Functional and Fabulous with Aby + giveaway!
I’m beyond over the moon excited today to have Professional Organizer, Aby Garvey guest posting. Keep reading and you’ll quickly see why!
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Hi Org Junkie blog readers! I’m Aby from Simplify 101 and I’m so excited to be guest blogging today! I’m happy to share with you a little taste of simplify 101 and the idea of creative organizing-something I hold near and dear to my heart.
We all know how great an organized space can feel, right? But with a small dose of creativity you can take an organized space from functional to fabulous! Infusing your organizing projects with creativity ensures you’ll love the results even more, which means you’re much more likely to keep your organized space organized. And best of all-adding creativity to your projects is super simple to do and lots of fun, too!
Speaking of fun, that’s something else we believe in at simplify 101. Getting organized is fun in and of itself, but it’s even more fun to get organized in the company of friends. I’ve created a series of online workshops with these ideas in mind…creative organizing solutions, having fun, getting things done, all while sharing the journey with a supportive and inspiring community. Sound fun to you, too? You can learn more about my workshops here.
Today I’m going to share a simple project that will help you organize some paper clutter using a few basic craft supplies. Organizing paper clutter happens to be the topic of my upcoming online workshop, by the way, and in each workshop I share ideas for organizing your space so it is functional and works well for you, but also so you love how it looks. This decoupage technique is one I’ve used to add a splash of creativity to all sorts of organizing projects in my home-from clipboards to drawers to the magnets I’m sharing today. So once you master the technique, you can add a creative touch to all sorts of organizing projects around your home.
Here’s the project:
The initial magnets on these chalk boards started out as plain wooden letters from Michael’s. Using a few basic craft supplies, I’ve dressed them up and turned them into a functional message board for my family. Each family member has their own magnet board, denoted by their initial. This new addition to our family command center is designed to make it easier (and more fun!) to keep track of household chores and to-dos.
Here’s how to make your own…
1. Collect your supplies. For this project you need a magnetic chalk board, wooden letters, craft glue stick, patterned scrapbook paper, a craft knife and cutting mat, a foam sanding block or an Emory board, magnets, a strong adhesive, a clamp, decoupage and a foam brush.
2. Glue patterned paper to wooden letters. Using the craft glue stick, adhere your patterned scrapbook paper to your wooden letters. Make sure to completely cover the tops of the wooden letters, and then, rub firmly with your hands to ensure adequate adhesion.
3. Cut letters out using craft knife. Turn the letters face down onto your cutting mat, and trim the excess patterned paper away the edges of your wooden letters.
4. Sand edges for a worn look. Using your sanding block and / or Emory board, sand the edges of the patterned paper on your letters. This will give the edges of your letters a weathered look, and will also help smooth out any rough edges caused while cutting with your craft knife. (If you have some tight spots in your letters, such as the center, cut your Emory board into skinnier sections using scissors.)
5. Glue magnets to your letters. Next, glue a magnet (or two) to the back of your wooden letters using your strong adhesive. I used some super-strong magnets, which require super-strong glue (so the magnet doesn’t fall off the letter when you remove it from the magnet board.) Follow your glue manufacturer’s instructions, and once your glue is dry move onto step 6.
6. Apply decoupage to the top of your patterned paper. I like the matte finish decoupage-it protects the surface of your paper and gives it a nice but not too glossy finish. Now, the trick with decoupage is to use super thin coats. If you use too much decoupage your paper can get too wet and may wrinkle or bubble-up. Trust me this isn’t the look you’re going for. ;) So go really, really thin with the decoupage, like such a thin coat you can barely see it. Then, let the decoupage dry for 15 to 20 minutes and then add a second coat.
7. Set up and use your magnet board. All that’s left to do now is hang up your magnet board and start using your family message center!
I hope you enjoyed this creative organizing project!
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Now time for the giveaway! Aby is offering a free seat in her upcoming Organize Your Paper Clutter workshop that begins on July 14th and ends September 1st. You’ll receive class materials in all sorts of formats (including audio), ongoing support from Aby herself as well as worksheets and projects to inspire you into action. For a sneak peek into how Aby’s workshops run, please watch this quick video.
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY
Organizing as a distraction
Yesterday my heart was heavy with some things and to distract myself from the burden of thinking about it too much, I dealt with it the junkie way. The organizing junkie way that is :) That’s right, I distracted myself with some wonderfully intoxicating organizing juices. I found myself with a morning of no commitments so I immediately started flitting about my house looking for my next “hit”.
I found it in my youngest son’s room.
Recently he has gone through a growth spurt and I’ve been noticing that his pants have been a little on the short side. So I delved into his closet where I keep some totes filled with the blessings of hand me down clothing. It was so relaxing to zone out and think about nothing else except my task at hand. I got completely into it, organizing old clothes into piles such as toss, consign, donate and organizing “new” clothes into his drawers. I was even able to lose one tote all together by hanging up all the next to fit size of clothing into his closet.
It was the perfect project for a little distraction and although this particular task didn’t take more than maybe an hour I immediately felt better when it was done….space wise and emotionally.
Got too much on your mind?
Zone out for a little while by taking your own “hit” of pure organizing bliss. You’ll be glad you did and you might even find yourself looking for it again and again :)
Don’t look up…..
I go walking with a girlfriend a few mornings a week. We move at a good pace and about half way through we start our journey up a pretty impressive hill. The sidewalk looms ahead of us and doesn’t appear to end. My heart sinks in despair and I begin to drag my feet. As I look ahead at the distance we still have to go I quickly become discouraged and tired. My girlfriend takes the stroller from me half way up to give me a break and eventually we arrive at the top. It feels like it took forever.
Then last week as we started the trek up the hill I got so engrossed in the conversation we were having that I was completely taken by surprise when I realized we’d already reached the top. My girlfriend said to me “look at that, I didn’t even have to take the stroller for you this time”. She was right and I wasn’t even as tired as I usually am. I thought about it for a few moments and it occurred to me that I had been so focused on our conversation that I didn’t have a chance to dwell on what was still to come. I’d kept my eyes down and stayed focused in the moment and not beyond that. What a difference!
If you think about it organizing is very similar to this. Sometimes we get so overwhelmed and discouraged by all we have to do that we simply drag our feet and do nothing. We look around at our spaces and think I’m never going to get to the end. It’s frustrating and draining when the task ahead seems to be more than we can handle.
However today I want to encourage you to keep your eyes down, focusing only on the task at hand. Don’t let the “hill” keep you from taking the necessary steps to move forward. If you are looking at a room that you want to organize, start with a drawer, move to the next drawer, work your way around the room one step at a time.
Just don’t look up, keep moving and before you know it you’ll be at the top giving yourself a pat on the back. You’ll look back on the path you traveled and feel mighty proud of yourself.
And so you should.
You did it!
Try it, you might like it!
This weekend I purchased a new cookie jar but when I got home and filled it up with homemade cookies I decided I didn’t want to just tuck it into the corner. I wanted to display the loveliness of the new cookie jar. Well okay that and the small simple fact that hello I’M BAKING! That fact alone excites me to no end considering the disasters of my past. Ever since I got me a brand new pretty apron, I’ve all of a sudden become Miss Domesticated. Not domesticated as in everything is turning out roses but just domesticated as in “look at me, I’m actually in the kitchen…BAKING!” The excitement, it’s sometimes just to much. And yes my cookies are flat but I’m totally blaming it on my baking soda.
Okay where was I? Oh yes where to put the new cookie jar. Well I got to looking around my kitchen and decided I needed to free up some counter space which led to me thinking of ways I could get my microwave off the counter. Microwaves just take up so much darn space don’t they. After a couple of different configurations of moving things here, there and everywhere I’ve decided on this:
That is my tea cart which many of you will remember from the tour I gave of my dining room here. I don’t know if I’ll keep it like this or not but I’m going to give it a test drive for a week and see how it goes. For now I’m enjoying the additional space on my counter top.
(In case you are wondering why I have two toasters, one is for my gluten free son.)
Oh and here is the corner where the tea cart used to be.
I know it doesn’t look like a big change but even a small change such as this makes the place feel fresh and new and energizes me to want to do more. It’s amazing how addicting this organizing and re-arranging thing can be once you get started. I’m the kind of person that gets an idea but doesn’t really know if I’m going to like it or not until I actually move it and see it in place. I’m a visual girl that way. Don’t be afraid to take a tour of your house and switch things up a little once and awhile. You may end up discovering a new system that makes life just that much easier for you.
And if that fails, well you can always head on into the kitchen to do some baking!
Product Highlight ~ Cansolidator
In all the kitchen organizing going on out there I’ve noticed a few of you using this lovely little gadget for organizing your cans in your pantry. I thought I’d share it here today as a product highlight in case some of you haven’t heard about it. It looks like a great option for organizing all your cans especially if you don’t have pull out drawers in your cabinets. It’s called the Cansolidator. It accommodates different sizes of cans and it rotates which is just ever so convenient.
My new friend, Leigh Anne, purchased these at Costco not to long ago and used them in her pantry. You’ll have to go on over to her site (she has a wonderful blog and such a beautiful family!) to see how it looks. She did an awesome job pulling it all together. Leigh Anne tells me that the Cansolidator is about $10.00 cheaper at Costco then it is online. I’m not sure if these are available in Canada yet as I don’t live anywhere near a Costco (imagine!) so hopefully one of my Canadian friends will let us know in the comments.
If you’ve used the Cansolidator to organize your pantry and have posted about it, let me know and I’ll be happy to link to you here.
Have a great weekend everyone!!
Updated: Becca from Ramblings of all Sorts also uses these in her pantry. Looks awesome!! Go here to take a look.
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