Desk Drawer Organization

It's one thing to organize the top of a desk. But what about the bottom? Besides a bunch of cables and a foot stool, I had this bright red 2-drawer cube.

In my old space, it did its job. It's where I put my extra note pads, batteries, rulers, etc. All the extra desk stuff that I didn't want to display on my desk. However, in my new space it quickly turned into this... (WARNING! Scary image coming up!)

I know, it's like a scary movie - you want to cover your eyes and run away! I've been complaining about these drawers for a while. I thought about replacing them with a tall rolling set of drawers, but I kind of liked the shape of mine and how the cube was short enough that i could store something on top of it if I had to. I had to find a solution of the same approximate height, but something more organization-friendly. I was having a tough time finding something I liked!

Then came boxing day this past December. My mom was browsing through Michaels when she came across this:

The Recollections 4-drawer Storage Cube. It's a cube! It's appropriate height! It has four drawers - perfect for separating items! The best part is... it was on sale! Woo! Thanks Mom! :)

This cube has been sitting in my room until a few weeks ago when I decided it was time to put it together and finally clean out the old red cube.

How did I do? :) I absolutely love this thing. It looks so clean! I also love that there are several add-ons within this brand. I may invest in more items down the line as my collecting of crafting tools grows!

Do you own anything similar? Let me know in the comments!

--Anita

Frame Refinish with... Electrical Tape!

For Christmas, we received these two gorgeous and adorable pet-themed frames from my mother-in-law. One is dog themed and the other is cat themed. I absolutely love them. This is the cat themed:

I needed new frames to add Milo and Remy to our family photo wall, and these were perfect... except for one thing. They were red. As you may have seen in my Christmas post, our living room wall is a gorgeous deep red. I can't put a red frame on a red wall. That would be a huge #fail!

They needed to be black to match my other frames. Okay, I thought, no problem! I'll just paint them black! Then I started thinking back to the last time I tried refinishing something with paint... It didn't go too well. I still need practice with that... So what else could I do? I searched my house for craft items I could use. Then I came across a roll of black electrical tape. Ah-ha! I've seen countless Washi tape posts by bloggers all over the internet, but not too many about electrical tape. I thought I would give it a try.

Materials used:

- Scissors
- Electrical Tape
- Photo frame

I was lucky in that the tape was the exact width of the front edge of the frame. Score! I started with the top and bottom edges. I stuck on an inch at a time, carefully smoothing out the tape as I went. then I did the other two edges.

The sides of the frame were unfortunately wider than the width of the tape, so I needed two rows for them, being a tape surgeon to carefully stick one right next to the other. The inside of the frame, against the glass, were left red. The overlapped tape at the corners formed a slightly elevated ridged square, which I ended up liking.

The finished product:

Kind of looks cool! I love how the electrical tape has a slight sheen to it! I did the same for the other frame, and now they both match the ones on our family photos wall. The best thing about this idea is that the tape easily comes off if ever I want to display that gorgeous red border again.

How did I do? Have you ever used electrical tape in your DIY projects? Share them in the comments! :)

--Anita

PS. Obligatory Pinterest Photo ;)

Monthly Insta-Recap! - February

I've recently hopped on the Instagram bandwaggon, and let me tell you I'm getting hooked quickly! As I slowly build up my album, I thought I'd start a new blog series to motivate me to both explore the insta-verse a little more, and create and constant blog routine. At the beginning of each month, I'll post a recap of the photos I have uploaded to Instagram the previous month.

Without further ado.... the first Insta-Recap!

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As this month included Valentine's Day, there was love all over the "gram"! From roses to scrumptious sweets, to cute surprises... I had so much fun viewing all the photos in my feed and around the net!

 As for myself, hubby and I planned at at-home romantic night this year. Valentine's Day is always so rediculously busy for restaurants, and even more this year since it fell on a Saturday. We decided to skip the craziness and do our own thing. We had a nice dinner (which he cooked, and brilliantly!) by candle-light, finishing with a yummy chocolate fondue while we snuggled in blankets on the couch and watched a movie.

Of course I went all out with my craftiness and created cute menu cards which will become a keepsake for our photo album.

Happy Valentine's Day!! What are your plans this year? #love #datenight #athome #dinner #fondue #diy #crafts #valentinesday

A photo posted by Anita | The Sprinkled Home (@followanita) on Feb 14, 2015 at 7:42am PST

And here was my outfit for the day! Comfy red pants, white sweater, red purse and accessories. Anyone see a kitty there? :) #kittycamouflage

Nothing screams #valentinesday like red pants and white sweaters! #fashion #vday #ispyakitty

A photo posted by Anita | The Sprinkled Home (@followanita) on Feb 14, 2015 at 12:45pm PST

Some other February moments...

This is totally my go-to feel-good drink right now! #keurig #wintercomforts #appleciderrocksmysocks

A photo posted by Anita | The Sprinkled Home (@followanita) on Feb 5, 2015 at 8:43am PST

"Let's chase the evil Swiffer-Monster around the house while Mom's trying to sweep!" #sillypets #easypetworkouts

A photo posted by Anita | The Sprinkled Home (@followanita) on Feb 1, 2015 at 7:06am PST

I walk by this everyday in our hallway, and every time I read it I smile. 😊 #quotes #inspirational #home #family #friends #love #frames #decor

A photo posted by Anita | The Sprinkled Home (@followanita) on Feb 17, 2015 at 12:15pm PST

Perfect start to a Saturday morning. #coffee #java #cookies #treat #breakfast #relaxing

A photo posted by Anita | The Sprinkled Home (@followanita) on Feb 21, 2015 at 7:40am PST

This is happening tonight! (Finally! Missed it in theaters.) #bighero6 #disney #movienight #baymax

A photo posted by Anita | The Sprinkled Home (@followanita) on Feb 27, 2015 at 4:44pm PST

And finally to end the month, cuddles with my littlest little-fur-man... :)

Morning cuddles and purrs with Remy! #kittenlove #sleepy #snuggles

A photo posted by Anita | The Sprinkled Home (@followanita) on Feb 28, 2015 at 9:29am PST

Be sure to follow me on Instagram for more fun! See you soon!

--Anita

Washi Tape Light Switch Makeover

It's about time I get on the Washi Tape bandwagon! I discovered Washi on Pinterest and other blogs a few months ago, and fell in love with its diversity and many uses. I had to buy some. And test it... and of course blog about it. So without further ado, my first washi tape project!

It's pretty simple. Light switch covers are boring. I had to jazz this one up a bit!

I used a cool teal blue patterned tape I came across on one of my grocery shopping trips. I simply unscrewed the cover from the wall, covered it row by row with the tape, then screwed it back in. It took about 10 minutes. And it looks pretty cool!

Have you washi-ed a light switch cover? Share your designs in the comments! :)

--Anita

Bathroom "Top Drawer" Organization

One of my 2015 new year resolutions is to organize areas of my home that are used on a daily basis and tend to get cluttered easily. One of those areas is our master washroom. Since this is the room we first walk into in the morning, and we last walk out of at night, it's important to me that everything in there looks tidy and clean. It's not fun waking up on a Monday morning to an ugly messy space.

The first thing that had to be fixed as soon as possible was the "top drawer". You know, that drawer that holds all your basic odds and ends... toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, hair clips, extra cotton balls, etc. This drawer became a nightmare space in a hurry after we moved in. Even though only my own stuff resides in it (hubby has his own space for his stuff), it quickly became a dumping ground for too many items. Here's a photo:

Ugly! I realized that the reason it looked so messy was because everything was literally just dumped into it instead of separated neatly. I needed a drawer organizer. I searched Amazon and finally found one that looked perfect for what I needed.

I loved the long space in the middle. Perfect for toothpaste and toothbrushes! The whole thing ended up fitting perfectly in the drawer and I was able to sort out my stuff in it. Some things, like travel sized shampoos and soaps, I opted to remove completely and store in a different area. I only need those a few times a year, so why should they cramp my drawer on a daily basis?

To add a bit more flash, and to hide the ugly paint scrapes at the bottom of the drawer, I cut up a piece of gold wrapping paper left over from Christmas, and lined the drawer with it. I love this idea because it's cheap and I can easily change the paper to match my mood throughout the seasons.

The only extra thing I left in the drawer is the bag of little cotton pads and some q-tips. I use these every day to remove makeup. I have some stored on top of the counter, but since I use them so much, they have to be refilled quite often and it's a pain to run to a different room all the time to get them. Since the bags can be tucked in behind the organizer quite easily, I thought that would work for now.

What do you think? Have you organized your drawer in a similar way? What areas of your home do you plan on organizing first this year? I'd love to hear about them!

-Anita