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Happy Monday!

How was your Christmas holiday?  I am still in a cookie coma and have a fun filled week planned with the kiddos, however, it dawned on me this weekend that it was time for our final link party of the year!  Let's end the year on a high note!


I don't know about you, but I LOVE this time of the month when you get to stop by and share your organizing projects with me!  You can see many of the projects submitted last month in the recap post here.  I think that will sum up the importance of these challenges and why I absolutely LOVE when you take a moment to share your projects with this amazing community.  And remember, I love seeing anything and everything from organizing a purse or drawer to making over a closet or piece of furniture. 

It has continued to be busy around here as we finished up a few organizing projects and even a master bedroom refresh to ramp up for our big kitchen update.  Here is a round-up of some of our favorite projects since our previous link party.



Knowing that our kitchen was about to be ripped to pieces, I knew we would crave a relaxing place to rest our heads in-between demo and installation.  A little master bedroom and dressing room update and now we struggle to get out of bed to work on the kitchen.  Funny how that goes, isn't it?!


And you can find out how we saved on that refresh here.



I was so honored when Home Depot offered to work with me on a fun painting project.  I instantly jumped at the opportunity to finish up a gallery wall we have been planning for years.



Although it took us over a year to organize all of our storage areas (closets, garage, shed and storage room), we finally did it!  It was my goal to have our storage room organized with all of our tools for the kitchen renovation, and that was the final space to complete before kicking off our biggest project yet.  It was such a victory for us, we are still celebrating the outcome!



In-between finishing our storage room and putting a hole in our wall, I took a few days to head to Texas.  There was no lounging about it, I was there to work with a dear friend to organize her office / guest room.  We were both thrilled with the opportunity to collaborate, and I was so sad to leave her (and her amazing space)!



The holidays decided to sneak up on us, so we began decking the halls and walls.  This year I was all about quick and easy projects and I kicked things off with some no sew embellished kitchen towels.



As far as decking the halls was concerned, we decided to let it snow!



And to deck the walls we went with some glam diy gold foil art.



We shared the remainder of our simplified holiday decorating here.



Along with all of the fun projects we have been working on, I also finished my five year blogiversary series.  If you are looking to catch up on some behind the scenes blog reading, you can check those posts out here:

• A Day in Our Life
• The Bread & Butter of the Blog
• 10 Things I Have Learned Along the Way
• Photography Tips & Tricks (new!)

Now, it is your turn to link up and share your favorite projects with me!



As always, an over-sized thank you to all who participate in these challenges.  Checking out your posts is my guilty pleasure every month, so bring it on!  This month I will also be sharing some of your projects via social media and as always, will be doing a recap at the end of the party.


Psssst!  I can't begin to express to you how excited and grateful I am for the number of inquiries I received in response to my call for 2015 contributors!  I received such an overwhelming response, I have been making sure to give each submission my full attention.  I hope to have decisions made and emails sent within the next few days.  Smooches to everyone that took time to write in!


IHeart Organizing is not responsible for the content uploaded and shared within the Monthly Link Parties on within the #wiorn hashtag feed.  However, it is a great way to join together in making organizing fun, so let's use our best internet etiquette and have a great time with this social party.

It has been awhile since we have taken time to link up and celebrate your organizing projects!  Are you ready for some fun!?


I don't know about you, but I LOVE this time of the month when you get to stop by and celebrate your organizing projects with me!  It has been almost two months since our last link party {seriously, how does that happen!?}, so there should be plenty for you to share!  And remember, I love seeing anything and everything from organizing a purse or drawer to making over a closet or piece of furniture.

Here is a quick re-cap of some of our favorite projects since our last round-up.

• Although we were focusing heavily on getting through a lot of unfinished projects, like the front porch, main bath and garage, with the kids home for summer break my studio moved to the top of the list.  I needed a bigger work station and STAT, so we did just that!  Bryan and I built a new farmhouse style desk and I am gaga over the larger size and ability to really spread out each day!  Now, to finish staining it so I can call the project d.o.n.e.
• Once we had the new, larger workspace in place, that meant we no longer needed the oh-so-confining small desk any longer.  To add a little extra softness and seating, we also built and upholstered a new bench!  I knew we would love it, but it has gotten more use by my little guys than I ever could have imagined.  

 

• While I pondered the finish I wanted to use on the new desk, I turned my energy to finally getting the garage FINISHED.  Almost two years in the works and it was moving at a turtle pace.  To re-excite myself, I focused my attention on a happy nook for the boys.  Something about all of the colors, toys and labels made me fall in love with the garage project again, and this new outdoor toy zone has made for smoother summer days.
• Another garage helper was installing a wall system to hold all of our bikes.  In the past, adult bikes were on the ceiling and kids were pretty much wherever they landed.  Now, they are all off of the floor, yet simple to access for everyone.  A huge garage win! 

• All of our hard work has FINALLY paid off!  The garage can now fit both of our vehicles, all of our toys and sports equipment and offers oodles of upper storage for all of those bulky, less frequently used items.  We have since hosted an epic birthday party bash and I find myself just standing in the center gazing all around me in pure joy.  The garage is such an extension of the home and I now feel like we are really able to make the most of it.  You can see all of our progress in this post here.
• Another weight lifted was giving our garden shed some love and attention.  In the past it was used for storage of random items and building supplies.  Totally not functioning and I honestly didn't even know what was in there more of the time.  Now, it has a specific purpose and I can use it for both yard and garden storage and planting.  Plus, getting this done opened up even more space in our garage.  

• We are big believers in balancing those huge home projects with happy little side projects.  Those larger projects can take so much time and can drag out for days, months and even years.  I like small spurts of success and accomplishment sprinkled in, so I tackled a few creative storage solutions as well.  My DIY bracelet holder brings a little smile to my morning routine, and keeps all of my bangles on display.
• This color loving gal had a white tray that was begging for some pizzazz.  I tried out a marbling technique with nail polish and it was so totally awesome {said in my high-school voice}.  Now my desk has a little added flair which I just adore.

• I am a huge fan of using what you have to organize, or getting creative with recycled materials.  Our junk drawer was in need of a few extra dividers so I whipped some up out of spare scrapbook paper.  A simple, easy and free storage solution that can be used in many drawer types or even left out on desk tops! {tutorial found here}
• For those of you with rolls of that pretty tape sitting on your desk, I pulled together my favorite ways to organize with Washi tape.

Now, it is your turn to link up and share your favorite projects with me!



As always, an over-sized thank you to all who participate in these challenges.  Checking out your posts is my guilty pleasure every month, so bring it on!  This month I will also be sharing some of your projects via social media and as always, will be doing a recap at the end of the party.

IHeart Organizing is not responsible for the content uploaded and shared within the Monthly Link Parties on within the #wiorn hashtag feed.  However, it is a great way to join together in making organizing fun, so let's use our best internet etiquette and have a great time with this social party.

I feel like I host these challenges fairly frequently, yet my jaw fell to the floor when I realized that it was December when I last challenged you to do a little organizing and projecting and then share it here.  Oh my!  January was the month of organization, so I am betting that a few of you are ready for today!  And if not?  No worries, you have another month before the party ends.  But it can't end if it hasn't even begun yet, so.....


So what have you all been up to?  Closet takeovers?  Drawer cleanings?  Cabinet organizing?  Furniture building?  I can't wait to see!

I just shared a tiny bit of all of the awesomeness from the last link party here, and I know I have said it before, but I will say it again.  I really love these parties and having a moment to read about YOU!  I know link parties have been a bit over done throughout the years, but I truly enjoy checking in on projects being created by others.  Reading stories of trials and triumphs.  Celebrating with you.  Crying with you... Tears of joy of course! 

So what have we been up to since the previous link party?

We typically flutter around the house and do projects based on a need change or a frustration or just out of preference, but there is generally a lot of variety in what we tackle.  However, this year we kicked off a kitchen renovation that has been taking up all of our time, budget and energy.  So I made a goal of staying truly focused on a single space (the kitchen), while also allowing myself to stray and implement quick little organizing hits around the house each week.  Those smaller organizing projects are not typically DIY's or costly, but still needed to make a small difference in how our home functions.  So far, it has been a pretty nice balance.  Let's take a moment to quickly recap our projects big and small over the past two months.

Just before we gutted our kitchen to blank floors and studs, I took time to update our home tour with details from our previous kitchen space.  It was nice to have a memory just before we made it a giant mess.


Isn't that refreshing?  It lasted a whole minute and then it was time to demo that wall!  The entire kitchen demolition was a bit slow going.  I was waiting for Jonathan and Drew to come in and rescue us and make things happen with the snap of their fingers.  No such luck. 


A week after the last floor staple was pulled, I put in the last nail of our new ceiling planks.  Although not at all pretty yet, they really started unifying our two spaces.


Then came the glorious faux beams!  We heart those beams to the moon and back!


And then hearted those same beams to the end of the universe and back once they were painted!  Having the walls patched and painted was also a giant leap in the project!  Although the verdict is still out on the wall color, it is growing on us more and more each day.  We will wait until everything is in place before doing something drastic and painting again.


The following week we started installing our IKEA cabinets, and although it was a pretty straight-forward process, we shared a few things we learned along the way.


And as we wait for our center island, we shared a few smaller updates we made with moulding, lighting, our dishwasher and more lovely cabinets.  Yummy.


I keep stepping in my own drool puddles as I gaze at our new open space.  And to keep a nice balance of giant projects and itty bitty organizing updates, here are a few quick tips we shared as well:
Now, it is your turn to link up and share your favorite projects with me and the rest of this fab community (the last organizing challenge had 58,000 views!).


As always, an over-sized thank you to all who participate in these challenges.  Checking out your posts is my guilty pleasure every month, so bring it on!  This month I will also be sharing some of your projects via social media and as always, will be doing a recap at the end of the party.


IHeart Organizing is not responsible for the content uploaded and shared within the Monthly Link Parties on within the #wiorn hashtag feed.  However, it is a great way to join together in making organizing fun, so let's use our best internet etiquette and have a great time with this social party.

I couldn't be more excited about the change I made to our Master Bathroom space this week.  It is the end of week three of the four week "Wait No More Challenge!", and I have been checking off some major "to do's" from our list.  In fact, each week our lives have gotten better and happier as I tackle the major home-front pains we have been feeling.


This update has been a long time coming, as our Master Bathroom is used multiple times per day, yet has really suffered some neglect.  My youngest started getting in a habit of using our bathroom and many of his belongings were taking over...


OK, not a cool mom move.  Majority of the mess was mine, his bathroom belongings were a minimal part of the problem.


You can read about the planning process here.  I started by removing everything not affixed to the floor, and even gave the room a fresh coat of paint to tone things down a bit.


The update to the paint color made SUCH a fabulous difference.  The entire room felt twice as big and so much more spa like.  The next step was to address the dirty grout, a little Grout Renew made another big difference.


Although I really wanted to freshen up this space and prolong a down-the-road bathroom renovation, I didn't want to spend a fortune.  I purchased two new shelf brackets, two storage boxes and two glass canisters.  The rest of the changes came as a result of shopping our home and doing a major decluttering and organizing session. 


Hello beautiful new-old bathroom!  Such a difference a day makes!


A reader asked what I do with old decor as I switch things around, I will cover all of those details in a future post, but look at the benefit of getting creative with things you already have.  The mirror was in our Master Bedroom, but I feel like it was always meant to be here.  I couldn't be more smitten about the natural wood paired with the new wall color.  Sure, it will drive a game of musical mirrors, but a little change is a good thing.


The previous wall shelf was so shallow, it couldn't hold most of our main bathroom items.  After I purged everything down, I realized I didn't really need it at all any longer.  But I did want to fill the space above the toilet with a place for greens, a candle and cotton swabs.  I purchased two new gorgeous shelf brackets and for the shelf we cut down a piece of wood we already had.


I dug out a spare frame and printed one of my own photos to use as inexpensive art.  The photo is of a peony in our backyard, the greens are from the same peony bush.


I did purchase two canisters from Target to use for cotton products.  I had my eyes on these, but didn't want to shell out the extra cash just to have gold lids.  So the ones from Target received a coat of spray paint paired with some gold Rub-n-Buff for a similar effect.



After I was able to relocate many of the bathroom items back to their proper homes, I found that I had plenty of room to put everything else back (children's items were put back in their bathroom, travel toiletries were moved to our closet pile and other random items were also put away).  This time, I made sure to really assess how we use the bathroom and put things away according to our daily habits.  Here is a quick tour of each cabinet and drawer.


I have been using a nail caddy for years now, and still love it.  It just received a quick cleaning and a little re-arranging and it went right back where it was living.  I lost the hardware for the handle somewhere along the way.


Quick tip: When displaying daily toiletries in glass faced cabinets or inside of acrylic organizers, simply remove any package labeling that may be distracting.  The nail polish removal bottle now looks more decorative than it did when the giant label was showing through.

As I mentioned, I ended up purchasing two decorative storage boxes.  One holds cotton pads for face washing and nail polish removal.


While the other is now the home to my hair accessories.


Previously, my hair ties (a.k.a. Loom Bands) and hair pins were spread out all over our home and a hot mess in the bottom of my makeup bag....


The small box paired with some folded cardstock for dividers, now keeps each type of hair accessory nicely divided, yet easy to take out and put away.

Our original "His" and "Hers" baskets were working out nicely, but they were short and added to the visual clutter inside of the cabinet.  They both were pared down to daily necessities, and Bryan's items now live in a taller basket inside of the cabinet (so when he tosses items back inside, the mess won't be visible).


My daily supplies now live in a bin hanging on the back of our door.


I had multiple miscellaneous canisters of bath salts, which I condensed down to a single jar.  I used one of the empty containers to now hold our dental floss.


Before, the drawers had organizers and held a variety of our supplies, but with little distinction between them, they all just become dumping grounds....


The drawers received a good scrub and were still showing signs of wear, so I got out some drawer liner and cut a few sheets down to size.

 
This time around, I assigned each drawer a specific duty.  Top drawer holds all of my facial care supplies.


While the next drawer now holds extra dental care items.


And the bottom drawer still rocks as hair tool storage (placed inside of empty quart sized paint cans).


Now the only items in each vanity drawer are a single toothbrush and tube of toothpaste.


Under the sink is similar to prior days, one pull out drawer holds all of our bathroom cleaning products. 


I can't get enough of these Multi-Purpose bins, they are inexpensive, easy to clean, light weight, narrow and can function for endless organizing tasks.  In the past I tried to do stacking bins for cleaning supplies, but these just work so much better for daily use.  One bin for cleaning products and one for dirty rags.

The other drawer holds the toiletry items that I don't use each day, but didn't want to purge because they still get used on a weekly or as-needed basis.


On the opposite side of the room, we removed the hand towel rack from the wall.  It was just a clutter catcher and we are ultimately going to install a door to our closet, so we have to get use to the lack of wall storage anyway.


As you can see above, the shower was also purged down and empty bottles were recycled.

The small stool received a new coat of paint and works great for holding a towel and robe while showering.  We only keep two towels per family member, so while two are being used, two clean ones are waiting in the basket on the hamper.


And that completes the Master Bathroom tour!  So fresh, clean and organized and such a dramatic difference from what we have been living with.  Even after taking my first shower in the space, I felt so much more relaxed than I had been previously.  There is something to be said about the impact that visual clutter can have on your feelings.


Between painting the walls, updating the grout, small DIY's, completely purging and reorganizing the space, I easily invested 12 hours into this project.  However, I don't regret a single second of the time spent. 

To really celebrate this week's hard work, let's check out a few side-by-sides of the before and after pictures.







I really have been in awe of the projects you are sharing each week!  And each party is receiving between 35,000-50,000+ views!  Let's keep the organizing momentum going this week!


UPDATE!  Congratulations to this week's winner!  #29 has been selected by Random.org as the winning participant of Week Three!  Keep an eye on your email, I will be contacting soon to coordinate your Organizing Store gift card winnings!    




You can find all of the challenge details in this post here, and also download some FREE project planning printables to help you get started!

Have a great weekend everyone!