Weekend Update: Organization

I've been slowly but surely buying more organization tools for around the house, but didn't get a chance to do anything with them until this past weekend. We went to Ikea on my birthday specifically to get another Kilby Bookcase for our office. It's the cheapest one they have, but we already had 3 so we just decided to go with it and get another of the same. Finally I could make that side of the room match the other! 

This wasn't just a put-it-together-and-put-it-in-its-place type job. After building the bookcase, I screwed it to the one we already had (it's on the other side so it's not so visible) - I had to do this with the others since they were leaning away from each other over time. Also, since they are on a carpeted floor (unlike the tile that they were on in our old condo), so they really like to lean forward away from the wall. To fix this, I mounted little L brackets at the top and bottom and screwed them into the wall. These babies ain't goin' no where :) I'm really pleased with how they came out now that they are all attached - it gives the look of a built in shelf. And look at how much more book storage space we get!

Another thing I've been meaning to do for months is to change out the plugs in the room. The whole house has almond colored sockets and face plates which not only look old and dirty, but also the color really doesn't match our general color scheme. So we have been changing them out little by little. We changed a few a while back that big furniture would be covering (our big shelf unit and bookcases on the other side of the room), but before I could mount these new bookcases to this side I needed to change out that socket you see by the floor. It's still usable even with that bookcase and doesn't it look nice?! It didn't have a face plate before, so it really looks good now :) I guess you have to have lived with them looking nasty to really appreciate this change. So once I got the socket changed and the bookcase in, I decided to keep my momentum going and change out all the sockets in the sewing room too! Here's an example of what they looked like before:

Yuck, right? So I went around the room and changed out all 4 plugs and 2 switches - all by myself! I watched my husband to the others we did before and I knew I would be able to do it. It's surprising how easy they are to change out if you have the right tools. One of the switches was even hard wired so I had to actual cut the wire and re-strip it to change it out. Seriously, you should never pay an electrician to do this. It was very easy. I was able to complete all 6 in the sewing room in about an hour. There is still an ugly old phone jack, but I didn't have a white replacement yet. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I tackle that one too :) I didn't take any close up pictures of the finished sockets, but you can see them in the pictures coming up.

While I was in the sewing room, I installed a few more organization items. We picked up another fun item at Ikea the other day - the Fintorp Magnetic Knife Rack. I knew it would be handy for my sewing scissors. I mounted it just behind my desk so they are always within easy access and I don't have to open my sewing box to get them like I did before.

Take a closer look! lol I did a little embellishing with a few things that have been sitting around. The owl magnets at the ends were actually from the birthday card my husband gave me. The other two items are actually buttons! The little round owl is from FreshStitches and then the other is my favorite Grumpy Cat meme - Le Miserable. lol. I found that in this Etsy shop - these are handmade custom buttons and they are seriously so fun :) I just had to buy the Grumpy Cat one when I saw it. Now it's decorating my room!

The card from my husband has 3 owl magnets, so for now the littlest one is on my letter M. And look at that nice light switch!

And I hung up my newest ruler :) And the other light switch!

After all my DIY-ing, I had to go to Hobby Lobby to get some things for my teaching foray tomorrow (I'll report on that in a few days), and of course I can't go into that store without getting something for myself. Among the other items I bought (it may or may not be more yarn - no comment), I was struck with genius when I saw these little containers.

These embroidery thread organizers were only $1.99 each. With all the sewing machine feet I already had plus the ones I just got for my birthday, I needed something to organize them better. They have been in a baggy since I got the machine and I had to pour out the whole bag and sift through to find the one I need. Now, they are all separated and I can see them at a glance :) I even kept like feet together (i.e. zipper feet in the same slot, etc.) I think I will eventually label them too so I don't have to consult the manual to identify which one is which all the time. It may seem silly, but I just love to look at how organized it is now!

Also, I found a use for the little pink box I painted :) It now holds my animal eyes! They too have been sitting in a bag and I had to dump them all out to find the right size - now they are organized by the size so I can get to them easier.

I also designated a box for all my new noise maker toy inserts - yes, those are cat toys! lol I plan on trying them in an animal soon to see how they work out. The others are all the ones Justin got me for my birthday.

And just for the heck of it, here is a picture of where my new butterfly hangs out in my sewing room :) 

It's definitely coming along! I love each new thing that goes up on the wall and I no joke just sit and look around the room sometimes :) I'm a big nerd.