Organize by Post - It

I'm a regular list maker; what to do, where to buy, how to do it, when to do it by. Lately, as the house tasks get bigger and bigger, and the lists get longer and longer, I find that it's simply not working well enough for me anymore. Also, there is such a wide range of things that I feel like no one project is ever completely finished.

So now I'm trying something new. I wrote tasks on individual tiny post-its and stuck them on the door or in the area that the task is needed. For example, the photo above is for our master bedroom. This also keeps the hubs in the loop as well. I feel better already!

What's in a name?

I don't know what to call this space. It's not quite a hallway nor a pantry although it leads to the basement where we have a pantry and washer/dryer. I wanted to treat this space as though it were a laundry room/pantry and do something fun with it.

Before:


The walls and ceiling were entirely scuffed up. When we moved in, we dented the walls moving the old refrigerator down the stairs. It was only a matter of time before it got a new coat of paint, but I wanted to wait until the kitchen was done, so as not to scuff up a new wall.

After: (the picture isn't showing the wall color accurately)


I repainted the walls and molding, installed various hooks, replaced the light switch, put a railing, and put a faux stain glass decal on the window. I also painted the little flourish and birdie above the door and along the right wall (not shown).

Wall Paint: Olympic in "Mandarin" semi-gloss
Molding: Behr "Swan Wing" high-gloss
Hooks: Target
Knob hardware: Anthropologie
Light switch and cover: Home Depot
Fabric: JoAnn's
Oversized metal Spoon & Fork: Yard sale find $1
Stain glass decal: JoAnn's



As you enter the basement, the ceiling is exposed which is a real eye sore. We had plans to just put up some dry wall and paint it, but since we have future plans to finish the basement, we didn't want to reduce the height here. The height will allow us to move 2x4 studs, and furniture in easily. So instead, I sewed a little curtain to conceal the duct work and insulation in the ceiling.

Organize by Task

We have accumulated quite a few tools with our DIY home projects and things began to get a little disorganized in the basement. We keep our tools in the basement, but when we work on our projects we're always else where in the house. Bringing everything up the stairs and putting them away have become tiresome.

On Sunday, I made a trip to Walmart for some large bings. I decided it would be more convenient to organize our tools by task into individual bins as opposed to keeping ALL the tools in one tool chest and fishing for them. Then I can bring the whole thing with me (which I did anyway) and clean up would be quick.

Here's an example of my "PAINTING" chest. For this one, I chose a long, flat bin on wheels. I can move it around the room easily, store brushes without bending the bristles, store large paint trays and rollers.


[Includes: disposable paint liners, trays, large and small rollers, brushes, stirring sticks, painters tape, masking tape, drop cloths, clean up cloths, edgers, foam brush, plastic gloves, sanding block, tube of Drydex spackle, paint can key, sharpe pen, pencils, screwdriver, little hammer, clorox wipes, and a little bottle of shampoo (to clean brushes).

I made two more; one for "SPACKLING" and another for "TILING". For them, I chose deep bins since the groat float and such have deep handles.

What other storage solutions work for you?

Staining a Railing

I found treasure! Ok, not quite, but close enough. In our basement, I found 3 pieces of railing that was untreated, cut to size and with hardware. What a great find! It was obviously meant for the basement, but was never put to use. Of course, I couldn't help it and put my grubby hands on them immediately.

I made my 3rd trip in 2 days to Home Depot to pick up a can of clear polyurethane and a foam brush. I went with clear because I could tell it was cedar and I wanted to bring out the natural red color. Work outdoors, lay some newspaper down, and elevate your railing.



Before and After: After I took this picture, I put 5 more coats on the rail. After 2 coats, lightly sand the rail with sand paper to give it a smoother feel, and repeat until you're happy with it. Allow to dry completely before handling. Avoid drip marks.

Arancia

Can you guess what I have been doing today?

More to come...

Jim Anderson Stained Glass artist

Adding a new link to my favorites. This artist, Jim Anderson does some amazing stain glass art.

http://www.jimandersonstainedglass.com/intro.html

Ciao

Sorry there won't be any updates for the next two weeks, but...we're headed to Italy! When I come back, I'll have new things to decorate the kitchen and spices to cook with! For now, I leave you with these. We still need to put the molding back along the floor, install the toe kick and molding that matches the cabinets, and install some exposed shelving.

Before:


After:




Before:


After:



So far I'm lovin' my new kitchen! I have been keeping it super clean to maintain it's "new car smell". It's really come along way.