Organizing Scrapbook Supplies

If you are a scrapbooker, you know that scrapbook supplies literally multiply over time.  It really can be quite crazy to stay on top of organizing what you've got . . . so you can use what you have.  I would be sooooo embarrassed to admit how many duplicates I've bought over time - because of my lack of organization in my scrapbook room. 

When I saw this article today from the Creating Keepsakes Blog, I think I might have drooled a little bit.  I know, that should be embarrassing to admit.  BUT if you click over to it (and by all means, you should) you will see what I mean.  It just makes me want to organize the heck out of my scrapbook room!

Which, by the way, is one of my New Year's Resolutions.  Yeah, not even lumped in with all the organization goals I have . . . organizing my scrapbook room is has a goal all it's own. 

So, here are a few beautiful organization options that I especially loved from their blog entry.  And you could definitely transfer scrapbook organization skills over to just about any room in the house.  Why?  Because I truly believe that if you can organize a scrapbook room, you can organize anything!

Is this stacked multi-tiered tray delicious?  It is from Pottery Barn, so no wonder I have serious love for it.  Ahhhh.  Just think of the organizing possibilities!  Obviously it works great for scrapbooking, but how great would this be in a home office?   Laundry room?  Baby's room?  Kitchen?  Teen bedroom?  Sewing room?  Just whatever?   (I tried to find this on the Pottery Barn website, and it must be an older item.  Dang.  But the concept is still the same, a tiered organizer can be used for a ton of stuff!)

I love vintage stuff!  And a cool old toolbox could be so useful for holding just about anything. 

I love using baskets and bins for organizing.  How great it is to use simple canning jars inside to help keep everything where it should be. 



Isn't this space lovely?  It belongs to Laura Vegas, a fabulous scrapbooker.  It just makes me want to scrapbook.  I have two desks just like the one pictured, and I love it!  But my desk does NOT look as tidy as this one right now.  But it will . . . soon enough.  Click here to see more of Laura Vegas' organizing genius. 



Here is another space that inspires me.  It just looks, well, inviting.  I just want to copy so many of her organizing ideas.  This room belongs to Cindy Tobey, and I am in love!  Check out more of her brilliance here. 

And if you are in the mood for some serious organizing of all this scrapbook-ish, you may want to check out this book.  It is so great!  I just love, love, love it!  I have it, and I love to pour over the pages, and I have definitely marked a few ideas to try.

So, stay tuned for some FABULOUS before and after shots of my very own scrapbook room.  I really am determined to make it happen this year!  You just wait!

Because if you are a scrapbooker, or even if you aren't, organized supplies just feel good!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I know it looks a little different, but that is what it is supposed to look like.

Ok.  I am sensing a theme here.  Obviously I have laundry on the brain.  This is my third post in a row about laundry!

I am not a pioneer, but I did realize not too long ago, that I can make my own laundry detergent.  It saves a TON of money, and I have really liked it so far!  I've been making my own detergent for about 8 months now, and I can attest that it is worth it!  And oh so simple!

Here is the recipe.  I got it off the Internet, and since it was a while ago, I don't have a source to site.  BUT there are quite a few recipes out there, if you google "homemade laundry detergent." 

1 cup Borax
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
2 cups grated soap (Fels Naptha or Zote - in the laundry detergent aisle) (I even used Ivory soap one time)
   (Also, I use a Salad Shooter for grating the soap.  It is super fast, and works just fine!)

Mix altogether, and store in an airtight container (I don't know why it needs to be airtight, actually).  Use 2 T. per load of wash.  I have a high efficiency washer, and I just put the homemade detergent right in with the clothes, and bypass the detergent dispenser.  But that is just what I do. 

This website talked about much $ you can save . . . . (only $2.98 for about 65 loads!)
This website gives a liquid formula recipe (which just takes more time, and I don't think it is worth it). . . .
This website had a lot of details info, including a YouTube video . . . . 

But when it comes down to it, you should probably just use my simple recipe.  Because you can trust me that it works!  But you really should try it, that is if you are into saving money.  And with the economy these days . . . it seems like we are all on board with saving money.

Let me know what you think! 

And, as I've been pointing out for the last few posts, CLEAN LAUNDRY FEELS GOOD!

I hang my jeans. Always!

Since we've been talking about laundry lately, I just feel that you should know that I hang my jeans.  I never, ever, ever put them in the dryer.  It really is AMAZING how much longer they last, and how much longer they look good.  Our jeans rarely get worn out . . . and we rarely get holes in the knees.  Well, unless they are supposed to (which I think someday we are going to question that style - just like we question all of the styles from the 80s).

Anyway, I give my sister's kids our hand-me-downs.  And she is my best witness that our jeans still look great by the time they get to her.  Keeping them out of the dryer has allowed all three of my boys to wear the same jeans . . . and then on to my sister's four boys.  Yeah, that is right.  It is not like we have done an actual scientific experiment or anything, but a pair of jeans that starts out belonging to my oldest, could end up being worn by her youngest.  That is seven boys.  Crazy!  

Did you know you can buy retractable clothes lines?   They are sort of retro and oh so cool!  That is what we use.  I bought mine at Home Depot.  And I am using it so much, I rarely retract it at all.  But it nice to have the option.  My clothesline stretches across my laundry room, and I can hang up to seven pairs of jeans all at once.  And in the summer, I just lay them across the trampoline, and they are dry within an hour.  Perfect! 

Believe me, hang drying your jeans is totally worth it!  It isn't that much more of a pain, and all your jeans will last longer.  Which will save you $ over the long run!  Right?

Trust me on this one, because saving money (and being clean) feels good!

Laundry Hell

You should know, this isn't actually my pile of laundry hell.  Mine looks worse.  ;)

That's right folks, that is what we call it around our house!  And we are currently in Laundry Hell.  Which is oh so overwhelming.  Things are getting so desperate, that my husband actually started to do some laundry.  Which is sweet!  But also messes up the system.  And I have had to explain to me how to DO laundry.  Which is scary. 

Which is causing me to revisit my whole laundry process.  I work full time outside the home, which means I am always behind on laundry.  And we do a lot of laundry around our house.  With three boys that wear school uniforms, are into wrestling, and are extremely active, we have a lot of stinky, smelly clothes.  It is not like we can just skip a few washings on the school uniforms and especially not on the wrestling singlets.  There is just no freaking way that is going to happen!

I remembered a post that my friend Gabi posted a while back.  And it shared some good stuff.  I hope she doesn't mind me sharing it here!  I think I will implement a few of her tips.  You can read her whole post here.  Hopefully something will work . . . and fast!  My husband is threatening to just go out and buy new socks because it has been a while since he has seen his. 

Actually, that is not such a bad idea. 

Ok, here are a few of Gabi's tips.  She is really cute, and smart.  We should listen to her and her laundry tips.

Here are a few tricks that really knock my socks off. (And leave them gleaming white and static-free...)


•Laundry hampers. In every room where clothes are stored, removed or changed. I have them in every bedroom and bathroom. Some larger rooms have more than one.


•Regularly scheduled wash day. I only wash twice a week. Period. Usually Tuesdays and Fridays. It works best if you are at-home most of the day. (Or have a helpful home-officed husband who doesn't mind shifting the loads, in a pinch.) Promise yourself that you will get all the laundry in and out within a 12-hour period. It takes discipline...but there is nothing more depressing than seeing yesterday's whites still molding away in the washer as you are digging through piles of clean, but rumpled, permanent press searching for the soccer uniform.


•Individualized laundry baskets. Each kid has their own labeled clean-clothes basket. (Note: these are not the same as the laundry hampers...those are stationary, because there is always more laundry.) Depending on their age, at the end of laundry day, the kids will have either a pile of clean clothes to fold or pre-folded clothes to put away in drawers and closets. (Word to the wise: I don't advise looking in drawers too often. It can cause stomach upset.)


•Fold as you go. This doesn't work for everybody, but I've found that if I drag all the clean laundry into the family room and fold while watching Oprah or other educational programming, it takes a whole lot longer to finish. Plus, I am annoyed if my kids trip over my work. Time yourself. Folding even the biggest load only takes about twelve minutes. Just pull it out of the dryer and deal with it while it's warm and sweet. Less wrinkles, too.


•Bright whites. Sort and wash whites first while there is still plenty of hot water. For best results, rinse the load first with cold water. Tip learned from appliance guy: If you have an high-efficiency washer, it may fill with water before the water gets really hot. Before starting the hot cycle, run the faucet in your washtub or closest powder room to get the heat in the pipes.


•Sock basket. My laundry room is also the mudroom. The kids keep their shoes in there. So it makes sense to keep a big basket of clean white socks handy. I don't even match them. It has streamlined our daily out-the-door routine...and every second counts.


•Baking soda. Gets the stink out towels and socks. Can be used instead of bleach to brighten whites. Used as a paste will clean out a dirty washing machine. Cheap trick.


•Finally...buy cute clothes. When apparel shopping, don't just look at cost and fit. When buying any top or bottom, ask yourself, Will I still love this after I've pre-treated, sorted and folded it 50 times? If the answer is no, put it back on the rack.

Great tips, eh?  Although, I will say that we all need to figure out what works best for us!  I am going to try her idea of keeping laundry to two days.  Saturday and Sunday for me.  I was trying to do a few loads in the morning, and a few at night, but then it just seems to get shoved aside, and we get all confused about what laundry is clean, and what is dirty.  Not good.  I am also going shopping for laundry baskets for each room.  I have them for my boys room, but having them in the bathrooms just makes sense!   I saw that TJ Maxx had a whole new selection of cute new laundry baskets the other day.  Perfect!

This is me, after I am done with all the laundry.  Ok . . . it is how I feel inside. 

We can DO this.   We can keep our families out of laundry hell.  Right? 

What about you?  What works for you?  What keeps you out of laundry hell? 

And you know it is true . . . CLEAN LAUNDRY FEELS GOOD!

So . . . let's revisit this whole cleaning blog thing.

I love, love, love blogging!  But sometimes it can get a little hard to keep up on.  Especially when life is so crazy, as I know it is for everyone.  So . . . I know that I need to be better about keeping up this little blog.  I started it as a way to give little tips here and there for our customers (and hopefully soon to be customers) of our carpet cleaning business.  Brick House Carpet Cleaning - you should call us!  We are amazing!  ;) 

BUT it became a great way for me to try to improve on my own cleaning and organizing.  And basically a way to keep track of the things I know that WORK.  I've never put anything on here that I haven't tried myself.  And I just get so dang passionate about all things clean and organized. 

I am hoping to be much better this year with this little ol' blog.  Of course I want to be cleaner and more organized in the new year.  Isn't that on pretty much everyone's lists? 

So . . . here is a little tidbit that my sister sent me on GOAL SETTING.  Perfect timing for this time of year.  I thought I would share it here as a reminder to write it down . . . make a plan . . . and just do better.  I know I can do it!   Starting with being a better blogger.  Of course since this is written by Dave Ramsay, it is more money minded than cleaning, but I think the tips work for just about any goal setting you are doing. 

Top 8 Reasons to Make Goals (and Stick to Them)
from daveramsey.com on 13 Jan 2010


It’s just plain fun to accomplish a goal. When you make a plan to do something and are focused, it’s enjoyable to know that you’ll actually get it done. It’s not just idle talk. You’re getting somewhere. You're aiming toward something. But those aren't the only reasons why you should set goals. Here are a few more:

Goals Are A Compass
People who don’t make goals usually don’t get anywhere, because they don’t know where they are going.

Makes You Unique
A Harvard study found that the 3% of students who write down goals for their life accomplish more than the 97% who do not. Which group would you rather be in?

Fun Times
If you have debt, it’s more fun to have a plan to get out of it than it is to have no plan and end up in more debt.

Keeps You Focused
Just like in hockey, the person who keeps an eye on their goal wins.

Accountability
Goals on paper stare you in the face until you do them. Without goals on paper, all you have is something you maybe kinda said you’d do a few weeks ago, er, something.

Carry-over
When you excel in one area of life (which goals help you to do), that excellence spills over to other areas. You can actually lose weight because you have the discipline to stick to a budget. Imagine that!

Make The Call
With focus, you earn the right to call Dave’s radio show and scream that you are debt-free! Sweet deal, if you can get it. And with a goal of being out of debt, you can.

Be The Leader
Throw a rock out the window. You’ll hit someone who only made a promise to exercise and lose weight, and it didn’t last a month. With a goal, you can stand out from that group and encourage others to do the same.

I can't wait for my new found sucess at New Year's Resolutions AND my little ol' cleaning blog.  Yay!

Because, I know without a shadow of a doubt that CLEAN FEELS GOOD!

Labeling! Part 1

Labeling.  It is oh so important!  That is why there is going to be a Labeling Part 2, and maybe even more labeling posts in the future.  It is that important. 

Today's labeling lesson is ALWAYS label the stuff you let people borrow.  Always.  Here is why:

1.  You might want your stuff back.  And chances are, if your name is on it, it will actually get back to you.  Why?  Because every time your friend sees your name it is a big reminder that they should return your item to you.  Right? 

2.  It makes it so much easier on the person that did the borrowing, especially if they borrowed more that one person's stuff.  Example:  I just helped plan a 40th birthday extravaganza for my friend (birthday shout out to Michele!).  We had to borrow a lot of chairs, and I mean a lot.  And THEN when it came time to return the chairs, we weren't exactly sure who to return them too.  It was so confusing!  And a little annoying.  Just grab a Sharpie and write your name on the bottom of chairs (or any such items) before you hand them off.  It just makes life easier.  And you are ensured that you will get your stuff back. 

SIDE NOTE:  Sharpies are your best friend when it comes to labeling. Repeat it with me please, SHARPIES ARE MY BEST FRIEND. They really are the best for labeling big things like chairs and banquet tables.

3.  I am a scrapbooker.  And I have seen non-labelers lose stuff.  It happens.  You THINK you are the only person with a hot pink handled Crop-a-dile (yes, people, that is a real scrapbooking tool), but you are not.  And when everyone whips out their Crop-a-dile at a Crop, bad things can happen - like you never see your beloved Crop-a-dile again.  BUT, if your name is on it, and someone asks to borrow YOUR Crop-a-dile, chances are that you will have it back in your bag again when it is time to go home.  I've witnessed it may a time. 

4. Books and movies are a fine thing to lend out, but chances are, you may not see them again if you don't label them.  The perfect label for these smaller items are an address label.  You know you have TONS of them that you get free in the mail from charities wanting a donation if you accept their free gift of a sheet of address labels.  Well, whether or not you decided to donate (hey, I'm not here to judge) peel off one of those little labels and add it to your book before you give it to your friend.  That is ONLY if you want your book back.  Or your movie.  I may have loaned out my copy of Dr. Laura's The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands with no intention of getting it back.  I'm just sayin'.   And I could see Robb lending out my Anne of Green Gable movies just so he doesn't have to worry about ever having to watch them with me. 

5.  Tools want labels too.  They really do.  Tools are just one of those things that if you lend, you sort of plan on never seeing again.  BUT if your name is etched into the metal with an engraver (yes, I really have an engraver) your next door neighbor will have no choice but to remember whose thingamajig they borrowed. 

SO, my challenge for you is to label your stuff before it walks out the door . . . forever.  And trust me on this, you are not going to look all crazy possessive about your stuff if you name is on it.  You are going to look smart.  Like you care about your investments.  And you should!  It is seriously annoying to have to replace something you loaned out.  Seriously.

Because, there is no question, clean feels good!

the DO JUST ONE THING Challenge

My list to do seems to be a mile long.  Is that a summer thing?  It seems like everyone I know is doing project after project right now. 

SO, I gave myself a little challenge.  I've been doing it for two weeks now (I wanted to see if I could really do it before I blogged about it) and it seems to be working GREAT!  I call it (drum roll please) . . .

THE DO JUST ONE THING CHALLENGE

I have an ongoing list of things I need to do, but never seem to get to.  The lovely list has chores listed both big and small.  So on the super busy days, I pick a small job (like clean a bathroom drawer) . . . and on those rare days when I have a huge chunk of time (huh?  like, when does that ever happen?), I pick a big job (like empty out the storage unit). 

Side note:  Yes, we emptied out our storage unit yesterday!  Which will save us a whopping $100 a month on ridulousness.  It feels oh so great!  Although, now my GARAGE is full of crap that I now need to sell or donate, but at least that gets me one step closer to getting rid of junk we don't even use!  Victory!

So, if you have a bunch of annoying little (and big) jobs that just nag at you, and you never seem to find the time for them. . .  try the DO JUST ONE THING CHALLENGE!  If it works for me, it will work for anyone.  Trust me on this.  And it feels sooooooo great to chip away and my crazy list of things to do. 

Because, you know, clean and being organized feels good!