Hey all!

I just signed up for a free organizing workshop online being put on by Simplify 101 and I wanted to let you in on it! It begins May 26th, so check it out if you are interested. I have never done one of these before, so I’m not sure what I am in for, but it sounds great!

Here is the workshop description:
“Whether the state of clutter in your home has you overwhelmed to the point of not knowing where to start, or you’re ready to turbo-charge your organizing efforts—this workshop is for you! “Help! I don’t know where to begin!” will show you how to begin the process of getting organized—for free!”

Maybe I’ll see you there!

P.S. Don’t forget to sign up for free Tipsy updates via RSS or email.

Do you have bags and boxes sitting in your pantry with a handful of food left in them? Do you have huge a huge bucket of rice that you don’t want in your pantry and need a cute storage solution? Do you like to find new uses for things that you might otherwise throw away? If you answered YES to any of these questions, than the answer is here! These fancy tagged storage jars are the perfect solution to pantry organization and bottle recycling!

They are so easy to make, like everything else I post, and turned out so bright and cheery!

Items needed for fancy tagged storage bottles:
Bottles with lids
Goo gone
Spray Paint
Scrapbook supplies
Ribbon

Even I had all of these things around the house!

1. Collect bottles as you empty them. You can decide the size based on your needs. Mine were 2 cup bottles from peaches I purchased at Costco. I have some from salsa, etc. I am planning to use later. I liked these because I had five of the same. You will now have a new eye for the bottles of the items you buy!
   
2. Remove the labels. Scrape of what you can of the paper and then get the sticky off with the Goo gone. I ran mine through the dishwasher before and after the goo gone.
   
3. Spray paint all the lids. I used two coats of black matte. Be sure you get the sides near the bottom really well.
   
4. Make tags to label the jars. I made a little pocket to insert a card where I could record any instructions like cooking time.
   
5. Punch a hole in the label and attach it to the bottle with a ribbon. Some people stick their labels directly to the bottle, but I wanted to be able to remove the easily and run them through the dishwasher occasionally.
   

I am a little embarrassed to show this next picture, but we are all friends, right? This blog is to help those like me and how can I help if I am not completely honest with the mess that I am starting with? Besides, if we all pretend to be perfect we all just make each other feel worse for not being so. So, here we go…

Scary, I know. Why do you think it got moved to priority ONE! Everyone has a different changing table set up. I am lucky enough to have this awesome hand me down dresser with this huge compartment to the side to store everything. Problem is, huge compartment sometimes equals huge mess. So here is what I did.

1. Take everything out.
2. Remove stuff I don’t need in there. (I had rings to the curtain bar, vapor bath, milk storage bags, etc that I either don’t use anymore or can be stored elsewhere.) Be honest with yourself and purge what does not belong.
3. I had lots of random stuff (travel size soap, teething remedies, thermometers) that I only use on occasion. I corralled these in to extra wipes containers I had lying around.

4. I love those scented diaper disposal bags (get 100 for $1 at Dollar tree), but they can sure make a mess when they sneak out of the box. I put them in a travel wipes container for easy dispensing (only to find they have a piece on the back you rip out to do something similar, duh.)
5. Then put everything back in with the things used the most on the top and in the front. (I even ran the binkies through the dishwasher and put them in their containers since we are using them only for sleeping time now. I have 3 more on top of the dresser for easy access. )

6. I refilled the diaper crate (Walmart $2 or so). It fits 2 rows of size 3 or smaller perfectly.

Ta Da! Now I think I will sit and enjoy some Cadbury mini eggs while the little guy naps.

Do you have a mess like this? I would love to share your attack story for Feature Friday! Use the contact us bar on the side or email me at tipsyblog@gmail.com

Now that my little guy is getting bigger and having regular naps (well, usually, right now he is sick and unpredictable) I have had a lot of motivation in taking on new projects and goals. There are so many things flying through my head every day of things I would like to accomplish that it is hard to keep track of them all.

Enter the idea binder…

This is something I have been meaning to do for a while and just had not got around to. Finally, I had so many loose things flying around in my “Mom’s to do box” that I made it priority one.
My overflowing Mom box. Another good idea to keep on a kitchen counter to collect all those random to dos until you have time to put them in their proper space: mail, handouts, to do lists, bills, coupons, etc. (I got mine in the Target dollar section)

I started with my lovely $1 mauve binder from DI, some dividers from the target dollar section, and all my random leftover scrapbook stuff (everyone has some). Total cost-$2 🙂

Step 1-Fancy up your binder (This took me forever. I takes me too long to decide on a page which is why I never scrapbook anymore. I think digital is the way to go for me.)

Step 2-Rummage through your stuff and decide on categories for the tabs. I did:

• To Do (yard care, banking, things that take time but may be not so fun)
• Projects (home decor ideas, food storage, things that take time but are fun)
• Health & Fitness (I have a chart system I will hopefully share later)
• Parenting (handouts form the Pediatrician and tips I read)
• Kid Friendly (activities for the little ones)

I plan to add a few more later (freezer meals, vacation ideas, Date/romantic ideas, etc). These items that did not fit a category yet are in the front pocket until I collect enough to actually make another category needed.

I also put a thank you note tracker and birthday card tracker in the front to keep track of those. I got them from Family fun magazine online.


Now you can keep track of all your fabulous ideas in one easy to manage spot!

I also saw a really cute idea for an idea rolodex. That was my plan at first until I realized that I am lazy and just wanted to stick my printouts in a binder and not have to make everything cutesy.