In our house of four kids I could spend my days filling and emptying my dishwasher of just cups alone. My solution has been one cup a day per kid. We have a space on our counter where I line up the kids cups in order of age. This works just fine, until we run into days when more than one child chose the same type of cup. Then begins the filling fast of the dishwasher again. One of my followers has a post on her blog (mightytwosave.blogspot.com) about clothespins being used to identify whose cup is whose. I thought this to be a wonderful and fun solution to our cup confusion.
One idea is to have your child decorate their own clothespin. What child would not have fun doing that! I decided however, to make them for my kids. They have used clothespins in many different crafts in the past. I did not feel they would miss out, but rather have fun with what I came up with.
You could simply do a solid color differing color for each child, or add the child's name, glue ribbon to the front, make a label cover it in contact paper and glue it to the front of the clothespin and so on. Have your kids color them with markers, paint them, put stickers on them, glue pom poms and turn them into caterpillars etc. Your imagination could go wild.
Please keep in mind I am not an artist, just a mom whose kids are blinded by my love. They do not see the amateur work, but rather the fun intended. Smile, smile!
The time has come, I have given up, given in and got to work! My laundry room (really it is a closet but I can pretend) was a dreaded place for me to be. Not just because of the piles and loads and mounds of laundry that await me each day, but because it was aesthetically unpleasing to my eyes! The thought that my piles are going to increase with adding a new baby to our family got me on the move! I had to solve this ugly, dreaded problem. No wonder the laundry would pile... it is called PROCRASTINATION! I wanted a space that I wanted to be in. A space that could be peaceful for me. A place where my mind could wander and ponder thoughts as I dump clothes in the washer and fold them from the dryer.
I began pouring through the Internet to get some ideas or inspiration. What I got at first was depressed! So many beautiful laundry rooms out there to be desired. So I wiped away the drool and came back to reality. I decided I would challenge myself to be creative with what I have. The result... a laundry room makeover that only cost me my time, oh and the big sum of $5.00! Guess what, I also had fun doing it! Though it will not find it's way to any magazine pages or even cause one to drool, it is a definite improvement from what it was before! My goal was accomplished! I now have a place that is not dreaded but peaceful and transporting. My thoughts can think and I can accomplish a necessary chore for my family happily.
Here is what took place
I first thought maybe I could live with a small change. So I replaced not so pretty laundry baskets with ones I like. NOPE not enough of a difference to make a difference. Something more HAD to happen!
I painted the walls with Quietude from Sherwin Williams. I had a whole can left over from painting our master bathroom. The color looks and feels different being in the laundry room due to the difference in size and lighting. The pictures do not capture the true color at all!
Here is the whole of it... the laundry closet room that is!
I will change out the blue bins (or spray paint them black) and find a solution for the laundry soap. The clock I thought would be a good idea to glance up at when a load is put in the washer and dryer. Since I am notorious for forgetting my laundry and end up rewashing loads maybe knowing the time will help. I can be hopeful!
The small jar used to hold Alfredo sauce from Classico. For fun and whimsy I hung the picture using clothes pins and ribbon. The jar holding clothes pins also has seashells from the beaches I grew up on! Peaceful! All of this sitting on my thrift store shelf for a whopping $.99!
I painted all the frames and two shelves with the color I used to paint my classroom. I also made all the signs! Amazing what you can do using Word, different fonts downloaded from the Internet and a color printer!
Hiding back behind the baskets is a trashcan to store toss all the dryer lint and sheets.
I wanted some Bible verses and inspirational reminders of what this room is now intended to be.
I took ideas from the Internet of laundry room sayings and then either changed them a bit and made them my own or made up my own like the one below.
Oh joy! There is the dryer chiming now, inviting me to come and enjoy my new space as I, wash, dry, fold and repeat (another cute laundry room saying out there!)
Hope you have been inspired to be creative with what you may already have to beautify a space you want to be.
