Do you guys love coffee filters?  You will by the end of this post.  Not only can you use them to make your caffeine fix in the AM – you can also use them to make adorable projects and for other uses around the house.  Since you have to buy a big ol pack of em – you might as well have several different ideas for how to make the most of them!  So along with giving you a beautiful crafty idea, I am also going to throw in some practical uses involving coffee filter’s too! 

Beautiful Use - Make an amazing Light Fixture

You know those big paper lanterns – well this is what happens when you cover one of those with a ton of coffee filters.  How pretty and whimsical is this?  Nichole who blogs at Parlour is responsible for this beautiful creation.  Check out her posts on the finished project and how she got there. 

Practical Use – Use as a Non-scratch Cleaning Pad

Because coffee filters are lint free and absorb oil well you can use them to clean CDs/DVDs, computer monitors, glass and even your computer or phone screen!  Take that nasty makeup smudge!  You can also use them to soak up liquids on upholstery since they won’t leave lint like a paper towel.

Beautiful Use – Create a Topiary

Check out these fantastic topiaries that I found at The House of Belonging.  Swoon!  I want these for my mantle!!  Love em!

Practical Use – Use as a Faux Dryer Sheet

If you ever run out of dryer sheets – did you know you can put a few drops of fabric softener on a coffee filter?  Just rub the sides together and stick it in the dryer! 

Beautiful Use – Make a Wreath

Yep those of you in blog land knew I was going to get to that one eventually.  Coffee filter wreaths have spread across the internet like wildfire.  And why not?  They are gorgeous!  This one from the Little Brown House is a personal favorite of mine. 

Practical Use – Use them to Store your Breakables

You can make custom cozy little baskets for little breakables like Christmas ornaments.  You can also place them between china and other nice dishes to keep them from chipping and scratching.

Beautiful Use – Make a Decorative Garland

This Anthropologie knock off by Pam Garrison is amazing.  And beautiful!  She threw in some sheet music and tissue paper to create a little more texture. 

Practical Use – Fight Stinky Shoes

Put a little baking soda into a coffee filter and then stick it down in the shoe to absorb stanky odors!  I would think this would also work in gym bags!

Beautiful Use – Create Some Pretty Faux Flowers

Love the look of flowers but don’t have any available?  Make a bouquet of coffee filter roses!  Follow this tutorial from Craftbits.com to make yours!

Practical Use – Snack Size Bowls

Think about it.  They are the perfect size for a little snack sized portion of some munchies – like chips or popcorn.  Best part – no clean up afterwards!

So there you go!  Beautiful and practical uses for coffee filters all over your home!  What about you?  Have a tip or trick using coffee filters you want to share?  Have you every tried any of these ideas?  How did it work for you?  I wanna know!

Do you guys have a room in your house where “stuff” just accumulates?  For us – that happens to be our office/craft room.  Now this is a problem as I need to get this room cleaned out for a couple of reasons.

1.  We are going to consolidate the office/craft room into the guest room to make room for the baby.

2.  I have to be able to get to my couch so I can sell it on Craig’s List.

3.  My sanity is being tested by the piles of mess.

So how bad was it…. well.  Take look.

Oh isn’t it horrible? Check out the closet.  Yikes!!

So I knew I needed to get it all cleaned up.  I basically locked myself in there this weekend and got it all cleaned up. 

My tips for tackling a space like this?  Well first – I recommend starting on one side of the room and working your way around to the other.  I also recommend having a large trash bag and a donate box handy.  I also think it is good to bring your cleaning supplies with you so you can clean as you go.  For example – I love stuff that smells good.  So being able to dust and clean and have it start smelling fresh keeps me going! 

So how did it turn out? Check it out now. 

 

Ahh… so much better!  Now I can take some good pics of the couch to get it on Craig’s List.  (Faith might not be too pleased with me though – she loves to nap on this couch!)   And the closet?

So much more organized!  And I even made some of my storage containers a little spiffier with some nice little labels.  They look much cuter now! 

I am so pleased with the room and feel completely organized to start to all kinds of projects now!  Don’t you just love how a clean and organized room makes you feel! 

So what about you?  Do you feel better when you get a space all put together?  Have any spaces you have cleaned out recently?  I wanna know!

 

Linking this up to

Organize It Party with Sarah @ Thrifty Decor Chick

Well I know I always feel like cleaning things out with turn of the New Year.  My closet has been something that has been out of control for awhile.  However, within the last two weeks my belly has popped out and everything that was just kinda tight is now just not even getting over my tummy.  So not only did I need to get it reorganized – I also needed to get everything out of it that just didn’t fit anymore. 

Are you ready to see the “before”?  Brace yourself – it is a little more than messy.

Doesn’t look so bad?  Let’s continue.  This is supposed to be a walk in.  It is more of a lean in right now.

Hmm… oh this is just embarrassing to share but let’s just go there together shall we.

Ok – so obviously we need an intervention here.  So here were my steps for tackling the chaos. 

1.  Went piece by piece and decided if it either a still would work with a pregnant belly or if I wanted to keep it in storage.  Everything that I decided I didn’t care to keep for another 9 months went to a donate pile.  Everything I wanted to keep but just couldn’t wear went into another pile.  Everything that I decided I could keep and still wear (hello my beautiful cardigan collection) was hung separately to be organized on its own.

2.  Cleaned out and refolded everything else.  I also reorganized my shoes and put everything 3 inches and up in the corner and left all my comfy flats and kitten heels closer to my reach.  Put all my scarves in a basket and all my belts in another.

3.  Hung up all the maternity clothes that my sister-in-law loaned me (now that there was actually room to hang things up) .  Added those back into the closet and ended up with something like this.  Ah – looks so much better!

Now if you are looking closely you may notice two things.  One – I am only using white hangers.  (All of the colored ones were banished to the hubby’s closet!)  Two – they are all flipped the wrong way.  This is useful in two ways.  Using hangers that are all similar or the same color helps present a more unified look.  Flipping the hanger the other way is a way to keep yourself honest.   The next time you clean out your closet – if the item is still sitting there flipped around – you know you haven’t worn that in the last however number of months.  You then have a good reason to put that in the donate/yard sale pile. 

Ah!  And look!  You can see the floor.  Not only that, you can actually walk in there!

I am not finished yet. I still want to put some little Command hooks in over top of my little storage unit to hang up some necklaces and makes a jewelry station.  But it is still looking a lot better.  And yes that is a bait box – those things are awesome for storing jewelry and earrings. 

Now for all the clothes I kept – I went out and got the 40 gallon under the bed boxes.  Use these smaller ones instead of the longer (60 gallon) ones on wheels.  The way a lot of bed frames are made now – you can’t get more than two of the long ones under them.  I got four of the 40 gallon ones (which is more storage space than the two long ones) and I still have room to get at least 2 more under my bed! 

So – there you go!  Those are my favorite tips for cleaning out your closet!  Did you learn any new tips?  Have any you want to share?  I would love to hear them!

Linking this to

Metamorphosis Monday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

We are finally getting unpacked and into the new place.  I think the last people who lived here smoked - not in the house, but I think it was just "on them" so there is a slight odor.  So I have been cleaning and disinfecting this place like it is nobody's business! 

I originally thought when we moved in that we had off white tile with dark grout.  That was until I looked at the areas that were under the washer and dryer.  They were much lighter.  Here is what the grout looked like in the kitchen.  Can I get an "Ewwwww" up in here?

And another close up - this is uber-grody!

But I have a solution - one that does not involve bleach.  It isn't easy, it involves scrubbing, but in the end, your grout will be restored to its normal color!

What you need is the following:
-  A tile grout brush
-  A small plastic cup- fill with water
-  Barkeeper's Friend (My favorite cleaner - no sponsorship here - I just love the stuff)
-  A bucket of water
-  A rag for wiping down and rinsing

So here is what you do, sprinkle some of the Barkeeper's Friend on the grout.  I like to work a small area at a time, normally no more than six tiles at a time. Use the brush to sweep any of the powder that gets out on the tile into the grout.  I like to get a little pile going and sweep it up and down the grout lines.  Once you have it spread out - dip the brush into your plastic cup of water and then scrub the grout turning the powder into a paste.  I am not going to lie to you - it is going to be disgusting how dirty it becomes.  Be sure to angle the brush around to get up the sides of the grout if you have deep grout lines.  Once you get it all scrubbed in, use your rag dipped in the bucket of water to wipe up and "rinse" the grout.  It will still look dark until it dries.  But when it does - check out the difference side by side!

You can find Bar Keepers Friend in the cleaning section of your local grocery or super-center.  It is normally next to the Comet cleaner.  It isn't a harsh cleaner and you can use it for a lot of the things you would use bleach for without the harsh smell. It is also great for getting stainless steel cookware and sinks sparkling, cleaning the insides of ovens (it totally got rid of some burned on cheese from the bottom of my oven), and is safe for glass cook tops!  It will also remove rust stains left in showers from shaving gel cans. 

Photo via Bar Keepers Friend

So there you go!  A little cleaning tip from me to you to get your grout back to its beautiful self!  Do you have any tips for cleaning grout?