Entry Way Project

So- we have started a big DIY project! I am super excited about it- as it has been in the works since we moved in over 6 years ago We have an entry way issue in our house~  right when you walk in the door, you are smack dab in the living room. There is no set entry way or designated space for backpacks, jackets, etc. There is a closet that I tried to use to fulfill this purpose, but it hasn't really worked out the way I wanted it to. We have been looking and brainstorming for quite awhile about how to solve this issue.  Some of the ways we have tried are:

• Remodeling? Looked into it- way too expensive
• Furniture? We have looked everywhere from furniture stores to hardware stores, antique shops- nothing that solves all the entry way issues

Then I got my issue of Do it Yourself magazine & it was like it was meant to be!!!!

Here is the idea that put the wheels in motion...

This has been the closest thing to what I was picturing in my head, but still needed to be tweaked a bit. Instead of the pre-made cubes we decided to look for something we could repurpose. Good old Craig's list came up with something really cool!

I really like the divided space that will be perfect for shoe storage!

So here is a very rough sketch of what we are going for.

 So far we have the crates, pallet, and particle board. This is going to be quite an adventure for us as we are kind of winging it as we go! Hopefully we will end up with a really cool, functional &
one-of- a- kind entry way!

I can't wait to see how this turns out!
Thanks for stopping by!
~Faith

Under the Sink- is it still organized?

So quite a while back I tackled organizing under the sink in our kitchen. So let's flash back to what was done, if it worked & what was changed.  Sometimes I see an organizing idea & it looks amazing, but then it turns out to not be very functional.  Pretty doesn't really matter if it doesn't actually work :)

Here is where my under the kitchen sink started~ Not functional OR pretty. It could only go up from there- right? 

So I made some changes. To see my original post click here~ Organizing Under the Sink. 

Much better!! But over the years- there are somethings that I have kept but also some tweaks that make more sense for real life! 

This area I changed a bit. I used to try and put all of our dishwashing detergent tabs in a vase to make it "pretty".   It got to be a hassle, not all of them would fit, they would be spilling over, etc. So now I just use the box it comes in. Also the small plastic container works for sponges, magic eraser, etc. I had a hanging divider that I tried out on the right hand door. It got to be really gross & not easy to clean out.     

Simplifying the process + easy maintenance =  THUMBS UP!!

I love having the dishwashing gloves easy to access on the door~  I added the fly swatter with a command hook (those are AMAZING). There has never been a good place to store a fly swatter, they are gross~ who wants to look at it or have it close to where food i stored. So leave it to Pinterest to give me a fun & easy idea :) WINNER WINNER!!

Using a tension rod to hang  spray bottles is another WINNER. 

So here it is all finished & in use. It is amazing  how little things being organized, makes such a big difference! 

Some other cute ideas I have found for organizing under the kitchen sink on Pinterest (of course) are...

SOURCE

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Does anyone have any must haves for their under the sink organization? I would love to hear about it!! Happy Organizing!! 

Faith

Fairy Gardens

There is something about Fairy Gardens that just makes my heart happy!! They spark something childlike and whimsical that I just LOVE!! After ogling over them and saving a million pins on Pinterest, I have finally started on one of my very own. It's not finished, but I thought it would be fun to blog about it's progress!!! I am really trying to not wait until something is completely "perfect" to do it!

I have a wheelbarrow that is old, broken and rusted, not so great for hauling things but perfect for my Fairy Garden!!!

So I started by drilling a hole in the bottom to aid in draining. Then I filled it with dirt and got a few miniature plants and some little figurines that I found at my local garden store.

Here is where it is at so far...

It's so cute!! But now is where I would like to do some DIY!! A few ideas I have pinned are...

Click for link

This sweet little hammock

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An adorable little swing

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And what about a tire swing in a tiny tree? 

Click for Link

This little white picket fence is precious!!!

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These little gazing balls can be made with a golf tee & a marble. 

So there is my "little" project this week~ pun intended :) 

Has anyone put a Fairy Garden together- have any tips or ideas? Let me know!!!

Hope your summer is going great!

Faith

Putting away Christmas ORGANIZED this year!!!!

Every year I tend to get a little more organized when I put away my decorations. Something that I haven't been able to find a great solution for has been Christmas lights! They are usually just thrown in a pile and end up getting pretty tangled up.

I started searching on Pinterest from some organizational tips on lights and I found such an easy solution, I couldn't even believe it!! A shoe box lid is all I needed!

I took them and did this…

Just simply wrapped them around the lid and then tucked the end under the string. 

Seriously- It was that easy!

I put them in a tote

Added the other things that I wanted to keep in that tote, put the lid on and then I labeled the tote. 

Super duper easy! Do you have any awesome tips to share for organizing your Christmas decorations? 

Happy New Year!!

Well it feels like it has been about 500 years since I have posted on my blog!! Sometimes that is just how life goes- right? I am excited to be here and I hope to make this a more regular occurrence!! There have been so many exciting things that have happened in our home, mostly just small changes here and there but it will be fun to see how big of a difference those small changes make!

First though- I wanted to focus on what brought me back to blogging.  This new year has me thinking about making life the very best it can be, and doing things that I enjoy. Some really great books have been a guide and have started me on a fun path that I think will assist in my goal :)

As I was browsing at Barnes and Noble one evening I came across this!!   The Weekend Homesteader a really cool book with a month by month guide on how to run a self-sufficient household!

There will definitely be an awesome garden in our backyard this year!!




Another thing we are doing is eating Paleo. If you don't know what that is, it is pretty much clean eating at it's finest! For a long time we have ate pretty clean, but now we have just taken it to the next level. So I have been doing a lot of cooking (which I love) and sometimes it can be really interesting and I find myself making things and using ingredients that I never even knew existed. So you can join me on an experiment that I started today. I am making my very own almond and cashew milk. I first found a book called The Paleo Kitchen and that along with some recommendations from others led me to an amazing blog called PaleOMG, I highly recommend both!! Anyways here is a picture of my experiment…

How fun is that? It has to stay like that for 24 hours so we will have to wait until tomorrow for the results!!! One of the gadgets I have to use tomorrow after the 24 hours is up is called a nut bag. This is one of those things I never even knew existed. It also provided several minutes of inappropriate jokes/laughing in my home :)

So the last item of focus I am brining into this new year is for my sanity (lol- kind of).  I tend to be a worrier, not a warrior which is what someone thought I said one time. They looked at me like I was crazy and I repeated it much slower and then we were on the same page again!! Anyways, back to the worrying- it can be a real issue. What can a girl do? Surprise- it's another book!! That Book of Awakening  is a book that I discovered through my obsession with Oprah magazine. It was in her "things that  have changed my life" or something like that, and if it changed Oprah's life, I'm pretty sure it could be helpful for me too!! It's a really great way to start the day before anyone else is up- grab a cup of coffee and read the devotional for the day. It takes less than 5 minutes!!

Well that ended up being a pretty wordy first blog back!! Thanks for reading and I will be have some fun projects to talk about next time!!

Thank you,
Faith

Pantry Progress!

With the kids on spring break last week, we took a quick little family ski trip!  It was a much needed break and we had a great time. But it also meant I didn't get any updates on my pantry- so here is a reminder..

My pantry started as a mess!  But I am on a mission to change that!  

Part one of the redo-What's Different?

• removed the brassy door knob
• painted the door Bermuda Blue
• cut an over the door shoe organizer in parts 
• attached to the door using command Velcro picture hangers

Finishing up the door- what's different?

• added a clip board with a grocery list 
• I spruced up a dollar store clip board by trimming some pretty scrapbook paper to size and gluing it on
• attached a cord holder to use as a pen holder (Thanks Jen at Iheartorganizing.blogspot.com for the idea :) Click here to see where I found them
• then I replaced the old brassy doorknob with a new one! 

What's left?

• containers- you can see a peak of what the new containers look like, as I have already started on them
• labels- I am trying to figure out the best way to label, I keep going back and forth between 
• chalkboard
• vinyl
• reorganizing for easy use

Wish me luck!! See you back soon :)

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog,

Faith

Project Pantry- it's a start!

My pantry has turned into a mess!! I am blessed to have a great size pantry, but I have become lazy with how the space is used. Here is my embarrassing before picture...

As you can see I have tried different containers and systems, but nothing has actually worked. So I decided I would dedicate some time to work on it and make it perfect!  So here is a step by step look at my pantry redo. 

First things first- the door...

What I see is:

• wasted space
• not to fun to look at

So what I did:

• removed the brassy door knob
• painted it this super fun color called Bermuda Bay
• cut an over the door shoe organizer into 2 parts & attached with command picture hanger velcro tabs
• in the top part I put all the packets that get lost in my pantry- this makes it easy to see( to know if I am running low) as well as easy to grab
• in the bottom part I put all the snacks to make it easy for the kids to grab

Here is the way it looks from the outside!  

Things I have left to do for the door:

• put on the new door knob
• add my redone clipboard with my grocery list on it

Once I am done with the door, I will move on to the inside shelves. I have lots of new containers, labels and baskets to make it a super organized and user friendly space!  

Excited at how it's turning out so far! Hope you stop back  to see how it's coming along!!

Thanks,

Faith