Create Your Own Coffee/Tea/Hot Chocolate Station!

Winter is officially in 2 days! What better way to enjoy it than to have your very own coffee and tea shop in your home?

I really love going to coffee shops during the chilly winter season. There's a variety of choices of drinks to help you feel all warm and fuzzy inside with every sip. It's not possible or economical to go out and have a hot beverage all the time, so I created a simple little station on my own coffee table (how do you like the baby-proofed corners? Lol).

 I thought of things that remind me of coffee shops and implemented it on the table. 

Some warm lights to set the mood

A chalkboard sign against the table. You can see how I made this chalkboard at home here.

Then, of course, there's the fresh aroma of coffee. I took some coffee beans and placed it in a plate where I also kept a couple of mugs. Now, every time I walk past this area, I can smell the coffee!

Cupcakes just gave the area a little more happiness.

I kept glass jars of things needed for my hot beverage center. Sugar cubes, cocoa and marshmallows.

 Here's a tip: stick the instructions of the hot chocolate underneath the cocoa jar so you don't forget the quantities needed. This paper is not noticeable at all on the tray.

 Sugar cubes look a lot fancier than regular sugar and are affordable as well!

To make rich hot chocolate or coffee, try adding some Lindt chocolate (or any other brand) to your drink. It gives it amazing taste, and there are so many flavors to choose from!

 I kept some toppings for anyone who wants to add whipped cream to their drink

There is also instant coffee in a cup in the corner of the tray. Stirrers are placed behind this.

And finally, I have my little tea station next to it. This acrylic tea organizer works great! It's really good quality and everything is clearly visible. It beats having a lot of cardboard boxes of different types of teas taking up valuable cabinet space. In order to fit the maximum amount of tea bags, I found the best way to store them is in alternate directions - first right side up then upside down.

The only downside with this case is that it doesn't have a latch to keep it locked. But since I'm not transporting it anywhere, it works great for me. Next to it I have a tea bag squeezer. I found that twisting the thread around the teabag on a spoon tends to break the teabag and some of the contents end up falling in the tea. This product resolves that issue!

I just love walking past this little "coffee shop" of mine. It brightens up my day! I hope you enjoyed this post! Don't forget to Like this page on Facebook and Follow me on Pinterest! Thanks for visiting :)

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Medicine Organization

"Bins bins bins!" This is a common phrase in the organizational world. The idea is to get bins to compartmentalize everything and all will be well. But alas, that is not always the case.

I decided to put all of my medicine in a bin, so it would all be in one place. It looked neat when I first arranged it, but the more I used it the messier it got. Until eventually, I realized this was not going to work:

Basically, bins only work for larger items. Smaller items need to be compartmentalized WITHIN themselves for there to be any organizational aspect. So I got this:

The 3 sections allow the medicines to stay in place rather than topple over if I try to grab one thing. The labels I made are (1) Sprays, drops and gels, (2) Oral medication, and (3) Skin treatment. You can use whatever suits you best!

For the labels, I used some fun, colorful washi tape. It just jazzed up the plain box a bit, and was super easy! Personally, I know that if I'm feeling under the weather, bright colors and an organized space will make me feel heaps better! :)

As for the larger items such as hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol, I kept them in the large bin I had all my medicine in earlier. With just a few large items in it rather then many tiny ones, the bin remains neat and tidy behind this organizer.

What are some tips you have for organizing medicine?

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Apartment Bathroom Makeover and Organization

Living in an apartment, there isn't much you can do to your place in terms of makeovers. However, I felt that the colors I had chosen for my bathroom accessories were rather dull, making the small space feel even smaller. So I decided to see what I could do with it!

Here's a look at the "before": 

And the after:

I chose to go with light colors, to make the space feel more open. I wish I could paint the cabinets a lighter color too, but that's not possible in a rented apartment, unfortunately. Let's take a closer look!

On the far left of the counter, I keep my makeup. It's well organized and easily accessible in this carousel. There's a more detailed description of it in this post.

Around the sink area I kept my most-used items. I attempted to choose things that were similar in color to the theme I had chosen, and which were also suitable to my skin type. Although this is not always possible, it helps keep the area look more uniform, rather than if there were a mismatch of items scattered around.

On the far right of the counter, I keep my jewelry armoire. It holds my necklaces, bracelets and earrings, and keeps them really organized inside. This is a small version armoire that I found at Target. Usually they're bigger:

Moving on...

Here's a fun idea for decor: gather miscellaneous items from around the house which are just being thrown around, and store them in a basket. I found lotions, soaps, scrubs, sample products, oils, spa socks, neck massager and extra washcloths in drawers all over the house. The basket was for $1 from the Dollar Store. It gives a nice spa-like feel and I already had everything at home! Candles would look good too!

These frames were from Home Goods, and matched the bathroom perfectly. I plan to do some artwork for them.

Next, I have this rack, also from Target, to hold extra products. It doesn't take up much space and can hold a lot of things. I've also used it in much smaller apartments and it fits everywhere!

Instead of keeping makeup removers, sponges, cotton balls and q-tips in their plastic containers, I moved them all to glass jars. It gives it a more sophisticated, spa-like feel.

This is the "linen closet" behind the bathroom door. Basically just 3 racks :) On the top shelf I kept my son's bathtub and toys, followed by towels on the next one. I have perfumes and an extra jewelry box on the third shelf. Below that, I placed a really old bookshelf that we had, so I could have some extra storage. I keep my hair products in the black basket, and makeup travel cases next to it. There's a blue basket underneath (need to upgrade!) full of things we need to donate. That basket is usually full because there's always items that need to be purged at home to keep areas organized! Finally, I bought a glass weighing machine so that the area still feels open and not cramped. 

I organize my perfumes on a tray according to height.

And of course, hooks are always necessary behind doors for extra storage space for towels, robes and clothes!

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How to Make Your Own Chalkboard - DIY

I'm planning a themed party at my place for which I thought getting a chalkboard would be nice. I needed a big one for a large sign near the dining table. I searched high and low for such a chalkboard, which was also nicely framed. Everything I could find was around $50 for the size I wanted (around 30 inches long). That's when I figured the best thing would be to do a DIY project.

I found a large frame for $5 at Goodwill, a secondhand shop. It has detailed ridges around the border, which added a nice touch. I plan to change the color of the frame in the future, but for now this color worked well for the project. 

I purchased chalkboard spray paint from Hobby Lobby for around $3. You can always take a 50% off coupon there. I figured spray painting would be a much faster process than manually painting with a brush, so I went with this option.

Painters tape is optional. If you find a frame with backing that opens and you're able to take out the glass, simply place the glass on newspapers and paint on that. You won't need to buy painters tape in that case. I chose to use it.

I taped around the entire frame, making sure to overlap so that there are no gaps.

I painted one layer of chalkboard spray paint on, then after 3 hours did another layer.

After 24 hours, I took the side of a chalk and rubbed it all over the chalkboard. This makes the surface look more like a chalkboard when rubbed in well.

This is how the whole chalkboard looked after I rubbed in the chalk.

Erasing that "masterpiece" with a chalkboard duster or tissue gives it the effect we're looking for.

I removed the painters tape...

And there you have it! Your own chalkboard for your home for less than $10. This is my first chalkboard ever at home so I evidently need to work on my handwriting more :) But I'm looking forward to using it for various projects in the future!

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Winter Theme Party Ideas

I've always had a thing for themed parties. I find them cute and creative! A couple of years ago I had a winter themed party at my place for a few friends. Here are a few ideas:

 

I had lined the ceiling with these Styrofoam snowflakes I bought at Party City for very cheap. They were attached with strings at varying lengths.  

 This table was set up to function as a hot chocolate stand for the guests who were coming in. They had their drinks with cookies as they waited for the rest of the guests to arrive.

Here are some of the flavors that could be added to the drink

The cupcakes were s'mores flavored with Hershey's on top

 The party favors were also set on this table. They were ingredients to Chocolate Chip and M&Ms cookies displayed in a cone.

The appetizers included garlic bread, cream of mushroom soup, crackers with dips and these cute olive penguins:

These are made of small and large sized olives, cream cheese and carrots. The instructions can be found here

It's ideal to choose some main dish which is appropriate for winter. I made Shepherd's Pie as it was warm and filling. I made 12 individual portions for the guests as it looked cute. Also made some creamy pasta to go with this.

And for dessert, 12 personal sized Molten Lave Cakes! Recipe can be found here.

 These beautiful ornaments were hung year round from the ceiling in my old apartment. They are super cheap when on clearance and make a bold statement when in a central location, like above the coffee table in the living room. This also went well with the Winter Theme Party!

Hope you enjoyed this post! Don't forget to Like this page on Facebook and Follow me on Pinterest! Thanks for visiting! 

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