A Pop of Pretty

More Kitchen Storage: How to Re-claim Space You Already Have!

More Kitchen Storage: How to Re-claim Space You Already Have!

Funny how that happens, isn’t it? It creeps up on you. You don’t really notice it until, one morning, when you reach for a ziploc bag while making school lunch, you’re greeted by an avalanche of Born-Free baby bottles, tupperware lids, and more plastic divided plates than a hospital cafeteria. For awhile, you manage to stuff it all back in and shut the doors, hoping the kitchen organizer fairy will visit some night. But she doesn’t come (booo), and pretty soon, even the idea of unloading the dishwasher or unpacking the groceries is exhausting!….Here are 5 easy tips to reclaim more kitchen storage from the space you have.

Winter Decorating Detox: Less Glitter, More Order!

Winter Decorating Detox: Less Glitter, More Order!

Welcome to my first blog post of 2014! 

I normally post a couple of times a week, so it’s odd for me to go so long without being here. So far, January has been taken up with all kinds of not-so-fun non-blogging activities: Christmas de-decorating, toy organization, winter storms and power outages (ughhh), and an extended Christmas holiday for our kids (due to the storms and outages).

Now that the kids are back into their routines, I’m focused on getting the house back on track! After 3 straight months of looking at seasonal decor, I always need a little  winter decorating detox.  The Fall is a seasonal decorator’s dream, and I crave it! Pumpkins, bats, turkeys, boughs, and berries – all with more glitter than a Dancing With the Stars costume. It’s all a whole lot of fun while it happens.  But there’s only so much glitter and clutter that my brain can process!  READ MORE

Pretty Ways to Organize Jewellery (A Peek In My Closet!)

Pretty Ways to Organize Jewellery (A Peek In My Closet!)

Jewellery organization isn’t something I’ve ever been great at.  I’ve never figured out how to organize jewellery in a way that makes it easy to find and wear. I think I had a jewellery box once upon a time, but it only fit a fraction of my stash of costume jewellery. So most of that stuff ended up in a tangled mess in a dresser drawer. You too?!?  (Phew!)

 

I recently made it my mission to rescue all these neglected necklaces and bracelets, and give them new life!

 

how to organize jewellery

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How to Organize a Small Art Station for Kids (Martha Stewart Wall Manager)

How to Organize a Small Art Station for Kids (Martha Stewart Wall Manager)

Our 8-year old LOVES to draw. She has an art table in our basement family room but rarely uses it.  Instead, like any great artist, she prefers to make art when the inspiration strikes! This usually means right smack dab in the middle of the main floor TV room.  So she’s always had a little art desk in there too. It’s been the bane of my existence! Her arsenal of art supplies is always in a tangle since her desk is in a small corner, without room for storage.  I’ve tried a bunch of different things, but have never figured out how to organize it without crowding the room with a storage unit.

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{Note: Even though I’ll mention Martha Stewart’s wall manager product here, this is not a sponsored product review.  I tried it, loved it and wanted to share!}

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Organizing a small art station

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(p.s., The chick and the egg on in this photo were colored by her 3-year old brothers.  She’s totally die at the thought of anybody thinking she colored them, haha)

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This weekend I was at Staples to get a printer cartridge, but soon found myself with an armful of Martha Stewart chalkboard labels and stylish file folders.  Are you as crazy for office supplies as I am, lol? Anyhoo, while there, I happened to notice this new ‘wall manager’ line that Martha offers, and thought it would be a perfect solution for how to organize this little disaster area…READ MORE

Trick for a Pretty, DIY Fabric-Covered Bulletin Board (Cork Board)

Trick for a Pretty, DIY Fabric-Covered Bulletin Board (Cork Board)

Want to know a great trick for making a pretty fabric-covered, large-scale bulletin board (i.e., cork board) inexpensively?

diy cork boardUse a shower curtain!

Fabric shower curtains are great for large-scale projects like this because buying designer fabric by the yard can get really expensive. And, let’s face it, you don’t need upholstery-quality fabric on a bulletin board! A cotton shower curtain will yield a lot of fabric for a decent price, and you can find them in some really great patterns these days.

I first used this trick last summer, when I pretty-ed up some regular old cork bulletin boards for my craft room-office by covering them with a black-and-white gingham fabric shower curtain that I found for just $20. In one shower curtain, there was enough fabric to cover.. Click to read more