DIY Mail Center

Finished product

I was thrifting at Goodwill the other day and came across this...

Most people would see a banged up piece of particle board nailed together in a funny way...I saw MAIL CENTER.

I decided to tear it down using a hammer and just keep the skeleton. I painted it black with two coats of craft paint.

Then I cut out a piece of scrapbook paper (I just love polka dots, don't you?!) and double sided taped it to the inside.

Then I decided to paint MAIL on the top in an antique way. (I sketched out the letters first with pencil and kinda traced them with paint. Even using those sticker letters would be cute!

After that I decided that instead of using the wood I had salvaged from the inside of the piece (which would have looked cool too) I would attach coordinating ribbon with a hot glue gun from one side to the other.

And voila... Our new mail center that looks cute and original.  Only cost me $1 (it was 1/2 off) + stuff I already had.

Hope you like it! We sure do! It keeps our ingoing and outgoing mail off the counter and we hubs always knows where to put/look for the mail now! Yay organization!!!

XOXO,

This post is linked to Tater Tots and Jello

Tips to Keeping a Company Ready Home

You know those unexpected visitors that just happen to pop by your house unannounced? Or those friends your kids wanna bring home after school? You want the company but then you get to thinking about the pile of laundry in the living room or the dirty dishes left in the sink....EEEK so you run home and throw things in closets and in the oven, the panic ensued rush of tidying makes you lose 10 years off of your life because of stress... You probably know the feeling... I certainly know the feeling and HATE it!  Sooo I decided the house was going to be clean and STAY clean...A daunting task but one that can be accomplished!

Here are the easy tips I follow (and many of you probably do as well) to keeping a company ready home:

1. Clean up after yourself. The simplest one to say and not do. If you get something out put it away and make sure that your other family members do the same.
2. Everything has a place.  If this is true then #1 will be easier.  If you know where something is specifically stored then cleaning up should be easier as it has a place just for it.
3. De-clutter. Everything should have a purpose either functional or just for pretty factor.  If it has lost its function in your home or you no longer want it don't just keep it on principal.  Change things up, get rid of things that are no longer of use to you or your family.
4. Set aside specific days for laundry.  I used to do laundry whenever things would start to overflow.  Now I have set Saturday as the day of laundry.  On that day the laundry is not only washed but it is also PUT AWAY.  Then the rest of the week there is no worry or digging through last weeks wash for our clothing.
5. Set aside specific days for quick tidying of rooms. I set aside about 20 minutes a day to clean certain parts of the house.  Like Mondays are living room days.  We vacuum and use cleaner, you know the more heavy duty stuff. (But honestly if you keep up with the house daily it takes so much less time to clean, than if you let the place go!) If you're an organization freak like me you could even make a schedule to post on the fridge or something.
6. Never go to bed with a sink full of dirty dishes. Always, ALWAYS clean and put those dishes away before you lay your head down for the night.

I have found that now that my family and I do these simple things we spend less time stressing over unfolded laundry and clutter and can come home at night after a quick clean up of a room and enjoy each other and our space. And if someone comes over, let 'em in! Much more relaxing, don't you agree?

It takes a little discipline at first but it really pays off once it becomes habit!

Happy cleaning!
 Xoxo,