Organizing My Mess

With children it is very easy to have clutter. The Hubbs and I moved into our current residence because it was bigger than our old apartment. At our old apartment we had things on top of things due to our baby girl being born, but I think we could have made it work if we were a bit more organized. I was determined not to let that happen here, therefore I have follow a few simple rules to help myself.
First rule, is to "declutter" for 15 minutes every day and only 15 minutes. Each day I do a different area like my make-up station, garage aka the toy room, the closets, under the sinks, and especially the kitchen table. I make sure and do this with the areas that really need to be clean. This has helped me a lot to keep my house looking clean and you be surprised how great it feels.
Second rule, is to organize myself with simple tips I find on Pinterest or other blogs. For example, I purchased shower curtain rods to hang all of my handbags in my closet instead of having them scattered all over my closet. Another thing I did was to purchase a large plastic bin to put toys my kids don't play with. Little by little I sort out the toys and once it is full I donate them to my church. I'll make sure and take pictures once I get more done.
The last, but probably most important rule I created for myself was to make a to-do list. Some of the things on my list don't get done for a while, but having them on there is a reminder that they still need to get done. As a stay at home mom people automatically assume you have a lot of time on your hands, but that's not always the case with cooking, cleaning and running around after the kids. Therefore, we always need to find new ways to make it work and make life simpler. Every once in a while I will share new tips with you and if you have any share them with me.

DIY Pen & Pencil Holder

I'm excited because next week is spring break for my son, therefore life will be a bit less hectic, hopefully. I will have more time to do some of my projects, which I'm sure my son will love to help out with. I'm on a mission to get my little craft station organized. Right now I have things all over the place and it bugs me.

I needed something to keep my pens, pencils, markers, scissors and brushes sorted out. I also wanted to make some sort of container(s) to my liking, like I did here for my Scrapbooking paper. I came up with a super cheap idea that was incredibly easy to make. All I used were a few cans of Pringles chips, which I had already collected for another project, Modge Podge, Scrapbooking Paper, and scissors.



I first cut the Pringles cans to the size that I wanted (You can make them as tall or as short as you want).



Select the color of scrapbook paper that you want and measure according to your can size. Paste around your can with your modge podge using a brush or sponge brush.



I left a little extra paper at the top, so that I could cover the rough edges where I cut the can. I then added modge podge to the extra little bit of paper and I folded the edge towards the inside of the can. It gives it a better look. Once you do this you're pretty much done.




Now my son has requested some for his desk, so it's a project I plan on doing with him during spring break. You can also use these as make-up brush holders or add a magnet to your can an pin it on your refrigerator to hold pens for quick notes. It was a cheap project that gives my craft station some much needed organization and great personal touch. My station is looking up if I do say so myself.