Candy Hearts and Paper Flowers - The Art of Homemaking

Baby Non-Essentials

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:30:00 +0000

hat do you really need to bring home baby? Countless sites have covered the essentials: clothes, diapering supplies, bathing supplies, a few health and safety essentials, food to eat and the related items, place to sleep, place for their clothes, and a car seat*. I'd recommend finding an essentials list on a baby site/forum or view my list rather than an essentials list on a retailer. The retailer wants you to buy the items and considers a lot more essential than other lists.

Really, you don't need a lot to bring baby home from the hospital, they don't care about toys, books, exersaucers, play gyms, mobiles, quite yet. They don't even need the scads of clothes that you think they need. Every baby is different obviously, but they don't generally get really drooly until about 3 months. So, unless your baby is spitting up a lot or has explosive diapers, you won't be changing their clothes out during the day.

There are a few things that I have that I would have never considered essential, but would have to replace if something happened to them. These are normally on non-essential lists but are essential for me. Hear me out on my explanations before you judge.

My Non-essential Essentials

Wipes warmer - We have the Munchkin Warm Glow Wipe Warmer, it's the ultimate non-essential that made my life easier. Before babies are sleeping through the night you are getting up often to change and feed them. Everytime I wiped my baby girl the cold wipe would startle her and she would start crying. It would take an hour to change her and feed her and settle her back to sleep. As a new first time mother I thought all this was normal and just did it. I received the wipes warmer for a baby shower gift. We started using it and no more startle or crying, and what was once an hour ordeal took 20 minutes at the most. It has a night light, which is all but useless. If you can improvise with a warm water bottle or something else, try it, see if it makes a difference for you. If you live down south where it's always warm you are probably laughing at me. I live in North Dakota and it's cool or downright frigid here a lot! All I know is if ours breaks, I'm buying a new one.
One-Hand Operable Diaper Disposal System - We have the Genie II Elite, I just step on a pedal on the bottom and drop the diaper in. Whether you just use a garbage can or a system, once baby gets squirmy one-handed operation makes life easier. We had an old Genie that we had picked up from a garage sale and sterilized, but it requires both hands to pull the top parts off, put the diaper in and twist. She rolls and squirms and skooches (totally a word!) around now, so I'd be moving her from her changing table to her crib or a blanket on the floor then disposing of her diaper every time. This just makes my life easier.
Baby Swing - We have a Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium Cradle Swing that I bought used, and hubby calls it her off switch. This is 100% non-essential, but having somewhere to put her down for a while where I knew she was safe and didn't make her start fussing made it easier to be a normal somewhat functioning adult her first few months. She was very congested and would fuss a lot if put flat on her back anywhere, I'd prop her and set her down but then I didn't feel comfortable stepping away for anything. I wouldn't buy this new, and I'd also consider smaller portable ones for less of a footprint. These are BIG and take up a lot of room. We did use the cradle motion when she was smaller and have now switched to the swing motion a couple of weeks ago.
White Noise Machine/CD - What works to get baby to sleep is different for everyone, especially if they are in an overstimulated/overtired state. We have a sound machine that was given to us as a hand me down, I have no idea of the brand, but it clamps on to her top crib rail. It has 5 sounds but the one that sounds like waves works best. We also travel and camp quite a bit and sometimes spend long days outside of the house so we also got a Cloud B Gentle Giraffe. I also downloaded a Pink Noise For Baby Sleep MP3 from Amazon, we burned it to a CD for our bedroom, it is on my laptop, phone and MP3 player. Some babies like swaddling, some like white noise, some like vibrations, some like combinations. So, the white noise is an essential for me, it might be swaddlers for someone else. The MP3 is 89 cents, it's a cheap way to find out if that's what your baby would prefer.
Playpen with Bassinet Insert - Ours is a Graco Pack 'n Play G Galore line which is now discontinued, however it's similar to this Pack 'n Play. For the first few days she slept in her crib, slept is using the term very, very, very loosely. Her newborn congestion was so bad that she didn't sleep well at all. After two days we set up the playpen with bassinet insert in our room and used it as a co-sleeper of sorts for 2 months. Now she is back in her bedroom in her crib, however the Pack 'n Play still gets use for camping and visits to family. Also, when my family visits if someone is sleeping in her room we can use the Pack 'n Play in ours and it has a changer built in so no need to interrupt family for diaper essentials.

*In the United States, we aren't allowed to leave the hospital with a baby without a car seat, even if you'll be putting baby into a pram and walking a few blocks to your home.

I love the conveniences of the modern nursery, but just because all that stuff is available doesn't mean we need it. Figure out what you need and what works for you. Just for a little comparison, this room was designed in 1933 by Bertha Sanders, found at the Domestic Interiors Database.

Baby Essentials

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:30:00 +0000

here are countless lists online of baby essentials, review them and figure out what will work for you and your family. Lean towards the lists that aren't on a retailers site. While they are helpful, they are also in the business of selling you everything on that list, so they will have a broader idea of what's essential. Look at them as more of a wish list and what to put on your registry as opposed to what you need. This is kind of my bring baby home essentials list, with a few common items marked as optional. I have my non-essential essentials list tomorrow, a few things that are considered non-essential by most that I would buy again if they broke.

Crib? Who needs a crib?

* indicates optional items

Furniture

Place for baby to sleep (crib, pack 'n play, bassinet, cosleeper, cradle, etc)
Mattress* (cribs generally do not come with a mattress, some choices may)
Changing table*
Dresser or armoire*
Glider/recliner*

Clothing

4-6 onesies, short sleeves and no legs snaps at the bottom
4-6 sleeping items, whether footie pj's or gowns or blanket sleepers (season appropriate)
4-6 one-piece rompers or bottoms and tops (season appropriate)
4-6 bibs or burp cloths (I used burp clothes exclusively until she could pull them away)
2-3 bonnets or hats (the weight depends on the season)
3-4 pairs of socks or booties
3-4 pairs of hand mitts
1-2 long sleeve cardigan or sweater or jacket (season appropriate)
1 snowsuit or heavy bunting* (winter baby or cooler climate)

Note: Choose simpler clothing with snaps or zippers over buttons whenever possible. Tiny buttons on tiny garments are frustrating to deal with and velcro will have a tendency to catch their socks in the laundry. Ruffles and pleats and all the little details are cute, but are very difficult to iron on such a tiny garment.

Linens

2-3 crib sheets
2 mattress pads
3-4 receiving blankets for swaddling
1-2 heavy stroller blankets* (winter baby or cooler climate)
1-2 midweight blankets* (winter baby or cooler climate)
other crib linens* (bumper, pillows, comforter, dust ruffle, canopy)

Diapers

1 dozen diapers per day (if cloth, your choice of prefold or not)
8-10 diaper covers (if using cloth)
diaper pins (if using cloth)
Wipes or washcloths
Changing pad*
2 changing pad covers*
4-6 lap pads* (highly recommended, I always have 1 on the changing pad and 1 in the diaper bag)

Note: The actual number of diapers you will need will depend on how often you intend to do laundry, or go shopping. If using cloth and intend to launder daily, you need 2 dozen. If laundering weekly or are using a diaper service, you will need 6-7 dozen. If using disposables, have 1 pack of size 1 purchased. If you need a smaller size, they are sized based on weight, pick up a pack before bringing baby home.

Bathing Items

Bathtub*
Baby wash or shampoo
Baby lotion or baby oil (I recommend Aveeno Baby Lotion)
2 hooded bath towels
3-4 washcloths

Note: A very common baby lotion has alcohol as one of its first ingredients and she had problems with dry, flaky skin. We switched lotions and the problem went away, so we gave away the other. We had been given 3 bottles of it, plus had bought one before she was born. Hopefully, a baby with less sensititve skin is enjoying it now.

Health Care and Nursery Items

Nail clippers
Nasal aspirator (I highly recommend a Nosefrida)
Thermometer
Soft bristled brush
Nightlight*
Baby monitor*
Clothes hamper*
Diaper pail or disposal system* (I recommend something you can operate one-handed)
Sound machine*

Note: I marked hamper as optional, but you will want a way to separate your clothes from their clothes for washing them. You should not use fabric softener on the clothes and should opt for a dye free, fragrance free laundry soap, if you can.

Toiletries

Diaper-rash ointment
Infant acetaminophen
Rubbing alcohol
Cotton balls and swabs
Gas drops*
Petroleum jelly*

Feeding Supplies

Lanolin (if breastfeeding)
Breast pump (if breastfeeding)
4 larger (8-9 oz, varies by brand) bottles (if bottlefeeding)
Formula (if bottlefeeding or supplementing)
4 - 6 four oz bottles with nipples
Bottle brush

Note: There are different nipples to control flow. If breastfeeding start with the slowest flow, this may require you to buy a slower flow than what comes with the bottle. If bottle feeding, most bottles come with nipples at a level 2 which should be fine in the beginning.

Accessories*

Toys*
Books*
Stuffed animals*
Music Player* (MP3, CD, cassette, record)
Picture frames*
Wall decoration*

Note: All optional really, but this is what brings the personality to your baby's space. I'm sure some of you are thinking I'm heartless for saying toys and stuffed animals such are optional, but really a baby doesn't care about toys and stuff for a little while.

Gear
Car seat
Stroller or pram*
Exercise gym/play mat* (for tummy time)
Swing and/or bouncy seat*

Note: Many hospitals in the United States will not let you take the baby out of the hospital without securing them in a car seat first even if you will be walking them home a couple of blocks away in a pram. Like accessories there are a lot of items for this category, however these are the only few you may need/want to have to bring baby home. High chairs, baby seats, exersaucers, etc. aren't actually needed til much later. I'll do an extras to put on your registry post later this week as well. For all those things you may want later.

Monday Musings

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:30:00 +0000

leaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.

Phyllis Diller

Dimples

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:30:00 +0000

y baby girl has great big dimples. She also loves to nosh on her fingers! So while I'm trying to get a picture of her dimples and the smile that makes me melt, I inevitably get 90% of her eating her fingers, 9% of her one eyebrow cocked "What are you doing face?" and 1% of the smile I've been hoping to capture.

Think I'm exagerating? How about this grouping taken the next day, I never managed to get the smile and she was soooooo squimry.

That's my baby girl, open mouth... insert fingers.

I thought for a while about going with a nickname, but I'm opting not to for now. Mainly, if she does have people google her when she is school aged and they somehow find out about the blog anyway, they're more likely to tease her with the nickname.

So, my baby girl's name is Kirsten. We opted for the Swedish pronunciation, which sounds like Keerstin.

Baby Bits

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:02:00 +0000

fully intended to share all the bits as I got her nursery ready, then we got a call saying she'd be induced a week early. So, we kicked it into high gear and didn't quite finish in time with all the little things we needed to do before our baby girl came. I spent a few days after we brought her home adding a few butterflies to girl it up, we kept her nursery very neutral until she came home. Doctors have been known to make mistakes.

For three months I was home with her, with every intention to begin blogging again. However, everything I could think of to write about was "baby, baby, baby"... I don't really want to be a "mommy blogger", it doesn't really fit with what my blogs theme and goals are. If, however, I'm not writing at all, that's not much of a blog either. Right now, my life revolves around my baby girl, and sorting and organizing the massive amounts of stuff she seems to require. I'm going to give in and do a bit of an organizing for baby series to get all these topics and bits out of my head and be able to move back to more adult topics as well. They'll start in August, in the meantime, I'll share a bit about my baby girl.

I'll start with a question for you, when you blog about your children, do you use their real names or a psuedonym? I have a nickname for my daughter, but I doubt it will fit her indefinitely. I also wonder if I should keep it to a psyuedonym for her privacy once school starts and friends possibly searching her name online.

Here's a pic from the day she was born, her fingers were so tiny, yet so long. She was born on "tax day", April 15, and was a little peanut, just 6 lbs 11 oz and 18.5 inches. Today people guess that she is 6-8 weeks vs the 14 weeks that she actually is. She has light brown/dark blonde hair and blue eyes, and is the prettiest baby I've ever seen. Of course I'm biased, but I'm terribly smitten with her and count my blessings every day that she's in my life.

I went back to work 2 weeks ago full-time, and every day is a struggle. However, that's what I need to do for our family right now. I'm a full-time working mom, but in the interest of full disclosure... something had to give. That's right, I can't do it all and I have the utmost respect for those who can. I have a lovely woman who comes to my house once a week to vacuum, dust, clean my bathrooms and kitchen counters. Maybe one day I can go back to trying to do it all, but for now I had to give up something and was more than happy to give up the cleaning aspect of housework. Yes, I write a blog that has a heavy focus on homemaking, and I gave up the house cleaning. I still have to keep an organized picked-up (mostly) house to make it as easy as possible for her. I'll still have to do Spring Cleaning and Fall Cleaning and yardwork and have plenty of things to write about. However, toilet bowl cleaner will no longer be something I'll be making a recommendation for, not that I did before.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:30:00 +0000

y dear, dear friends, I have been away from you all for so long. What was intended to be a short hiatus, turned into a long vacation indeed. I've been in hiding a while, but it's time to dust off the welcome mat, put the coffee on and invite you all in to catch up.

The big news, as I've eluded to many times in posts and comments on your blogs, we are adopting and have been waiting for many years. Well, we are currently getting our nursery ready for a baby girl due at the end of April. So, I'll post photos while I'm preparing all of the little changes we make here and there. I absolutely adore the couple that chose us, they are very sweet and are allowing us to participate in quite a few of the pregnancy related activities, like ultrasounds.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Anyone have any corned beef tips to share? I'll be trying my hand at it for the first time this evening.

Temporary Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:00:00 +0000

'll start blogging again in July, but for now I need a break. Hopefully, July will bring a lot of changes, it's been a relaxing summer so far, not worrying about getting a post up or what to talk about next week. Monday Musings will not be coming back here, I love finding and sharing quotes, but I'd prefer to go back to doing it when something is poignant and on my own schedule. I've offered up Monday Musings to the person who inspired me to start it in the first place. If she's not interested I'll let the typical participants know and see if anyone else wants to continue it. In the meantime, I'm on a temporary blogging vacation.

Image found at The Painted Woman

Monday Musings {54}

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Mon, 18 May 2009 03:13:00 +0000

"Gardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of perspiration."
-Lou Erickson

What's this all about? Join Monday Musings and grab a button, post a quote on your blog and then come back to this post to link to your quote post! Please link directly to the quote post and not to your blogs main page, to make it easy for everyone to find the quote.

Monday Musings {53}

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Mon, 11 May 2009 03:26:00 +0000

"What is the use of a book", thought Alice, "without pictures or conversations?"
-Lewis Carroll

Ah... the innocence of childhood.

Sorry, I spent so many nights last week playing catch up after my trip to Minneapolis, but I'm back this week and I'll share details and pictures later this week.

What's this all about? Join Monday Musings and grab a button, post a quote on your blog and then come back to this post to link to your quote post! Please link directly to the quote post and not to your blogs main page, to make it easy for everyone to find the quote.

Happy Birthday Blaze!

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Sat, 09 May 2009 05:01:00 +0000

Blaze over at Blaze Danielle is celebrating her 22nd birthday today. Swing by and wish her a Happy Birthday! Only 40 more days until she'll be a beautiful bride!

Monday Musings {52}

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Mon, 04 May 2009 01:00:00 +0000

"The friend who holds your hand and says the wrong thing is made of dearer stuff than the one who stays away."
-Barbara Kingsolver

I'll be visiting with my dear friend, Kiy, in Minneapolis this week so I may not be able to visit to see all the quotes until Wednesday! Just give me time though, I'll be there. Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

What's this all about? Join Monday Musings and grab a button, post a quote on your blog and then come back to this post to link to your quote post! Please link directly to the quote post and not to your blogs main page, to make it easy for everyone to find the quote.

Giveaway! Photo from Iceland

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Sat, 02 May 2009 02:40:00 +0000

his week's Friday I'm In Love is a bit biased, because my sister finally opened an Etsy shop, alfadís photography (rather reopened). I love her photographs, I have a few around my house and I hope you don't mind me sharing them with you. Plus, she's giving away one to a reader, details below!

Woman in the Stone

Women in the Wood

Both of these photos were taken in Iceland on our trip in 2004, and Woman in the Wood is in a frame in my office. These are both available in her etsy shop. She's also recently started her own blog, so please go over and say hi to her!

My sister has graciously offered to give a reader a 5x7 photo, you can choose one of the three below. So, leave a comment letting me know which you would like and she'll draw the winner next Friday, May 8th at 6pm PST to give people plenty of time to enter.

From left to right: Path I, Path IV, Kannan

Happy May Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:00:00 +0000

re you doing anything special for May Day? Making May Day baskets for your neighbors? Making crowns of daisy chains? Unfortunately, it's a little too early to be able to pick flowers and deliver them in Grand Forks, but I'd love to know if you are able to do anything where you live.

I just love this picture of all the May baskets lined up on the fence. Are they awaiting delivery? I imagine that they are.

Photo by Will Merydith

Would you like to make your own May Baskets? Here's a template I created just for my readers. Clicking on it will bring up a hi-res version in Adobe PDF format for printing.

May Basket Template

Just a Minute... In April

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:00:00 +0000

ust a simple reflection on April, I'm joining in with Just A Minute over at August Street.

Reading... lots of magazines, as I play catch-up... and Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks, sent to me by my dear friend, Tamy

Making... handmade pay it forward packages, yes, still. I'm about halfway done.

Watching... green bits peeking up in my flower beds, the allium are always the first to start stretching their green stems towards the sky.

Photo from Wikimedia

Listening... to birds chirping in the mornings, they are finally back for the summer.

Loving... that the sun is still shining when I leave work! and, running around town without a jacket (yes, maybe it's still a little too chilly to be doing that, yes, I do it anyway!)

Dreaming... of paint colors since we're painting the exterior of our house this summer! Yay!!! Not terribly fond of the color it is now.

Planning... a trip to Minneapolis to see Kiy, a camping trip for the second weekend in May and recipes with Becca and Jen for our first Kitchen Comforts dinner on Saturday night.

Marshmallows - First Time Camping photo by Barca

Baking... Bagels, it was an early morning and I just couldn't sleep anymore. I was having a craving for a fresh bagels. I kept it simple, a basic water bagel. So, perfectly soft, chewy and crisp all at the same time, smeared with a bit of my favorite vegetable cream cheese. I could close my eyes and imagine I was in New York for about 5 minutes.

Eating... lots of soups this month for some reason. That's usually a fall/winter thing for me. It's crisp and cool in the air, and I've had leftover ham to go through from Easter. So, last week I made a ham and bean soup, and last night I made a ham and potato soup, recipe will be posted next week on Kitchen Comforts.

Want to join in? Visit Jenaveve over at August Street

Raspberry Cordial : Childhood Book Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:47:00 +0000

spent quite a bit of time this weekend baking and cooking. Never had any intention to do so, it just sort of happened. I had lemons and blueberries that needed to be used up, I woke up at 3:30 am Saturday morning and could not fall asleep again, despite my valiant efforts to sleep in, so I made bagels. However, the inspiration for this mornings quote came in the form of a sweet nectar that I finally got up the courage to make.

I adore the book Anne of Green Gables and own the DVD's as well and have watched them many times. How could you not feel for Anne when for a time she loses her "bosom friend" Diana because she served Marilla's famous Current Wine instead of the Raspberry Cordial as was intended? The writing in the books makes you feel as if you were there experiencing Prince Edward Island with her: the sights, smells, sounds and tastes.

Finally, after thinking about it several times through the years, I remembered I wanted to try making Raspberry Cordial while I was at the grocery store and able to pick up what I would need. I used a bit less sugar than what is called for by most recipes, but it was still plenty sweet. Oh and so delicious!

The books of Enid Blyton also hold countless treats I'd love to find recipes for sometime. Jane Brockett wrote a book of recipes for treats found in childhood books called Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer, it's been on my wishlist for a while and sounds like it would be a treat to match the descriptions from stories with the treats themselves. What treats from books have always fascinated you? Anything I should try?

Monday Musings {51}

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 02:26:00 +0000

"Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive—it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we knew all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?"
- Anne Shirley in "Anne of Green Gables" by L.M. Montgomery

What's this all about? Join Monday Musings and grab a button, post a quote on your blog and then come back to this post to link to your quote post! Please link directly to the quote post and not to your blogs main page, to make it easy for everyone to find the quote.

Permanent Organizing Solutions

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:00:00 +0000

may not be the best person to write this post, because I don't have a single drawer that has fully transitioned to permanent organization solutions. If my make-shift solutions work, I don't change them. As much as I drool over gorgeously organized all matching solutions on HGTV or in magazines, I also think a lot of the items are ridiculously expensive and would rather spend my money traveling or just save it. However, if you do indeed implement a solution like cereal boxes, you will want something more permanent eventually.

I have quite a few white plastic trays by Rubbermaid that I've used in various kitchen drawers for years. I like them because it doesn't matter what size drawer they end up in I can make them work. That's not always the case if you go with an all in one tray type solution.

Your solution should be able to:
Change, grow and evolve as your needs do.
Be cleaned easily.
Work for you, it should make your life easier, not just add to existing clutter.

You can see one of the plastic modular trays that I use in this picture right at the end of the flatware tray:

I use several of these trays in each drawer throughout my kitchen, bathroom and office. If you need a lot of small containers for things like safety pins, coins, buttons, erasers, matches, stamps, etc. consider tackle box organizers. I know it sounds strange, but I use a tackle box for my first aid kit, because I can have any configuration of tiny spots for band-aid's, gauze, tape, etc. The lids can be removed so it can sit open in a drawer, or you can leave the lids on, but it's an extra step to open them and annoying if you have to get into it quite often.

This tackle utility box is just $6 and you can see there are a lot of slots for dividers to slide into, so you can customize the fit your need quite easily. Don't limit yourself to a container/home goods type store when looking for permanent solutious, you'll usually find cheaper solutions at your local hardware and sporting goods stores.

If you are curious, our first aid kit is similar to this 4-drawer tackle box.

Read the whole series!
Monday: Using what you have to organize
Tuesday: My current areas organized this way
Wednesday: Pick a new area to organize - Drawers
Thursday: Laying it all out and putting it away

Organizing My Junk Drawer

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:00:00 +0000

esterday I said I didn't think it was that bad, well it was worse than I thought!

A while back there was a project of sorts about truth in blogging started by Sweetney I believe. People were posting pictures of themselves first thing in the morning, just out of bed, before make up or showers or any primping at all. For a blog like mine, as we discuss and share homemaking and organizing and decorating this is my little bit of truth in blogging. I've never pretended to be perfect though. On my about page, I'm perfectly honest, "I'm not quite there, but I want to get there and I'll share the journey with you." So, here we go:

Before, after I lifted the top layer of papers, which consisted of recipes, so you could see the meat of it all:

Everything that did not belong and had to be put away elsewhere in the house:

That's a lot, I was surprised to see that much stuff was misplaced. Plus, I'll be needing those garden trimmers soon, so this was good timing.

A clean empty drawer, notice the bottom is lined with shelf liner. I do this so it's easy to wipe down and the drawer doesn't get ruined if a pen leaks or explodes. All of my drawers are lined with shelf liner or drawer liner. When clothes are involved it helps prevent snags, for those drawers I use lightly lavendar scented paper drawer liner. You can see that paper under the bits in my vanity drawer. I just adore it! I bought two boxes with a $50 gift certificate to Crabtree & Evelyn I had gotten for Christmas two years ago from my grandmother. After I cut the sheets to size I cut the remaining edges into squares and tucked them into purses and shoes and anywhere that could use a little touch of freshness.

I mentioned having an extra flatware tray that I use for that drawer, but I wanted to share what I would do if I didn't have that tray. So, if I just wanted temporary containers while I was working out what I would need in the drawer long term, this is what I would do. The small glasses are a little bigger than shot glass size and one is cracked, so we don't usually use them as a set, so this is perfect. The long narrow boxes are cut from cereal boxes, two tops and two bottoms. You can't quite see it, but down the far right side I have a pair of scissors and a ruler, they don't fit in the box. So, for permanent solutions I know I would need at least one longer tray, or a bigger cereal box. I cut dividers for the small white tray in the lower left out of the same cereal boxes, to separate out the matches, stamps, lens wipes, gift cards and USB thumb drive. The coins are separated into four small black box tops. Eventually, a box outside of the junk drawer would be ideal for the batteries, or a set of rechargable batteries with a charger would be nice. The heart tin holds seed packets and cut flower food, this could obviously use a better solution.

Finally, this isn't what I would call permanent, since there are still areas that can improve, but this is with my flatware tray in place. You'll see it actually works quite well since there is one very long spot for my ruler and scissors. It's almost like I could have picked this out to replace the four box tops/bottoms with the additional long section need fulfilled. This is how it will stay for a little while at least.

Ok, so if you organized anything, anything at all this week and want to share your before and after, link up! Please link directly to the post and not to your home page, so we can find the appropriate post easily:

Read the whole series!
Monday: Using what you have to organize
Tuesday: My current areas organized this way
Wednesday: Pick a new area to organize - Drawers
Friday: Transitioning to permanent organizing solutions

Organizing Your Drawers

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:00:00 +0000

lmost everyone has a "junk" drawer in their kitchen. So that's what I'll tackle today and tomorrow, the information applies to any type of drawer, whether it's full of clothes, kitchen gadgets or miscellaneous tidbits.

Photo from Woman's Day

Let's be realistic about this photo, do you think they found an organizer that happened to have all the perfect spots for their junk drawer? No, they found the perfect sized stuff for the container, that's why I wouldn't advocate rushing out and buying something like this. Everyone's stuff is different, find out what you need first, then buy accordingly.

Our junk drawers are not really full of junk, but all the miscellaneous bits and pieces that you are forever needing close at hand. Junk has such a negative connotation, surely there are better names for it. Regardless of what you call it, it seems to be the drawer that is least likely to stay organized. If you are like me, you are in and out of it at least 5 times a day, now multiply that by the number of people in your family (tots and babies excluded of course). The drawer gets a lot of use and things are constantly going in and coming out. The only way to keep it neat is to have a place for everything, otherwise everything just gets dropped in and you are forever searching for tidbits. Have you ever heard yourself saying to a family member: "I know it's in there, look harder."

I had an e-mail regarding my vanity drawer asking me if it really looks like that or did I straighten it for the photo. I didn't straighten it, it really does always look like that. However, my junk drawer while mostly organized would definitely need a straightening for a photo, the last straightening was done about 2 years ago. I actually don't think it's that bad for 2 years.

Organizing a Drawer

Determine what's currently in the drawer and what needs to be in the drawer that might be elsewhere currently.
Gather all the items together and sort and purge, ask yourself:
- In some cases, what is it?
- Do I really use or need it?
- Is there a better place in the house for it?
Separate them out to determine what your storage containers need to look like: how many and what sizes
Gather up storage containers that you can use, remember I'm not advocating buying anything yet!
Sort items into their containers and arrange the containers in the drawer
Live with it for a while, rearrange and adjust as you add additional items or move things to other homes. This isn't possible if you run out and buy a drawer organizer right away.
Consider transitioning to a permanent solution

My Junk Drawer

A few "office supplies": pens, pencils, scissors, tape, post-it's, markers, paper clips, rubber bands, etc
A few band-aid's (we have a separate first aid kit)
Matches and a long lighter for the grill
Batteries
Bag Clips
Gift Cards
Coins
Miscellaneous screws and furniture parts
Miscellaneous receipts and papers
Phone book
Coupon book

Given what I have above I need a lot of small boxes, a couple long narrow boxes and a big empty space for the phone book, papers (if they even need to stay) and coupon book. I currently use an old flatware tray in that drawer, the previous owners left theirs so I moved it over there. But I'll try to organize it with other things from around the house, the way I would if I was starting from scratch.

If you want to organize your junk drawer with me, take about 5 minutes today and gather the things that belong in your junk drawer that aren't there currently. Also, measure the depth, width and length of your drawer tonight, so you'll can find or make containers that fit your drawer. I'll include a Mr. Linky tomorrow so we can share our before and after's.

I'd like to know what else you store in your junk drawer, so tomorrow when I lay it all out and put it away, I'll be sure to have a better representation of what most families would have. Especially speak up if you have small kids, I'm sure I'm missing the little things that would come with having kids in the house 24/7.

Read the whole series!
Monday: Using what you have to organize
Tuesday: My current areas organized this way
Thursday: Laying it all out and putting it away
Friday: Transitioning to permanent organizing solutions

Using What I Have to Organize

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:00:00 +0000

ere are a few scenarios to illustrate what I mean about using what I have:

The first is an example of my vanity drawers, I don't use a jewlery box, but I have a vanity with very shallow drawers for the top 4, which works will for jewelry, safety pins, make up, and small hair accessories. To compartmentalize I use a variety of box tops and jewelry boxes, cut to size if needed. They work perfectly since lids are by default shallow. I've collected all of mine over the years, but if you let friends and family know you'd like them, I'm sure you'll have plenty in no time.

Silver service holding my cotton balls and swabs, a bud vase holding my make-up brushes. Please excuse the white dishcloth background and reflection, silver catches everything and my bright pink shirt was terribly distracting, from both the front and mirror behind.

The olive oil cruet I use for my dish soap on the counter, handy but not big and ugly.

A flowerpot holding decorative scissors in my office. (The scissors aren't decorative, the cuts they make are.)

A corner of my desk, a stone kitchen shelf providing extra storage, a canning jar holding paint brushes in the far left corner, and copper flour and sugar containers holding pens, pencils and scrapbooking punches.

Just a small sampling of rooms in my home using what I have to organize the little bits that I need. We all have the little things that we need, but so easily get lost in a drawer amidst all the other little bits and pieces of life. Keeping them separated and having a spot for every little thing, even if it's just a little spot helps keep everything under control.

Have any suggestions for the spot to organize tomorrow? If not, I'm leaning towards the "junk drawer" that we all have in our kitchens. Mine could use a little reworking, but I'm open to other areas if anyone has any preferences.

Read the whole series!
Monday: Using what you have to organize
Wednesday: Pick a new area to organize - Drawers
Thursday: Laying it all out and putting it away
Friday: Transitioning to permanent organizing solutions

Using What You Have To Organize

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:00:00 +0000

hen I asked for suggestions as to what you'd like to see more of one of the requests was more organizing tips. At first I was a little reluctant to share what I do, because it's sort of a hodge-podge. However, with the economy being what it is, I'm hoping more of you are looking for solutions like mine. I don't go out and buy drawer dividers and organizers. I use what I have on hand. I do have a place for everything, everything isn't always in it's place, but it is most of the time.

While you are getting organized it doesn't make sense to go out and buy a bunch of organizing containers until you know what you have and everything has a home. Go the cheap route for a while using what's around your home until you have an idea of exactly what you have and what you need. In some cases, there is a lot to be said about having the right tool for the job, don't try replacing file folders with cardboard boxes. However, until you know how big a file drawer/box/cabinet you need, it is perfectly acceptable to store file folders in a cardboard box. Once you have all your files determined, then go looking for a file box/drawer/cabinet. Need help figuring out what to keep? Check out Managing Paperwork.

Before buying a compartmentalized container for catching clutter in your hot spots, put a basket, bowl, plate, tray or anything else you have on hand there first to start catching clutter. You want a good idea of what you are "catching" first. It doesn't make sense to get a small bowl for keys and change if most of what ends up in your container is mail and paperwork.

Likewise, it's pointless to buy a cd holder that fits 200 cd's if, after decluttering the house, pulling everything together and organizing it, you find you have 300 cd's. And, vice versa, it would pointless to buy the 500 cd holder to find you are only planning on keeping 150 cd's. Actually, forget cd holders altogether, rip your cd's to a computer, and box up the cd's and store them out of the way, under a bed for instance. (Legal disclaimer: you have to keep them if you are keeping the music. If you sell the cd you should delete the music from your hard drive.)

I hope those examples have convinced you to shop around your house for storage first, at least until you have a good idea of what you need to store. Don't forget to ask yourself do I really need it? Why buy something to store something you don't need. Plus you might find you really like your homegrown storage choices.

Photo from Real Simple

Use What You Have Organization Ideas

1) Use cream and sugar pieces from a coffee service to house cotton balls and swabs in the bathroom, use a cup to hold make-up brushes
2) Use a flower vase or a canning jar for a pencil holder in an office
3) Use an olive oil cruet as a soap dispenser at the kitchen sink
4) Use baskets, trays, bowls, or platters to corral clutter in your clutter hot spots
5) Cut and cover larger cereal boxes to house magazine collections
6) Remove labels from jars and lids to create containers for buttons, ribbons, pastas, rices, beans, hair clips, coins, or homemade seasoning blends
7) Use an ice cube tray in a junk or desk drawer to hold paper clips, screws, batteries, safety pins, coins, matches, etc.
8) Use an empty candy box liner (the type with an indent for each candy) or an ice cube tray to organize your jewelry
9) Use the bottom of cereal boxes, cracker boxes, pudding boxes, pasta boxes, as shallow drawer dividers just measure the depth of your drawer and cut the bottom of the box an 1/8" shorter. If you don't like the look of the cardboard, you can line the insides of the boxes with drawer liner or scrapbook paper.
10) Cover shoeboxes with pretty paper and use them as photo boxes or to corral items in open viewable areas, like office shelving.

Read the whole series!
Tuesday: My current areas organized this way
Wednesday: Pick a new area to organize - Drawers
Thursday: Laying it all out and putting it away
Friday: Transitioning to permanent organizing solutions

What are your ideas? Leave additional suggestions in the comments.

Also, if you have a particular problem area you'd like me to cover on Wednesday, let me know.

Monday Musings {50}

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 02:00:00 +0000

"They stick you with those names, those labels -- 'rebel' or whatever; whatever they like to use. Because they need a label; they need a name. They need something to put the price tag on the back of."
- Johnny Depp

What's this all about? Join Monday Musings and grab a button, post a quote on your blog and then come back to this post to link to your quote post! Please link directly to the quote post and not to your blogs main page, to make it easy for everyone to find the quote.

Monday Musings {49}

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 01:00:00 +0000

"Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime."
-Martin Luther

What's this all about? Join Monday Musings and grab a button, post a quote on your blog and then come back to this post to link to your quote post! Please link directly to the quote post and not to your blogs main page, to make it easy for everyone to find the quote.

Happy Easter!

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:00:00 +0000

hope you all have a wonderful, lovely Easter! Take care!

Friday I'm in Love {18}

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:00:00 +0000

ne of my favorite things about blogging is the community it builds. I love getting surprise e-mails with a link and a note... "I saw this and thought of you" or "You'd love this" or "I saw this, and had to share it with you." I love these e-mails! First, I get to discover amazing tidbits because of them, and second, it makes me feel blessed to have made such wonderful friends because of my little blog.

My first two tidbits come from just such e-mails. Janet, an author and blogger, found my blog through a local Grand Forks blog, see... community! Anyway, after a bit of emailing she invited me to join the local homemaker's group here in town and we got together for coffee. So, I got to meet a whole group of wonderful women, had a wonderful evening and made a cute baby blanket, all because of a comment I left on a local blog. She sent me the links to first two Etsy sellers sure I would love them and I do, so I'm sharing.

The first is the shop of Jenny Lee Fowler, she creates custom silhouettes and the ones that Janet shared are done on leaves. They are so petite, meticulously crafted and oh, so cute!

Listed Here

An example of her traditional silhouettes, a listing for 2 custom silhouettes mounted separately or together, buyers choice. Listing

The second, The Daily Pincushion, is a shop of nothing but pincushions. Pincushions that make you want to take up sewing just to use them, they are so cute. I'm thinking they wouldn't HAVE to be pincushions would they? Little dolly ottoman, really light paperweight, toy cake?

I just love this soft blue one with yellow flowers. Listing

This one is my favorite though, a green background with pink flowers. Listing

The last shop I want to share, Monkey Always Look, is the featured shop of the day on Etsy. So you can read the interview as well as see her quirky creations. I just love the succulents in vintage china and other household items.

This is my favorite, a gorgeous toile espresso mug potted with living rocks. I love a little toile. Listing

This is the item that caught my eye when I first went to Etsy, the structural modern feeling Zebra plant contrasted with the traditional patina and curves of the silver creamer. Just gorgeous. Listing

Oh, and you have to go read this post from Janet, sooooo funny. I'd have told you earlier, but well you might forget about the lovely shops she sent to me and get caught up in her archives. So, you've seen the shops, so what are you waiting for, go read that post... hilarious... really. Oh, and this one's cute too, so like me... oh, you're already gone. I should be less demanding maybe.