April Focus - LAUNDRY ROOM!!

It's no April Fool's joke... this month we're working on the Laundry Room!! Whether you have a laundry room, laundry hall, or laundry closet, this is the time for you to get down and dirty and really figure out what you have going on in there!! If you're just joining us, feel free to check out the whole 12 Months to a Systematic Home series. Then, jump in wherever you're at! This is about progress, not perfection, so don't stress about it, just get in there and do something about it! Need help starting? Here are some simple steps to get you going...

Take pictures of your room. Right now. Don't tidy it up first. Don't hide the piles. Take pictures of your room in all its cluttered glory. This is supposed to be a realistic look at how you're functioning right now. It's a slice of today, a tool to use, not a picture to be scrapbooked and memorialized. 

Take pictures of what works. Take pictures of what doesn't work. Take pictures of what you like. Take pictures of what you don't like. Take pictures of the whole room. Take closeup pictures of specific areas. Just take pictures. They will give you perspective, and that, my friends, you will need as you dive into this project.

Grab a cup of tea, a notepad and pen, and those pictures (which are probably on your computer - don't print them out - that will just become more clutter!). Better yet, here's a printable you can use to help you analyze what is going on in your room... 

Download your copy HERE.

Now look at your pictures. REALLY look at them. This is the time for you to point out everything you see wrong. We're going to spend the rest of the month looking at what is right and what can be great, but for now, feel free to dump all your frustrations about this room onto paper. Analyze it. What's wrong with this picture?

Now that you have all your negative emotions out, it's time to start thinking logically and strategically. Emotions can be good, but sometimes they clutter up our ability to think. So... take a good look at the room and ask yourself, what things do I bring into this room? What things do I take out of this room? 

It isn't the things that LIVE in the room that cause problems. We ORGANIZE those. The problem is the income and outflow items in a room. These are the things we must SYSTEMATIZE. That is what will make this so much more effective than the hundred other times you re-organized your space. 

Here is a sheet that can help you this month... 

Download your copy HERE.

Utilizing the same sheet as step 3, ask yourself what you would like this room to feel like. What is your vision for this space? What would make you want to spend more time here?

The last step is to create the space you want, and the systems that will help keep it organized and useful. We will go over more of what it takes to create your space next week!

Welcome to My Personal Spa!

Well, the month is almost over. Unfortunately for my husband, that means I have spent the last 3 weeks "in the process" of organizing our master bathroom. The good news is that I am done, and I have my personal spa back, new and improved!! Do you remember the BEFORE PICTURES?

Here's a look at the before and after overview...

My goal for this room was to feel like it is my personal spa. I want to feel relaxed when I walk in. It helps that when the windows are open, this is what I see: 

Here are a few other things that contribute to my personal spa!

 (I love to soak in the tub, but I like to watch a movie or plan my week or get some work done while I do. Thus the spa desk! Handy plank o' wood tucks behind the red pillow when not in use...)

Details...

(I like to have my skin care out on the counter where I will see it and remember to use it daily, but keeping it on a tray keeps it from running rampant all over the counter!)

I have always wanted to have a vanity, but even when we built this house I couldn't quite figure out how to implement it in our space. So this month I problem solved and bought a bar stool and swivel magnifying mirror... Now I can do my makeup and hair sitting at the counter, which will also keep me from wandering around while applying makeup and leaving eyeliner, lipstick, and mascara tubes all over the bedroom, bathroom, and closet. *sheepish grin*

Do you remember the drawers? Mine have more or less stayed the same, but I took the opportunity to organize my husband's drawers and make better use of them. Here's a look at the before and after... 

Top Drawer

Middle Drawer

Bottom Drawer

(I don't think we'll need to buy toothpaste for a loooong time!)

Another area I wanted to work on was under the sink. Actually, I wanted to work on the areas under both sinks. Here's the before and after, with some details... 

I know there are plenty of people who don't believe in keeping their medicine or cleaning supplies under the sink, but we've found that it works best for our family. I used to keep all the cleaning supplies in one spot, but have found that I am more likely to clean when the mood strikes and put the supplies away if they are within reach in each of the bathrooms (or hallways nearby). So yes, I have triplicate supplies, but that's okay with me. As for medicine... we've talked very seriously with our daughter about medicine and its effects. She knows that she's allowed to get stuff out of the First Aid box (bandaids, etc.) but not from the drawers where the medicine is. It's something each family has to decide for themselves, but we haven't had any problems and do our best to be open and honest about the seriousness of taking medicine.

I could do a whole separate post on how I organize my makeup, but for now I'll just show you a closeup of my bins and how I have my makeup divided. The categories I have are as follows:

FOUNDATION PRIMER, CONCEALER, ETC.

LIQUID FOUNDATION

(This is actually a bit misleading, since I have my liquid foundation, liquid highlighter, and finishing powder all in this drawer, but they are all things I only use when I wear liquid foundation.)

OTHER FOUNDATIONS

CREAM EYESHADOWS/PRIMER

EYESHADOW

EYELINER

MASCARA

LASH TOOLS

(Really, this is for the lash things I don't use often, like my heated eyelash curler, fake lashes, lash glue, etc.)

BROW PENCILS, POWDERS, & TOOLS

CHEEKS

(Pretty much just blush and shimmer powder - I keep my bronzers with eyeshadow right now.)

LIP LINER, PRIMER, & BALM

(Technically I keep my lip mask in here, too, but didn't feel  like putting that on the list since it comes in a set with the balm.)

LIPSTICK

LIP GLOSS

So there you have it... a tour of my personal spa! I have to admit that I really LOVE my bathroom. It really does feel like a trip to the spa when I put on a mask, soak in a tub with salts, and give myself a pedicure. I'm sure it's more relaxing to get a massage, but it's cheaper at my personal spa and then I can just climb into bed for a good night's sleep!

So... how is your Master Bathroom coming along? Next week (or month, however you want to look at it!) we move on to another part of the house!

March Focus... Master Bathroom!

Whew!! We're ALMOST done with the Master Suite! How is yours coming along? We started with the Master Bedroom in January, the Master Closet in February, and now we're ready to finish the trifecta with the Master Bathroom! To see all the posts in this series, click HERE.

So... here we go with another round of before pictures to analyze! I have to admit that the only good thing about these before pictures (aside from the help they give in figuring out what isn't working) is knowing how much better the after pictures will look in a month!!

My counter isn't often this cluttered, but lately it has been. Also, I have this bad habit of letting the trash pile up instead of just emptying it. 

This is our little toilet cubby. The biggest issue here is that I am pretty bad at remembering to refill the toilet paper canister. 

Here's the shower (and, apparently, a random doll hat on the floor) in our bathroom. 

This is the bathtub nook. I apparently like to drink Diet Dr. Pepper in the bathtub. I'm not sure those last 3 words were necessary. I think I just like to drink Diet Dr. Pepper... 

Back to the counter clutter. This is mostly stuff I left out after using and just never put back. 

This is under Leif's side of the sink, where we keep the medicine and extra towels. I'd like to redo the medicine area and move these towels since I recently updated the towels to red for this bathroom.

Now for the drawers on Leif's side... This is the bottom drawer. It's pretty much just a jumble of toothpaste and cough drops. 

The middle drawer is pretty empty. Contacts, deodorant, beard trimmer. I'm thinking it could be used better.

Leif's top drawer. The most important thing here is the hairbrush. And half of the time it's not even in this drawer. 

This is under the sink on my side. Pretty much just skin care, makeup and whatnot. 

And now for my drawers... this is my bottom drawer. It's the "hair care" drawer.

Aaaaaand the hair tools drawer. Straightener, curling irons, and blow dryer.

This is the top drawer, mostly full of nail polish. Have I mentioned how much I love nail polish? LOL!

Now... the question of Income and Outflow arises. This room is pretty simple. Clean towels come into the room. Dirty towels and trash go out of the room. Cleaning supplies go into the room. 

What I want to feel when I walk into my bathroom is tranquility, as if I am walking into a spa. I want my bathroom to be my own personal spa. It is the place I soak in my jacuzzi tub, where I get pedicures and manicures, where I dye my hair, and where I have facials. My bathroom will be a place of relaxation. 

The next step in this process is to create the systems that will contribute to the feeling of peace and tranquility I want to have in this room. 

If you're joining us this month to get your own space under control, here's a sheet to help you think through these steps... Click the link below the picture to download your copy. 

Download your copy HERE.