A Box For Everything and Everything Has a Box

After - Clean & ClutterFree

5.95 Ikea Caddy (found in Kitchen Dept)

Our Friend, Spraypaint



Before- Messy Command Central (don't look too closely)

High Gloss Caddy

Love!

You know the saying: "a place for everything and everything has its' place", I have adapted it for boxes. I can always find a use for boxes / storage containers, anywhere and everywhere.

Before I go on, let me just acknowledge the elephant in the room. Did you notice that I started with the after?  Yes, once uploaded, I did realize that the "before" photo prominently displays a box of tampons. Generic ones nonetheless!  And yes, I am too lazy to recreate the "before" mess and photograph sans feminine hygiene products, for this I apologize.

Moving on. We all have a little command central in our kitchens.  I like to keep mine to a min. but the area quickly self detonates during busy weeks. During one of my many blog crawls, I saw this project. I feel bad that I didn't note the blog/creative genius down.  This is pretty much a complete copy of said forgotten bloggers project. (If I find the post, I promise to give credit).

Details on this very easy project:

• Ikea Caddy - 5.95, found in kitchen dept.
• Drill hole for phone charger to thread through
• Spray paint entire caddy with paint/gloss of choice. I wasn't sure about this goldenrod color but it's growing on me.
• For added touch, modge podge decorative paper on the bottom. Personally, I think this is key to the finished product.
• Once dry, reorganize, reevaluate command central and voila! Excellent caddy for just a few items.

Hope you enjoy this inspiration. Thanks!

Address Front and Center

I've always thought that a little front door re-do is one of the easiest ways to highlight your home. After a previous post on this subject, a friend asked me to help her with her front door/entry.

Before:

After:

Her house numbers were hidden most months of the year by a beautiful maple. The front door is the front and center focal point of her porch. Thus we ordered vinyl lettering from Etsy shop:  Allie000 . Best $10 transformation I have seen.

 

Also, the door mat was so small considering the space on the porch. Most of the area is covered by an overhang so it made sense so purchase an all weather rug from Frontgate.com that filled the area. 

One thing we considered while looking for an outdoor rug was how it would look with the existing flooring inside the home.  I love how this rug feels like an extension of the tiles inside the home.

Thanks for visiting and be sure to let me know if you have any questions. I had taken a ton of step by step photos detailing the application of the vinyl numbers. Unfortunately, something terrible happened in the uploading process and all of my images disappeared! Yes, they are gone!

Front Porch Before/After

A close friend, who is selling her home, asked me to "refresh" her front porch. To me, this is the perfect project: simple, streamlined and finite. (Insert image of me gleefully clapping while embarking on this projecto). If I could travel around neighborhoods "pearing down" clutter while helping a home make its best first impression, I would be so fulfilled.

Front Porch Before
Front Porch After
Planter After
Sitting Area Before
Sitting Area After
Sitting Area After
As you can see from the photos, CC's front porch is in great shape, we just thought it could be better:

To Start - We removed everything from the porch (aside from the large planters and bolted bench), hosed it all down, cleaned the windows, removed spider webs, etc. A new front door mat was added.

Plantings - The mismatched pots were pulled, not because I had a problem with the variety, I wanted the porch to appear large and low maintenance. We also had a plant budget and filling large containers can add up. If you want to make an impact with a large planter, you have to overflow the container with plants, the fuller the better. We also cut back a lot of the greenery along the staircase making it tidy and open.

Sitting Area - The bench was in a perfect location for enjoying garden views and passerbys. To showcase the area, we removed the hose reel, found a great outdoor seat cushion and pillow, and added a side table and candle lantern that were hidden in the back yard. With the existing wisteria framing the view, this sitting area became even more inviting.

Do you have any front porch before/afters? Thanks for visiting and please feel free to comment/suggest!

Opt Out

I'm not sure how it happened, I usually carefully protect both my home address and email address from unsolicited mail, but all of a sudden, I was receiving numerous unwanted catalogs.

Upon returning from vacation last year, my counter was covered in catalogs. The one thing I dread when returning from vacation is going through all the piled up mail, I was overwhelmed. I decided that I no longer wanted to take part in this unnecessary use of paper, gas, energy and time. For the next month, I vowed to take the time to call every single company that was sending me catalogs and opt out of their circulation. So each day if a catalog (s) was in my mailbox, I walked into the house and called. ("No time like the present.") Though it took some time, eventually the catalogs stopped coming and guess what, I don't miss them at all.

Would it be hard to give up your catalogs? Do you feel like you would be missing out?

Sink Situation

While at my parents house a couple of years ago, I was helping out with some tidying in the bathroom. When I went to grab cleaning products under the sink, I noticed that way in the back, their sink lines had been leaking for some time. The cupboard was somewhat warped and the drywall was water stained. Not that my parents are cluttery, but with the usual amount of items stored below in the sink cupboard, they had not been able to see that the lines had been leaking.

Ever since then, I have been pretty diligent about keeping the area under the kitchen and bathroom sinks clean and clear. This allows for visual leak checks and also limits bumping into PVC piping that can easily loosen or dislodge.

I recently repurposed this wine basket into a slim, simple cleaning caddy for under the kitchen sink. Window cleaner,squeegee, counter top spray, baking soda (for cleaning) and compost bags fit perfectly.

The next time you do dishes, take a look under your kitchen sink:

• Can you streamline the items stored?
• Can excess or bulk cleaning supplies be moved to the laundry room or garage?
• Grab a flashlight, run the water and check for leaks
• Clear out all items, wipe down the cupboard and restock only necessary items
• Repeat above steps in each bathroom

While not the funnest chore, it may save you water damage headaches down the road.

Date Stamp

My family is close to a big milestone, our oldest is graduating from high school! As a surprise for his graduation, I am putting together a mini-video of sequential images with music. It has been an awesome project, where I have learned many things about my photo organization. I would love to share a bit of advice on an issue that has consumed most of my time while working on this project. "What year was this"?

The photos posted above are just a few examples of images where I am unsure of the place, time or context.

I always thought I was doing a great job of keeping things in order. But it appears that an unbelievable amount of photos missed being categorized, leaving me to ponder, call relatives, or ask my husband to check his running journals (he records all events in annual running journals). All of that takes time and really dilutes your enthusiasm for the project at hand.

If you are not using a formal set up for digital photo storage such as Lightbox, iphoto or Photoshop, try to rename the photos you upload adding at least the year the photo was taken. Taking time to add this date stamp to your images will then allow you to further compile into monthly, quarterly or annual folders. Also, while renaming, you have the opportunity to edit images, removing duplicates, bad photos, etc.

Does anyone else have suggestions on organizing digital photo files without using a software program?

Zip-It

This post may not be the most attractive subject, but I guarantee it will be one of the most useful. Next time you hit the hardware store, take a trip down the plumbing aisle and pick up 3-4 Zip-Its. This is the tool that plumbers and makers of drain cleaner don't want you to know about. At roughly $1.97 ea., this long slender piece of plastic with little barbs running along the sides may end up saving you plumbers fees or the cost (and hazards to you and the environment) of chemical drain cleaners.

To unclog slow running drains, simply insert, push all the way into the drain and pull out the clog. I use this tool for maintaining clog free drains. Whether I am experiencing slow draining plumbing or not, I take 30 seconds to clear sink, shower and tub drains routinely. Imagine the satisfaction of pulling out immense globs of gunk out of your drain at minimal cost and minimal effort!

Seasonal Switch

I apologize for the horrible flash in this photo, tried many times to capture the tree through the window without the flash, just wasn't working

This won't be a post about that nagging list of spring cleaning to dos. We all have those items to attend to, i.e. cleaning windows, blinds, baseboards, etc. I have a seemingly strange springtime ritual dependant on the blossoming of a backyard tree.

Just outside our upstairs bedroom window is a gorgeous hawthorn tree. In late April/early May, the tree produces clusters of white flowers. At first the flowers look like tiny white balls, they then open to a delicate 5 petals. Covering the tree profusely, the flowers weigh down the branches. The effect is incredibly lively and bright, and for me, indicative of the change in seasons, summer well on its way.

Once I see those white flowers filling our bedroom window view, the winter duvet and thick blankets are replaced with crisp white sheets and a white matelasse coverlet. With the walls now painted a greenish gray, the clean white stands out even more. Every spring I look forward to the dramatic change of my view and the change in my room.

Aside from the usual spring cleaning, what changes are prompted in your home/lifestyle once spring arrives?

Junk Drawer

Chef Tools

Last week, I spent a few mindless hours cleaning out the kitchen drawers, as previously posted. All was going well until I hit the dreaded "junk drawer". I know that we all have junk drawers in our kitchens, bathrooms, and offices. You have to have a catch all place for items that just don't belong elsewhere. However, if you have no idea what is in your junk drawer due to, well, all the junk, it might need some clearing out.

Items I found that did not belong:

• Hammer
• Wrench
• Garden shears
• Nail polish remover
• Athletic tape
• 500 bobby pins, hairbands & pony tail holders

While the above items are acceptable in a junk drawer, they all have a place elsewhere in the house. Tools in the toolbox, nail polish remover and hair accessories in the kids bathroom, athletic tape in the first aid kit, etc. The basic rule is, if the item has another place, it shouldn't reside in your junk drawer.

One of my favorite organizing items for this drawer are mini-loaf pans for small items. I found a set of 4 at Chef Tools for 9.99. They are perfect for batteries, small tools, loose change, paperclips and rubberbands. Also essential is a paper tray for post-its, note paper, and scrap paper.

Drawers

Not this kind:

David Beckham Armani

This kind:

Ikea
What a crazy week, my friends and I all have a lot on our minds. A running inner dialogue of health, prayers, love and gratitude to those I care for has had me super antsy. If I pick up a book, I will read the same sentence over and over. Napping isn't going to happen and I already swam laps for over an hour.

So, what is my go to distraction? Drawers. And while I can, will and do pause on David Beckham "drawers", I am actually referring to mindless productivity with a controlled, sparkling outcome: cleaning out kitchen drawers. Empty, scour, throw out unnecessary items, reorganize and move on to the next.

What's your distraction therapy? Would this work for you?

"Furr - eliminator"

Like most homes with pets, there is fur around. Although our Havanese, Lola, doesn't shed, the cats, Pearl and Zoe do. Their favorite lounging spots are covered with their long black and white hair.

You can purchase many items for pet hair removal, special sponges, tape or vacuuming tools. Or you can try my inexpensive and foolproof tool: everyday latex gloves. Rub the glove over fur covered area and it will clump together making it easy to remove with a final step of vacuuming.

Surprise Cleaning Supply

Yes, you heard correctly, add wood skewers to your household cleaning supplies. They are the perfect tool for getting dirt, dust and gunk out of cracks and crevices around the house. In particular, I use them around the window and glass shower pane tracks.

Add wood skewers to your next shopping list, you will find them an essential cleaning tool.

Grand Entry Accessorize

It has been a week since I posted: Grand Entry, suggesting the task of sprucing up your front entry. Thanks to everyone for your feedback, I am pleased you were inspired to step out front and view the entry in a new light.

We all know that plant/flowered filled pots, a welcoming entry mat and stand out address numbers are great basics in accessorizing your front entry. Let's take it further with one or two items that make you the best on the block.

Why not hang an art piece in your entry? Wrought iron plaques can be hung within the alcove/portico or allowed to weather naturally on an exposed wall.
Ballard Designs
Amazon.com
Steps or a front porch can be the perfect spot for a large lantern. Keep scale and space in mind if considering this addition. One small lantern will be lost on a large porch. Also, will a lantern block access to your front door?

Frontgate
Berber Trading

Finally, is it time to ditch your doorbell? A simple, classic doorbell can mirror the finishes chosen in your lighting, address numbers and door hardware. Upgrade your entry with $10-15, minimal time, and some simple wiring. Look no further than Restoration Hardware for a great selection.




With any accessorizing, be sure to keep it crisp and clutter-free. Your front entry should represent your home and invite guests, not become an obstacle course or visually distracting.

Grand Entry

One Kings Lane
Emerald Bay Photo
Sheppard Design
Better Homes & Gardens

Fear not, this is not a post about spending lots, or any, money on the curb appeal of your homes' front entry. The photos included are only meant to inspire you to ponder. When friends, family and guests visit your home, does your front entry welcome them? The front of your home represents you and welcomes those poised to ring your doorbell or knock on your door.

This may sound strange but I often treat our front entry as a room that needs cleaning, a semi-regular chore. Neighbors have grown accustomed to finding me vacuuming cobwebs from the entry and front step. The glass on the storm door is cleaned just as often as the inside windows. Though more difficult in the winter, I try to keep the planter spruced up with winter hardy plants.

Step outside your front door, walk up to it as if you were a visitor. What do you see? What does it say about you? Be objective and ruthless, this could be a 30 minute cleaning job that changes the entire look of your entry.

Cleaning checklist to make your front entry grand:

• Clear away shoes, toys, bags or trash
• Vacuum or dust cobwebs in the portico/alcove
• Sweep away all debris under entry mat
• Wash or replace entry mat
• Wipe handprints, dirt and dust off front door and door handle, clean any glass
• Clean dirt and debris from your front light, replace bulb if necessary
• Trim back any shrubs or plants that block the walk or front step

Cleaning is just a start on your front entry makeover. Try working on this over the next few days. Next week, I will follow up with a post on great final touch ideas. Once complete (cleaning and final touch), I would love to hear your story and view your before/after photos.