Every year since 2011 I've done a project that has changed my life forever. Since then, thousands of people have joined in and changed their lives too. The project is called 40 BAGS IN 40 DAYS, and I'll explain how it can change your life ...
We’re Moving – Our White House with Black Shutters is for Sale!
After only 2.5 years in our wonderful home, we are moving! Our house started as a gray house with no shutters and, true to the name, is being sold as a white house with black shutters. :) Why are we moving? It was a little unexpected and the journey to this point has been a…
Tie-Dye Shirt Birthday Party Favors
This post is sponsored by Michaels Stores. I am a Michaels Makers project creator and was provided with store credit to purchase products for this post. All ideas and opinions are my own, and I only recommend products I use or would purchase again. With 5 kids and my oldest turning 8, we go to birthday…
How to Declutter When You’re Sentimental
Note: This is a guest post by my friend Cori at Hey Let’s Make Stuff. Welcome, Cori! I’m so excited to share some of my favorite decluttering tips with you for Ann Marie’s 40 Bags in 40 Days decluttering challenge. While my blog celebrates my love of making all sorts of things, I am also a…
40 Bags in 40 Days as a Lenten Sacrifice
I received a comment a while back asking why I was holding a cleaning challenge during Lent, it read: Lent is a season in the Christian church intended for contemplating the life and death of Jesus. I find it very offensive that you’re co-opting a religious holiday to use for spring cleaning. You could do…
What He Taught Me
"Who has more fun than people?" My Grandpa said this often. Usually when we were all around the table, lounging after Sunday dinner and laughing until tears rolled down. We'd all do that slow descent from laughing, he'd throw out the usual "ahh, who has more fun than people?" And the laughter would start again because we had no idea how to answer his goofy rhetorical question. Last Monday was ...
Realistic Floral and Greenery Arrangement Tips
There's just something about fresh flowers. However, I'm starting to get more and more into faux florals. It's a nice way to get my flower fix when the temps are cooler. Or for these days when I'm just lucky to get out of the store with groceries, let alone flowers. I worked in a floral shop during college and learned a lot from those days. How to keep flowers alive longer, aid water ...
How to Quickly “Empty” Your Email Inbox
There are 2 kinds of people in this world. I'm the second but working to become the first. Getting to inbox zero is a goal for many, myself included. I'll show you how to quickly "empty" your email inbox and get rid of that pesky number. Quickly "Empty" The Number of Unread Emails on your phone: This method simply gets rid of the red notification number staring you in the face. 13,872 ...
Imperfection in a Sea of Beauty
Everything looks better in black & white. Including laundry and unmade beds. I always pause a bit before posting pictures like this. A big ole gulp before I step out naked into this sea of beauty. I am, after all, a blogger who talks mostly about simple living, decluttering, and ahem, organizing. Beautiful things. Maybe this unmade bed and laundry-in-waiting is beautiful in its own ...
Creative Board Game Organization
It's January and with it comes the desire to organize and declutter all the things. I'm a firm believer in decluttering before organizing. We've worked to simplify our belongings down to mostly those we use, enjoy, or find useful. We've gone through every area of our home through the 40 Bags in 40 Days challenge and are finally ready for the fun part: baskets and creative organizing! ...
Decorating a Colorful, Eclectic Family Photo Christmas Tree
Can you believe Christmas is around the corner? I can't. I feel like I say that every year. While everyone is raking leaves and dreaming of Thanksgiving dinner, I got a jump on things and created this whimsical, eclectic Christmas tree. I really don't know what I should call it! I was mostly inspired by our recent dining room turned family space makeover. This happy colorful, room needed a ...
Dining Room Turned Family Space
I'm really excited to share today's room reveal with you! I look into the room and smile, you truly can tell a family lives here. We bought our home two years ago and this "formal dining room" was left unused or holding things that didn't belong. I wanted it to be a family space, an extension of the family room. A spot to do homework, play games, and color. Maybe a little nook for reading. As ...
When You’re in the Trenches of Motherhood
This season of life can be a tough one. This parenting thing, it's a battle some days. One that makes me feel like I'm in the trenches. Like there is not coffee in the world (or in this giant mug) to get through this day/week/month/life. I thought it was really tough when they were all little. I think sometimes, oh, how I miss those days when we could just nap and nurse and not have any ...
How to Keep School Papers From Taking Over
Since moving into our home 2 years ago, I've been using the same system for papers. It's simple and has really helped to keep the school papers from taking over. We currently have three children in school: 2nd grade, 1st grade, and preschool. This may not work for all ages or all kids, but I'm confident parts of our system will work for just about everyone. First, the basics: It's important to ...
Teal Pumpkin Project Treat Bowl
Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. Not for the creepy stuff, for the heart of the holiday: walking door-to-door to visit neighbors, passing out treats to friends, and wearing silly costumes for a day. We don't get a lot of trick or treaters at our house, but every year we try have some food-free alternatives for those with food allergies or little ones. For this ...
A Slow Summer (plus a free printable)
I really can't believe fall is around the corner. This summer we did things a little bit differently and it ended up being a huge blessing for all of us. As the school year wound down last May and summer started up, the hustle and bustle of family life was really starting to wear on me. I didn't know it at the time. In fact, I didn't know it until we really started to slow down and reconnect. ...
DIY Tie Dye Curtains
For this month's Michaels Makers challenge, we were asked to take on a popular DIY trend. I've been seeing tie-dye pop up in home decor lately, but not the rainbow psychedelic summer camp t-shirt kind. A deep blue patterned style of tie-dye called shibori. I've never tie dyed before, so here's how it went down! I hopped onto our Facebook page and did two live videos of the process: First ...
Emoji Balloon Photo Props
I don't know about you, but I'm addicted to emojis. My kids think they're hilarious too and find ways to figure out my passcode and send random emoji texts to my friends... Summer is just about here and with it, summer parties and gatherings. For the June Michaels Makers challenge our theme was to create ideas for a summer party. I made these emoji balloon photo props and my kids we had a blast ...
Chunky Finger Crochet Scarf – Trying a New Skill
This month the Michaels Makers and I were asked to check out a class at our local store and learn a new challenge or skill. I decided to go with finger crochet! I walked into the class not knowing anyone or what to expect. We were told to go to the yarn aisle where Dawn, our instructor, helped us pick out supplies. It was SUPER helpful to have her there, and she gave her ...
Sweet Simple Things Printable
This quote has been on my mind a lot lately: "I am beginning to learn it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all." -Laura Ingalls Wilder We have five children age seven and younger. With the older kids, it seemed as if I was living in a hurry or looking forward to the next big step. Whether that was walking, when a kid would be in their own bed, talking... and so ...
Wooden Photo Hanging Display
This month, Michaels asked the Michaels Makers team to create something perfect for Mother's Day. I know my mom loves pictures, especially ones of her grandbabies, so I made this wooden photo hanging display. It's perfect for large sized poster prints or collages, this one pictured is a 11x16. This was a tricky challenge for me. The biggest reason: my mom is really crafty. While she'd love ...
Recent Favorite Things + What I’m Reading
I thought it would be fun to share a few of my recent favorite things. Like Oprah, minus the whole giving you a car and making you pay the taxes. (You're welcome.) I did a periscope on this topic a little bit ago, you can find a video of that broadcast at the bottom of this post. Keeping with the ideas behind 40 BAGS IN 40 DAYS, I try to be mindful of what I'm spending and what is ...
Decluttering Dreaded Areas of Your Home
We all have at least one, if not ten. That one spot you are dreading working on and just keep putting off and putting off. Some days it's the dishes pile, some days its a stack of kids papers. Or maybe you have a closet, junk drawer, or a catch-all surface you can't keep clear. Here are some tips for decluttering dreaded areas of your home: 1.) It takes less time to clean than how long you ...
Simplify:
How to Declutter When You’re Sentimental
40 Bags in 40 Days as a Lenten Sacrifice
How to Quickly “Empty” Your Email Inbox
Creative Board Game Organization
How to Keep School Papers From Taking Over
How to Keep Kids Clothes from Taking Over
Tips for Decluttering Craft Supplies
40 Bags in 40 Days Coloring Book Pages
40 Bags in 40 Days Decluttering Challenge
Home Office Storage and Organization
Donation Values Guide and Printable
Stop Feeling Bad and Ditch These Things
And Then I Just Went Nuts
12 Easy Organizing Tips for the New Year
How to Keep Laundry From Taking Over
