Thursday, December 2, 2010

38 New Happy Place

I recently decided I am obsessed.  With a lot of things but I have a new found obsession.  I also had another light bulb went off "Why didn't I think of that sooner?" moment!  And the combo of new found obsession and light bulb moment have combined happily to create this post....

First, I will start out by saying that I made yet another work space in the Jones casa.  Hence, the new obsession.  Some people are obsessed with purses, shoes, food, hording, or that hot guy in cubical 10-A.  I have decided I am obsessed with creating desks.  Not sure where it stems from or why, but it seems to be a trend I am finding within myself.

It all started when we decided to move our custom built desk into an unused nook off of our previous master bedroom.  LOVED that new space.  It was oodles of fun to create!


Then, as many of you know, we had a flood.  We lost a lot of the furniture and finishings in the lower level, including our desk {which swelled up worse than my ankles when I was preggers} and ultimately the whole new office.

So, we made ourselves a new one inside our guest room closet!


It's amazing the storage we were able to create in such a teeny tiny workspace.  And for a heavy duty super crafter, this closet desk is the ideal working place for me!

But we weren't done there.  We had actually gotten the idea to put our new office in a closet, because we were already in the process of doing the same for our oldest in his new bedroom.


So, one office area gone, two remaining.  Two incredibly perfect, tucked away work zones, for both studying and crafting and everything in-between.  These two closet offices have been working like well oiled machines.  Preston has been a study crazed superstar and I have been making labels and cards and all sorts of goodies in my work zone.  So why couldn't I just leave well enough alone?  Because apparently I am obsessed with desk spaces....

This is also where the "Why didn't I think of that sooner?" comes in.  Although my closet desk is great for all things crafty, when I am trying to have some nice and quiet mommy time, it's very removed from the heart of our home.  And when it would come time to use my precious space for my daily blogging and photo editing, it was just too easy for me to snag the laptop and head out to the kitchen or living room, where I had some background noise and company.

One day, I removed our charging station from a console table we had in our living room, to setup the laptop instead.  I plugged it in, and plopped a seat on the woven cubes tucked below.


The new quick makeshift desk worked incredibly well.  And so I did it again the next day.  And the next.  Until one day I realized that I was blogging in the living room all the time, while still using my tucked away closet desk for all things craft related.  It was quite honestly the best of every world!

So, I decided since I was going to be spending so much time at my new space, I was going to glam it up a bit.  But I had to do it for free.  Because it's Christmas time, and we have a basement to finish.  So no unnecessary spending allowed.

So I did it for free.  I snagged a can of primer and some white paint we had on hand from the trim we have been updating.  I gave the console table a quick coat of paint, tucked in a chair I snagged out of storage that we salvaged from the basement flood and borrowed some pretty knobs from our old guest room dresser drawers.  The end result was a perfect "Why didn't I think of that sooner" work station!


I just adore how it's the perfect size to keep just what I need to blog.  My laptop.  A notebook/planner.  A pen and some small desk accessories.


And really, I probably didn't need to paint it, but I just love how paint can freshen up any piece of furniture in a jif, and I have really become obsessed with not only desk spaces, but also white furniture.  So this was a match made in heaven for me!


One of the woven cubes was stashed with oodles of miscellaneous kid's toys, and the other is full of arts and craft supplies.  The toy bin was removed and the toys were placed in a donate bin {since they were used next to never} and the craft cube was just placed beside the desk, with a basket full of fantastic reading material on top!


The whole end result is quite fantastic I think.  Here is a quick before and after view:


The best part is it can be temporary or forever and is flexible for any future changes.  Plus, you always gotta heart when no investment in moola meets reinventing what you already have!

Who out there has some other quirky obsession?  Anyone slapping a quick coat of paint onto something to take it from drab to fab?  Am I the only one with twenty something workstations in one home? {OK, three really... but still!}


Wednesday, December 1, 2010

3 Reader Space: Marian's Crafty Cabinet Update

I love when you all just take an idea and run with it.  And I love even more when you share it back with me!

That is exactly what a very dedicated reader, Marian, did!
Marian wrote:

Hi Jennifer,

I emailed you a while ago about how to start organizing your house and where to start. 
I did a bunch of projects... except I felt so bad not taking before pictures to show you the progress. I am including a project of my house phase one {plastic containers cabinet}.  But I will start taking pictures.  Not really for anything but to really thank you for all that you share with your fans.  It definitely helped and still helping. I guess I am thanking you by showing you that I am taking action. 
Anyways, I know it is not much but it is a start.  I am also trying to use things I have around the house so I can eliminate spending. 
Thanks again.
Hope you are having a Blessed Day.

Sincerely,
Marian G.

This is what I live for.  Emails like this.  Because it is so great to see someone take items they already have in their home, pretty 'em up a bit, and create an incredible before and after story.  And what I love most about the before and after's, is that I can clearly see how small changes and projects will make a big change in someones day.  Imagine how much stress was reduced just by tackling one cabinet.  Just one can make all the difference.  And here is a great example of that!

She even provided some great snapshots of her DIY box beautifying project!

Here are some simple supplies she utilized:

Decorative Paper

Glue Stick

Tape

Empty Box

Then, she just used her pretty paper to cover the box!


Created her own labels!  {Seriously, she is making my heart flutter faster and faster!}




And that one project was key in her overall cabinet success!  Ready to see some aw inspiring before and after pictures?

Here are Marian's cabinets before her project:



It is a perfect example of what can happen without the proper organizing supplies on hand to corral all of your goodies.  Imagine the headache that poor Marian must have gotten each time she opened her cabinets to look for something.  After finding some inspiration, taking a little time to create her own storage DIY style, and tackling those cabinets with a go getter attitude, she is now on her way to living a less stress in the kitchen lifestyle!



Isn't it INCREDIBLE to see all of that chaos now under complete control!  Marian, you are doing an incredible job taking one project at a time, making the most of what you have, and creating bliss for yourself going forward!  I get giddy just knowing how much time will be saved just by getting that one cabinet under control.  Good job you!!!!!

And I am a broken record, yes, but taking a minute to make part of your organizing project just a little glam, will really motivate you to keep it that way going forward!  IHeart it!

Some great side by side action now:



Many thanks to Marian for sharing her story!  Keep it up girl!  You are on your way to becoming an organizing queen, one cabinet at a time!



Thanks in advance to anyone linking up some re-purposing eye candy!  Have a beautiful day!



P.S.  Have an awesome story to share?  How about some organizing tips and tricks?  Maybe a project completed from an inspiration found?  Please send your story and photos to iheartorganizing@gmail.com and I would heart to feature them right here, on the blog!!  Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice!  Only love goes on at this blog!

Monday, November 29, 2010

307 School Paperwork Storage

UPDATE!! This post has been updated with additional details and new free printables here!



UPDATE!! This post has been updated with additional details and new free printables here!



Each and every day when my little ones hop off of the bus and come running in through the front door, they take off all their gear and give their mama some major hugs!  That's my favorite part.  And then they take out piles and piles of paperwork.  Piles.  And more piles.  It's like crazy amounts of papers each and every day.

Tackling these piles can quickly get overwhelming, since it seems never ending.  And if they don't get dealt with, the piles can create mass chaos.... I know, I have been there!

We typically go through all of their work, and file all the necessities in their personal bins.


This is always our "go to" place for all things related to the kid's schooling and activities.  However, to ensure the bin doesn't overflow with all the papers I can't part with, I had created this binder system to house all my favs.


I actually pre-made three binders that matched for all of my boys, even though Parker hadn't even started school yet.  Because I wanted them all to match.  And this crazy girl thought that she could get ALL of their elementary paperwork into one binder....

I tend to hold on to all their important tests, report cards, paperwork showing milestones being made, etc... and it ended up being more than I originally planned for.  And that's ok.  It is always one of my favorite ways to go down memory lane with the little ones... they really get a kick out of looking at their older papers as well.  So instead of pairing down even more, which tends to be my first reaction, I decided I needed a new storage approach.  One that will be manageable as they continue to learn and grow, yet is easy to maintain.

So I snagged three file boxes.  You can get them anywhere, office supply stores, Target and Walmart, Amazon...  They come in so many shapes and sizes and colors!


The goal was to place thirteen hanging files into each file box.  One file for each grade, Kindergarten through Twelfth.

Enter these labels {notice they look slightly different from my photos due to a recent formatting update to accommodate more users}:

{click here to download your FREE Microsoft WORD copy - Avery Address Labels 5160}

{click here to download your FREE Microsoft WORD copy - Avery File Labels 5366}

You can download them for free!  I just printed the labels out on standard address labels and popped them on each of the fourteen {times three boys} file folders.


The next goal was to add a little coversheet to each folder, giving a quick explanation of the contents and showcasing a fantastic school portrait of my little guy, for each current year.

Click Here to Download this School Paperwork Coversheet

You can download your own copy of these also!  Do you feel the love?


I just printed out a copy onto cardstock for each folder, for each year and popped them inside.  Doing this ahead of time will ensure a consistent look for all years down the line, and make it easier to keep up as the years come and go.

Then, just using a glue stick, I glued the year's school photo to each sheet, and filled out all the year's information in the blanks, which ended up making a perfect coversheet for each folder!


And although the file box looks like it is all filled up....

     

There is definitely plenty of room to grow!  Which is exactly what this proud mama needed!


School paperwork is always a hot topic that I have gotten oodles of emails about, so if there are any other storage ideas or solutions that are working well for you, we would all heart to know!



UPDATE!! This post has been updated with additional details and new free printables here!


I apologize, however, at this time labels do not seem to be compatible with Mac computers.  I am looking into getting a set created that are Mac friendly.  Thank you!