Organize My Bathroom

My bathroom has a limited amount of storage that I have yet to master. The result is a mess of products and beauty tools bleeding into the rest of house.

I would love to keep my beauty supplies neatly tucked away in my bathroom, where everything has a home. Instead I have drawers crammed with crap and a cabinet that explodes whenever it’s opened.

I need more organization inspiration!!!

sources: magnetic backing, terra cotta pots, shelving 1, shelving 2,
vintage tray, above the door shelving, mason jars

All of these solutions are cheap and relatively easy ways to make more space in a small bathroom. Maybe if I utilize unused spaces (like above the door and inside cabinets), I’ll be able to navigate my bathroom without the fear of my obituary reading that  I died by flying hair products.

Do you have any bathroom organization tricks?

Organize My Office

Way back in September (seriously, it feels like forever ago!) I wrote a post on how I need to organize my life. One of the biggest reasons I did that post was because of the state of my office (well, office may be too grand a word for the corner of my bedroom that has become my workspace since my little bean’s birth).

It was and still is a complete disaster. I don’t know about you, but messes can really get to me when I’m trying to work. I can’t concentrate completely when I’m surrounded by clutter because it distracts me (honestly, it’s a wonder I get anything done considering the state of my house on a regular basis… just ask my husband).

I think my biggest problem is letting little things go (like the mail or papers sent home from school with my daughter). Little things become big things when they pile up. My workspace is just one big mess of little things.

I wish my office looked more like these gorgeous spaces (see Pinterest for sources):

Don’t these spaces make you drool?! They’ve sent me into an online window shopping frenzy. I love office products in the first place, but now I’m on the hunt for relatively inexpensive, clever organization solutions. Here’s a little taste of what I found:

spice rack :: drawer organizer :: baskets :: 5 drawer cabinet :: birdcage
shampoo rack :: cardboard organizer :: paper sorter

These ideas have totally inspired me to tackle my mess. I might (might) even go crazy and tackle one of these DIY projects (lord knows I have a hefty collection of empty boxes left over from the holidays!).

What is your work space like? Are you messy like me or does everything have its place? And if you’re neat, please share your secrets! I need them!!!

Making Lip Balm With My Girl

My big munchkin is on winter vacation this week, so I’ve got my hands full. She’s used to days that are packed with fun activities and friends, so she pretty much constantly asks me what we’re doing next.

Luckily, Santa is a little bit of a genius and left her lots of crafty gifts under the tree. She also got a bunch of games that I’m sure I’ll be sick of by tomorrow!

This morning, we decided to tackle the Creativity for Kids Make Your Own Lip Balm Kit that my sister got her. It’s perfect for her in so many ways (she’s a girly girl who loves to put on “sticky lips.” She also likes crafty things and science and this kind of combined all three).

Basically, it comes with some wax and flavoring. You soften the wax in hot water, add the flavor/color, put them into little canisters, and then decorate the canisters.

My girl loved it. The only issues I had with it was 1) I wish the container to mix and soften the wax was a little bigger and 2) it would be nice if the color/flavor was easier to squeeze out. It was made for ages 7 and up. Sam is 5 1/2, so it makes sense that it might be a little difficult for her to squeeze, but even I had an issue with it.

Minor difficulties aside, this kit was a lot of fun!

Here are some Instagram pics of my munchkin working hard:

stirring the wax to soften it

putting the lip balm into the container

smoothing it out

While she was busy being a mad scientist, my little one was busy tearing apart the kitchen. Here’s a picture of her in a calmer moment as she attacked a piece of banana as though she hadn’t been fed for days!

Even though it’s Tuesday, I’m linking up with a {little} dash of ash for Instagram Monday (I’m a day behind this week and I’m sure it will only get worse as the week progresses!).

Now we’re off to play Guess Who! What did you get for the holidays?

Holiday Gift Guide: Homemade Edition

Vintage teacup candles via Bridal Guide :: Canvas portrait via A Beautiful Mess
Sewing Kit in a Jar by funkytime via  Everything Etsy :: Coffee syrup via A Beautiful Mess
Flavored popcorn kit via A Beautiful Mess :: Vintage book e-reader cover via
Ladies’ Home Journal

For more DIY ideas, check out my gift ideas board on Pinterest!

Gift Wrap Inspiration

I have a problem when it comes to gift wrap. I’m completely obsessed.

I mean, seriously. If you run yourself ragged for the whole holiday season searching high and low for the perfect gifts for all of the people on your gift list, why phone it in and do a shitty wrapping job? And if you didn’t drive yourself mad in your hunt for gifts, well, that’s an even bigger reason why you should go the extra yard with your gift wrap.

Usually I’m a wrapping paper junkie. I love pretty prints and whimsical colors. But I’ve grown kind of annoyed by how little of it you get for your buck (did that last roll even wrap around the tube twice? Jeeez).

This year I’ve decided to turn to brown craft paper and other wrapping alternatives. You can be more creative and spend less–which sounds like a double win to me!

Check out some of the pretty inspiration I’ve collected:

{via Allora Handmade}

{via STC Craft | Melanie Falick Books}

{via decor8}

{via Tip Junkie}

{via Pinterest}

{via Songbird}

{via decor8}

{via babble}

What do you think? Are you planning on getting creative with your gift wrap or are you saying “Screw it, who has the time?”?

Usually I would be one of the latter (although I’d swear up and down until the very last second that I was going to be creative), but my bud and I have an eagerly anticipated gift wrapping party every year–and by party I mean she comes to my house and we stuff our faces with deliciously unhealthy foods while listening to Christmas music and wrapping our little hearts out. It’s amazing.

Do you have any wrapping traditions?

Pretty Holiday Decorations and New Traditions

A recent shopping trip with one of my faves made me realize that I have a small (ok, large) obsession with holiday decorating. But when the munchkin and I cracked open our holiday storage bin, I was kind of horrified at its contents.

Aside from the unexpectedly small heap (I forgot I went on a manic purge while pregnant and nesting last winter), there were a whole lot of tsotchkes that left a lot to be desired.

So what does one do when faced with inadequate holiday decor? Why turn to Pinterest for inspiration, of course!

I feel a Michaels trip in my future! I’m loving everything natural and eclectic. I’m going to hunt down some crafty ideas that munchkin can tackle with me and that we can reuse every year.

We pulled out a Nutcracker she painted last year and a little papier-mâché tree she decorated and her face completely lit up. I need more of that!

Speaking of my munchkin and her holiday excitement, tonight is the first night of our new Christmas countdown tradition!

I was a little nervous that collecting 24 winter/holiday-themed books was going to be too pricy, but I popped into a local secondhand children’s store and nearly squealed with excitement when I saw that they 1) sold used books for $1.50, 2) were having a buy three get one free sale and 3) had a whole bin that was filled to the brim with holiday books.

Total score! I bought 16 books there for under $10 (I also happened to have a credit and a coupon). Combine those with the few we had at home and the three I picked up at Barnes and Noble and we’re all set!

I wrapped them up in craft paper that I embellished with clearance ribbon (notice the blue zebra print for my girl!) from Michaels, ribbon scraps I found around the house, raffia and some stamps I found in her craft bin. Half of them are now sitting under the mini tree she has on her dresser (we’ll move all of them underneath our big tree when we set it up this weekend!).

Are you starting to get into the holiday spirit? I want to hear about your decorations and traditions!

Magnetic Nail Polish

DIY nail trends are on fire right now! From crackle and matte polishes to nail polish strips there are so many fun new ways to give yourself a manicure.

Up next on my to-try list: magnetic polish!

Such a cool idea! You basically apply a base coat, apply a coat of the magnetic polish, and then hold the magnet (located on the bottle’s outer cap) to your wet nail. The result is a rippled effect that looks much more difficult than it is.

Now if only I could get a minute to myself to try it out…

Here are a few of the other ideas on my list via Pinterest, of course):

galaxy nails

lace nails

newsprint nails

glitter and nail pen art

What do you think of the DIY nail craze?

Last Minute Halloween Ideas

Halloween is less than a week away and while I’m not dressing up this year, I’ve got costumes on the brain.

More specifically: quick, easy costumes that you can throw together with help from some pieces you might already have in your wardrobe.

Ruche had some really cute ideas of how you can use some of this fall’s biggest trends to create cute costumes (that don’t look like you squeezed into them with the help of some Crisco):

Super cute, no? All you have to do is add a couple of fun props or accessories and you’re good to go.

Of course I had to hunt around for my own idea:

Old Navy plaid top, $25 :: Quiksilver boyfriend jeans, $62 :: Forever21 boots, $33
Cowboy hat, $50 :: Oasis belt, $35

If you’re looking for more ideas, the Queen of Halloween, Martha Stewart, has plenty on her website. I’m especially fond of this Medusa look, since all you really need are some dollar store toy snakes and a sheet you can tie around yourself like a toga!

Another really simple look is a cat,  like Denni from Chicmuse did in a recent post about Givenchy’s panther bag.

HelloGiggles did a post last week about some fun DIY Halloween costumes that don’t require the word “naughty” in front of their descriptions.

And if you’re on the hunt for something your bite-sized trick or treaters can hold their haul in, consider the FEED Trick-or-Treat Bag to Benefit UNICEF. For every bag sold, a donation will be made to UNICEF to provide a year’s worth of micronutrient powder to a child in the developing world.

What are you dressing up as this year?

Is It September Yet?

Don’t get me wrong. I love my feisty little five-year old. She’s one of the funniest people I know, a lovable little mushball and smart as a whip (whatever that means).

She is also the ultimate drama queen (we’re talking about the stomping off to her room and composing songs about how no one loves her because I told her she couldn’t have an Oreo at eight thirty in the morning kind of drama queen).

Because of the drama and the fact that I had another little girl at the end of March, this summer has felt incredibly loooooong. We can’t do as much as Sam is used to and my attention is a bit diverted. This is the perfect recipe for drama soup, which just so happens to be my sweet pea’s specialty.

Samantha is totally fine if she has some sort of project to work on, which is why I was thrilled to come across a helpful article in this month’s Disney Family Fun magazine. The story was about a family who had this special jar that they filled with scraps of paper that had fun activities written on them. From baking cookies to berry picking, it sounded right up my little lady’s alley.

So we decided to do our own version…

We grabbed an old oats container and scraps of paper Sam had cut up the day before. She meticulously colored all of the scraps (it was so tiring she had to “take a bweak” when she was done), glued them to the container and added jewels (all while mommy magically got some writing done!).

We then added things we like to do: from spa day (where I give her a mani-pedi while she has a homemade facial) to garage sales (which she also happens to call antique or thrift shops).

So far it’s worked out great. She feels like whatever she picks is her idea and not something I came up with, which is always a bonus (hmm. sounds a little like her father…). She also likes that it comes from a pretty container, which automatically makes it cool.

Now I just have to remember to think up new activities before the next vacation…

Vintage Luggage as Home Decor

I’ve been thinking about storage solutions a lot lately– specifically a solution to hide Samantha’s ever-growing pyramid of toys. While Barbie legs and My Little Ponies peeking out of every corner of the house might be somewhat expected when you have two girls, I’d love it if my living room didn’t look like a volcano erupted in it, spewing pink lava as far as the eye can see.

So like I said. I’ve been trying to think of creative (inexpensive) ways to store her mess that doesn’t involve buying more plastic bins. My hunt has led me to the wonderful world of vintage trunks and suitcases.

via Country Living

It’s perfect! Cheap, eco-friendly, and interesting–which is always a winning combo in my book. Better yet, they’re the perfect size to hold dolls and tea sets while keeping them all together and out of sight.

Plus, she and my nephew love to pretend they’re going on trips whenever he comes over to play (usually Africa by boat or train but sometimes they take a plane to California). When they inevitably dump all the toys on the floor, they can use the suitcases as toys too (I’ll just have to bribe them with chocolate to make sure all the toys end up back in the suitcases in the end).

Suitcases also happen to be a perfect big girl storage solution. I love the idea of stacking them to make a bedside table like in the photo below.

via Elements of Style

It’s a great place to store extra blankets (lord knows I have a never-ending supply of those!) or off-season clothes–just make sure you don’t put something you use a lot in the bottom. That would make this look go from cute to unbearably annoying in no time.

via Design*Sponge

I think my favorite idea is the one above from Design*Sponge. They give an insanely easy DIY tutorial on turning a vintage suitcase into a table. How cool is that? It makes for a great conversation piece with lots of charm and it lets you stash your junk out of site. I love it!

Here are some vintage pieces that I found on Etsy…

1 via The Vintage Treehouse :: 2 via Simply Chic Treasures :: 3 via This Other Thing
4 via California Senora :: 5 via The House of Oliver :: 6 via West on Cole