1 minute read Hi Reader! I have somewhat of a complicated relationship with product packaging. Most, I get rid of almost as soon as the item is in our house (food, cleaning and laundry supplies, hygiene products.) But there are some things I tend to store in their original packaging (board games for sure, but also some craft machines and specialty kitchen gadgets.) Our two Christmas Nativity sets were also in this latter category. But after years of frustration, I finally decided to ditch ALL...
10 days ago • 1 min read
1 minute read Hi Reader! Partly because I love to craft and partly because crafting eventually became my job, I’ve been fortunate to have a dedicated craft room in most of our rental homes. When you have an (often) large and dedicated space for crafts…you tend to fill it…with LOTS of crafts. But when we moved into our (much) smaller home here in southern California, there was no such space. In fact, all we could realistically fit was a single IKEA Kallax unit. So very quickly, I had to get...
17 days ago • 1 min read
1 minute read Hi Reader! Years ago, I went on a mission to find “the ultimate” bike storage solution. I eventually landed on this rail+hook arrangement that accommodated all 5 of our family bikes. And at first, I was smitten. Toppled bikes in a pile in the middle of the garage? Nope! Bikes taking up precious floor space? Nope! Bikes easy to get down and put back up? Nope…not at all! Eventually, the bikes no longer made it up on the wall and were back on the garage floor…all.the.time. So when...
24 days ago • 1 min read
2 minute read Hi Reader! Once upon a time, I didn’t hesitate to paint the walls in our rentals; as I saw it as one of the more cost-effective ways to dramatically change a bland space. And it is! But around rental #5 or #6, the mess, work, time, and cleanup really started to get old. (Especially when you take into account that I have to also paint back to the original color before moving out.) I was craving a feature wall in our rental bathroom that didn't involve paint (or wallpaper), so I...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
2 minute read Hi Reader! Last year, I hit burn out so badly that I had to fully step away from content creation. But after 13+ years of sitting behind my computer and working for myself, I suddenly didn’t know what to do with myself. On a whim, I applied to work for a local organizing company, as I’ve always wondered what organizing other people’s homes would be like. How does it work? Who are these people? Would I enjoy it? I’ve now been working on an organizing team for the last 6 months,...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
2 minute read Hi Reader! We’re used to dealing with some pretty frustrating situations in our rental homes. Ugly carpeting. Bad wall colors. Dated tile. You name it, we’ve had it! Our current home has another nuisance feature: a nook. An awkward, horribly-placed, practically-useless nook. I was determined to make this spot look and function just right for this room, so we ultimately decided to add some floating shelves. And whoa...this awkward spot immediately went from exasperating headache...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
5 minute read Hi Reader! The two upstairs closets in our current home were vacuous, awkward, and hard to use in their original configuration. So I made a few (easy) upgrades that turned all the open space into serious storage for games, toys, books, and costumes. If you have under-utilized closets in your home, click to learn the three (actionable!) strategies that can help you use up every last inch too! Read It: How to Max Out the Storage In Your Closets More Like This My Top Tips for an...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
4 minute read Hi Reader! Years ago, I remember sharing a room reveal and one of the first comments I received was along the lines of: “The room reveal is great, but where are you storing your kids’ shoes and backpacks?” I was a bit flabbergasted that THAT was the question after sharing so many creative solutions in the post. But all these years later, that comment has stuck with me because it hits on what we all really want to know: How do you store all the “nuisance but necessary” items of...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
2 minute read Hi Reader! Every first week of the month, I like to hit pause on home/DIY/organization projects and dive into the personal side of things... ...Mom life, Blogger life, Military life…and all the other life in between! When I returned to the blog last month after a (practically) year-long hiatus, I looked a bit different. Not only did I chop my hair off, but I also lost about 20 pounds in my time away. Many readers have reached out, curious to know more. So in this month’s Coffee...
2 months ago • 1 min read