Simply DIY 2

Last week I was looking at my shoes in their respective shoe boxes and decided that it looked too disorderly: It was time for some reorganizing.  Some of my shoes were already in  plastic shoe boxes  from Target, so I figured I'd keep them all the same.   I went to Target and purchased a few more shoe boxes (about $2.50 each) and anxiously awaited my Christmas gift exchange with my friend Mary Rae who purchased the rest!  I really like the purple latch on the sides, but you can find simple and cheaper ones at the dollar store. Source Even though the shoe boxes are clear, I wanted a way to label the front of each box.  I'll be looking at the boxes head on and not from the side, so it makes more sense to be able to read a description of the shoe than to pull each box down until I find the one I need.   I remembered the self-stick chalkboard sheets that I used to make a  chalkboard frame  back in October and figured I could use ...

I just can't help myself - I like love to hang baskets .  I like the simple look of it.  I like how practical baskets can be.  When we first moved in to our house, I stuck this little basket on the inside of our closet to hold random things - keys, gloves, etc.  It eventually became a holding place for our my sandals and flip flops: The current basket is obviously WAY to small to hold the shoes (Did I mention I like shoes too !).  The basket has a little hoop on the top which is hanging on a picture hanger.   The shoes were too heavy and they were starting to make the basket fall to the floor. Either I get rid of the shoes, or get a larger basket - I'm sure we all know the answer to that dilemma.   So I started thinking about what I could do to hang a bigger basket - more nails, Command hooks, etc.  Then I thought about my  bathroom baskets  and this random IKEA towel rod I had lying around.  BINGO...

Since my last major clean-up of my craft area in  February , my craft area started to get a bit cluttered again:  It's a bit messy, but it's been worse.  However, it was in need of an update.  I've been wanting to get a new table for some time now, as this one is, from what I'm told, is my great-grandma's.  As lovely as it is, it's a bit musty smelling and the paint is chipping and most objects stick to the paint on the top.  I finally got the push to go to IKEA and get a new table.  I love how inexpensive their tables can be.  I picked up the  VIKA AMON  ($26) top and four  VIKA ADILS  legs ($3.50 each !) for my new table. It was simple to put together.  They had predrilled holes in the top for the legs to go in. I just followed the directions to attach the legs to the top: Then I rearranged my area a bit and organized some and voila: My area is once again organized and now I have a more functional t...

Ok- so I've been slacking on the scrapbooking lately.  Third grade has been a lot of work!  Since I haven't had much time to scrap, my scrapbook/craft area has turned into a "Let's pile stuff here" area.   Kerry and I bought the LACK floating shelves from IKEA in the summer.  I like the shelves, but they aren't very sturdy, so I didn't put much on them...until last week when we bought 4 EKBY STODIS brackets at $.50 a pop ! I did a little rearranging of my table and scrapbook storage boxes and voila ! Organized scrapbook/craft area ! I made these curtains a couple of years ago as a cute way to hide some of my craft materials. Now you can Do It Yourself Too ! ~Stephanie

When Kerry started his Masters this fall, he wanted needed some bigger desk space.  We were still using his small, old college desk from IKEA.  He wanted something big, dark, and bulky with a file cabinet and I wanted something big, light, and simple.  We searched and searched but couldn't come to an agreement on anything. Then I found this DIY desk: And this one: He was as equally excited for this idea as I was. So, we did some research and came up with an idea for the desk.  His dad would help us to build the top and a shelf for one end and we would purchase an IKEA VIKA ALEXA drawer unit in white and a VIKA CURRY leg in white. So Kerry and his dad went to Lowe's and got a big panel of wood.  His dad used all his sweet saws to cut it down to 24 inches by 72 inches.  He added a 1/2 inch trim to it and stained it a nice, dark brown.  He used the left over wood to build a small bookshelf to support one of the ends...