Get Organized in 2014!!

It's a new year, which means a lot of us start thinking about resolutions.  I don't know about you, but I'm tired of ending the year and realizing I didn't complete anything on my list!!!  So, I'm not going to do a list this year.  No more lists!  haha   My only goal is to take things one step at a time and if I accomplish some things, great! If not, well, I can keep trying in the next year. ;)

 

So my plan for this blog is to have a different theme each month.  And during that month I will try to accomplish anywhere from 1-5 things within that theme.  I am hoping all of you out there will join me!   How much anyone is able to accomplish really does depend on your life at the moment...whether you are working or if you have little ones at home, etc.  So don't feel bad if you only get 1 item done that month!!  And if you miss an entire month, that is ok...you can just start fresh with the new theme for the next month. 

 

If it helps you to be accountable to someone, I am happy to be there for you!! You can email me your progress, or leave comments, etc.  I would LOVE to hear from you...even if it's just to vent your frustrations!   I would be happy to help in any way I can.  So spread the word and let's get everyone going on the ORGANIZE IT CHALLENGE 2014! 

 

I hope you will FOLLOW me by email (on the right sidebar) so that you can stay updated on the theme for each month! Here's what we have done so far:

January -Preserve Your Memories 

Remove Your Shoes sign

 When we moved into our new home, I wanted something cute to put in the entry way that reminded people to take off their shoes.  I am a big fan of personalizing any home decor that you can (especially art for the walls, as you can see from my canvas in the entry way) and so I had my friend take a picture of my daughter holding up a pair of shoes.  We then put "Please remove your shoes!" using photoshop.  I printed an 8X10 and then framed it for the entry.  I was really happy with how it turned out and have received a lot of compliments on it! For once I can take credit for this idea, even though there are tons like it all over pinterest now.  But I actually had this done 4 years ago, before pinterest was even created!!  haha

This is definitely something you can do yourself...just simply taking a picture and if you can't add the words directly TO the picture, you can put them on the frame or something.  Some other ideas are to take a picture of all your kids bare feet:

 This would be a funny one...we found this shoe tree on our way to Zions National Park.  We stopped to take a picture for fun, but I decided it could make a fun shoe sign for my entry way! haha

Plastic Bag Storage

 I used to keep all our plastic grocery bags under the sink.  They get a little out of control.  IKEA came up with a genius contraption...a Plastic Bag Dispenser.  Only $1.99 at IKEA.   I decided to put mine in the pantry.  It's very well hidden and a great use of space that wasn't getting used.  I have seen these Plastic Dispensers used for so many things....you will be seeing more of them on my blog soon!

EASY shelves for bathroom!!

Once again, this is NOT my idea.  I saw it on pinterest and I was going to give credit to the person who I pinned the idea from, but when I clicked on the pin, it was no longer linked!

I was SO excited to do this because we do not have a lot of counter space and yes, we have drawers, but I must be really lazy because I find it difficult to get hairspray out of the drawer and then put it back in when I'm finished.  These shelves are only $3.99 each from IKEA.  But I don't think they always have them in stock.  I tried to do this a year ago and was so disappointed to find that they didn't have any available! 

You have to put it together when you get them, but it's super easy to do.  No extra tools required.  I plan to paint them a darker color, but it's not happening any time soon, so I decided to just get the post up.  Our counters stay much clearer now.  I'm very happy with them!!

 

I also bought extra spice racks to make little book shelves for the kids.  My kids like to read in their bed before going to sleep.  The problem is that their books get lost in their beds or they get tossed on the floor.  So these little shelves worked so perfect.  It gives them a place to keep their books that they are reading and they don't get lost!

The enemy of completion

 

I haven't posted for a LONG time!

50% because it has been a really rough year for me.

50% is because of the above quote.

I am a perfectionist.

And so, I have many ideas ready to post, but can't post if I don't have every picture ready and every piece of instruction detailed exactly right, etc. 

BLAH!

So for those that visit this blog, I'm sorry.

But good news! There should be some posts coming up very soon!

 

A word of advice from me:

Don't let PERFECTION get in the way of your projects getting finished!

You can get them done!

Just take everything one step at a time.

Good luck!

Food Storage

I finally started trying to pay attention to my food storage again! Things were starting to pile up, as it was basically a place to put things that I wanted out of sight. ;)  And as the seasons are changing we were trying to get out different clothes, etc...so basically it is a mess in my storage room.  I could barely walk in!  But yay! I got it organized and it feel so good!!  These pictures do not do it justice...I feel like a new person. lol

Food storage is important for anyone...sure it is good to be prepared for a natural disaster, but it also comes in handy if someone loses their job or if your budget happens to be really tight that month!

Do you need to get started on your food storage or do you need to know where you're at with yours?
Basically, follow these steps:
#1  Make a list of all breakfasts, lunches and dinners that you eat on a regular basis.
#2 write down the ingredients that you use in those meals
#3 stock up on those ingredients!!

Simple as that.  That will get you STARTED.  If you finish that and need more long term, then you just need to start grabbing the items that last 30 years...that way you can keep them in your storage and you don't have to use or rotate them.  For example...I have 2 45lb pails of wheat.  Do I use wheat? no, I do not.  But in an emergency, you can eat it like oatmeal or grind it for flour.  I have several huge bags of dried beans...these are super easy to cook if I had to.  Rice lasts 20 years or more and you can buy all the #10 cans of powdered eggs, powdered butter, powdered milk etc that all last 30 years. 

Lastly, make sure you AT LEAST have WATER!!   Each person in your family needs 14 gallons of drinking water for a two week supply.  Just get those 24 packs of water bottles...each one has a little over 3 gallons.

New Furniture

 Now I can let you know what I've been up to the last couple weeks! I've been painting a piece of my furniture.  I know what you're thinking...that this is NOT organizing.  But for me, anything that I get done that makes me happier, is another step towards my organization. ;)  Especially since I definitely had to organize my time to make room to be able to even DO such a project!  Here's the BEFORE:
This is the armoir in my front room.  We have had it for 6 years now and it holds our television.  I love that I can close the doors and hide the tv/dvd player/cable box mess.  It has been looking old...it's a little more scratched up on the inside and the bottom cabinet doors have been played with way too much. 

Anyway, I found out about CHALK PAINT....specifically Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint.  I was immediately interested because it says it does NOT require sanding or priming...the paint will stick to anything!  The catch is that a QUART of this paint costs $39.00 and then you need the clear wax to seal the paint, which is $27.00.  I researched so many blog posts from people who have used it and they said it goes such a long way...you should be able to paint several pieces of furniture with one can. 

I was SO nervous, but I took a chance and just decided to try it.  I took the doors off and cleaned the entire thing and put it in the garage.  The paint was pretty thick....my first mistake was that I should have watered it down a bit to help it spread a little better.  My second mistake...even though they say it sticks to everything, it didn't want to stick very good to the part in the back....it's cardboard-like...you know, the stuff they use for cheap furniture? I got this at Target and it is a nice piece, but fairly inexpensive. Anyway, it did NOT want to stick to it and it was looking like this :

It took several coats to cover this up and it still isn't even completely covered, but I let it go because I wanted the whole piece to be a little distressed anyway. ;)
Well, I ended up having to get ANOTHER quart of paint, just to finish.  I was not happy about this, but I realize there was a lot more to paint than I thought...not only the outside of the piece, but inside each little box and there was also the doors and shelves to paint...both sides! So, chalk paint was probably not the cheapest choice for this piece of furniture.  BUT once you get it on, it is VERY easy to work with as far as distressing.  It sanded down smooth and beautiful.  I LOVED this part.  The doors are my favorite!

Lastly I just needed to cover it with the clear wax to finish the job and it feels like a smooth piece of brand new furniture! I certainly love the "Old White" color up against my dark walls.  It's very refreshing.  If any of you are wanting to try it, I would suggest just using it on smaller pieces of furniture, but that is just me. You can check out Annie Sloan Paint here : http://www.anniesloan.com/acatalog/copy_of_How_to_use_the_paint.html.  There are many beautiful colors.  The only downfall is that you can only buy it at certain places...so you can click on American Retailers and look to see if there is a place that sells it near you.  Here in Utah, you can go to Park City or to Highland...which is where I bought mine. If you are traveling a long distance I would call first to make sure they have exactly what you want and that someone is there to answer any questions you have! Good luck!