9 Picture Perfect Craft Room Designs

My ideal craft room would be a creative and colourful space, with plenty of room to work on my decorating projects, and a ton of storage for all of my paint and craft supplies!

So, I couldn't help falling in love with each and every one of these perfectly designed craft rooms!

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Which one of these drool worthy craft rooms would you love to call your own? 

~ Wendi ~ xo

Tips for Tackling Your Spring Cleaning Checklist

It's official... SPRING is here at last!

It's time to open the windows, let in that beautiful fresh air, and get to work on those seasonal cleaning projects!

There's no question cleaning a home from top to bottom is a lot of work. Sometimes, it's difficult to even know where to start.

Here are a few tips for making the job a bit easier:

• Make a list of chores to complete.
• Divide the list into sections, grouping like projects together.  For example, you may find it more efficient to completely clean one room at a time, or to wash all of your windows on the same day.
• Make a schedule, blocking off plenty of time on your calendar for each project.

By creating a series of little jobs and scheduling them to be completed over an extended period of time, spring cleaning becomes a much more manageable task.

The length of your checklist will depend on the type of cleaning and organizing you do on a regular basis.  Every household is different.

This is my personal checklist template.  It covers all the bases in the event that, come springtime, my entire house is upside down and in need of a very thorough cleaning!

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My Spring Cleaning & Organizing Checklist

Closets:
1.  Remove all items from closets and wash walls and floors.
2.  Wash out-of-season clothing and store in sealed storage containers.
3.  Donate items that are no longer needed.
4.  Organize and hang seasonal clothes in bedroom closets.
5.  Organize and hang seasonal jackets/coats in hall closets.

Walls, Windows and Ceilings:
1.  Wash walls, switch plates, doors and baseboards.
2.  Touch up wall and trim paint.
3.  Dust hanging artwork and picture frames. 
4.  Wash windows, tracks and screens.
5.  Wash/clean window coverings and clean blinds.
6.  Dust ceiling corners as needed.
7.  Clean light fixtures.
8.  Test smoke detectors and change batteries.

Furniture and Floors:
1.  Steam clean or spot clean upholstered furniture as needed.
2.  Clean under and behind all furniture.
3.  Repair/touch up any digs and scratches on wood furniture.
4.  Steam clean carpets.
5.  Repair/touch up any scratches on hardwood floors.
6.  Clean heat registers and inside of floor vents.

Kitchen and Pantry:
1.  Empty and clean inside of kitchen cupboards, drawers and pantry.
2.  Reorganize and replace kitchen items.  Donate any unneeded items.
3.  Clean behind fridge and stove.  Vacuum coils on back of refrigerator.
4.  Empty, clean and organize fridge and freezer.  Discard any expired food.
5.  Clean above kitchen cupboards and top of fridge. Lay down fresh wax paper.
6.  Thoroughly clean outside of kitchen cupboard doors and drawers.
7.  Thoroughly clean inside of dishwasher, toaster and coffee maker.

Bathrooms, Laundry Room and Linen Closet:
1.  Empty and clean inside of bathroom/laundry cupboards and linen closet.
2.  Reorganize and replace items in cupboards and closet.
3.  Donate unneeded items and discard any expired medicines and cosmetics.
4.  Clean behind washer and dryer.
5.  Thoroughly clean dryer duct and inside of washer and dryer.

Basement and Garage:
1.  Sort and reorganize storage bins, tools, gardening and paint supplies.
2.  Donate any items that are no longer needed.
3.  Sweep/wash garage floor.
4.  Empty canister for built-in vacuum.
5.  Change furnace filter and clean utility room.
6.  Clean and reorganize cold storage room.  Discard any expired food.

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Your own spring cleaning list may be long and detailed, or short and sweet.  Either way, it's time for all of us to roll up our sleeves, crank up the tunes, and give our homes the TLC they so deserve!

HAPPY SPRING, EVERYONE!

~ Wendi ~ xo

My Seasonal Cleaning & Organizing Checklist

If you're a regular follower of my little blog, you already know that I'm pretty passionate about keeping a neat, clean and organized home.

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful comments and emails regarding my newest series of organization posts!  It's comforting to know I'm not the only one with my 'customized version' of OCD!!!

Many of you have also written to me asking if I'd be willing to post my housekeeping lists and schedules.  So today, I'm sharing with you my 'Seasonal Cleaning & Organizing Checklist'.

I typically tackle these chores throughout March/April as time allows, and then again in September/October. 

Please note that this seasonal schedule doesn't include outside chores or items on my weekly house cleaning schedule.  (I'll be sharing that checklist with you in a future post.)

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Spring / Fall Cleaning & Organizing Checklist

Closets:
1.  Remove all items from closets and wash walls and floors.
2.  Wash out-of-season clothing and store in sealed storage containers.
3.  Donate items that are no longer needed.
4.  Organize and hang seasonal clothes in bedroom closets.
5.  Organize and hang seasonal jackets/coats in hall closets.
6.  Sort seasonal accessories in organizer on back of coat closet door.

Walls, Windows and Ceilings:
1.  Wash walls, switch plates, doors and baseboards.
2.  Touch up wall and trim paint.
3.  Dust hanging artwork and picture frames. 
4.  Wash windows, tracks and screens.
5.  Wash/clean window coverings and clean blinds.
6.  Dust ceiling corners as needed.
7.  Clean light fixtures.
8.  Test smoke detectors and change batteries.

Furniture and Floors:
1.  Steam clean or spot clean upholstered furniture as needed.
2.  Clean under and behind all furniture.
3.  Repair/touch up any digs and scratches on wood furniture.
4.  Steam clean carpets.
5.  Repair/touch up any scratches on hardwood floors.
6.  Clean heat registers and inside of floor vents.

Kitchen and Pantry:
1.  Empty and clean inside of kitchen cupboards, drawers and pantry.
2.  Reorganize and replace kitchen items.  Donate any unneeded items.
3.  Clean behind fridge and stove.  Vacuum coils on back of refrigerator.
4.  Empty, clean and organize fridge and freezer.  Discard any expired food.
5.  Clean above kitchen cupboards and top of fridge. Lay down fresh wax paper.
6.  Thoroughly clean outside of kitchen cupboard doors and drawers.
7.  Thoroughly clean inside of dishwasher, toaster and coffee maker.

Bathrooms, Laundry Room and Linen Closet:
1.  Empty and clean inside of bathroom/laundry cupboards and linen closet.
2.  Reorganize and replace items in cupboards and closet.
3.  Donate unneeded items and discard any expired medicines and cosmetics.
4.  Clean behind washer and dryer.
5.  Thoroughly clean dryer duct and inside of washer and dryer.

Basement and Garage:
1.  Sort and reorganize storage bins, tools, gardening and paint supplies.
2.  Donate any items that are no longer needed.
3.  Sweep/wash garage floor.
4.  Empty canister for built-in vacuum.
5.  Change furnace filter and clean utility room.
6.  Clean and reorganize cold storage room.  Discard any expired food.

.    .    .    .    .

The key to successfully completing all of the items on your checklist is to create a calendar and schedule in each chore.  Set realistic goals, giving yourself plenty of time to complete each task.  Also consider grouping like-chores together, such as those requiring the same cleaning supplies.

Seasonal cleaning takes time and effort, but, if you follow a cleaning and organizing routine throughout the year, these additional jobs are much easier to tackle.

So, turn on some great music, grab your favorite cleaning products, and enjoy the process of giving your home the TLC it deserves!

Organization Series: My Bedroom Closet

After completing a bit of sorting and purging this week, I'm finally finished organizing our BEDROOM CLOSET!

As you can see, my hubby and I share a small (5ft x 5ft) walk-in closet.  I like the layout of the space, with double rods along one wall, and a single rod and shoe shelves on the other.

On the top shelf, I store out-of-season clothing in decorative boxes, (I also have two containers for the same purpose that I store under our bed) and my bulky sweaters and jackets.

On the top rod, I hang my light cardigans, t-shirts and tank tops. I like to sort our clothing by style, length and colour.  It's visually more appealing, and makes it easy to coordinate outfits in the morning.

My hubby's pants and casual shirts are hung on the lower rod.  The rule for our closet is:  For every new item that comes in, one must go out.  That way, our clothes can be hung with a bit of breathing space between each hanger.  (It also saves time on ironing!) 

On the adjacent wall, the upper shelf is used to store my hand bags.  Hubby's dress shirts and my heavier cardigans are hung on the left side, and my pants, dresses and housecoats are on the right.

My dress boots and shoes fit nicely on the shelves and floor space below.  The small dresser is just the right size for holding socks and underwear.  I leave the top surface clear for setting out clothes and putting away clean laundry.

A view of the left side of our closet...

And the right side...

And one more pic of my shoe shelves.  The boots on the left are made of glass... I just think they're really cool.

I leave a hook on the back of the closet door for putting together outfits or for giving clothes a quick steam.

So, that's our master bedroom closet. In my next post, I'll be sharing a few organizing ideas for COAT CLOSETS.

Until next time, my friends, HAPPY ORGANIZING!

Organization Series: My Bath & Linen Storage

I truly LOVE to have a clean and organized home.  Keeping things neat and tidy helps me stay calm and relaxed, and saves my family the unnecessary stress of searching for mundane items in the midst of a busy day.

Today's post is all about my BATHROOM, LINEN & LAUNDRY STORAGE!

The top shelf of our linen closet houses my clothes iron and steamer.  A white fabric bin stores shoe and clothing care items.  Guest and bath towels are simply organized by size and colour.

My ironing board is hung from two hooks on the back of the closet door.  Bulk paper goods and beach towels are stored on the lower shelves, along with a small vaporizer and my sewing machine.

If you're wondering why there are no bed linens in this closet, I keep a rolling container under each bed for storing extra sheet sets.

Our master bathroom vanity has two drawers and a cupboard that's divided into three sections.  The builder chose not to install any shelves (why???), so I've had to be a bit creative in order to utilize this space for storage.

The first cupboard holds my makeup case and beauty products.  The stacking bins at the back are for items that I don't need to access on a daily basis.

I've attached a 3M hook (I love these!) to the side of the cupboard for my hair dryer. Hand towels and face cloths are stored beneath a small wire shelf that I've added to provide some much needed vertical storage. 

In the middle cupboard, labelled dollar store bins hold bulk items, as well as our daily hair products and body lotions.  A portable caddy helps me transport my cleaning supplies to each bathroom on cleaning day.

In the third section, I've labelled the drawers of a small organizer that houses our smaller bathroom products.  I always keep a few extra rolls of toilet paper in each bathroom next to the 'commode'.

The medicine chest stores our daily hygiene products.  I use a small glass decanter for mouthwash and a drinking glass to hold our toothbrushes.

Our son and daughter share the main/guest bathroom.  The vanity consists of two deep drawers and a cupboard under the sink.  Stackable containers store nail care, first aid and beauty supplies. 

The medicine cabinet stores cold and allergy meds, as well as daily hygiene items for my kids and guests.  (I really need to add wallpaper to the back wall...)

Our laundry room is conveniently located on the second floor. Wicker baskets on the open shelves are used to store extra linens and sewing supplies.

(I'd love to have square baskets with lids, but, sometimes one has to make the most of what they already own...)

I've also added a few of my favorite accessories to help break up the storage containers. Since the laundry room is rarely used by anyone other than myself, I feel completely justified making this space as pretty and as pink as I like!

Labelled dollar store containers store oxy tablets, dryer sheets and all of the coins one ultimately find in pants pockets.  I buy laundry detergent in bulk and refill the smaller jugs I keep above the washer for daily use.

On the opposite wall, a multi-compartment clothes hamper fits neatly beneath a folding counter.  I love having the ability to sort the laundry as it's created.

The cupboard below the sink is used store bulk laundry items and spray bottles. I've added a small tension rod to increase the vertical storage space.

Well, that's it for my bath, linen and laundry storage!  My bathrooms, linen closet and laundry room are finally clean, organized, and ready for the long winter ahead.

I hope this latest post has given you a few ideas on how to organize some of the cupboards in your own home.

My tips are aimed at organizing for 'real life', with items that can easily be found at dollar and discount stores.  Please let me know your thoughts!

In my next post, I'll be sharing organization ideas for CLOTHES CLOSETS.

Until next time... HAPPY ORGANIZING!

Organization Series: My Kitchen Drawers

Well, I'm still working away on my Fall Housekeeping Schedule!  I've finished cleaning and organizing my KITCHEN PANTRY and KITCHEN CUPBOARDS and I've shared a few of my personal tips and ideas along the way.

This third post in my Organization Series is all about KITCHEN DRAWERS!

I like to store my cooking and baking utensils in two separate drawers.  Shallow bins help items stay neat and tidy.  I only keep what I use and need.  I can be pretty ruthless when it comes to purging.

I have several baskets to sort and organize items in our stationery (junk) drawer. Clear containers hold paper clips, elastics, push pins and other small paper supplies we use on a regular basis. 

My kitchen linens are stored in a long drawer in the island.  Tablecloths, placemats and napkins are sorted by type and colour, which makes setting the dinner table a breeze!

Well, that's a wrap on my kitchen storage ideas. My next post will be all about BATHROOM ORGANIZATION!  

Until then, my blogger friends... HAPPY ORGANIZING!

Organization Series: My Kitchen Cupboards

As I mentioned in my KITCHEN PANTRY post, I've been busy checking off some organizing chores on my 'Fall Cleaning Schedule'.  (I'll share this checklist in a future post.)

This Organization Post is all about KITCHEN CUPBOARDS!

In our home, the spice cupboard is conveniently located between the pantry and the stove. I store cake decorating items, baking ingredients, bulk spices and gravy mixes in clearly labelled containers.

A carousel holds larger spice containers and vitamins.  On the shelf below, spices are organized on a tiered rack, sorted first by jar size, and then again into alphabetical order.

I use a narrow cupboard for storing baking and roasting pans, as well as our measuring cups and mixing bowls.  For easier accessibility, a small wire shelf helps me to store pans in separate sections.

An awkward corner cupboard houses our small kitchen appliances.  I've used a white metal divider to keep my cookbooks organized and another to store our larger serving platters.

Our everyday dishes and glasses are kept in a cupboard near the dishwasher for easy unloading.  Items are organized by type and size...  simple and efficient.

I use the cupboard under the sink to store my daily cleaning products.  A tea towel and dish cloth are hung on 3M hooks inside the cupboard door.

 

In case of a possible water leak from the sink pipes or dishwasher hoses, I've used two wire shelves and labelled, plastic containers to keep my cleaning products dry and organized.

In my next post, I'll continue to share my organization ideas... this time targeting my KITCHEN DRAWERS.

I hope this series is inspiring you to take on an organization project or two of you own!

Organization Series: My Kitchen Pantry

I've been a very busy girl cleaning and organizing the closets and cupboards around our home! In a series of posts, I'll be sharing my hard work with you as well as my own tips and ideas on storage and organization.

My first post is all about THE KITCHEN PANTRY!

I like to store dry goods in clear, labelled containers.  I keep cooking and baking supplies on a separate shelf for easy access.

My hubby installed an electrical outlet in the pantry.  My toaster stays hidden away, along side a bread box and a small wire shelf for baked goods.

 

I've added additional wire racks to store our canned and boxed goods.  They allow me to make the most of the vertical space between the built-in shelves.

Our coffee and tea supplies are stored together on a lower shelf, along with a few paper goods.

The floor space below houses cleaning supplies and extra bags.  Two more wire shelves hold my dusters and floor cloths.

The opposite side has a small wire shelving unit for storing snacks.  A cute little shopping cart holds onions and garlic.

Here's a longer view of the left side of the pantry...

...And a view of the right side.  Cereal boxes are stored on the top shelf.

My next post will cover organization ideas for kitchen cupboards.  I hope you enjoyed the mini tour of my kitchen pantry!

Until next time .. HAPPY ORGANIZING!