Organize

Project Life Organization

Hello and good morning to you! As I sit here with Sesame Street on in the background, I long for warmer weather so we can play outside! Anyone else have cabin fever? Having a non-stop toddler has made this winter seem longer than normal, that’s for sure. While we’re stuck indoors, I’ve been lucky enough to do indoor activities that I often don’t make time for once it’s nice outside.

ProjectLife

Memory keeping is one of those tasks for me that can be fun but also seems necessary. Continue Reading about Project Life Organization

Montessori Bedroom Inspiration for Your Child

Montessori bedroom, We did it friends! We made the big jump to switch Sophie (age 14 months) to a Montessori inspired room. Call us crazy, but we’re super excited!

Montessori Bedroom Inspiration for your child- DIY Mama

Montessori Bedroom

This past weekend we took out Sophie’s crib so there would be no turning back! It’s not very conventional to move a child of this age to a big kid bed but we think it’s best for Sophie. It will help aid her in being able to lay down when she’s tired or read a book if she wakes up at 6a (before Mommy).

Montessori Bedroom Inspiration for your child- DIY Mama

Her dresser has stayed pretty much the same from the start. Her drawers are still organized as they were in her nursery post. Bags and sweatshirts are at easy access with all the necessary diaper changing supplies on top of the dresser. The white cord hanging down in the corner is her camera. We attached the dresser to the wall and covered the outlet so she won’t be tempted to mess with the plugs.

Montessori Bedroom Inspiration for your child- DIY Mama

Sophie has a reading nook by her window. Over time I’m sure there will be pillows and blankets and art in this area but for now she likes sitting in this area and looking at her books with Bear. Also, that animal sorting bus in the lower corner is her favorite toy of all time. It’s a hand me down from her niece and I haven’t found it anywhere online, but if you’re looking for a toy for your little one, there are similar toys online.

Montessori Bedroom Inspiration for your child- DIY Mama

Sophie’s new bed is the Kura reversible bed from IKEA. There are so many fun ways to customize this bed. We’re thinking of making it more cozy with some kind of top and curtains. We put a temporary body pillow along the wall to make her more comfortable. She’s not a fan of blankets which is why her bedding is just a fitted sheet. With her bed being on the floor, when I see her rubbing her eyes or yawning, I can say ‘do you want to take a nap with Elmer (her elephant)?’ and she’ll walk into her room and lay down with him.

Montessori Bedroom Inspiration for your child- DIY Mama

Montessori Bookshelf

Sophie’s bookcase is minimal with some of her favorite toys and books. I didn’t put many books on the shelves, knowing that for now, I’ll be putting everything back on the shelves when she empties them. We wanted to have learning toys on her shelf that can grow with her as she learns how to play with them better. The Minnie on the top shelf is her sound machine for naps and the Winnie the Pooh is my old lamp/music box from when I was little. Her closet has the rest of her library, more toys and her hamper. Everything is attached to the wall or latched shut so she can’t hurt herself while playing in her room.

Montessori Bedroom Inspiration for your child- DIY Mama
We’ve all loved the new setup of Sophie’s room. We’ve been a bit sleep deprived while she’s getting the hang of actually laying in her bed throughout the night time, but we’re only on the second day.

When did you move your toddler to their big kid bed? How was the transition? Any tips on keeping them in the bed but not blocking their access to get up when they want? Wish us luck over these next couple weeks! We’ll be going back and forth between bed, crib and pack and plays with traveling for the holidays!

Shop This Room:

Kura Reversible Bed

Kallax Bookshelf

Name Bunting

Popular Montessori Parenting Posts:

Preschool Montessori Bedroom

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What’s in my: Diaper Bag

Hello Beauts! I’ve made it one more day without crying for the smiles of my Sophie! I have been doing all kinds of things that are really hard to do with an 11 month old. Today I’m sans car while it gets detailed, (from our road trip in July!) which I wouldn’t feel safe doing while having Sophie here. We (yes, WE) organized Sophie’s clothes for fall to determine what we needed to stock up on and I bought all her new fall (warm) clothes. I also re-organized her diaper bag which needed it desperately! Which brings me to:

diaper-bag-pinterestI feel a bit ashamed to call myself a Girl Scout with the shape our diaper bag was in. We’re lucky to have not had any craziness happen while the bag has been in such disarray. First step: dump everything from the bag to determine what needs to stay and what needs to be put away. Continue Reading about What’s in my: Diaper Bag

What’s in my…Car?

Hey everybody! Today I’m starting a new series called What’s in my ______? I’ll be doing posts once or twice per month for this organizing series. I’m choosing areas of my life that seem to get disorganized easily and showing you how I’m fixing the problem. I wanted to start with my car because 1. It was a royal mess from our last trip to Indiana and 2. It seems most people who have kids have a hard time keeping their cars organized!

what's-in-my-car

Here is the state my car was in before organizing it (not pictured: stroller and pack n’ play that was just removed):

trunk car-seat center-consoleNot THAT bad other than the trunk, right? WRONG! It bugs me really bad when my car isn’t clean. This doesn’t even show all the dust, hand prints, dirty windshield, dog hair and saw dust that has accumulated throughout the car. I also get frustrated with hearing all the change in the center console shifting around. First step: Empty everything that does not belong in the car.

clean-trunkI like to keep my trunk empty so I don’t have to worry about the stroller getting caught/breaking things and so there is always room if I decide to go grocery shopping on a whim. I’ve left my re-usable bags and umbrella so they’re easily accessible. We LOVE these liners for our floors as well. I carry a lot of flowers in our trunk that always spill and get top soil everywhere. This mat can easily be taken out, shook off, vacuumed and hosed down if needed.

car-kitI’d originally made a car kit to keep in my car with safety equipment for winter and one for random ‘you might need one of those someday’ type situations. This car has this nifty tray in the trunk that holds everything I need.

Items in said car kit:

  1. Lint Roller
  2. Emergency Food Bar
  3. Fix-A-Flat
  4. Emergency Shovel/Pick/Compass
  5. Deck of Cards
  6. Baby Wipes
  7. Kleenex
  8. Hand Sanitizer
  9. Handheld Light
  10. Flares
  11. Flash Light
  12. Band-Aids
  13. Nail Clippers
  14. Tweezers
  15. Notebook & Pen
  16. Collapsible Dog Water Bowl
  17. Screwdriver
  18. Large Ziplock Bag
  19. Socket Wrench for Wheels
  20. Diaper
  21. Tampon
  22. Bungee Cord
  23. Ponchos
  24. Jumper Cables
  25. Hand Warmers
  26. Hand Held Ice Scraper
  27. Mini Sewing Kit

This may be a bit much but I had everything on hand, it fit in my car and I’m a Girl Scout- Always Be Prepared!

My next messy space was my center console:

clean-center-consoleI kept everything in there but organized it better. I used a mini M&M container to hold all my quarters for parking downtown. I also put a $20 in there in case I’m ever stranded for gas or need taxi money. I also have a second flashlight, hand lotion, tire gauge, pen and my local discount cards. I don’t like filling my wallet with punch/rewards cards so I keep them in my car since we almost always drive my car. The bottom portion has plenty of room to grow but holds hand sanitizer, a few CDs, AUX cables and phone chargers. My glove box is also empty which I love because I’m sure I’ll want that easy access space as Sophie gets older.

Do I have entirely too much stuff in my car?? I feel it’s better to be safe than sorry. Unfortunately we can’t access the trunk tray if our car is packed for a road trip. How do you keep things organized in your car? What else is a must-have for your ride?

 

Organizing Craft Supplies

Organizing craft supplies in a small space is my worst nightmare. I am one of those people that ENJOYS emptying spaces and re-organizing them. I especially get a kick out of doing it for other people (which is why I was a Personal Organizer back in Illinois!) However, organizing a small space that has to hold a LOT of ‘necessary’ items is frustrating.

There are two things I have learned through my years of helping others organize.

  1. You need to take out (donate, trash, sell) way more than you think. It’s likely that your space needs to be thinned by 50%. When you take everything out, only put half as much back in. I can admit that this closet from my craft room needs to be thinned by 50%. When I got to organize it again next year, that’s what I’ll do. Which leads me to number 2.
  2. You might have to re-organize a space every year (or every 6 months) for a couple years before you find a system that works for your family. Over the years this closet could look dramatically different. There might be more kid crafting supplies and board games and less scrapbooking stuff. Who knows? The point is, give yourself grace when the need comes to re-organize.

Organizing Craft Supplies

Organizing crafts is messy and I wasn’t sure exactly how to show you everything since there is SO much in such a small area. I thought numbering the shelves and describing what’s on them would be the most efficient way to show you my goods.

craft closet

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Craft Closet 1

Guitar amp, a bag with ancient gaming consoles and my book bag with supplies from my art class a couple years ago.

CRAFT CLOSET 2

Disney puzzles, chess, hammock, a basket with misc. cords and coloring books.

CRAFT CLOSET 3

Party board games, shoeboxes full of cards for Sophie, our wedding memorabilia and cards to send out, Smash Book basket (whatever current Smash book I’m working on has all supplies in there for easy access), sewing machine, computer/photo paper in magazine folder, and large paper cutter.

CRAFT CLOSET 4

Tote filled with fun crafts (buttons, pipe cleaners, friendship string, heat beads), tote of punches, glue gun and embossing gun, tote of scrapbook paper, magazine folder of misc. scrapbook paper, a Recollections storage unit with stamps in the left drawer and stickers on the right, a photo album of my plant tags (so I know how to care for the plants in my yard), twine, and a 3 hole punch.

CRAFT CLOSET 5

This is the messy part. The floor holds fabric for projects yet to be completed, (stockings and a blanket for Lexi) Scrabble, Rock Band drum kit, transfer paper for my Cricut, all the current scrapbooks/Smash books I’m working on and my Cricut (I know, I need a better place for it!)

CRAFT CLOSET 6

Rarely used games, a tote of cards and dice games and a tote of poker chips.

CRAFT CLOSET 7

Our most played games, (these get played about once/month) our camera bag and photo reflectors. Under the camera equipment sits my Dad’s tripod and a few prepped canvases for a quick craft. I like prepping canvas all at once so they have time to dry so I can get to the painting part when I’m inspired.

CRAFT CLOSET 8

This 6 cube storage unit holds a TON. On top is my massive bead box. Top left: crayons, colored pencils, markers, watercolor, and kid scissors. Top right: ribbons and a few magazines. Middle left: acrylic paints filled to the top (my inspiration for getting this organizer b/c they were spread between 3 totes before.) Middle right: paint brushes, gesso, brush cleaner and other tools. Bottom left: tulle and small scraps of fabrics. Bottom right: sewing supplies (needles, pins, thread, quilt cutter, measuring tape, heat’n bond.)

While I look at this photo, the closet still looks insane and unorganized to me. I at least know where everything is and it’s easy to put away. The main thing is that the floor access to the crawl space is clear for tornado warnings!

Desk Organization

My desk has an Alex drawer unit that holds the supplies that I use most often. I just recently bought this unit and am so happy with it because it has really long drawers and I have room to grow.

Craft organization

The top drawer has my favorite expandable acrylic organizer (I also have one for my makeup.) This drawer holds my paperclips that sit on top of my post-it notes. It also has my pencil sharpeners, eraser, USB stick, extra markers, lip chap, hand lotion, chalk, notebook, iPhone cable, return address stamp, ink and stamp roll.

Office and craft room organization

The second drawer down is my adhesive drawer. It holds my washi tapes, embossing pad, glues, scrapbook tape, magnetic tape, glue dots, floral tape, and acrylic tape.  My favorite adhesives, besides the beautiful washi tapes, are the Scotch glue dots and the Martha Stewart glue (in case you were wondering.) I also really love my Aleen’s scrapbook tape for scrapping.

IKEA Desk organization

The third drawer down shows my unhealthy addiction with glitter. It also holds our True Love tin (a wedding gift from my sister) containing mosaic tiles. I also have my One A Day journal, and the Martha Steward circle cutter.

craft organization

The fourth drawer is my obligatory junk drawer that has stuff that I use but don’t really have a place for. Embossing powder, extra x-acto, bleach pen, fancy scissors, screwdriver, date stamp, extra ink pad, stone beads (I guess I do know where those can go…) and buttons.

final-Alex-drawer-IKEA

The final drawer is my techy drawer because it holds extra cables, my iPhone box, headphones and the awesome Bamboo tablet that I NEEDED but have hardly used. *looks down and shakes head*

If you’ve ever been curious as to where this blog originates, it is here:

blogging-desk

This shot was from a couple weeks ago, before I got my new lamp and before I started trying to make a dent in my scrapbook pile. I like using a laptop rather than a desktop so I can move it to the couch if we’re watching a movie or if I’m using the desk for an extensive project.

The shelf up top holds my ‘no touching unless you’re Shelly’ carousel of crayons, fake plant, twine, mini 3-hole punch, tape, stacking dolls and random vase. I also have my favorite Disney princess (Ariel) and favorite musician (Trent Reznor) on the walls. You’ll also probably recognize my friendship lamp!

wall-storage

The area on the wall behind my computer holds the photo wire with some of my favorite memories that I often rotate. I also have a wall container unit that holds my stationery for quick thank you notes, markers, colored pencils, and my favorite writing utensils. I have to admit though, my desk does not always look this empty. I clean it to this state once every couple of weeks, but usually, it has some sort of project occupying at least half of the desk. Here’s what my desk looks like tonight:

messy-desk

My desk will remain like this until I finish ONE scrapbook. In case you were wondering, I’m working on our Disney Trips album. All in all, I know where everything is and I don’t have to make too much effort trying to get it out or put it back away, which is key in keeping things organized. I have also promised myself to not buy any more scrapbooking materials until I go through half of my supplies.

This is hard because I really want to see what Project Life is all about! Does anyone else have a similar method or do you organize completely differently? Similar messy desk syndrome at least? 😉 I’d love to hear how you organize your crafts or if you have any suggestions to help me improve my situation!

Related posts to Small Space Craft Organizing:

https://diymamablog.com/bathroom-linen-closet-organization/
https://diymamablog.com/homeschool-organization/

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Organizing craft and office supplies like a professional organizer
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