Wrapping Paper Storage

 We have limited storage in our house, so we try to utilize it the best we can.  Several years ago, I stumbled across an idea for wrapping paper storage.  It's inexpensive and easy.  We use the storage area under our stairs. 

Just slide your rolls behind the electrical wire that is already there.  IF it's not already in place, rig up your own wire like this...

For the longer rolls, we used two wires to help keep them in place.

 

Games on a Ring

I was cleaning my kids' rooms and kept finding flash cards and card games EVERYWHERE!! So, I found an empty box and just started collecting them as I went about my cleaning. When I was done, I was left with a bunch of cards from several different sets...many with no boxes or ones that were so ripped they were useless. I've rubberbanded them together before, but they NEVER end up back together when the kids are done. Over at Brown Paper Packages, I saw a cute Book on a Ring (which I LOVE) and decided to adapt it in order to find a solution to my problem.

You will need your cards, a hole punch (I recommed a Crop-a-Dile if you have one), a marker/pencil, and Album Rings (I used 1 1/2").

Mark the corner of your card so that you know where to punch. Make sure not to punch any words!

Use your hole punch to punch the first card. It then becomes your template to punch the other cards. The crop-a-dile EASILY punches 10+ cards at a time, so feel free to stack them together (making sure they are all lined up the same way).

Put your cards on the ring and you've got one set of cards, all nice at neat!! I did this with flash cards AND games. I plan on keeping the flashcards on the rings and just flipping through them. However, the games (such as matching or memory games) can be taken off and then put back on the ring when you are done playing with them. For now, I just have all the rings of cards in a plastic storage container. Eventually, I have visions of a peg board where they can be hung in reach of the kiddos!

Organizing with baby food jars

My girls' hair stuff was driving me NUTS!!! I found ponies and headbands all over the house and had finally had ENOUGH!! So, I put out a request to friends with little ones for some baby food jars (Thanks, Michelle)!!!

I started by spray painting the lids with Chalkboard Paint. It took two coats and about 24 hours of drying time in the garage.

Then, I put my girls to work gathering every hair accessory they could find!! They sorted them by color and put them in the jars while we were waiting for the paint to dry.

Lids put on...



Used some chalk to label the tops...



Turned out pretty cute, don't you think!!!??? Quick, easy, and budget friendly. Think of all the possibilities with jars, lids, and chalkboard paint. Marbles, rock collections, crafting supplies...you name it!!!

Linking up to:

1. Look What I Made at Creations by Kara

2. Show and Share Day at Just a Girl

Cubbies

Getting 3 kids out of the door and to school, ON time, WITH all of their stuff, isn't an easy task! So, we developed a system using a set of "cubbies" that I bought from a daycare that was upgrading theirs. This has been a lifesaver for our family, so I thought I would share our "system" with you. Each kid has a section of their own. The oldest and youngest have the two outside spots, while my son once again finds himself smack dab in the middle of his sisters!! The other two are for "overflow" or when friends come over.





I used my handy dandy Dymo to label their "space" with their name. Eliminates all squabbles about where stuff belongs (or doesn't). The clear crates are for hats, mittens, scarves, etc. Hooks in the cubbies are for backpacks and coats. A place at the bottom for shoes if they wish. The mesh basket on top is for homework and papers that I need to read/sign. The mesh basket is also labelled with their name AND library and share day info...

I was struggling to keep track of which kid had library books due on which day, so this helps! So, here's how it works.

1. When they get home from school, they enter through the garage (where the cubby is).

2. Hang up coat and put away "stuff". Backback is TOTALLY emptied into the mesh basket. That means all homework, papers, empty lunchboxes, rocks from the playground :), etc.

3. Mom and Dad then empty the mesh baskets...cleaning out lunchboxes, reading/signing papers, and making sure kids do homework.

4. Parents and/or kids put completed homework, signed papers, library books, show and tell items (whatever needs to go to school the next day) back into the baskets. Lunchboxes are put there in the morning if they are taking one.

5. In the morning, the kids take everything that is in their basket and put it into their backpacks and off they go to school. Piece of cake! Seriously, it's made things pretty easy!

Here's the "I'm the parent and it's my job to teach you to be responsible" part. IF we have done our part and gotten everything they need into their baskets and ALL they have to do is put it in their backpack AND they take off to school without grabbing it, then OH WELL! Meaning if we made sure on library day they had both library books in the basket and they went off without getting them and then they call me to ask me to bring them, I don't. I know that might sound mean, but I'm telling you it works. I had 2 kids in school last year, no system...lots of trips to school to deliver homework, lunches, show and tell. This year...twice...once because MOM forgot to put a lunch in the basket and the other because MOM read the note that said it was "pop day" the next day and forgot to go to the store!! ;)

Crafty Storage

Isn't that a clever idea for storing ribbon!!? I found this picture on someone's blog over a year ago. I've been searching to give them credit and can't seem to find it. Sorry. If it's yours, let me know and I will be sure to recognize you!

I was going to do this post on storage ideas for all your crafty items. Like the use of towel bars to store punches. Have you seen this? So cool. And simple. Genious.

ANYWAY, while I was searching for the latest and greatest in storage ideas to share with you. I found a blog that had already done it for us!! It's called Crafty Storage and I plan to spend hours pouring over it when I have more time!! Here's just a small sampling of what is in store for you...

Hats, Mittens, and Scarves...Oh, My!

Please tell me that I'm not the only one that finds hats, coats, mittens, and scarves all over the floor in the winter!! AND none of the mittens matching of course!! ;) See!!?? A basket of "lost" mittens. Really!!? Where are the others!!?? I'm sure they are hanging out with the "lost" socks having a big party somewhere!

Well, I'd finally had enough!! So, I came up with this...

and I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY like it!! An over the door mesh shoe organizer with lots of pockets to put all that stuff that never seems to find a home. No more digging. Everything is sorted. Mittens paired. Each family member has their own row. The kids on the bottom so they can get their own things AND (hopefully) put them away. Adults on the top, so the kids CAN'T reach them. I'm loving it!

How do you organize your winter gear?

I'm addicted...

to my Dymo. I confess. Lock me up if you must.

I asked for this fun little label maker for Mother's Day in hopes that if would get me motivated to organize. It worked! I knew exactly what I wanted to tackle first. The PANTRY!!

When we were house hunting, I instantly fell in love with everything about this house. OK, really I fell in love with the pantry. It was love at first sight. Well, actually 2nd glance because I didn't even SEE it at first.

Isn't that clever!? I opened the cabinet doors expecting to see rows of shelves and instead I am transported into my own secret room!! Seriously, it is the best thing EVER!! HOWEVER...this is the sad part...after a couple of years the clutter of the rest of the house started creeping into my beloved pantry. It didn't bring me that "feeling" anymore, the "spark" was gone. It was time to put some time and effort into the relationship. Time to reconnect, but we needed some outside help. A 3rd party to get us out of this mess...DYMO to the rescue!!!

It was so fun (really it was) and only took me a couple of days to complete (yes, this is WITH the interruptions that come along with having 3 children in the house). I started by grouping like items together...canned food, baking goods, cereal, drinks. THEN, I divided them into even more specific groupings. Canned food was put on the shelves and labelled as "Canned Veggies", "Canned Fruit", "Cream Soup", "Beans", etc. Cereal was labelled as "Cold Cereal" and "Hot Cereal" (oatmeal, cream of wheat, Malt-o-Meat). Baking goods ended up with labels such as "Sugar", "Flour", "Pie Filling", "Boxed Cakes, and "Pudding". You get the idea.

Another suggestion is to use plastic containers and baskets to store items in. I put all of our cookie cutters into a small plastic bin. Sprinkles and food coloring in one and spice packets in another. I used a basket to store bread, which keeps it from getting smashed. I also used a basket to store our dry pasta that comes in bags instead of boxes.

As I was doing this, I thought about which items we used the most and put them at eye level. The items that weren't used on a daily basis (cookie cutters, cake pans, jello molds) were put on the top shelves. I also put items that my kids could help themselves to (snacks, crackers, juice boxes) down on their level. Speaking of kids, they really enjoyed "helping" with this as well. Hence, the "PB&J" label as seen below.

Oh, looks like we are out of jelly. Better write it on the shopping list. Yes, all this crazy obsessive labelling has made it so easy to figure out what we need at the store. We just walk in, find a space with nothing in it and read the label to see what we are out of. AND when it comes time to put away the groceries the kids can't WAIT to do it. Not kidding. They love reading the labels and knowing EXACTLY where to put something. It's like a game to them. Who knew all of this was wrapped into one little label maker!!?? It's so great to have that "spark" back again!!