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How to Build Farmhouse Kitchen Shelves

April 5, 2019

The farmhouse shelves in our kitchen were one of my favorite projects. The shelves opened up the space and added a bit of a trend to my aging, dated kitchen. The farmhouse kitchen shelves were an inexpensive solution to replace the dated cabinets and not lose valuable storage. If you are looking for an entry-level DIY project these shelves are a perfect starting point.

Well, when we knocked out the wall between the kitchen and dining room we lost a row of upper cabinets. The open shelves was a great way to keep the space open and add storage space for the essentials.

It was a simple project with 2 x 12 select pine from Home Depot. We went with select pine because it has a smoother finish. I cut the pine boards to size using a table saw (with an assist from my assistant (husband) to hold the end of the board).

I used my favorite pre-stain wood conditioner to prep the wood shelves.

This was my go-to stain for most of my DIY projects. I have a few other favs, but this is a reliable stain and gives me a rich, Colorado rustic finish.

I went with a heavy bracket and found Wade’s shop on Etsy. These were super easy to install to the wall and the weight of the brackets matched the weight of the pine shelves.

The hardest part of these farmhouse shelves was capturing a photo at the right time of day (still waiting) and staging the shelves. Seriously, I was so excited to stage the shelves and it has been many late nights with episodes of Friends in the background while trying to find the right accessories.

This was an easy Saturday afternoon project. I loved this project so much I added the same shelves to our aging basement kitchenette/bar. So the farmhouse shelf photos are from both spaces.

I am taking staging suggestions for staging the shelves in the comments.

My Favorite Tech Hack to Stay Organized in the New Year

January 3, 2019

With the new year comes goals and promises. For me, my goal (every year )is to get organized. Usually, closets are the first think on my list to organize in January. But what usually (always) happens is I just generate more piles in my efforts to get organized. So this year I am going in a different direction with a goal to organize my digital files and paper trails. It won’t lead to any coverup, but it will eliminate folders and folders of receipts and immunization forms dating back to Friends. My favorite tech hack to stay organized is an app I can use from my phone. It will make calls like this one, “Mom, I need a copy of my immunization forms in an hour.” Or, texts like this one, “Do you have a copy of the furnace receipt from last spring?”

My “favorite” call was when my son called to tell me I forgot to sign his field trip permission slip. And, he was the only child who could not get on the bus unless that permission slip was received in the next 12 minutes.

Game on!

And, the reason I didn’t panic is I want to share the best app for the new year! This app organized my life. I even got my 75+-year-old mom to download the free app so she doesn’t have to fax documents.

Sidenote: My mom is a very tech-savvy grandma!

Have you heard of TurboScan? In a sentence, it is a scanner on your phone.

You might be wondering, “Can’t I just take a photo?”

Yes, but this app saves the document as a pdf which is the format that allows adding as an attachment.

The Turbo Scan app is the app to the rescue.

I have not looked for other scanner apps, so if you know of another one, please share in the comments. It takes a village to get organized.

Source: Turb Scan

Details

Turbo Scan changed my personal and work life. It’s a free app in the Apple app store. The official name is TurboScan™ Pro – document & receipt scanner By Piksoft Inc. There might be a paid version, but the free app works for my needs.

It takes a scan (photo) of a document, permission form.. anything. It creates a border around the image to make sure you capture what you need. And, even when the image looks gray or grainy it almost always captures a clear image.

Turbo Scan allows me to save documents directly to my Dropbox (another favorite) and/or email a copy in a pdf format to my email or to the recipient. It keeps a copy of any scanned documents too, but I always save a copy to my Dropbox account. I’m just a bit of a control freak. Especially in August.

My husband first shared this app with me a few years ago. And, I use it almost every day.

And, if you are just a smidge like me, your desk (my command center) begins to look like this as the new year approaches.

I just pile up the paper until January rolls around to get organized.

Clear the clutter by snapping a photo of the paper, document. It’s more professional because it saves it as a pdf for clients, the front office or service providers. The one suggestion I have with this app is to turn off the overhead light above the document or receipt. The light can add a shadow to the document.

After a week using this app, I ditched my fax/scanner (donated to one of my son’s teachers). Turbo Scan is the best iPhone app for the new year. Let me know if you download it and what you think? Do you have a favorite app to stay organized? Please share in the comments.

Pinterest Audit

September 26, 2018

I went into a Pinterest vortex over the weekend. It started with a cup of coffee in the early morning hours. It’s my favorite time of the day and it’s also when I search holiday ideas that randomly pop into my head during the week.

What’s the funniest topic you searched on Pinterest? One of mine was, “How to eliminate an air duct.”

And, in various fall front porch pins, I decided it was time to take a Pinterest audit of my boards and pins.

It was like cleaning out my closets without leaving my laptop.

Pinterest Audit

I started with my Pinterest home page and it looked pretty good.

It wasn’t an Instagram or HGTV worthy page, but it was step up from a few years ago.

Scroll to the bottom to see one of my first pins.

I randomly clicked on a few of my older pins. A few of my favorites included some of my prettier images like this:

But, when I followed the pinned image I got this message.

And, it wasn’t just on one or two pins. It was a Pinterest epidemic of lost pages and redirects.

I had ignored my boards for too long.

It was a harsh reality when my “Travel” board had a whopping 4 pins.

Yep, I decided I had to say goodbye to a few boards and even more pins.

Can I tell you how amazing it was to clean up my Pinterest boards? Less really is more.

Here is one of my first pins from my original blog. I have not used Blogspot for years, but this was still out there.

How many times do you pin something and check the URL link for future reference?

My Pinterest audit was also a nice reminder to update, replace or retake a few of my more popular pins.

Taking an hour (or two) to audit my boards and pins was the only way to see which links were dead. And, the reality of which pins and photos needed to go to the trash. And, after my Pinterest audit, some things don’t change.

This is still at the top of my Pinterest page.

My Favorite Gift Wrap Organizer

September 12, 2018

You know the funniest thing about my obsession with gift wrap? I don’t need rolls of gift wrap to wrap a 1.5″x2″ gift card. A girl (mom) can hope for a comeback for the thick, glossy paper with fun prints. Have you checked out the rolls of gift wrap at HomeGoods and TJ Maxx? They have those thick sheets of paper that don’t tear when you pull the wrap over the gift box. With so much paper to store, I finally got to use my gift wrap organizer.

With so many cute rolls of paper, I plan to use the fun prints for craft and decor idea. I found a roll of Denver Bronco paper for my son’s college care packages.

I could not resist pairing the blue ribbon next to the orange gift wrap ribbon in honor the Denver Broncos season-opening game.

But until inspiration or gift giving season hits, I am technically a gift wrap hoarder.

I love the lemon and limes and I never noticed my thing for polka dots.

It’s a great time to organize the Christmas gift wrap.

And, the organizer holds a dozen rolls of gift wrap.

The baskets adjust to accommodate the larger rolls and ribbon.

It’s my all time, hands down favorite purchase from the Container Store.

Ahh… this makes me so happy to have one obsession contained behind a closet door.

What do you find at Home Goods that gets you every time?

Clean Closets Gave the Accessories a Repurposed Life

July 9, 2018

Hi Everyone! I finally tackled a task I dreaded; cleaning out the closets (and the basement storage). I don’t know why I dreaded it because the sense of accomplishment was as great as this accomplishment over the 4th of July holiday. But, still, the thought of cleaning out closets, the pantry and the basement were overwhelming at best. But, like so many professional organizers suggest; break the task into manageable tasks and manage where the stuff goes (charity or trash) or to a repurposed life.

The biggest closet challenge was larger than a close; it was the unfinished space in the basement. Over the year it became the place to store seasonal decor, oversized items and the 52 pickup game we play before we entertain. Anyone else play that game? This was what my basement stash looked like at the beginning of summer.

It had become a safety hazard. My treadmill sits on the opposite end of the basement. That was my view during commercials of the early morning news.

But a late night and a Hallmark movie gave me a chance to finally tackle the ribbons, boxes, future projects and greenery. And, amongst the cluttered chaos, I gave accessories a repurposed life.

I found a discarded candle holder and just before I tossed it into the Goodwill pile I grabbed a roll of toilet paper. And, this almost tossed accessory found a repurposed life in a powder bath with no under sink storage.

I took a popular bread container that never quite fit into my kitchen and it became a storage container above a tub.

Sidenote: I don’t love baskets in bathrooms. I like to clean surfaces in bathrooms with cleaning products and a paper towel.

In full disclosure, the metal bread container ended up back in the kitchen, but it could easily be repurposed again. A few years ago I went overboard with lanterns on clearance. So it was no surprise this lantern also became a repurposed accessory.

Like the collection of baskets in my basement. I grabbed this one and tossed a few too many pillows next to the sofa! I love the look! The pillows get off the floor (anyone else has this overnight mystery)?

I shared this project using vases stashed on that storage rack. Here’s an almost tossed glass vase that now sits on the dining room table.

And, I think that’s the purpose of a storage room, closet or pantry. Sometimes these accessories need to be stored until we can give our accessories a repurposed life.

Link to:

Sweet Parrish Place

Ideas to Upcycle Spray Bottles

July 2, 2018

Okay, how many of you have a slight addiction to HomeGoods? What is it about this warehouse of items ranging from makeup to Christmas trees. I was guided by angels when I found this after Christmas. I have a few favorite finds on any given day; dishes, linens, coffee (yes they sell coffee) and seasonal items. But, my favorite go-to purchase is cleaning products! I love the dish soaps and counter spray cleaners. And, after awhile I created a few ideas to upcycle spray bottles.

You can imagine my enthusiasm when I won a basket of cleaning products at our kids’ school auction. It was such a treat because the product labels matched. If you are a HomeGoods (or TJ Maxx) shopper you know the struggle to find more than one of any find. So yes, I loved these matching cleaning products (and I paid too much for this cleaning basket, but it was a fundraiser)!

So when the cleaning products are nearly empty, I feel a sense of guilt for tossing the plastic spray bottles.

I mean how is that spray nozzle ever going to get a second chance if it ends up in the dump?

I think I carry the recycle gene from my Appalachia great grandparents. Taking a cue from my grandparents (and my mom) I backfill the empty spray bottles. I use cleaning staples like vinegar, baking soda and a vinegar based cleaning product I buy in bulk.

My sister first turned me on to Nature’s Miracle for pet accidents and for workout clothes. As she explained, the vinegar is what neutralizes the odors. But over time, I just bought a gallon of everyday vinegar for like a dollar.

I removed the labels and glue from the plastic spray bottles and used chalk labels or scrap paper to identify the bottles. This fun dog print was perfect for the vinegar based cleaning products for dog messes. It was the visual the family needed to clean up the pet messes and puppy puddles.

I didn’t want one of them to pull the, “I didn’t know if it was filled with bleach so I waited for you to get home.”

I purchased baking soda in bulk at Costco. And, last summer was the summer of Snapple. I collected dozens of Snapple bottles and let’s just say this summer the Snapple bottles store lots of tiny miscellaneous items and cleaning products.

The Snapple bottles were the perfect size bottle to store baking soda for baking sheets with cooked on grease. And, a little sprinkle of baking soda added sparkle to the sink and a great way to remove rust from serving trays.

And, then there were the plastic spray bottles that were too practical (maybe it’s me) to toss into the recycle bin. I love these chalk friendly labels but added a layer of clear packing tape to keep the labels dry.

These spray bottles were previous HomeGood finds and now had a new purpose. I tucked these spray bottles into closets with a reusable rag or paper towels for quick touchups. Storing these in closets or cabinets saves time by not having to run around the house to find a surface specific cleaner.

How do you upcycle plastic spray bottles? Do you have any suggestions for my Snapple bottles or spray bottles?

Looking for a way to organize the cleaning products check out this idea here.

Here’s an easy way to remove rust with a little baking soda and this .

Sharing:

Funky Polka Dot Giraffe

Oak Hill Homestead

How to Organize the Phone

June 13, 2018

HI Everyone! Here is a really quick tip on how to organize the phone in your life. Over the last year, I shared how to organize the phone with friends and complete strangers. Months later, I thought, “Why don’t I put this on the blog?” Like, seriously Laura? So here is the one suggestion on how to organize the phone (so you don’t lose your mind when you can’t find that signed field trip permission slip).

I have a 1/2 dozen email addresses for work-related and personal accounts. Yeah, laura@notatrophywife.com is not the email to send a school inquiry. It might end up in the school’s spam folder. So over the last year, I began to organize the emails that loaded my personal Gmail account. If your inbox is like mine you get a 1/2 dozen emails from the same retailer. My inbox is flooded with coupons, sale announcements, and more coupons.

All of my emails are on both my tablet and phone. They sync automatically so if it’s handled on one device it is covered on the other. But, my master email (the mother ship) originates on my tablet so to create new folders I need to create from my tablet.

The biggest time drain for me are those offers, coupons and sale emails. And, every time I buy something at any store they ask for my email address.

Off Topic: Come to think of it, Target and Home Depot are like the two stores that don’t ask for my email. Can you think of other retailers that don’t ask for your email?

Okay back to how I organize my phone to organize my cluttered mind. So with coupons and sales taking up the bulk of my email counts, and not wanting to delete that Williams-Sonoma sale date, I created six folders for my phone.

These six folders changed my life. I create a folder for each of my children, one for me and the two favorite folders; one folder for coupons and the second folder for receipts (emailed receipts). I don’t have to find them on an app or dig through my bag with a line stretching to the shopping carts. In fact, while standing in line I will do a quick search for “JCrew Factory” to see if any pull up or if I trashed an earlier email and can pull it up from my trash folder (okay, that’s the seventh folder).

When you organize the phone …

Who knew the power of alphabetically organized folders; easily accessed by the phone? I know, I know, but it’s the little details that calm me. So create your own way to organize the phone before the school year. Spend some time figuring out what folders you want to organize your kids, coupons, receipt, work or school forms (filed under each child).

And, if you are looking for my favorite phone app read this article.

Now, I can access school release forms, copies of immunizations or coupons from my phone… anywhere.

How to Keep the Sink Pretty

May 29, 2018

Happy Friday! Do you have a fun Memorial Weekend? We had a family bbq and much needed time at home to regroup and work in the yard! Sound familiar! This is my busy season and the Denver market is crazy! At our house, the first room to show distress is the kitchen. And, with my college-age son home for the summer with his new found love of cooking, my kitchen sink looks like the dump. Here is how to keep the sink pretty. My initial inspiration was from this picture from BH&G.

Is this the prettiest sink ever? We have a similar faucet and I don’t see any pasta sauce splatter or water spots on this one. I love the porcelain sink. And, that tray!

Source BH&G

Here’s my version of how to keep the sink pretty! I pulled a few key elements and continue to play with it. We have a corner sink so it chews up the valuable counter real estate. I started with a mini cake plate (from Target dollar section). I had this next to the sink for about 12 minutes and decided the cake plate could be better used.