Organization Palooza Day 3: Laundry Room

Day 3 of Organization Palooza! Woot. Woot.

How goes the battle? Are you making any progress at your house? Or just sitting back and enjoying following along with me? Either way, as long as you are enjoying yourself that is all that matters.

I have to jump right in today. No friendly one sided banter. The twins are here and it is unpredictable as to how long they will sleep. So let's hop to it.

__________________________________________

Today I tackled the laundry room. Well late last night actually. It has come a LONG way.

After countless loads of laundry, sorting through backed up beach and overnight bags, and implementing some new organization this room has become functional again.

Quite the transformation eh?

First things first, everything got emptied out and scrubbed down. It actually looks the same in this picture as when I shared the progress we made since we first moved in. Check it out here.

Then everything came back it. In an orderly fashion of course.

Let's take a closer look. From the top.

The top shelf holds three baskets that are newly labelled: his and hers gym gear and everyones pool gear. A last minute decision to scoot out for a workout or dip wont be any work at all because everything is in one place.

Below the top shelf is a hang-bar that runs the full length of the room. It is perfect for drying delicate clothing. And to avoid a backup and overflowing pile of clothes to be ironed, I leave them hanging to one side until there are enough to get me through a chick flick for an exciting Friday night.

To the right of the tiled counter, which common-law did himself, are the functional pretties. 

A basket of beach towels. For emergencies in the back yard during the summer {you never know when a sprinkler party may break out} or when throwing a quick beach bag together. A glass jar for odd socks. Clothes pins. Bounce sheets readily available. A small glass vile of detergent special for Finley's cloth diapers {the container it came in was beyond messy}. And a temporary bowl of detergent pods used by Sarah {which make the room smell delish by the way}.

Readily available, between the washing machine and dryer, is the rest of the supplies - detergents, iron, stain removers, static guard, and attachments for our steamer. On the floor, below the lowest shelf is a plastic covered bin I use for garbage.

The shelves run the depth of the machines so there is plenty of room to store extra supplies if they go on sale.

To the left of the work station are two hampers - one for clothes and the other for towels and blankets.

Above, on what was a very bare wall, are now three hooks. I am thinking I'd like to hang art of some kind on those pant hangers but have not found that perfect fit so colouring, courtesy of my nieces, adds a pop for now. The centre hook supports our ever busy beach bag. It is always pre-packed with swim diapers, bathing suits, sunscreen, and a life jacket. Just grab those clean towels from the counter and we are good to go.

I hung the erasable weekly cleaning chart right by the door. It wont be overlooked there.

The labels were simple to make and I am delighted with how they turned out. 

I cut strips of blue/grey paper and rounded the corners. Then I used a liquid paper pen to write what was inside. Add an eyelet and you are good to go.

_______________________________________

That is that. Now I am actually looking forward to my next laundry day!
Ill keep you posted on what I come up with for decoration in there. But ill take function over pretties in the laundry room any day of the week. For now anyhow! Ideas? Send them my way.
Have you tackled your laundry area yet? What are you working on? I love to hear from you! Share away.
Chat soon.

A Closer Look: Finley's Room

It is due time for a room walk through around here. Wouldn't you agree?

And what better space than Finley's Bedroom?! After completing his exciting new fabric covered headboard and frame this week, which you can read all about ici et la, it seems like the logical choice.

Without further a-do. Step on in to Finley's humble abode.

This room is an eclectic hodgepodge of all things we love - we being Robert and I. And hopefully Finley eventually will too! A rainbow of colours were incorporated but navy, bright green, and pops of red are dominant. And the decor is made up of items from our pasts apart, together, and those collected over this past year as a family.

A vintage dresser, that my brother and I scored at Frenchies years ago for $20, plays the role of changing table perfectly. And after countless coats of bright green paint it is a show stopper. The lobster wall art was a gift to Finley on his birthday {literally} from his cousins Sophey, Marley, and Eloise. *Jevon's hangs alone on the other side of the window.

The floating shelves above are ideal for diaper storage and a few boyish pretties. Eventually, when Finn has grown into a little man, I would like to build a desk in place of the dresser for crafting and homework. The shelves will then evolve into practical supplies storage.

Wow, Roberts childhood friend, has claimed the new bed as his own.

The DIY fabric covered bed frame is the perfect spot to hang out as a family, Moe included, and snuggle up with a good book. Harry Potter will be read for countless nights to come I am certain, being that it was what started us all on this journey {Get the scoop here}.

I painted the lamp this bright red to make it pop in contrast to the navy wall. The colour brings out the detailing beautifully. And I can't remember for sure but I believe I scooped it from my moms house. Free! That or it was a yard sale find with a very low price tag.

The Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes was a precious gift from Meema as it once belonged to generations before her.

This quirky 'You were made for me' turtle was a sweet and silly gift between my mother and father many years ago.

It is all in the details! Finley's name is spelled out in old wooden building blocks running along the top of the closets trim work.

Cookie Monster, who once belonged to my oldest nephew, welcomes us to the rooms reading corner. With DIY shelves, inspired via Pinterest, this nook stays tidy while taking up little to no floor space. And the rocker was a Christmas gift from Robert a few years back while we were newly courting. *He must have known way back then we would need it!

I think the wall art on the feature wall is my favourite part of this room - less the babe that sleep in the crib of course! Mother and I collected and framed different things that were special to Robert and I over the years and hung them in a random display. We pulled this together at this exact time last year - the week before he arrived.

Some of the memories that fill the frames are: an autographed Wayne Gretzky picture, one of my brother Garry's first paintings, a sketch he did of Moe and Robert {see his latest work here}, money pieces from my fathers collection, a baby outfit that Robert wore, a mix of my fathers and Roberts marbles, an old dinkie car, Roberts favourite childhood yo-yo, handmade A,B,C and anchor art we received from a sweet friend at a baby shower, my fathers last bowling score card, and more. We will incorporate new memories for years to come.

Finley loves to go for a 'night, night' with Clifford, Mac, and his glow bug {actually it's a seahorse but that is a mouthful}.

Art painted by my mother. A globe rescued from collecting dust in Robert's parents basement {the best place to hunt for treasure}. And a hand carved and painted bird made by my Finley's great grandparents, Earl and Verna, years ago.

A peak at the rooms organization. The cloth diapers are kept tidy in two medium sized baskets. Gosh I love baskets! And the ointments/baby toiletries {haha} are easy to find in a smaller version.

*Yes, I do tend to colour coordinate whenever possible. Aka. Always. Are you judging me right now? Perfectly normal, I get that all the time. Just think what Robert has to live with...

Harry Potter? Yes please! Held together by still-too-big rubber boots passed down from cousin Jevon acting as book ends. Cute right?

And last, but certainly not least, a vintage rocker my mom found at an antique store. When she brought it home it was a dirty cream colour with a faded floral seat. But after a few coats of red spray paint and a trip to Frenchies for a plaid shirt to cover the seat {$2} Finley has a rocker to call his own. *We actually had pictures done last fall with this beauty and plan to continue to do so every year until he breaks it!

I hope you enjoyed this little walk through as much as I did. Any feedback you have to contribute, positive or negative alike, would be greatly appreciated! Bring it on!

Chat soon.