Repurposing Baby Changing Tables to Beverage Carts

When my son turned a year old, there was barely any use for his changing table. He would wriggle around and try to climb out of it while I was changing his clothes! We ended up just spreading a thin blanket on the floor to change him, while the changing table sat around with no use. Yes, there were still baskets of my son's clothes, diapers and other belongings on the shelves, but he would just flip the entire baskets upside down everyday. That system evidently wasn't working out. 

Here is a picture of the changing table before. I have an entire post on baby organization here. I would say this system works until the baby turns one.

See how I went from that, to a wheeled beverage cart!

Before and after

 A closeup look. There's a slight indication that this beverage cart is travel themed, but it's not too over-powering.

Along with the world map where I can pinpoint the family's travels, I also bought a book from Barnes and Noble to display.

It has the most gorgeous pictures of various places around the world and I enjoy changing up the pages that are on display from time to time. Really takes your breath away.

Hot chocolate and instant coffee station. More details here. 

Herbal tea collection with a teabag strainer 

I got this gorgeous shot glass from Navy Pier, Chicago. I plan to put a wooden honey dipper inside it. Just ordered it from Amazon. You can purchase it here. I will also post where you can find the tea organizer.

Glass bottles at the back give a more vintage vibe.

Some glasses and teacups for guests. Varying the heights of cups gives a little bit more of a dramatic effect.

Keep in mind that there is also another shelf below this one for you to add whatever you'd like! I would add an ice bucket and maybe some snacks.

I do realize that it's too early for me to keep such delicate items out in the open with a toddler around. On regular days, I keep the bottom two shelves empty and the top one still holds the hot cocoa and tea station. This system is mainly for when guests come over. However, if you have a large enough kitchen, you can keep it there and have a gated fence around it so toddlers aren't able to reach it! That would be the ideal situation, so it can look pretty year round :)

If you're thinking of buying a baby changing table, try to look into something that you can use even after the baby grows out of it. Look for a design that is not very childish and can be used in any part of the house. They would work great for entryways as well. Here is where I got mine:

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Toddler Reading Nook in Closet

Having a reading nook for my son is something I've always wanted. There are such wonderful pictures online of glorious and relaxing reading nooks for adults and children alike. Living in an apartment makes it a little difficult to find space to have an added space like this, but thinking outside the box helps. 

We had a blank wall in the master bedroom closet which was just dead space. Since I have my own closet in the guest bedroom and the boys (father and son) share the master bedroom closet, I thought it would be appropriate to keep a little reading nook for the tiny tot in the unused space: 

My son absolutely LOVES this little area! As soon as the closet door opens, he runs inside, grabs a book (or three) and sit down to read in his own baby language. It's just adorable to see a tiny bookworm :)

For the sitting area, I had a cushion and Boppy pillow from before, so that didn't cost anything for this particular project. However, I had bought these wall shelves from Amazon:

It definitely meets the needs of a 20 month old. Each shelf can hold two layers of books, so there's enough room to grow for now.

I've set up another option in the picture below. Instead of using cushions, you can also use a toddler chair and add a chalkboard so they can draw. I'm waiting until he gets a little older to add the chalkboard though (I will most probably hang it below the shelves) because he is too young to use chalks right now. Would be a great little area to learn his ABC's! You can see how I made this chalkboard for an extremely affordable price right over here. 

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Closet Organization - How to Give your Apartment Closet a Boutique Feel!

Ever wondered how to give your closet a boutique feel? If you have a walk-in closet in your apartment, this is possible even without those fancy built-ins which are seen in more glamorous homes!

Now, this process is a bit more difficult if you're sharing closets with someone. In this new apartment, I wanted to spruce up my closet a bit and go all girly, so I let my husband take the closet in the master bedroom and I took the one in the guest bedroom. For some reason the guest room closet is more spacious, but the space in the master bedroom closet was perfect for my husband's stuff. A bit inconvenient to walk to the guest room, but this closet is still my "happy place"!

Let's get started, shall we? Here's what it looks like when you open the door:

Being from the Indian subcontinent, I mainly wear a long, flowy dress called "shalwar qameez", 99% of which are gifts! In our culture it's the norm to gift friends and family with clothes on special occasions. 

Here's how I arranged the dresses:

If you read my old closet post, you can see in detail the benefits of color coordinating clothes, and having uniformity of hangers. 

In this post, I'd like to elaborate more on the key things that make your closet give the feel of a boutique. First, let's start with clothes. 

If you have a large enough walk-in closet, I'd recommend hanging all of the clothes up, rather than some hanging and some in the dresser. I decided that if my long dresses don't fit on this particular rack, I will be donating it. One tip I find that helps me while donating clothes is choosing a number. Usually if I don't choose a number I end up just donating a couple of clothes because I THINK I need more, when I really don't. Find actual people around you who are in need of clothes as this also helps in encouraging you to give away more - personal stories. I found out that there was a lady in my community who was stranded by her husband and left with children to fend for, without a job. I wanted to give her clothes, and these are all in good condition, but if I had not picked a number, I might have given just 3 or 4. Choose whatever suits you best at the time, 10, 15, 20. 

Giving away clothes and keeping only as much as my (walk-in) closet can fit helped make me feel less overwhelmed. I try my best to keep a one inch distance between hangers as this gives the clothes breathing space, looks neater and prevents wrinkles. I have decided that if there's ever less than an inch distance between hangers, then it means I will have to donate more clothes!

According to statistics (which I'm not sure how accurate they are, but they sound true to me), we only use 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. If you find that you haven't worn something in over a year and it has no sentimental value, give it away! I'm sure you will not miss it once it's gone, and your closet will look a WHOLE lot better, I promise!!

On to the purses:

I thought it would be cool, innovative idea to use S-hooks to hang up purses, until I went on Pinterest and realized half the world was already doing it. *sigh* But here you have it. They look much neater than being stacked on top of the wire shelves or being put in suitcases. Before I hung up my purses, I didn't have too much of an idea of what I actually had. Now, I can see them clearly. 

This method helps to really analyze what you have and what you need or don't need. So using the example above, I realized I have way too many neutral shades, and really will not be needing anymore. So when I go shopping and find another neutral purse attractive, I can remind myself that I have a whole line of them at home so I won't need to buy it. 

For storing purses, it's a good idea to stuff them with tissue paper or newspapers so that they maintain their shape.

I kept some of my jewelry out on the rack to give that boutique vibe. 

Along with some (el cheapo) fragrances on a tray.

Here's what it looks like to the left of the door:

I added a mirror to make the space feel more open, and of course, a boutique needs a mirror and an ottoman! Let's just ignore the fact that this is a $10 mirror and the "ottoman" is a stool from Target which was on clearance ;)

One thing that I did, which decreases the "sophisticated" look I'm going for, actually, is that I added greeting cards that were given to me by family and friends over the last few years. Although it doesn't look very elegant at all, it gives out a really positive vibe and reminds me to be grateful for my loved ones. Each card emits nostalgic memories, and since this is my personal closet, I thought it would be the perfect place for me to put them up.

I have a step stool against the wall to reach the higher shelves, along with my shoes.

Again, same situation here. All of my shoes have to fit this specific rack, and if they don't, they have to leave. 

Finally, let's take a look behind the closet door:

I put up a command hook on one of the bare walls. This allowed me to hang up my favorite dress of the season, giving it a fun look.

Behind the door, I hung up my long scarves on an over the door hanger. This can hold up to 3 scarves on each hook, and has 6 hooks, so it's pretty convenient!

I still have to work on the top shelves of the closet, but that will be a later post...much later :)

That's all I've got for today! Do you have any tips for closets? Share in the comments below!

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How to Pack Mugs, Glasses and Bowls

Yup, you guessed it! We're moving soon. As in tomorrow. So while on a lunch break, I thought I'd make a post on a quick tip. Packing fragile items: 

You'll have to find a slim box for this one. I found our computer monitor box being unused, so decided to use it for the short road trip to the next apartment. 

It's a great size as it's able to fit over 20 glassware items. 

I started off by cutting bubble wrap into long strips, and zigzagging my way around the mugs. I used double layers of the bubble wrap to ensure maximum protection. 

Here's how it looks placed inside the box. The mugs that are not covered will be covered with the next row of mugs when cushioned in alternate directions.

I then proceeded to do the same with the glasses, putting them in 4 at a time. 

After putting in the mugs and glasses, I still had plenty of extra space, so I added these bowls using the same method. 

There was a bit of a gap on the side, so I filled it in with rolled up clothes. 

Here's the finished product! 8 mugs, 8 glasses and 3 bowls, completely packed with no space to move!

When closed up, it looks like it's going to remain safe and sound! I'd recommend to still handle it with care and keep it horizontal at all times if possible. It should be safe if vertical, but I wouldn't risk it!

I'm looking forward to the move so that I can post new organizational tips and tricks in a new apartment! Especially excited about the closet!!

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Ice Cream Organization!

Food, water, shelter and ice cream. The essentials of life for basic survival. Well that's what I'd like to believe anyway! 

Variety is the spice of life, and that goes for ice cream as well. For a couple of months, we were blessed as our old fridge was replaced with a huge double-door fridge at our rental place. 

Unfortunately we're moving out soon and will get the traditional freezer-on-top (i.e. a tiny box) type fridge, but while I had this fridge I thought I'd make use of one of the compartments in the freezer and make it into an ice cream sanctuary:

What I did for the single-serving ice creams that were wrapped up was place them all in a basket I got from the dollar store. Much easier access this way, and saves a lot of space. There's no need to fiddle around with 3 different boxes of ice cream just to get one out...you just grab and go!

Hope this quick tip was helpful! I am seriously...seriously going to miss this huge fridge. Ah well, life must go on. *drowns sorrows in ice cream*.

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Martha Stewart 2014 Planner

*2015 update: Unfortunately the Martha Stewart planner line has discontinued this year. You can check out the planner I am using in 2015 and also use a $10 off coupon provided in the blog post! Thanks for dropping by!

So I upgraded to a Martha Stewart disc bound planner for 2014 from a spiral bound BlueSky planner from Target. After using it for 2 months, I thought I'd share how I feel about the planner, because when I was searching for detailed information about this planner before I bought it, I couldn't find any! 

The color, first of all, is just gorgeous. It's the thing that drew me into the planner in the first place. Being a Martha Stewart product, you can be sure that apart from the color, it's also a sturdy, quality product. 

The pockets on the left side are nice sizes. They work great for business cards, receipts and letters you may need to look into. I keep my son's doctor appointment information in it, along with his immunization form. 

On the right side, I added my own 2014 goals list. It helps me stay focused. I wanted to stray from the same old checklist style and do something a bit more unique. Also, since this is the first page, it's easy for it to get torn over the span of one year. I therefore reinforced the side of the paper with washi tape.

(The notepad paper is from Erin Condren)

I needed to punch holes for the disc bound planner and also cut out strips of paper from the edge for it to be inserted. The whole point of the disc bound system is that you can take the pages out and insert them back in within a few seconds. There's no need to open any rings of a binder and no need to tear out pages like in a spiral bound notebook. It's very easy to personalize.

Here are the tools I used to make my own inserts. You can also by a hole puncher which is made for punching 8 holes in one go along with the strip at the edge cut off, but it costs $50 and this costs a small fraction of that price. 

Fun side note: see the purple pair of scissors? I bought them when I started first grade and have used them every year throughout my school life, then in university, then after marriage, and still using them regularly after becoming a mom! The stories those scissors could tell... :)

I added these tabs to my planner. I love the look of it! The can be found on Amazon or at the Container Store. Apart from the 12 months, it also includes tabs such as Notes, To Do, Travel, Contacts a few more.

Martha Stewart's 2014 inserts, which I am using this year, have some great info pages in the beginning of the planner. They include Personal Reference, Holidays, 4-Year Reference, Special Dates (that you can add), Clothing Sizes and Conversions. 

The 4-Year Reference page is great for tracking vacations and planning ones in the future. 

Here's a look at my month-at-a-glance from January. I like how on the right hand side there is space for extra notes and you can also refer to the last month and next month easily.

Yes. I color code. But you knew I'd do that.

Now for my biggest problem with the Martha Stewart planner. Her lovely tips.

I'm the kind of person who uses the month at a glance section more than the daily section. It's just easier to refer to a specific day and see what's going on. However, some days don't have that much space to write in because of her long tip of the days. And I need that space!

Really?

I mean, I love Martha Stewart. She is the epitome of creativity. But...I can't go to the farmer's market on a random Monday in June just because it says I have to in the planner and I'd rather write stuff I actually WILL do that day. Sorry Martha :(

Ok. Moving on.

So one fine day I decided to "decorate" my planner pages because it was the in-thing to do. Yeah, as you can see, not for me. It was fun while it lasted, but I'm going to stick to just writing in different colors for different tasks rather than "drawing".

One thing I love about the planner is that Martha gave 2 extra boxes on the bottom which are blank and you can add anything you want in them. They could be fitness related, goal related, work related...anything really. I made one of the boxes for Meal Planning. Always easier to know in advance what you're cooking rather than on the day itself. And in the second box I write "Highlights". I want to write down a positive memory I have of the day so that I can look back some day and remember all the blessings. It's great because at the end of the day it makes you look on the bright side of the day. 

Finally, the planner provided a large pocket which was removable. I added a couple of post it notes and I picture of my favorite little man.

So, the verdict? I enjoyed trying out a new system, that being the disc bound system. It makes it easy to move the pages around. The cover is very durable and just a stunning color.

The inserts are ok. They get the job done. For month at a glance I would prefer no tips, just a blank calendar and some extra space on the side to write notes, which is provided here. As for the daily pages, I personally don't really need a separate section for Morning, Afternoon and Evening, but I know some people do.

If I had a second chance, I would use this beautiful cover and change the inserts inside.  Some of the ones I love are I Heart Organizing's, A Bowl Full of Lemon's and Erin Condren's. However, I was afraid of going through the hassle of printing the first two planners double sided, then punching holes in all of them. And Erin Condren is spiral bound so I'd have to trim the edges and punch holes in them too. Too much work. With a toddler. Not happening.

And so I stuck with Martha Stewart's 2014 planner.

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