Monday, September 17, 2012

Cabinet Door Makeover - FREE!

I had enough of all our DVDs, Mobigos, V-Readers, Leapsters, etc. staring at me through the glass doors of our media cabinet!!! So I simply googled "swirl image" and found this image that I thought would make a cute glass cover!!  I put the image in Word and sized it to fit my glass, printed 2 copies, flipped the image so it was a mirror image, and printed 2 more copies.  I simply taped them inside the cabinet doors.

(My almost 2-year-old ripped these papers down many times, so I then slipped them inside a plastic page protector so they would somewhat withstand the hands of a toddler.  He still rips them down occasionally but the protectors have kept me from having to reprint new ones!!)





Friday, September 14, 2012

More nail art...

Another idea for zebra nails (also great for lil fingernails!!)


Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Nail Art Pens!

Wow, I love these fun nail art pens that my teenage neighbor brought  over the other day!!  They have the tiniest little tip for creating intricate details on your nails!

I am artistically challenged, but I was able to create this zebra-print design on my nails in a couple of minutes!!!  I used the quick-dry polish as a base coat (Sally Hansen), then free-handed the zebra lines.  I immediately had to purchase a set of these nail art pens!


Thursday, May 3, 2012

Nail Polish Organization

I had WAY TOO MANY bottles of nail polish!!!!!!!  I kept transferring them to bigger containers, trying to find the best way to organize them.  Then it hit me: PURGE!!!  Some were almost 10 years old (can you believe they were still actually good?!!)!!

So I decided I would keep 1) the bottles I wear most and 2) whatever would fit into this handy makeup caddy.  I grouped them by brand instead of color, just because that's how they are at the store and they fit better into the compartments that way.

I ordered this caddy through Mary Kay for a mere $7 (available to order by Mary Kay beauty consultants only). However, there are similar ones available here and here.



Sunday, April 29, 2012

The Organizing Continues...

OK, I've been horrible about posting to this blog!  I finally got down & dirty and got to work on some real, major organizing!  I got this book called Eliminate Chaos by Laura Leist and it is FABULOUS!!!  (I got the free Kindle version via Overdrive, but I think I will have to purchase a copy that I can keep since it will expire in a few days!)  Laura is a professional organizer and takes us through the 10 steps of organizing.  I felt like she was writing it just for me!!  It has pictures, client stories, and fabulous tips to get started all the way through shopping and maintaining.

So.....I took 2 1/2 hours of my Sunday afternoon when my little guy was napping and my husband was doing some outside chores.  I tackled a few areas of my kitchen.  I knew if I tried to organize the entire kitchen, it would be too much to handle in that small amount of time.  Here are some before/during/after pics!!

The Microwave Counter and Junk Drawer!

BEFORE:

DURING: All the stuff that was on the counter, in the cabinets and junk drawer



EMPTY:


SORTING, GROUPING & PURGING:




TRASH & RECYCLING:


Monday, January 16, 2012

Shopping Trip: Disappointment turned Delight!

My most recent shopping trip to the Mall included a trip to my fave department store Macy's.  My husband and I both went with the kids, so I felt rushed as usual.  I went to the ladies departments, where are the merchandise is sorted by brand/designer and I was sooooo disappointed!!!  I had some gift cards from Christmas to use, and I needed some new tops for the winter.  One word....okay two words: Big Disappointment!!!!  Since when has the ladies department turned into the old ladies department?  No cute tops, nothing in the clearance, boring jeans (not to mention they have none in my size), so I stormed out of there to find the rest of the family (at Chick-Fil-A eating milkshakes!!).

Then it hit me.  Go back to Macy's to the JUNIORS department!!!!  Of course!!!  So on the way out, we stopped there, and wooohooooo!!!!!  I found fabulous stuff!!  I'm 34 years old, so I usually feel embarrassed shopping in that area, but the clothes are so much more fabulous!  Well, maybe the quality isn't, but they cost less, they're much more stylish, and they fit me better too!

In addition to the ladies department at Macy's, I've also been very disappointed lately with Gap, Old Navy, and even Kohl's (although they're a little better), places I used to shop at very regularly.  They're too preppy, boring, and plain Jane.  However, I'm very happy with Express, where I used to shop all the time in my early 20s.  They have kept with a stylish, age-appropriate, and even sparkly selection of items that I love!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Happy New Year!!!

This year, I have carried over my resolution from last year....to get organized!!!! 2011 was the year of the purge for our family, as we renovated our basement into a fabulous play room/living room. We trashed, donated and recycled so much "stuff" that our unfinished portion of our basement is now flooded with empty bins!!!

Over the next few weeks, I am going to post pictures of the other areas in our house that I have attempted to get a handle on in terms of organizing. Jim has been a huge help, as there is no way I could do it alone!

Here is my checklist of what areas are done, in process or not even attempted. I tend to be a cluttery person, so these tasks are often overwhelming and time consuming for me. I do what I can do in the small amount of time I have!!

(Pictures will be up soon!!!)

Basement:
Kids' toys
Dressup stuff
Unfinished basement:
(Done)Holiday bins
(Done)Wrapping
Lg items to donate
Misc stuff
Kitchen & Main level:
(Done)Pantry
All the cabinets!!!
(In process)Laundry room
(Done)Coat closet
Upstairs:
Loft/office/craft room
(Done)Linen closet
Master closet
Master bedroom