Household Project List 2016 -- March Update

 

In March I hauled some serious butt on my project list -- I finished decluttering all but 2 spaces, organized some CD's, purchased some frames for DIY wall art, and cleaned out the chest freezer, along with a few other accomplishments.  I am definitely full steam ahead for April in regards to motivation for household projects!  I am hoping that I can get Joe on board with me and knock out another few things next month.  But without further ado, here's how things went in March...

• Bedroom: 
• Declutter 2 Dressers, 1 Chest of Drawers, 2 Nightstands, 1 Closet, and Under the Bed -- Finished in February
• Steam off the crappy boarder
• Re-glue the wallpaper seams
• Change the wall art - I purchased some frames this month at the thrift store that I am going to use for this, but I am looking for some AWESOME (free printable) prints to put in them -- any suggestions?

• Hall: 
• Declutter Hall Closet, Desk, and Coat Closet -- Finished in February
• Sell desk, and move in a bench -- The desk is listed on Facebook, and is awaiting a buyer.  Once it's moved out, the bench will be put in it's place.  I should be able to cross this off by next week!
• Build another shelf in the hall closet -- Unneeded, crossed off in February

• Bathroom:
• Declutter the Bathroom Cabinets and Drawers  -- Finished in February
• Touch up the paint (Joe and I might actually repaint the entire bathroom, as the color scheme is not great, so this will happen last, if at all - we might just wait and repaint in 2017)

• Living Room:
• Declutter 8 Cube Baskets, 1 End Table, and 3 Dresser Drawers -- I finally made the time to get all our DVDs into two CD cases.  We still have some VHS tapes to go through; I want to make a list of the ones we would like to have as DVDs so I know what to look for at yard sales.  But I am done with decluttering in the living room for now.
• Finish adding pictures to our 'mural' wall
• Paint the letter 'R' on our 'mural' wall -- Finished in January
• Find new art for behind the futon

• Kitchen:
• Declutter 35 Cabinets, 1 Pantry, 1 China Cabinet, and 11 Drawers -- It took a few days, but I got everything cleaned out!  I managed to fill a HUGE reusable bag and 2 diaper boxes both full of stuff to sell.  I also had very few food items to pitch.  Maybe a dozen.  I know that probably sounds horrible to some, but it is the smallest amount for me ever.  This means that we are being better stewards with what we are provided, stocking up on things we actually eat, and rotating them properly.   
• Get a new trashcan -- Finished in February
• Steam the wallpaper off our microwave table, and repaint it
• Paint the windows/sills/trim
• Clean out the chest freezer and defrost it -- Finally got this done!  It looks AMAZING and it is so much easier for me to access things when I need them!  Instead of having to go chest-freezer diving for a little package of beef, I can just reach into the reusable bag that holds beef items.  I think this system is going to be very easy to maintain - I don't know why it took me so long to figure out that it would be beneficial for us?  I also cleaned out the fridge while I was at it.
  

• Nursery/Office:
• Declutter the Closet, Dresser, Desk, Chest of Drawers, Bookcase, Sewing Table, and Cedar Chest -- I really wanted to be finished with my decluttering this month, but I have decided to wait on a couple of things.  I really want to have the shelves above the desk built before I declutter the bookcase so I know what I have room for and can use that as a limit on what I keep.  I am trying to work smarter, not harder, so I don't want to have to go through things twice.  Also, I need to get the CD's moved and organized (see below) before I can get to the cedar chest to work on it comfortably.  
• Go through the CD 3-drawer organizer and combine into a large CD case 
• Install new curtain rods and tie backs; Hang new curtains
• Make a new curtain for the closet; Hang
• Buy new Lamp/Shade for the Dresser
• Re-glue wallpaper
• Bring in new chest of drawers (#2)
• Build new shelf (or two) above the desk; Add books to shelves
• Paint the windows/sills and the closet door frame 

• Laundry Room:
•  Declutter Desk, 3 Drawer Stand, Bookcase, and Closet (including stored Christmas decorations) -- I was able to finish decluttering the laundry room this month as well.  And, surprisingly , it really didn't take that long to do.  The bookcase, 3 drawer stand, and desk took a total of maybe 15 minutes.  There were a couple handfuls of things to put away elsewhere, and a handful or so of trash, and that's it - done, and done! 
• Touch up paint from renovation
• Hang art -- still deciding on if this is necessary
• Wash box of new-to-us toys  

Are any of you working on some household projects this year?

What are you getting accomplished? 

DIY: Easy Easter Gift Tags

 It really is as simple as 1, 2, 3 to make these super adorable gift tags!  I wanted to share with you all how I made them for Joe and Howard's Easter baskets, but you could really apply this to any gift, just change the shape of the tag.  Green triangle 'trees' for Christmas, white rectangle 'presents' for wedding and shower gifts, red hearts for Valentine's Day, and the list goes on...  I also used some washi tape from the Dollar Tree.  I chose bright, fun colors that made me think of spring, but they also have some more sedate patterns, like leaves and florals, that you could use.  The letter stickers I used I have had for quite some time; they are out of a sticker book I bought for a $1 at AC Moore's many moons ago, but the Dollar Tree does sell a variety of letter stickers as well.  Are you ready for some super complicated directions?   Alright, here we go...

Things you will need:
Cardstock paper (color - your choice)
Various Washi Tapes (color and design, your choice)
scissors
Pencil and stencils (optional)
hole punch
yarn/twine/ribbon/jute (your choice)
Letter stickers

1. Cut out cardstock in the shape you want your tag to be.  There are loads of free printable stencils online if you chose, or if your lazy like me, you can free-hand it.  For Easter I chose an egg, but you could also do a bunny, a cross, chicks - your choice.
2.  Punch a hold in the top of your tag, and run some coordinating ribbon/twine/jute/yarn - again, your choice - through the hole.  This is how you will tie your tag to your package.  Or, you can skip this step like I did with Joe's Easter basket and just tuck the tag among 'all the things.'  However, for most packages I would probably go ahead and complete this step. 
3. Decorate your tag using washi tape and letter stickers.  This can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it.  Since I chose an egg, I decided to run the washi across it to make it look like a dyed and decorated egg, but how you decorate your tag is completely up to you.  You could add additional fancy pretty stickers if you want to as well.  I also only put the recipents name on the tag, since Easter baskets come from the Easter Bunny and Mom and Dad, but if I was making a tag for Christmas or a shower gift, I would totally add who it is from also. 
 

That's it!  Tie or place your tag on your gift and go!  See, I told you it was easy - and really adorable!  Let me know if you decide to try this and how it works out!