School Mania & Cute Crate Seats

Tags

children, classroom, DIY, organization, school, seat, storage, teacher

At the end of the 2014-2015 school year, I was preparing myself for a subject change to science at the middle school. I was re-familiarizing myself with earth science, I reached out to other science teacher friends, and I was photographing geological formations throughout Pennsylvania and New York. I was going to rock (no pun intended) my first year as a science teacher.

Halfway through the summer, I got a phone call asking me to come into school. To my surprise, they decided to move me to first grade instead! I was stunned for the first few days, but also very excited! Ever since that call, I’ve been working 60+ hours a week preparing for the beginning of the school year! Needless to say, I’ve been neglecting my blog (well there are a ton of projects that I could post, but then my life blog would transform into a teacher blog).

TODAY IS OUR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!! How could that be? I didn’t even have a summer yet!

DIY Crate Seats ♥ Young Wifey’s Blog

If you’re a teacher you know there are a plethora of tutorials for these crate seats on Pinterest (If you’re not a teacher, these crate seats would still work wonderfully in a playroom or reading corner for your kids, nieces, and nephews.)  The Apple Tree Room’s tutorial is my favorite. Mine is not a tutorial. I just wanted to share some additional thoughts and tips.

DIY Storage Crate Seats ♥ Young Wifey’s Blog

I made 6 crate seats for under $20, but I had some of the supplies on hand. If you make 6 without having any supplies on hand, you could probably do it under $50.

Pricing –
Frames: The crates are selling at my local Target for $2.99 (I bought 3, and previously had three). We had leftover plywood from a previous project, but a typical sheet runs $20.

Cushions: Fabric can get expensive, depending on the print and type of fabric. Luckily, you have many options here. JoAnn’s often has 50% coupons (I only used 1 1/2 yards of fabric). Patterned twin-size top sheets can be found around $10 or even a cute fabric shower curtain would work. If you’re a crafty person, chances are you probably already have some extra fabric. Also, printed men’s dress shirts can be found at thrift stores for a small price. The foam was not on sale at my local craft store, so I used a twin mattress egg crate topper (Walmart sells them for under $10) and added two layers. The ribbon pull tabs aren’t necessary, but are nice. Luckily, most crafters have plenty of spare ribbon or you can purchase a spool for around $1.

Opal Approved ♥ Young Wifey’s Blog

XOXO,
Young Wifey

PS – If you look closely in the photos, you might notice another project I’ll be posting about soon...

PPS – It’s Pumpkin’s birthday today! Yay! Happy birthday, Pumpkin!

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Reorganization Challenge

Tags

home organization, homeowners, organization

Reorganization Challenge ♥ Young Wifey’s Blog

This month’s challenge is about reorganization, not spring cleaning (stay tuned for April’s deep cleaning challenge)!

XOXO,
Young Wifey

Repurposed Tin to Earbud Case

Tags

craft, crafting, DIY, earbuds, headphones, iPod, mint tin, music, organization, repurpose, storage

We have multiple pairs of earbuds floating around our house. There are pairs stashed with our work computers, home computer, iPods, in nightstands, and misc. drawers. I know there are some adorable earbud cases on the market, but I can’t justify the frivolous purchase (but my cute owl contact cases on the other hand…). Due to holiday traveling, the pair I keep in my purse somehow got covered in melted chocolate, and I spent a few minutes untangling a spare pair. Time to relent and use an earbud case.

I decided an empty Altoids Smalls tin was the perfect protector for my earbuds, but I wanted my case to have a little more pizzazz. I had all the materials on hand so this craft was free!

DIY Earbud Case

First, I spray painted the case a shade of blue. After it dried, I traced and cut out two small pieces of fabric. I spread a coat of Mod Podge on the inside of the tin, pressed in the fabric, and topped it with another coat. Voilà!

Craft Supplies:
(in order of appearance)

small mint tin
spray paint
fabric or craft paper
pencil/pen
scissors
paint brush
Mod Podge

A few more tins, and all the pairs could be protected…

What would you create with a small mint tin?

XOXO,
Young Wifey

Shutter Earring Rack: 5 Minute Project

Tags

5 minute project, closet, crafts, earrings, jewelry, organization, organizing, repurpose, shutter, upcycle

Two summer’s ago, I picked up a small shutter at a yard sale and knew it was perfect for my earring rack. I cleaned it, sat it on my dresser, and organized my earrings. I thought about re-staining it, painting it, replacing the knob, etc. My goal was to hang it on the wall. Unfortunately, I never got around to it…

Until now, when I decided that I liked it almost as it was. Hubster helped me push two metal picture hangers into the back of each panel.

Step 1: Add Mounting Bracket

The decided that the shutters look better hung separately and that the knob was the perfect place for my hoops. Hubster quickly mounted them on the wall for me and I arranged my earrings.

Shutter Earring Rack

What do you think?

Packing Tips – Before the Move

Tags

moving, moving tips, organization, packing tips

A few days ago I mentioned our move. I don’t know yet when I’ll have internet access again, so I left a few posts in the queue. I’m not usually one for blogging about the past, however I wrote these before we closed the door on our home and headed out on a new journey.

Organization is key when moving!

Set up a packing kit:
Clear packaging tape
Colorful Duct Tape
Thick markers
Boxes, you’ll need big and small
Pen
Index cards
Twist Ties
Ziplock bags
Packing foam, newspapers, etc…
Apron or Utility Belt (to keep supplies handy)

*For each room I used a different color duck tape to easily identify which boxes go into which rooms. I used teal for Pumpkin’s Room, purple for the living room, blue for the kitchen, etc…

*Designate one box in each room to be the Open Me First Box.

*If placing stuff in storage, clearly mark the boxes you are taking with you and the ones going to storage.

*Keep small items together in a zipper top bag to prevent small pieces from getting lost.

*Use twist ties to keep cords bundled together.

*Label TV, DVD player & video game cords.

*Label the outside of the box with a thick dark marker. Thin markers, pens and pencils are not very visible.

*Label the wider sides of the boxes, on both sides. Keeping it consistent will make reading the boxes easier.

*When packing items into a box, write a list of everything going into the box (this is a great job for a kid). Tape list on outside of box, so you can easily see what’s in there. I also used color coated index cards.

*Use blankets & towels to wrap electronics and other fragile items.

*Go to the liquor store for packing boxes. Some of them have cardboard dividers perfect for keeping breakables safe.

***Keep a boxer cutter or scissors handy for opening all these boxes when you move in!!!! Stash it in the glove box of the car so you can get to it easily.

Tomorrow’s Moving Tip? Open Me First Boxes…

Also see: Living Out of A Suitcase

Magazine Mayhem

Tags

declutter, inspiration, magazine ideas, organization

I’ve recently talked about goal setting, getting organized and accomplishing tasks. It’s time to go through my magazine rack and weed out old magazines. The magazine I receive are Better Homes & Gardens, Family Fun, American Baby, Baby Talk, and Glamour. I have a few simple steps to keep down this extra clutter, but still keep the inspiration from the magazines.

1. I remember that most magazine publications have their crafts, recipes and articles online for my easy reference.

2. I rip and tear out every single picture, articles, recipe or blurb that inspires me.

3. I sort them pages into piles: recipes, home crafts, gift crafts, kid crafts, purchases, tips, facts, etc.. Then I collage the items to appropriate pages and keep them in individual sections (in those clear plastic protector sheets) of a three ring binder. I now have all the things I would like to try at my fingertips.

4. I keep the covers in chronological order in one three ring binder.

5. I recycle the remaining magazine (making paper beads, craft collages or the in recycling bin).

6. I smile at the almost empty magazine rack and wait for next months issues.

Back-to-School Cleaning

Tags

back to school, cleaning house, goal setting, Home Maintenance, organization, to do list

Students, parents and teachers all have back to school prep rituals. Yesterday was my students’ first day back to school and in honor of it, I’m posting my back-to-school home projects. Hopefuly I’ll remember to check them off as I accomplish them. And yes, I’m one of those people who go back and add something, just so they can cross it off of the list.

Below is a ritual of home projects I do at Back-to-School time (it’s much different than my fall cleaning tasks):

√Upload songs onto IPods
√Rewrite my schedule
√Clean out pantry & restock
Make food that has been pushed to the back
√Clean out clothing closet
√Put aside unwanted clothing to go to B Green Loft
√Hem new pants
√Repair buttons, snags, etc.. on clothing
Polish & repair shoes
Resort jewelry and make repairs
√Reorganize coat closet
Trim indoor plants
Wash & Wax car
√Vacuum & Steam Clean car
Clean out bathroom cabinets
√Get rid of unwanted products & expired products
√Give myself a facial, manicure & pedicure
√Treat myself to a new beauty product and a new accessory
√Clean out magazine rack
Organize torn out magazine articles & recipes
√Get rid of old toys
√Take dog & cat to vet
√Get water bottles, ice-packs, misc. things to take to work
Prep easy dinners for the freezer
√Put aside 10 back up lunches (no need to refrigerate, microwaveable lunches, such as cans of soup) for Hubster and myself
Write out a few menu items
Clear off desk
√Clean out inbox
Clear off computer desktop
√Write a to-do list of my fall garden & home projects
√Get out my leather bag and restock it with school essentials
Plan a yard sale or donate unwanted items
√Restock laundry room and cleaning products