Entirely Smitten

Retro TV Fish Tank {Hack}

A few years ago while perusing a local thrift store, I happened upon the most amazing retro console TV.  It looked identical to this bad boy here:

 

Seriously amazing, no?

 

I fell awe-stricken into a musty, old wicker chair and ogled it for at least 20 minutes.  I knew I needed to have it, but for what?  For once in my life, I had nothing.  Not two days earlier had I promised my husband no more "junk."  If I buy something it has to have an immediate purpose in our lives.  Defeat.  I dragged myself away trying desperately to contain myself.  (I may or may not have waved good-bye and mouthed "I'll be back for you... wait right here for me." as I left.)   The next morning in those few moments of clarity right after waking, it came to me.  A FISH TANK!  I practically floated back to the thrift store only to find it GONE.  Such is my life.

A few months later I found another suitable for the job and though not as deliciously retro as the original, I knew it would work fine.  Besides, at $14.99 it was practically a steal!

 

My fantasty of having the tank inside the actual tube TV was short lived.  Yeah- apparently those tube TVs leak all sorts of radioctive fun, so we disposed of it fast.  Hooray for not creating mutant fish :D

So here's how we did it:

• we gutted the inside and paid a small fee to dispose of it at the dump
• we snagged the perfect sized tank from Mimi & Papa's basement
• we built a small platform to hold the tank (to ensure the tank filled the entire viewing screen area)
• we slid the tank in

In order to feed the fish daily and for easy cleaning and changing water, we decided we would need to add some features- we popped off the top of the console, sawed it in half and installed hinges.  Now to feed them we just lift the little lid we created :)

 

You can't see them, but they're in there.

Though there's a shred of me that is still grieving over the original TV, I'm pleased with the way this one came out.  If you happen upon an amazing little TV and decide to make one of these guys, send me photos!

 

 

Handmade Christmas

Though I shared a little bit in my last post about my borderline disgust with current Christmas trends, I kept a positive focus on attaining holiday happiness for everyone by reinforcing that giving is so much more gratifying than receiving.  This year was the first year we put this method into practice and I will never, EVER stray from this path again.  

Shortly after Thanksgiving we sat the kids down and shared with them our experiences in giving.  I told them about the Christmas when I was 15.  I wanted my gifts to be perfect.  I knew that there was nothing in a store that could satisfy the sentiment I was looking to achieve.  I took a ride into the city to visit my Grammy and Papa to ask them if there was a certain perfume her grandmother wore, or a tea that they drank together, or a game they played.  My Papa disappeared into the basement for a while and came back with a wooden board with small round divets bored into it in a game board like pattern.  There was also a tin full of marbles and small mug shakers with it.  As it turned out this was a handmade game that my mom used to play with her grandmother all the time.  Papa was thrilled to give it to me and seeing my mom open that gift was something I will never forget.

I wanted my kids to know that feeling.  To know how wonderful it feels to give a gift that took time, thought, and love and to have them be responsible for someone else's utter joy.  We let it mull in their heads for a bit and after a few days I grabbed some alone time with each of them.  I asked them about each of their siblings and what they would love to make for them.  To my surprise they all had AMAZING ideas already worked out!

Seeing Aislin and Caleb doing their "homework" (which was what we called it to ensure the 3 year old would want nothing to do with it!) was amazing.  They had decided to make one big gift together for Marlee- a giant doll house!  I mentioned that I had gotten Marlee a Strawberry Shortcake doll set for Christmas and they were pumped to make it the theme of the doll house.  Seeing them in the aisles of Michael's excitedly choosing scrapbook paper and felt for the rooms and finding the perfect embellishments was priceless.  They seriously could not wait for her to see it!

Can you believe a 9 and 6 year old did this?!!!

As you can see, it's just one of those cheapy cube book shelves with a roof built on to it.  We have a bunch of these lying around and we are huge on upcycling, so it was a win win!  They wanted to do just enough that she would know it was a doll house so she could customize the rest herself.  I love that they made it Christmas in the living room!

 

When I talked to Caleb about what he wanted to make for Aislin he wasn't really sure.  I helped him a little with the idea, but he absolutely flew with it.  I bought one of those old console TVs ages ago.  I had intended to do a project with it, but I had been so buried in work that I just never got around to it.  Here's what became of it....

It's a FISH TANK!!!!!!

  So we gutted the insides and paid a small fee at the dump to dispose of it.  Mimi and Papa just so happened to have the perfect sized fish tank just hanging out in their basement, so naturally we snapped that right up!  Caleb picked the rocks, the tank decorations, the fish, and the christmas tree wrapping paper as the background.  Let me tell you:  it's not easy hiding a fish tank in your house, filling it up in your living room while the recipient watches a movie upstairs, wrapping it, all while trying to keep it a surprise!  Good thing these bad boys are on wheels!!!

 

When I asked Aislin what she wanted to make for Caleb she knew immediately that she wanted to make something Lego related.  He is always losing his Lego "guys" and she thought having some sort of display/storage would help.  Thank you Pinterest!!!  (As soon as I find the original link I will link it!!!)

Enough spots to hold 36 guys. We'll only need to make like 50 more of these.... 0.o

It was a total hit!  As you can see he's already started to fill it up.   The top row is the figures from his brandy new Lego Forest Ranger set.  The bear is hilarious!

 

Marlee wanted to paint pictures for Aislin and Caleb.  I let her choose the paper, the brushes and the colors.  Here's the result:

For Aislin. She used Washi tape for a masking effect.

For Caleb. She was really feeling the pinks and golds!

The kids LOVED making their gifts.  In the days leading up to Christmas, like usual they couldn't contain themselves, but it was different this year.  They were so excited to GIVE their gifts.  There were several "that was a close one" moments where they almost blurted it out, but all in all they did great.  Another surprising thing that came from this was appreciation.  Near the end the kids were saying things like- "How do you keep it a surprise for us every year?!  It's so hard to be sneaky!" and "What if she doesn't like it?  Did YOU ever feel unsure if someone was going to like a gift?"  The kids now understand the full effort that is Christmas.  Some of my friends have expressed concern that I have "taken the magic away" because now my kids know how much work goes into it.  I think that is just absurd.  The magic is in the sentiment of giving, not in drowning your children with gifts and making it appear effortless.  The warmth I felt this year is unmatched.  I have never felt merrier in my life!  Not once did I feel grumpy or scroogy- which is rare for me.  Our kids are already talking about what they want to make for everyone next year and when Marlee was asked about what she got for Christmas she mentioned two items: her "warm-warm" (a microwaveable rice pillow Aislin made for her) and her doll house. 

 

 Handmade Christmas for the win!

   

How to have a perfect Christmas GUILT FREE!

  In the last year, Hubs and I have done some major soul searching and we've realized that we are more than a little disenchanted with society's view of the holidays.  We find it disturbing that there is so much pressure to buy our kids everything they want and to never let them feel a shred of disappointment.  Of course I love seeing my kids light up with excitement Christmas morning.  Of course I want the holiday to feel magical, warm, and happy, but I don't think happiness, excitement, and gift giving should come with a MASSIVE price tag and months of playing catch up.  In addition I think we've lost sight of what the season is truly about.  Being the "I can find a solution to any problem in the whole wide world" kind of person that I am, I have devised a plan to save us all from the spending trap of the holidays and keep the focus on what it's really all about- love. 

So here's my 3 step plan for the happiest, sweetest, CHEAPEST Christmas ever:

1. Take The Focus off of "ME": I think we unintentionally program our kids to think Christmas is about getting what we want.  What's the first thing you ask a kid around the holidays?  "Hey kiddo, what are you asking Santa for?"  It's the go to question.  I get it, we want to feel the excitement through them, but that one question over and over again reinforces the thought that it's all about them, when it is indeed NOT.  Let's start asking them "Hey, have you thought of a special gift you'd like to make for mom and dad?  I have a few hints if you need 'em!"  When it comes to your own kids, sit them down all together near Thanksgiving and remind them that the season is about giving and loving.  Encourage them to make a list of people they would like to make gifts for.  Kids get just as excited about making and giving gifts as they do getting them.  (Think about those eager grins on Mother's Day as they give you that pinch pot from art class and that handprint poem.)

Celebrate a Season of Giving: This can be gift related such as choosing a family in need off of the giving tree at church or delivering gifts to a local women's shelter, but you don't have to spend a lot to show your kids the magic of giving. 

• donate books they no longer read to the library
• bring unused/unloved toys to a nearby daycare, preschool, or shelter
• donate food items to a shelter or food pantry
• donate old towels, sheets, and blankets to an animal shelter

You could go on a "giving mission" every weekend and let them choose where to go each time!

Practice Random Acts of Kindness: If you have never participated in a random act of kindness you are truly missing out- so hurry up and do one!  The feeling of giving for no reason, knowing full well you will get nothing in return feels AMAZING and what better time to show this to your kids than the holiday season?!  The best way to do a random act of kindness is quickly and anonymously.  My favorite part is the confused but excited receipient wondering why a stranger would do something so nice for them and of course the reaction of the third party involved.  It feels like you're restoring faith in humanity.  Your kids will squeal with delight on the rare occasion when they get to see the recepient's reaction in secret!  Here are a few good ones to try:

• "Ding-Dong Ditch" style- leave a handmade gift for a neighbor on their doorstep.  Ring the bell then RUN.  You can choose one person to do the ding-dong ditching while everyone else is hidden from sight with a good view of the action!
• Buy a dozen carnations and drive around to different parking lots leaving one on the car of their choosing with a nice little note wishing them a wonderful day.  You can sign it with something silly, a beautiful quote, or "Pay it Forward."  Feel free to hide out in your car near by to watch them find their flower.
• Pay for the person in line behind you at the tolls.  Someone did this for me a few years ago and I will never forget it.
• Buy a few trinket toys before your next grocery shopping trip.  While shopping let your kiddos reward the kids that are behaving well! 

2. Focus on Spending Time not Money!:  Instead of asking the kids what they want for Christmas this year, ask them what they want to DO.  Pinterest is full of fun crafts, delicious recipes, and wonderful family activities to do during the holiday season.  Between your kids' ideas and the ideas you scope out on the internet, make a Winter Bucket List!  The chances of having a happy Christmas are slim to none when you have ONE day to get it right and that day revolves around getting your children every material possession known to man.  When you pack the entire season with fun activities and focus on love and appreciation for one another, you're pretty much guaranteed to get it right!

Here are a few of our ideas:

• Christmas Movie Marathon
• Cookie Swap- Invite friends over to swap cookies (make sure everyone brings copies of their recipes to trade too!)
• Building a Snowman Family
• Finding a killer sledding hill and spending an entire day flying down it!
• Reading a nice long Christmas themed book
• Fostering a dog for Christmas break
• Having a wrapping party!

 

3. Less is more!: Keep the gift giving to a minimum.  Seriously.  One or two gifts from Santa and a few gifts from mom and dad are PLENTY!  Keep the focus on the "real" gifts by making a big deal out of the gifts the kids have made for eachother and for mom and dad.  Praise the kids for each gift they made and be sure they feel really proud of their hard work.  In our house we open the gifts to each other one at a time so every one is watching and the person who made the gift can shine. 

Looking for ways to give your kids awesome gifts without breaking the bank?  Wishing for a way to thrill them without buying a whole bunch of crap they don't need?  Stay tuned as I post more ideas for a happy, healthy and SANE holiday season ;)

 

 

 

I'm not dead.

Ok so it's been FOREVER since I've been over here, but I feel like I owe you all an explanation.  Most of you will get it.  Those who don't probably didn't get me in the first place and so didn't care that I fell off the face of the planet for months.  So here's an update that covers everything:

• 30 Days to a Clutter-Free Life- If you have followed my blog even remotely you picked up on the fact that I am VERY all or nothing.  I've found in life that there are many people who are similar and that those who aren't just don't get it at all.  When my blog started having issues with posts and comments not being able to be published I got annoyed, frustrated, and unmotivated to post the rest of the challenge.  I felt like it was already ruined, so why bother?  Also- being someone who has TWO jobs in addition to running a family, I couldn't justify spending hours working on blog posts and long responses to comments only to not have them post.  I am sorry for those of you who had followed along eagerly awaiting the remaining posts.  PS- I received hate mail (from some clearly deranged people) over not completing it, so being the spiteful person that I am, even though the remaining before and afters are saved on my computer- I don't think I'm going to post them.  That's the way I tick.
• Sew Crafty- Dudes, I legit opened a sewing studio in my town!  The opportunity presented itself and it made sense to just go with it.  It's been like 5 months and I'm really loving it.  I'm hoping it will give me more opportunities to grow and learn and meet awesome new people.  Check out my page if you're curious:  www.sewcrafty.squarespace.com
• Downsizing and Simplifying- Hubs and I are realizing that life can be way less complicated than we pretend it has to be.  We bought our house 6 years ago with the intention of buying something bigger within 10 or so years.  Never in a million years did I think that 6 years later we would be hoping for something smaller.  After analyzing the space that we have in our home vs. what we actually use daily, we realized that we are essentially wasting money (which translates into wasting time) by paying for space that we don't actually use.  If you include our full finished basement, we have 2400 square feet of living space.  In the basement, we really only use the workshop area and the laundry room, but both are far bigger than our actual needs- so I'd say about 600 square feet is wasted.  On the first floor we found that though we utilize all the rooms (kitchen, dining room, bathroom, living room, office/study) the rooms are way too big.  The office for instance is 11x15 and it has a long built in desk with two computer stations and an armoire for some games and toys.  That's it.  I would say on the first floor another 400 square feet is wasted.  Upstairs, the master bedroom is enormous with two walk in closets that we only fill with clothing and shoes because it looks dead and wasted if we don't.  If we had a smaller closet we would keep our wardrobes simplified, keeping only what we love and wear all the time, instead of submitting to the strange psychological need to fill empty space.  I would say that upstairs there is another 400 square feet of unnecessary space.  That comes to a grand total of 1400 square feet!!!!  That's more than half of my house!  Let's not even talk about how much it costs to "heat" all that wasted space.  (I say "heat," because 65 is hardly considered heating a place!)  The long and short of it- it doesn't make sense to continue living in our house.  There's no real positives to staying in place.  NONE.  After putting our feelers out a bit, we found ourselves a gorgeous house that is the PERFECT size, with a big, flat, fenced in backyard, with a HUGE shed, on a quiet little road.  Our chickens are more than welcome to come and the landlord is so nice and welcoming and has told us we can do whatever we want with it while we are there.  The rent is a tiny fraction of what we are currently paying for our house.  It's a no brainer!  I had put an ad online for our current house just to feel out the response based on size and rent and I was surprised by the amount of emails that came through.  Though we haven't started showing it and getting down to the nitty gritty, I feel pretty good about renting it.  Are we nervous about the idea?  Yep- but nothing is scarier to us than continuing to live the way we do.  I know lots of people who are in the same boat- parents working opposite days/shifts, the kids can't really participate in sports and activites because the parents' schedules don't work for it, family vacations are rare if they ever happen because there are no mutual days off for the parents.  It's risky to do this, but we feel like this is an opportunity for us to streamline our lives, minimize waste, maximize time, and focus on what's important in our lives.  My goal is one mutual day off with hubs and the kids and a weekend getaway once in a while with just hubs and I.  We have literally NEVER had either.  I know that some family members and friends will probably lose their ever loving minds about this plan, but if they can just dig a little deeper and see that we are thinking of our kids, our own sanity, and our future they would feel proud of us for laying low with The Pimentals instead of keeping up with The Joneses.  

 

So... yeah.  That's where we are at.  There's always more to say, but I've talked at you enough for today.  I'm hoping that with this downsizing on space and upgrading on time that I'll be able to blog a little bit more.  I think everyone in my life would agree that I'm a happier person when I'm making and blogging :)

 

Lots and lots of love,

Jill

Oh god it's been so long that I lost the signature I made.  Yipes.

 

Clutter-Free Ways to Save Your Children's Artwork!

{Clutter-Free Challenge} Day 23

Time Needed: 45 minutes - 2 hours

Physical Rating: Light Duty

Emotional Rating: MINIMAL!!!

Please trust me when I say this one will be easy- no hard decisions to make at all!

 

As a mother of three truly artsy kiddos, I used to struggle with what to do with everything they made.  No parent ever feels good about throwing out their child's artwork, but who has the room to store everything they've ever made?  By the time my oldest was 6 we had boxes and files and drawers full of her stuff.  It was borderline obscene how much artwork we had.  Then one day I decided to face my demons head on.  Get rid of it all?!!  No way!  I wasn't that brave, but I did spend about an hour snapping photos of all the art.  I saved a few really awesome pieces and put the rest in the trash GUILT-FREE! 

 

What did I do with the photos?  Did you see my hard drive stats?!  Lol.  Seriously though, I created an artwork folder on my desktop and categorized it by artist and further broke it down by what age the art was made. 

 

Here's one of my favorites, made by Aislin when she was 3 1/2. 

(You might want to click on it to see all the details.)

Things to check out...

• The Cake - see the cake on the lower right-hand side with the single candle on it?  See how the top is round and the layers of frosting mimic the curve?!  WOW! 
• Caleb- Seriously how sweet is that drawing?
• The Eggsack - I'm sure if a psychologist got their hands on this they'd point out that because I am small and located conveniently under an eggsack that there are some issues there, but I find it absolutely hilarious.  Somewhat disturbing though, is the knife-looking object just to the left of Aislin along with a headstone looking object next to Caleb and flowers everywhere...?  Ummmm... on second thought, let's call that psychologist!
• The Title - When I asked Aislin who the drawing was for she said "It's for everyone.  Just write: 'To Everyone: I made wonderful pictures.  Love, Aislin' ok, mom?"

 

Here's another good one:

Let's just call this one a butterfly...  Hahahahahaah. 

 

Here's a font that she doodled on the back of an envelope when she was 6.

Adorable right?!

 

Here's one from Caleb's first day at pre-school:

"Me Caleb"  and his drawing is of "A Monster"  A little bit of a warning to his teachers?!

 

"What do you see?"

Caleb, my future psychoanalyst!  (I see a Storm Trooper helmet, by the way... what do you think that means?)

 

 

So now what?  All the art just sits on your computer forever? 

NOPE.  C'mon, you know me better than that!

Use a photo service to create art gallery books!  You can create a yearly book with all of your children's art in it, or create separate books for each child each year, or save all your artwork photos and make a book for each kiddo on a certain milestone- maybe their 16th birthday?  (A great time to embarrass them with it and secretly impress them!)

Here are some options for creating photobooks:

Picaboo - I'm seriously obsessed with Picaboo.  Ever since my sister Jena recommended it, I've been hooked.  Every year we make photo memory books for our parents for Christmas and we keep one for ourselves as well.

What I like:

• Super easy to use - Just download their free software and start creating projects.  I like that once you upload photos into the program they are always available.
• Extremely Customizable - Choose the type of book you want, layout style of the pages, backgrounds, etc.  Everything is available right from their dashboard.  Awesome backgrounds to choose from, fonts, photo editing right within the program... seriously amazing.  
• High Quality - Looks like a book you would buy in a bookstore.  You can choose to have a custom photo cover, or a canvas frame cover, or even real leather if you're feeling fancy!
• Great Price - Although the prices seem the same as other sites, I have NEVER paid full price for my books.  They are always offering a "Buy one, get one" deal or 30% off, or free shipping.  

I can't rave about them enough!  If for some reason you want to look around, there are many others to choose from:

  Inkubook is a company devoted to preserving memories with photobooks.  The photobooks start at $9.95 for a 20-page soft cover book.  They also do wall calendars!

Snapfish - I get mixed reviews from friends on Snapfish... some rave and some RANT!  I have never used them so I cannot speak from experience, but they are another resource here.

Shutterfly - Their prices are a bit higher than Snapfish and Picaboo, but I've heard only good things about them and they always seem to have good deals :)  I have only used them for prints ONCE and they were great!

Lulu - What's different here is that you can publish and sell your work!  Maybe your child is trying to raise money for a charity like my little friend Ella from "Ella's Ipads" or maybe you have great recipes and you'd like to create and sell your own Recipe Book, or maybe you are a photographer and you'd like to create and sell a coffee table book... Lulu is definitely the way to go :) 

 

Whichever company you go with, the end result will be priceless!  How much would you love to have a photobook of all the silly art you made and poems you wrote and love notes your parents found?  Your kiddos will thank you for it.   I'd love to hear about it.  I'd also LOVE to see some hilarious artwork made by your kiddos/grandbabies/ nieces and nephews!!!  Aren't you glad I didn't pressure you to toughen up and throw it all out?!  I would never.  Not on this one anyway!

End The Kitchen Calamity (Part 3)

{Clutter-Free Challenge} Day 22

Purge and Organize Small Appliances and Bakeware

 

Time Needed: 15 -25 minutes

Physical Rating: Light Duty

Emotional Rating: Possible Attachment Anxiety

 

This is our small appliance cabinet which is located to the right of our stove.  This is another cabinet I never really cared for.  We raised the shelf up really high to store our grill tools and to leave space at the bottom for our appliances.  I wanted to create shelving for the appliances as well, but no matter how I configured the space something was always going to be tucked behind something else anyway, so why bother? 

 

Here's where we keep our bakeware - cookie sheets, muffin tins, cake pans, etc.  Seems logical, but it's not really convenient.  If you haven't noticed, digging for things is my least favorite thing to do, and by the end of this challenge I have hope that my house will be a dig-free zone!

 

Drum roll please...

After moving all of my food items to the pantry, the cabinet over the microwave was left blissfully vacant.  It now houses our Ninja food processor/blender, (which I'm totally in love with and use CONSTANTLY),  Hello Kitty waffle maker (Of course we love that!), mini pie maker, and our hot sandwich grill.  I didn't purge any of my appliances, because I truly use them all the time, but if you have some "as seen on TV" stuff collecting dust- TOSS IT!  You'll notice that a mixer is not pictured.  My stand mixer AND my hand mixer kicked the bucket on Thanksgiving and I still haven't replaced them - my right bicep, tricep, and forearm are totally beach-ready!

 

Once the appliances were moved, we had plenty of space in the cabinet for our bakeware.  I lowered the shelf to a height that would allow for the griddle to fit, but still leave space at the top for muffin tins and cake pans.  To separate the space below, Hubs created a divider with some square trim and dowels that we had on hand.

 

Here's a close up of the divider.  As you can see he cut two identical lengths of the square trim, carefully drilled holes into both pieces, and inserted the dowels with a dab of Gorilla Wood Glue.  Then he secured it into place with a brad nailer.  So easy!

 

I'm super excited about this little project.  Before, with the cabinet storage being so cluttered and the fact that we make pancakes and waffles almost daily, the griddle basically just came to live on our counter top.  I'm so glad that part of my life is over!!!  I'm really starting to feel this overhaul come together.  Maybe it's this amazing weather.  Maybe it's the de-cluttering.  Maybe it's both.  Whatever it is, I feel FANTASTIC! 

Happy de-cluttering!

Declutter Your Computer

{Clutter-Free Challenge} Day 21

 

Time Needed: 45 minutes - 2 hours

Physical Rating: Minimal

Emotional Rating: HARD

The only reason I marked the emotional rating as hard was this project seems really daunting, miserable, and thankless.  In actuality, it is none of those things!  This project is mostly painless and you will feel great having done it :)  So, let's get at it!

 

No joke, this is my desktop...I'm pretty sure I'm a computer's worst nightmare.  Between my 12.5 MP camera and my "snap a million photos every day" attitude, I can really hog up some serious memory.  It doesn't help that when it comes to photo organization I'm a complete slob.  Sometimes it can take me hours to find a specific photo that I'm looking for because the album titles are misleading and there's no rhyme or reason to how they're kept- some on the desktop, some in a folder, some in a folder within a folder within a folder.  Today, I will put an end to it all!

 

As you can see, my C drive has seen better days.  I decided to start really slow by just taking care of the desktop, then working my way to other locations.  Here was my to do list:

1. Delete all unnecessary items on the desktop.
2. Create a "Photos" folder on the desktop.
3. Within the new "Photos" folder create a folder for each member of the family and another titled "events."
4. Create a "Home Videos" folder on the desktop.
5. Within the "Home Videos" folder, create a folder for each child and another titled "events."
6. Slowly sift through all the random photos and folders of photos, placing each item where it should go. 
7. When you encounter crummy photos or duplicates, just delete them.
8. When finished, empty the Recycling Bin.

 

Personally, unless a photo is from a significant event, I file it according to who is in the photo.  In addition to each family member having their own folder, I also have a folder marked "Kids" and "Mixed Family" to store photos of my kids and my extended family with my family. 

There are so many different ways to sort photos- chronologically, by season, by event, by uploaded batch from the camera, by who is in the photo, etc.  There are also a TON of programs that will do this for you.  I've been experimenting with Picasa for the last couple of months.  It's a free program that allows you to organize, edit, and share your photos quickly and easily.  So far I like it, but because my computer was jam packed with photos, it was overwhelming to try to use.  Now that I have purged my crappy and useless and duplicate photos and streamlined what was left, I may find that I like it much better.

 

Here is my desktop after!  It looks much better, but did I make a dent on the amount of hard drive space I was sucking up?

 

Not as much as I would have liked.  Unsatisfied with the result I went back into some of my folders and deleted some more photos.  It took a LOT for me to delete the amount that I did.  I will admit that I was very wimpy.  I didn't delete very many candids unless they were totally crappy photos.  I did however limit myself to ONE photo from every posed photo series.  I mean really... how many photos do I need of my child standing in front of a sunflower?

 

YAY!  I was able to free up over 20 GB in pictures alone!  Let's see what I can do about clearing out some old files and documents that are no longer relevant...

Pretty darn good for DOCUMENTS!  I'm already noticing a difference in my computer.  No more pop-ups telling me that I'm using too much memory :)  Do you have my computer purge beat?  How many GB did you free up?

Organize your Entryway!

{Clutter-Free Challenge} Day 20!

 

Time Needed: 15-45 minutes

Physical Rating: Light Duty

Emotional Rating: Minimal

 

This is our mudroom.  If you don't know the story about this little number, take a peek here... you might be surprised to find out how it was made :)  Although we created this mudroom with our specific needs in mind, there were certain things we just didn't account for...

 

Like for instance, the ridiculous amount of shoes our daughters have!  There is just no need for this many shoes to be stored in our mudroom.

 

It's easy to imagine the frustrations caused by this many shoes packed into those drawers.  Like, "I can't find my other shoe!"  and "Mama, how come I have two left shoes of these?" and "Ummm, these don't fit me." all of which I've had the pleasure of hearing from my children and typically it's 38 seconds before the bus is due to arrive.

Here's my solution:

First off I purged everything that needed to go.  Then I chose a few pairs of shoes for each child that could remain in the drawers and sent the rest to the kids' bedrooms.  Because we are a "no shoes on in the house" kind of family, the kids are programmed to take their shoes off at the door and place them in the mudroom, so the shoes will undoubtedly pile up again.  To try to prevent it, I added "bring shoes upstairs" to the kid's chores on Fridays.  They are pretty good about chores, so I'm sure it'll work out great :)

 

I have to say that I'm super excited about spring.  No more big, bulky coats to store inside the little closet part and no more hats, mittens, and scarves spilling over in the baskets on the shelves!  Also since all the shoes now fit inside of the drawers, the cubbies are available for backpacks, lunchbags, and other "quick-grab" items for getting ready in the morning.

For the most part, I love my mudroom area.  If you are able to do something similar just make sure to look at everything realistically.  Will you have enough space for everyone's bare essentials?  What about storage for guests' items?  If you are only going to create enough storage for in-season items, where will you store the items that are out of season?  Just food for thought :)

You don't need an actual mudroom to have a mudroom area.  Check out these great ways to store all of your catch-all items!

 

I love this simple mudroom bench with hooks from Ellmania.  The colorful, clustered coat hooks are so fun!

 

You know I love me some IKEA!

 

Although this doesn't take care of coats, I love the command center with the bench and baskets.  It looks GREAT! 

 

Not Martha was coveting the j-me shoe rack and decided to make her own version.  Isn't it AWESOME?!

 

Thea's Mania really knows how to make a mudroom feel colorful and happy!  Her blog is so fun to peruse since she is such a color genius.  Be sure to use google translator though ;)

 

Real Simple converts a small coat closet into a super organized mudroom area.   Lovely :)

 

This one is my FAVORITE.  Country Living never disappoints.  Two cupboards for storage with a cute, little bench between for putting on shoes.  Perfectly executed!

 

Had I not already built a mudroom, this would have been the project that I splurged on.  Is it normal that mudrooms make me giddy?!

 

 

 

 

Organize Your Makeup and Beauty Tools

{Clutter-Free Challenge} Day 19

 

Time Needed: 20 minutes - 1 hour

Physical Rating: Minimal

Emotional Rating: Possible Attachment Anxiety

Ugh.

So here is my makeup clutter.  Yes, that is a full-size reusable shopping bag.  I have a little bit to purge I guess!  The theme for this project is the same as all the others: purge then organize.  Remember, just because you spent a bazillion dollars on a product does not mean you should keep it.  If you hate it, or it doesn't work, or it expired before you even used it, DUMP it :)  The money you spent on those products is gone and keeping the clutter around is an attempt to atone for the purchase.  Throwing it away will do more than just remove clutter from your space, it will make you think twice the next time you go to make a hasty purchase.

 

Ta-da!

I found this over-the-door organizer months ago at Marshall's.  It was on clearance for $7.99!  It couldn't have worked out more perfectly for this job!  I purged the makeup that I hated and/or never wore and I was still left with a generous collection.  What I love about this method of organizing cosmetics is the clutter-proof factor.  Each step of my makeup routine has its own pocket so as soon as I'm finished with a product it goes right back into its own spot.  I have had cosmetic cases and bags before, but being the incredibly lazy/rushed person that I am, I would unconsciously decide that putting things away as I went was too time consuming and I would leave it all out on my sink or just dump it all into my makeup bag with the fantasy that I would "put everything away later."  LIES! 

I've had this organization system in place for 2 weeks and not once have I left a single product out after applying my makeup!  That's a miracle for me.

Here's how it's organized:

Row 1:

• Primer
• Liquid Foundations
• Concealer, Contouring, Brow filler
• Mineral Foundations

Row 2:

• Bronzer
• Mattifying Powder, Highlighting
• Finishing Powder
• Lipsticks, Lip Glosses, Lip Balms, Lip Pencils

Row 3:

• Eye Liner Pencils, Liquid Liners
• Mascaras
• Blushes
• Eye Shadow Compacts

Row 4:

• Makeup Sponges
• Disposable Liquid Eyeliner Applicators
• Disposable Mascara Wands
• Disposable Lipgloss Brushes

Row 5:

• Brushes
• Eye Makeup Remover, Brush Cleaner
• Cotton Rounds
• Setting Mist

 

Ok, so I know that's a lot of stuff, but I don't wear it all at once!  Certain occasions call for different types of products.  Also, as far as the disposable applicators go: I'm not an environment ruiner, I swear!  There are only two items in my house that we use disposable for and that's toilet paper and my make up applicators.  Here's why I use disposable: I pay good money for safe, natural makeup so I want to make sure it lasts as long as possible.  I hate having to throw out a $30 tube of mascara because it dried out or because it became contaminated with whatever disgusting germs happened to be on my eyes one day.  Disposable makeup applicators are a small investment that will save you money in the long run.  Visit Qosmedix for good quality disposable makeup applicators for next to nothing!

 

1. Lips and Eyes Ultimate Cosmetics Organizer $29.99
2. Over-The-Door shoe organizer $10.99
3. Clear Cosmetic Tray $14.99
4. ASKER container $5.99 each and hooks $3.99/ 5 pack
5. Bamboo Space Saving Desk Organizer $27.67
6. Nifty Cosmetic Organizing Carousel $23.64
7. BEKVAM spice rack $3.99

 

My Hair Tool Storage

My mom saved a ton of office mailboxes that her company was going to throw away.  I used some in my craft room, but there were still a bunch left over.  Because they are made of metal mesh, they are perfect for storing not-quite-cooled hair tools.  I installed a coat hook for my blow dryer because it was too fat to fit in a mailbox.  It's the hair tool I use the most so it's actually a bonus that it's so handy.

Where to buy:

Wire Mesh Wall File - $16.94

Wall Hook - $4.54

 

Of all the projects we've done so far, this is the one that I've appreciated the most.  I can honestly say that my life has improved because of this one little task.  The time that I've saved goes without saying and the lack of stress when I'm getting ready is PRICELESS!  I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do!

 

Tricycle Makeover {Retro Revamp}

It is seriously GORGEOUS out today and if you know anything about me, you know I'm solar-powered.  It's only 3:30 on Tuesday and I've already accomplished everything I was hoping to do outside for the whole WEEK!  I even had time for a side project!

This little project was a spur of the moment thing.  Marlee's tricycle was looking sad.  It was covered in rust and as she put it, "Red is not my favorite."  I love the new colors and so does she!

 

Here's how I did it:

First I threw down my designer drop cloth (true life: I ruined the designer bedspread that my mom got for me and it is now a dropcloth.) then I set up shop.  Spray paint, sanding block, rag, painter's tape, screw driver and helper!

 

I peeled off all of the decals and random bits of tape and gave all the metal a good sanding.  Then I taped off sections and spray painted.  FYI- always start from the highest part and work your way down to avoid possible drips and/or splatter.

 

Goodbye rust!

 

This color was so perfect!

 

Gotta love instant gratification projects!