Bling Bling on Pegboard

Y'all I've got more jewelry than the beach got sand (word up DMB). It's bad. Real bad. And I really like it. I keep it everywhere too. Jewelry boxes, bead boxes, hanging jewelry holders, pretty little ring things, etc. It's stashed all over my room. I've got a good mental inventory but let's face with 2 kids (ok shit even when I didn't have kids) it's hard to rack the cerebral library and select a piece that really makes the outfit pop. I wind up putting on my few favorite pieces over and over and over. And I'm seriously sick of not putting the stuff to good use. SOOOO after scouring Pinterest I found a great idea... pegboard. So I had my favorite handy man, Mr. Ryan, install a few pieces in my closet. I have a rather large closet that is MY girl space. It's pink, has a little chandelier and vanity and it does not allow children :-) My own little private corner of the house- also the perfect place to hang some jewelry. Here's how it turned out. (*pardon the shots, it's a tight corner and hard to photograph*)

A few organization tips:
* Hang like things together. For example, I hung all my bangles in the same row so when I'm in a bangle mood, I know exactly what I have to choose from.
* Things I don't use as often or that are bulky I hung higher.
* Things that are harder to put away, like earrings, I placed lower so I could get to them a little easier.
*Use the space to spread out your necklaces. You know you will NEVER wear your necklace if you are constantly getting out knots. So even though they are tiny, I made sure they each had their own little space.

Well I wish I could say I got it all up there but there are still several stashes. The good news is that I got the majority of pieces that really make an outfit up there. Kind of like hanging a shirt. Things that are more valuable or I wear for more special occasions are still put away, but my head space is much more organized by having this much out and ready.

Just a few thoughts...

Bachelor 16: Forgot to mention this last night, BUT in my highly reliable source (US Weekly), I read that Courtney had previously dated none other than Jim Tooth (pre marriage to Reese Witherspoon). WTF right?!??! Had to share that.

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: OK so this is by far my favorite cast of the Real Housewives franchise. It is my favorite little midnight treat after everyone has gone to bed. Unfortunately we just finished the season, but I hope you will all waste a little of your life with me and watch it next season or catch up with a Bravo marathon day. I used to work at this hospital in Santa Ana, CA (just south LA) where we never had any patients (I know... that's a whole other post to write about). Anyways it was like being a lifeguard- sat around and chilled until an emergency came up. ANYHOW, I had A LOT of time to kill and frequently did so in empty patient rooms with these Bravo marathons. Really is nothing better than being paid to watch crappy reality television. That's when I got hooked on the Real Housewives Orange County. Fascinating shit. I really can't believe people live like this. So in the Beverly Hills season they feature a gazillion story lines from domestic abuse, alcoholism, suicide, sister wars and some celebrity dish (one lady is Eddie Cibrian's ex-wife and the other was married to Kelsey Grammar). Not to mention that Kyle and Kim are Paris and Nicky Hilton's aunts. DRAMA is right. So ladies if you do watch already, what are your thoughts on Brandy and Dana? Both grew on me a bit during the reunion. Really can't make up my mind on Brandy. She's rather funny in a "I want to punch you in the face" kind of way. And Dana, though terribly pretentious, a bit comical. Shit, I think I can become a fan of anyone who can be honest about themselves. I'm currently watching the RHOOC (orange county) season. CRAZY bitches. 'nuff said. More to come on this.

Photography: So many of you have asked where I'm at with my new DSLR. Well ladies, I hate to admit but I still have NOT watched the damn tutorial DVD. BUT and this is a big BUT, I have started reading a few web tutorials on the matter. One I found on Pinterest (Thanks Melissa!!) and it is rather informative. I'm learning all about aperture, ISO and shutter speed. Once I finish this, it's DVD time! Otherwise, I'm loving my new camera and have busted it out even more than I had hoped.

A little re-org: SO if you made it all the way to the end of the post here's a little picture of my latest re-organization project. I tackled that pain in the ass little wire shelf above my washer and dryer. Unfortunately I didn't do a before photo, but let me assure it was a mess of rags, cleaners and other random crap that I just couldn't reach.

A few things to note about this.
1)Yes, I label EVERYTHING. I love my label maker. Laugh away and I will label you something :)
2)Yes, I bought way too much starch. In fact, I almost never iron anything (much more likely to bust out the steamer) but shoot, when I see that shiny little coupon in my Costco packet, I just have to use it.
3)I use the hanging paper bag to collect lint from the dryer (saves me a step) AND it works super well if you are trying to get a fire going.
4)These little clear shoe boxes are just the right size for a shelf that isn't very big and that is rather high. I love that I can reach a box and pull it down and it won't be very heavy. It also helps me keep everything sorted well. Larger boxes make it harder to stay organized and can also get heavy pretty quickly.

Coming soon is a post on my new peg-board wall in my closet to hold all my jewelry! Yup, get excited!

Under the Sink Makeover

Those of you who know me well know that I'm an organzing phene! My house is often chaotic with two little kids, but open a closet or drawer or pantry and you will find little bits of calm. I'm not 100% done with any one area- it's all a work in progress. Seems like just about the time I get caught up on my clutter, an old area has outgrown it's organized system. So it's a constant thing for me but it brings me a little peace. I feel accomplished and more relaxed after a little project. So I thought I would share my latest one. I keep a lot of our cleaning products (everything that I use in the kitchen and downstairs area at least) under my kitchen sink. After 3 years of living here, my previous system has gone awry. So here's how it breaks down.

Step 1: Assess the damage.

Step 2: Pull out all my shit (this is the worst part for me because small dark spaces that could have wet areas really freak me out- can't stand nastyness). In doing this part I discovered that a pipe was loose and causing some mildew/mold (DON'T JUDGE ME :) so Ryan went to Home Depot and installed a new gasket- good as new!

Step 3: Sort products according to type and frequent of use. Keeping the frequently used items towards the front and using a tension rod for all my sprays (Thanks for the idea Pinterest!!) I like to keep practically everything in some sort of container. One it looks pretty. Two it lets me know when I'm running out of something or have too much. And third, it's a lot easier to rinse a plastic shoe box out in the dishwasher than pulling all this shit out again and wiping it down.

Total project time- about an hour.
Total cost- $6 for shoeboxes and the gasket (not sure but bet it was cheap- Ryan didn't complain :)

BTW- If you have never tried Mr Clean Magic Eraser, you really should. Favorite product by far because it works on stuff you would never think could be so easily corrected (i.e. crayons!!!!). And my second favorite- vinegar! Works like a charm, super cheap and makes me feel good knowing I'm knocking out germs with vinegar's fancy name, Acetic Acid! Perhaps a post on vinegar one of these days...