With four extra people coming to the house, I want each and every person to feel special. Usually when guests come, I provide a handwritten note of appreciation and some little tokens depending on the purpose of their visit.

For my mother’s first visit to the house and our city, I left maps and brochures detailing excursions in our city as well as some coffee crafted with the flavors of the city.

image from neatocoolville

When my family came for the holidays last year, I provided a basket with shower supplies and not much more since their stay was short and they already had their own agenda mapped out. I also provided more coffee, since my mother fell in love with it.

image from HEB

For the in-laws’ visit, I plan on each person recieving a plastic basket with their towels and extra shower supplies. This will serve double duty, since all four people will be sharing one shower, as a way to carry items to and from the bathroom quickly and easily, as well as holding all the token gifts.  Inside the basket, I plan on adding a small bottle of water and snack to the basket.

Preparing for my brother-in-law will be the hardest, since he will be sleeping on the downstairs sofa, which naturally is the gathering space during the day. His set-up will have to be temporary and easy for him to use.

I love hosting and sharing my home with others. This visit will be interesting since it comes at a time when we’re redoing the master bedroom, so I’ll have a lot of free shopping going on.

It made me think, sometimes I strive for magazine quality images in my home, that I forget to personalize it with memories. Sometimes this may mean a very artistic photo display area, other times it means hanging up large paper snowflakes and hand-drawn cards.

How does your tree look? Do you have a theme or is it full of handmade goodies? What about cards? How do you display your Christmas card collection each year?

We already discussed how I wish I had a laundry room like this from Classy Closets.  

Image from Easy Closets

 and the blessing of my current laundry room’s floor plan:   

My Laundry Room

 Last time we looked at the entry/mudroom “portion” of the laundry room. Since then, we decided that the shoe rack was too cumbersome for the laundry room and since it didn’t get a lot of use, it was banished and sits near the front entry for guests.   

Today, we’re looking at the laundry portion of the laundry room. You may recall that my wish list included:   

• A space to sort dirty laundry as it comes in since we only wash full loads.
• A space to iron occasionally since hubby sometimes doesn’t get the laundry as soon as it’s done which results in wrinkles.
• A space to hang freshly dried clothing to reduce the amount of ironing (see above)
• A space for folded laundry to hang out while waiting for hubby to put them away.
• A space to store laundry detergent and essentials.

A quick shopping trip around the house yielded:   

• Rubber modular shelves 

• Fabric from a curtain project
• A fabric placemat
• An old calendar
• IKEA bed slats 

I combined the first four items by placing a basket on each shelf and covering the shelves with fabric. Placing the placemat on top creates a table like effect for placing those morning cups of tea.  

I still needed a place to store laundry essentials and hang clothing. Thanks to mom, who sent me a garment rack that fulfills the “hanging clothing storage” issue, however this doesn’t fit between the washer and dryer like I had hoped. BING! I put the garment rack under the shelving unit, it’s not like I’ll need all the vertical space for hanging clothing.  

 I also wanted a between the dryer/washer rolling cart.  

However when I went shopping for one, those things were just too expensive. Especially since they’re nothing more than an open bookcase on wheels. BING! I could build one! I stopped my friendly Lowe’s worker, purchased some 8 x 0.5 cut into 4-3 foot lengths, l-brackets, 2 casters and screws and happily jetted home.  

Round 1: The open bookcase is far too long. The 3 feet long cart sticks out from in-between the two machines by a good foot. Ugh, disassemble and start over.  

Round 2: This time using some scrap wood taken from a slotted IKEA bed base for the shelves. The new dimensions are 3′x2′, much better. There is no overhang into the laundry area. Start loading the cart-realize that products can fall off the edge and in between the cracks of the shelves.    

Round 3: I’m impatient by this time and want this project to be over. I rip some cardboard off and lay it on the shelves. I then staple yarn around the unit to serve as bracing. Not the prettiest sight, but it works. To beautify it and feel better about being so darn impatient, I cover the front of the unit with a nice piece of fabric.  

Looking at the IKEA wood, I realized that I had some leftover closet brackets. I bring them downstairs and build an instant shelf over the washer to keep additional detergent and supplies. After living with it for a while-try six weeks-I decided that the shelving unit was far too tall. Enter silly brain fart. I actually went shopping for a laundry hamper organizer/ironing board. Thankfully, the store was out of stock and being the impatient person that I am, I went home and started working with what I had. BING! Take off one of the shelves silly! So I did that and it was now lower and provided more space to hang more clothes, but I lost a basket to hold dirty laundry. Another shopping trip around the house yielded a pop-up hamper that with the addition of some floral wire and leftover IKEA plank, it no longer self collapses after a curious cat pounces on it.  

Now, I’m done…for now.  Here are a few picks of the finished laundry area.    

My rolling cart. The top shelf holds the current powder detergent and a small trash can for lint and items from pockets. The rack above it is for the dryer so that you can dry delicate items without having them tumble around the dryer. I use it as a bra drying rack so the wires and pads don’t get warped.

A view from the side. Can you see the fruits of my impatience? Now that I have a nail gun, I will probably add IKEA wood to the sides to form the braces instead of the delicious looking yarn.

My laundry sorter/entry table, this is the view when you entry the laundry room from the garage.  It’s nice and stable for those morning cups of tea.

That wraps up the laundry room makeover. The cost breakdown for the makeover:

• Over the door hooks=$18
• Wood, brackets and casters= $8
• Laundry baskets=$3
• Rectangular laundry basket = $3
• Total = $32

Not bad for a 6 x 10 room. In the future, I wouldn’t mind adding curtains to hide the contents of the upper shelf and add more color to the room, but since there’s not much up there, it doesn’t bother me.

What’s your dream laundry room?

Image from Easy Closets

However I have been blessed with a laundry like this.  

My Laundry Room

However, I’m determined to make this into my dream laundry room, without expanding the space.  Using my dream list of what I want from my laundry room I decided to look around the house for materials that can be used, also known as free shopping.   

My Finds     

• Brass cafe curtain rod brackets

 

• Bronze wall decals from Dollar Tree that say “live well laugh often love much“
• A green and bronze runner rug
• Three silver framed mirrors with gold detail, also from Dollar Tree.
• Ikea shoe rack
  

 

Armed with these items, I knew I had plenty to make the entry way part of the laundry room. However, I still needed something to hold those heavy work bags and coats.  After a quick trip to Target, I found the perfect item. No need to drill holes and heavy-duty enough for those heavy work bags. 

 Combining all the items, I decided to stick the decals around the walls such that we would be greeted by an inspirational saying regardless of the wall we faced. The mirrors found a home on the wall behind the doors for that last-minute face check, while the brass cafe brackets were drilled into the wall by the house entry door. These brackets serve as hooks for my keys, coupon bag and occasional purse. The shoe rack sits underneath them for the time being. So far we’re not using it that much and it’s in the way of loading and unloading clothes of the dryer. The rug stretches the length from door to door and creates a hallway effect while the hooks are on the back of the house entry door for our work bags and coats. 

Here’s a few shots of the entryway section of the laundry room.  

This is the last thing we see on the way out. 

The mirrors for the last peek before leaving. 

Finally the workhorse of the room, plenty of spots to hang my keys and coupon book. Over the door features plenty of room for work bags and coats. 

Next time, we’ll look at organizing the laundry room section of it.

How I wish I had a laundry room like this from Classy Closets.

Image from Easy ClosetsImage from Classy Closets

 Everything is light and airy, there is plenty of workspace and it’s so organized!!!

 Instead my laundry room’s floor plan is this.

My Laundry Room

Not airy, or light.  Those two doors make it impossible to do much in there. The bottom door leads to the garage, the top door leads to the house. So in addition to serving as a laundry room, this is also our mudroom and entry area for the family.

I’m determined to make this into my dream laundry room, without expanding the space. So I made a dream list of what I want my laundry room to look like, function as, and feel like.

• A space to sort dirty laundry as it comes in since we only wash full loads.
• Aspace to iron occasionally since hubby sometimes doesn’t get the laundry as soon as it’s done which results in wrinkles.
• A space to hang freshly dryed clothing to reduce the amount of ironing (see above)
• A space for folded laundry to hang out while waiting for hubby to put them away.
• A space to store laundry detergent and essentials.
• A space to drop off keys (mine), bags (hubby and I) and jackets (mostly mine).
• A space to put my morning cup of tea as I grab my jacket, workbag and keys while opening the garage door so I won’t spill it all over my outfit resulting in a last minute change in the laundry room, except clothing is wrinkled which means a quick run upstairs for more clothing. (Don’t ask)
• A spot to kick off shoes and put on flip flops.
• A mirror for that last peek before leaving.
• A place to stash some tools so I won’t have to run into the garage everytime I need a screwdriver.
• Inspirational artwork or decals since this is the last place we see when we leave and the first we see when we arrive.

A pretty long list for a 6×10 room.

Spray paint + cheap items = modern organization decor items

I scavenged around the house for containers, anything and everything made it into my pile.

My Final Score

• Heavy paper boxes from a clearance center, they’re Christmas items, but at $1 for 6, they are a lot cheaper than their non-Christmas alternatives.

• Tins hanging in the kitchen from Christmas cookies
• Empty litter containers (not litter boxes, but the boxes litter comes in)
  

• Cans from veggies/fruit
• Glass jars from food stuffs
• Plastic fruit containers (the kinds that strawberries come in)

MY MISSION: Create cute chic decor boxes to store items in.

MY TOOLS: My trusty spray paint in various colors, wrapping paper, decorative scrapbook paper, trims like ribbons and such.

MY PROCESS:

1. Clean containers of any foodstuff, litter, and stubborn labels.
2. Cut any holes if you need to.
3. Spray paint or cover the boxes/tins with fabric/paper

1. Optional: Add decorative embellishments such as painted stencils, ribbons, glitter, etc.
2. Add items to the containers.
3. Put items on various surfaces around the home.

1. Admire your handiwork and your beautiful organization containers on the cheap/free.

We are blessed enough to have a fairly large closet. In fact, we joke that we can fit a full size bed in there (we actually can). However, I wanted something a bit more. I love design and I tend to express myself through various outlets, including my clothing. Considering this, I decided that our closet needed to become a store in a sense. I wanted to enter in each day and be able to shop from my items and put together outfits and simply play around in there.

1. Take inventory of the space: what are we working with really?  

   Originally we had only one clothing bar and shelf around the room. A big waste if you ask me, so I quickly added a second bar. Since the room is so large, we’re treating it like a dressing room instead of a closet.



2. Decide on a system that works.We needed a place to store shoes, but we can’t use those hanging bags since we’re more of tossers instead of placers; double rods for shirts and tanks (mostly for me, since hubby mostly owns long sleeves and the placement of the initial bar means the second bar to closer to the floor. This creates a situation where his shirts drag on the floor, not so for most of mine.) ; an area for long dresses; an area for jackets/outerwear; an area for accessories such as jewelry, belts, scarves, purses, etc; an area for hubby’s keys and badges;  a place to sit down to put on shoes; a place to air out the clothes of the day; a basket to hold sewing kit/shoe polish/lint roller/etc for quick repairs; and of course a mirror to make sure you look spiffy.
3. Get the right materials. 

   This doesn’t always mean expensive. For our shoe center we used cinderblocks and pre-fab shelving (if you can get to the store by yourself, definitely go with some basic wood planks, not the pre-fab stuff, but hubby insisted), pegboard and bulletin boards for accessories and the additional rod was from a discount store.

4. Sort 

   Since I’m the organizer, I did the sorting while hubby wisely stayed out of the way. I made several piles: seasonal for clothes that we didn’t need at the moment, trash for clothing and items that I would be too ashamed to donate in their current state, donate (or have a swap party) for clothes that were great, but just not great for us, keep for stuff we wanted to keep, and need repairs for items that needed simple repairs.

5. Decorate. 

   Add a picture (even framed calender photos look nice), a full length mirror to see the latest creations, an ottoman to sit and take off shoes, maybe even a pretty light fixture or paint on the walls.

Finish! Enjoy shopping!

Day 18: Shop from your pantry
Just once this week, take an inventory of what’s in your cupboard and fridge. Try planning a meal that requires no extra ingredients. You’ll not only get rid of lingering groceries, you’ll reduce your shopping list for the week.

I thought about my current pantry and my recent trips to the grocery store to stock up on staples. Off the top of my head I could think of a few meals with what’s in our storage.

ARROZ CON CHORIZO Y GARBANZOS
-2 cu chickpeas (garbanzos)
-2 cu rice, brown (arroz)
-2 smoked sausage (chorizo)
-3 TBSP sofrito mix (to taste)

–Cook smoked sausage in pan to render some oil. Add the other ingredients, season, cover and cook over medium heat for 20-25 minutes.
–Simple, yummy, but nicer for fall weather.

PIZZA (perfect way to get rid of leftovers)
- refrigerated pizza crust
- tomato sauce/pasta sauce
- toppings (veggies like peppers, onions; fruits like plums and peaches are a nice unexpected touch; canned chicken pieces; leftover meats; etc)

QUESADILLAS (another way to get rid of leftovers)
- tortillas
- shredded cheese
- filling (veggies, meat, fish, shrimp, anything!)

Of course, I love AllRecipes for trying new things. They have a search by ingredient feature, so if I don’t know what to make with brown rice, onions and eggs, I can find a recipe quickly. Also, they have a shopping list built-in so you won’t forget any item at the store.

Best Shampoo for Curly or Wavy Hair
Garnier Fructis Curl & Shine Fortifying Shampoo, $4
With a “luxurious texture” and “wonderful lather,” this left unruly curls looking smooth and well defined.

Best Conditioner for Curly or Wavy Hair
John Frieda Frizz-Ease Curl Around Daily Conditioner, $6
“An amazing detangler,” this thick, silicone-based formula tamed curls and created frizz-free waves.

I have little reason to doubt the validity of the products since I use Frizz-Ease serum to calm frizzes and have tried the Fructis Conditioner before with great results. Not sure when I will try them since I plan on keeping the hair braided for the next 18 months, but it’s still worth remembering.

I wish it was as easy as picking up an existing drum shade and replacing the fabric, but take a look at the top white section of the lamp. The entire light kit is housed in there and it doesn’t leave room for a traditional lamp shade. After much trial and error-including taping paper to the existing shade, adding skewers to elevate fabric attached to the hoop, I finally got a more permanent way to “attach” the shades.

Materials:

• Wooden Embroidery Hoop
• Enough fabric or heavy-duty paper to go around the hoop. I used three 12×12 sheets of textured scrapbook paper.
• Glue Gun
• Floral Wire

1. Take the floral wire and cut two pieces that are about 1.5 times the length of the diameter of the hoop.

2. Wrap the ends of the wire around the hoop and form an X.

3. Glue the paper to the hoop, take care to make sure the edges are aligned. You could add ribbon to the top and bottom if you wanted more trim. If you’re using fabric, you should probably wrap the fabric over the hoop a little bit and then glue it.

4. Glue the seams of the paper. If you’re using fabric, you should sew the seam. It works better with fabric since you’ll only have one seam-unlike the three seams I had.

5. Place the shade on top of the lamp. You’re done!

I plan on making another drum shade for the light in the ceiling. I’ll probably use the reject brown fabric that I love but it didn’t make it on the lamp shades.