DIY Organized Drawers On A Dime

It's been pretty busy lately at our house, what with new clients, our kids' sports activities and end-of-school concerts and events, I haven't had a minute to sit and blog! Husband and I keep talking about painting the living room, but we just don't have the time to do it! I did tackle one small DIY project.

Taking a cue from Pinterest, I organized a drawer that has some of my work stuff. Of course I didn't want to spend much money, so I used the cereal boxes we already had...

Cut them up to make them fit the drawer and covered them with cute wrapping paper I found at Goodwill.

It took me forever to find paper because I don't scrapbook and I won't spend a lot of $ on nice scrapbook paper. (Cheap, cheap.)

I have to admit, it turned out really well. 'Cause I'm all about making things pretty. :)

Here's a behind-the-scenes shot of what it really looks like when you're doing a DIY project!

That's not pretty at all! What have you done lately to beautify (and organize) your home office or craft room? Let me know and include a link to your blog so I can drop by!

Why Moms Don't Sleep (Much)

This week I made an awesome raspberry vinaigrette, baked homemade brown sugar cupcakes (which will be frosted with a salted-caramel frosting later this week) and decided once in a while, fast food is okay. Every supper can't be a Pinterest supper, right?

Other than that...well, let's just say I've had a busy month. Someone once told me (when I was pregnant with our first child) that I would never sleep again. I do sleep, just not so much. Here's my Instagram overview:

1) Cleaned and organized my craft room (aka the laundry room) 2) Got our eldest daughter ready for Homecoming 3) Bought an iPhone, dumped my dumb phone 4) Learned more about Instagram 5) Made sure our 2 younger kids made it to soccer practices and games on time 6) Oh, they're on the swim team too... three times a week 7) Carved pumpkins, baked pumpkin seeds (an annual tradition) while listing to 'Monster Mash' 8) Baked cupcakes for two October birthdays 9) Redesigned a client's website.

Not pictured: Studying Facebook analytics for a client, merchandising a store, marketing meetings, scrubbing windows, doing laundry, huffing and puffing on a treadmill and coffee time with Husband five times a week at 5:30 am. <3

So on that note:

"It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?"

-Henry David Thoreau

It's all good.

Back To School Organization

Trying to keep three kids organized can be a nightmare. I tried every possible system (including the file folder one, which looked cute, but the papers in the files were NEVER looked at! Out of sight out of mind?!)

This time, I decided to make use of the clipboards we already had (and thanks to Pinterest) ended up with a much better way to keep track of papers.

I found the perfect spot in our hallway, added these three hooks I found in the basement (free!) and went to work...

I used masking tape to cover the metal clip and heavy duty wire to hold the clip back so I could spray paint them.

Now they hang with all those important papers, notices etc. The hooks hold lunch boxes and lightweight jackets. Maybe this school year, I will be better organized!

Congratulations to Mary Beth! You've won the Shabby Apple giveaway for a $50 gift card! Check your email from Shabby Apple for details! :)

Where Pinterest Meets Real Life

I've made it no secret that I'm a Pinterest addict. But pinning, like many other things, is useless if you aren't actually putting those great ideas to work. So here are two of my Pinterest-inspired pins and how I used these cool ideas in our house:

Organized utensils

I found an old milk carrier at a garage sale. I was thrilled until I saw the price tag: $18! That's not in my budget. I fudged and used an old tin container (that was for planting flowers purchased from a dollar store!) and threw in some used jam and salsa jars:

Loved this idea with the coffee beans.

Coffee Bean Tea Light Decor

One of my clients actually put something even better together using a Mason jar, so I copied her idea. Isn't this pretty? And it smells good too, I added a hazelnut votive.

Project supplies and cost:

• Coffee beans $1.79 (grocery store)
• Hazelnut votive candle $.69 (Walmart)
• Ball Mason Jar $.49 (Goodwill)
• Vintage wire container $.99 (Goodwill)

What projects have you completed from Pinterest? Would love to hear how Pinterest has inspired you!

Creating An Organized Home Office

We're in the process of moving, again. Which can be agonizing and exhilarating at the same time. The up side of a move is that I can use all those decorating ideas I've pinned on Pinterest!

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Unbeknownst to my family, we might actually end up with a turquoise and white laundry room. Sounds divine, doesn't it?

{from Pinterest, of course}

The other area in our home-to-be which will have to be addressed asap, is the office. I'm going to need one to house all my techie gear and paperwork. (Why oh why, do I still have paperwork?!?) Anyhoo...

As usual, this home office will have to be put together on very little money. I emphasize that point because decorating/organizing can get pretty pricey. Husband and I have always tried to be smart with our purchases, but people, we have three mouths to feed (not to mention an enormous dog!)

So this means we will be repurposing instead of purchasing. With that being said, we'll need some inspiration, read this article on how to create an organized home office with ideas from my favorite place; Pinterest.

Happy repurposing!

Repurposing for Free

Does your box of baking soda look like this?

Mine does. To keep it safe from spills, I cleaned a plastic container that held our grated Parmesan cheese and stuck a label on it.

Open the one side of the top and use in the fridge to absorb smells, or keep it in your pantry and use the other side to scoop out for when you're baking. Super cheap.

(FYI- the label is a blank address label, cut with fancy scissors which I wrote on! Free and easy!)

Organizing Obsession - The Amandas

Ever since I started watching "The Amandas" (a reality show dedicated to organizing) I've become obsessed with organizing (again.) This time, I've been "pinning" and scouring the web for cheap ideas on how to organize my jewelry.

I decided to take this vintage-inspired memo board (which was hanging out in our basement) and use it to hang some of my necklaces. For now.

Click here to see more pins from Pinterest about organizing and check out The Amandas on the Style network every Monday night 10/9 c.

And Everything In Its Place...

Photo credit - Eclectic home office design - HOUZZ

Let's pretend this is my home office. Loving the white desks and mocha walls. Everything in its place. Ah, a Type A's dream. But I am not a Type A nor do I pretend to be. I do however, like to be organized.

My desk looks like this:

Anyone notice my spray painted terra cotta pot? Spray painting is an illness.

Everything I need, for the most part, is at my fingertips. Now where did I put that Macbook? Ohh, I don't have one! Maybe someday...

Anyway, I put in a lot of time at this desk, job stuff, blog stuff, husband/kids/school stuff. It's never ending. Facebook and emails are not my friends, but they seem to think so because we correspond on a daily basis.

I found a fun site that carries the most awesome desk accessories. You will convince yourself you need to be organized when you see what See Jane Work has to offer!

You'll find so many cute must-haves like the collection by "Bob's Your Uncle" (I laughed so hard at that name, okay, maybe I just thought it was funny) featuring these adooorable punctuated page markers. Or maybe you'll be inspired by the beautiful desks and home office photos like I was.

Page Markers from See Jane Work

Take a peak and look around. What's your best organizational tip? Do you have a home office or craft area/room? What can't you live without?

Organizing With Thrifty Decor Chick

I love that my kids are creative. I love that when you come to our house, it just screams 'kids live here!' But my kids' stuff is not the first thing I want visitors to see when they walk though the front door. Something needed to be done.

Which means I couldn't resist linking up with Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick. Her 'Organize It' party was just the thing to start off the week.

We have some fantastic built-ins when you first enter our house. But it has become the home to all things 'kid' friendly and has become quite the eye sore:

And of course catalogs and websites like to taunt me with their knack for making it functional and beautiful at the same time.

Photo credit - kidsroomdecor.com

So luckily for me, I found some very pretty lined baskets on clearance at Kmart. Three for $7.00! Three different sizes! So I bought 2 sets (that made 6 baskets total,) and the crayons, markers, beads and small books found themselves contained and organized. Using baskets is probably the best way to coral all things, no matter what room of the house!

Ahh, I feel better already. Share your organizational ideas with me and the rest of the gals at Sarah's linky party!