This is the 6th week of the new year and we are in February. So, let’s move on to our next challenge.

This one is for the knitters, the Crochet fans and anyone who likes to craft using yarn.If this describes you, then get those projects ready to link up. Maybe you have wanted to try a project using yarn, then this week may be the motivation you need.

I have some fun tutorials lined up for you this week. They will inspire you!

Here are a few of my favorite yarn projects that I have found.

Like these yarn chandeliers. Amazing!

Image from Pinterest

Gotta love yarn letters!!!

From Crazy Domestic

And this picture found on Pinterest just makes me smile. You knitters will love this.

Of course, a personal favorite project is yarn wreaths. Here is one that I made last year.

So, you know what to do. Get those projects ready and link up!

Come back tomorrow to meet our new guest judge and to see what you could WIN!!!! 

As always, here is the week’s schedule:

Sunday- Sponsor and guest judge of the week are announced

Monday- Tutorial #1

Tuesday- Tutorial #2

Wednesday- Tutorial #3, link up party begins at midnight (MST)

Thursday- Link party continues

Friday- Link party ends at noon, another edition of The CSI Chic Chronicles

Saturday- Winners and new challenge announced

I hope this week you will

Create, Share and Inspire!

Wow, this was a hard challenge to judge. So many great ideas!

I think this means the challenges need to get harder because you ladies are super talented.

You also very much impressed our guest judge, Rachel from Family Ever After.

Here is what she said about her judging experience,

“Hello all you amazing organizers! I’ve had so much fun looking through all the entries (and watching the movie “Monte Carlo” while I was at it, lol). You’ve all got such pretty blogs- I even followed each one of you while I was paying you a visit!  A few months ago, I was the lucky winner of the CSI challenge for the color orange. I entered my Orange Playroom Reveal. Winning the challenge was the coolest blogging moment I had had at that point. I was so excited to win, and it gave me such a boost of confidence with my blog! There were so many wonderful ideas- I noticed several common themes- closets, laundry, and meal organization. It was hard to narrow it down, but here we go!”

Rachel’s remarks are in italics.

# 25 Organizing Toys with Instagram from My Sister’s Suitcase

This idea is brilliant! It’s an instagram picture, with a title written on it, and adhered to a drawer of toys. What I love about it is that kids can easily help clean up, even if they’re too small to read, because they see the pictures of what belongs in each drawer. (And what’s super funny is that this has been on my to-do list for months! I loved seeing it done in real life)!

#5 DIY bathroom organization from Eat.Sleep.Decorate

 I love the originality of each hook. I am a firm believer in handing a towel on a hook (as opposed to folding and draping it over a rod). It’s so much easier!

#7 An Organized Garage from Gone Walkabout 2

A lot of work was put into getting this garage all organized. Kudos for a job well done!

#28  laundry Basket/Dresser from Kaleidoscope of Colors

 And it is a tie. Very similar project and both GREAT!!!

#11 from Tales of a Trophy Wife

I got a kick out of these two entries. They both built the same set of laundry drawers to organize all their dirty laundry. When I clicked on the first one, the picture of the pile of laundry took my breath away! Good thing she has a better organizing system now! (My laundry pile has never gotten that high….. really, I promise, ok no, I’m lying)! haha

#19 Printable Meal Planner from Seven Thirty Three

 I printed this out months ago, and it is brilliant! Kim from 733 is so talented with printables. I love how this meal planner makes sense, and it doesn’t hurt that its the same colors as my kitchen!

#22 Mealtime Notebook from A Reformed Heath’n 

This is totally my style of organizing. I love how practical this is!

#40 Recipe Magnets from The Letter 4

I would have never thoughts of this, but it is on my to-do list now. Completely brilliant.

#42 closet to sewing nook from Creatively Living….Outside the Box

I love this sewing nook. Very very fun!

#62 Organized Bookshelf from Coley’s Corner

I have a shelf in need of this exact makeover. Great job, and I love the colors!

#66 Organized Craft Closet from Lizzy, My Mind, My Life

I’m digging this space, especially how the contact paper and vinyl are organized!

#67 Organized Fabric from Freetime Frolics

2 hours were spent folding all this gorgeous fabric. Totally worth it, it looks fantastic!

#64 Fabric Storage from PolkaDot Pretties

This is so clever and I love how she painted this thrift store beauty and created a very unique piece that would look great in my craft room. Jealous, maybe? But a BIG “you are awesome” is in order for this lovely link.

Congratulations to all of the CSI winners. Be sure to go grab your button here and proudly display on your blog.

You have earned it!

But wait, there is more.

The winner of the Lil’ Noodle Bug Giveaway and this beauty….

IS…..

The winner(picked by Random.org)

#12 giant Spool Storage from Tales of a Trophy Wife

Email me at dee@thecsiproject .com to claim your prize

 Congratulations and a special thank you to this week’s sponsor Lil’ Noodle Bug! We loved having you here all week and introducing us to your cute shop.

Also, thank you to Rachel,  from Family Ever After, for being this week’s guest judge and making those incredibly difficult picks. Being a judge is not an easy gig.

You ladies are Super, duper creative and talented.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for next’s week’s challenge, Yarn Projects and Knitting challenge

and a sponsor you don’t want to miss.

Come back next week for even more inspiration!!!

Have a happy and safe weekend!

This week has been all about windows and how to dress them up. When I introduced the challenge, I included a great organization ideas  from,Simplify 101.

We also had 3 great tutorials full of organizational tips.

First, we had a wonderful travel Organization  tutorial from Mrs. Greene.

Then, we had a Organizational shelf from Elphia Designs. Congrats, Sharon on your first tutorial ever!

Finally, we had tutorial on Dry Erase Organizer from Avery & Winslow.

Thanks for the inspiration, ladies. You know how to inspire us all.

When you link up your Organization projects and tips, you can expect a visit to your blog from this week’s guest judge, the fabulous Rachel, from Family Ever After.

{Isn’t she cute?}

Rachel will looking at all of your projects and picking their overall favorite and 10 that make the CSI cut.

In addition to the winners of the challenge, we will also have a WINNER of the Lil Noodle Bug Giveaway.

You can enter as many times as you want here, but as always by linking up it is an automatic entry.

We can’t wait to see your projects this week!!! You might even take home the coveted winners button and you just might win the giveaway.

Happy Linking, my crafty friends!!!

So, let’s get on with the party!!!

Please remember that to be eligible to win this week’s challenge and giveaway, you must provide a link back to the challenge in your entry post. It’s easy–we have a button ready for you to insert into your post HERE. For additional challenge rules, please read below.

You’ll find the linkup for this week’s challenge at the end of this post, following the challenge rules. This challenge begins at 12 pm(MST) Wednesday, January 18 , and ends at noon (MST) Friday, January 20th.

1. All entries for this challenge need to incorporate the challenge’s theme. We are not simply a linky party. We have a specific theme for each week. All submissions are competing to be the judge’s top pick. If your project does not incorporate the theme we will have to remove it.

2. When you enter the challenge, please enter the link to the specific post on your blog that relates to the project — not to your general blog. This will help when a year from now, for example, someone who visits the site can find your project directly.

3. The CSI Project button must be in your blog post. HERE are the buttons. This makes it easy for other people to come over and join in the challenge if they like – and for us to know that we have the correct entry in the challenge when we’re judging. And if you use an older post, please update it so it’s current. If you don’t want to update it, please add the button to that post and to the sidebar for the week of the contest. Thanks!

4. The project you submit must be your own project and something you have made. (It can be inspired by something someone else has done, but it must be your creation.)

5. We ask that you are a CSI follower or subscriber to win the prizes. The more followers the site has — the more giveaways we are able to host

6. If you enter a project into our challenge, we ask that you please leave comments on at least 2 other entries in the contest. Not only is it nice to do, but it’s a great way to meet new people and make new friends.

7. By entering, you give us permission to spotlight your projects – we will give you credit and link back to your blog. You are welcome to enter as many themed projects as you like! You also give us permission to add your name to our newsletter list. If you wish to unsubscribe you may do so at any time.

The CSI Project have a new Facebook page. Go here to “like” us and join our weekly craft contest. This is a separate contest for your best project of the week. Go ahead and show off!

Also, go here to learn how you can be involved in Giraffe Grins, a CSI Project charity.

If you haven’t registered for the Forum yet, go here.

So, Ready, steady….GO!

Like this tp roll colored pencil organizer:

Or this girly pencil cup:

Last week, I was feeding my habit browsing at Joann Fabrics when I saw an interesting dry erase calendar. It was printed on glass and then framed. I thought it was a cool dry erase idea, but it didn’t leave much space to record anything and the style was very blah.

Enter my plan to make one that was cheaper, cuter, and much more usable.

You can use this erasable organizer for meal planning, children’s chores, your cleaning routine, or even blog plans.

Let’s make a dry erase planner together.

Pick a frame with a glass insert. Mine is 10″ x 13″.

Paint your frame a new color if it’s looking dingy or dated.

Cut a piece of cardboard or posterboard to fit in your frame.

Cover your board with paper, fabric, or gift wrap.

Now, it’s time to cut out white rectangles (or any color you love that’s light enough for your marker to show) where you will write your plans for the day.

Figure out how much space you can use for each day. The vertical opening on my frame is 12.5”. I want to include 7 days on my planner. 12.5 divided by 7 gives 1.78” for each day. I want space between my rectangles, so I will cut them smaller at 1.5” tall and 7” wide.

Lay out your rectangles on your board to get spacing correct before you glue them down. {For this step, I put my board in the frame without the glass to make sure that my rectangles would not be covered by the frame.}

I used a shape punch to make scalloped circles for my letters of the week. I glued them down on alternating sides.

Add your letters. The letters for your days of the week can be chipboard like mine – - or you can create them on your cutting machine, use a favorite stamp set, or use stickers.

Finally, put the frame together (remember to put the glass in first!).

Now, kick back and pat yourself on the back for being that organized adult you always knew you could be.

Thanks for having me on the CSI Project Today!

::: Catherine from Avery & Winslow :::

~ Thanks Catherine! This is so great and easy. I love that you use it for organizing your blog too!

Great idea! Come back anytime!!!

Be sure to check out our sponsor of the week’s shop, here.

The Piece of wood I chose was pretty rough, so I sanded it before painting.

Paint the wood completely.  It may take a couple of coats.  Let it dry thoroughly between coats.

Paint the clothes pins and wooden circles.  Let dry completely.

Center and attach the back hanger.  It is much easier to do this step BEFORE you glue on the clothes pins.

Type whatever words or letters you want to mod podge to your shelf.  I used my open office writer.  I did font size 40 in bold, italic, “adorable” text font for the words.  I did the week letters in font size 44.

Mod podge the words onto the shelf and the letters onto the wooden circles.

Glue the clothes pins to the shelf, measure the
placement first.  Follow the directions for the glue…ex: gorilla glue REALLY triple expands, so you don’t need much.

Glue the wooden circles to the clothes pins.

Admire and USE your cool new Weekly Organization Shelf!!
Thank you so much to Dee at the CSI Project for allowing me to contribute a guest post.  Please stop by my site to check out my creations.  http://www.elphiadesigns.com/


Purses and Handbags can be purchased at my Etsy shop.  http://www.elphiadesigns.etsy.com/

~ Thank you Sharon for sharing your day with us here at The CSI Project. This is so great and congrats on your frst tutorial. Come back and do it again sometime!

Be sure to check out our sponsor of the week’s shop, here.

If there is one thing I’m terrible about keeping organized, it’s paperwork. I’m terrible about filing things. Last year’s tax returns? I would have to hunt to find them. Last month’s electric bill? It’s around here somewhere… I think. But there is one time I’m always on top of my paperwork: when I’m traveling! It’s one thing to lose track of documents and paperwork around the house; when you’re standing at the front of a line full of antsy, impatient travelers, being unsure where you put your confirmation number is a whole ‘nother level of disorganization disaster.

There are lots of travel document organizers you can buy, but I’ve found most of them to be either too expensive or inadequate for my needs. See, I’m one of those people who prints out copies of everything when I take a trip: flight info, reservation confirmations, public transportation maps, lists of good restaurants in the area, directions to any attractions I know I want to see, and anything else that might come in handy. I figure that it’s better to have too much information than too little! However when you’re carrying around that much paper, it’s all the more important to stay organized. My solution was to make my own travel document organizer from a couple of dollar store items. It holds everything I need, I can find any piece of information in moments, and it only cost $2.00.

You will need:

• Plastic file folder
• Tabbed dividers

Make a list of sections you would like to include in your document organizer. Every trip is different and your needs may vary. My set of tabbed dividers came in a package of eight, so I chose eight categories: flights, hotel, airport transfers, public transportation, food, events, maps, and other. Using categories that fit your needs, label each of the tabs and place them inside of the plastic file folder.

To protect your personal information, add a sheet of paper to the front and back of the file folder. You can use blank sheets, or print out your destination on a piece of paper. This will keep prying eyes from viewing the documents inside the clear folder. (As you can see, I am off to CHA, and I’m quite excited!)

Finally, file all of your information behind the appropriate tab. Remember not to put any important identification, such as your passport, in the file; that should always be kept securely on your person while you’re traveling! If you are traveling for business, you can also use this file to organize your receipts from the trip to save them for tax time. (And make sure you put the file in your carry on bag, not your checked luggage, so you will have your documents handy at all times.) You’ll never want to travel without one of these ever again!

Do you have any other tips for keeping travel documents organized? Please share them!

~ Thanks, Rhonda. Hope you had a great time on your trip!

These are great tips and thank you for sharing them with us today!

Be sure to go check out our sponsor of the week, Lil Noodle Bug and enter to WIN!!!

Come back tomorrow for another tutorial!

Maybe by the spring you will be. The season for love is right around the corner and today I would like to introduce you to this adorable shop.

Courtney, from lil noodle bug is giving away to 1 {lucky} winner her handmade heart Valentine Wreath. I love this wreath made of felt.

This would be perfect hanging on your door or in your house for this Valentine season. Just gorgeous!

I would also invite you to go browse her store. She makes custom wreaths, so conatct her for any wreaths you may want. I also can tell you that Courtney is a doll. So great to work with!

Here are some of her custom made wreaths. You can find them here. 

Beautiful!!!

Here is a little more about Courtney in her own words.

Hi. I am Courtney!  The 3 most important people in my life are my hubby and 2 wonderful kiddos. I consider myself a spiritual person and try every day to be the best person I can possibly be.  I have always been creative, but never pursued it as a full time endeavor until about 1 year ago.  I love planning events, surprising others with unexpected gifts and meeting new people.  At the end of the day, I am a very simple person and all I truly need in life is God, Love, my Family, and of course Cute Shoes and Accessories!

As always, just by linking up you have an automatic entry but here are some other ways you can enter.

More entries, the better chances you have!!!

Here are all the ways to put entries into this randomly drawn giveaway:

* Link a project for this week’s Organization challenge.

Each project will automatically be entered into our giveaway. (The linkup will begin Wednesday, February 1st at midnight, and will close Friday, February 3 at noon. MST)

* Go visit Lil Noodle Bug and come back to tell me which item is your favorite.

* Go “like”Lil Noodle Bug on Facebook

* Follow Lil Noodle Bug  on Twitter.

Good luck!!!  

Come back tomorrow for the first tutorial and review of the week!

Get those projects ready to link up and go in the forum to talk about this week’s challenge!

See you tomorrow!

Have a crafty, relaxing, and fun day!

It is a new week here at the CSI Project and that means 3 things……..

New challenge, new sponsor and a new guest judge.

Are you up for the challenge?

Let’s find out!

When it comes to organizing I am a lost soul. I try. I really have and it works for a day, a week  but then BOOM, my organization is cluttered again. If you are this way, you may be looking for new solutions to your organization problems. But maybe you are a pro and you have many ideas for us.

This is your week to shine!!!

Or

If you are like me, this is you week to get new ideas on how to organize better and to stay organized.

For many creative solutions and organizing tips, I love this blog, Simplifying 101.

The tips on here are fantastic. I love this post called, 10 Simple Organizing Projects and thought this would be a great one to share and inspire you as we start this week off.

Aby, the organizing guru on the blog, gives you 10 easy ways to get organized. Starting with cutting the paper clutter.

Has she been in my house? I think she has seen that spot by the refrigerator that I can’t seem to keep uncluttered. Uggh

She goes on  to creating a message center for all of the members in your family. Yes, need one of these too!

And organizing your games. This one I have done but I may need to do a makeover. New year, new inspiration….why not?

I love that pail of pens because how often do you get a game out and you search the whole house for pens. Genious!

Finally, I love this idea. Create a sick stash so that you don’t have to leave your house if someone gets a cold. You already have it all right there, ready to go.

I love all of these ideas and solutions. I know you creative, talented ladies have your own ideas and I can’t wait to see them.  Come share all of your organization tips and tricks this week!

Come back tomorrow to see who our guest judge and sponsor is this week.

You are going to want to win this giveaway! So, you know what to do.

Link up, link up!!

As always, here is the week’s schedule:

Sunday- Sponsor and guest judge of the week are announced

Monday- Tutorial #1

Tuesday- Tutorial #2

Wednesday- Tutorial #3, link up party begins at midnight (MST)

Thursday- Link party continues

Friday- Link party ends at noon, another edition of The CSI Chic Chronicles

Saturday- Winners and new challenge announced

I hope this week you will

Create, Share and Inspire!

Happy weekend too!

This challenge  was so fun and I am so amazed by your creativity and inspiration!

You really impressed this week’s special guest judge from Fish Foam.

Here is what she said about her experience as a guest judge:

“What great ideas!  So much creativity! 

 Really inspires you to want to try some of these room refreshers.

Thank you for the opportunity to be inspired by the creative projects presented by these talented individuals. 

 I am looking at every room in my house a little differently now, and anticipating the opportunity to rejuvenate my long-dormant creative juices. 

 I’ll be back to The CSI Project again for more creative ideas.”

                                                           –GeGe Mix

She visited all of your blogs and made her picks, which is a really hard job!

Onto the winners, starting with the #1 Project. The judge’s comments are in italics.

This was a tough choice, but the winner is……DRUMROLL….

#23 Cheap DIY Metallic Curtains from  Adventures in Creating

I loved the finished product and was impressed by the creative approach taken with the entire project, beginning with the canny purchase of “drapes” from the sheet department at Walmart.  When Rachelle countered her husband’s critique of “too plain” byusing the design stencil intended for walls to embellish her “drapes”she demonstrated creative use of resources she already had.  The accidental metallic results were just a serendipitous conclusion to this winning project.

#21  Vintage Handkerchief Curtains from Kaleidoscope of Colors

 A very close runner-up….These were very charming and a clever way to add interest andpersonalization to a room.

#1   A Spruce of Pelmet Boxes from Little Homemade Housewife

 #6   DIY Curtains from Laughter and Grace

#7   Pelmet Box Tutorial from  No. 29 Design

#9   Striped Curtains with Decoart from  The CountryChic Cottage

#15 Dropcloth Valance from The Gathering  Place Design

#18 Dramatic Burlap Curtains from Bodes & Ollie

#28 No-Sew Tie Top Valance from  Enjoying My Journey

#32 Easy No Sew Curtains from Coley’s Corner

#34 London Blinds from Cook Clean Craft

Vintage Window Makeover from The Little Brown House

I love,love this makeover from an old window!

Wow, it blew me away and I want to do something like this someday!!!! Great job!

Congratulations to all of the CSI winners. Be sure to go grab your button here and proudly display on your blog.

 You have earned it!

But wait, there is more.

The 3 winners of the Fish Foam giveaway is…….

The winners(picked by Random.org)

Wait, this is BIG and Very Exciting!

Did you read all about Fish Foam and what an amazing product this is? If not, go here.

Don’t walk, RUN!!

 This is BIG for 3 lucky CSI followers! I am so jealous.

Winner #1 is…..#17 No sew Valance from Crissy’s Crafts

Winner #2 is….. #29 Button Up window treatment from Dukes and Dutchesses

Winner #3 is…….Suki L from One Sneaky Moose

Congratulations and a special thank you to this week’s sponsor Fish Foam! We loved having you here all week and introducing us to your amazing product. To all CSI Followers, be sure to go by and see what Fish Foam can do for you and Keep Calm, Clean On…..those windows to be exact!

Also, thank you to GeGe, a representative from Fish Foam, for being this week’s Special  guest judge and making those incredibly difficult picks. Being a judge is not an easy gig.

You ladies are Super, duper creative and talented.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for next’s week’s challenge, Organization 2012 and a sponsor you don’t want to miss.

 It is red and inspires love{hint, hint}

Come back next week for even more inspiration!!!

Have a happy and safe weekend!