Closet Makeover…Perfect for Scrapbooking

Hi everyone! Two years ago I painted my daughter Courtney's room from her favorite hot pink when she was younger to a more neutral gray that she likes now as an adult.

Here's the before…

and after…

The sad part now is…she moved into her own apartment.

The closet is empty, I can finally paint the inside to cover the last of the hot pink!

I've kept the room as a bedroom for when they come back to visit or for guests, but I am utilizing the closet to keep ALL of the memorabilia things I have saved for years and years. All the souvenirs, tickets stubs, vacation memories, school souvenirs and so much more.

Come in to see if you can do something similar in your home…

Organized Broom Closet...

Hi everyone!! This summer has been so crazy, but I think I'm back to blogging all the time now! Moving kids in, moving kids out, graduations, packing, unpacking, family reunions etc has made this the busiest summer that I can remember. For the last 10 days, we've been in Florida. We brought our daughter Kelsie down to her internship in Disney World. We drove 2 cars down, so she can have a car for the 5 months that she's there. We just drove back to Rhode Island late Saturday night…long haul going down and the worst traffic coming back. I've never seen so many cars in all my life and we've driven to Disney world several times since the girls were little. I have have a few pictures to share from our trip, but I have to organize those before I do.

Today, I have some pictures of a closet re-do that I did earlier in the summer, so I though I'd share them with you. A couple tips and tricks to organize a small hallway closet that I keep changing around.

Here's the original coat closet…I now have coat hooks on the wall of the back hallway for our coats. My family hangs things more on hooks than they do on coat hangers. I have also have a closet in that back hall for guest coats too, if needed.

For the last few years, our house has been full of people, moving in and moving out. We always needed lots of food around, so I converted the coat closet to an extra food storage pantry. It worked great for a long time. Now, Courtney and Courtland have moved into their own apartment, Kelsie has graduated from college and is in Florida and her friend Emily who lived with us, has moved back home. I really miss having them here because we love a busy house, but this much food isn't necessary for just my husband and myself.

If you'd like to visit this post for all the food storage organizing tips you can CLICK HERE.

So here is the re-do (for now, lol)…a broom closet! It's nice to have things all in one place. Before, I had things hanging on the walls going down to our basement.

Come in and see the changes and little things that might help you too!

Closet Organizing…Peg Board Wall

A few weeks ago, I had mentioned I was cleaning and organizing the basement. One area was my father's old workbench that he doesn't use any more, because can't go up and down the stairs. Well, there were 2 sheets of pegboard that weren't being used, so I unscrewed them from the wall and brought them upstairs to my master bedroom closet!

One afternoon of a big mess, one hour of hell trying to find the studs in the wall, one wonderful husband who helped me with it all and we finally have this...

I hope some of the tips will be helpful for you too…

Organized Winter Coat Closet…Tips and Tricks

Hi everyone! Living in the northeast is wonderful for all the changes in the seasons. However, winter can be rough and this year is no exception. We've had a few snow storms and temps in the single digits, so we need to dress in layers!

Here is the storm we had yesterday and another big one on the way Wednesday!

In a house with 5 adults, winter attire is everywhere. Here's where we store all the must haves…

Come on in for a few organizing tips.

Organized Food Pantry...From a Coat Closet

I had promised at the start of the New Year that we were going to get organized together...one spot in the house at a time. Today...it's the food pantry or food closet as we call it.

Our house was built in 1975, so big walk in food pantries weren't even a thought. We needed a spot for extra food storage or bigger items, but upstairs for easy access.

This little coat closet is by our front door,  just around the corner from the kitchen...perfect for a "pantry"

Thrifty Thursday...Closet Organizing

Thrifty Thursday is usually about using things we already have or at least something cheap, cheap. Click here for all past Thrifty Thursdays (this post will show up too, so scroll down if you click over there).

Today's thrifty find is actually "space"...finding more free space in our homes. There are areas throughout our houses that we are not utilizing to their full capacity. I found that space behind a closet door!!

Laundry Room..Not Big, Not Pretty, Not A Room, But Organaized

Laundry Rooms...Would I love a big room to wash, dry, fold all in one place? A laundry "room" to paint, decorate and make look like my dining room? Absolutely!! I love all the laundry rooms I see online filled with baskets and beautiful glass jars filled with your cleaning essentials.

However, I have a laundry closet and I love it just as much! I sooo appreciate that my laundry closet is upstairs right off my kitchen. Would I love it in my master bedroom closet...YES, but that's not happening any time soon either! So when you have ordinary like me...make it FUNCTIONAL and ORGANIZED!!

Here she is in all her glory! Our washer broke down so we bought a new one. Then the dryer went 6 months later. They changed the design of the set in that 6 months, so now they don't match :( 

In the past it would have bothered me, but now all I care is that they wash and dry for me!! LOL

Here's a little walk through. Maybe you can use a few of the ideas in your laundry space! Notice I said "space" not room.

The shelf on top holds all those things you looks for in the basement or the "Junk Drawer". The far left has plastic storage boxes and the middle has wooden wine bottle boxes.

The boxes hold all different kinds of things...labeled so everyone can find stuff.

All different lengths of extension cords...

Batteries...buying batteries to my husband is like buying fabric to me!

Phone accessories and computer cords...

mouse traps / ant cups and timers...

The wooden wine bottle boxes hold flash lights, surge bars and bug sprays.

I also added a small piece of peg board. Did you know they come in pre-cut smaller pieces at the hardware store?

The peg board holds all the little tools that you might need for small projects, but don't want to go in the basement or out in the garage to get them!

One tip...for tools that don't have something to hang them with...just add a string or zip tie. Hangs easily from the peg board now!

Every square inch is used. Added small shelves to the sides to hold soaps, bleach etc.

The under the shelf basket is for...you guessed it...the missing socks! What is up with that?? Where do they go? I can't throw them out either, because I keep thinking they'll turn up in some one's drawer, under their bed or in their gym bag!

The other side hold dryer sheets and the light bulb boxes. Again, my husband's other buying habit...light bulbs.

Well, it's not a room, it's not pretty, but we know where stuff is and our clothes are clean!! LOL

How's your laundry room, closet, area doing?

Happy organizing if you get the chance,
~Karen~

Tool Time Tuesday...Eliminate Hanger Crease

Can you picture me every time I'm in any store? I'm the one with the far off look on my face, deep in thought. I walk very slowly and look closely at every item. When I'm shopping...I'm thinking Tool Time!!
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When I saw these polyethylene pipe insulation tubes (first picture below), I knew one day they would be a blog post. What is polyethylene...it's a foam that they use for everything from cushioning items in packing, to insulating pipe, to pool noodles. They use it for everything.
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Today, I will be using the foam tubing they use to insulate plumbing pipes. It keeps the pipes from freezing. They are in hardware stores and I even found this one in a discount store. They are cheap, cheap! I paid 95 cents for this piece. They usually come in 6 foot length and are hollowed out in the center usually sized in the diameter of the pipe. I have seen 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch size. They also have a pre cut slice down one side to easily wrap around the pipe. I think it's best to go with the 1/2 inch. The measurement is for the pipe that goes inside the hollow center.
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Ok, enough of the description...onto today's project.
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Here's the 6 foot length of insulation tubing.
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This is the pre cut slit on one side.

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For this Tool time, all you will need is a coat hanger and scissors.

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Measure the tubing up to your coat hanger. Depending on the hanger size, you can probably cut 5 pieces from the tubing.

The tubing cuts very easily with scissors.

Open up the sliced edge and...
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just slip in your coat hanger. Once you start to use your hangers (examples below), you may need a spot of hot glue so the tubing won't spin on the hanger once the item is on it.
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spaceNow, here you have it. A covered coat hanger that prevents the dreaded (maybe only dreaded to me though) coat hanger crease! Don't think I'm nuts, but I hate those crease marks.
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spaceHere is the first example of how it can help. My husband's suit pants will no longer have that wrinkled line across the knee that I have to iron out whenever he wears them. The roundness of the tubing keeps the pants smooth.
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I also like it for my table cloths. I'll have my Thanksgiving table cloths all ready to go when I need them and no lines every where.
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The last idea might be the best for quilters. Do you have seasonal quilts that you store a way when not in use. Well, to keep those unwanted fold lines away, just hang your quilts on the tubing!!! This is really great for wall hangings too.
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The way I figure it, one plastic coat hanger is under 10 cents a piece, because you buy them by the bunch. The tubing is mostly under $1.00, so each section is about 20 cents. So for a total of 30 cents, you have something like those expensive trouser hangers. Even those trouser hangers still give you the "Dreaded Crease"...say crease with an echo...it has more drama than just a post about a hanger!!
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Have a wonderful Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday....I like that echoing special effect,

~Karen~