Some Simple Changes

So I'm slowly learning (and I do mean slow - I've had this blog for over a year now), that I really need to schedule blog posts if I want them to done regularly. If I don't, I just end up with a gigantic pile up of pictures and notes about projects and then it becomes overwhelming to tackle. For now I'm going to jump right in with three simple things that I've done - two are organizational, one is decorative and was a fun way for me to put my Pinterest time to good use. :-)

My first little change was done after yet another attempt at cleaning out my beauty items. "When did I buy this?", "Did this always smell this way?", "I wonder how long is too long to keep foot cream?", etc, etc. So I found a list of the standard shelf life for common beauty items and printed it out (you can find it here at Real Simple). I then found a clear sleeve from an old binder, put the list in, put double sided tape on the back of the sleeve, and attached it to the inside of one of the cabinet doors under my sink. I also have begun writing down the month of purchase for each item so its easier to keep track of how long they've been in there. Easy peesy! And now I feel completely at ease rubbing lotion on my face because I know exactly how long I've owned it.

The second change required my hubby's help, but it took maybe an hour out of his day. I've always hated my spice cabinet. And when I say spice cabinet, I mean cabinet next to the stove with all of our spices tossed in. While I like the idea of a spice rack, I don't have that much counter space and any wall space that could be usable for a wall mounted one really can't be considered part of the kitchen. 

But then I realized that there was some space under the microwave. Hmm. So I had the hubs grab a piece of leftover wood from a former project, cut it the correct length, sand it, and paint a clear coat on it. Once it had dried for 24 hours or so, he screwed the board into the bottoms of the cabinets on either side. Viola! Little spice shelf. It's right there where I need it, I can find everything immediately, and dare I say that our food has become more flavorful ever since? Turns out being able to actually find the spices is pretty important if you want to use them. As the glass spice jars become empty, I've been cleaning them to peel the brand labels away. I am so excited to create clear labels for them all! It will be cute, clean, and standard - and my OCD will love it. 

Here's the third item and something that I had tons of fun doing. Maybe you've seen that DIY gigantic ruler on Pinterest? Not only is it a fun decor addition, but a great way to measure your kids' height and keep it forever. I decided to make one. Once again, I took a piece of board from a former project and had the hubby cut it into the right length (I chose 6 ft for mine), and then sand it down.

 There it is. Waiting to be turned into something fabulous.

I carefully measured out each inch (I did begin the measurements a little over 1 ft and then ended it a little over 6 ft, based upon where it was going to be hung on the wall), stenciled in the numbers, and then filled everything in with black craft paint. After it dried, the hubby used a stain that brought out the beauty and natural grain of the wood.

And there it is. I am happy knowing that I made that and it's a unique addition to our home decor.

The littlest things really can make a big difference.

Before and Afters

Yes yes, I said I was going to post before and afters during spring break. Life tackled us again unexpectedly and then we went out of town. You think I would have learned by now that whenever I plan to catch up on things, we will all get sick.

Anyway, the first round of before and afters are not that amazing, I admit. But I chose to post them anyway to show that you can make little changes that will make things slightly easier and a little more attractive. Sometimes the very small things make all the difference.

A small area that had been bothering me was the top of the fridge. I had been setting all of my routinely used cleaning supplies on top of the fridge for easy accessibility, but it was making it look cluttered. And my minimalist mentality was losing it. So, I thought, I'll just move the cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink. The only issue? Under the kitchen sink looked like this:

I was unaware that I had become a plastic grocery bag hoarder, but there must have been 300-400 plastic bags under there. It would take me a LONG time to use up all of those in our little trashcans, so I took most of them out and recycled them at the grocery store. Something to look into if you're overrun with plastic bags: Check if your grocery store as a plastic bag recycling depository (ours is at the entrance of the store with the shopping carts). Of course, we're lucky enough to live in super recycling land (aka Portlandia), so I realize not all states have widespread recycling availability.

So, I was going to have to tackle under the sink if I wanted to fix this:

Yuck. I hate clutter. Lucky for me, it takes less than a minute to clear off the top of fridge, so I had immediate satisfaction when I saw my minimalist decor.

Ah, no more cleaning supplies up there! And yes, the front of my fridge is a tad OCD, but I like having pictures of family and friends up there and they needed to be organized by size. I also have my weekly menu and my housecleaning list separated by daily, weekly, monthly, and annual lists. A tip: clear tape instead of magnets makes things look a lot cleaner and keeps them from moving all around.

So then I tackled under the sink. I got rid of 75% of the plastic bags. I left the ones in the plastic bag holder and one reusable bag full. The other three bags full of bags were recycled. I also took out some bulk supplies so we could keep our bulk items in one spot in the house (the laundry room) instead of some here and some there.

Again, this doesn't look super amazing, but it's better than it was. My reusable bags are finally easy to get to (I was having to dig around for them before, which is probably how we ended up with so many plastic bags - I didn't want to bother attempting to find them!). All the supplies are within immediate reach and there is nothing that I have to reach far back into the cabinet to get.

While it is better than it was, this is one area that is going to need a few more attempts before I'm totally happy with it. There's some suggestions floating around Pinterest suggesting tension rods for hanging cleaning supplies or small wire shelving. I was planning on doing that, but I found that due to how our piping is set up under the sink, there's no way to get shelving or tension rods to fit properly. So I'm still working on an alternative storage plan. Plus, as I finish using up our individual store bought cleaners, I'll be switching to using vinegar and baking soda for all my cleaning, which will drastically reduce the amount of space the cleaning supplies take up.

I am looking forward to figuring out a final solution and sharing it with you. Next up for before and afters, the linen closet!

Whoa!

Do you ever get so excited about something that you feel like you might burst?  I've found two new loves in the past few days that just get my organizing, simplifying mind all a-flutter.

First, a book (and their website).  The Stocked Kitchen.  Um, amazing.  An entire system on what to have in your pantry, freezer, and fridge at all times in order to always have something to cook.  Plus, most of the book is recipes.  Awesome!  I got it from the library yesterday, but WILL be buying this book.  It's just that good.  I don't remember how I heard about it - maybe it was a library suggestion because of other books I'd checked out - but I'm so glad I requested it.

Second, a blog.  IHeart Organizing.  My friend Leigh told me about it a few days ago and I can barely contain myself when I read the blog posts.  I actually squealed with excitement over today's post.  Hello, I'm Carrie and I have a problem.  I get crazy eyes when I read about organizing and I scare my family.

And now, my mind is overflowing with motivation and ideas.  Off I go to organize something!