Day #17 - Mail!

So this is a little out of order...but I got it done today so I wanted to post about it. I added a mail station to my linen closet. I put it together using supplies I had on hand already. I used a scrapbooking tool carryall as my outgoing mail supply corral (envelopes, pens, stamps, cards, labels, etc...) I had a file box out in the garage so I decided to use it here - I am not loving the yellow labels, but I had them so for now they are going to work! I apologize for the picture quality...

This is being linked to A bowl full of lemons.

Day #14, Under the Bathroom Sink

And here we are again with WAY too much product!! I threw away some body wash from 6 years ago...I can't believe it!! Here is my hubby's sink before:

After:

Mine before:

And after:
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Day #13 Medicine Cabinet

Be prepared for PRODUCT overload in the next few posts...I can't believe how many products I had...anyone else feel the same way??

Here is my medicine cabinet BEFORE:

And here it is after some much needed purging. I also removed one of the shelves - now all of my taller products fit standing upright. A super simple change but I love it!!

This post is being linked to A bowl full of lemons.

Freezer and Spice Cabinet

This post will be quite unexciting - I apologize. The freezer I am still not thrilled with, but until we eat up some of the food, this is how it is going to look! And the spice cabinet is really a spice "shoe organizer". I love that it is clear so I can see everything at one time!! Whew, I am finally caught up - I promise there will be a more exciting post, and a more consistent posting schedule tomorrow!!

This post is being linked to A bowl full of lemons.

Laundry Room

So our laundry room had a start in the right direction...I don't have too many before pics to share with you for that reason.

Here is the only before I have...

Here is behind the door...don't worry the toxic Swiffer is only hanging there until trash day...

Here is our message center...LOVE!!

This is the new shelf I added, now my hangers are right where I need them...I am loving all the blue at Target right now!

And my favorite part! The green frame holds Real Simple Magazines illustrations and instructions on how to clean your laundry room in 15 minutes...

This post is being linked to A bowl full of lemons.

Toy Organization!

Toy organization was an area I sort of had a system in place for already! Here is a brief tour of how the toys are organized...

Here is a bookcase with baskets of her wooden and wool toys (the red bin holds diaper supplies).

Here is her kitchen complete with felt tools and wooden eggs.

This hutch was made by my mother's grandfather. I switched the knobs out with some from Anthropologie. This holds our "learning activities" that I use with her during Tot School time.

Each month I switch out the contents of this basket to fit our "theme" - this month our theme is snow and winter.

This is our art corner - not used too much yet.

This post is being linked to A bowl full of lemons.

Coat Closet - Very Late!

This week has left me with no time to post!! Expect all this week's challenges tonight and tomorrow...mostly in order!

I had been putting off the coat closet, waiting to find some inspiration and then today I found it!

I saw this at Honey We're Home and fell in love! I am not quite as handy as she was so I had to modify a little but I am still thrilled with the results!

Here was my before:

Here is my after:

This post is being linked to A bowl full of lemons.

Day #7 - THE PANTRY!!!

WOO HOO!! I was so excited about this challenge. We are lucky enough to have a fantastic pantry. But over the holidays it had been used and abused. Here is the dismal before shot:

Here I am using the leftover contact paper from the under the sink project to make the walls in the pantry look prettier. It was so easy and made such a difference! (Yes, I am in my pajamas still...sorry Flylady!)

Here is what the contact paper looks like up.

The jars are from IKEA. I have ordered adorable vinyl labels for them...I love them!

This is an after shot of the whole pantry. There are still some things I would like to do. I want to find a cozy rug to cover the stain on the vinyl I can't get out with anything.

Here are my clipboards with my awesome printables from IHeart Organizing. I have our meal planning/shopping lists as well as our daily cleaning routine checklist there. If you haven't been to her site, go now! It is awesome and I get so many great ideas from her all the time!

Over the pantry door I used a clear shoe organizer for all of our spices. We love to cook and as consequence have lots of ingredients!!

This nook of the pantry holds and organizes tablecloths, napkins, paper goods, baking supplies, and unique ingredients. Labels to come soon!

So here is my new and improved pantry. Not finished yet but definitely on its way. How is your organization coming along this 2011?

UPDATE: Here are my newly labeled canisters... I LOVE them!!!

This post is being linked to A bowl full of lemons.

And

Challenge Day #6 - A Sampling...

So, I wasn't super excited about tackling today's assignment because I knew it would be a big project. Well, I was right - but it is done - and I am determined to keep them looking this way. All in all I attacked ten drawers today...here are the highlights...

BEFORE:

AFTER:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
BEFORE:
AFTER:

Sigh...doesn't it look better? I would share more but I am off to make dinner for the family!!

Linked to A bowl full of lemons.

Challenge Day #5, Back on Schedule!

I was so excited to be able to deal with my under sink disaster area! I have ordered Norwex and Shaklee products, which haven't yet arrived so I know the layout of this area will change again when they do. I borrowed a couple of ideas directly from Toni - the contact paper and the dish rack. I think they make such a difference! The metal baskets I got from the Target dollar spot - I had looked at almost identical ones at Crate and Barrel yesterday!

So here it is...the toxic tragedy...

And the after...SOOOO much better. Once again, I am so grateful for this challenge and the motivation from all the other participants.

This post is being linked to A bowl full of lemons.

Challenge Day #4 - A Day Late!

Yesterday was just one of those days. By the time the day came to an end, and the baby was sleeping - I went to yoga instead of completing the linen cupboard challenge. However, it is DONE!! And it feels SO good to have it done. I can't believe all of the stuff I had in here that was never used! Purge and donate...love it!

Here is my newly renovated linen cupboard...I love all the space. Sometime this year I hope to invest in a second set of sheets for our bed - right now we just have the one and I would really like to be able to rotate them.

So happy to be able to cross this off of my list!

This post is being linked to A bowl full of lemons.

Tupperware Cabinet Redo!

I was so excited when I saw today's challenge - to tackle the ever elusive Tupperware Cabinet. As part of my goals for January - to "greenify" our home - I ordered glass Pyrex containers to replace our mismatched Tupperware collection. Here is the treacherous BEFORE:

And here it is after a thorough purging and cleaning (who knew there was so much dirt in there!!)

So much better! All of the lids are in the brown basket...I love the way it looks. Loving this challenge!

See how awesome other people's Tupperware cabinets look at A bowl full of lemons.

Organization Challenge #2

Today's challenge was to work on your workspace. As you can see, mine didn't have too much that needed to be organized. However, the space next to the desk - definitely needed some help.

This area had become a sort of catch-all hot spot. I was definitely going to fix that!

Basically this part of my redo was nice and quick, the container was full of things for my husband to take to school, and the rest of the items were quickly returned to their proper homes.

However, since I was in the office and had some motivation going, I decided to tackle my pile of papers in the closet (which is essentially my command center of sorts). Things had been piling up through the holidays and it was time to put them away!

Here is the space after. The blue magazine files were a clearance find at target. The floral boxes and the pink mesh container were clearance finds at Home Goods. This space definitely still needs some love (I am sure there will be another challenge from A bowl full of lemons that will address it!) I feel like this is a good start though.

This post is linked to A bowl full of lemons.