Kitchen Organizing ~ Part III

Happy Sunday!!

I bet by now you are wondering, how much organizing is she having to do in her kitchen lol.  Trust me, I have so much storage in my kitchen so there was a lot to do but I am now finished!!  Wow, that feels so good :)

We have a very large lazy susan which I love but haven't tackled it in quiet some time and something decided to leak and it wasn't pretty and I kind of ignored it.  I know.....shame on me but you know the feeling, you get busy and say oh ya, I have to get to that and then you forget and it is a vicious cycle.  Well it is for me lol.  So here is a shot before:

I pulled everything out, scrubbed down everything and then started to put things in containers and placing things back in.  Mind you this took me almost 2 hours to do!!  That tells you how bad it really was.  Now I even have extra room in there :)

Well that's it for me today.  Hmmmmm wonder what bug will bite me next for organizing????  Guess you'll just have to wait and see huh.

Have a fabulous day and happy crafting!!

Today's quote: "Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."

xo ~ Laura

Bridesmaid's Bouquet

Howdy!!!

I hope that all of you have a wonderful weekend!!  I am taking some family time and spending some of my weekend with my youngest for some pampering, which all of us should do from time to time and spending time with my son and DIL to go watch one of my grandson's and his basksetball games :)  Life is so precious and I love doing this!!

Well between all the cleaning and organizing, I had to also work on some wedding items as we are now down to just under 4 months.  Wow....where did the time go!!!  Anywho....... we had bought all the flowers for the wedding ahead of time and we are using silk as it is easier to do them up and transport and not have to worry about them dying.  With the silk ones they have today it is hard to tell the difference sometimes.  I ended up doing up the first of 5 bridesmaids bouquets and it turned out awesome!!  The picture doesn't do them justice but the girls will look beautiful with these next to their dresses. 

This is the dress that the girls are wearing:

Here is the bouquets:

The groomsmen will be wearing these for their boutineer's.  I am going to change out the leaves though as I don't like these with them but it will give you the idea lol.

Well that's it for me so have a wonderful day and happy crafting!!

Today's quote:  A gentle breeze blowing in the right direction is better than a pair of strong oars.

xo ~ Laura

Kitchen Organizing ~ Part II

Happy Wednesday!!

I hope that you are having a fabulous week so far.  I know I am feeling very satisfied right now and am proud that I am finally getting everything cleaned out and organized.  I can't even begin to explain how happy I am right now!!!  So this time I did remember to take some before shots!!  Yay me :)

So here is a shot of my utensil draw before.  No dividers or anything.  Just shoved in there.  You know the kind right??? You know the kind of drawer, when you open it too fast it will jar something and then you have to try to get it to lay down to finish opening it.  You do know what I'm talking about don't you???  Or am I the only one :)

Here it is after I finished cleaning it all out and getting rid of things I definitely didn't need anymore.  Ahhhhh much better huh :)

I finally finished the other side of my cupboard where my spices sit.  The "sick" meds are on the opposite side of my spices but it is all better now. 

And last but not least for today, one of my junk drawers.  YES, I said "one" of my junk drawers!!  I confess, it is a bad habit of both me and the hubs but no more lol.  Here is a before shot...........not too bad right??

And then after.  Wow...what a difference!!

Have a wonderful day and happy crafting!!

Today's quote:  "Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible. "

xo ~ Laura

Kitchen Organizing ~ Part I

Howdy!!

Oh can you say I'm on a roll!!  So far I have 2 boxes packed up and ready to take over to Goodwill.  I found things I haven't used in almost 9 years so feels so good to get it out of the cubboards and let someone else utilize them.

So I started with the pantry.  Let me tell you this one was a chore.  Darn it.... I forgot to take the before but let me give you a visual.  Things were stacked on top of things, sideways and all over the place where it was almost impossible to see what I had in there.  This past year was a whirl wind for us with all of my parents issues they were having so to put it out of site, it just got shoved in there behind closed doors.  I know...... bad habit but no more.  Everything will have the proper place now so I can find things.

Here is the after shot of my pantry and now I can see everything and it looks so nice :)

Next stop, the cupboard where all my baking items were.  Once again, things that were just collecting dust so out they came and into the give away box. 

Now that is much better don't you think!!  Well trust me, even though I forgot the before pics it is much much better!!!  lol  See what happens when I get on a mission.  I forget to show everyone how bad it really was!!

Have a wonderful day and happy crafting!!

Linking up to:

Today's quote:  "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

xo ~ Laura

Bathroom Organizing

Hi there and Happy Monday!!

Well I have jumped on the bandwagon for the cleaning and organizing!!  I had originally said I was starting with the closets but got side tracked, as usual but hey, at least I'm cleaning things out and organizing things right?  :)

I first decided to hit Carissa's old bathroom as so many things were left there after she moved out in May 2010 and I just hadn't gotten around to it so this started everything!!  I forgot to take the before shots but trust me, I got one full garbage bag full of junk out of it and this is my final results and I am so happy with it!! 

Boy, that feels great and now I can keep it that way :)

I ended up getting a text after finishing this room and just had to share it with you!!  My youngest and her fiance went fishing up on the penisula this weekend, Steelhead and this is what I received from Brandon.

Here she is with her catch and she is with the guide, helping her hold this baby!! She actually caught 2 of them today and lost 2 so not bad.  This pretty one is a 14 lb one but they had to release it as it was tribal and you can't keep those.   Not bad for the first time Steelhead fishing huh :)  I'm proud of her...... brings back a lot of memories when I used to go fishing with Dad :)

Have a wonderful day and happy crafting!!

Today's quote:  "I cannot always control what goes on outside. But I can always control what goes on inside."

xo ~ Laura

What can you do with recycling??

Howdy!!

I hope that you are having a wonderful weekend.  Today was a beautiful sunny day here in the PNW which definitely was a very nice change from all the rain.  I have been taking it pretty easy so far this weekend as it was a very emotional week for me.  Still having some harder days and missing Dad on those days but just taking it one day at a time.  I am keeping occupied doing a little organizing at a time and I'm making progress.  One large trash bag of GW items and one large trash bag of garbage lol.  Have to start somewhere huh :)

I had a post a few days ago about something I was going to do with some recycled items that I cleaned up.  If you remember, this was what I've collected.

So with some hot glue and twine, it now is looks like this :)  This one is the tin can in case you couldn't tell lol.

Have a wonderful day and happy crafting!!

Today's quote:  If someone listens, or stretches out a hand, or whispers a word of encouragement, or attempts to understand a lonely person, extraordinary things begin to happen.

xo ~ Laura

My weekend project :)

Howdy!!

Well here is my first larger project regarding organizing. I have gone back and forth about posting pictures but I know I'm not the only one with closets like this as I've seen some of your posts so I'm being honest.....yes they are a mess and I admit it lol.   I am tackling the smallest closet first lol.  Trust me, if you could see my other closets you'd understand.  Baby steps right????

I also have almost finished a stepping stone that I am making for my son and daughter-in-law as they had to put one of their kitty's down Dec 31st and they have her in their backyard and asked me if I'd make something for her.  So the only thing I have left to do is seal it because it will be outside.

Have a wonderful day and happy crafting!!

Today's quote:  Giving is the secret of a healthy life. Not necessarily money, but whatever a person has of encouragement, sympathy and understanding.

xo ~ Laura

Recycle

Happy Tuesday!!

First off, if you received an email from me with a link in it, please just DELETE it.  My hotmail account got hacked but I've fixed that now :)  Sorry........I hate that when it happens!!

Don't you just love it when you empty something and an idea pops in your head on what you could use that for???  Well I sure do :)  I'm trying to get things organized throughout the house and especially my closets and my crafting items.  So here are 3 things that I know what I'm going to do with them :)

Was able to work on more of Carissa's veil tonight and almost done with the first layer!!  Then only one more layer to do lol.  My husband first said it was going to take me until April to finish but I told him no, I figured it all out and am in a rhythm.  This is only 3 days of working on a it a little at a time so not bad.  A lot of love is going into this one let me tell you lol.

My goals for 2011:

Clean out closets, get rid of things we don't use and organize them.

Finish all of Carissa's wedding items.

Make outside planter boxes

Make a new headboard for our room

Make a gate to keep the dogs out of the indoor cat box...this should be good.

Paint the trim outside on the shed.

Paint the laundry room

Take a cruise for a week with the hubby

Take a few weekends with my girlfriends

Make time for "ME" at least 2x's a month

I'm sure I'll have more as the year progresses lol.

Have a wonderful day and happy crafting!!

Today's quote:  We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.

xo ~ Laura

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!!

Happy Monday!!

I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend :)  I had a very relaxing weekend but kept very busy that's for sure. 

Friday after work, my youngest daughter and her fiance came over as Brandon needed some help with his labels for his fishing items he makes by hands.  Brandon does excellent work whether it is with his lures or his custom rods he makes and sells.  If you are ever looking for something special for that fishing person you know, give Brandon a call.  He is amazing!!!  We also had dinner and watched a movie together.  It was nice to have them over visiting for awhile :)  One of my kids favorite dishes is a casserole dish. 

My hubby has nicknamed it Trailer Trash Dish, which is OK as we actually do live in a manufactured home lol.  Here is the before but I didn't get the after shot when it came out of the oven as my daughter dug in while I was helping Brandon lol. 

Then we finished if off by this wonderful desert.  Yummy!!

Saturday I met my soon to be son-in-laws Mom to go over wedding items.  We sat for over 2 hours drinking coffee at Starbucks and got so much accomplished.  She's a sweet woman and we're excited for both of our kids.  On my way home I went to get my errands done so I didn't have to go out Sunday which was my plan :)  Guess what.......it worked!!!!  lol

Sunday we were watching playoff games and since the Seahawks were losing I decided to get up and go clean the kitchen up more.  Well specifically my stovetop.  Scrubbed the top, cleaned everything!!  Wow did that feel good. 

Organized my spice cubboard, but still have the other side to finish that has the meds in it, but hey....making progress :)

I finished the laundry and got that all folded and put away and then sat for hours putting on beading and crystals for Carissa's veil.  Whew!!!!  Not done by any means but it looks gorgeous!!!

Hoping to get more crafting done through this week so hoping I stay on track lol.  I have so much wedding stuff to finish, want to organize closets and start some Spring cleaning and get rid of things we don't use :)  Yes....my to do list is long!!!  lol

Well have a wonderful day and happy crafting!!

Today's quote:  "Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom." -Hannah Arendt

xo ~ Laura

Sugar Scrub

Happy Friday!

Well what an interesting week I've had between work, weather, exercising and crafting!!  Wow...I think I need more time in the day lol.  Loving it though :)

So I had seen this receipe over at Lizard n Ladybug's blog and thought since it has something to help soften your hands, why not try it!!  We all know that cold dry weather causes havoc on our skin right?? :)  It is so simple to make and smells wonderful.  I decided to go ahead and throw on a few decorations on it and TaDa!!

Here is also my cute Diningroom table decor.  Not too much, just enough :)

Have a wonderful day and happy crafting!!

Today's Quote:  If the essence of my being has caused a smile to have appeared upon your face or a touch of joy wtihin your heart, then in living I have made my mark.

xo ~ Laura

New Vinyl Frame

Happy Wednesday!!

Well it is hump day and man am I really wanting the weekend to come!!  Doing the job of 3 people really wears you down.  What am I thinking!!  lol

I found this frame many months ago and it has been sitting in my closet.  I can't find my original picture but it was a white frame with a flower picture on it.  I didn't like it but loved the frame and knew that it would be perfect for a vinyl picture so I finally got into the closet (I'm afraid to open the door as I need to organize it really bad lol) and pulled it out.  I painted it black, to match the decor that I have in the family room and started going to town.

I love how it turned out and I've hung it under my little black shelf, which I still don't have things on it yet.  I haven't had the light bulb go off yet on what to do with it lol.  Sorry for the picture, I couldn't get the lighting right as it was night when I took it and the light was reflecting off it.

Have a wonderful day and happy crafting!!

Today's quote:  "It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before. To test your limits... to break through barriers."

xo ~ Laura

Valentine's Wreath

Happy Tuesday!

The weather is taking a turn for the worse and we are supposed to get snow later on today so we'll see how long I stay at work.  Thank goodness it isn't supposed to stick around too long ;)

Don't you love easy projects that you can get instant gratification?  I know I do :)  I just posted that I was gussying up my front door and looking at it, it still wasn't enough for me.  So.... I took a wreath I had done up for Fall decor which looked like this.....

And now it looks like this :)  I just love re-do's don't you???  :)

So that's it for me, as it's another busy week for me at work.  Guess that it makes the days go by fast huh.

Have a wonderful day and happy crafting!!

Today's Quote:  "Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not something to be waited for; but, rather something to be achieved."

xo ~ Laura

Gussy Up the Front Door :)

Happy Monday!

Well I can't take credit for doing my vinyl on the inside of the front door but I wanted something that when friends and family went to leave, they had something to see as our goal in our home is to make anyone who comes into our home, they feel welcomed and it feels like home.  I was at the Dollar Store on Saturday and they had the removable wall decor so I got 2 different sayings.  I figured if I don't like it, or get tired of it I can take it down :)  See, I always think ahead lol.

I also got my little shelf done and distressed and up on the wall.  I still don't know exactly what I'm putting up there yet so I just put one of my Valentine decorations up there lol.  I don't like having things bare lol.

I hope you have a smooth and fun week. Have fun and happy crafting!!

Today's Quote:  "When you always do your best, you take action. Doing your best is taking action because you love it, not because you're expecting a reward."

xo ~ Laura

Valentine's Shadow Box

Happy Sunday!

I hope that you've all had a wonderful and relaxing weekend so far and having lots of fun.  I know I definitely am :)  The weather has been kind of icky outside so wanted to get some little projects finished that I've been putting off.

I love my shadow box as I am able to change it out with the season or holiday which is always fun!!  So all the Christmas items were removed and very simple changes were made and Ta-Da!!

A close up of my heart..... hand painted even :)

So fun to do it and look forward to what I come up with.  I'm almost thinking I may paint the outside but not sure quiet yet so we'll see :)  I have bigger fish to fry right now anyway lol.

I also put together this cute little decoration together.... yup another little Valentine's item and yes, from the Dollar Store.  Love that place :)

Hope you are having fun crafting and have a fabulous day!!

Today's quote:  Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.

xo ~ Laura

Love.........

Hi there!!  Wow was I ever glad to know it was the end of the week yesterday as I have been busier than a cat on a hot tin roof at work and really needed a little down time this weekend!!  Got to sleep in a little this morning and have felt refreshed all day long :)

We are expected to get a little snow this weekend here in the PNW, yes again..... so we have a 94 Corolla that is now our Winter vehicle as my hubby got a 2009 Scion when we got our youngest daughter a 4Runner so she could get to work and not have to worry about her being stranded.  Yes, I guess it's a hand-me-down but he is thrilled as he hasn't ever had the "newest" vehicle in the family lol.  Bless his heart :)  So we decided to go get some good snow tires as the little tanker (that's what we call the Corolla lol) hasn't had new tires in quiet a few years.  I was cringing about the cost of tires but off we went.  Well when we got there they said it was going to be $500!!  Are you kidding me.... smaller tires with no studs even??  Well we were blessed as one of the guys working there said well we do have slightly used tires and that pair was purchased by some parents for their daughters car, drove it East of the mountains and what did she do a day after, yup totalled the vehicle so they asked if they could sell them back.  Well it was great for us as total bill only $269!!  Much better huh :)  We figured they are just going to really be used for the Winter so Yay!!!  Anywho..... got that handled and ran and did my weekly errands then came back home to play with some mini projects.

I don't really decorate to much for Valentines Day but wanted to do a few things so I made this very simple adoreable candle.

What do you think????  Yup.... Dollar Store items!!  I'm working on more but they aren't done yet so you'll have to wait a little for that lol.

I also wanted to keep my In Loving Memory ornament that my precious friend Deb had sent me after Dad passed away in December so I already had this hanger so now he sits up on my shelf along with my little piece I have of him :) 

Well just wanted to say Hi and now I'm off to work on a few more projects this evening.  Yup.... I'm in a real mood for fun tonight :)

Today's quote:

The strength of the heart comes from the soundness of the faith.

xo ~ Laura

What's for dinner???

Happy Wednesday!!

I'm constantly looking for quick and easy dinners to do up during the week as the last thing I want to do after being gone 10 hours in a day for work and commuting is cook a big meal.  Besides, with Larry and I being on different shifts, it's not fresh when he gets home as I have to keep it warm for him.  Soooooo this is so simple and the possibilities are endless for this one!!

1 pizza dough roll (Pillsbury)
Cheese
Turkey or Ham
Butter
Stoneground mustard

Unroll the dough on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes at 400 degrees.  Take it out of the oven and layer with your ingredients (minus the butter).  Cut small slits on the sides of the dough and start to overlay in a criss cross pattern.  Put back in the over for another 10 minutes.  When done, brush a little butter over the top and enjoy :)

Yummy!!!  You can do it with breakfast items, baking items etc!!  Enjoy!!

I am little by little finishing a few of my projects.  Here is my little shelf I've been working on.  I just have to sand the edges and seal it and then hang it up and it will be ready to have something cute put on it :)

Have a wonderful day and happy crafting!!

Today's quote:  No act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted.

- Aesop, Greek fabulist

xo ~ Laura

Just for my Dad :)

Happy Tuesday!!

Well it is back to work now for the week as the holiday's are overwith.  Everything is put away for the year and I'll see it in late November :)

One of my dear friends of  37 years sent me something in the mail and she had this adoreable card, written so sweet and sincere.  As I started to move the packing peanuts, what did I find???  A box of toothpicks!!!  Now you may be saying.....  What on earth!!!  Well if you remember when my Dad passed away, he loved toothpicks and I kept finding them everywhere, including in my pocket!!  lol  So I very carefully removed something very heavy from the rest of the package and what did I find??  This absolutely beautiful little holder!!

This brings such a big smile to my face as everytime I walk by this, I think of Dad and know that he is just grinning from ear to ear.  Thanks Kath!!!

Hope you are having a wonderful start to the New Year and happy crafting!!

Today's quote:  Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

xo ~ Laura

Frame Redo's

Happy Monday!!

Well both Larry and I are off today as Microsoft observes New Years Day today vs. Friday as some of the company so I get to do all kinds of things today!!  First off, the Christmas decoration storage tubs are coming in, thanks to my hubs and I will take everything down.  It won't take as long this year as I never did get the outdoor decorations up this year due to losing Dad but that's OK. 

I had some frames that I had painted in white quite a few months ago and since we received so many pictures at Christmas of the kids in black frames, I decided to redo the white ones.  Our extra room, well it's kind of a catch all room that I want to work on this year. Right now I have the table and chairs that I bought for Mom and Dad's apartment when I moved them up to Assisted Living so now I have a full size table to do my crafts. Larry said I'm taking over the "Pod" lol.  It all looks so uniform now :)

I am hoping to get a few craft projects going after I finish that and get ready for Valentines decorations :)   Here is a sneak peek....

I'm also in the process or redoing this cute shelf!! I was cleaning out my craft closet and found some things I forgot I had lol.

The last thing I will be doing today is getting a massage after my youngest, Carissa gets off work.  We were going to go on Sunday afternoon but her kitty got into Brandon's fishing tackle items and got a hook stuck in his tongue and they had to take him to the vet to get it out :(  Poor baby!!  This way I'll be relaxed and ready for my 4 day work week :)

Hope you are having a wonderful day and happy crafting!!

Today's quote:  Joy is the feeling of grinning inside.

- Melba Colgrove

xo ~ Laura