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Giveaway & Review: ThisLife by Shutterfly

Wednesday, September 10th, 2014

This post is sponsored by Shutterfly, Inc. in partnership with Resourceful Mom Media.

I have been working a long time on my storytelling through photos. It has been an evolution as I master my camera and work on capturing more authentic moments in our life. I go through stages where I rely completely on my DSLR and then periods in our life where I want the swiftness of a quicker capture with my photos. I am a fantastic giver of moments on Facebook and Instagram. What I am terrible at though is organizing, sorting, and actually printing our precious moments.

I got the opportunity to test drive an amazing photo service called ThisLife by Shutterfly that I know you all are going to be nuts about it because it helps us be a better family historian gathering all of your life moments, organizing, and sorting them all into one spot. I want to share my experience with you and how I brought our Grand Rapids holiday to life.

Our family took an amazing holiday trip this year to Grand Rapids to celebrate Christmas and my daughter’s 8th birthday. These are two special holidays that are a mere five days apart. We ditched the presents to each other (a bold move when you are a kid) and rented a beautiful home in Grand Rapids, Michigan and visited every attraction we could squeeze in together.

It was in the midst of an ice storm that we happened to make our trip out there. It was an ice rink outside as we had to gingerly take a step with our arms linked tightly together, just to try to get down the steps of our lake cottage. My husband had an iron grip on the wheel, color drained from his face, as we made it out in the treacherous conditions to give our kids the best little holiday ever.

And it was.

You can see & just feel the joy in these moments.

I set my phone aside and really dove in on this trip with my camera. I was so proud of these pictures.

I have all of these beautiful and amazing moments and guess what I did with them?

Nothing.

I am a great storyteller of moments in Facebook, I might be able to grab your eye on Instagram with pictures, but I don’t do anything with these for myself. Instead of sitting on a couch flipping through these moments with my grandkids someday, I will be pulling them over to my computer and trying to search through my folders and feeds to show them what their mom and dad used to look like. It isn’t the picturesque family moment that I want to share with them. That is where ThisLife by Shutterfly comes into play. I am going to show you how this can help you be a better historian no matter what device or sharing platform you use and how I finally took these images off my computer and brought them to life for our family.

As storytellers of our family, we now use multiple platforms to share our stories. These moments can quickly become jumbled or lost and it is difficult to remember where and how we have shared our images. ThisLife is an amazing subscription-based service that can quickly organize and sort your moments by date, making it quick and easy to share your family’s stories. Not only does it gather the images from your computer, but it gathers them from the places you are socially sharing in the same dated format. Do you share on Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, Shutterfly, or SmugMug? Link your account and it will grab and sort all of your images in one location. Half the battle is in the sorting and, let’s face it, very few moms I know have time to gather and incorporate all their moments on all the places they are sharing socially. This grabs them and sorts them with ease.

Once the images are all sorted, it makes it so much easier to begin sharing your family’s story. You can actually create a Story from the images and then share it with your family and friends through email or by sharing a link to your story like this one I created of our family vacation. This is so great for grandparents or for anyone who doesn’t want to share their images publicly. You simply select the images (that have already been sorted for you) and then click Stories and add a New Story to create a format for sharing groups of moments with your family and friends.

A search under people sorts all of the people in your life alphabetically and tells you how many pictures you have of them. Want to make a photo album for a friend that’s moving away of all your years together? No problem! Want to put together an album of just one child? Easy peasy. Want to see how much better you look as you age and wow yourself? I totally did that.

Do you travel to exotic locations (more exotic than, say, Grand Rapids?)? Do you vacation every summer in Nantucket? I will be a good friend and tell you that you can sort your images by places and make albums of all of these fun things that you are doing that I am not doing.

ThisLife offers several different membership plans, with additional options for larger collections.

Of course, the beauty in this for this amazing storyteller who doesn’t share her stories, is that you can print these photos out in a book and actually have something to show your grandkids someday. Select all your images that you want (all perfectly grouped) and then click Create to transfer them over to Shutterfly to make an album. Add captions so you don’t forget the treacherous ice storm you weathered for the perfect family holiday or that root beer tasting that you did with your kids that they couldn’t stop talking about. Get it all in an album and ship it right to your door to remember those moments forever. You can check out the album I made below using their Modern template.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Now that I have shown you how wonderful this service is, I am excited to be giving away one (1) standard subscription to ThisLife so you can be the ultimate storyteller of moments in your family. You can enter this giveaway by following the instructions below in the Rafflecopter widget!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out some other fun ways you can use ThisLife for your photos from a few of my favorite blogging friends!

http://dineanddish.net/2014/09/finally-a-photo-organizing-tool-that-works-for-me-giveaway/#more-11646

http://mooshinindy.com/2014/09/15/photo-mess-this-life-will-bring-you-photo-bliss/

http://www.sarahhalstead.com/thislife-by-shutterfly-giveaway/

http://greeblehaus.com/2014/09/checking-shutterflys-life-service-giveaway.html

This post is sponsored by Shutterfly, Inc. in partnership with Resourceful Mom Media. I have received compensation for my time and a membership to ThisLife to share my honest thoughts and opinions on their service.

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Tags: How to Organize Photos, Organizing, Organizing Family Photos, Organizing Photos, Shutterfly, ThisLife App Tutorial
Posted in My Work, Organizing, Photography | No Comments »

Make a Guest Room Welcome Basket (With 5 FREE Printables)

Tuesday, September 9th, 2014

This post is sponsored on behalf of BHG at Walmart.

With the holidays just around the corner, now is a great time to begin preparing your home for guests. Since we live in a smaller home, we have never had the luxury of having a guest room in our house since every inch of our home is just filled with…well, us. Recently though we finished our shed into a bonus room and realized that this is actually the perfect space to share with our guests when they come to visit. It makes for the perfect guest room because you can come and go as you please with your very own space to escape from our wild and crazy family, since it is separate from our living space.

As part of the BHG Live Better Network, I am partnering with them this month to showcase an idea for welcoming guests in your home that you can create with products from BHG that are available at Walmart. Since we don’t have a dedicated guest room for just this purpose, I thought it would be fun to create a guest room welcome basket that you could tuck away in your basement storage or a linen closet to share with your guests when they arrive. There is no need to make an addition to that house when you have a basket prepared of guest essentials that you can bring out when the unexpected house guest arrives.

Pictured Above: Better Homes & Gardens 400 Thread Count Egyptian Cotton Sheet Sets ($39.88- $69.88)/Better Homes & Gardens Large Chicken Wire Basket ($12.44)/ Please Do Not Disturb Sign (FREE- see below), Better Homes & Gardens 8×10 Frame ($9.97)/ Febreeze Home Collection Almond Sugar Candle ($11.97)/ Better Homes & Gardens White Bath Towels ($5.88)/ Be Our Guest 8×10 Printable (FREE- see below)

One of my favorite things about staying at a hotel is the plush sheets, fresh linens, the do not disturb sign I can hang on my door knob for privacy, and the welcoming touches and amenities that hotels offer. You can create that same experience for your very own guests at home with a few of the thoughtful touches that I have pulled together for our welcome basket. Fresh white linens, a welcome sign you can display on a nightstand or table, a do not disturb sign for your door, plush white sheets, and a delicious smelling candle complete the touches in this lined chicken wire basket for a guest to enjoy when they come to visit.

You can find all of these special touches from the BHG product line at Walmart stores. A simple gathering of these items creates a sweet & thoughtful guest room basket instantly. Other sweet offerings could include chocolates, bedtime teas, a favorite good read or the morning paper, and a note to let them know how excited you are to have them as a guest. Think of all of the things you appreciate when you are a guest somewhere and include them in your basket to let your guests know how much you appreciate them.

Add our, “Be our Guest,” printable to a BHG 8×10 frame (priced at less than $10) and it really adds that special warm welcome that I hope we can achieve when hosting friends and family in our home.

To help your guest feel warmly welcomed, my amazing designer & contributor, Sarah Milne with sarah m style, has created these amazing printables that you can print and share in your basket for your guests! Aren’t these BEAUTIFUL and such a sweet touch for a welcome basket for guests?

Grab These FREE Printables For Your Guest Basket

Download this Printable HERE

What are some special touches you love to offer you guests? Any tips for families that don’t have a dedicated guest room? Feel free to share your tips below!

In accordance with the FTC Guidelines, I am disclosing that I received compensation from BHG at Walmart for my time and participation in the BHG Live Better Network. Although we have material connection to BHG, any publicly stated opinions of BHG and their products remain my own.

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Tags: BHG Live Better Network, Free Do Not Disturb Door Hangers, Free Guest Room Printables, Free Printables, Freebies, Guest Room Essentials, Make a Guest Room Welcome Basket
Posted in Freebies, Home, My Work, Organizing, Printables | No Comments »

8 DIY Command Center Ideas

Thursday, September 4th, 2014

Back-to-school season means back to the daily grind of controlling paperwork, keeping track of schedules, checking homework, figuring out meals, and corralling the backpack clutter in the home.

Thankfully, it is easy to create a DIY Command Center for your family on a budget and even in a small home.

Today I want to showcase eight ideas for command centers that would work in small spaces, or in a larger home, and how you can upcycle some of the supplies for your project.

Let’s get organized!

Transform a Door

One of the most inventive ideas I have seen for a command center comes from Tatertots & Jello.

She utilizes a screen door for creating a command center for her family.

For families that don’t want to mount anything on their wall, this command center created from a door can be propped up anywhere and I could picture this project even as a command center in the garage.

To create a place for jotting down notes, consider a picture frame that you can transform into a magnetic chalkboard and a basket to gather shoes or for paper storage!

Use a Folding Chair

Not everyone has a large space to create a command center wall.

I adore this idea, from Nalle’s House, of creating a mini command center for your family by using an old folding chair.

Check the furniture section of your favorite thrift store for this project and with a little chalkboard paint and a basket, you have a spot to jot down messages and to tuck those small & important items like wallets & keys!

Dedicate an Unused Corner

Unused corners in our home can be the best place to create a small command center.

The best part about a small command center is that it is an easier space to manage and clutter can be tidied up quickly.

This command center from Hi Sugarplum showcases an unused corner that she now has made into the family’s command center.

With a simple basket, a wall-mounted file folder, a small bulletin board, and a charging station, you now have an organized hub for your family.

Use a Cabinet Door

Although Domestic Imperfection actually built this beautiful command center out of wood, a cabinet door from Goodwill or would work perfectly in creating a command center for a small space.

I love that she decoupaged a map of somewhere special on her door to create this command center.

To keep it on budget, stop at the visitor’s bureau to snag maps of the places you visit for a special and personal touch.

Again, this command center is perfect for limited wall space and I love that you can personalize this one to your own needs!

Create a Chalkboard Wall

This chalkboard wall command center, featured in BHG Magazine, illustrates that you don’t need a lot of space to create a command center that functions well for your family.

I love that everything is on one wall and that you can chalk captions on the wall to remind people where their items are and that items can be switched out based upon your family’s needs from year-to-year!

Make It Fun

The Homes I Have Made has the happiest of all happy command centers that I have ever seen.

It makes me so happy that I want to replicate this one for our own house.

She chose an eye-catching color scheme and adds beautiful details to make this a cheery place to organize and drop your belongings.

A handmade bunting brightens the space and the happy pieces of art in her color scheme make this place feel whimiscal and not utilitarian.

Use Open Framing to Organize

One last idea that I love is this command center made with open frames created by Wid Kids.

Picture frames are an easy item to find at thrift stores and garage sales and utilizing just the framing of them creates a unique and open detail to your command center for creating with.

In this case window frames were used, but you could utilize whatever type of frame you can find at your store and replicate this same concept in your own home.

I love that it adds a fun detail to the wall and is open and airy enough to make the space not look cluttered.

Do you have a command center in your home? What do you do to keep your family organized in this space?

Don’t miss these other great ideas from MomAdvice.com:

Minimize Morning Stress with Organized Command Center

DIY Command Center for Small Spaces

How to Use a Home Management Binder

Organization Tips for Easier Mornings

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Tags: Command Center Free Printables, DIY Command Centers, How to Make a Command Center, Organizing
Posted in Home, My Work, Organizing, Time Management | 1 Comment »

DIY Family-Friendly Bar Cart

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014

I have been so excited to show off this incredibly cute DIY Family-Friendly Bar Cart that I created for Kenmore this month. This DIY bar cart is my new favorite thing in our house and I love that I can wheel it out for all of our entertaining needs.

Have you ever seen the pricing on beverage carts? It is quite astounding! I love to have a cheap chic home, especially when it comes to entertaining needs, and I just can’t picture spending $500 or more on a cart that houses our drinks. I decided to wow my friends with a budget-friendly and family-friendly drink cart that would sit perfectly in my budget. You know what fits right in my budget? A tool cart.

Today we are making over a Sears Hardware Cart into a beautiful bar cart. Say what? I know! This cart retails for a mere $82.87 and has just the type of clean and modern lines I was looking for in a more expensive cart. The best part is that you can personalize it to your own taste and color scheme.

Head on over to the Kenmore blog to snag my easy tutorial for making a hardware cart into the perfect beverage cart for your entire family! I hope you love this cart as much as I loved creating it!

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Tags: Bar Carts With Kids, DIY Beverage Cart, DIY Family Friendly Bar Cart, Inexpensive DIY Bar Cart Ideas
Posted in DIY, Home, My Work, Organizing | No Comments »

14 FREE Home Management Binder Printables

Tuesday, August 26th, 2014

When I first began managing my household, I happened upon a home management binder that really worked for our family. The binder became our family Bible and each year I would order a new set of sheets to keep the same binder going for our family for the next year. Last year when I went to order my sheets, the company no longer existed and I felt lost without my trusty home management binder system. I talked with our amazingly talented craft contributor, Sarah Milne, to see if she could help me execute a binder with the same principles, but a fresh design that would make managing a home fun. She created the most beautiful set of printables ever and I am so excited to share these with you today.

What Is a Home Management Binder?

When I say that a home management binder can be a Bible for a family, I really do mean that. A well-designed binder, which I really think we offer with these printables, helps you manage everything in your household in one place. This binder is housed typically in a central location in your home and contains everything your family needs to have on-hand from your family calendar, your to-do list, important contact information that you want to have at a moment’s notice (particularly for someone who might babysit), the meal plan for the week, grocery lists, a price sheet, and all you need to run your family’s finances smoothly.

I recommend storing this binder and then purchasing a set of pocketed dividers where you can tuck important information that you might need to refer to. I took a picture of my pockets for you and then realized that it is all pretty personal so you will have to take my word for it that this is where you put the good stuff. When school starts, in particular, you will find your mailbox filled with fliers for events, important forms that need to be filled out, appointment reminders, and invitations. Instead of piling them on a desk or tacking them on the fridge, use the pockets so you always know where to find these items when you need them. I also like to keep an extra pocket or two in the back for the randomness in my life- consider it another junk drawer, if you will. I have also found that a good spot in the home for daily reference is in your family’s command center.

We have created header pages for each section and I do recommend printing these on heavy-duty cardstock so that they can hold up to the abuse of being referenced daily!

What is Included In Our Home Management Binder Packet?

First, I just want to say that this is the just the beginning. I plan to come up with more sheets that you can use for all of your home management needs and this will be an ongoing project for MomAdvice.com. I want this to be useful to you so please, please let me know in the comments if there is anything you would like to see that we are missing in our packet. It will help us when we design the next round of sheets for you!

In our packet you will find:

Family Budget Pages

Grocery Price Sheet (for comparison shopping)

Grocery List Sheet

Menu Planner Sheet

Family Calendar

To-Do List

Contact Sheet

Header Pages for Each Section (to print on cardstock)

What is the Catch to These “Free” Printables?

Honestly, I paid a lot of money each year to update my binder with new sheets, but I didn’t want to charge for these.

We realize that there is so much happening on MomAdvice each week that it can be difficult to keep up with. I hired another designer to create a beautiful weekly newsletter for our readers that I would love for you to subscribe to. This email newsletter only is sent once a week to our readers (unless we have a special announcement/giveaway) and I promise to never, never spam you. In this newsletter, we feature everything that is happening for the week and this is where our subscribers can access the free printables and additional freebies that we offer ONLY TO NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS. It is beautiful, simple, mobile-friendly, and fast to scroll through. I promise, I will never send you junk. I know your time is valuable and so is mine- I am committed to a very useful newsletter.

Honestly though, I realized that we needed to offer some type of incentive to get you to join my newsletter and this is our thank you for letting me come in your inbox once a week. That is the only catch with getting free printables from MomAdvice.com.

If you are interested in receiving 14 free home management printables, just input your email below or in the sidebar and we will send you the link to your packet as our thank you for being a subscriber (look for it in the final welcome email). Subscribers will have access to our additional printables as they become available. Note: if you already subscribe to the Mom Advice Newsletter, be sure to look in your inbox for a special email that contains the link for your set of these printables! If you can’t seem to get the form to work with your browser, just look over to your right in the sidebar. You will see a handy form there too that works with all browsers! We appreciate you so much! Thank you!

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Tags: Command Center Ideas, Free Home Management Binder Packet, Free Home Management Binder Printables, Home Management Binder, How to Make a Home Management Binder
Posted in Announcements, Freebies, Giveaways, Home, Organizing, Printables, Time Management, Work | No Comments »

8 Fun Dresser Makeovers

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2014

I have so much fun gathering up ideas for repurposing items and look forward to showcasing these ideas for you each month.

Today’s post is all about a furniture staple…the dresser.

I have gathered 8 fun ways you can you can makeover a dresser that I know you will want to run right out and find this thrift store gem to create a new fun piece in your home.

In fact, I can’t wait to snag a dresser myself so I can implement these ideas in my own home.

Create a Unique Kitchen Island

Kitchen islands can be quite pricey, but they don’t need to be.

A dresser can be made over into the perfect kitchen island for your home with a fresh coat of paint.

A kitchen island made from a dresser offers ample storage for table linens and silverware as well as a generous top for a cutting board, fruit bowl, or cake stand.

I love this beautiful mint green kitchen island made from a dresser by You’re So Martha.

Make a Cute Dog Bed from a Drawer

As we showed off last month in our suitcase makeover piece, cute dog and kitty beds are all the rage and can be styled to match the interior of your home.

DIY Show Off takes it to another level with an adorable detachable parasol that offers your pooch shade in the summer months.

If you spy a dresser that isn’t in the best of shape at Goodwill or a garage sale, don’t dismiss the piece.

Dresser drawers are just as valuable for fun DIY projects.

Dare I say, in fact, sometimes even more fun than finishing an entire dresser piece?

I adore this DIY dog bed and the adorable details for your fashionable 4-legged friends.

Make a DIY Costume Closet

Who knew girls came with so many costumes? When my daughter was small, our dress-up clothes resided in a drawer in her room that often exploded all over her floor.

I love the idea of creating a space just for these outfits and Rambling Renovators made a DIY Costume Closet out of an old dresser that is just too adorable for words.

I particularly love that there is a mirror on the side for a quick costume check and that there is storage for jewels and footwear.

The floral wrapping paper interior also adds a special girly touch that any little girl would flip for. This is a DIY-must for moms of girls!

Create a Planting Station

Although I was not blessed with a green thumb, I do have an appreciation for beautiful pieces that add beauty & function to our outdoor living.

Although I couldn’t find the source for this image, I just had to share this fun idea for a way you could transform a mirrored dresser into a planting station.

By adding peg board to the mirror stand, you now have the perfect storage for your gardening tools.

The top is the perfect stop for planting, or even for decorating outdoors.

The drawers make ideal storage for items like seed packets, small pots, gardening gloves, and your gardening cushion.

Turn It Into a Vanity

As we have found with our sixties home, bathroom renovations can be expensive even with the most basic of remodels.

Have you ever considered a dresser the perfect source for a vanity?

I know I hadn’t until I saw this incredible DIY Vanity made from a thrift store dresser from An Oregon Cottage.

The best part is that you can customize this to the size of your home, add a splash of color (or not), and a scratched-up tabletop basically disappears once you insert your sink.

How fabulous is that?

Create Unique Storage

Storage is always something I am thinking about and I love the idea of using dresser drawers for storage particularly in a guest room.

Liz Marie shows off her two beautiful drawers that have been stenciled with numbers as storage underneath the bed.

I can picture spare linens in here, a few basic toiletries, or even reading material for a rainy day.

Again, look at the bones of the pieces and find what is in the best condition and most valuable to you for your project needs.

This is a perfect example of an element you can use from a furniture piece.

Put a Number On It

Numbering things continues to be a trend and one simple addition that you can add to a dresser is numbering whether it is stenciled, applying house numbers, or getting creative with paint.

I love this modern dresser makeover with fresh paint and modern numbers on each drawer from HGTV.

Speaking of numbers, I am also madly in love with this numbered dresser that your child’s date of birth on it.

I found this adorable idea on To London With Love and it makes me want to do this adorable idea on a dresser for my kids.

What kid wouldn’t love to see his birthday everyday and what mom wouldn’t feel nostalgic every time she went into her child’s room.

I adore this!

Add Unique Hardware

For today’s final idea, I love the idea of looking for unique hardware made from other items you might find at Goodwill.

merrythought showcases a beautiful masculine detail on this dresser makeover utilizing leather belts for drawer pulls.

The same idea could be used with leather pieces from purses or purse straps too.

I love that this is such a simple detail, but can transform a dresser into a real showpiece.

Have you ever made over a dresser? We’d love to hear about it!

Don’t miss these other great ideas from MomAdvice.com:

Make a Closet Office Space

7 Fresh Furniture Painting Ideas

How to Spray Paint Furniture

7 Easy Chalkboard Paint Crafts

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Tags: Dresser Makeover Ideas, Dresser Makeovers, Thrift Store Dressers, Upcycle Dressers
Posted in DIY, Frugal, Home, My Work, Organizing | No Comments »

Easy Lunchbox Solutions

Monday, July 21st, 2014

The back-to-school season is just around the corner and today I wanted to share some easy strategies for packing those lunches this year. I have teamed up with Walmart to share three fun products that you can purchase this year for those lunchboxes: Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Whole Grain White Bread, Frito Lay Chips in their 20-count variety pack, and Danimals Smoothies 12-packs (that just so happen to be worth triple the Box Tops for Education points!). These are all affordable and easy additions for this year’s lunchboxes.

Here are some additional fun ideas for making lunchtime fun for your child this year:

Get Organized– As with all things related to back-to-school, getting organized is half the battle. Our family relies on this lunchbox creation station for creating our lunches for the week. Take advantage of those back-to-school sales and get your lunchbox station stocked with reusable containers and baggies, water bottles, drinks, snacks and chips for the year.

As my children get older, I put more of the responsibility of lunch preparation on them and our lunchbox station really helps when assembling lunches the night before school as well as packing drinks & snacks for our extracurricular activities.

Insert Fun– Every year, I feel a little melancholy about my kids going back to school especially when we have spent so much time together in the summer. This is the perfect time to add a note to let them know how much you love them or add a comic strip and joke to an older child’s lunchbox.

If your school lunch hour is anything like our lunchtime, our kids have very little time to eat. Try to keep the gesture simple so that you can be assured that they were able to tackle their lunch and not just your note.

You can also add fun details like pretty straws, washi tape flags with special messages on them, or a fun treat like Frito Lay’s Chips & a fruity Danimals Smoothie to round out the meal. I love to use Rick Rack Scissors to trim my washi tape to add a fast & easy detail.

Try a Sushi Sandwich- Have you ever made a sushi sandwich? These are so fun to create and couldn’t be easier. Grab a loaf of Sara Lee Whole Grain White Bread and your favorite rolling pin. Roll the bread out thinly, but not so thin that the bread will no longer hold together. Add a few slices of your child’s favorite lunch meat and then a cheese stick in their favorite flavor (my kid’s love a swirled stick). Carefully roll this up and then slice in half with a sharp knife. For kids that don’t love sandwiches, these spin on the traditional sandwich is always a hit.

Keep Them Organized Using Their Lunchbox- Trying to keep myself organized is difficult. Keeping my kids organized too? Well, that seems even more impossible. I have found that my children rarely forget their lunches though and this is the perfect spot to clip items that they need to remember for their day. Utilize a binder clip or heavy-duty clothespin and use this spot to jot down notes of activities they need to do for the day, apparel that they need to bring for extracurricular activities, appointments they might need to be picked up for, or forms/permission slips they need to turn in to school. This has been a great system for us and helps remind us all of what needs to happen each day.

I hope you love these ideas for freshening up those lunchbox routines and wishing you easy and sweet transitions back into the swing of the school year!

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Tags: Lunchbox Ideas, Lunchbox Organization, Lunchbox Solutions, Lunchbox Station, Sushi Sandwich
Posted in Kid Eats, My Work, Organizing, Time Management | No Comments »

8 DIY Vintage Suitcase Projects

Monday, June 30th, 2014

Suitcases are one item that you can always find at Goodwill.

With that in mind, today’s post showcases 8 ideas for ways you can use vintage suitcases for your home.

Whether you are upcycling the suitcases into new pieces or simply adding them to an empty corner in your home, suitcases can offer both beauty and storage to your home.

When my kids were small, I made a rainy day suitcase that was filled with items from Goodwill, craft supplies, and fun dollar store items that they used to look forward to when we were cooped indoors.

I have long been a lover of this sweet item l and after you see these ideas, I know you will too!

Add Vintage Details to a Food Table

I do a lot of entertaining and I am always looking for pretty additions to our tables when entertaining.

I love this idea from Ruffled on how to incorporate vintage suitcases in a party table display.

Not only does it make for a beautiful display with the addition of a few fresh flowers, but it also gives you the chance to stack dishes at different heights and maximize your table while adding an interesting detail.

Create a Suitcase Side Table

One of my favorite things that I see suitcases being used for is as a furniture piece.

Not only does it add a beautiful detail to a room, but it also offers hidden storage within to house random items that might not have a designated space in your home.

Goodwill can be a wonderful resource both for the base, the suitcase, and any vintage items you might like to display on top.

Check out this fun tutorial for a diy vintage side table from A Diamond in the Stuff.

Add Detail to an Empty Corner

Although I am not a big fan of collecting things for my home, one collection I can get behind is one that both adds beautiful detail to a room and also offers storage for my home.

You know that corner where you usually put the Christmas tree during the holiday season?

That just might be the perfect corner to begin collecting interesting suitcases to stack.

I can totally picture these being filled with off-season items like ornaments and holiday decorations that would save us time hunting for items in our basement.

Try this fun suitcase collection inspired by Joys of Home in a corner in your house.

Create Unique Shelving in Small Spaces

One thing I am always looking for is shelving because our home did not come equipped with a lot of closet space.

I love this idea from Something Created Everyday to create shelving for extra towels in a small bathroom.

This is the perfect spot to also tuck away any items you might want to keep on hand for your guests without cluttering up your space and is a fantastic way to use smaller suitcases in your home.

Add Whimsy to a Bar

This adorable guest room mini bar can be customized for each of your guests!

The Painted Home shows you how to take a small vintage case and turn it into the cutest idea for spoiling your overnight visitors.

Who wouldn’t love this for their guest room?

Create Creative Craft Storage

If your craft room is anything like my own, you are always looking for ways to store your oodles of craft supplies.

I love this idea from Craft & Creativity on utilizing vintage suitcases for craft supplies storage.

What a fun and chic solution for your creative space.

Make a Coordinating Set

The possibilities for decorating a suitcase abound and I browsed through millions of options before I happened upon this adorable set from A Beautiful Mess.

I love the idea of applying coordinating fabrics vintage suitcases to create an adorable matching set.

Wouldn’t these be so cute in a nursery for tucking away baby toys, spare diaper supplies, or spare bedding?

Make a Cozy Pet Bed

Pet beds on the market are pretty ugly, but a vintage suitcase can be transformed into a perfectly coordinated space for your furry friend with just a few supplies.

I love the idea of a cozy home out of an old suitcase and since my cat loves to climb in my suitcase when I am packing to leave for my trips, I have a feeling that this project would be a big hit at our house.

Get the full diy suitcase pet bed tutorial on The Everyday Aesthetic.

Now hurry and snag a suitcase for one of these fun projects today!

What are your favorite ways to use old suitcases?

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Tags: DIY Suitcase Nightstands, DIY Suitcase Projects, Rainy Day Suitcase, Upcycle Suticases, Vintage Suitcase Projects
Posted in DIY, Frugal, Home, My Work, Organizing | No Comments »

McCormick FlavorPrint + 3 Fun Ideas for Dinner!

Wednesday, June 25th, 2014

*This post is sponsored by McCormick Spice in partnership with the One2One Network.

One of my late night past times is staying up to take ridiculous quizzes like, “What 80’s Boyfriend Should You Have?,” and “What OITNB Character Would You Be?” and one of my favorites, “What Country Should You Live In,” as though these quizzes will hold the deep meaning to life.

In case you are wondering, I am Piper, Lloyd Dobbler from Say Anything should be my boyfriend, & I belong in Paris. All completely accurate & true.

Well, if you are a quiz junkie like, me you will love the new FlavorPrint tool from MCcormick Spice that is a lot like those quizzes you love, but actually will be useful because you can plan your family’s meal around the answers you provide. For someone who is stumped for fresh ideas in the summer and who has found herself gravitating towards the same three dishes for ease, I couldn’t wait to take the quiz and figure out what options would fit our family’s needs.

McCormick has found that each person has a unique flavor “fingerprint” that is conveyed through a distinct visual mark, which has 33 “spikes” to represent different flavors in your personal flavor profile. The bigger the spike, the more prominent the flavor. Through this quiz, it can identify your own personal tastes and provide delicious options that fit that unique profile for your dinner hour.

The quiz takes about two minutes of answering questions like, “Do you like mint?” and then “How about onions?” Once you have completed the quiz, it will provide meal options for you that you can try. If you like the options, you can dive in deeper and give them a thumbs up, answer more questions about your personal taste, share what you always have on hand in your pantry, and even tell them what type of equipment you have or don’t have in your kitchen. It will continue to share more and more personalized meal options as you completely more answers. For quiz junkies like me, it was a little slice of heaven.

For families that suffer from food allergies or sensitivities, you can also share what you need to avoid. I love that Wheat was an option on this so that the recipes that were shown for our family were gluten-free meal options, helping us really have useful choices for us. The last thing I want to see is all the wheaty goodness I can’t indulge in. Thanks, FlavorPrint, for making me feel like I actually have food choices.

After answering the questions, these were the flavors that rose to the top. Based on this information, FlavorPrint offered some meal ideas for us. After I picked a meal to try, I answered more questions on the quiz and got more meal ideas. Here are three meal ideas that FlavorPrint suggested for me.

The first dish it recommended for me was a Edamame and Corn Salad with Oregano Vinaigrette. I can see exactly why it would recommend this for me because I LOVE edamame and I love corn. Since sourness is something I love, the acidic dressing just makes sense for me. This salad had fresh corn, red bell peppers, parsley, and edamame in it. This would be a great dish to take to a cookout and I have been eating the leftovers as a side dish for my lunch.

Playing on my love for all things cheesy, the next recommendation that was made was this Creamy Spinach & Mushroom Risotto made from an easy boxed rice mix. Although I wouldn’t say that this would be in our regular rotation, I know that on a busy weeknight of activities, this would be a fun side to add with a little grilled meat and is much easier to create than babysitting a pot of homemade risotto.

Let’s be honest…ain’t nobody got time for that.

My kids really loved this dish and I found it comforting & satisfying. We called this another dinner win!

The last dish recommended was a Grilled Chicken Caprese which could not have fit our family more perfectly. You may recall, I had just shared a 5-ingredient Caprese Pork Chop recipe that our family loved. This mimicked those same flavors, but did not require marinating the chicken, but utilized Lawry’s Roasted Garlic Salt with Oregano & Basil instead and a grilled tomato that was sprinkled with the same. My family absolutely loved this dinner option and my only regret was not making a double batch of these. It paired well with the risotto and would be a perfect summer meal to entertain with.

As you can see, we got some great dinner ideas using the FlavorPrint tool and we can’t wait to continue quiz-taking to find more meal ideas for our family. I highly recommend you take the quiz too and get some fresh ideas for your dinner hour. In the meantime, I have created three pinnable images (below) for the meals that we tried, in case your FlavorProfile looks anything like ours!

Cheers to summertime meal ease & quizzes that give us actually useful information for our families… although wouldn’t you be sad if you didn’t know your destiny resides in Paris? I hope you love it as much as we did!

*This post is sponsored by McCormick Spice in partnership with the One2One Network.

Tags: Easy Weeknight Meals, Edamame Corn Salad, FlavorPrint Quiz, Grilled Chicken Caprese, McCormick FlavorPrint Review, Spinach Mushroom Risotto
Posted in Kid Eats, Main Dishes, My Work, Organizing, Sides | No Comments »

How to Style Your Bookshelves

Thursday, April 10th, 2014

The art of styling bookshelves had never really been important to me until I started perusing pictures on Pinterest and saw the carefully curated collections and beauty in the organized book spines.

Of course, I don’t have an unlimited budget where I can add decorative books in one carefully choreographed color or an unlimited budget for fantastic looking odds-and-ends to update my bookshelves.

That is why I am excited to share with you some easy ideas for updating your bookshelves with inexpensive items and a few budget-friendly craft materials.

Cover Books With Paper

If you have an eclectic collection of books or you want to pick up a collection of books at Goodwill to stock your shelves, one frugal way you can add order and beauty to your bookshelf is to simply wrap each book in paper.

These beautiful bookshelves from Chloe Moore Photography have beautifully hand-stamped spines that add a unique detail to them.

I also love how she has weaved in her photography equipment, adding her own personal nods to her favorite interests.

Spray Paint Items to Create a Cohesive Collection

Instead of trying to find items of a similar color for your bookshelves to add those unique details, consider creating your own collection of groupings with an inexpensive bottle of spray paint.

My own bookshelves were cluttered with items that did not mean anything to me and did not showcase my personality.

I took a day to declutter my shelves, added a fabric back to my bookshelf and then found items that I loved and spray painted them with a little gold spray paint.

It created just the look I was going for, and cost $15 to update my shelves.

Stack Your Books In a New Way

Sometimes we get into a rut with our styling. I thought there were only two ways to style my books- vertically or horizontally.

The Art of Doing Stuff though has me rethinking my book stacks and groupings because there are actually 7 ways you can stack your books.

The names are even fun- the Sandwich Stack, On the Bias, and the Spiral Stack…just to name a few.

Consider regrouping your stacks in new ways and adding to your stacks with items you can find at your store to round out your collection.

Add an Eye-Catching Design to Your Bookcase

Even inexpensive laminate bookcases finds can be transformed with a little paint and thoughtful styling into true things of beauty.

One thing I love to see on bookcases, is an interesting color on the inside of the bookshelves.

This can be added with a pop of color from a brightly colored paint, a pretty fabric, scrapbook paper, or even stenciling.

I love this fantastic idea from This is Our Bliss to use removable wallpaper to add a decorative touch that is both frugal and fast.

Add Your Own Personality

One thing that I have been trying to do is to weed out the clutter in my life and make room for the good stuff.

The same tactic can be applied towards our bookshelves and what we place on them.

My shelves have yarn and knitting books, a shelf dedicated to my favorite classics, and I have a cookbook shelf that not only holds my cookbooks, but also holds the biscuit cutter that my great-grandma used to make biscuits for me when I was a little girl.

Consider creating a bookcase or shelf towards your own personal hobbies and collections.

I love this beautiful cookbook collection from The Inspired Room that celebrates her love for beautiful cookbooks.

This would also be a great spot to find some pretty vintage cookbooks or vintage kitchen items that you could weave into your shelves.

What’s one of your favorite things on your bookshelves? What is one styling trick you like to use when styling your bookshelves? Feel free to share here!

This post contains affiliate links.

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