February 9 - Thursday

Yippee!!!  Today is Thursday.. I love them... I go to my local quilt shop, Cinnamon's, here in town and sew with all the gals.  My to do list is long today (this morning) before I leave so I'm hustling around.  I've been up since 4:00 am!!!  Awake since 3:30....arg!!  It's just one of those mornings when I have a million things going on in my head and I JUST MIGHT AS WELL GET UP!  Do you have mornings like that too?

Well... I found some cute things for today's blog!  To get things started...let's all hear a giggle!!!!

 Aren't these two silly... the caption under the picture was... "Show-Off!"  !!  He's storing it away for later...that's for sure!

Hey.. the other day I was playing on Pinterest and I found two cute ideas to use your toilet paper cardboard with.  I immediately thought of my "freezer paper" that has escaped from the box (it got all mangled up in transporting it back and forth to classes)... SO ... I now have one of these little fellows on my roll!

It works like a champ! 

And look what some clever person

did with this one!

Covered it...so it looks prettier holding your cord.  This idea I really love... I've told you all this before but I hate cords lying all over.... it's just one of those things that bugs the crap out of me!

I hope I haven't posted this already... but if I did.. here it is again... it's worth checking it out again.

The reason why I brought this up... there was a gal at the retreat that had recovered her sewing chair (she had it with her).  The back - she had embroidered her initials on it and the seat was a beautiful coordinating fabric. 

So... I checked my two chairs (one at the sewing machine and one I'm currently sitting in at the computer) to see if it was time for a recover job.  The answer was NO... not now.  However, I did inspect how to take apart the back and seat... no problem.  Just get my handy-dandy screw driver and I'm in business!!  You can use cotton - or better yet a heavier weight fabric.

Joann Fabrics has the lower priced upholstery fabric (it's on regular bolts...not the HUGE rolls) that is perfect for this project.  Just find one that matches your room and you're good to go! 

Then... this idea was a BIG HIT WITH ME!!  I just don't know how people have the brain cells to think of these ideas.  Makes me so jealous that my mind does not think like this!  All this is... is a pillow case and a LARGE embroidery hoop - the kind you use when you are quilting... you know the wooden style... HOW many times have I seen these sweet things for sale in the Camp Blanding Retreat Sale Room and I've just passed them up...telling myself - NO WAY am I going to hand quilt... I don't need to buy that! 

DUH... I could have made this!  It's a great idea to hang on the back of your kids doors!  When it's time for laundry...just grab it and off to the washer and dryer you go.

However... I also thought it would be cute to have several of them (all color coordinated...of course) hanging in your child's room full of their small stuffed toys... trucks and cars...

Or... if you had a laundry room big enough... hang several of them along the walls - stitched with cute tags on the front of the pillow case that would read - "towels",  "blue jeans", etc. 

What do you think?  The ideas are endless!!

 

Let your imagination go wild!!  And... keep watching those garage and tag sales for more of these hoops!

Here is your organizational tip for the day:

Do you have a utensil crock?  (I do...love it!)  Well, it's time to clean it out!  Assess all of the tools you have in there... do you use them?  If you are shaking your head NO... it's time to put them in the box for Goodwill!!!  Do you have a box for Goodwill already in your garage or basement?  If the answer is NO... it's time to get TWO of them... one for clothing and one for household items.

I've done this and it is SO WONDERFUL!  When it's time for something to go... and it's still in good shape...still has potential value to someone.. in the appropriate box it goes.  If it's not worth anything... it finds it's way into the BIG GREEN GARBAGE CAN! 

See you tomorrow!!

Gloria

February 8, 2012 - Wednesday

Well... I'm up and refreshed... I slept like a champ last night.  I was talking to my friend... plopped on the bed while we were chatting... then played a few 'scrabble with friends' games on my phone... and that was all she wrote.  I was gone!  Until... the smell of coffee brewing this morning.  You know... NO ONE makes a better cup of coffee than my hubby!  It just tastes so great!

Hey... look what my friend, Paula, sent me!!  Now this is what I call having fun 'jumping on the bed' with your best friend!!

He doesn't even look scared does he?  So silly!!!

***********************

Then... I have a blog I follow from SEW MANY WAYS... and she had some wonderful ideas on how to use HANGING SHOE BAGS.  I use these myself... especially with my sewing supplies!  I have one full of all those small sewing items that you just don't know where to put!  I use the plastic - clear ones... so I can see right through them and it's easier to find things.  Here are some of her examples!!

Here we have two different types of shoe bags... the one on top is great for adult shoes...so they can sit nice and flat and not get all crunched up.  The bottom one is great for softer - children's shoes.  It's so much less stressful for them (and you) to keep their room and the floor of their closet clean when we make it this easy.  You can attach the shoe rack at the bottom to the door so it won't swing around when the door is opened.

For those of you that have cold weather...these work great for gloves, scarves, etc. on the inside of your coat closet.  How many times did we have to search for gloves when we were little... Trying to remember which coat pocket we stuffed them in.  Here is your answer.  You could even put kids small rubber boots in the pockets too!!!  How about the dog leash... since you have to go to the closet to get your coat to walk the dog... it's a great place for their leash!!  Or... if they too have to wear a coat... stuff it in one of these pockets!

How about for toys????  I thought of this for my grand kids... you know how they have all of these teeny...tiny... toys???  What a great place to store them.  Although.. I would have to use the clear plastic ones... so they can find things easier!  Polly Pockets, doll house furniture, crayon boxes... the list goes on and on...

Now... this is genius... Here is a SKINNY linen closet door in your bathroom.  Most of the shoe racks are to wide... so... just cut in in half!!!  How cool is that?   Fill it full of anything you want... extra toothpaste, hair brushes, q-tips, hair scrunchies.... the list can go on and on!  LOVE THIS IDEA!!

How about hanging one in your kitchen pantry???  You know all of those small packages of spices that we buy...for tacos, gravy, jello... this is a perfect place to store them!  And by using plastic.. you can see everything!

This organizer is hanging on the inside of the closet in an office!  How many times do I search all over my desk for items that I only need to use once in awhile?  You know... the single paper punch, extra scotch tape, address stickers, extra post-it notes.... pencil lead/erasers (for my ever sharps), and then...we have the different size markers/highlighters.. I could go on forever!  Here you go... you now have a solution!!

But this...is the best... for FABRIC.  Now.. the only drawback on the fabric storage issue... you cannot pile 20 pounds of fabric on each of these shelf units..they are not that strong!  however... they are a great place to put your charm packs... how about patterns in each slot (by categories) ... you have a great imagination... let it fly!!!

Well...with all of these ideas today.. I'm getting the vibes that Walmart, Target, Kmart... will be bombed with shoe organizer purchases!    Here are some more ideas for you (just to keep your mind going crazy with ideas....)

• cleaners
• medicine...as long as they are locked and out of reach from children. Great for child free homes
• canning jars filled with craft supplies (buttons, beads). Each jar fits in the pockets
• children's snack bars and treats
• socks, nylons, pantyhose, tights
• bra organizer...keeps them from getting crushed in your drawer
• dog supplies...toys, stuffed animals, bones, treat, leashes, collars, brushes
• hair accessories...head bands, clips, bows, brushes, curling irons, straighteners etc

Hope you have fun getting your "shoe bags" into place!  Let me know if you've used yours for anything different than what I've shown you!

That's your organizational tip for the day:  USE SHOE BAGS and make your life so much easier!

Chat tomorrow...

Gloria

February 7, 2012 – Tuesday

Today … I’m hopefully sewing with my girlfriend, Merryanne!!  We normally get together on Tuesdays and sew for a good part of the day…have lunch… and then she heads home in the afternoon.  It’s such a good bonding time.  She’s a nut and I love her to death… sisterhood is such a wonderful thing.  I have so MANY sisters.. it’s just wonderful!!

Hey… I wanted to share these three silly photos with you of this goofy cat!  Can you imagine a cat liking to sleep in a bowl???  How strange!!!

My hubby sent me this list today.  I thought it was so interesting… so it’s my blog for the day!  Did you know that:

ALABAMA – was the first place to have 911 – started in 1968.

ALASKA – one out of every 64 people has a pilot’s license.

ARIZONA – Is the only state in the continental US which doesn’t follow Daylight Savings Time.

ARKANSAS – has the only active diamond mine in the US.

CALIFORNIA – Its economy is so large that if it were a country, it would rank seventh in the world.

COLORADO – In 1976 it became the only state to turn down the Olympics.

CONNECTICUT – The Frisbee was invented here at Yale University.

DELAWARE – has more scientists and engineers than any other state.

FLORIDA – at 874.3 square miles, Jacksonville if the US’s largest city. (I knew that…did you?)

GEOGIA – It was here, in 1886, that pharmacist John Pemberton made the first vat of Coca-Cola.

HAWAII – Hawaiians live, on average 5 years longer than residents in any other state.  It has no snakes!

IDAHO – TV was invented in Rigby, Idaho, in 1922.

ILLINOIS – Has a Governor in jail, one pending jail, and the most corrupt state in the union! (now that’s a state I want to live in…)

INDIANA – Home to Santa Claus, Indiana which gets a half million letters to Santa every year.

IOWA – Winnebago got their name from Winnebago County.  Only state that begins with two vowels.

KANSAS – Liberal, Kansas – has an exact replica of the house in The Wizard of Oz.

KENTUCKY – has more than $6 billion in gold underneath Fort Knox.

LOUISIANA – has parishes instead of counties – they were originally Spanish church units.

MAINE – It’s so big, it covers as many square miles as the other 5 New England states combined.

MARYLAND – The Ouija board was created in Baltimore in 1892.

MASSACHUSETTS – The Fig Newton is named after Newton, Mass.

MICHIGAN – Fremont, home to Gerber is the baby food capital of the world.

MINNESOTA – Bloomington Mall of America is so big, if you spent 10 minutes in each store, you’d be there nearly four days. (my feet and back hurt just thinking about it…)

MISSISSIPPI – President Teddy Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear here…that’s how the teddy bear got its name

MISSOURI – The birthplace of the ice cream cone.

MONTANA – A sapphire from Montana is in the Crown Jewels of England.

NEBRASKA – more triplets are born here than in any other state. (wonder if it’s the water?)

NEW HAMPSHIRE – Birthplace of Tupperware, invented in 1938 by Earl Tupper.

NEW JERSEY – has the most shopping malls in one are in the world.

NEW MEXICO – Smokey the Bear was rescued from a 1950 forest fire here.

NEW YORK – Is the home to the nation’s oldest cattle ranch, started in 1747 in Montauk

NORTH CAROLINA – home of the first Krispy Kreme doughnut. (YUM)

NORTH DAKOTA – Rigby, is the exact geographic center of north America.

OHIO – the hot dog was invented here in 1900

OKLAHOMA – the ground of the state capital are covered by operating oil wells.

OREGON – has the most ghost towns in the country.

PENNSYLVANIA – the Smiley :) was first used in 1980 by computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University.

RHODE ISLAND – the nation’s oldest bar, the White Horse Tavern, opened here in 1673.

SOUTH CAROLINA – Sumter County is the home to the world’s largest gingko farm

SOUTH DAKOTA – is the only state that’s never had an earthquake.

TENNESSEE – Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry is the longest running live radio show in the world.

TEXAS – Dr. Pepper was invented in Waco back in 1885.  The hamburger was invented in Arlington-1906.

UTAH – the first Kentucky Fiend Chicken opened here in 1952.

VERMONT – Montpelier is the only state capital without a McDonald’s. (I wonder why??)

VIRGINIA – home of the world’s largest office building – The Pentagon.

WASHINGTON – Seattle has twice as many college graduates at any other state.

WASHINGTON DC – was the first planned capital in the world

WEST VIRGINIA – had the world’s first brick paved street in Charleston in 1870.

WISCONSIN – the ice cream sundae was invented in 1881 to get around Blue Laws prohibiting ice cream from being sold on Sundays. (I’m so glad they thought of this!)

WYOMING – the first state to allow women to vote!

 *********************************

Well…what did you think?  Wasn’t it fun to know some of these things.  Now you are all ready to play Trivial Pursuit!  Hahahahaahahaha… (I was never very good at that game…).  These will be fun to share at the dinner table with your family!

Breakfast is ready… I’m heading to the kitchen.

Have a great day… and… let’s get organized!  Here’s your tip for the day…

 

Do you have a pet?  It’s time to clean out their toys… throw out those they no longer play with… or the ones that are looking pretty darn ‘scary’… buy them a new one.  I’m sure you’ll get a big slobbery kiss for it!