American Crafter Round 2 Voting

The Projects are in and it's time to vote!
***Looking for the Friday Favs Party- its' right here***

I'm feeling pretty inspired to get things a bit more organized at my home now!

Remember this week's champ will win a custom fabric bin from:

#1 Closet Makeover

by...Maggie @ Midwestern {Sewing} Girl

Woo hoo! So happy to be here in Round 2! When I heard that the challenge this week was "House of Order," I immediately knew what I wanted to do...

My husband and I completely remodeled one of our bathrooms last fall...it's gorgeous...I love it...BUT, there was one downfall...the bathroom closet. Have a look for yourself...and don't judge.

Because there is about 2 feet of space between the closet and the wall, I wasn't able to get a full-view photo...but, hopefully, you can get an idea of just how yucky it is with the patchwork photo. The closet is built into the space above a set of stairs, so the back wall slopes at a rather dramatic angle. The shelves are awfully deep and items are constantly getting lost. The top shelf is really high and pushed way back, so things are almost impossible to reach. In order for the kids to get to just about anything, they have to climb the slope and then wedge themselves into the door jamb and hope they can reach what they need with one hand while holding the wall with the other...not practical, not pretty...just plain "not." BUT, with just $10 and some things we already had around the house I was transformed that giant mess into something much more organized...

This new and improved closet makes me so happy...I actually like opening the door to it now! And there's room for towels...no more realizing after you're in the shower that you forgot to bring up a towel from the laundry room...yeeesss. Thanks so much, American Crafter, for providing the perfect opportunity to get this long-overdue project done...

Kelli:  Oooh I love that bathroom. What a tidy little space now!

Kristi: What a transformation, Maggie! Love the touch lighting and esp. that bronze horse head hook! Darling accent!

 Oh! Will you come make over my bathroom closet now?

 This is a very clever solution for a space that is all wrong for storage. Love the horsehead hook!

#2 Organization with Drawers

by...Jaime @ Crafty, Scrappy, Happy

Organization with Drawers!!!

Sooooo I have had this---previously rusty roadside trasher heavvvvyyyyyy treasure fooorrrr---

a few months annnddddd I was inspired {thanks to American Crafter}

to do a makeover,

And honestly whoooooo wouldn't love a multi drawer makeover with a bunch of crafty organized and labeled spaces!?!?!?

Yesss it may have started out VERYYYYYYY rusty butttt it sure did clean up and get to organizing and storing all of my crafty needs!!!!!!!!

Anddd I must note that it is SUPER magnetic {yesssss when they are made of metal they usually are} andddd sooooo I organizing the sides with spray painted magnet---what else was I to do?!?????!!

Jaime from crafty scrappy happy

Kelli: So cute. Love the cute scrapbook papers inside the drawers too!

Kristi: Holy toledo that is a night-and-day difference.  Great patterns & use of space!

Wow, that's really a transformation! Love the choice of colors!

First of all, I'm sooooo jealous of this find! :)  Second, fabulous makeover!

#3 Vintage Seasonal Storage Crates

by...Angela @ Love Sweet Love

Kelli's fav

Sooooo excited to be back with you again for another week of fun, AND a big thank you for your votes last week to get me here!!

 So what's a girl to do when she's in a crafty competition where the name of the game is organization, and she has a whole pile of scarves, hats, mittens and gloves strewn at her feet as her little hoodlums undress piece by piece absentmindedly making their way across the kitchen? (yep, it SNOWED here last week!) How 'bout....dig out the vintage crates passed down to her by her great-grandmother; sew some liners for them; sew on some pockets to the inside of the liners...you know for little winter needs such as chapstick, sunglasses, ear warmers, etc.; add some adorable knobs to the bottom for hanging scarves and mittens; paint some mini clothespins-a gorgeous metallic copper-and clip them onto some twine running along the front; dangle some home-made ric rac mittens from the twine on one of the crates so the little ones know which crate to put which clothing item in; aaaaand add a cute chalkboard label on a mini clipboard to the front. That's what! This girl is also thinkin' that these might just be the perfect solution for year-round storage! Can't you just see that chalkboard label saying 'rain boots' in the spring, and a tiny, pink-polka dotty umbrella hanging off a knob next to a fantastic yellow poncho?! Or some swim goggles and sunscreen tucked into the side storage pockets during the summer, with some fun, flirty, open-toed shoes carelessly tossed into a crate labeled flip-flops? I can. :)

Kelli: Fave this round! Love that they're hand-me-down from her grandma, adore the fabric liners.

Kristi:  Perfect solution for year-round storage with great details.  Lovin' that chalkboard sign!

Ohhh! I am into vintage and these are really beautiful!

 LOVE the handed down crates! What a treasure!  

#4 Bolger Command Center

by...Sunni @ Love Affair with my Brother

I made this on a tight budget so nothing is what it appears to be! See my calendar? It's an office ceiling tile covered in fabric. I made the calendar grid using 1/8" black satin ribbon and the labels are scrapbook paper. I attached the month, days, and numbers using scrapbook tape. It is sticky enough to stay put, but will easily peel off when I need to change it out for November! See my giant art pinboard? It's a huge corkboard I scored at a local home recycle center. I covered it in IKEA home decorator fabric and pinned all my daughters' drawings and paintings on. Now it is the perfect place to display what they are creating! The magnet board? It's a galvanized steel sheet that I spray-painted and attached to the wall with washers and bolts!

My favorite parts are the accessories! My awesome husband made a little wooden holder for Post-its and a pencil. Now, when I need to add an event to the calendar, I can just jot down a note and pin it to the correct day. For the pushpins and magnets, I made singed flowers, rolled flowers, covered button and printed buttons.

This was so fun, but being that it is in a hallway, it was a bugger to photograph!!

Kelli: Always love artwork displays. Clever upcycling!

Kristi: Awesome use of what was on hand, from the ceiling tile to the washers/bolts that hold it together. My fav parts are also the accessories! 

 What a fun way to dress up the hallway and keep things organized!

I am all about some upcycling! Love the ceiling tile calendar! And the accessories are fantastic!

#5 Laundry Room Makeover

by...Natalie @ Johnny in a Dress

I am thrilled to have made it to Round 2 of American Crafter!

What a fun, talented bunch of ladies competing this season!

When I read that this week's challenge was "House Of Order," I was super excited because I lately my house has been anything but a "House Of Order..." and this was the perfect motivation to get in gear and create order in my house!

I chose to focus on our laundry room and now it is one of my favorite places in our house!

When we walk into our home through the garage, we walk through the laundry room. I had stuff sloppily tossed into the cabinets above our washer and dryer (which I couldn't reach because I am on the short side...), dirty clothes piled on top of the washer, and you know, just stuff.... everywhere. Walking through this unorganized mess every time I walked into our home made me cringe.

Well not anymore!

Now I LOVE our newly organized laundry room!

I decided to use basic laundry items as decor!

Now I can easily access the items that we use daily!

I found these super cute polka dot bins from the dollar store and now each item that once was thrown into the cabinet has it's own perfect home!

The hubs helped me build a fun drying rack that hangs on the wall and folds out when needed then easily folds up when not in use - no more clothes "drying" in our kitchen!

Yay!

When it's organized...

Laundry can be

loads of fun!

Kelli: I'm a sucker for front loaders, jars + vinyl so this re-do speaks me to. Well executed, Natalie!

Kristi: Containerizing was a fab solution to the laundry area; looks like everything now has a place! Awesome drying rack, too!

Wow, I am overwhelmed by how pretty and organized this is. Puts my laundry room to shame!

I love me some JIAD! What clever ideas for laundry organization! I LOVE the detergent canisters! The off-set font sizes are fabulous!

#6 Command Center

by...Sarah @ Creating Sarah

This week's theme was a great opportunity for me to finally try an idea I've been playing with for a while.  You see, in theory, I am a very organized person.  I have a book full of schedules, plans, and to do lists.  It is beautiful and works fairly well for me.  The problem is, I still have a hard time finding motivation to complete my chores.  And, because of limited space (among other reasons), my "organized" spaces have quickly become cluttered spaces (see the Before picture here, which I can't believe I'm actually showing the world!).  

Here's what I did:  I cleaned off the clutter.  I made the desktop pretty.  I put a shelf underneath to hold my new inbox and bills to be paid box.  I spray painted some pretty bowls to catch clutter.  I nailed cork board tiles to the desktop.  In the center of the cork board, I glued a dry erase board for my Weekly To Do list and beside that is pinned my Daily To Do list and Bonus chores (these are chores that I typically have a harder time doing).

Now, my thinking is that if we motivate kids to do their chores by giving them rewards or special privileges, why shouldn't I reward myself for doing my chores?  And, what is the best reward for myself (aside from a clean house)?  Projects.

So, I now have a shelf in my craft room devoted to my weekly projects.  Each container or basket holds the supplies needed to complete a project.  Once my chores are all checked off for the day, I now have a project waiting for me.  The red basket holds a special weekly reward (such as a good book or fuzzy socks, maybe some occasional chocolate) if I finish my bonus chores.  Now, I have something to look forward to and I may even enjoy the housework more!

Kelli: I stink at organizing, Sarah pulled it off well. Good job!

Kristi: The space is now neatly organized & functional; I especially love the chore rewards ;)

Oh if only my workspace were in order like this, I'll be taking some tips from this one :) 

I am the same way! I make lists that don't get checked! I think I'm going to try the reward system! :) Great idea!

#7 The Pinterest {...offline} Inspiration Board

by...Nikkie @ Everything Under the Moon

House of Order...whew!  Tough call for me. My life is usually chaotic!! ...but I came up with a little something to organize a fun section of my life and home.  For my project, I decided to make an inspiration board. I find when coming up with crafts, I have a hard time organizing all of my thoughts and my pictures and swatches, etc. Pinterest is great for organizing things you want to make, but I don't always find everything online.  I am constantly dog-earring pages in magazines and then losing track because I can't remember where I saw the project and then I ended up holding on to the whole magazine or random pages which just adds clutter. So I decided to make a board that would help to organize all those thoughts in one place.  Usually when I decorate, I tend to go kind of shabby chic with pops of color, but in making things that have to do with my creative space, I like to use lots of bright colors. I find that it stimulates my mind and gets me thinking creatively.  To make my board, I used a regular cork board, painted the border white and adhered fabric to the cork.  I embellished the fabric with doilied corners, a rick rack border, ribbon, and fabric flowers with a little bit of shabby chic flair in the center buttons. I carried over that same golden button flair by making my own thumbtacks out of buttons. I pinned a few examples of future prjects and swatches on the board so everyone could see it in its glory, but once I get everything on there it's going to be full of projects!  I finished by adding the word "create" at the top to define the board and I added the words "imagine" and "dream" around the border because after all dreams and imagination are what creativity is made of!!  Now I have a crafty little board to organize all my future projects :) 

I really had so much fun with this round!! Hope you enjoy my entry!!

Kelli: Such fun colors, love the fabric flower touches!

Kristi: What a great idea to have an "offline Pinterest board" with bright, cheery colors!

What a pretty way to stay focused and organized!

This is genius! I do love Pinterst but I'm such a visual person that I need to have projects/ideas in my face or I'll forget about them! A board like this for monthly projects would be so helpful!

#8 Chalkboard Calendar

by...Wendy @ Craft Goodies

Okay, I have a confession to make...I have a HUGE phobia of being kicked out of anything first so I am beyond ecstatic to still be here! And well, if you could see the current state of my house you would know it too just might be fate that I'm hanging in there for this week's theme of "House of Order" cause girl! I need some order!!!

Here's the challenge I decided to tackle:

7 busy people in 1 house = 7 different and crazy schedules with 7 different and crazy calendars.

I can't handle notes and reminders all over the fridge so what to do?

Answer:

One super-sized, super visible all-in-one family message center!

Loving it already.

It fits right onto my pantry door so you really cannot miss it. It breaks the week down by days, as well as tackles the weekend events and still leaves room for the big days during the entire month-you know like birthdays, big tests, holiday breaks, etc. The board itself is chalkboard so no more paper!!!

Saving trees and my sanity...feeling calmer already.  



Kelli: This is a must for a family of 7! Love the chalkboard versatility! Great job, Wendy!

Kristi: Very classy & chic- great layout and easy to keep track of activities and schedules!

Oh I love that! Makes you look at your walls and cabinets in a different light. I could chalkboard everything!

I need this! Like I said for #7, I need to SEE in order to process. A nice, big, in-my-face calendar to help me remember! And it's cute!

#9 Closet Makeoverby...Desirée @ The 36th AvenueKristi's fav's Fav

 

Hi Everyone… I am Desirée from The 36th AVENUE

AND I AM SO EXCITED TO BE A PART OF ROUND 2 here in American Crafters!

I am beyond  grateful for this challenge… I finally had the motivation to take care of a small closet that we have in the entry of our home. It used to be the "throw everything inside and close the door" area. I know you have one of those secret areas too ;)  Well, mine is all gone… Behold our Mud Room Closet! Make sure you visit The 36th AVENUE to see the process between the before and after.

Good luck everyone!

Kelli: Too pretty, gosh! LOVE the stripes, Desiree! Who has pillows in their closet?!=Fabulous!!

Kristi: My top pick this week! "Everything has a place and a place for everything." Well executed space with classic colors and perfectly coordinating accessories.

This is gorgeous. I am in love with the colors used here and the texture, bravo!

My pick! Hands down a win. Like I said last week, Desiree never disappoints! 

#10 Bookshelves from Hades

by...Charlie @ Attempting Aloha

Aloha! This is Charlie again from Attempting Aloha. I was really excited to find out the theme for this round was "House of Order". You see, we "inherited" these bookshelves shown below in our giant Craigslist score (we purchased all furnishings in our home for $700). Like the other stuff we got, these were high quality, solid wood. But I'm pretty sure they were designed by the devil himself. ;)  Or someone else whose sole intention was to punish moms by making them straighten bookshelves ALL. DAY. LONG.  So I took a hammer to them! Mwa ha ha ha ha. There's no limit to the capabilities of a mom with power tools who's sick of cleaning crap, right?  It took hours of planning and math skills, but I finally designed them to fit our needs. My kids now have no excuses to put their books away in the right spots! But the best part is they can actually see all 7,255 books they own! So I can quit reading the same book they keep picking off the top of the stack over and over again. ;)

My Hawaiian friends would say, "Much mo' beddah."

Kelli: So fresh looking. Great transformation.

Kristi: Wow! What a difference- super functional now and organized!

Well done! That's a lot of books and this shelf is much more functional now!

This layout makes much more sense and it looks better! I bet using that hammer was fun!

Time to Vote!

You may vote 1 time for your 3 favorite projects

Voting is open until Sunday Night at 8 pm

6 Contestants advance to Round 3

Results will be posted Monday morning by 10 am

***The Poll is on the Upper Right Sidebar***

If you are reading this in an email or blog reader you will need to hop on over to the actual blog to vote:)

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