[VIDEO] Linen Closet Makeover!

Hey all! I've been working hard all week on all things organizing and I'm super excited to share all my projects with you!

 

Since buying our house in March I have been passing by my linen closet in the hall cringing every time. It was mock organized, or what I like to call "fake" organized. To the untrained eye it looked like I had my stuff together, but alas I did not. I had containers in the closet from our last house that were labeled and everything but they just didn't work in this new house closet. They were loo large for the space and didn't function for what I needed.

 

Makeover time!! I am super giddy over my new closet-to the point where I walk past it and smile! :)

I know it's lame, but when you love organizing like me-it's the small things. It's super functional and easy to upkeep. Hope you love it too! My blog is being a pain and not letting me upload the video (trust me I've tried everything) so I will have to send you over to youtube to check it out. Link is below!

 

Check out my video on youtube!!

CLICK HERE for a Linen Closet Makeover! 

 

 

Nom Nom Nom Nom....Garden growing!

Hey all!  I mentioned a few weeks ago about my dad being in town and working on some projects. I have finally had the chance to take some pictures of what we worked on and I wanted to share them with you!

First project: Garden
I really wanted to try my hand at my first garden this year. For years my parents had one back by our patio but I really didn't take much interest in it. Years later I have grown fascinated with growing my own produce so I wanted to try a garden and keep it organic so I can eat healthier and always have produce available.
First we spotted out some ground in my back yard that would work for the garden. We wanted an area that would have shade part of the day but also would largely be in the sun. This was super easy for me to find in my yard because I had a spot that fit that requirement and was also conventionally not growing grass due to the previous owners of the house having something parked on it. Unsightly bare spot-solved!
Then we had to decide what to plant. This was easy for me since I tend to be a picky eater when it comes to vegetables. Here is what I ended up deciding on:
Peas
Cucumbers
Carrots
Bell peppers
Lettuce
Next we tilled the ground and started forming rows to plant. We planted all the seeds in their rows and I labeled the rows to remember what was planted there. Here are a few pictures of our work and how it's coming along!

 

 

 

 

Second Project: Tool Box

My dad gave us a great tool box he had and it works so well in our garage. The tool box project consisted of fixing it up a bit- really like giving it a face lift. First we swept out all the drawers then we painted the drawers all one color. We used a hammered spray paint from Home Depot and it looks amazing. It totally updated the drawers-you wouldn't even know it's an older tool box.

After the paint dried we started to organize the tools and where they went. We separated out like tools together so each type had it's own drawer or section.

Finally- I labeled all the drawers using my label maker so I could find what I was looking for quickly. The end result is both great looking and functional!

 

 Check out the drawers (newly painted) compared to the outside (not painted yet in the photo). See the difference!

 

 

Third Project: Patio Tables

With buying a new house I wanted to start fresh with certain areas. One area was the patio. I wanted to have a great outdoor space to entertain and have our friends come over to enjoy. I also wanted to be alittle creative with the furniture rather than the cookie cutter store brands-something I could really make fit for Mark and I. I found some inspiration online for awesome tables and I turned them into these little beauties!

Best part of these side tables are they were cheap to make! I purchased the bottom of the table, half a wooden whiskey barrel, from Home Depot. It's actually a planter in the garden section that I just turned over on it's top. I went to Hobby Lobby and found the round pieces of glass to use as a table top. I also used some rain-x spray on the glass so cleaning it is a breeze. The planter barrel was already weather treated so I didn't have to do anything to it! Lastly I make some decorations of flowers and candles to put on top to add the finishing touches!

 

 

 

 

 

I love an organized vanity-it makes me smile

Hey all! Today I wanted to walk you through my vanity and how I organize my makeup. I am in LOVE with my vanity. It's perfect for what I need and I love the look of it!

 

I picked up my vanity at an antiques store in Kentucky. It was a store that I drove past at least 800 times and never thought to stop in. One Saturday I was bored and decided to stop and I'm glad I did because I got this little beauty at a great price!

 

 

Don't pass up on those little tucked away shops- some of them have the best items-usually WAY in the back under the creepy figurines and the mix matched dining set. They also offer the best prices and sometimes are willing to negotiate.

 

Anyways- on to the makeup. At first glance my vanity doesn't look like it would hold much with those two little drawers but it has a secret. The middle part of my vanity opens up to show a whole space made for makeup heaven!

 

When you do open up the vanity you find all my makeup organized by type. I bought a simple clear drawer organizer a long time ago for about $10 and it works great. Organizing the makeup by type allows me to spend less time searching for what is next and helps me see what all I have. I also have sort of developed a routine of the way I put on my makeup and which bins go first. Side note- I know it looks like a have a TON of Q-tips and yes I do but I just bought a new box of them. It's not like I have to go to QA meetings or something. (Q-tips anonymous) Just saying.

 

 

I also decorated my vanity with a few cute things so it is functional and pretty. I put a frame a friend gave me that I love, a zoom mirror (aka-makes you look at all those wrinkles, pores and flaws in super zoom grr......), and a ring holder.

 

This ring holder is for my wedding rings for times like working in the yard or the garage when I don't want to get them dirty. It is the cutest thing ever! I got it at Tuesday Morning-btw so shop there-love that store!  It is a little puppy and I thought it was fitting since I'm obsessed with my dog, Wyatt. Maybe I should look into PA... Puppies Anonymous. Seriously.....maybe....

 

 

On the other side of my vanity I placed my favorite perfumes and all my makeup brushes. I found this silver tray for the perfumes at Bed, Bath, and Beyond in their clearance section- 50% off! I love the look of it!

 

For my makeup brushes I used an old small glass vase I had and some clear and white stones to hold them up. They are easy to get at and they look great.

 

 

Final look of the top of the vanity: looks put together, user friendly and pretty!

 

Also! If you don't already do this you need to! Like your milk, makeup also goes bad! I'm not even joking. Not like makeup goes bad and it looks bad on your face, I'm talking goes bad and could cause disease and health issues. Ever heard of pink eye? Oh yea....not a cute look. Quick way that I label my makeup is with these circle stickers I got at Walmart in the office supplies aisle. I put the date I purchased the makeup so I remember when to throw it out. Below are the timelines for each type of makeup and how often you should change them out.

 

Lipstick: 1-2 years

Lipglosses/chapsticks: 2 years

Powder eye shadow: 2 years
Cream eye shadow: 12-18 months

Eyeliner: 3 months

Mascara: 3 months

Powder blush: 2 years
Cream blush: 6 months

Oil-free foundation: 12 months

Cream foundation: 18 months
Concealer: 12-18 Months
Lotions: 2 years

 

So, check out that makeup and throw out that old stuff!

No one wants to hang out with Pink-Eye Patty.

 

 

 

 

Official!

It's official! Organized Chaos has business cards and postcards! I was like a kid at Christmas when I saw the box on my front step.

 

I barely managed to contain my excitement as I ripped open the box to find my super cute (not to brag but they are super cute) business cards! Fresh from printing! Check them out! (you know what else is cool? Check out the top of my blog and the logo I changed too....now look at the cards....BOOM! I know I just totally geeked out there but I am too excited to care!)

I am so excited for this journey I have been on and I am loving the responses I have been getting! I am looking forward to seeing where this path takes me!

Contact me for all your organizing needs! I'd love to help you out!

Grocery shopping time!

Hey all- Ever gone to the grocery store only to stand in the aisle and forget what you went to the store for in the first place? Or better yet, have you gone to the store, forgot what you went for and ended up buying tons of things you probably didn't need? Don't worry we have all done this. If you say you haven't then you are lying. I have walked out of a store with the most random items like Oreos, a pet toy, and vitamins when I went for cereal and bread. True story. Then when I get home I suddenly remembered what I needed....and ate Oreos instead.

Ok, let's get more organized when going to the store. We need a game plan when going in to that grocery store jungle. Grocery stores are great at distracting us and playing off our hunger (i.e.-Oreos). Going in with a defined list will help you get in and out quicker and buy only what you need. Organizing this list is a breeze. I have created a list that already has common items that show up on most shopping trips and spaces to fill in others. It is separated into sections that go with the area of the grocery store you are in. For example: Produce, Meats, Dairy, etc.

Take this list in with you and concur the grocery store! Download it for free below!

                                         Download this grocery list for free HERE!



DONT FORGET!
For the month of May you can download the weekly and monthly planner-for free! Download these HERE and HERE!

Taxes are over- prepare for next year!

Hey all! Hope you are having fun spending those awesome tax returns! I shot high this year and spent it towards a new house :)   Not saying you have to spend it on something crazy-paying off bills or loans can be a HUGE stress relief!

When you were preparing your taxes were you organized or did you feel a little chaotic and had to dig through pounds of paper to find those last little receipts? Maybe it's time to look towards next year and file your papers in a way that makes it simple to start that tax return!

I recently re-did my filing system to match what I needed now. It's not the prettiest of systems (yet!) but it's functional just the same.

 

What I did was organize my files into sections-
1. Re-occurring bills (such as water, electricity, etc)
2. Receipts
3. Investments (such as 401k, stocks, etc)
4. Insurance (Dental, medical, life, etc)
5. Wyatt (yes my dog has a file- for shot records)
6. Medical bills/bank statements/taxes/etc (a catch all misc)

This helps me when I am filing all my paperwork to access every type of folder quickly and easily. The whole project took me about an hour (moving can jumble paperwork!) I am loving the outcome so far!

I also went the extra step and organized the papers inside the folders into years or types of papers, whatever made the most sense. This makes it easy for tax return time. You can easily pull out the last years information if need be and file it away nice and organized.

As far as receipts go- it's better to air of the side of caution and keep them. Rather than have a shoe box full of them- file them in their own folder. I typically keep receipts for bigger ticket items, items that have a warranty, repairs, donations, etc. This is also nice for when stores won't take back items without a receipt.

Start looking at your files and figure out the best system for you! If you don't have a way to file papers yet- try it out! It gets rid of a lot of stress and time to just file a few papers away each month. If you don't have a filing cabinet you can always use one of these file boxes from Office Depot or Staples.  I prefer using the plastic boxes to protect my files instead of the cardboard boxes- plus they last a lot longer!

Lastly, I will leave you with a pretty flower picture, just because! :)

[VIDEO] What? A Video?!?!

 

Check it out! My first video! yay!

 

 

As promised- here are the links to the entire month of May! I have built these pages from scratch so there may be things off with them but I think I have stared at them long enough to catch most of them :) 

 

I really hope you enjoy them and download them.

Reminder: the months of June-Dec will be in my Etsy store.

 

 

Click HERE to get the weekly calendar of May.

Click HERE to get the monthly calendar of May.