I Heart Projects of Pinterest

Warning: this entire post falls under the category of "Generally Meaningless Things I Am Lucky to Have Time For, Thanks to Jobsharing."

So because of the evil time-suck that is Pinterest, along with a blog I've come to love called I Heart Organizing, I've been inspired lately to tweak things here and there around the house. I (along with every other blogger and Facebook friend in the universe) have already blathered at length about Pinterest, so won't elaborate there, but if you've never checked out the organizing blog, it's worth a look. Jen is like me, if I were cuter, perkier, craftier, had three boys instead of two girls...okay, fine, she's nothing like me, but I love peeking in at her ideas for making life prettier and easier. While there's no way I'll ever achieve her level of organization, I steal the occasional idea from her and then just gawk at the stuff I don't have the time, use, or talent for. It's fun!

Between those two sites, I've learned (at least) two very simple but useful truths:

1) Labeling things somehow magically makes them look better and stay neater.

I did NOT indulge my tiny inner Monica Gellar and buy a label-maker, but I did take to reorganizing and labeling some of the girls' toys and craft stuff, and you know what? It makes me happy to look at them now.


2) Scrapbooking paper makes everything better.

Seriously, I had no idea that scrapbook paper had uses other than, well, scrapbooking until these two sites schooled me on how much prettier the world is when covered with it. Someone on Pinterest pinned this...

...and I did that ZOINKS!! thing like Shaggy from "Scooby-Doo." Wait, what?? You can just frame scrapbook paper and write on the glass with dry-erase marker? You don't say.

I like the above idea just the way it is (and may still steal it, even though I'm worried for this couple if one of them waking up happy is that remarkable...unless that's a euphemism?). However, I thought of another use for it: keeping me from constantly leaving the house, getting somewhere, smacking my forehead, and saying, "Oh, I totally should have brought the ______!!"

Now this is hanging on the door that leads from our laundry room to the garage, so I can check it when I leave the house to see if I have anything that needs to hitch a ride where I'm going. This way, my grandparents will someday actually get their drill back, along with the ten bucks I owe them. (It is also suitable for scribbling love notes and general reminders.) Thanks, Internet!


Scrapbooking paper--or, in this case, wrapping paper--can also transform empty diaper and cereal boxes into pretty containers, which has helped me tackle the 76 billion gift bags I have due to the fact that I am compelled to reuse every one that comes into our home. (Yes, I know I'm going to be a scary hoarder of an old woman and will probably leave behind an attic full of empty oatmeal containers that my great-grandchildren will shake their heads over and throw out. I'm okay with it.) The ribbon on the pants hanger thing and the trash can for holding rolls of wrapping paper are both from Pinterest, too, and are, in my opinion, a tiny bit of genius living right there in my (now much neater) closet.


Carnation Instant Breakfast can? No longer! Behold our much more eye-pleasing pen and pencil holder:


This is my attempt to get the girls to wash their hands correctly, rather than their current method of putting a blob of soap on one dry hand, holding it under the faucet, and letting the soap blob wash off. I think the sign is kinda cute, and only took a few minutes to mount the Word doc on green paper and frame it above the sink in their monkey bathroom (which is soon to be a ladybug bathroom, because Ellie has decided that now that her ladybug bedroom is finally finished, she hates it and wants a pink butterfly bedroom. I, on the other hand, love the ladybugs--that's why I picked them when she was a baby and too young to vote on such matters--so they're gonna have to replace the monkeys in their bathroom so I don't have to cry....which I will probably do anyway, once I remember how much I hate painting. That'll be a whole 'nother story for another time.) I'm trying to ignore the typo Bear noticed after the whole thing was done, especially since all monkey-related items will be ousted from that room soon, anyway:


(That spout is from amazon and I think I first saw it on Pinterest, too. I know...stop the insanity! It is pretty useful for helping Ellie reach the water; unfortunately, since there's no extender for the handles, she still has to slither up the counter on her belly to turn on the water. Oh, well.)

Now, there is a voice in my head that likes to point out that, in the grand scheme of things, covering everything in my house with paper and labels is not terribly meaningful. It doesn't cure any diseases, solve any serious problems, or change the world. But here's the thing: my life (both at school and at home) is generally run by small humans who depend on me to have my act together and to help make their days as happy as possible. If prettying up the laundry room helps me get the laundry done more quickly and less reluctantly, or if making things around me a little more tidy somehow makes my (often forgetful, scattered) brain feel more orderly, too, then that's something I'm willing to spend a few minutes on here and there.

Plus, there are many more ridiculous and useless things I could be doing from Pinterest, such as...

...putting photos of my loved ones inside jars of olive oil:


...covering my shoes with googly eyes:


...um.....WHAT:

Yikes. If you'll excuse me, I now have to go write to my congressman, serve dinner at a soup kitchen, and watch a documentary on global warming to balance all of that out.