Breakfast Command Center Tray {Project Pantry}

I have a project list two miles long. The list is more than a little overwhelming and a whole lot too much for the budget. Instead of getting all tragic about it I just pick one smaller project and I bust it out making my list just a bit smaller.

My smaller project as of late is a little pantry make over. I am calling it Project Pantry. I know. I am pretty original. It is a gift.

There has been painting and more painting. I have gathered containers I already owned and then bought some new ones. I only have a little bit more work to do. Then I can show you all my all prettied up pantry.

Today, I want to give you just a little sneak peak of Project Pantry. Well, this will be a second peak if you follow me on Instagram (go on and follow me @larissa_anotherday) because I already gave one over there.

One of the biggest messes in our pantry was all the breakfast stuff.

My solution was to organize all the breakfast stuff onto a Breakfast Command Center Tray.

We had a miraculously warm and sunny day which gave me the opportunity to spray paint some stuff. I had an old TV tray just taking up space. It was just the right size to hold some cereal boxes.

So it got spray painted.

Then it got fitted with all our breakfast favorites. We have cereal boxes nicely stacked side by side. Packets of instant oatmeal and granola are nicely stored in clear containers. Just grab some bowls, spoons, and milk and breakfast is ready.

When breakfast is done, I can just put the tray back into the pantry. Where it patiently waits and sits until the next morning breakfast rush.

Be on the look out for more Project Pantry coming soon! Eek! Can you feel the excitement?!?

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Project: For Sale- Oragnize, Clean, Purge, Store

Onto day 2 of Project: For Sale. Today our theme is Organize, Clean, Purge, Store. 

This aspect of selling a house is not a surprise. I think everyone who sells a house knows that they have to do these things. It is not fun, it is hard work, but it is totally worth it.

My main items for organizing are baskets, bins, crates, totes, pretty much anything that can hold items stylishly. I also put them just about anywhere. Laundry room. Living room. Closets. Shelves. Even on top of my fridge. I like to do this even when I am not selling a house. However, the amount of organizing defintely increased with trying to sell.

 spray painted baskets, laundry rag tote

Even when selling a house, there are some things I just can't completely pack away. For instance, my Little Mens' cars. While I can clean, purge and store quite a few of their toys, they still need something to play with. My solution is just to organize them in more attractive storage.

I also make sure that they are not completely in plain sight. These toy bins are sitting low on shelves.

I also can't pack away my cleaning/laundry supplies. I kind of need to clean...you know don't want people walking through filth. I also kind of need to do laundry...I mean I have three very active, filthy, mess makers.

In my laundry room, I use crates, that I spray painted,  to hold some of the basic cleaning supplies.

Upstairs I gutted our hall closet. I kept minimal cleaning supplies, toilet paper, cleaning rags, and only a few towels. In this closet I also have all of our medicine and first aid stuff in shoe size rubbermaid containers.
Basically I cleaned out and stored anything we absolutely did not need, leaving a sparse, yet clean, hall closet.

I also attacked the boys' closets. I made piles of "giveaway", "trash", "pack", and "keep out". Man did they have a lot of stuff. The only things I kept out, besides clothes, were some of their favorite games, some books, and a few choice stuffed animals.

Most of the storage in this room came from Ikea...moment of quiet adoration for this lovely store...

...okay moment over. Here is roughly what we have, but in red.

Cleaning, purging, and storing was done in every other room of the house too. We got rid of tons of stuff. Stored even more. You should see our basement's wall lined rubbermaid bin parade. Our home is pretty clutter free, ready at moments notice to pack up and have it ready to show. I think my boys' may be afraid to sneeze.

My opinion is that I would rather live gingerly and obsessively clean on a day to day basis then to have to stress and do a major clean every time we have to show it.

Hopefully this will continue to work. Hopefully I haven't given my Little Men any reason to go to therapy in the future. Off I go to vacuum...somehow chip crumbs got out in the family room...

We have another showing tomorrow...happy thoughts people, happy thoughts!

Mousepad and Desk Face Lift

You know how yesterday I was talking about cleaning and organizing. Well this was one of the major projects. Our home computer was crammed into our bedroom up until a couple of days ago. We have wanted it out of there FORever.

We even have had this chair for two years, just waiting for us to paint this old small dining room table. It took us long enough and sadly some major motivation to finally get this new desk done and the computer out of our room.

I about love it.

One of my favorite parts is this lamp.

Thank you Target, again.

On top of the desk redo, I also had to give our old nasty mouse pad a little face lift. Doesn't that lovely black and white flowery mouse pad look so delightful?

It was SUPER easy to make. Believe me, if I could pull it off in the midst of all of our WAY more time consuming projects it must be easy.

You just need:

a mouse pad
mod podge
scrap of fabric ( i used a fat quarter)
craft brush

Trace your mouse pad onto the wrong side of the fabric.

Cut out.

Slather mouse pad in mod podge, coating it entirely.

Lay fabric down over it.

Press out air bubbles. Apply another coat of Mod Podge evenly over the entire surface.

Let dry.

Give it a comfy home on your computer desk. In this picture you can see part of the image of the old mouse pad showing through. It is not as visible in person. A non-white fabric would keep this from happening.

I seriously am giddy happy with my new desk. AND this little mouse pad face lift was the perfect cherry on top.

Fabric Basket: A Home For My Rags

You guys might remember that at the very beginning of this brand spankin' new year I decided to redo our laundry room...no it is STILL not done. Close, oh-so-close.

In said laundry room I had a serious cleaning rag problem. I had all of these shoved into an old laundry basket.

Yikes.

I did find this though. Yeah!

So I rounded up some old fabric I had laying around: a couple different knits and some burlap and I fashioned myself a bin type basket thingy to put all my lovely rags into.

Ahhh...so much better. I will have you know I had to throw quite a few rags out from their sheer disgustingness...

My new rag basket has a lovely home on my new shelving in our almost done new laundry room...

So much better! LOVE it...mismatched stripes and all.

PS...just thought you might want to know there will be a giveaway tomorrow...

Why NOT to organize...

When you have a room that looks like this-

And it has a door on it that will shut it off from the world, aka your neighbors/friends/husband/you, word to the wise....just keep the door closed and choose not to organize it.

I mean sure it is a new year. And SURE there are tons of people out there with CUTE laundry rooms that are not the dumping grounds of said house. Of course there is some merit to cleaning/organizing such a room. You might just find that missing sock/candy bar/pair of scissors/air pump nozzle/smell/ you haven't been able to find. Of course there would be a sense of accomplishment at completing such a task.

Just imagine it-

crisp white shelves

cutely labeled bins/totes/crates/baskets

a clean and organized pantry (haha p.s. the first time I wrote this post I wrote a clean and organized panty...haha)

a cozy little nook for my vacuum

a posh and modern rug for my momma feet to rest while I change some loads

a lack of pure and utter shame that accompanies the previous pictures

Yes, that would seem like good reasons to get my Laundry room organized. At least that is what I felt up until seeing this-

Pure madness. Not one, not two, but three heaping piles of poopy-doop. All ripped out of it's previously can-close-the-door-home. Now annoyingly sitting out in the open for all to see. Homeless as I rip out shelves, spackle holes, sand said holes, prime, tape, paint, paint again, paint some more, find new shelves I like, put those in, scrounge around the house for make shift cute bins...ugh the list goes on.

Meanwhile no one is welcome in my home...I mean it. If you are wanting to stop by and gawk at Mt. Crappity Crap, you can't. Put your cameras away and keep driving.

My boys are eating on a blanket in the living room...they think it is cool "like a picnic".

Upon hubby seeing the mess he asks, "Are we moving?" Haha. Shut it.

SO yes, as I am up to my elbows in junk and paint, I think hmmm...maybe this was a good reason NOT to organize. Of course when it is all done I will be glad I did it...

and at least I have a happy willing helper.

Anyone want to place bets on how many days this is going to take me? I am already on day 2.

Here is to opening the door, abandoning my pride and getting organized.