Kitchen Organization: Operation Coffee Station

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Casey — 2 Comments ↓

Mmm….caffeine. The nectar of the gods. For those of you who survive without it — you’re amazing. For the rest of us, please allow me to assist in feeding your addiction

As you know, I’ve been working on organizing my kitchen as of late. Last week, I shared how I organize everything under my kitchen sink.

Today’s post? Operation: Coffee Station!

FYI, this cabinet is a great example of something I’ve re-organized about a thousand times (notice the temporary post-it labels — I’m still testing it out, but I think we’ve finally found a winner!).

TIP: If you’re trying out a new set-up, you can save time using temporary labels (sticky notes, index cards clipped with binder clips or clothespins, etc.) so that everything is easy to locate while you’re testing it out. (As opposed to wasting time creating “perfect” labels before you’re sure if the system works or procrastinating on labeling things because you want to do a test run. Not that I’ve ever done that…)

To the right, you’ll see my single serve coffee maker, or as we like to call it, “the poor man’s Keurig.” I love this thing. It’s small, makes single serving coffees, I bought it for a fraction of the cost, & it uses cheapo coffee grounds instead of K-cups (although I’ve heard you can get special pieces for the Keurig that use coffee grounds, too!). Side note: I bought mine on clearance at Big Lots, and the top piece doesn’t always pop open on the first push. Might have been why it was on clearance at Big Lots! Still adore it, though!

Image via Amazon.com

A little bit o’ Folgers, a splash of almond milk, and some cake batter protein = a super fast, ridiculously delicious breakfast!

I used a little cabinet shelf to create extra storage on the left.

Image via Amazon

Up top, I keep my instant coffee & hot tea (my current faves are Bigelowe Pomegranate green tea, Wild Blueberry & Acai green tea, and Vanilla Chai black tea. Yum!)

The containers on the are part of the Ikea 365+ series.

Image via Ikea

The white bin is the Ikea Rationell Variera, but I don’t see the white version on their website anymore, so here’s a cute white basket set from Target: Room Essentials Storage Baskets (set of 4).

Image via Target

On the bottom shelf, we have a container of iced tea & my favorite sweetener. (Legend tells that stevia is supposedly a healthier alternative — it’s a natural zero calorie sweetener. My favorite brand is NuStevia because it doesn’t have the weird aftertaste that other brands have. I’ve started buying it in the shaker container & I save the little packets for travel!)

My storage containers on the bottom row are a million years old , but here’s a link for simliar glass storage cubes.

Image via Amazon

Man, what’s up with all of my gear getting discontinued?! More importantly, does accidentally owning antique kitchenware make me a granny or a hipster? (Or a hipster granny? Gripster? Hanny? Ok, I’ll stop now…)

On our next kitchen-tastic installment of As the Lazy Susan Turns, I’ll show you the solution I’ve found for the bottom of this cabinet. Prepare yourselves — we’re about to “spice” things up! See what I did there? Totally making a winky face right now.

Want more breakfast-y goodness? Check out this sweet shake station I use for my smoothies!

UPDATE: I just invented a new recipe that works well as both a protein shake and a coffee! Here ya go!

Cookies ‘n’ Cream/Oreo Protein Coffee (168 calories):

8oz. black coffee
3 Tbsp. Truwhip (it’s an all-natural, low calorie version of Cool Whip)
1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 scoop Double Stuffed Cookie protein powder (you could probably also mix cake batter & chocolate powders)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
Top with crushed chocolate meringue cookies (I use Miss Meringue sugar free chocolate meringue cookies — I don’t think they have a ton of flavor by themselves, but they add nice chocolate cookie crunch! Bonus: they’re less than 2 calories per cookie!)
Sweeten with Stevia to taste (I used liquid stevia today)

Cookies ‘n’ Cream/Oreo Protein Shake (300 calories):

1 scoop Double Stuffed Cookie protein powder (you could probably also mix cake batter & chocolate powders)
1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
6 Tbsp. Truwhip (on top or mixed in)
Top with crushed chocolate meringue cookies

Pretty yummy!! I have to say, cake batter is still my go-to flavor, but for those Oreo cravings, these recipes rock!! What are your favorite breakfast recipes??

Tagged with: kitchen, meal planning, simple solutions, storage
Posted in Organizing

Organize Your Office Like a Boss: Bluelounge Product Review

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Casey — 2 Comments ↓

Hey guys! If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ve probably noticed that Bluelounge is one of my favorite brands. (Here are a few posts about how I use the CableBox at my desk & how we organized our TV cabinet using CableDrops & another CableBox.)

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Bluelounge, they are pretty much the Apple of organization. Their design is smart, modern, & clean, and a lot of their products work really well with Apple gear (among other brands). I am extremely picky about the brands that I like, so once I find a good one, I tend to excitedly sing their praises & shout them from the rooftops! Apparently, Bluelounge heard about my crush (possibly from all of the ~~sappy love notes~~ tasteful tweets about how much I adore their brand??) & they decided to let me test out their newest product, the Mika!

Image Source

Of course, my hubs had to test it out first, so here’s a photo of his desk all tricked out. (WARNING: He may be slightly addicted to technology.) After looking at this set-up, I guess you could say this is a review of quite a few of our favorite Bluelounge products!

Behold: Megadesk!!! (Couldn’t resist!)

Take it away, Leif!

The Breakdown:

The Mika is on the right side, holding my laptop. It has a plastic bottom, so it slides across the desk. You can use it for storage or as an ergonomically correct display stand for your laptop or tablet. I’m guessing it slides because it’s multifunctional: you can slide it away when you’re using it as storage, and then easily slide it back to front & center when you want to use it as a display stand.

Image Source

Any small cords that need to slide without falling off the desk are a great fit for the Sumo. I use two of them: one for my computer/keyboard cords, and one for my phone charger and headphone cord. Sumo actually uses its weight & the micro-suction pads on the bottom for a ridiculously strong grip that removes without leaving any residue (no adhesives) — pretty awesome. Plus its name is Sumo. I rest my case.

Image Source

My cell phone perches at the ready on a handy device called the Milo. It uses micro-suction on the bottom & top to attach securely to the phone & desk surface, again, without using any sticky adhesives.

Image Source

Finally, my iPad rests on a little stand called the Nest. You can rest your phone or tablet right on top or stand it up using a built-in pull-out tray.

Image Source

Bonus: the Nest has a little storage area where I can stash a flash drive & cleaning cloth. (Gotta keep those screens clean!)

Apple addiction = ORGANIZED!

Thanks for the review, Leifsteban! I’ll be sharing my own techno-licious desktop organization with you shortly.

Sending out a HUGE thank you to Bluelounge for letting us test drive the Mika! All of their products offer fantastic solutions — go check ‘em out!

Tagged with: media, office, organized husband, organizing, products, space savers, technology
Posted in Organizing

IHeart Organizing Contributor Questions: We Heart Answering!

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Casey — 2 Comments ↓

Hey guys! Make sure you head over to IHeart Organizing today — all of the contributors are chiming in to answer reader questions, and it is essentially the motherload of organizing tips. Seriously, you’re going to want to pin this blog post for future reference!

Image via IHeart Organizing

Goooooo team!

Posted in Organizing

Dining Room Details

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Casey — 2 Comments ↓

I just wanted to pop in today to give you a quick update on our dining room table. In case you haven’t seen the other posts about it, here are more images of our fold-away DIY dining table & how we used it to create a transforming hidden dining room in our entryway!

We’ve received a TON of questions about it (woohoo!!), so I figured I’d share a few more images of the underside in case any of you were inspired to build your own.

This is the channel where the table leg slides in to support the top:

Here it is from a different angle:

Do you see the “L” shape? When we fold it away, we take out the table legs & slide them into that part of the channel to rest against the underside of the table top.

Pretty nifty, eh?

Here’s a look at the hinge & the other channel (it holds the bottom part of the table legs when they’re stored away).

Aaand here are shots of the table folded up versus open:

We used poplar for the body & maple for the table top. If you guys have any other questions, just give me a shout in the comments & I’ll get you the deets!

Tagged with: creative ideas, dining room, diy, hidden storage, organized husband, small space solutions, space savers, storage
Posted in Organizing

Organize Your Kitchen

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Casey — 4 Comments ↓

Confession: I have been hesitant to post about our kitchen storage because we really need to paint inside our cabinets! I thought about it for a while, and then decided that it was really my inner perfectionist holding me back.

Do any of you guys struggle with this? You want things to be perfect, so you add a bunch of extra pressure and work to something & then it just gets overwhelming. Basically, either zero progress ends up being made or you just keep tweaking things right up until the last second, trying to get them EXACTLY right. I honestly think that perfectionism was one of the biggest reasons why I struggled with organization in the past (and even now, obviously)! I would spend all of my time focusing on one thing to make it perfect, and then everything else would get ignored & start crumbling around me. Boo!

In the spirit of celebrating DONE instead of PERFECT, I decided that I’ll shoot our cabinets as-is, because you know what? Our house is a work in progress! (And if I wait until everything is perfect, I’ll probably never have another blog post!) So, here ya go, our work-in-progress organizing solution under our kitchen sink.

We added pull-out drawers (SO worth it!), shelves, and cabinet door storage. I also rigged a little storage space for my sponges & repurposed a glass vase to hold scrub brushes for various cleaning tasks.

In the back, I noticed that we had some extra space available, so we installed two little Ikea Lack shelves to store extra cleaning products & alcohol (we usually drink our own home brewed beer & don’t make mixed drinks very often, so we didn’t need them to be as accessible as our everyday items).

Foil, plastic wrap, and the big freezer bags that we use regularly fit nicely inside the cabinet door on this storage rack.

TIP: Measure where you’ll be storing items very carefully. Make sure they have enough space on the door & that they won’t hit any of the items you’re storing inside the cabinet when the door is closed or when you pull out a cabinet drawer!

I looooove the pull-out drawers that we added! They have really helped make the deeper parts of the cabinet so much more accessible!

Left Drawer: Extra dish liquid, plastic bags, and regularly used cleaning products. The blue box contains clean used bags that we keep around for storing various non-food items. I just wrapped a cardboard box with pretty paper to make it cuter.

Right Drawer: Large, regularly used gadgets (for us, it’s our little air popper & slow cooker) & their accessories (liners for the slow cooker and kernels & seasoning for the popcorn). I will probably wrap the cardboard box I’m using for my popcorn station & make it pretty, but for now it is serving its purpose very well!

Here’s another little space-saver to help organize your kitchen! I grabbed an old basket and used velcro zip ties to attach it to a pipe & utilize the wasted space above it. I didn’t want to add a lot of weight to the pipe, so I use this basket to store various sponges. You could probably make it cuter if you use white zip ties or pretty ribbon, but these were what I had, and they work great!

Seriously, I just get WAY too much joy out of creating extra storage in a previously wasted space! Stay tuned — I’ll be working my way through the rest of our kitchen over the next few weeks, and I’m sharing some more of my favorite cabinet space savers later on this week! How do you organize your kitchen? Are there any kitchen-related storage questions you’re just itching to ask? Leave me a comment & I’ll try my best to help out

P.S. If you haven’t seen these kitchen storage posts yet, check out my favorite space-saving step stool, this sweet wall-mounted knife rack, a smoothie station with a secret, & some super simple magnetic oven mitt storage!

I’m sharing this project at The House of Smiths & OrgJunkie

Tagged with: creative ideas, diy, kitchen, organizing, simple solutions, small space solutions, space savers, storage
Posted in Organizing

DIY & Tools: Essential Home Tool Kit

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Casey — 8 Comments ↓

Happy Hump Day!! We have a fabulous guest blogger for you today, Brandon Wood, a man whose professional contracting skills far exceed my own amateur tinkerings. He is brilliant, witty, and full of insane amounts of dream-it/build-it/fix-it knowledge. Mr. Wood is stopping by today to share some great info for beginning DIY-ers & new homeowners: the Essential Home Tool Kit!

Even if you never plan to do any of your own home improvement projects, every household needs at least some basic tools. You never know when you’ll need to perform some emergency repairs, or when the kids’ “preassembled” toy might require some additional assembly.

Here’s some insight for creating your very own “Essential Home Tool Kit.”
1) Adjustable Wrench:

Image via Amazon.com

Also known as a Crescent Wrench, this bad boy can do everything from tackling a wide range of nuts and bolts on your kid’s Power Wheels, to tightening the compression fittings on your leaky faucet. They come in multiple sizes and different qualities and price ranges, but a decent, medium-sized Crescent will cost about $12-$14. Spend a little extra here if your budget allows, because you’ll use it forever.

Price: $12-$14

2) 6-in-1 Screwdriver:

Image via Amazon.com

The name pretty much sums it up; it’s a screwdriver with six primary functions; Small Phillips driver, Large Phillips driver, Small Slotted Driver, Large Slotted Driver, ¼” Nut Driver, and 5/16” Nut Driver. Now, if they’d asked me, I could’ve come up with a bunch more functions and they could be marketing this thing as at least a 47-in-one, but they never asked me, so you’ll have to settle with 6 functions. You’ll probably break or lose a few of these tools in a lifetime, so don’t worry about getting the most expensive one.

Price: $5-$15

3) Cordless Drill:

Image via Amazon.com

If I’m ever at your house helping you with a project and I ask, “Do you have a power drill we can use to drive these drywall screws?” and you produce a drill with a cord, I’ll punch you in the stomach before leaving and never help you again. Besides the fact that I said so, and that cords are a pain in the arse, you don’t really need any more reasons to buy a cordless drill. Do some research to see what fits you the best; there are a wide range of styles, power, and price. I like 18v Lithium Ion, but 12v-14v models are lighter and will suffice for most household projects.

Price: $80-$150
4) 16oz Hammer:

Image via Amazon.com

There are a lot of fancy hammers on the market right now, but what we’re really looking for here is something that has a handle and a hard surface with which to bash nails, etc. You don’t need anything with a fancy name or a trendy design. If you spend more than $30, just go ahead and hit yourself in the head with it.

Price: Under $30
5) 16′ Tape Measure:

Image via Amazon.com

Most household projects won’t require a tape measure more than 16’ long. Anything longer will just be heavy and unwieldy. There are a lot of different designs available, just get something with a coated, locking blade. I like the Stanley Fat Max tape measures because they have a significant “standout” which allows you to extend the blade out in midair without it going flaccid.

Price: $5-$15

Stay tuned; on the next installment we’ll learn how to use these tools properly, lest someone mistake us for amateurs!

Thanks so much, Brando!

Image via Leafo Photo

About Brandon:

I pretty much know everything there is about construction. (I could’ve ended that sentence after the word “everything.”) Also, I’m an expert on workflow management and the economics of movement. When I’m not out slaying dragons or using my sarcastic superpowers to conquer contracting challenges, I enjoy spending time with my amazing wife, Holly Wood (yes, she actually took my last name — pretty awesome, right?) and our two beautiful daughters, Maple & Balsa (obviously kidding about the names).

Tagged with: diy, products, reader submissions, tips and tricks, tools
Posted in Organizing

Living Spaces: How to Organize Cords & De-Clutter Your Media Cabinet

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Casey — 2 Comments ↓

house-room-ideas, tv cabinet, cord storage

Do you guys remember when I chattered on & on about my undying love for the Bluelounge CableBox? I use one on my desk to hold my external hard drives & help corral all of my computer cables, and I also have one that I use to organize cords in our little tv cabinet!

The De-Cluttering Plan:

Hide all of the wires & keep them untangled.
Find a place to the keep extra cords we use when we hook up our laptop/ipad and stream shows through the tv.
Find a subtle way to sneak the wires out through the cabinet to reach the wall outlet.
Keep our DVD player protected & ventilated (it overheats if anything is placed on it).

I wound up all of the excess power cords & secured them using twist ties & my handy-dandy velcro cable ties. (Love those things!)
Then, I popped everything into the CableBox (I used the regular sized version bc it fits full-sized power strips). The speaker wires didn’t need to go in there, so I just wound ‘em up and hid them behind it. You can only see them if you’re laying on the ground (the angle in the first photo) — from the couch height, they’re invisible!

I also wanted to pretty up the wires where they run from the CableBox to the wall outlet, so I covered them with a white cable sleeve (I found this little one at a really cheap price on Amazon — LOVE that!).

Tips:

Mine was 3ft, but you can buy it in longer sizes, too.
If you need to shorten it, you can carefully cut the end down to size & then seal the loose threads by melting them with a lighter (you can hold the flame close to the threads — it doesn’t need to actually touch them). Obviously, you’ll want to do that BEFORE you run the electrical wires through it! That’s what I did, and it’s been holding up pretty well!

I also wanted to designate a little area where we could keep our extra cords handy. We stream a lot of movies & tv shows through our laptops & Ipad to watch on the big screen, so we have extra cords & cables that need to be easily accessible. These little adhesive CableDrops (also from Bluelounge — they should just hire me to be their spokesperson, haha!) were just the right thing!

Tips:

As with any adhesive product, be careful if you are applying them to any delicate surfaces.
If you decide to take them off, you may want to use Goo Gone.
Sandra over at Simple is Pretty just wrote this great little Goo Gone tutorial.

I drilled a little hole in the back of the cabinet so that the wires could reach the wall outlet, and used a cabinet shelf to create a space for my CableBox to rest (you guys know how much I love creating extra space with cabinet shelves!). Our temperamental DVD player is nestled safely underneath with plenty of ventilation & nicely protected from any temptation to place items on top (it’s awkward to reach under there & set things on it, preventing us from using it as a lazy stashing space!).

Oh, and the binder on the top shelf? That’s our easy-as-pie space-saving solution for DVD storage! Go ahead, check out that project — there’s more to it than meets the eye!

Badda Bing, Badda Boom: my super simple, space-saving, cheapo DIY tv cabinet organization is complete! It’s not perfect, but I think it’s about as chic and clutter-free as a $20 Craigslist cabinet can get!

What are YOUR favorite DIY organizing tips and storage hacks? Leave a little comment — I love hearing from you!

P.S. I’m sharing this project at The Scoop & The House of Smiths!

Tagged with: creative ideas, hidden storage, living room, media, organizing, products, simple solutions, small space solutions, space savers, storage, technology, tips and tricks
Posted in Organizing

What to Eat For Breakfast: Shake it Up with a Smoothie Station!

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Casey — 18 Comments ↓

Free Printable Labels, Protein Shake Station

Hey guys! I am guest posting over at IHeart Organizing today with a yummy, space-saving breakfast solution: a smoothie station with a little bit of secret storage!

Can you guess where I hid my blender??

Find out for sure & read all of the “juicy” details at IHeart Organizing. I even have a present for you: free printable label downloads! (I made two versions: aqua & gray and coral & white). Make sure you leave Jen some love in the comments section!

Extra Info:

I tape the nutrition facts to the side of the container when I’m trying a new protein powder. It helps me remember the brand & compare the nutrition information when I’m comparison shopping.

The cake batter protein powder I’m using right now is Muscle Milk Light. It is delicious — I even mix it in with my coffee!

I buy this peanut flour – it’s like PB2 with extra protein.

I use xanthan gum & chia seeds to make my shakes thicker.

I am NOT a nutritionist. I just like yummy things and am trying to learn to make healthier choices!

Happy blending! May your milkshakes bring ALL the boys to the yard

Interested in other space-saving kitchen storage solutions? Of course you are! Check out these quick, simple ideas: Magnetic Oven Mitt Storage, Wall-Mounted Knife Rack, & Folding Kitchen Step Stool.

UPDATE: I’ve had a lot of questions about the containers & smoothie recipes. Here ya go!

Containers: I bought them 3 or 4 years ago at Target. They have a few cracks at this point, but they’ve been seriously abused & even survived when we moved from our apartment into this house. I don’t think Target carries them anymore, but I just found one size on Amazon & added it to my store: Pretty Organized Amazon Store.

I also found this cylindrical glass canister set at Target for you!

Here’s one of my fave smoothies:

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2-1 cup frozen strawberries
1-2 scoops cake batter protein powder
1/2 cup nonfat cottage cheese
1 tablespoon chia seeds.

If you want it thicker, just add a tiny pinch of the xanthan gum. You can also add some ground flaxseed or greek yogurt to make it more filling. If you want it sweeter, just sprinkle in some stevia (NuStevia is my fave brand). It tastes like strawberry shortcake/cheesecake!

Oreo lovers: I just invented a Cookies ‘n’ Cream/Oreo recipe that works as a protein coffee or a shake! Check it out at the bottom of my Operation: Coffee Station blog post.

There are also a TON of awesome protein shake recipes at Dashing Dish. Om nom nom!

Tagged with: creative ideas, diy, hidden storage, kitchen, labels, meal planning, organizing, printables, products, small space solutions, space savers, time savers, tips and tricks
Posted in Organizing

Small Space Storage: Organizing Dog Supplies

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Casey — 2 Comments ↓

Hey guys! I’m sharing a pup-friendly storage solution over at Pretty Fluffy today. Pop on over to get all of the details on this space-saving Entryway Doggy Drawer & send Serena some love! If you haven’t seen her blog yet, you are definitely in for a treat — it is chock full of fabulous ideas for spoiling your favorite furry friends!

Oh, and you’ll also get to see Basil & Chase’s Australian modeling debut!

Tiiiiickle Fight!! Haha, don’t worry — the “real” photo is up on Pretty Fluffy! I think Basil nailed his “Magnum” pose.

Thanks so much, Serena! Pretty Fluffy + Pretty Organized = Pretty AWESOME!!

Tagged with: diy, organizing, pets, repurposing, small space solutions, space savers, storage
Posted in Organizing

Free Printable Valentine’s Day Cards

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Casey — No Comments ↓

Valentines-Card, Subtly-Sarcastic-Sayings

Hey guys! It’s almost V-Day, and I have another printable treat for you! My friend Lynsey over at LarsLove is an incredibly talented graphic designer, and she created some AWESOME free printable valentine cards (or anytime cards!) just for you! If you don’t have any bacon lovers on your Valentine’s Day list, or if you’re looking for some funny cards to hand out to friends at work, then you need these “Subtly Sarcastic Sayings” in your life!

Here’s your free printable copy: Printable-Sarcastic-Valentines-Cards

Alliteration with attitude — what’s not to love? The clean design & fresh colors could totally work for any snarky day, so if you’re feeling a little too sweet & sappy on February 14th, you can always save them to perk up a random rainy Monday!

Thanks so much, Lynsey!! I can just picture myself secretly slipping one of these into a friend’s office or surprising the hubs with a sassy lunch note, haha!

Happy Valentine’s Day, Pretty Organizers!

P.S. We are collaborating on a few more creative endeavors, so stay tuned for more fabulousness from LarsLove, and please feel free to leave a comment if you have any ideas or suggestions for future printables!

I’m linking up at The 36th Avenue & Not Just a Housewife!

Tagged with: crafts, creative ideas, gifts, holiday, office, printables, reader submissions
Posted in Organizing