Before Meets After -- Linen Closet Organization

Do you find that you have several unfinished projects going on around your house?  I've had a "to do" list running in my head for several months now, always with the promise that I will take care of it...soon.  Now that school is out, "soon" as arrived and it's high time I get these items checked off.

My linen closet has been begging for my attention for at least a year {probably longer, but who's counting}.  It's such a small space so it only needed a little organizational TLC.

I went shopping for baskets in Hobby Lobby.  I found several that I loved but wasn't crazy about the prices.  I knew that I only needed three, preferably three different sizes - something like this.

Natural Rush Basket set with liners {picture from Hobby Lobby}

With a $54 price tag {or larger},  I needed to start thinking of other options.  Back to my favorite store to shop for bargains -- The Goodwill!  It took me several weeks to find what I was looking for but I got lucky and found these great containers.

Containers made of wood

They are heavy and very sturdy containers and I was over the moon when I saw them just sitting on a
table.  Seriously, I almost ran over a little old man trying to get to them before someone else did {hey, bargains bring out the worst in a person...lol}.  The best part of this find was the price.  All three together only cost me $11.  Major score!

Though I loved the containers themselves I wasn't so in love with the color, so time to get that small flaw taken care of.  I grabbed my sand paper and tack cloth and got right to work.

Sanding time

They only needed a little sanding work to get them ready for painting.  Then outside I went to get them spray painted.  I used Valspar spray paint and I'm in love with the coverage and finish of this brand.

Sanded and ready for painting

Great coverage -- only required one coat

The finished product - beautiful!

To finish them off, I used my Silhouette machine, scrapbook paper and some great chalkboard vinyl from Pick Your Plum to create the labels for each container

Labels on each container

Here is where my Before Meets After:

It feels great to have one thing crossed off my mental to do list.  I'll be working hard over the next few weeks to get several more checked off too!  What are some of your 'to do' list items and how do you plan to tackle them?

Before Meets After ~ Laundry Room Project

We've been in our house for three years ~ new home, new town ~ and I'm just getting around to decorating some of the rooms.

Our laundry room is very small and this is the first room you enter when coming in from the garage. The rule in our house is that our shoes are left at the door {we have wall-to-wall light colored carpet}, so this space has turned into a "catch-all" for shoes and jackets - not exactly what I envisioned when we moved in.

The clutter was beginning to drive me bonkers, so it was time to do something about it. I originally wanted to paint the space, but I didn't want this project to turn into the 'never ending' project so I took it in another direction - simpler and less time. Here is where the 'before' meets 'after'....


Too many jackets!


I should be ashamed of myself for posting this picture {what a mess...lol!}, but there can't be a proper 'before meets after' without it so here it is


Lookin' good {smile}! I used my Silhoutte machine to create the words and graphics in vinyl, AND cleaned up the jackets


A close-up -- not perfectly straight, but good enough I think


A trip to IKEA and I found this great piece in the children's department and it fits beautifully. I personalized each bucket in vinyl so now no one has the excuse of not putting their shoes away properly

I purchased this cushion for it but I'm not loving it. The colors are what I want to give the space that "pop" of color it needs since I chose not to paint, but the size is still a tad bit too long so back to the drawing board on that one


I love that I'm taking the time to spruce up the place a bit. Honestly, I think it has taken me so long because I wasn't sure how I felt about living here but the longer I'm here the more it's starting to feel like home. Besides, decorating one space at a time is good for the soul {or at least that's what I keep telling myself}!

Before Meets After: Candle Holder

The Goodwill is a treasure trove of great craft finds -- the trick is to be able to look at an item and envision the possibilities. If you are anything like me, that vision sometimes takes a while to show up {sometimes it's a really long while...lol}but I'm learning that even though I may not know exactly what an item will turn into, I can definitely notice potential in it. Back in August I found these great little wooden boxes with a tray {that I'm sure in a previous life lived in the nursery of some sweet little angel} and as soon as I saw them I knew they would be mine and with a price tag of only $2.99 it was an easy decision to make the purchase.

Lately, I've been looking around our house and noticing that though we've been here three years now we still have lots to do to make this place feel as "home-y" as I would like. As we all know, life happens and sometimes the most basic things get placed on the back burner. Well, it's time to light the fire and I decided I would start with something small - a candle holder for our kitchen island{I have bigger plans for our master bedroom}.

Here is where the 'before' meets 'after'.....



And here is how it came to be the lovely piece that now adorns my kitchen island...

The first thing to do was to remove the little bear, bunny and sheep from the front of each box. This proved to be harder than I thought but with a little elbow grease I was able to get them and the mound of glue that was holding them off

I sanded each one with an 80-grit piece of sand paper to remove some of the paint and give it a more even finish but as you can see, each one of the boxes was left with a little 'scar' after the removal of the wooden animals {what to do about that...hmmm?}

A trip to Hobby Lobby {are you as in love with this store as I am?} and I found these great rustic/antique-ish looking spigot knobs that I immediately fell head over heels for...talk about love at first sight! My vision was becoming clearer.

Back home and it's time to spray paint the pieces. I used a gloss spray paint - almond color

To match the color that runs through my family room, kitchen and even my deck, I chose a wine acrylic paint to use as an accent color on the boxes. Using some painters tape, I taped off the small area at the top of each box that would be painted, then measured and drilled a hole in each box

Originally I wasn't sure what to do about the little 'scars' on each box. I thought about sanding and filling in the area but I didn't want this project to take too long {remember I have a bedroom begging for my attention...lol} so it made more sense to cover it - and I did. Using some wooden circles, I painted a simple design on each and drilled a hole

Adding some clear polycrylic to the wine colored band on each box and covering the designed circles as well, I have a finished project {and in record time I might add...haha}.

I'm happy with it and I think it looks beautiful in our kitchen! But alas, there is no rest for the weary for there are Valentine's to make for the both the little prince's preschool class and a customer, a gift to make for my sister's birthday {I'm so late...again!} and a party to get ready for to celebrate my one year blogiversary! Stick around, there is more great stuff to come including a GIVEAWAY for my anniversary.

Before Meets After ~ Picture Frame

A trip to The Goodwill landed me with my next 'Before Meets After' piece - a 5x7 solid oak wood frame. Since Halloween is only a couple weeks away and I have so many crafts that I would love to do (but unfortunately won't get to before the holiday) I thought this would be the perfect piece for a simple transformation.

Switchy-Witchy.....

The frame

Look at the price tag - gotta love $.49!

Spray painted it black

Cut a piece of white textured scrapbook paper to size

Using my Silhouette and the free shape of the week, I cut out the witches hat in both black and orange

I created a witches hat using pieces from both cutouts and used some great rub-ons that I found in Target's dollar bin last year and you have.......


A great Halloween sign

Simple and easy! I can't think of a better way to add festive holiday decor to your home without breaking the bank.

Before Meets After ~ Toy Bin

In my search to find stores with bargain items that can be used in my craft projects, I've found a hidden gem (at least it was hidden to me...hehe) that I never considered before. I've always known that my local Dollar Stores carried some great finds that could be turned into marvelous projects but had no idea that the local Goodwill would be a proverbial wonderland of inexpensive 'trash to treasure' items.

After a couple trips to the store, I've found a few things that can (and will) be transformed into great pieces. After giving some thought as to what to do with them, I've decided that I will begin a series titled "Before Meets After" - a chance to see these great bargains in their 'before' state and what they will look like 'after' a little crafting magic.

My first post isn't a dollar store or Goodwill find but it definitely qualifies for this category. As you know from my Art Center post, I'm working to complete my son's big boy room. Originally we put his toys in one of those 3-drawer plastic bins, but that just wasn't going to work anymore (it's now in my crafting corner) so I took an unused 3-shelf bookshelf and turned it into a cubbie.

A place for everything and everything in its place.......

An unused bookshelf from the basement playroom

Spray painted blue to match the room decor

Turned the bookshelf on its side to create cubbies. Cut out two guitar shapes using this great music note scrapbook paper. Using Mod Podge I applied them to the top on opposite ends

Bought these red bins from Target during their Back-to-School sale

Using my Silhoutte machine, I cut the letters in vinyl to go between the guitars (this was my first time using vinyl on my machine; I have a few tricks to learn about cutting and size)

Not the greatest picture, but a new toy cubbie filled with toys and ready for play!

It's not completely finished. I do hope that I'll get the chance to add a little curtain to disguise the space at the top where the bins don't quite reach, but that's a project for another day.

Stay tuned for more "Before Meets After" - but in the meantime.....