The Wall Unit

This wall unit has been idolised in Jay's family for many years.

There's not much about it, really. It's a long bookcase that's from the 70s. 
It's dark brown, with many spindles and shelves, so it's actually made to last.

Both Jay and his sister have been debating over who holds the adoption rights of this shelving unit.

Until now.

Their grandmother's friend was getting rid of her unit that was pressumed to be the same as the original shelving unit in question.

So, I went to see Grandma and picked it up, just in case.

I was very delighted when I saw it in person because I knew it was the unit.

I brought it home and immediately put it together in The Professor's room.

I thought that there should be baskets or boxes to hold the smaller things, and the things that are on their way out, either to a friend or Value Village.

So I started with an old drawer that I have kept for many years.

Ok - it was given to me in college by an ex-roommate because the drawer unit was broken, but I haven't been able to part with this pink drawer! I'm sure she will get a good laugh at seeing this!

I used an old baby blanket that was given to me second hand, so it's not particularly sentimental to me, and works really well in the jungle themed room. 

I layed it out and started hot gluing it in place, then cut the excess.

I was very lucky that The Professor was entertained throughout the hot gluing process!

This one is for toys with wheels (roues) and since Xavier can reach it, he just takes out the cars he wants and the box stays on the shelf! 

I made another one, using a diaper box, but of course as soon as it was seen, there was a marker taken to it. 

It's nothing that the wall can't hide though!

I also covered a bigger diaper box with an old Winnie The Pooh sheet, to use for donations. I was inspired by Amy's idea, and while I don't have the need for many boxes, I do have a need for somewhere to coral stuff that I want to get rid of. 

So that's it! 

I managed to empty a large toy chest because of organization and getting rid of an entire box of clothes and toys! 

Yay purging! 

{Daily Odd Compliment: daily odd compliment: If I had to pick between being friends with you or being friends with Sir Patrick Stewart, I would pick Patrick Stewart. But I'd talk about you all the time.}

Genius fix

One of my pet peeves is to organise something and then have a family member disregard my awesomeness.

I have recently realised, however, that maybe it's not their fault. I need to find better storage and organisation solutions. I am ALWAYS on the lookout for new ways to reuse or improve something! This may be my first post about specific organisational ways that improve my family life, but rest assured, it won't be the last! 

Here are my most recent 'ah ha' finds...

I know I can sometimes be a little picky, but I am especially picky about my towels. Who wants to use the same towel as their husband? I'm sure people do, and that's fine... but not for me! If I am ever unsure as to whose towel is hanging, I wash it - it's not worth the risk! What if I use a certain part of the towel to dry off my face?! Gross. 

Anyway, here is what I have come up with - clothespins with our names on it so we know which towel belongs on whose body! 

I am pretty proud of myself because I actually didn't steal this from Pinterest!

{ Side note (pun intended): I came up with this idea in the shower a few months ago, but because I had nowhere to write it down, I forgot about it as soon as I stepped out of the shower. My husband mocked teased me when I saw this shower note pad, but I really want one! A lot! }

This next one, however, is a modification of the tension rod under sink, which I did take from Pinterest. 

 The Professor currently doesn't have a closet because the closet space in this house was thought up by a bunch of nudists. Most of his clothes fit into his wardrobe, but there are still some pieces that I want to hang. So, I put a tension rod between the wardrobe and the wall - tada! I guess it's not the most original thing around, but hey - it works!

The last thing, really isn't that spectacular, but more practical. 

This bookcase is hiding (sorta) our billions of TV related cords. I put all the movies that were on the bottom shelf into a basket. I am just starting to get into hardcore babyproofing, so this is one of those things. Now, when The Professor is up and about, I can simply lift the basket onto the table and it's out of his reach. To the left of the bookcase, which isn't super obvious, but I wedged a mirror in between the wall and the bookcase to keep him away from the wires, and who doesn't love looking into a mirror?!

That's it for now! If you have some genius storage tips - please share! 

{Daily Odd Compliment: You're like Britney Spears before she married Kevin Federline. I don't think I need to explain myself any further.}

Big Girl Room Part 2

I thought I should write a post about a few of Abby's bedroom amenities, enjoy! 

 

My personal favourite is the headband holder, for which my inspiration was drawn from Jessica at Sunny Tuesday.

 

I love how easy it was for me to make! In hindsight, I should have measured the area between the buttons because I made a few spaces too tight for some of Abby's headbands. However, I was able to put some hair clips in those spaces.

 

 

My next coolest project I stole from Laura at Come Together Kids.

 

Instead of using a beanbag chair cover, to make a seat out of stuffed animals, I used a Princess sheet that wasn't being loved. I folded the sheet into 3 and measured the length to make it even.

 

How could I actually think I can do work without the help of the dog?

 

This is what the seat looks like once it is sewn. Since I realised it was waaay too big, I cut a section off after it was sewn to make a pillow, where all the doll blankets are kept (when I have a more time, I will sew the opening shut a little more).  

 

 

I think she likes it! Success!  

 

Another neat thing Abby and I made together is her jewelry organiser. I have seen some that are much fancier, but I wanted to make her something personalised, simple, and of course, awesome.

I glued one of Abby's pictures, as well as a few bows I cut out of a colouring book, and some stickers. I used my favourite craft supply - Mod Podge. 

 

To finish it off, I screwed in some picture hooks and attached a ribbon to it.

 

 

And, every room needs some art. This was another collaborative project that my sister and I made.

We took some of Abby's artwork and cut it to fit the 5x7 frames. Then, I laid out the puzzle pieces to get an idea of how I wanted them. I used double sided foam tape to affix the pieces to the glass. You can't really see it in this picture, but the puzzle pieces stick out a little, which I like.

 

All in all, I had a lot of fun putting this room together for Abby, and she is actually trying to keep it clean! Go team!

 

 

{Daily Odd Compliment: I can't live without you. I said to my computer. But I'd say the same thing to you}

 

Big Girl Room

I finally did it! I cleaned and cleared out Abby's room!

I have spent 4 years trying to figure out how to best keep things under control and I think I am getting closer. Here's a rundown of what I did...

First, I purged!

Then, I moved her furniture around, and cleaned the floors and baseboards.

 

 

Her room isn't very big, so lastly, I tried to hang as much as possible. I made a few crafts to incorporate her useful items and have them at her reach.

 

I put her clothes in bins, with labels...

 

      

I separated her most played with items - dolls and their accessories into one drawer, and all her barbie stuff in the other drawer...

 

I made her a shelf, using an old cabinet door, and I glued a Princess gift bag to the top of it. I also made her a jewelry hanger, using the other cabinet door and a couple drawer pulls (I left the original door pull on there since it's useful)...

 

 

 

 

 At the entrance of her room (top) I hung a shelf that my mom painted with Winnie the Pooh to hold her valuables that I don't want her playing with. I also made her a headband holder (middle) for which I drew inspiration from here. Then I used a picture hanger to hang an old closet organiser that was just sitting in my closet, for her belts (bottom).

 

Overall, I am pretty proud of my accomplishments.

 

Next up, The Professor's room! Do you have a room that you are neglecting out of frustration?   

 

{Daily Odd Compliment: You're the prettiest thing I've seen today. And I was looking at, like, a bunch of sunset pictures this morning, so...)

 

Mission: Purge. The Begining

I have too much stuff.

I know I'm not alone when I think that, but I hate admitting it. I am really bad at remembering where I put stuff. Until very recently, I just put everything in a box or closet and called it done. Now, my closets are overflowing and I have simply run out of physical space to put another object.

My goal is to get rid of 1/3 of the contents of our home by the time we are ready to put the house up for sale. So far, I have cleared out a lot of stuff! If we (all family members) don't use it or love it - it's gone!

This is a basic idea of how I purge...

First, I loosely sort everything. I put everything that needs to go to another room in one pile, and everything else in another pile (sometimes I use empty baskets/boxes). I have a garbage can in everyone room of the house (except the living room, close to small hands) and I throw out anything that is either garbage, or over loved.

Next, I get rid of the pile that doesn't belong in that area (I usually focus on one room or closet at a time, based on necessity/time). I then sort everything that belongs into little piles in front of me. Once I am able to tell what size bins I need, I grab empty storage bins and fill them. I try to put labels on the containers if they are not clear, but I don't always. For Abby - it's a must.

Lastly, "I - wait! I can't believe I almost gave you the secret ingredient!" -Monica

You'll have to stay tuned to see how I finish dealing with the the stuff!

I will leave you with one of my favourite blogs to draw inspiration from... Happy purging!

{Daily Odd Compliment: You're like a baby's first steps. Exciting, cute, and kind of awkward}