Time off = organizing the house! Tutorial on creating cute and cheap organizing 'baskets'

I have been enjoying time off maybe a little too much.  I have been getting up early to enjoy my coffee and quiet time in the house, then working hard at re-organizing the mess that I call my home.   It is way, way overdue, and I am thankful for time to work on it.  It is going to make my life so much easier in the long run

The first day I wanted to begin to tackle the kitchen.  I had seen people organize their cupboards and pantries with baskets and I had a thought.  I am a little bit of a hoarder...hehe...in that I love to keep old boxes, tins, etc to reuse.  So, I went in the craft closet and found some boxes perfect for the job.  

First, I needed to paint them.  Good ol' spray paint to the rescue!  I chose the vintage-y green, as I thought it would match the new dishes (even though they are not in the same area...hehe.)

Then I went and bought these handy dandy metal book plates at the local JoAnns (which is not only where my hubby works, but also a 7 minute walk from my house...I know, I am a lucky girl!)

This is what I started with....

But then had the idea (I am sure I saw it on the box or something) to put ribbon through the holes like this:

So it would then look like this!

To make sure they would end up staying, I added a little glue to the back.  Any kind will work.  I had already tied the book plate around the back of the box, then kind of flipped it in place to get some glue on it, and then flipped it back.  The ribbon helped keep it in place while the glue dried.

And here are some of the almost done pieces!  In the forefront is the tied ribbon on the back of each box.

Ta da!  I think they came out great!

Finally, here is the finished product!  (Well, basically...forgot to insert the tags in a few of those book plates...hehe.)

But the book plates are perfect to give the family the labeling and organization they need to keep things in better order...something we desperately needed in the kitchen!

Happy organizing!

Ash

Antiquing in Coburg, Oregon

Recently we made a mini-trip out to a neighboring tiny city, Coburg, Oregon.  They have many cute little antique shops there, and I had to share some of the things I found to be extra interesting.

Ok...this was something I really had to tell myself that I did not need.  But I totally had this colorfoms playset as a kid!  Sometimes I wish I'd held onto things like this...but then again I might have become a hoarder if I had.

I just loved this set.  With things coming in disposable containers now, we rarely put up things like oil and vinegar in a nice container.  I am still contemplating this set, as I am trying harder to purchase things in bulk and cut down on my footprint on the earth.

And speaking of throwing things away now...check this out!  These were so interesting to me!  They are little metal disks that you put over holes in your pots and pans so you could fix them, rather than toss them. 

Hmmm...I think I have a theme here.  I mean, who saves old cardboard items?  Yet I was all about these.  The strawberry containers were covered in wax to keep them stiff and sterile.  I love the retro look.  And the egg container...would be perfect for my girls' eggs!

Hope you are getting out and enjoying new (and old) things this summer!

Ash

On the road

Not much new, but had to share this beautiful view on my drive to Bend this last Thursday:

It was beautiful!  A little hard to drive in, but very picturesque.

I also had to share this awesome little basket I saw.  I think my sis and I may have to try something like this out:

So many ideas out there for recycling!

Have a good week!

Ash

How to Reuse Books (with pictures) - wikiHow

I really like this post. Here are some really cool ways to recycle old books into something really cool and new!

How to Reuse Books (with pictures) - wikiHow