Tag Archives: organizing

Chessboard Review

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When I moved Storypiece from wordpress.com to wordpress.org a few months back, I realized that some additional housekeeping would be in order.  I knew part of the move would include updating keywords for SEO, improving photo tags and tightening up some of the post formatting.  For those that don’t blog, this essentially all comes down to reviewing my older content and making changes so that people can find me on the web and when they do, it doesn’t take a thousand years for the page to load.

All good things, but surprisingly tedious.

As I’ve begun this process, I’m also realizing that if you are new to this blog, you may not have seen some of these older posts.  Some of which I’m still pretty excited about.  Okay… many of the photos are painfully embarrassing, but the projects themselves are fun.

Like the custom chessboard I made for Tyson.

Last Spring we were given several unexpected items from Tyson’s step-mom, Patty.

One such treasure was a handmade chess set that Tyson’s Mom had made for his Dad when Tyson was a baby.

Vintage Chess Pieces | Storypiece

Tyson didn’t remember the set from his childhood and so I called his Mom to get the full story.

Vintage Chess Set | StorypieceI also decided to make a custom chessboard for the pieces to complete the set.  It included the vintage newsprint that the pieces had been wrapped in and really cool metallic paint.

Ironing Newspaper | Storypiece

Through the process, I even learned that you can iron old crinkled newspaper.  Who knew?!

Custom Chessboard made from Vintage Newsprint | Storypiece

Of course, we still don’t know how to play chess.  But when we learn, we’ve got the perfect set.

So periodically I may bring back a few of these stories.  I promise not to reblog every one, just to share the highlights.  If you’ve read them before, feel free to skip over the review. And if there’s something that speaks to you, let me hear that too.

Any new tasks in your life that are giving you time to reflect? Have you taken a recent walk down memory lane? Do you know how to play chess and want to come teach our family?

 

 

Labels and Life

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The more I work on this blog, the more I realize that I might, in fact, be a tiny bit of a challenge to live with.  True story.  I’m the queen of “unfinished projects, but let’s start something new anyway”.  I have lots of piles all over the house.  Things I’m working on… Things I’m gonna work on…  Things I’ll never work on, but haven’t gotten rid of yet… and I’m fairly content in ALL of the chaos.

And because I am married to a man who approaches life in a completely opposite way, I am continually impressed, overwhelmed and blessed by the depth of Tyson’s grace for me. He is neat and orderly and likes to see things thru to completion before starting something new.  He loves me despite my crazy and that just makes me want to work harder to clean up my act.

Don’t get me wrong, when you visit our home, you’re not walking into an episode of “Hoarders”.  But my ability to have things more organized in our home, has LOADS of room for improvement.

Case in point… when I left abruptly last month to visit my mom, my man was surrounded with loose ends to take care of and me trying to navigate him through it all from 1200 miles away.  At one point, he was just trying to find a pen in the workroom and me knowing which unmarked box that I store them in just seemed so clearly inefficient.

Unmarked Storage

Sure, he could’ve just searched in the different boxes, but there comes a point where you’d like to grab a pen and get back to the greater task at hand.

Searching thru Storage

So it’s time to get some things labeled.

Chalkboard Labels

Look who learned to play with FOTOR this week.  Thanks Gilit!

I decided wood stained, chalkboard tags would be perfect since I’m loving both right now and they would be easy to relabel down the road.

Tyson cut me 4″ wood pieces to stain with Minwax in Dark Walnut.  I also found and wanted to try out these Chalkboard Labels by Martha Stewart and a Chalk Marker to write with.

Chalkboard Label Supplies

I was curious how these products would compare with standard chalkboard paint and chalk.

The chalkboard labels are a nice alternative to working with chalk paint.  They are easy to use and gave me a crisp, clean edge that I’m always hoping I’ll get with paint.  I didn’t try out actual chalk on these labels and I want to soon.

Chalkboard Labels

While the stain dried on the wood pieces, I cut the labels to the size I needed and wrote out the names for each box.

Box Labels

The pen worked really well on the label, but it definitely doesn’t behave like chalk.  Once it’s applied, it’s not wiping off.  That’s fine for this project, but noteworthy if you are expecting your chalk marker to work like chalk.

Chalk Marker

I added the labels to the stained wood and then attached velcro to both the tag and the fabric box.  This will give me flexibility to adjust the tag placement and move them around if necessary.

Attached Labels

We went with a neutral color palette in the workroom and the labels fit in nicely.

Labeled Storage

Hopefully, anyone can now come in and easily find glue, tape, pens, or stuff to take notes with.  Tyson isn’t a crafty guy, so he probably won’t be looking in the first box, but if he’s looking for something tiny and random, it just might be in there.  Gotta keep the guy guessing on some things, right?!

Have you tried out chalkboard labels or chalk markers?  Is labeling things and organization second nature to you? Have you realized that the way you do things might not always be the easiest way for those around you?  It’s definitely enlightening.

PS.  For those that are curious, this is not a sponsored review.  I’m just sharing what I discovered with these products in our home.

Also, this post is being linked to Thrifty Decor Chick.  For more on the party check it out here.

Lurking Under the Bed

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My last post was getting a little long so I thought I’d break it into a two parter.  This second half is just as organized, but not nearly as colorful.

Once the closet was complete, I turned my attention to the rest of the room.  Alex from North of Seven had suggested bringing in a trunk for storage. I like combining that idea with some sort of custom bench seating for under the window.  However, I wanted to see what kind of under the bed solutions I could find first.

When we moved Tessa’s bed to paint, there were several “lost” items under it.  I’m hoping to better utilize that space and in the process keep out anything that doesn’t belong.

The Container Store was a huge help.  We picked up two smaller boxes with compartments for little trinkets and mementos.

We also got a medium size box for craft supplies.  This summer, Tess has been learning to knit and she is always making friendship bracelets.

Lastly, we purchased a large container for her puppets.  Yes… puppets!

(Two points for anyone who recognizes where Tessa and her felt friend are standing.)

Both Tess and Evan were a part of our church puppet ministry for several years.  Their team of middle and high school students were an amazing group that performed in the community and at our church.  If she ever wants to revisit this talent, her gear will be available.

Everything fits neatly under the bed and she has room to add to each of the boxes.

A few tips I’ve discovered so far:

  • By re-evaluating what would stay in the room and why, we then purchased storage that would follow form and function.  Things Tess accesses all the time went in the closet; lesser used items went under the bed.
  • This is a great time of year to be looking for organization and storage solutions.  Many stores have wonderful promotions especially as students are gearing up to go to college.  We’ve been able to get some great deals on bedding too.  More on that to come.

We are in the home stretch of finishing the room and Tess and I are so excited!  We added some storage to her desk and we are in the process of adding a mirror to create a vanity look that I can’t wait to share.

So… as a person who never stores things under the bed, I’d love to hear what you think of this solution.  Am I crazy to think things will stay organized under there?  Will this just turn into a massive stash zone?  What has been you experience?  If nothing else, we don’t have to worry about bedtime monsters lurking under there anymore… I hope.

Storage Solutions: What’s in Your Closet?

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This past weekend we started reloading our daughter’s room and designing storage solutions for the space.  I have a ton to share over a few posts, so let’s get started.

First on the agenda was reinstalling Tessa’s closet shelving and doors.  As much as I liked the openness of having the dresser in the closet, I can’t get over how much space reassembling the closet created.  I know… a functioning closet equals tons of storage… who knew?!

Here’s the “Before”:

The guys moved the dresser out and the shelving tower was anchored in.

I noticed that the old closet rods had off white holders.

Just as I was thinking, “Should I paint those?” this happened:

Tyson accidentally cracked the top holder and the decision was made for me… new closet rod holders it is.  Yay!  The old ones would’ve seriously bugged me every time I opened the closet.

Once the new holders were in, Tyson rehung the doors.  This is like maneuvering a life size puzzle.

But when they’re in, they look… well… just like their suppose to.  I like it!

Then it was time to load it up.

First things, first.  Since we got rid of Tessa’s dresser, we needed a solution for those things that couldn’t be hung up… namely socks, underthings and pajamas.  For these, I was able to find collapsable boxes at Target in their dollar section.  They were $2.50 each… Can you believe it?!  And they are the perfect color.

I grabbed these in the same section.  They are exactly what we needed and the right price.

The rest I reused from before.  I picked up the purple and black damask box at Target a few seasons ago and I’m still kicking myself for only getting one.

I am so thankful for the purple paint we picked.  Everything I’ve found has worked with it perfectly.  I’ve also found containers in grey that compliment the bedding, but I am under strict orders: no grey.

The “After”:

Although we just restored our closet to it’s original function, I still love the idea of thinking outside the box and utilizing the space in a unique way.  So… what’s in your closet?  Have you come up with some creative storage solutions for a closet in your home?  Feel free to share your not so dirty laundry here.

PS. I’ll be linking this post up to the very fun blog “Organize & Decorate Everything”  There are tons of great tips there, so definitely check her out.