{a wall a day} spring cleaning

It’s raining...but it’s FRIDAY 🌸 and my kitchen is clean, so it’s all good! 🌿 I started a new Spring Cleaning routine - cleaning ONE wall a day...that’s it! If the wall has a window - I wash it, if it has a closet or cabinets - I clean and organize them. It might take a few minutes or several hours —like the day I had the wall with cabinets, a window, and a dirty oven to clean! 🙈 

I finally found the banner I had hidden from myself 🙄 so the coffee bar is all decked out for St. Patrick’s Day 🍀 and looking pretty SPRINGY! 🌸 

Painting the cabinets white is on my to-do list and I’m dreaming of wood countertops - but for now, a clean kitchen will have to do! 💕

I featured @makingthishouseahome 
on my stories today for #fridayfaves and I’m loving her idea for decorating the top of your fridge, especially the Magnolia wire basket to hold extra Rae Dunn mugs! ☕️ 

I had blocked out a week for the kitchen, but finished in 3 days— so, I’ll move on to another room on Monday, and in the meantime I’ll enjoy the weekend. Happy Friyay everyone! 🌼

taming paper clutter

What to keep, what to toss.....I'm drowning in paper clutter!! I save EVERYTHING!! It's this time of year, after all the holiday shopping, and all those receipts, that I feel the need to really sort through all the paperwork that has piled up and hasn't found a home.

A few years ago, I actually finally found the solution for filing all those receipts and important papers in one spot. Remember this......

This old bench is the forever home for all that pesky paperwork...plus, it's pretty and functional.

I found a drop-in filing system that fit inside perfectly........

There is even room to hold the paper shredder. I love, love, love that everything is now in one spot, no scouring the house looking for a receipt and no cluttered drawers and baskets full of unorganized papers.

But, while I had my long-term filing system in place, I needed something to keep my bill paying stuff, current receipts, and monthly budget in. I've been wanting a "command center" or mobile "bill paying station", something similar to ideas I had pinned. (picture sources for the following pics: Pinterest)










Seems simple enough, a basket or bin and some folders. So, last fall, I found the perfect holder at Target online for like $20 and bought some pretty Sugar Paper folders too, now I just needed to start sorting and filing.....fast forward 3 months later...and ta-da......my new bill paying/filing command center.......

I keep current paperwork, bills to-pay, and receipts from the past 1-2 months, which I'll later add to my filing bench. It also holds my planner (Sugar Paper) and calculator, pens, etc. I picked up those fun polka-dotted clothespins in the Target $$ spot. :O)

Paper clutter challenge ---- check!

My goal is to keep on top of my filing and only store receipts here or in the bench....you won't find a receipt anywhere else in my house (now maybe I'll be able to put my hands on them when I need something!!!).

more 30 spaces/ 30 days

 

4) magazines/catalogs

This is an easy space to keep organized now, since I don't have any current magazine subscriptions. Nathan signed up for People and Sports Illustrated (which we read and pass on to the b&b). Mom shares her Coastal Living and BH&G mags with me!

As far as catalogs, I toss after looking since I do most of my browsing/ordering online 

5) cards/wrapping supplies

I store cards in a photo box on one of the shelves in the laundry room. I try to look ahead and pick up a few cards each time I go to Dollar Express or the Hallmark store.

6) laundry room shelves
Laundry room shelves with bins and storage containers hold things like light bulbs, swiffer supplies, batteries, as well as a couple of photo boxes: one holds cards the other holds stencil paints and brushes.

7 & 8) food cabinet/pantry

cleaned out and organized the food cabinet and pantry

9) Peter's dresser

cleaned out Peter's dresser....packed away more winter items, threw away worn socks and t-shirts, and organized it. 

10) dishes/glasses/mugs

I finally bought new dishes!

 Just a basic set (of 8) of square white dishes. I love them! I cleared out all of my old dishes and sold them at my yard sale. They were still nice, so I'm glad they found a good home.

I also bought new kitchen rugs....

LOVE!!!!

30 spaces/ 30 days: bakeware

3) bakeware storage
I was very anxious to organize this space since I finally got some new bakeware!

I cleared out this spot {a mess!}......

I had been keeping my baking dishes in the bottom of the kitchen island along with baking pans, cooling racks, etc., but decided to give my new dishes their own spot.

Now, I only have cake pans, muffin tins, cooling racks, etc. in the island cabinet....

I have a table full of stuff that I'm not going to use anymore. Time to have a yard sale I guess!

The drawer in the island also got culled over....

BEFORE

AFTER

**a few ideas for storing baking pans

cheap tension rods make nice dividers

30 Spaces/ 30 Days: medicines

2) medicines 
I keep all medicine on the top shelf of one of the kitchen cabinets. I store over the counter stuff in a plastic storage container. We keep meds we take daily in a small container on kitchen counter. Neither of us take much medicine, so this space didn't take very long to organize.

**A few ideas for medicine storage/organization.

I like these tiered storage containers. 

Labels make things easier to find.

This is similar to how I store over the counter medications.

This is a great idea for keeping track of dosage for kids.