40 Bags in 40 Days: Decluttering for Spring

Boy, was Fat Tuesday crazy around here.  Just kidding.  I ate hummus and chips for dinner, talked to Jesse as if I were the "doge" meme, read for about 4 minutes, and was asleep by 9:30 (such motherhood).  But the end of Fat Tuesday (and the end of all of the colorful, boozy pictures that my younger, more energetic friends are posting on Instagram) signifies the beginning of Lent and I'm doing something different this year.

I first read about the "40 Bags in 40 Days" idea, a Lenten/pre-Spring Clean, a few years ago on Memories on Clover Lane though it's been done by many a blogger (and many more, I'm sure, a person who doesn't document this sort of thing online).  The premise is simple - over the next 40 days before Easter, get 40 trash bags out of your house.  The bags can be actual trash, recycling, donations, things to sell, etc. but the idea is to purge and declutter.  And I need to declutter in the worst way around here.

Jesse has said to me, more than once, "I can't believe you own a book called Nantucket Nights"

I'm certainly not alone in this purge for the next 40 days.  Other bloggers have shared suggested target lists.  There are printables available (though I'm just going to be keeping track on some regular printer paper). If hashtags are your thing, you can even #40bagsin40days.

So, armed with trash bags (and for the smaller areas, some old grocery store bags), I'm heading into the next 40 days hoping that my house comes out cleaner, neater, and easier to breathe in.  Though we've got major clutter in the pantry, in the medicine cabinets, and in the master bedroom closet, I'm starting today with my car which is way too full of catalogs, shopping bags, and coffee cups.  I'll keep you posted on how this whole process goes.  Anybody want to join me?

A Household Command Center

First of all, is there any term more mom blogger-y than "Household Command Center"?  I apologize.

I've seen a bunch of colorful & functional designs for a family's organizational hub and need to implement something similar for our house.  Even with our work calendars synced up online, weekends and evening are booking up so quickly for us that we need a paper calendar hanging somewhere prominent so we can keep track.  I could also use a place to consolidate bills & paperwork that need attending to.  It would be helpful to also have a spot for things like the key for our tractor (oh, I haven't told you about our tractor yet?) or a shopping list for the week.

I've searched online for some great options... here are a few I came up with:

Vintage Violet Style

While I think chalk paint is a little too trendy to have on a full wall, I do like how you can add notes right along the command center.  Vintage Violet Style has a simple wall with a phone charger, calendar, key hooks, & some organizational functions.

The Caldwell Project

The Caldwell Project's Command Center (above) utilizes some printables found online & part of Pottery Barn's Daily System.

Fabulously Organized Home

I love the idea of keeping a shredder right underneath your command center as Leah @ Fabulously Organized Home has done above.  We always have a ton of stuff I need to shred that ends up in piles for weeks.  I'm also into the wire baskets.

Speaking of trendy, this chevron command center seems to have most of the organizational elements I need - a spot for mail, a calendar, a place to charge phones, & a spot for keys.  I also like how they utilized the side of the fridge (something we'll probably have to do because of the limited space in our kitchen).

Stay organized and stay homey!

Chalkboard Labels for Storing Seasonal Clothes

I don't know about where you're from, but around here it is officially fall.  Red-leaves-swirling-down, fire-in-the-fireplace, overnight-frost, get-me-some-apple-cider fall.  Which means that it's officially time to pack up my summer dresses and pull out the sweaters.

While unpacking fall & winter clothes, I realized that there were two full plastic tubs of summer stuff that I missed last spring when unpacking summer clothes.  Imagine my frustration at losing a year with the platform espadrilles I bought last summer.  First world problems, I know.

I got to thinking about the best way to pack up this year's summer clothes in the most organized way possible.  Labels necessary.  Time to break out the chalkboard paint for easily changeable labels...

We own a hodge podge of large plastic storage tubs.  Some are clear, some are opaque, few of them are the same size.  In a perfect world, I would have stacks of matched containers, all marked neatly.  Unfortunately, I'm just not that kind of girl, so I will work on labeling my tubs as I use them.  As you can see above, my chalkboard paint is in no danger of being depleted.

One layer of chalkboard paint in, which is a little too thin...

but three layers in, my new "labels" are ready to rock...

Easily switchable for the seasons and very helpful in helping me get ALL of my summer clothes out next year!  Stay organized and stay homey!

Hardware Store Jewelry Board

I'm not sure what inspired this project.  Rooting through my purse for my favorite necklace, since I thought I took it off and tossed it in there?  Searching all over for a second earring?  Finding my watch outside, taken off near the pool and left for dead?  Probably all of the above and more.  I have been trying so hard to get organized and my precious baubles, trinkets, & fine jewels (ha) were keeping me down.

Here's my fix, a jewelry board hanging from my side of our bathroom cabinet.  This provides easy access when I'm getting ready in the mornings and is a great way to keep my favorite jewelry from getting lost in my purse or languishing in a drawer, forgotten: 

This is an old project so I don't have photo documentation of the how-to, but it's really very simple.  I started with a corkboard (in retrospect, I would just use a plain piece of wood) and painted it in stripes with acrylic paint.  

Once the paint dried, I used drawer pulls from Martha Stewart and upholstery nails as jewelry hooks.  After mapping out how much space I'd need, I glued on the hardware and stuck in the upholstery nails.

I love that the upholstery nails, which hold bracelets and necklaces, have a costume jewelry look to them.  I almost went with regular cup hooks and I'm so glad I used these:

The three drawer pulls on top hold dangly earrings...

...while the two on the bottom (turned upside down) hold my watch, some hoops, and a few stud earrings:

Since I made this, it has seriously made my life so much easier.   I still have a box for my really special jewelry, but this is the stuff I wear day to day and need access to most often.  No more searching for a necklace three minutes before I need to be out the door.  No more missing earrings.  Everything has a place!  What do you think?  Let us know and stay homey!

Bathroom Organization

Now that we've established that I'm a total slob, let's take a trip into a room in our house that I haven't mentioned before...

One of the greatest features of our new house is our awesome master bathroom. It's big & colorful with hardwood floors, a big shower, & a huge clawfoot tub. We have two sinks, separated by a wooden cabinet that stores any- & everything bathroom-related. When I buy new shampoo, it gets tossed in there. Extra face cream, nail polish, my hair dryer, travel-sized anything, lost makeup brushes - all piled on top of each other. I think I have about 6 gallons of Mario Badescu lotion in there, all because I kept buying stuff when I didn't know exactly what I already owned.

When it took me five whole minutes to find a hairbrush in there the other day, I knew something had to change (that probably also gives you a glimpse into the day-to-day state of my hair).

Here's what I was working with (cringe, cringe, cringe):

I grabbed some plastic storage containers from Target. I think I maybe spent $25 total, but I figured it would save me down the road when I wasn't double and tripling up on items I already owned.

I started by emptying out each shelf and putting like with like...

In some cases, "like with like" meant that the way-past-expiration Tylenol went with the gunked-up lip gloss which went with the almost-empty cough medicine which went with the eye makeup from college. In a big trash bag.

It was about this time that Fred came sniffing around, clearly hoping there were some Milkbones or cheeseburgers somewhere in my piles of toiletries...

The randomest thing I found in here was a almost-full pack of malaria pills from our trip to Thailand (I stopped taking them halfway through when I started having hallucinations).  I guess this gets filed with the "Travel" items?

Once I had everything organized (or thrown away), I got to labeling. Using some Martha Stewart labels, I categorized each little container...

...and stacked them back up in the shelves.

All of this extra space allows me to keep towels stored in here (we were keeping them in the master bedroom closet).  From the top of this cabinet down, the shelves store extra toilet paper & washcloths, bath towels, first aid & meds, hair & makeup, body & face care, and travel items & bathroom cleaning supplies.

It's going to take some upkeep to keep this space clean & organized but I love knowing where everything goes.  Stay organized and stay homey!

Chalkboard Mini-Menu Frames

On Superbowl Sunday, we were expecting a house full of people, all bringing their favorite appetizers. To make the sharing & enjoying of the savory snacks easier, I grabbed some cheapie frames and chalkboard paint (leftover from these projects) and made some mini-chalkboards.

I separated the frames and took the glass out to paint into little chalkboards. After three light layers of the paint, I popped them back into the frames...

...and used them to mark the appetizers that were quickly arriving. Once the Superbowl was over, I rinsed them off and tucked them away for our next party. I think these would be great for a baby or bridal shower, too. Or maybe you could just use them for dinner ("It's quinoa, dammit!").

Stay hungry, friends, and stay homey!

Martha @ Staples

I stopped into Staples last night with a friend so she could return something. While she waited in line, I wandered around the store and was immediately drawn to the new Martha Stewart Home Office display. My friend found me there a few minutes later, gawking, drooling, and touching all of the products. Be still, my heart.

Here are a few of my favorites (all images from Staples.com):

Wall-mountable file pockets - I NEED one of these for our kitchen to catch all of our mail as it comes in. They come with adhesive AND pushpins, so it looks like they're easy to hang up wherever you need them. They come in blue (shown below), white, & brown. I'm obsessed.

And talk about obsessed - there are also dry erase boards of all shapes & sizes that you can stick right to your fridge or wall...

...and all sorts of desktop organization products, from magazine files to stackable boxes to colorful drawers and trays. Like the hanging file, these also come in white, brown, & that pretty sea blue.

The collection (made by Avery), naturally includes all types of labels. There are permanent labels, removable labels, round & square labels, and chalkboard labels (if you decide not to make them yourself). I'm loving the Kraft labels, perfect for favors and gifts:

I left Staples empty handed last night because I didn't have my wallet (we were coming from a dance class) but I think I may have to head back later (or hit up Staples.com... free shipping!).

Stay organized and stay homey!

Bulking Up

Since a new year is approaching, it seems like the right time to get organized and I decided that I wanted to go into 2012 prepared for anything. What does that mean, exactly? Apparently I felt the need to be all stocked up on personal hygiene products.

I hit up Amazon for some great discounts on products I hate running out of - toilet paper, paper towls, soap, and toothpaste. We've got enough of each to last us a while…

And, last time I was in Boston, I visited LUSH and bought 10 of my favorite shampoos - they're solid shampoo bars. This will save me on shipping down the road, since there aren't any LUSH stores nearby, and will save me from having a few days of dirty hair while I wait for the new shampoo to arrive.

Also in preparation for the new year, we cleaned like crazy.  From dusting the baseboards to clearing out our closets (4 full bags to donate to Goodwill, which is crazy considering we thought we'd really pared down for our move!), we've gotten our house ready for 2012.

What do you buy in bulk? What do you hate running out of? How do you get your house ready for the new year?  Stay prepared and stay homey!

Laundry Room Organization

Our laundry area sits in the mudroom and has been strictly function over fashion. And it wasn't even that functional. As you can see below, things were getting out of hand:

The laundry room was overflowing with three different kids of detergent, clothes and linens that I never put away, a stack of items to give away, and more than a few items that didn't belong there in the first place (I spy: an air mattress, headphones, my gym pass).  I actually really don't mind doing laundry (it's the only household chore I like), so I wanted to make this into a space I enjoy using.

After I cleaned it all out, I knew I needed to add some color.  Painting the whole room seemed tough, as I'd have to work around the shelves (which, after some checking, seemed near impossible to remove) and behind the washer and dryer.  I've seen some stenciled rooms around the blogosphere (like here, here, and here) and, on a whim, headed to the craft store to see what sort of stencil options they had.

I came home with three matching diamond tile stencils.  I got set up with the stencils, some painters tape, a sponge brush, and a sample of Martha Stewart Sea Glass paint.  I lined the stencils up, stuck them to the wall, and started dabbing the paint on.

(True confessions time: this is my first time stenciling anything.)

The first few tiles were a little sloppy.  The paint bled through a bit and I had to neaten it up using a Q-Tip.  After some trial and error, I ditched two of the stencils and just used one.  I found it was quicker and easier.

With part of the wall finished, I took a step back and had to decide whether I was going to keep stenciling or scrap the whole plan and paint the top bar a solid color.

I kept going.

Once the paint dried, I brought in three fabric bins I picked up from the Home Depot and divided up the laundry necessities among them - fabric care, bleach, and iron & steamer.

I also put an old laundry basket up there for items to toss or donate.  I go through this once every few weeks to make sure it doesn't get out of control!

I put my powder detergent into a glass jar, gathered the dryer balls into a ceramic bowl, and stashed frequently-used laundry items (stain remover, dryer sheets) in a colorful flower pot I already owned.  To the far left, I added hangers for drying delicate items.

Last but not least, I found some "art" to stick in there - a copy of a Brian Andreas print, a recent birthday card from my friend Leah, and two notecards my parents sent me when I was living in Seattle.  They're all so different and I love looking at them when I'm folding laundry.

Here's to making functional spaces look great!  Stay homey!

Mudroom Organization, Take One

Not unlike my new closet, my mudroom is a space that I wasn't sure what to do with.  Our mudroom is the size of a small NYC studio, and if it were situated in Brooklyn Heights or the Upper West Side instead of rural Connecticut, people would be paying $1600 to live in it.  As is, however, it's attached to my kitchen and not especially functional.

Fixing up the mudroom and making it useful is an ongoing process, but here's step one* - installing a mirror.  I picked one up at Home Goods for $40 and installed hooks on the bottom for hanging our car keys (which otherwise tend to get lost throughout the house at the most inconvenient times).  I got the hooks from the Home Depot (they were called Mug Hooks), drilled small holes using my Makita, and screwed the hooks in:

The mirror brings more light to this fairly dark room and I am always using it to make sure I look halfway decent when running out the door.  It's hung on the wall using two strong hooks and so I'm not worried about it falling down from the weight of the keys or the movement from dropping them on.  My next steps for the mudroom are:

finding a bench with storage for shoes

hanging some art

organizing the laundry area

finding a rug

I've seen a lot of mudroom inspiration on various blogs but one of my favorites is here at MiniManor.  How about the bold stripes...and that boot tray?  It's so fun and functional.  Enjoy checking it out and stay homey!

*Step one was actually painting the mudroom, which I did as soon as we moved in.  You can't really tell from these pictures, but it's a light green.  I love it, but my husband thinks it looks like "glow-in-the-dark paint in the light".  Strikes and gutters...

Shelf Smarts

When we were packing up our apartment in NY, I found a ton of our important documents. Tax returns, stashed away with old letters from my mom. Our mortgage information, house insurance documentation, and passports all stored haphazardly next to my art supplies. It was a mess and I vowed that as soon as we got into our new home, I'd have a dedicated place to organize papers.

Instead of buying standalone filing cabinets (not exactly the aesthetic I was going for) or pre-built bookshelves (I couldn't find any in the size I wanted), I decided to build a set of shelves in my office where I could store our papers, my art supplies, my wrapping paper, some design books, and a host of other items that would benefit from some organization.  But before showing you the end product, let me give you an idea of what all this needs-to-be-tamed junk looked like:

A little sloppy.

So anyway, I measured one of the bare walls in my office and trekked down to the Home Depot, hoping for some guidance.  The employee who helped me there actually gave me a hard time about it ("Is your husband going to do this for you?  Do you even know anything about woodworking?"), but that just made me more determined to make these on my own.

Here was step one - finding the wall studs and installing the brackets:

I knew I wanted my planks to look a little more finished, so the next step was to add trim to the edge of the shelves and to stain them.  Using brad nails, I nailed the decorative trim to the planks (below) and sanded everything down.

Next, I took all of my planks into the garage to stain them.  My can of Minwax said that I'd need two coats.  I did about five.  It took that many to get the wood dark enough.  Finally, I took all of my boards up to the office and screwed them into the brackets (already mounted on the wall).  Once my shelves were up, it was time to get organizing.

I stashed all of our paperwork, warranties, and old magazines in files boxes and magazine holders from The Container store.  I keep basic office supplies in that pink tray, and my stamps and to-pay bills in the black organizer.  On the lower shelves, I have a stack of blankets.  Have I mentioned how cold I keep our house?

I keep my art supplies in an old wine crate (found in the trash pile of my favorite Brooklyn wine store), but all of my in-progress projects are stored in the two wooden milk crates.  In the polka-dotted boxes, I have all of our wedding cards, some old letters, and a handful of other small things I want to keep but don't need to see every day.

Here's the finished product:

My shelves don't take up very much space but they make a HUGE difference.  My office feels so much more functional now that it's organized and I don't have to waste time searching for stuff.  I wasn't sure I was up to a project like this but it was easier than it looks and so totally worth it.  I'm off to finish filing my papers... stay homey!

Fun with Chalkboard Paint

When we moved into our new house, I had no idea that we'd have so many mice!  It's not like I'd never had mice in my home before (once I was making toast in my apartment in Brooklyn and a mouse came out of the toaster.  Sick.), but the sheer speed in which these country mice were making their way through my pantry made me realize I had to act fast!

I wanted to make my pantry as organized, functional, and mouse-proof as possible, so I started by shopping for containers that sealed completely.  I grabbed a combination of glass jars from Target and Oxo Good Grips POP canisters.  Here's what you'll need to paint chalkboard labels for an organized pantry:

Chalkboard Paint (I got mine from Home Depot)

Sponge paintbrush

Painter's Tape (optional)

Food storage containers of your choice

Newspaper

Spread down the newspaper so you don't get the chalkboard paint on your table.  If you choose to use the painter's tape to mark out your space for the paint, as shown below, be sure to press hard on the tape so the paint doesn't bleed underneath it. 

 I chose to freehand most of my labels.  They don't need to be perfect.

Paint on one THIN layer, wait for it to dry, and repeat.  If the paint is too thick, it'll clump and chalk won't write evenly over it.  Once the paint is dry, fill your canisters with dry goods, label with chalk, and stack in your pantry to mystify the mice.

Here's the finished pantry.  Not too bad for a quick evening project, huh?  It doesn't use much of the chalkboard paint, so I've got plans for the rest of that can.  Stay tuned...and stay homey!