Well, I could go on an on about how sorry I am that I’ve left y’all hanging the past couple weeks. I could talk about the babymoon we went on to Asheville, having my first baby shower, working like crazy on the nursery and all the other things in my life lately, but I won’t right now.

Instead, I’ll share a project with you. You guys know how much I LOVE an organized closet so when I started designing the nursery, I knew it was the first place we had to start.

Girl + First Grandchild on Both Sides = Lots of Clothes

I mean, really I had no choice but to re-do the closet. A couple tiny rods just weren’t going to cut it. Here’s what we started with.

My first step whenever I’m working on a closet is to paint. I’m still loving the Fashion Gray color we’ve used on our other closets ( here & here ) so on went the paint. We’re still on the same gallon we used for the other closets so even better than a painted closet was a “no extra money out of pocket” painted closet. My favorite kind.

My handyman taking out part of the basboard so the units could mount flat to the wall.

The next step was to actually source materials for a built-in closet on a DIY price. Enter ClosetMaid. After looking around, ClosetMaid had the perfect mix of units to customize the closet. I also found Lowe’s had the best prices and since we used our Lowe’s card, we got an extra 5% off.

(Disclaimer: We definitely don’t believe in buying now paying later. We simply use the card for an extra discount and then turn around and pay the bill immediately. Trust me, no design project is worth going into debt over!)

A few hours later and this is what we ended up with!

There’s still a lot of accessorizing to do. I have fabric bins to put in, labels to make for the drawers and sizing labels to make for the rods, but you get the idea. The best part of the closet is that it can grow with her as she gets older. Once she’s old enough to get ready on her own, the bottom six drawers will be re-labeled with days of the week (Sun-Fri) and we’ll put her outfit for each day in the specific bin. That way she can learn to get dressed on her own. Oh, and for those wondering if I can do math (7 days, 6 drawers), Saturday will be a free day.

We can also easily remove a couple of the rods to accommodate adult sized clothing down the road. I’d rather have more rods now since her clothes are tiny than large rods that leave awkward spaces in the middle. It’s all about customizing to what you need right now!

I’ll share more pictures as I get things finished. Right now we’re in the middle of working on a big project for the rest of the nursery but once that’s done, I can’t wait to share!

To say things have been busy over here is a bit of an understatement. Hence, the radio silence.

I’m in full-scale “operation nursery” mode so until I get a few things nailed out with that, it’s a bit chaotic. I have four months to get it finished. FOUR.

(Cue nervous laughter.)

Anyway, today I’m going to share with you a few of my favorite Pinterest finds of late. You all know I love great organizational tip so here’s what I’ve seen recently. Oh, and make sure to click on the links for the pictures below to show those blogs some love. Chances are they’ll have lots more tips to share when you get there.  

Let’s get started!

If you’re a baker, you’ll love this tip. How cute is that?!

Tip found { here }.

 I have a feeling this laundry room would come in handy in about four months. I’m constantly surprised by how much laundry TWO people can have, let alone a newborn.

Tip found { here }.

I don’t know about you, but I’m always digging through pans to find the one I need. With this, problem solved.

Tip found { here }.

And lastly, I could use this more than you could ever know. Pregnancy brain is a real issue people.

Buy { here }.

If you thought yesterday’s project was easy, just wait until you see what I made with just three items. Yep, THREE!

You’ll need a long dowel (the white rod in the photo below), a couple of screw in hooks and a few plastic anchors. I have to say, the dowel was actually pretty expensive. It was $0.97 at Home Depot AND they cut it to size for me. I had enough to do the entire project with just one $0.97 dowel. The hooks were only a couple bucks as were the plastic anchors. This entire project costs under $10.

Interested yet?

Use the plastic anchors to attach the hooks to the wall (so you don’t have to hit studs) and you have the perfect custom sized rod to display all of your jewelry! I painted my rod white, but you could do any color of the rainbow.

I LOVE that I can see everything I own in one quick glance. It also looks so dang pretty! If I want to grab something, I simply unclasp a necklace or lift up the bar for a bracelet. Easy as pie.

I also made room for a few pieces that wouldn’t work well on the wall, like my stud earrings and perfume. That’s where the shelf came in handy.

I can’t tell you how fun it is to have such an organized (and girly!) closet. In fact, I think I’ll start calling it a dressing room. Put a box of Thin Mints and a chair in there and I’d be happy for weeks!

So there you have it, my wall of jewelry. The entire project–shelf, earring frame and jewelry rods came in at around $30. Not bad for a completely custom wall!

I still have a few more details to share, like how to easily paint stripes and how to turn an item from sale to clearance, so check back this week for more easy ideas!

{ The Shabby Creek Cottage Link Up }

It’s Monday! Normally I’m not too excited about Monday morning, but today I get to continue sharing all of my fun closet projects so that makes me one happy girl. I’m seriously having so much fun sharing ideas and hearing all of your positive feedback. You guys are too kind!

In case you missed anything from last week, check out the {closet reveal}, {$15 organization tip} and {how to build a closet shelf} at each of those links.

As promised last week, today kicks off a series on how to build a wall of jewelry. Every time I type wall of jewelry I pretend it’s being said in a loud booming announcer’s voice. It’s much more fun that way. Or every time you read that phrase in this post, take a sip of coffee. Wall of jewelry, wall of jewelry, wall of jewelry. See? More fun.

For this project all you’ll need is a picture frame (any size) with the glass removed, and a piece of chicken wire. I looked high and low for the best place to buy chicken wire (err, I checked at Home Depot where they only sold large sheets) and on my second stop found that Ace Hardware sells it off the roll. You can have them cut it to size for you and it only cost around $2 for the sheet below.

Take the chicken wire and simply pop it into the back of the frame where you would normally put the glass. If you cut it the correct size, which is just slightly larger than the opening, you can bend the prongs to grip the back edges of the frame. Once it’s popped in, it’s not going anywhere!

Flip it around and start adding earrings! This whole project takes less than 5 minutes. Even my thinks-she’s-craft-challenged-but-she’s-not mother could do it. (Hi mom!)

When I first saw this idea floating around on Pinterest, I had no clue just how easy and in-expensive this project would be. Aren’t those the best kind of projects though?

So that’s where the wall of jewelry started. If you think this part was easy, check back tomorrow. I have a project for under $10 that will rock your world. Seriously.

What about you guys? Tackle any projects of your own this weekend?

Somewhere along the line of planning out my closet, and in a desire to put my husband’s carpentry skills test, I decided I wanted to build a shelf. The shelf was a smaller part of what you’ll later see turns into a wall of jewelry.

That’s right, a wall of jewelry.

Before I get to any of that, here’s how we built a shelf for the corner of my closet. I wanted something strong enough for me to put a few trays for earrings, as well as give me lots of room underneath for added storage. Luckily, Justin was on board so we got to building!

We started with a piece of plywood that they cut to size for us at Home Depot and a couple of 1×6 boards.

The first step was finding the studs and nailing the first board into the wall. The top of the board was going to hold the shelf, so we made sure to measure the height to exactly where we wanted it. Next, we did the same thing with the remaining board.

Once both boards were up on the wall, we double-checked that our brackets would fit snugly underneath the shelf. One bracket got screwed on the right side of the shelf and one in the middle. The picture below shows the bracket after it was screwed into the back board, but before we screwed it into the front of the shelf.

Meanwhile, I prepped the plywood and trim pieces. They each got a coat of glossy white paint. There’s nothing a coat of glossy white paint can’t fix. Amen.

Here it is after the brackets have been affixed and the trim has been nailed in place. For some reason the right side looks like it wasn’t painted, but it’s actually just a shadow. We chose trim that would create a lip around the edge of the shelf in case I knocked over a bowl of jewelry. It’s not like I’m clumsy or anything *cough,cough*.

Once everything was up on the wall, I took some white caulk and filled in any seams like you can see in the picture below. A friend told me to tape either side of the crack before you caulk and pull it up right after. It worked perfectly!

The last step for making this shelf was to create a fabric skirt to add a little more closed storage. I laid the fabric on the table and cut it to the correct length.

Next, I broke out one of my favorite inventions ever, no-sew tape. This stuff is great! It gave me crisp, clean edges without ever having to break out the thread.

And finally, the finished product! You can even see a sneak peak of the rest of the jewelry wall. I love the bright white paired with the dark fabric. It has such a fun texture, but since it’s black it doesn’t compete with the rest of the colors and patterns in the room.

Not too shabby for two people with very limited building experience. What about you guys? Build anything lately?

When I was brainstorming ideas for this closet, I wanted to make sure that everything had a place. I’ve learned from experience that,

1) If you don’t see it, you won’t use it.

2) If it doesn’t have a home, it tends to roam.

Yes, I actually made that last one rhyme. It’s true though! How many times have you walked around picking up your home only to find a few miscellaneous items that you then toss into a nearby drawer or basket? How long was it before those items saw the light of day again? If you’re anything like us, the answer is pretty embarrassing.

Given that tendency, I was determined to make sure every last item had a home. When it came to my purses, I was a bit stumped. Usually, I kept them all stacked in a clear tote on a closet shelf. Technically they were organized, but I ended up forgetting what I owned and sticking to the same 2 purse rotation. When I came up with the solution, I was shocked I had never though of it before.

Purse Collection, I’d like you to meet a curtain rod.

YEP! A curtain rod. What a perfectly simple way to easily display all of my purses! (Yes, I’m aware I have quite a few. I’m an organized hoarder.)

Now I can see what I have and easily lift the rod to gain access to any purse my heart desires. I also love the pops of color it adds against the dark gray wall. Who says purses can’t be decor?

Here’s a bit further back. You can even catch a glimpse of the “secret” project for later this week. I can’t wait to share that one with you!

The great thing about using a curtain rod to organize purses is that it’s incredibly adaptable. You can easily find one as narrow or as wide as you need and it would also mount easily to the back of a closet door if you’re short on space. Just make sure to use the correct screws!

And finally, the best part of this project was the price. It was only $6 for each curtain rod! For under $15 I got a customized storage solution. Gotta love that.

What about you? Is there a need for purse storage in your life? I’m all about the pressing issues here.

Obviously.

I am beyond excited to share with you the first completely designed and renovated room in our house…my closet!

I’m really fortunate to not have to share a closet with my husband. I love the guy, but I need all the space I can get. This is the first time in years that I have every single piece of clothing and all my accessories in one place and I have only one word to describe it, heaven.

This week I’ll be posting lots of great tips and tutorials to show you ways to make your own closet (big or small!) just as fabulous. There’s even a surprise project (not shown in the picture) that is so easy and cheap, you’ll call your husband to stop at Home Depot on his way home from work.

Here’s the transformation!

Check back this week for tips on how to paint stripes, loads of organizational ideas and the reveal for that “table” on the left side of the picture.

I’ll tell you this, getting dressing in the morning has never been so much fun.

Today’s post doesn’t have much to do with design or food, but it will save you a good deal of money! I’m all about saving a buck where I can so I can turn around and use it for something fun. Like new curtains. Or a new dishwasher. (Not that either of those things are on my wish list right now.)

I make several batches of this detergent and it lasts us for several months. I’ve tried making homemade liquid detergent, but I found it didn’t work as well and having to deal with a 5-gallon bucket was more than a hassle.

I love that with this recipe, you buy three ingredients, blend and you’re done. Easy! You can find all three ingredients at Publix, Amazon.com and Ingles. What you’ll need is…

Fels-Naptha Soap Bar. { $0.99-$1.25 depending on where you buy }

Borax { $2.00-$4.00 depending on where you by }

Washing Soda { $2.50-$3.50 depending on where you buy }

For one batch, you’ll use the entire bar of soap, but the boxes of Washing Soda and Borax should last you for multiple batches. To make, cut the bar of soap into large chunks and add to a blender. Next, add 1/2 cup of Washing Soda and 1/2 cup of Borax. Blend until well mixed.

Here’s a close-up. The bright yellow is the bar of soap. You can see how blending it gives you nice little flecks throughout the mix. To use, simply add one spoonful to your wash. If the laundry is heavily soiled, add two spoonfuls.

To make the large jar above, I used three bars of soap and 1 1/2 cups each of Borax and Washing Soda. For under $6 I made enough soap to last us for at least 4 months, maybe longer. It works great, I don’t have to coupon for laundry detergent deals and I can save my money for more important things. Like a dishwasher. (*Cough, cough* Justin Smith.)

 { Homemade Laundry Detergent }

1 bar of Fels-Naptha soap

1/2 cup Borax

1/2 cup Washing Soda

Cut soap into chunks and add to blender. Add remaining ingredients and blend until

well combined. To use, add one spoonful to each load of laundry.

Image borrowed from { here }. (Not our actual closet.)

Does this closet remind you of anything? Maybe your own coat closet? This is similar to how our coat closet looked before I got my hands on it. It had one measly shelf hung up high, and lots of wasted space above and below. I’m sure back in the day when everyone wore long trench coats it was handy to have so much hanging space. But today? Well, I think it’s time to re-think coat closets. Here’s our newly re-done coat closet…

Lovely! Originally, that top shelf was the only shelf in the closet. It was hung so high up, it was impossible to have space to organize anything else. We lowered it a good bit and put in an extra shelf for added storage. The box on the left acts as a handy place to store gloves and winter hats and there is plenty of space for all our games. Can you tell we love games?

I think I mentioned how long it took us to clean this house when we moved in, but if not, it took forever. That’s what prompted us to start with the closets. Every bit of shelving had to come out, be cleaned and put back in correctly. They used tiny nails to put everything in. Not correct in the least. While we were re-doing everything, I suggested we paint as well. I picked a nice dark gray that I thought would be an unexpected surprise for a closet. We love it! Oh and ignore the beige walls…they’ll be re-painted to fit the new color scheme down the road.

Even though we lowered the bottom shelf, there is still tons of space to comfortable hang all of our coats. There’s even room for a trench coat or two in the future. You could easily add a rack for shoes on the bottom, but we didn’t need it so I left it empty. It’s all about seeing what you need in your space and customizing it to fit your lifestyle. For us, it was games and jackets. Done and done.

So to recap, here’s the easy way to make-over your coat closet.

1- Lower your shelf! Grab your longest coat and use that to determine just how low you can go.

2- Add more shelves. Home Depot and Lowe’s sell wire shelving for closets. They’ll even cut it in store! We got four shelves to fit in our closet (the extra went into the linen closet) for under $20. Cheap and easy!

3- Organize. Grab a couple inexpensive boxes and get to sorting. Figure out what you want to store and what you need the easiest access to. Items you don’t need all the time go to the top shelf, other items get out within easy reach.

4- Don’t be afraid of color! Closets are the perfect place to inject a bit of color that you wouldn’t normally put into a room.

There you have it, a quick and easy closet make-over you could do in a day and for under $50! The coat closet was just the beginning in our closet make-overs. This week I’ll share the rest of our closet make-overs along with a couple easy recipes that I know you’ll love!

Now it’s your turn…any closet organizing tips you’d like to share?

Today’s post is all about learning what you can do to personalize your space and make life easier in the process. Like I said yesterday, I really do believe that before you can have a beautiful home, you need to have an organized home. Since we’re all different, that will mean different things for each of us. I’ll share what works for me, and hopefully that will inspire you to think of something great that will work with your lifestyle!

Ok, so to set up the first project we tackled, I have to tell you that I wash my hands. A lot. In the course of making dinner I usually wash my hands around 10 times. Crazy, I know. With that said, I needed to find the perfect place to put a towel to dry my hands. It needed to be close to the sink and I didn’t want it hanging off a cabinet knob or directly in front of the sink. (I find I usually bump the towel off constantly when it’s in those locations.) After a quick glimpse around the kitchen, I saw the perfect spot…

It’s unused space, easily reachable from the sink and won’t immediately draw your eyes when you come in the kitchen. Perfect! I initially thought about putting a single hook for a single towel, but then decided to go out of the box. Why not put a whole towel bar? It would fit the space perfectly and give me room for a couple more towels. Justin and I headed to Home Depot and picked up a towel bar and brackets for under $10.

My handyman. Best part is that labor is free.

Tada! A great solution that fits our needs and looks pretty great in the process. I’ve already used the towel bar for a week or so now and love it. It’s really handy having quick access to a few towels. In fact, when I accidental exploded a can of tomatoes all over the kitchen the other night, I was thankful I could snatch up one of the towels to quickly clean up the mess. (Don’t ask.)

The other quick made-our-lives-easier project we tackled was to install a recycling bin. We are serious recyclers around here and can accumulate a lot of recycling throughout the week. In an effort to keep the kitchen clutter-free, I decided to install a recycling bin in one of the cabinets. I made sure to pick a cabinet near the sink (so we could easily rinse items and toss them in the bin) and would ensure a sung fit for the bin. We bought { this } model from The Container Store (on sale of course!) and it was a snap to install. (FYI that is Justin’s leg in the picture. The boy can’t seem to get out of a picture frame to save his life!)

There you have it, two simple projects that have made our lives a bit more organized. I hope this inspires you to look around your own space and see what could use a little organizing!