Playroom School House/ Play House

Well, I did manage to get a lot done during my "weekend" I decided I wanted to make a playhouse for the kids to put in their play room. Now, their playroom is the laundry room as well. I want to get some magnets to stick to the washer and dryer as I'm not sure I want to move both of those appliances into the kitchen yet. This is just part of what I'm going to do, as these are the supplies I had available. Before I start, if you're curious as to what the front of the house is made of, it's drywall. Yeah, we had a ceiling problem that got fixed eventually and it was left over. Seeing it started the idea process because it's sturdy. I then remembered the particle board desk we had in the garage, and the kids did need an entertainment center for the TV.



I started out by tracing the holes I wanted, as you can tell they're not perfect, and I didn't want them to be. Then I cut the holes with a steak knife. Why? Because a serrated blade is best for drywall and I didn't have the special knife so I improvised. Yes, my hand was sore afterwards but it wasn't as hard as you'd think. I didn't take pictures of that part of the process. Sorry, I forgot. But then, I found some red paint in the garage and began painting (with an old towel I was going to throw away anyway. Why? No paint brush. Stop asking stupid questions). Then I decided to trim the door and window with white (also found in garage). It reminded me of an old school house, so I went with it.



I really felt that it was still missing something, so I went ahead and painted a picket fence across the bottom. I wanted to add grass and flowers too but guess what? No other colors were suitable in the garage so I moved on.



Here's a picture of the kids in the playroom next to the desk. If you'll notice in the cabinet of the desk are VHS tapes. I like these best because it seems that no matter what I do all the DVD's I buy for them get destroyed. I love the little closet behind Bubba, it's got shelving like that on both sides and is perfect for their toys and games and such.



Here's the almost finished project, after attaching the school front. I did this with tub caulk/sealer. It's easy to remove if I have to but it's not going to fall off either. I have no idea where that sock came from, I'd swear it wasn't there when I took the picture.



The finished...well, almost finished project! After some minor argument with Brandon I got him to bring in the TV for me (it's so heavy) and put it on top. I'd really love to add a "roof" still, with some broken down boxes and black construction paper,but I haven't decided yet. Also, I have a mailbox in the making for the front, as well as some curtains and a door. I'm going to try to locate a set of Christmas lights to string inside for light.






Here's a picture of mine and Brandon's entertainment center. We're never going to use it again as it's purpose because all the televisions we now own are way too big to fit in it. The boxes are a "sneak peak" at one of my next project for the playroom. I love this thing because it has two drawers at the bottom to hold their mega blocks that they love so much. I'm also currently collecting old clothes to crochet a rug out of for the floor, boxes to put up like a chalkboard (BECAUSE CARDBOARD IS FREE), and a tension rod style payhouse/ puppet theater for the closet door. Oh and the reading nook is going to be a huge surprise for the kiddos. My inspiration for this project came from all the entertainment center turned kitchens pictures floating around, which I still wanna do for the girls in their room. Kind of like this one, it's my favorite so far.





These are the solutions that I've come up with for my small space. Money is always tight at my house so I do my best to make every thing that I can and utilize what we already have. I'd be interested in seeing what other people have done with their kids to save money if you'd like to leave it in a comment! Or just click the follow button to get updates on all my posts!

Organization for Kids

OK, so the organization posts I did before seemed to get more views than any other posts. So, I'm going to do another one. This one will be organization for kids. Keeping kids organized makes things easier on everyone involved. I've compiled just a few ideas here, these are solutions to problem areas that we have. So I'm assuming I'm not the only one!

Magnetic cups are genius. I had never considered this before but it's so easy and so cheap. All you need are small magnets you can find at any craft store and some cheap plastic cups that are just right for your child. Attach the magnets to one side of each cup and tell your child that when the cup is empty to take it to the fridge and stick it to it. Remember though, magnets do not stick to real stainless steel. This way there's no lost cups and you can easily grab them to give them a quick rinse or wash for more later.

Bath tub toy organization? I usually get the giggles when this topic comes up as it really is an annoying thing to take care of. Stores sell several solutions for this and most of them have small suction cups to stick to your bath tub wall. These products have never worked for me because they've never been strong enough to hold all the kids toys. I have found two different solutions to this problem. You can use a hanging fruit basket to store the toys, just hang it from your curtain rod. Or, if you don't have a curtain rod (like in the case of glass shower doors) then you can go buy a curtain rod. Seriously, go get one! They're really cheap and can be found at almost any store. Just hang a few baskets from this rod, stretched across the back wall of your tub and voila!

Art supplies are scattered all over my house, in different drawers and folders and on different surfaces. The kids and I do a lot of arts and crafts. Just recently I saw an idea where you can purchase a product called a bucket boss. This product basically fits perfectly in a five gallon bucket and is normally used for tools. However, I think it would really be perfect for art supplies. This type of product goes usually for somewhere between 15-25 dollars. I found the one in the picture here at Lowe's  for 14.98. I love Lowe's I really do. Basically you can fit all of your smaller things like pencils, markers, scissors, glues, etc in all the little pockets and your larger things like papers, books, long rulers, etc in the middle.

What about displaying your little one's art? I really like this idea. Basically you just get several small strips of wood (Lowe's) and some basic office clips from any office supply store. Attach the clips with either hot glue or screws to the board and attach the board to the wall. You could also put a cute quote above this like "Masterpieces" "Future Artists" or just "Artwork" in a cute font. The boards could also be painted and stained in so many options!

Another idea that I'm just in love with is using metal rain gutters (10 ft. for 7.49) to organize children's books! Gutters can be bought cheaply at Lowe's and attached to the wall studs horizontally, open side up and books placed inside. You can use gutter hangers to hold them if you'd like. Paint the gutters however you'd like, or just leave them plain. Use a level to make sure each gutter is level and don't forget end caps. The ends of gutters can sometimes be sharp so always cap the ends to protect little fingers!

That's all I've got for now guys, I hope you've enjoyed it. I'm sure I'll come up withsme o more. I can't do it all in one post you know!

Homemade Cleaner Recipes

I love to save money, doesn't everybody? Making your own cleaning solutions can save you a ton of money, I have a lot of recipes for different types of cleaners- as I'm sure any readers for this particular post do. However, I'm writing this to create a place where they're all gathered together!

Homemade Tub Scrub

Add one teaspoon of liquid soap and several drops of an antibacterial essential oil (such as tea tree, eucalyptus, rosemary, or peppermint) to one cup of baking soda. Add just enough water to form a paste, and use it with a sponge or brush to scour bathtub surfaces.

Furniture Dusting Spray

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon essential oil
1/4 cup  white vinegar
1-3/4 cups water
Spray bottle (16 oz size or larger)

Mix the ingredients in the order listed into your clean spray bottle.  Shake well each time you use to mix oil and water. Spray onto wooden furniture and wipe off with a soft cloth to dust and clean the surface.

Spot Remover

one part dawn dishwashing liquid, two parts hydrogen peroxide

Mattress Freshener

Fill a mason jar with holes poken in the lid with baking soda and a TBS of your favorite fabric softener, let sit for an hour and vaccum off. Would be a great carpet freshener as well-

Carpet Freshener

Same mix as above OR mix in different jar with just a few drops of your favorite smelling essential oils. It's like homemade carpet fresh! These can both be put into empty grated parmesan cheese bottles too! Oh and those sprinkler lids from the parmesan bottles? They fit mason jars.

Dishwasher Soap

2 c borax
2 c Arm & Hammer washing soda
2 c lemi shine
1 c kosher salt

thats 1 TBS per load

Homemade Fabric Softener

6 cups HOT water
3 cups white vinegar
2 cups Suave Refreshing Waterfall Conditioner {or other favorite scent}

Mix conditioner & hot water well, until conditioner is dissolved completely.
Add the vinegar, and mix well.
Store in a large container {empty fabric softener container, empty large vinegar bottle, etc}
Pour into a downy ball… or use approx. 2 tbsp. in the fabric softener spot in your laundry machine… then wash!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

1 bar of soap (any kind you want)
1 cup of Borax
1 cup of washing soda
a big pot ( that holds more than 2 gallons)
a grater
a funnel
a long spoon
2 empty gallon jugs/containers
Grate your bar of soap into your pot. Fill one gallon jug and pour water into pot with grated soap. Cook until the grated soap dissolves. Add the Borax and washing soda.Bring to a boil. It will coagulate. Turn off the heat. Add 1 gallon of cold water. Stir well. Pour 1 gallon of your detergent into each container. A funnel helps tremendously. Now you have 2 gallons of homemade laundry detergent.Use 1/2 cup per load.

Mock Windex

1 Empty Spray Bottle

1/8 Cup (1oz) White Ammonia

1/4 Cup (4oz) Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol

1 Drop Laundry Detergent

Water - To Fill The Bottle

                                                ::::::::::WARNING::::::::::

                               

   !!!!ALWAYS LABEL YOUR BOTTLES AND KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN!! AND NEVER EVER EVER EVER MIX BLEACH AND AMMONIA- IT WILL CREATE VERY TOXIC FUMES!!!!!!

Other Tips:

• put a few drops of essential oil inside the cardboard tube of your toilet paper, each time it's spun it will give off that scent!
• Nailpolish remover will remove marker from laminate and other hard surfaces (always spot test!)
• Use wadded up aluminum foil to scrub caked on nasty pans (I love doing this)
• Use old newspaper to clean windows- the difference in that and paper towels is amazing! Crystal clear!

***********All recipe titles include links to the original website, where I got them. Several sites are repeated.

More Organization? YES!

I love easy organizational tips, anything that makes my life easier. When I was waitressing (and I did a lot of waitressing) I learned that every little thing that you can do to make life easier was really worth it. My goal was to minimize the steps I had to take (bringing pitchers to a table of the same drink, getting everyone at the table what they needed at once, etc.) and I like to try to incorporate that into my every day life. Here are a couple more ideas for you guys that I have either utilized or I am going to utilize. I wouldn't post it here if it didn't work.

1. Cheap silverware organizers for jewelry! This is a genius idea that I found on Pinterest. It's not something I can use as I can wear all the jewelry I own at once. My girls, however, are very frilly girly girls. No idea where that comes from by the way, I'm beginning to think it's a gene that skipped me. So you get the cheap organizers, add some picture hangers to the back so that you can hang them on the wall. These are also found cheaply at Walmart. If you're looking to paint these I would do so before adding the hangers. Also purchase some hook screws. They kind of look like the hooks you screw into your ceiling for hanging planters but much smaller. Screw them into the insides at the top of each little space, or against the bottom, if you'd like. Use as many or as little as you'd like- these are for hanging necklaces and bracelets. Rings can be placed on the horizontal spaces, like shelves. You could also attach wooden pegs or cabinet door knobs for this. I would add hooks to the bottom for extra storage as well.


and the link: Tatertots & Jello

2. Turn old boxes like shoe boxes, diaper boxes, shipping boxes, etc. into storage. Left over wrapping paper, duct tape, paint and fabric scraps are all ways to decorate an old box. My personal favorite is sisal twine. You hot glue your end of twine and the top or bottom of the box and start wrapping it in the twine. It's cheap (13.38 for 2250 feet at Lowes) and very pretty, resembling a basket. Sisal is also going to make your box last longer, as will duct tape- which you can buy in just about any pattern these days. Just hot glue the end once you've covered your box. You can finish off the top however you'd like. Braid some of the twine and hot glue it on, or you can hot glue on buttons, bows, shells, anything.You can also add fabric to the top. For the smaller boxes add toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls to store your chargers and cables or pens and markers. The possibilities are endless and very close to free! You may also want to hot glue a clothespin to each basket, for holding a contents card. That way if you have several of these at the top of- let's say a linen closet- then you know which one holds what.


Mandy's Krafty Exploits



3. If you're like me, or any other female in my family, then you happen to own a lot of spices. They're probably not very well organized either. For example, while at my mother's house one day baking I found five jars of ground cinnamon in her spice cabinet. Five jars. Five! Why? Because she wasn't sure she had any and had bought more (she cooks a lot). Apparently this has happened quite a bit. My solution? Garage organizer clips. The kind meant to hold brooms and shovels and such. They're also used in the kitchen to hold brooms and mops. They can be found at any Ace, Lowes or Home Depot. If you really want to be crafty you can make your own by cutting little 1.5" slices out of PVC pipe and then cutting a small section out of each of these. It should look something like an almost closed letter "C". Screw them into a piece of board at the back of the "C". The pipe will flex and grip each spice jar. You may even buy some strip insulation with the adhesive backs to add on the inside of the "C" for better grip of glass jars. Then screw (or however you want to do it) into the inside of your cabinet door. It's extra important- no matter which way you choose to go to add a label directly beneath each clip. That way when you're making your grocery list just open the door and BAM! You know which spice you used up for Tuesday's potluck.


www.organizeyourstuffnow.com

Another, more simple, way of organizing your spices is to move them from a cabinet to a drawer. Purchase some small mason jars (make sure the drawer will open and close easily with the jar's height) and use chalkboard paint to paint the tops. Use chalk or, for a permanent solution, a white out pen to write the type of spice in the jar. You may not be able to see which one's empty immediately but you'll know what you have and don't have without having to move around a bunch of other jars. If you don't have spices and would like to, check out your local dollar store, they sell them cheap or grow your own.


Frugal Decor Mom
4. Cereal containers. I don't eat cereal- never have. I just don't really like it. But those plastic tub containers for them at the grocery store? I love those. They have to have the easy-pour spout though. I put anything in them. Sugar, flour, macaroni, farfalle, Bisquick, oats... the possibilities are endless. Spend the money on these guys, don't go cheap. If you can find one with an air tight seal go for it. There is absolutely nothing worse than finding your beautiful and expensive bread flour full of weevils. Notice how they have 'evil' in their name. Just sayin'. Be sure to clearly label these guys. Again with the chalk paint :D If the container needs to be washed you can and then just re-write what you're going to keep in that particular container.


Rare Bird Finds  -still cheaper at Walmart- just sayin'

5. Pencil trays. They served no purpose for me, normally. However, recently I came across some inspiration. Almost every pantry or cabinet I've seen has toom to put these in on the inside, just screw them to the wall or cabinet and use them to store easy to get to snacks or your smaller pantry items. Examples being apple sauce pouches (my kids love these), foil pouch tuna or salmon, those instant oatmeal or cocoa packets that almost always seem to be floating around my shelves, soup mixes, powdered dressing mixes, the McCormick seasoning pouches, etc. There's no telling how many of these I've thought I lost. These are also the perfect size for spices.


Domestic Imperfection




Always feel free to check out my Cleaning and Organization board on Pinterest for lots of other great ideas. Cleaning and Organization Board