Day 106: Neat chalk?

When I was teaching high school, I refused to use a chalk board. I hate chalk. It makes my nose itchy. And I REALLY hate erasers. Yuck. They are always... so... chalky!

Of course, I DO love my flat, vinyl chalk board in my kitchen (click HERE to see that post). And while I was talking about my dream pantry from last post with my sister-in-law (who also loves the neat, organized, containerized and labeled look), I remembered that I had a "wet erasable" chalk "marker" from Uppercase Living with the rest of my stash of goodies and samples.

OK. I LOVE this thing! It is NOT chalky or messy... and it writes so beautifully! It's liquidy and smooth and lovely! You can see the difference between the "real" chalk that's already here... and the new chalk marker writing!


You will love them, too, if you have a chalk board... or if you plan to add one to your kitchen wall to keep track of schedules; plaster one on the fridge to take notes of what you need to buy next trip to the grocery store; or crop one down to make neat labels for your pantry... or for anything else in your home!

Want some chalk "markers" of your own? Click HERE! (There are 3 different colors.) Want a vinyl chalk board, too? Click HERE! (There are several sizes and fun shapes!)


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 105: The Beauty of Labels

This is not my pantry.... And I am a little jealous! :)


This is the very organized pantry of Lori M., a new acquaintance of mine. And while I do use the Tupperware containers and organize everything as neatly as possible (similar items together and labels out!), I do not have the luxury of putting everything in a container. (I have a LOT more items in my pantry!) And I do not have a label on everything, either. But isn't this a wonderful idea!?!?

This is kind of like my dream pantry.

WHY?
1. I love how just about everything matches. It really is a pretty pantry!!!! But if you don't have every Tupperware container ever made (ha-ha!), then use what you DO have! All sizes and shapes are welcome!

2. I love using containers for just about all the food in the pantry. It's great to have items like flour and baking mix in air-tight containers. It looks good, stacks well... AND it will stay fresh much longer. (It's also more difficult to spill!)

3. I love the labels. I really think I would label everything, if I could! It looks SO neat, and it's so very functional! You can print out labels or just write on the traditional, sticky, office kinds that you can pick up almost anywhere. (Color coding might even come in handy here....) OR, you can do what Lori did in her pantry: cut up a piece of Uppercase Living's chalkboard vinyl into various sizes. (This method won't leave you with sticky residue if you decide to remove the labels.) Then, apply the custom sizes to your containers, and write right on them! Of course, my handwriting isn't as great as my friend's. BUT, this should spark all of our imaginations!

Lori has also given us an EXTRA NEAT tip: write directions, recipes or notes on the containers! This is great for reminding yourself how to make pancakes or biscuits or how long to boil your noodles!




Now, THAT's neat!

Day 104: Pretty Neat Soap

I have no problem with keeping some "not-so-beautiful" things out in plain view, if they are things that I use daily. I mean, it is a bit impractical to store ALL our everyday items out of sight.

Of course, a bottle of dish-washing liquid isn't all that attractive....


But who says you CAN'T have a nicer way to use and display these plain, dull things?!?

As y'all know, I love using baskets and decorative boxes to stow away items that are useful but may not be too attractive. Neither works very well with liquid items, though! ;) SO, here's a GREAT way to beautify a simple, useful cleaning product.


I bought this lovely glass bottle at Hobby Lobby and just squeezed the dish liquid right in! Now, it's sitting in the exact same spot... but it looks a whole lot better!


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 103: Paper Police

I knew I wasn't finished with my new shelves in the room of "S.I.N." .... As I looked at the big pile of card stock just sitting there, I knew I had to do something better to organize everything -- in a neat, useful way!

So, I bought this handy paper organizer.


It's made especially for this purpose -- for crafty folks with too much paper, that is. I bought the one that actually holds 12x12 card stock, and it works great to color coordinate everything and store it in a MUCH-easier-to-use fashion! It looks neat, too! :)


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 102: The Neat Trick to Cheaper Stuff, Online

OK, ok... so this isn't a tip about cleaning up your bathroom or organizing your underwear drawer, but it IS worthy of sharing. And, personally, I think it's worthy of being listed under my bag o' tricks in the "neat freak cheat sheet" file!

If any of you fellow neat freaks (or neat freak wannabe's!) love to shop online, then you MUST check out this little website: retailmenot.com. Whatever site you are on, be sure to visit retailmenot.com BEFORE making your purchase, because this little gem provides coupon codes and discounts, for perhaps 10% off... or $10 off! Of course, some retailers have opted NOT to be included on this site, but many are there... so TRY it! It's worth checking out so you can keep a little extra in your pocket... for the next online shopping trip! They also have coupons that you can print... so stop here before heading out to pick up groceries or try on some new shoes! (Hey, I buy everything from diapers to New York strip steaks online, so this is a GREAT tip!) ;)


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 101: The Room of S.I.N.

As a neat freak who loves neatness and who spends most of my "free" moments cleaning, straightening and organizing, it's very difficult for me to admit this. BUT, I'm going to choose to confide in y'all: I have a room of S.I.N.

That's right. A room of S.I.N! And I bet you, too, have somewhere in your home where S.I.N. takes place... on a daily basis! ;)

What I am talking about here could be considered a dirty, little secret, but it's probably not as bad as you might be thinking! The S.I.N. I'm referring to is that room, drawer, cabinet, closet or ANY place you use to "Stash It Now!"

Whatever and wherever that is in your home... that is YOUR place of S.I.N! :) When things don't quite go anywhere else in the house, you stash it there. When company is coming over unexpectedly, this is your go-to place (AKA "dumping grounds") for the mail, homework, coats, shoes and toys that have mysteriously taken up residence all over the house. This is where random odds and ends and other junky bits and pieces end up when they just don't have a spot of their own, when you don't have time to put them in the correct place... OR, when you just don't really know what in the world to do with it!

And, believe it or not, this neat freak uses our laundry room for all of our S.I.N. stuff! And for the longest time (perhaps 3 years or so?!?!) the laundry room has been the bane of my existence, with its stacks of boxes and non-matching piles of everything, everywhere!

Don't believe it?!?! Well, here is photo proof:


In addition to the clothing (that has every right to be in there), you can also find mailing boxes, bags, crafting tools, photo albums, business supplies, catalogs... and things that would go perfectly (and preferably) in an office or in a "craft room," if we had those!

Of course, this is not a TERRIBLE, unusable space. And I have made many attempts to corral some of this stuff. As the pictures show, there are some baskets and bins and even a little dresser in there! And there is an overflowing -- but still handy -- laundry caddy (which currently serves as my baby boy's "closet," since it's SO much easier to get his clothes from the laundry room than to go upstairs to his room!) It just wasn't working. And it was making me crazy. So my wonderful, handy hubby put up some simple, floor to ceiling shelving for me all along the small wall right by the door!

Here is the NEW, improved space!


The washer and dryer stayed put, obviously, but we moved everything around a bit, and I was able to put items in more logical places -- and get them out of the middle of the floor!

Granted, it's not perfect. My son's clothes are still taking up the caddy. I will probably reorganize the shelves and move things around here and there. And I will still need an emergency "S.I.N." space at times. But, that will probably end up being a cabinet. (And I will ONLY use it for the temporary stashing of items!)

For now, I'm quite happy to be able to put things in their place. And I'm very pleased that I can actually open the laundry room door without making excuses... or cringing in disgust -- even when company is around! ;)


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 100: Cleaning up the new look!

As promised, I am about to launch a new look for The Neat Get Neater blog! This is a test mode, with a few changes to come in a little while. Hope you like the new, clean, de-cluttered look! :)