86 Laundry Room Update: Airing Our Clean Laundry

Sometimes you give things a whirl and they just don't work out.  We have learned to appreciate that around here.  We try things, and if/when they don't go exactly as planned or are they don't work as effectively as they could, we revisit them.

Awhile back I had read a tip that using a towel bar in the laundry room is a great way to create a simple drying rack.  So, that is what we did.

I would drape a sweater or shirt over the double rod towel bar, and it worked great.... when I only washed one delicate thing.  That meant washing important pieces of clothing in shifts or laying things out over the washer, random furniture or even hanging them in the shower.  I also recently decided that I would rather hang my shirts to dry vs. popping them through the dryer since it avoids any shrinking and wrinkling that is typically caused by the dryer.  So, I started brainstorming ways to get a drying rack installed...

The way our laundry room is laid out, there is no room above the washer and dryer or utility sink for a drying area, so I knew it would have to be somewhere on the opposite wall.  It didn't take me long to realize that a simple shimmy of the linen cabinet to the left, and I would be able to place a bar between the cabinet and the wall.  Easy peasy!

But a single bar from the cabinet to the wall really wouldn't feel all that finished, so I decided to complicate the solution a smidge by adding a bridge and some molding over the top of the bar, so it felt like it was all intentional and "built in".

We started by moving the cabinet down where we wanted it, and installing a painted corbel {from Home Depot} to the side of the cabinet.  To do this, we just screwed through the inside of the cabinet directly into the solid wood corbel.

As you can see in the photo, we also began the installation of the rod that would span from the cabinet to the wall.  We went with an expandable closet rod from Home Depot.

We installed the second corbel by screwing directly through the corbel into the wall.

The point of the corbels was slightly decorative but mostly supportive.  However, only supportive of a small piece of melamine board, cut down to the span of the cabinet to the wall.

Since that looks completely unfinished and silly, B quickly popped up a couple pieces of crown molding to finish things up a bit!

Some painters caulk filled in all of the air nail holes, screw holes and molding joints, and the last step was to install the closet rod.

Now the linen cabinet appears to be a large built in laundry land cabinet.

A view of it all straight on:

Now I am not only able to air my clean laundry, I am also airing my dirty laundry to all of blog land.  Awesome.

Many fabulous things came from this project that I am pretty excited about:

• I have given myself plenty of room to air dry our clothing.
• Our guest bathroom has never had a towel bar, so now we can recycle the one from the laundry room to the guest bathroom.
• Our laundry room has a more polished and finished feeling.
• I got to purchase some of my favorite white wooden hangers from IKEA.  Something about wooden hangers really get my heart racing...  Am I airing too much?

The only real flaw with the whole setup is that there is a lot of white on white on white happening on that side of the room which is much different than the opposite side...

 
So I am challenging myself to solve that problem in the near future...

But for now, here is a side by side to better show where the cabinet landed:

I love when I can expand storage drying capacity, with a couple of simple steps and very little budget {we already had the melamine board and crown leftover from other projects, so it was just an investment of the corbels and closet bar}.

Don't you love how molding can instantly take a typical piece of furniture and give it such a finished and polished effect?  Anyone else doing quickie modifications that make a big impact and leave you with a dorky permagrin like mine?  Do tell!

46 UHeart Organizing: A Scraptastic Planning Process!

Crafting and scrapbooking seem to be something that many of you readers love heart to do, and I am with you!  That is why I brought Sarah on board as one of my contributors.  In my personal opinion, she is the queen of organizing in the scrapbooking department and has a lot of ideas and systems that can be adapted for many types of craft projects.  Here she is now to share ways that she does some planning ahead of time, so when the time comes to sit down and scrapbook, she is ready to go!

Tell me if this sounds familiar: You sit down to scrapbook and spend the first hour sorting through pictures and trying to decide what to work on, then maybe another 20 or 30 minutes trying to figure out a layout and which paper and embellishments to use. Three hours later you’ve used up all your allotted crafting time and you only have one layout to show for it. Or maybe you’re the crafter who is so far behind and feels so overwhelmed that you don’t know where to start and it’s entirely taken the enjoyment out of the experience.

Here’s one of my key rules of thumb: crafting should be fun, not stressful.

Luckily, I have a system that helps make efficient use of precious crafting hours by allowing you to quickly and easily put your hands on exactly the item you want to work on. I’m going to use my scrapbooking projects to illustrate this system, but it can definitely be tailored to fit other crafting needs.

As with any good system, dedicating time on the front end to get organized saves oodles of time on the back end. And when it comes to crafting, that time savings translates to MORE FUN! {And if you love organizing as much as I do – and since you’re here, you probably do – you might find the planning and organizing almost as much fun as the crafting!}

PHASE ONE: PREPARE

When I’m working on a scrapbook, I break the process down into 3 steps: Prepare, Plan and Create. I think of the Prepare phase as the staging area, where everything gets piled up in anticipation of the Plan phase. But rather than leaving everything in literal piles – where items from separate projects might get mixed together or key items might get misplaced – I sort items by project into tote bags.

I use tote bags I picked up from my local craft tore {selected for their size, durability and cuteness}, but the sheer abundance of reusable bags on the market should make finding an option easy. I like the bags because they allow me to make use of the hanging space in my closet and they are easy to grab and go. But any portable container large enough to safely store 12 X 12 paper will do.

Here’s what I do. Each scrapbook I plan to create gets its own designated project bag, which I label and hang in the closet of my craft room.

As I print pictures, spy perfect layouts, purchase paper and embellishments or collect memorabilia for a project, I slip them into their designated project tote. When that project is ready to move onto the Plan phase, I just grab the tote, confident that I have everything I planned to use for that project.

Even if you’re chomping at the bit to move onto the Plan phase, I recommend you take time to sort all your projects into their totes or containers first. Once you've done that, you will be ready to move each project to the Plan phase in a nice, orderly fashion. I promise this will make the Plan phase much easier and set you up to use this system going forward, avoiding having to go through “the big sort” more than once.

PHASE TWO: PLAN

Step 1: Sort

When it’s time to move a project tote or container from the Prepare to the Plan phase, I start by removing all its contents. It’s kind of like Christmas, rediscovering all the items I’ve squirreled away for the project! Now it’s time to bring order to the chaos. Love it!

 I first sort all the items into piles, categorizing them into planned layouts. 

While some of the items will sort easily into layouts, other piles will have to be sub-divided multiple times to get down to the layout level. This is always the case with my Christmas pile. Also, some of the piles will be ready to pick up and start scrapping, while others will require more work to get to that point. That’s okay. The goal of the Plan phase is to get everything into its proper place and capture all the ideas you already have in your head.

Step 2: Create folios

After I’ve refined everything down to as many individual layout piles as I can {if I get stuck on how to sub-divide a particularly large pile, I give myself permission to save that exercise for another day, just making sure to label the pile to keep it organized}, I tuck each layout into its own folio.

Folio is just my fancy word for folders I create out of paper.  Here is what I do:

1. I fold a piece of 8.5x11 paper in half once.  {As a writer, I always have a lot of used paper sitting around.  So before sending it to the recycle bin, I re-purpose it as a folio by folding it printed-side in.  Use whatever folder solution works best for you; just remember that this is for temporary use, so don't spend too much time or money creating it.}
2. On one side of the folded sheet, I label the folio to indicate the layout subject {if I've already thought of a title, I'll use the title to label the folio}.
3. I use the rest of the open space to draw out layout ideas, making journaling notes or jot down other ideas I have for the pages.  I might also note if there are things I still need for the layout, like to print a certain picture or pick up some themed paper.
4. Finally, I tuck into the folio all of the items I have collected for that layout.

Again, this is a quick and dirty solution because I want to spend my time creating layouts, not folios.

Step 3: Create an outline

Once I’ve created a folio for every layout and tucked the designated items into the folio, I line them all up, so I can see what I have.

Then, I create an outline. Why am I giving myself a homework assignment, you ask? Because it makes creating a scrapbook so much easier! The benefits of a project outline include:

• It helps me figure out how to sequence my layouts in my scrapbook before I start and to verify that I haven’t missed anything.
• I can pull out my outline and use it to decide which layout to work on next, rather than flipping through all the folios.
• It allows me to scrap in non-sequential order, meaning I can work on the layout that feels the most fun and motivating, rather than being forced to work on the next one in line.
• And, I get to cross each layout off the list as I complete it, reinforcing my sense of accomplishment and showing me how much progress I’m making!

Here’s what I do. I title the outline according to the scrapbook, since I usually have multiple scrapbooks in process at once. I then divide my folios into sections – months of the year, destinations on a vacation, etc. – and add those sections as headers to my outline. Under each section header, I list the layouts I plan to include in that section.

I even give myself a To Be Determined section, where I list layouts whose location I haven't yet selected.

Even if your scrapbooks don’t have sections, it would still be helpful to use the outline to list and order all your layouts. And don’t forget the benefits of crossing completed layouts off! Once I’ve finished my outline, I stick the outline into a clear, plastic sleeve, to protect it and make it easy to grab.

  
To help get you started, here's a printable outline you can download and fill out for your next project.

{click HERE to download your FREE Project Printable}

 
Step 4: Create section dividers

Before moving into the final step of placing everything into a bin, I create section dividers that correspond to the section headers in my outline. When I’m dealing with a book that contains a lot of layouts, these section dividers make it so much easier to keep folios in order and to find the folios I’m looking for without flipping through my entire project bin.

I then clip my section dividers to pieces of cardboard that I reuse from bin to bin. Giving them this extra weight makes them easier to find in my bin.

Step 5: Load the project bin

Now that I’ve sorted, folioed, outlined and section divided, it’s time to put all the goodies in their new home.

My bins are from The Container Store, but really you just need a bin that meets the following criteria:

• Wide enough to fit 12 X 12 paper, plus a little bit extra to make room for section dividers.
• Not so deep that items fall down. 7-10” deep is great.
• Not so tall that you can’t see – and sort through – the contents. No higher than 9-10”, unless a lid is mandatory for your particular storage requirements.

When loading the bin, I find it easier to tip the bin on its side and load from back to front.

I put the layout folios as far to the right as possible and the section dividers as far to the left as possible. This makes it easier to flip through the section dividers and find the folio I want. When I’m done loading all my layouts into the bin, I tuck other items I might need into the front on the bin, including layout ideas and paper I want to use, a calendar of past events, and of course, my outline.

I remove the label from my project tote and place it on the front of my project bin.

Now the PLAN phase is complete and my bin is ready to go.

All I have to do is select a folio from my outline, find it in my bin and let the creative juices start flowing!

I highly recommend that all crafters give this system a try, regardless of your storage challenges and blessings. This system will make it so much easier to make efficient use of your crafting time and you’ll be amazed at how much more quickly you progress on your projects. For the on-the-go crafter, this allows you to grab just the number of layouts you think you will have time to work on and just the supplies you we’ll need to complete them. This is so much easier – and much more productive – than bringing all your supplies and only using 2% of them. This is also an ideal solution for those of you who have to keep your supplies tucked away in storage and pull them out every time you want to craft. Instead, you can pull out your project bin, decide which layouts to work on, and then pull out only those supplies you will need to complete the selected layouts. And no matter how much space you have dedicated to crafting, you still want to be organized and productive.

Happy crafting, everyone!

"My name is Sarah Eelkema and I live in a suburb of Minneapolis, MN with my husband of almost two years, Eric, and our two adorable Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Hermes and Brontë. I am a Communications Consultant by day and by night/weekend/any spare moment, I indulge in my passion for writing, crafting and organizing. I am honored to share with all you dedicated iHeart fans my tips, tricks and secrets for organized crafting, which will not only help you get control of your craft clutter but also allow you to make more efficient and productive use of your precious crafting time. While I am blessed with an entire craft room, I promise to explain how all the solutions I share can be tailored to your specific situation, whether it be a dedicated room, a small storage space or mobile crafting.

31 Reader Space: Sweet & Simple Organizing

You all know I am such a sucker for a great before and after!  And although I often feature larger projects and room makeovers, it is also important to get back to the basics and highlight those sweet and simple organizing projects that make a big difference!

Reader, Gretchen, is a stay at home mom and army wife, so they are constantly on the move, and she is always thinking up creative solutions for staying organized through it all.

Since she had a slew of great projects {you can find them all on her blog in the "organizing" tab}, I asked if I could feature a few, and she happily said, "YES!"

Project Number One:  The Linen Closet!

"I've had some baskets and bins that held all of our "Stock" items for a while. It usually looked like an insane mess and made my head hurt to look for anything.

So I went out and got a over-the-door shoe organizer and put it on the back of the door. I love it because everything has it's own specific pocket and everything is labeled! No more digging for razors or band-aids." 

  

Project Number Two:  The Fridge!

"You know how it is. Things are never where you need them to be. Perishables get lost in the back never to be seen again until a thick coat of something green has grown on them. Yup... not pretty. 

So I went to Walmart and bought a few of these awesome plastic bins with handles on them. 

Each has a purpose...

We have a bin for dairy {cottage cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, etc.} and a bin for cheese since we don't have a cheese drawer... A bin for Lolli's snacky things. She knows if it's in this bin, she can have it.  Unless it's right before dinner of course.

A Bin for my snacky things. The day can get crazy busy for me and its amazing to have things set out and ready. No more shoving a cookie in my mouth just to keep the Hunger Monster at bay."

Project Number Three:  The Pantry!

"The pantry in our new on-post housing is considerably smaller than what we are used to. All of our food would get lost in the back and expire simply because I didn't have it organized. Not anymore!! I bought a few baskets at a discount store and hid everything that wasn't exactly... pretty.

 I also had some dish stands from IKEA but they would always slip through the slats in the wire shelving. So I got some self-stick tiles {38 cents a piece} from the hardware store and stuck them to the shelving. No more slipping and they remove easily when it's time for us to move again.

To reduce the amount of boxes and free up some space in our pantry, I made mini snack bags and used a basket on a lower shelf to hold them. Kids can get their own snack and I can recycle the boxes!"

• Gretchen is familiar with moving and I adore that each of her systems are things anyone can do in any home, big or small.  They will be adaptable in any space they head to in the future.
• Although most would consider housing miscellaneous toiletries in a bin as being "organized", Gretchen knew it wasn't working for her.  She would rummage through the bin to find specific items and that was slowing her down and frustrating {I understand that as much as anyone!}.  The over the shoe door organizer allows her to categorize her belongings and uses vertical space, freeing up her shelves!  Now, she {or anyone in her fam} can quickly find anything, because it is all nicely labeled!
• Speaking of labels, I really like how Gretchen secured the labels and that can be easily updated, making this a system that can stay versatile for years to come {and in future homes as well!}
• Using pull out baskets in the fridge is simply genius.  Easy for her, easy for the kids.  How often have things gotten easily lost in the back of the fridge.  The pull about baskets will save her from tossing out forgotten foods and make it easy to find just what she is looking for!
• I adore how she uses the baskets for different categories and that she has one that the kid's know is OK to snack from.  We have done something similar and it's always been a huge convenience!
• We have also been a fan of pre-packaging snacks in the fridge and the pantry, as it's much simpler to snack healthy and portion control.  Not to mention, no prep needed when running out the door to a play date or sporting event, or for the kid's when their tummy's start rumbling.
• Isn't the pantry before and after just awe inspiring?  I could gaze at it for hours!
• I adore that she used sticky tiles to create a temporary solid surface on those grated shelves!  This allows her to use organizers to stack and more effectively manage her pantry!
• Woven baskets are so great in pantries since they nicely conceal visual clutter, yet categorize contents and easily allow you to grab a basket vs. digging through shelves of items.
• She also used clear storage in her pantry, which will always allow her to see what is remaining before a grocery trip!

A special THANK YOU to Gretchen for stopping by today with her great tips {you can find more and follow her blog here}!  I adore that Gretchen prides herself on being thrifty and resourceful, and that she finds solutions that she can take with her and use in any space they head to next!  

Let's chat about super simple organizing tips that have been huge time savers for you?  How about organizing projects that have worked well for you, no matter where you have lived?

ATTENTION!!  Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition?  Have an awesome organizing story to share?  I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life.  Please submit your story and photos here and I would heart to feature them right here, on the blog!!  Photos should be high resolution and unedited.  Please include a description of the project, including any costs, inspiration, and how it has changed your life and routine for the better!  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! 

58 You Asked: Wrapping Paper Wrap Up

When I recently revealed my newly painted dresser in my in-progress studio space, people were equally as excited about the inside {if not more!} as the outside.  What was so special about the inside of the dresser?  I will remind you:

Whenever I work on a drawer organizing project, I love to take it a step further and add in some decorative paper.  So, I thought I would share a little more about that process, how I select what to use and then take you on a little shopping trip for some really pretty papers that will leave you color happy!

Why do I line the drawers with decorative paper?  

Whether or not someone should or shouldn't line drawers can be argued until the end of time, so I just say it's a personal preference thing.  Some argue there are benefits, others will say that it is more for aesthetics.  I lean towards the latter of the two, but I really am not an expert on the subject.

I do it because I think it's a happy surprise when you open the drawer.  It makes it look nicer, it can cover ugly markings in older cabinets and drawers, it adds color, when using clear drawer dividers it looks pretty showing through and it can protect painted surfaces.

What do I use to line the drawers?

It all depends on what and where I am lining the drawers.  In the kitchen or bathroom, I typically use shelf liner which is made specifically for the purpose of lining cabinets and drawers and shelves.  It is easy to remove and easy to clean in messier or humid spaces.  I also obtained some free leftover wallpaper from a friend and used that to line some drawers in the kitchen, and it also worked out just fine, since it can be washed without ruining the surface of the paper.  When working with dressers or office spaces, I like to use anything from scrapbook paper to wrapping paper or even fabric.  Although it can't be wiped down with a damp cloth since the paper is more fragile, it still can be dusted and vacuumed for a long period of time.

How do I install the decorative paper?

Once again, this has varied as I have played with a few options.  The first step is to always measure the inside of the drawer, and then measure the paper and cut it.  I have lined the drawers by using spray adhesive and double sided tape.  Both have worked well, I have not tried removing the paper with either of those methods, so I am not positive of the long term impacts yet.  I would guess you could also just use small pieces of tape or nothing at all if you want to be sure there are no permanent effects from the process.  Again, standard shelf liners also come ready to stick, and always pull back up leaving your surface as though it was never there at all.

Where do I purchase my wrapping papers?

This seems to be the real question.   I receive numerous questions and emails about where I purchase my pretty papers, so I thought it would be fun to snag my iPhone and go check out a few local shops in person, and share all the lovely papers that caught my eye.  The places I selected to stop at, were all local and some also have options on the web, since the point is to share papers that can be accessible to most.

Since wrapping paper is the least expensive and the most versatile, that is where I focused my attention for this trip out and about.  My first stop was my favorite store of all and where I always find majority of my wrapping papers: Target!  In fact, the pink and yellow papers shown in the first photo above were both purchased at Target. Love. That. Store!

Wrapping paper ranged from $3-$5 and they have a variety of colorful options an patterns!

Most of their papers are in the gift wrap isle, but don't forget to also check their end-caps!

Another store many have access to is Walmart, so I hopped into one of those quick as well.

Their selection was a little less impressive, but I did spot a couple that weren't too "themey" and could be used as very stylish drawer liner; such as the pretty blue mumm paper, the damask styles and even the subtle stripes...

I know that not everyone has access to The Container Store, however, sine they stock all of their papers online as well, it was worth it for me to drive there and check things out in the flesh.  Twist my arm right? 

They actually have quite an abundance of pretty papers, and many of them caught my eye, one you may even recognize as something I have used in my own home in the past.

This gold pattern had me swooning big time, I am now kicking myself for not grabbing a role why I was there...

I also really liked that they had some modern options for lining the dresser's of little bambinos and kidlets:

The Container Store also sells liners specifically for drawers and shelves {so they would be better in kitchen and bath settings but could absolutely work in any drawer} and I have been eying them up for quite sometime:

Have you ever been to a Paper Source store?   OOOO MMMM GGG!  Be very prepared before walking in.  It's the most amazing paper shopping experience....

Shown above are their pricier, more delicate options.  Gorgeous right?!

Everything in this store is frame worthy art!

The store offers papers either sold in single sheets {these ones are less expensive per sheet than the ones shown above}....

Or entire rolls for larger projects!

Their prices are a little steeper than Target, Walmart and even some of The Container Store's papers, however, their selection, quality and fantastic patterns were far better than any I had seen anywhere.

One my way home I remembered that I had found some great MacBeth Collection shelf liner at a TJMaxx or Marshalls, so I hopped into one quick to see what they had on hand.

The two pack of shelf liner was priced around $6 and the wrapping paper was around $3.  Although the selection was minimal at the store I stopped at, the patterns were fabulous!

All the places I had stopped at so far, are larger, well known brands and shops, but never forget to check local boutiques as well.  They may just surprise you and have the prettiest, most unique papers of them all!  In fact, I was recently roaming downtown Stillwater, MN with my fam, happened to pop into the absolute sweetest shop/cafe I have ever seen {Mara Mi for those wondering and local}...

Only to stumble upon some extremely cheerful papers!

So there you have it!  That's a wrap on wrapping paper!

Who else is a drawer lining lover?  Where are your favorite spots to find pretty papers and shelf liners?  Let's keep the convo going!