Repurpose a hanging jewelry organizer....

I am so excited about this little $7.00 Hanging Jewelry Organizer I found at Big Lots the other day.  On the tag it says great for earrings, necklaces, bracelets, watches and other accessories.  Well I am about 80% happy with the current setup I have for my jewelry (okay, maybe one day I'll be 100%), but I knew this little gem would come in handy for some organizational purpose around the house.

I re-watched Clean Freaks on HGTV and saw this great idea from Alejandra @ Alejandra.tv, and implemented it today.  I too love to give gifts, and this hanging jewelry organizer is perfect for my gift tags and gift enclosure envelopes.

No more digging through the drawer searching.  Nice, neat, divided, and most important, visible!  I never realized how much I am an "out of sight out of mind" person, so this system works great for me.  I love to give gifts and go through a lot of gift totes and tissue paper.  When you tie on a tag, the recipient can re-use the gift tote, so you're recycling too!

Have a wonderful week!

Nancy :)

DVD storage.......

I come from a family of movie lovers.  If you started talking movies with anyone in my immediate family, we could actually amaze you with our vast knowledge of useless trivia.  We are name droppers of actors of old and current movies alike.  We would kick your booty if all the Jeopardy categories were on movies.  It's just a fact.

All of the movies take up a lot of space, and I am honestly not willing to part with a movie I love.  It was great when the size of movies decreased from VHS tapes to our current DVDs.  I tried a binder method of 4 movies per page, but that was too hard to go through and search, and definitely difficult to keep alphabetized.

I decided to buy slim CD covers and transfer the movies over to them.  They are now very easy to alphabetize and flip file through a media storage box, and best of all, they take up 2/3 less space!  The below picture shows 10 DVDs vs 30 DVDs.  

I no longer have guilt over how much space my movies take up.  They are all contained in one cabinet now.  I will confess that I keep the covers of some of the Disney classics, but otherwise, buy buy DVD cover, hello more movies and extra space.

Do you have a movie lover in your home?  Maybe this will work for you.

Have a wonderful week!

Nancy :)

Trying to keep the pantry organized......

is one of the hardest things for me to keep up with, and I don't even know why!  It's probably because I haven't been checking it that great before I head to the store, then I am in a hurry to put things away afterward, and slide it wherever it will fit.  That all ends today!  (hopefully......)

I moved my spices and baking items to the wall cabinet, therefore giving me much more space in the pantry.  I have a somewhat small kitchen to begin with.  My current kitchen is about 1/3 of the size of my previous home (yes, everything is bigger in Texas).  I only have a few drawers, limited counter space, and I miss my island, but I loved the rest of this house so much in Florida, that I am trying all kinds of tricks to love this kitchen.  Fortunately, although not as large as my previous pantry, this one is a good size.

My wonderful hubby said that when we go to paint the inside, he will add another shelf at the top for me, so I can hop up or use a stick to not hurt myself and store paper towels and napkins up there!

Top shelf:  3 lazy susans, one for sauces, condiments, oils & vinegars.

Second shelf:  rice, pasta bread crumbs, chicken stock/broth

Third shelf:  canned goods (mostly beans & tomatoes) I prefer fresh or frozen :)

Fourth shelf:  snacks, especially crackers, peanut butter, etc

Fifth shelf:  dried fruits, convenience packets, breakfast items, cereal.

Floor:  garbage bags: all sizes, saran wrap, baggies, etc., and napkins & paper towels

Not exactly a piece of art, but I think it will work for now.

I love these plastic bins from Target.  I believe they come in 3 different sizes, maybe more.  The labels are from the Better Homes and Garden website.

So until I can find a better system, this will work for now.  Happy organizing everyone!

Nancy :)

Home Warranties & Manuals......

I decided I needed to organize my home warranties, user manuals, etc. in an easy to get to format that would not take up even more space in my filing cabinet.  Along with being space fillers, they also come in different sizes and shapes, therefore falling out, getting stuck in the bottom of the file drawer never to be heard from again. Okay, I admit it, they were all in one pile bulging out of a single file folder!  As usual, I searched through all of the great ideas I have seen on Pinterest and my favorite organizing websites and just could not find what I thought was the right fit for me.  Then Alejandra Costello at Color-Coded.net posted this video of her new system for these items, and I love it!  This is my second project that I feel I have been coached through by a fabulous video by her and it definitely won't be my last. 

These Staples notebooks are fabulous.  I made the binder covers on my computer, and printed the labels with my label maker.  I would have loved to have found clear gussetted binder pockets, but could only find teal, blue, and purple, which I love anyway!  They have a nice velcro closure so you can put multiple books and items in one envelope. The post-it filing tabs can be stuck at the top and you can either use your label maker or write on them.  

I think my favorite part of this system is separating what stays with your home and what goes with you.  If you sell your current home, just leave the home warranty/manual binder for the new owners, they will surely appreciate it.  Keeping those receipts, warranties, especially for your big purchase items is so important.  You want to be able to grab them if you have a problem with your iphone, computer, camera, television, etc.

I hope this inspires you to get your appliances/purchases organized too.  My next project will be cleaning the actual filing cabinet now, and getting into the shred zone......

Have a wonderful week!

Nancy :)

Linen closet - re purposed! ......

Yes, this is the year.  It is the year I finally, positively, absolutely commit to finding a place for everything, and everything in it's place.  Okay, a gal can dream, can't she?  Seriously though, I am making an incredible amount of progress in getting things organized, but most importantly, getting rid of things I no longer need.  


I was inspired by the HGTV special "Neat Freaks".  It showed some very organized families and how they live, plan, shop, decorate on a budget, and even one person that was in an incredibly organized living space of only 300 square feet.  I would encourage you to go to HGTV.com, and as of yesterday, they were still showing the full episode, and I think you'll love it.  Some of the bloggers we love to read and follow on Pinterest and Facebook are on the show as well.


I decided to store all bath towels in the bathrooms, and all sheet sets in the bedrooms.  I limited myself to only 3 sets of sheets per bed, but 2 would work just as well.  The system I am using for the linen closet frees up the cabinet in the bathrooms to make room for the towel storage.

These are the center 3 shelves, but I have the top shelf busy and the floor working as well.

Another view.  I love it!  Good inspiration to put things back, and one of my favorite clear boxes is "Travel Size", because we like to be on the go, and yes, I keep those little lotions and shampoos I get at a hotel, don't you?

Close up view.  Now, I'm sure your next question will be, where did you get those awesome labels?  I got them from Alejandra at Color-Coded.net.  She was on the HGTV special, but I had discovered her months before, and loved her organizational style so much, I bought the filing system she recommends (future post) and now these awesome storage labels.  Please follow her videos any chance you get, you'll be inspired!  The clear boxes are from the The Container Store.  They used to hold my shoes (yep, I bought the box of 20 last year actually) but my new closet system has racks, so I re purposed the shoe boxes.


There you have it, the reason I haven't posted all week until now.  I was cleaning out things I had been putting off doing.  Oh, and another reason.....I couldn't remember where I put my digital camera!  So much for a place for everything.....but what the hey, I am sure trying.


Have a wonderful weekend!


Nancy :)

Inexpensive jewelry holder......

Another Pinterest idea for organization.  Don't you just love it?  My daughter did this yesterday and emailed the picture to me.

This is in the inside of her closet.  It is one Bygel rod from Ikea, with plastic S-hooks (the metal ones move around too much).  The plastic hooks and cup are from Ikea too, and you can find them right by the rods.

No more tangled necklaces and all are out to see.  A great timesaver for getting ready, and it looks pretty too!

Have a great weekend!

Nancy :)

Gift Wrapping Hutch..........

Okay, this item has been on my wish list for a long time now, and now I am happy to say that it's the newest addition to my craft room.  This is the Martha Stewart Gift Wrap Hutch.  I also purchased the eight drawer flat file cabinet to go below it.


My desire for this item naturally occurred after Pottery Barn discontinued their wall-mounted gift wrap station (a big mistake on their part), and of course watching Candy Spelling have to let go of her 3 large gift wrapping rooms in her mansion. (HGTV special a while back) I like to make and give gifts too Candy, but for many years the dining room table and living room floor were just fine for this gal.  Now this gal doesn't get up so easy from the floor anymore.....  (Getting older sucks, just sayin')


This product will come in 4 very large and heavy boxes, so you must hydrate the UPS guy after delivery, then be prepared to wait on your husband hand and foot as he spreads the parts all around the living room to assemble your new must have piece of furniture.  Expect many expletive comments to come from your assembler, aka DH, so in addition to all the beverage deliveries, prepare his favorite meal.  Many hours later, you will both ooooh and ahhhhh over how nice it looks, how well it is built, then bond at Home Depot or Lowe's over different hardware, because the drawer pulls that come with it don't do it justice.

Here is what it looks like now, as a new home to my cricut and other stamping/paper supplies. Now, if I only had more gift wrap........


Have a wonderful day!


Nancy :)

Finally, a "pretty" laundry room.......

Hello everyone.  I am so sorry I have been gone so long, but now I am finally getting settled into our Florida home and will be able to get myself back on task with blogging.  


I have been following "Pinterest" for the past 2 months every spare moment I could sneak away from unpacking and trips to Home Depot or Lowe's.  I sort of became obsessed with laundry rooms and made it my own personal mission to have a "pretty" laundry room.  Laundry is not a pretty job.  In fact, I do not like doing laundry one bit.  Washing and drying clothes is not so bad, but sorting, folding and putting them away is an entirely different story.  I asked myself if I would enjoy the process more if the room was a pleasure to walk into instead of a hamper nightmare, and I have psyched myself out to believe that the answer to that question is yes.  

The paint color is "Swan Sea" by Behr.  It has a bit more aqua to it than this picture shows, bur I absolutely love it.  It is very calming.  That last little jar top right is for loose change. :)

I put my powdered products (Clorox 2, Gain detergent, Borax) in glass jars, and separated my bleach, stain remover and fabric softener into bins that I found at Target.  I then printed the labels and ran them through the laminator.

I found this label template at Better Homes and Garden.  

I found the shelves at Lowe's, including this one with 3 hooks, so I can hang things up as I go.  Fortunately, I don't need a huge hanging area in my space.

Okay, so do I enjoy laundry now?  Not really, I still think it's one of those thankless jobs, but I do have a smile on my face every time I walk through this room from the garage, or from the family room.  My desire to keep it neat and tidy is there always, because let's face it, I now have a "pretty" laundry room.

Have a wonderful day!

Nancy :)

Craft Room - Virginia House..........

So, before I take that final break for the move from Virginia to Florida, I needed to post pictures of my craft room, and will follow up in a few months with my new craft room in Florida.  I love Stamping arts and crafts, and have been a Stampin' UP!© demonstrator since 1999.

Enjoy the pictures, ask questions if you have them, and I'll be back posting in June.

Love,

Nancy :)

Makeup Organization......

I don't know about you, but I know that I can seriously trash a bathroom while trying to get ready.  It's a gift, I can't help it.  You can go on youtube and find hundreds of videos on makeup organization.  Those folks have a ton of makeup!   They dedicate entire rooms, closets and wall space so that they can have every eye shadow color on the market, or at least from Sephora.  They also have a lot of ideas on keeping it all together, most which would not work for me, until I saw this one...........

I love it!  It has enough space to hold my skin care items, wash cloths, makeup brushes and the top of it can hold a few lotions, q-tips, cotton squares, etc.  

Normally, I am one of those women who doesn't like to keep anything on the bathroom counter that isn't absolutely necessary, but I made an exception for this.  No more digging around and destroying the lower cabinet for me.  Most important of all, having it within my reach has meant a very neat bathroom for over three weeks now!  It also allows the shallow drawers in the cabinet to be available for hair items and other grooming supplies.

The bottom drawer in this particular unit is a little deeper, which I love, so great for skin care items.  Then I separate my face and eye products.  I ordered this one on Amazon, and there are other options too, smaller and larger.  It was a bit of a splurge, but the price has gone down significantly (like $120-$150 less) since I first started looking for them over a year ago. Clear Cube Makeup Organizer

I would love to know your organizing ideas for makeup too!  Have a wonderful day!

Nancy