A little under the kitchen sink organising...

I am slowly working my way through all the cupboards in my home and giving them a little love, some are functioning perfectly, others not so much.  Under my kitchen sink honestly wasn't that bad, however I found that most of cleaning products I had stored under there weren't been used at all, and were taking up precious space. 

When I start any organising project, I like to pull everything out of the space, it's the best way to see exactly what you have and I find a blank canvas always helps you envision what the space could look like.

After I pulled everything out, I decided what was going back in.  From there I made a list of what I needed, and did a little online browsing; I find this saves me time because I find the products I want online (Kmart is always my starting point, their website is user friendly and honestly they have everything you could possibly need to organise a home!) I like to take a screen shot of the item and then I pop all the pictures into a folder on my phone for that project, this also helps as there is nothing worse than trying to describe an item to a sales assistant, when you can't find it and they have no idea what your talking about!  

By doing a little preparation first, I can also get measurements (9 times out of 10) which is handy if there is space issues, then I can measure out the space and make sure everything is going to fit.  There is nothing worse than coming home with a container that you thought would fit perfectly and it doesn't.  By the time I head off to the shops, I have a detailed list,  I know how much an item costs, if it will fit in my budget and I have a good visual in my head of how it's going to work in the space, best of all I'm not spending hours in store...this mama doesn't do well in crowds or busy stores! 

On to the details, I have tried to link all the products where possible...

I started the project by adding some stripes to the back wall using grey duct tape, I figured if I didn't like it I could just pull the tape off!  I took the tape over the joins and then used a stanley knife to ensure a nice clean line.

Such an easy way to add a little fun inside your cabinets!

 I used the large pantry storage shelf from Kmart to take advantage of the height, and these cute Kmart small white storage containers fit under the shelf perfectly!

I used four of the small storage containers in total.  To label everything I made my own labels using Microsoft word, printed, laminated and cut them out.  I attached them to the containers with some heavy duty double-sided tape...so easy!

 In the containers...the 1st container has tea-towels, the 2nd has dish cloths I like to have a few as I also use them to mop up any spills and then pop it in the wash, I also wash my dish cloth each day and just pop it in with a load of washing, so easy and I haven't purchased a Chux in years, the 3rd has cleaning products I use in the kitchen and the 4th has a scrubbing brush and bamboo cloth that I use with the cleaning products. (I use to use bamboo cloths as my dish cloths, they are amazing! I had previously purchased them at Coles but I haven't seen them for almost a year now...so if anyone knows where I can purchase them please let me know!) 

I used this container from Kmart to keep plastic bags and this container to keep all my bottle and scrubbing brushes etc.

I just tie up any grocery bags and they get popped in here.

I keep my dishwasher tablets in a glass jar that was a coffee jar in a previous life, it works perfectly as airtight storage for the dishwasher tablets.

I used this spice rack from Kmart and it works a treat for storing those items I use regularly. Those cute green scrubbers and soap dispenser brush are also from Kmart. 

I secured the spice rack with these little stick on hooks I also picked up from Kmart for $2 as I didn't want to drill any holes the doors.

On the other door I have a paper towel holder for quick and easy access, I picked up for $2 from a dollar store, which also fastens to the door with a double-sided tape.

The final result, after living with the newly organised cupboard for a week or so now, I can say it functions wonderfully and I love it! Nothing like another organised space to keep you motivated!

Hopefully there are some helpful little tips or trips you can put to use in your home!  Wishing you all a wonderful and happy week! xx

A little pantry organising...

I am a pretty organised person, but I have found of late some of the systems I put in place when we first moved in (almost two years ago) just aren't doing what they should be.  I wish I had I taken before pictures but I just didn't think about it at all, I really need to get into blogger mode and photograph everything! Basically, I had too much in my pantry, I had baskets on the top shelf which stored pantry overflow, this didn't work for me as it was too heavy to pull down and I couldn't just have a quick peek to see what was in there, I'd have to get the stool and get up there.  I also had more items stored in baskets and containers and again I couldn't see with a quick glace what was in there.  I have a weird little corner and had items pushed in there and up the back in jars etc. (labelled, but labelled does no good if you can't see it!) none of it was user friendly...basically it just wasn't working.

So after doing a little grocery shopping and going to put away my groceries I started pulling things out and then realised I had 2 x 2kg bags of sugar and guess what...yep I had just purchased another 2kg bag, I thought I was losing my mind, swearing I had bought sugar not so long ago and knowing we really don't use sugar except for baking?!  I often have the big kids put groceries away, which translates to shove everything in back and in those horrible corners and put the pretty containers in front so mum thinks we did a great job! Ha!  With the kiddies off to school, I got stuck in!

I apologise in advance for the quality of the photos, this mama really needs to invest in a camera! All my photos are taken on my iPhone so are a little grainy.

Here is the end result...

The details...

On the top shelf of the pantry I have all my glass jars which store flours, pastas, rice etc. they are all labelled and I can see exactly what I have.  Behind these I have stored any extra glass jars.

On the second shelf I have my canned items, spices, sauces etc. basically 'cooking' items.  I have oils, vinegar, salt and pepper and some spices stored on a lazy Susan.  It saves room and means I can easily access items I use everyday for cooking. The rest of the items are stored on a 3-tier shelf I picked up from Kmart, and I can see exactly what I have.  I have nothing stored in those 'corners' of the cupboard which are on the right of the picture, now what I see is what we have.

On the third shelf I have our cereals which are in containers from Kmart, I have used Kmart blackboard labels to label the cereals (and the glass jars on the top shelf).  I have porridge (quick oats) in the white container, and have used Kmart kraft tags and string to make labels.  Above the porridge, is a Tupperware container which holds whatever snack I baked that week for the kids, at the moment it is muesli bars, they are easy to access when I am making lunches.  Off to the side and slightly into that 'corner' I have another lazy Susan which has spreads on, it's perfect for that awkward spot and whilst you can only see one jar, with a spin you can easily access all the spreads, I have nutella, peanut butter, honey, vegemite etc. all on here.

On the fourth shelf I used only container, and I know I can't 'see' what's in there but I put in these containers things I don't really need to see...I have one big container which stores the kid's lunchbox snacks i.e. packets of ricewheels, vegechips etc. I will also package my own little bags of snacks, i.e. trail mix, nuts etc. it nice and easy to pull out when I'm making lunches and the kids just pick an item and it slides easily back into it's little spot.  Above that I have an empty container, I think it's important when organising to remember there will times when you have more food or items than you do at this very moment so it's always good to have empty container or space in your pantry.  In the next big container I have all my baking and cake decorating items, I love having this all together (this is one of the things I have had in place for a long time and love), when I am baking I just pull one container out and I have everything I need on the bench.  I have my food colouring, food gels, baking soda, bicarb soda etc, essences, sprinkles, piping bags and tips all in here.  In the two smaller containers above I have all my different sized and patterned cupcake liners.  In the last big container I have some boxes of cake mix for those super lazy days or the days when the kids ask me to whip up cupcakes with 2hrs notice! Always handy to have on hand.

On the bottom of the pantry I have two big open baskets, in the first one I have the kid's lunch bags and spare drink bottles, I have spares on hand for those super-hot days and days that they play sport.  After school the kids empty the containers into the sink and put the lunch bags straight into these, that way I know exactly where they are when I pack their lunches that night, and they are not cluttering up my bench.  The second basket has what I guess is pantry overflow; it has any extra unopened pasta or rice packets, noodles and chips.

It feels so good to have the pantry organised!  At the end of the day I believe that any space needs to be organised in a way that is going to function best for you, your family and your needs. 

Having 'organised' my pantry and home when we first moved in, and living in our home now for a while, I now know what works and what doesn't.  I am slowly working my way through the home to organise those spots that just aren't working, I find after living in a space for a while it's always clearer what you need.

If you have any questions, please feel free to comment below or head over to my Instagram account and I'll be more than happy to answer any questions or help where I can!

Hope you have all had an amazing weekend, and the week ahead is a fabulous one! xx

Bedroom love...

I have finally gotten around to finishing this bedroom for my gorgeous girl, and I love how much my sweet girl loves her bedroom!

I received so much love on Instagram for this room, and have had questions around where items are from...so I thought I would do a little round up of some of the lovely items, that turned a room into a gorgeous bedroom for my little girl.  I hope you love as much as we do!

Wall decals are from Sticker Worx I purchased mine via eBay

Bed and Chest of draws are from Fantastic Furniture

Easter Egg Garland (on mirror) is from Woolworths

Bedside Draw/Side table I purchased sometime ago, but similar one is available here at Kmart

Heart Fairy Lights (wrapped around bedhead) are from Kmart

 Aqua Dipped Stool, Faux Fur Rug, Bedspread, Cushions (Sun and Rain Cloud), Heart light and Artwork all from Kmart

Letter 'E' from Typo

Pink Polka Dot Cushion from Pillow Talk

 

If I have missed anything or you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you! xx

DIY Gold Mug...

I have been rather slack on posting for the last 2 weeks! Between sick kids, full-time work and the usual housework and study, it has been a little crazy around here, and I have really struggled to get a little me time of late.  I love Instagram for a quick, pretty photo journal of our life and home, but I love nothing more than sitting down and putting words to paper so to speak, I think that's I why I love the process of writing a blog post.  I use my 'me' time to sit and blog or work on other projects, so I am really going to try and allocate some time for me going forward, as best I can, to spend more time doing things I love...because every mama needs a little break, right?!  Now enough about me, and onto the DIY mugs...

 

I posted my Inspiration a couple of weeks ago here and set about creating my pretty DIY mugs.  I really wanted to try a couple of different metallic finishes, like a rose gold, bronze and silver finish as well as the gold, but as I said before a crazy couple of weeks so I used what I had and that was gold.  I am so happy with the results, they look super cute! I have used them, and no chipping or scratching off, though I have only hand washed and wouldn't recommend putting these pretties in a dishwasher.  Here's how I did it...

What you'll need...

- Spray paint of your choice, I used this White Knight Metallic gold (I love the finish of this spray)

- White mug

- Painter's tape or masking tape

- Clingwrap (not pictured as it was an after thought)

 How I did it...

- Decide on the pattern you want, for this mug I did a horizontal stripe.
- You want to cover everything you don't want sprayed with painter's tape, I wanted the handle gold for this one so I left it tape free.
- Make sure to run your finger nail along the edges of the tape you want a clean, crisp line once the tape comes off.

 

 - For this one I wanted a triangle down the bottom of the mug, I marked out a triangle on both sides of the mug.

- Rather than cover the whole mug in tape for this one I tried clingwrap and taped the edges down, and it worked perfectly.

 

- I also covered the top of the mug with clingwrap so as to prevent any spray getting inside the mug.

- Now the fun bit! Spray as per the directions on the spray can

- I did one light layer and let it dry for 20min before giving it a final coat (this is important you don't want to be too heavy handed with the spray or you'll end up with run marks)

- I removed the tape about 20min (you want it to be dry to the touch) you don't want to leave the tape on longer than necessary

 

How pretty is the end result! I love this little DIY and I love that the sky is the limit when it comes to colours and patterns!



 

Happy DIYing lovelies! xx

DIY Sisal Rope Bowls...

I apologise for the late post, I was unable to upload on the weekend.  Unfortunately after a year in our home we still struggle with a decent Internet connection or any Internet connection at all...so frustrating!

Last Monday I posted my Pinspiration for the week DIY sisal rope bowls, and the verdict is...I loved this DIY project!! It was a super easy DIY and I love how they turned out.  Below is a little step by step on how I made my rope bowl...

 

 What you'll need...

-  Bowl, jar, container...really the sky's the limit and you can really use whatever you'd like

-  Hot Glue Gun

-  Glue Sticks (I used around 10 sticks in total)

-  Sisal Rope (I picked up mine from the hardware store and used 8mm and 10mm, I purchased 10m of each size and still have some left over)

How I did it...

 1. Start with the handles.  Begin by gluing down the end of your rope to the bottom of the handle.

 

2. Continue wrapping the rope around the handle, popping a little hot glue down as you go (I glued every second wrap).  Be sure to pull and hold quite firmly each time you wrap the rope around.

 

3. Once your handles are both complete, you are now going to start on the bowl.  I started by gluing down the end of the rope at the top of the handle.  Start working your way around the top edge of the bowl, gluing as you go. Once you get to where you started, place a drop of glue a to start point, holding the two lines of rope together firmly. 

 



4. Continue to wrap the rope around, under your top line of rope, gluing and slightly pushing the two rows of rope together.  Continue until you reach the bottom.  Once you reach the bottom, cut the end of the rope on an angle, and then and push the angled end of rope firmly on the rope row before it.  You can trim the end of the rope once glued, you want to try and make it as flat and level as you can to the last row of rope.

 

I also tried this technique out on a glass coffee jar and also wrapping the rope around itself to make a bowl, and they were just as easy...I think wrapping the rope onto itself to make a bowl was the easiest of all of them to make.

 

Have I mentioned how much I love the look of these, and how easy they are!  If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you!  If you do give this little DIY a try I would love to see your finished product...if you have an Instagram account you can tag me on Instagram, or head over to my Facebook to share! Enjoy xx

A little sunshine...

A little sunshine is headed to Miss Eva's bedroom, here's a sneak peek at some of the lovelies I picked up for a little bedroom refresh...

Project desk...

For a little while now my eldest daughter (13) has wanted a desk in her room...whilst we have a designated office, she wanted her 'own' desk in her room. Since she has been doing so much to help me out, and really is a wonderful daughter and big sister I thought I'd surprise her. 

When I set out to do any redecorating or purchase any new furniture for our home, it is always done on a minimal budget (for this project I had $50 set aside). The first thing I always do is shop my home.  In 'shopping' my home first I realised all I would need to purchase is a desk, I had an old chair in garage and all the decor items I found scattered throughout the house. I went online and found the desk at Kmart...oh I am loving you of late Kmart, for anyone on a tight budget Kmart offers bang for your buck! 

I purchased the desk and black and white notebook from Kmart, and sprayed the lids gold of two jars I had sitting empty (the gold just adds a little something special). All up the project cost me $32 for the desk and notebook, everything else used we had.  All up the project took me a couple of hours...and the verdict, she loves it! 

Simple white desk from Kmart - $29.00

These items we already had, but the Effiel tower, clock and 'Do what you love everyday' print were also from Kmart (not sure if they are all still available)

The black and white notebook is from Kmart $3.00, the skull planter was also from Kmart (again not sure if they are still available).  The back jar was from Ikea and the front jar was from the two dollar shop, I just gave the lids a quick wipe and used metallic gold spraypaint to paint.  The clear stapler was purchased from Officeworks some time ago.