Cocky...

Sometimes I have bursts of productivity that have me feeling like I'm on a roll and I get cocky. One quick bout of craftiness or an organizational sweep and I con myself into thinking (briefly) that I'll cross off a good chunk of my endless to-do list, while running the house like a well-oiled machine.

It started with the kiddos' arts and crafts drawer

which used to look like this:

Over the weekend I finally tackled this messy drawer, which took on a life of its own some time after Christmas. Using some dollar store bins to corral their supplies and a lot of purging, this was pretty light work. Now that the kids know where everything they use and put away lives, perhaps they'll keep it neat for a day or two.

Feeling accomplished, I decided to get crafty on Saturday night (exciting, I know) and make a birthday banner for Eamon and some St. Patrick's Day decorations for the kids.

This may or may not have been fueled by wine. Either way it almost ended with my computer crashing while trying to download 101 Dalmatian images from the Internet.  I probably should have taken that as a sign, but I kept going.

On Monday, my house was tidy, dinner was a breeze and my ducks were in a row. I had three loads of laundry under my belt, and I was feeling pretty invincible, so I decided to tackle the sewing project that I've been wanting to work on for a year now. Bolster pillows for our couch.

Three days and a big mess later, here we are. 

Pretty, right?

Not so pretty. Between sewing projects, I tend to forget my Achilles heel. Math.  

The remnants of the hurricane that was my creative burst:

All that laundry still needs to be put away.

along with the breakfast dishes (and a few from last night)

and a stray Christmas decoration.

My flowers are dead.

Oh and the bathroom needs to be finished.

I had all these ideas about posts for the next week or two which were based around some of these projects. But  then I thought about how sometimes Blogland can make me feel a tad insecure. Sometimes, I wonder how so many of these talented women whose blogs I read get it all done. The truth is while some of them undoubtedly do, I'm sure many of them don't. After reading Emily A. Clark's post about her real life vs. her styled life a couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd fess up. 

I might have gotten a bit cocky, but I'm almost always real, so welcome to my mess. You're a lot more likely to see what my home looks like if I show it as is, than if I wait for my projects to be finished!

How about you? Any messy confessions you'd like to share?

Erin

Linking up to:
E, Myself and I: Midweek Confessions 

Saved by Suzy's House Party

Magnetic Paper Sorter...

Organization makes me happy. When things have a place and look neat and orderly, all feels right in my home. This feeling is usually fleeting. I so wish I was one of those people whose homes are expertly organized and systematized (is this even a word?), all the time, like these photos below.

    

images via Pinterest

Honestly. How does this happen?  I'm actually pretty good at creating systems and organizing things, it's the maintenance that is my weakness. Try as I might, things stray from time to time. I become forgetful or tired, seasonal decorations end up on the guest bed "just for now", and my family tends to think putting all the dinosaurs in their own bins or baskets is insane. A few months ago, in an effort to battle the counter top paper monster, I made this little paper sorter. 

I wanted something a bit more attractive than the plastic or metal options I found online and didn't want to spend a ton of money. I was inspired by this project over at Live.Love.Larson.

framed fabric from Live.Love.Larson.

I found the frame at my local Goodwill Store (with an old watercolor that had seen better days) and decided to put my own spin on Andrea's pretty project.

Using leftover fabric from my kitchen valances, I wrapped a piece of sturdy cardboard, cut  it to size, and stapled it down.  I secured it using the existing fasteners on the back of the frame. 

To create the pockets, I cut two strips of my fabric, taking the pattern's repeat into account. I ironed folded over the edges to create a hemmed or finished look. Then I simply pulled them taut and stapled them along three edges from the back side of the cardboard so the staples would not be visible (they blend into the pattern).  Fabric glue or hot glue would be more seamless, but I couldn't find my glue gun (ironically, it was somewhere on the guest bed).


Then I added heavy duty magnet tape to the back of the frame.

Using wood glue, I attached super magnets (these things having amazing magnetic pull) to the back, and put heavy canisters on top of them for about fifteen minutes.  Again, hot glue would probably work best. 

I printed out two labels for outgoing mail and pending mail/papers with my label maker and voila, a harried lady feels like she has some control (of which she really has none)!

So far, it hasn't become too overfilled, but time will tell. For now, it's the closest I'll get to effortless organization.  I may never be Martha organized. Honestly I may be too lazy for that. Right now I'd rather be at the beach with the kiddos while the summer lasts than a slave to correcting my less than stellar tendencies. I've got all winter for that...


Do you have an organizational project or strategy that helps you tame the clutter?

Erin

Linking today's post to:

Today's Creative Blog: Get Your Craft On
Not So Simple Houswife

It's the little things...

These days, a sense of accomplishment and productivity are much sought after, but rarely seen things in my world.  Of course watching my kids grow and become their own little people is rewarding. Even though most days I wonder where time has gone, there's not exactly a finished product at the end of the day. Often, making sure that everyone is in tact and not in tears or time-out at the end of the day, is an accomplishment, hence, the blog and my puttering.  When I'm craving a little instant, or almost-instant gratification, I roam around the house and yard, looking for a little project to settle my restlessness. 

Below you'll find the before and afters of my garden pot transformation, the latest victim of my procrastination attempt at productivity.  It was on the to-do list that I shared with you last week, and one of the few items I ended up checking off. It's nothing earth-shattering or even terribly original, but a simple, inexpensive project that enhanced my yard and mood.

   

Before: Old garden pots looking tired and needing a face lift. Hopefully no one says the same about me any time soon.

After: Clean, colorful, and transformed, with spray paint.

It's safe to say that I have a thing for blue; I'm always drawn to it first. Luckily it was one of the few appealing colors my local hardware store had in stock. I used Krylon's Fusion Spray Paint, which is formulated for spraying plastic. It couldn't have been easier, or faster as it dries very quickly.

Luckily the blue, and white work well with my existing pots. All in all, much better than the before and I only spent about $12.

It's definitely the little things that make me feel accomplished these days. It's all relative I suppose.  How about you? What simple accomplishments make you feel content? 
Erin

Linking this post to: