.

Congratulations!  I hope you love it as much as I do.