Organize Your Home: Winter Hat and Glove Storage

BEFORE:

 

I hate to admit that THIS is what we were storing our hats and gloves in last Winter! I mean, really? I'm even laughing while I look at this picture, realizing that I even bothered to label it! Well, needless to say, it was really frustrating digging in this Huggies box trying to find matching gloves...or anything for that matter...so last January I decided to solve the problem.

First, I bought a plastic shoe organizer and some Command hooks.

 

...and some velcro.

 

 

Second, I adhered the hooks to the inside of the closet door & hung the organizer...

 

 

Then I added the velcro along the sides & bottom (just every so often) to keep it from swinging & hold it into place better.

 

...And I had THIS! :)

 

 

The next step was to dump the box out & sort the items by family member. You might need a cute little "Helper" like I had:

 

 

 

I put my husband's gloves & hats at the top since he's the tallest. His are on the top two rows.

(And yes, we are Razorback fans!)

My stuff went on the next row down...

And then my son's and my daughter's items went on the botton two rows. It's easy for them to reach & with the clear pockets we can see and access what we have!

 

AHHhhhhHhhHhhhh...a sigh of relief at this organized space! It's worked really well for us in the past year and will continue to!

 

Note:  I ended up pulling all my scarves out of this closet, but you could roll them & put them in the pockets as well, if you wanted. Since the scarves were all mine, I decided to hang them in my bedroom closet with a scarf hanger.

 

Celebrate Blacklisted & Make a Photo Canvas!

I'm honored to be celebrating the one-year anniversary of the launch of Lela Davidson's charming book, Blacklisted from the PTA! Lela is not only a witty author, but also a friend of mine and fellow blogger. Her book is such a fun read about motherhood and marriage in suburbia. I'll admit I laughed out loud in the car-rider line many times while enjoying this book!

So what's in it for you? First let's learn a little DIY trick, then you can see how to win a FREE copy of Lela's book...

Instead of framing your favorite family photo, have you ever considered mounting it on canvas to display in your home? It's very inexpensive and even the crafting disabled could pull this one off.
There are a few different ways to mount a photo, but this is the way I did it...quick & easy!

First, decide what size you want your photo canvas to be. If you have no idea, think about where you want to display it and go from there. Print your photo...or have it professionally printed.

Supplies needed:

(All are available at hobby supply stores like Hobby Lobby)

Wrapped Canvas

Photo

Paint (Inexpensive acrylic paint will do the trick.)

Paint brush or foam brush

Foam roller brush (optional-but it helps!)

Mod Podge (For those newbies out there, that's the brand name of decoupage glue)

Step 1: Paint the top edges and sides of your canvas. It's doesn't need to be straight or perfect because the photo will cover most of it.

Step 2: While the paint is drying on your canvas, trim your photo down so that it's just slightly smaller than your canvas. This will prevent overhang.

Step 3: Use your foam roller brush (or paintbrush or regular foam brush) to roll on a even layer of Mod Podge onto the canvas, making sure to cover the whole surface area and the corners and edges. You don't want it to be too thin or your photo might not stick well--but you don't want it to be so thick that it buckles your photo. Just use your best judgement.

Step 4: Lay your photo on the canvas. If you don't get it lined up perfectly the first time, don't worry-just peel it up and center it. Make sure you don't have any Mod Podge on your hands, then smooth out the photo, eliminating any small air pockets.

There you have it! Just let it dry overnight then hang it up for all to see your clever craftiness. (And your cute family.)
Note: I used a coupon from Snapfish.com & got this 16x20 print for almost nothing. Keep your eye out for deals like that. I had it printed Sepia to match the browns in my living room. I'm enjoying looking at those cute faces every day!

Now that you know how to make your own photo canvas, it's time to join in on the celebration!
It's a giveaway!

Leave a comment on this post and you'll be entered to WIN a personalized, autographed paperback of

Blacklisted from the PTA!

It's also available on Kindle, if you prefer.

I'll pick one lucky winner via randomizer. Contest ends on Sunday, July 22nd at midnight CST.

I'd appreciate it if you'd "follow" this blog...the button is in the upper right hand column. :)

You can also check out Lela's website and blog, After the Bubbly. For every day this month, she is featuring a different blogger to help her celebrate! Go check it out & good luck!

Flower Arrangement Revamp & Lamp Shade Embellishment

I just wanted to share a couple small things I've done around the house recently that have made a big impact. First, I REALLY wish I would have taken a BEFORE picture of this flower arrangement. I'm usually so good about remembering to do that, but not this time. So you'll have to believe me when I tell you that the flowers were so faded and the leaves were so dirty that I just couldn't stand it anymore! I love this arrangement--it's in a metal basket with moss and the best part is that I only paid $3 for it at a church rummage sale a few years ago!

So...what I decided to do was pull all the old, faded flowers off and hot glue new, vibrant flowers on. I throughly wiped down (ok--I scrubbed!) the leaves and I also threaded ribbon through the metal basket and added a bow. It looks so fresh now and is a nice pop of color for Summer on my front porch. Loving the "revamp"!

 Next, this sad, plain, white lamp shade has been sitting upon a lamp I bought a while back at a thrift store

My mom gave me this champagne colored satin tie/scarf and I dug in my old jewelry box and found the pink bling brooch.

I just tied the scarf on, tucked in the ends, and pinned on the brooch. I may still mess with it, but for now it looks much better than the plain white shade!

More Thrifty Finds!

Over the last 3 weeks, I've made 3 trips to 2 different local thrift stores. I'll admit that I simply cannot stop buying cute clothes for my baby girl! She outgrows them so fast that she is usually in constant need of new outfits anyway. I try to find clothes for my son, but it's a lot harder to find quality used boys clothes (especially in his size) for some reason.

Here are the clothes I found: (each was $3 or less)

I also found a floral bucket ($1.50) & a tissue box cover ($1~will post the redo of this soon)



I was amazed to find these Southern Living at Home decor items!

The tray & the King Street Trio glass vase set were each $5. (My mom bought those from me)

The small Rosedale planter with the 4 Jamestown votive holders was just $1. (I used to be a consultant!)
A pair of shorts, brand new flip-flops & a few children's books for my son ($5 total)...

A glass cutting board that matches my kitchen ($1) and 2 frames ($2 for both)A straw wreath & 3 zippers for craft projects (total 40 cents!)
This concludes the tour of great thrift store bargains! (Until next time!)

My Scrapspace

In case you didn't know, I used to have a whole scrapbook room. The walls were pepto-pink and black & white Parisian accents filled the room. Eiffel Towers were scattered about & everything was organized, labeled, and ready to inspire a new world of creativity.

Then came Mason. The room was stripped, the pink walls became soft blue & frogs took over. I was banished to create out of a closet in our office.

All kidding aside [I'd MUCH rather have my sweet boy than a scrapbook room anyday!] I've tried to make do with my little nook. I try to keep it organized so that I can get to all my supplies, but it's hard in such a small space. I've wanted/needed a new shelf for a while now, so I was so excited when Wayne told me he bought me a 3 shelf closet organizer piece from Lowe's!! What a thoughtful husband!

Well, it turned out pretty small. A lot smaller than we were expecting. However, I still love it & it gives me more room to spread out my supplies in an area that was hardly being used. I spent all night on Saturday re-organizing my stuff. It was fun!



The new shelf is the one on top of the desk to the left...small, I know. I need to rehang the french memo board to the left of the new shelf, too.

Cozy...