Fabric Covered Dollar Store Bins

Nope...this project is still not finished.  I am only half way there.  But I thought I would post my project and let you know that you should follow their tutorial.  I didn't really and they look great on the outside but inside they are a hot mess.  I don't mind the hot mess.  But if you want to give these as a gift (thought it would be great for the girl going off to college) then you should get the inside worked out.

Here is the original tutorial you should follow:  http://talesfromacottage.blogspot.com/2012/08/diy-fabric-covered-bins.html

See how neat hers are?  Here are mine...

 

I will send you the final pictures of my newly organized bookshelf when they are all done.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

~Sarah

It's The Little Things...

Like cheery new kitchen towels.  If you have been reading this blog you know that I LOVE color.  The vibrant the better.  Kitchen towels are the perfect (and cheap!) place to bring color to your kitchen.  When purchasing a wedding gift for some friends, I couldn't help but pick these up from Crate & Barrel.

It's the little things I tell you!

They all coordinate to hang together.  I purchased Salsa Dos Blue, By the Pint, and Salsa Dos Yellow.

But in our house it is easier to do one at a time so most likely this is what you will find...hanging them this way makes it easier to dry your hands, put back on without having to fold it and helps it dry faster.

The Un-Losable Pool Key

My family means well, we are nice people and we try really hard but unfortunately we have the "Baldwin Curse".  This means that literally we would probably lose our heads if they weren't attached. 

When I got down the beach, I discovered that out of three families (who all had multiple pool keys at some point) not one of them had our key to the pool.  We pulled the whole "we forgot our key" number a few times which was a little embarrassing but it got us in. 

So when Mom found her pool key, I decided to make a big loud obnoxious key ring and special hook for it to hang on so we wouldn't be without again.

Mom had a set of shims leftover from something and I found some paint and brushes over at my brother's house.  With my supplies in hand I got to work.

First I nailed a hold in the shim...I ended up nailing several to make a big enough opening.

Then I took a screwdriver and made a perfect round hole.  The wood on a shim is quite malleable so this was very easy.

Then I got to painting.  I made the purple swirls by putting on a big glob of paint and scrapping it away with the end of the brush.

Here is the finished product. 

And here it is hanging right by the front door with a note from the management.

If I get down the beach and it is gone I am going to cry!  How do you keep up with your keys?  What has worked for you?

Cloth Storage Bins

Mr Reed is crawling!  So excited that he has reached this milestone but that means things will be changing in the Hayden house.  We have already discovered that our coffee table would be the perfect place to store his toys rather than our magazines.  So I am on the hunt for some storage containers.

I stumbled upon this cute blog called Make It and Love It with tons of tutorials including one to make your own storage containers.  Hmmm...sewing is not a talent I possess so I won't be trying this but some of you might like to!

They did turn out really cute. 

That got me thinking about getting some handmade ones in cute fabrics.  So I took a look at Etsy and found these which I think will work and will bring in some more of the aqua I am tyring to go for in the living room.

Diva Institution

The Basket Garden

We will see what I end up with...I might just go with something more neutral.

Clever Kitchen Storage

So post two from my sister's house.  In her kitchen she has this great piece that actually was in our house growing up.  My Mom did the paint treatment probably back in the 70's.

I remember wondering why in the world she painted it that shade of green...seemed so outdated to me.  Funny how I love it now!
Claudia added these cute knobs.

Inside she keeps all of her kids crafts supplies so they are handy for her little artists to create a masterpiece right a the kitchen table.

She put cork inside the doors to post important information and notes.

Another clever storage fixture is right beside the refrigerator.  Even though it is a narrow spot, Claudia knew it would be the perfect place for her cook books.

She had our uncle build it and my brother-in-law secured it in place.  She painted it the same color as the walls and filled in with her books and other goodies.  What a great way to use what some would think is an unusable space!

Laundry Room/Bar Combo

I got back from visiting my sister yesterday...sorry for the lack of posts!  But I have lots of cute things to show you from her house.  She doesn't have a small house by any means but an older house so as you can imagine storage isn't as great as the newer houses.  She has really found some clever ways to combat that which I can't wait to share with you. 

Today we will start with the adorable bar she created in her laundry room.  This is directly off of the kitchen and living room so the perfect spot when you are entertaining. 

My sister has a great whimsical traditional style.  Behind the green lattice fabric is the washer and dryer as well as a organizer cart.  (Ignore the floors...not totally complete yet!)

Above she has all of her glassware, pitchers and ice buckets stored.

Love the little detail of the dragonfly knobs.

This antique mirror is a nice touch.  When she entertains she lights a candle in front which gives off nice reflections on the glasses and creates great ambiance. 

And to go with the theme a lovely cork wreath created by yours truly one year for Christmas.  I like this symmetrical design I did.

The fabric was hung with a cafe rod along the front of the bar top attached like this.

Nice to see how a boring laundry area could be transformed into a bar so you can get two uses out of one space.  Plus a great way to conceal the washer and dryer.



Tomorrow I will show how to utilize 10 inches of wall space to create a functional bookcase and smart storage in the kitchen.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Final Touch On Kitchen

My kitchen organization was only missing one detail.  The top shelf in my spice and cooking cabinet was all that was left.

Luckily my neighbor had his table saw out last weekend and was kind enough to cut it to fit.  The shelf was a purchase from The Container Store.

Here is Patrick using his table saw to cut it.  Thank goodness for handy neighbors!  Here is the cabinet complete!  

It is amazing how much more space I have by rearranging things and adding this shelf. Glad that the project is finally complete!

Kitchen Organization Reveal - Part 2

I think Joy of Cooking really sums up my time spent in the kitchen.  I love to cook but disorganization was getting in my way.  This organized kitchen is not about everything matching...or everything with pretty labels.  It is about getting a space back to its true intent - to bring joy to cooking.

Here is a snapshot of my kitchen before I even decorated above the cabinets.

And here it is now.  It didn't photo well but it is very cheery!



My pantry cabinet is cleared out and not over flowing.  The green basket (dollar store find to replace the expensive ones from the Container Store) is full of Reed's baby food.

 This top drawer holds all of my cooking utensils.  Even our sharp knives are in there which gets them off of the counter.

Next is Reed's drawer.  His containers for food, coolers for milk, bibs and baby food freezer trays.

The bottom drawer holds our storage for food - plastic containers, foil, cling wrap, etc.  Also pot holders and kitchen towels.  These baskets from The Container Store were the perfect fit.

Above the stove we have snacks and cereal.  The baskets are holding open bags that would be all over the place otherwise.

I decided to open back up the corner cabinet to give the kitchen a more airy feeling.  Plus I love my Vietri dishes and wanted to be able to see them.

This cabinet is still not completely finished.  This did hold all of my cook books.  I opted to keep the ones I use the most on the counter and put the rest downstairs.  Now it holds my spices and cooking needs.

I am going to have my neighbor cut this melanine shelf from The Container Store to fit.  Then I will have a space to put this plastic caddy full of coffee and tea as well as other cooking needs on the top shelf.

This corner cabinet now has space for all of the gadgets and bakeware I seldom use.  The dog food is in here as well.  We buy in bulk and the big bag is downstairs in the laundry room.

Here are my pots and pans and baking dishes I use most often.  The lazy susan makes it easy to get to them.

The blender and steamer live below and only get pulled out when used.

Utensils - this drawer makes me happy!  I like how I can see everything!

My apron is hanging behind the refrigerator.  I did leave the toaster and kettle out because we use those daily.

So again, I didn't go crazy on lots of organizing tools but got just enough to make the space more functional.  It has only been a few days but so far so good!