Multitasking & More

 

Almost everything that I do, leads to another task.  Very rarely is an effort a one-off.  Last night when I made marinara for dinner, I also set aside scraps for soup.  I have a small bag in the freezer with two chicken thigh bones.  Each time I cut the meat off a thigh; I will stick it in this bag.  While I might also compost this, or save it for dog food, I also need to make stock on a regular basis. 

When I unloaded the dishwasher this morning, I noticed the flatware drawer was accumulating crumbs and sticky stuff.  Before I put the clean pieces in, I decided to clean the drawer.  My go-to tool for crumb eradication, is a rechargeable Shark mini cordless vacuum. For quick clean up, I rely on a small Bissell handheld cordless sprayer, using a 50/50 water/70% alcohol solution.  This sprayer was a "brown box" (reboxed or unlabeled) half price score from Ollies. At $20, I sure did get my money's worth!

When we renovated the kitchen, we chose upgrades to create storage in a small space. Double level flatware storage is a huge help.  The top tray collects crumbs from the counter.  Lining each compartment was worth the time and expense because it makes clean-up a lot easier.

 

I was a bit surprised that the lower level also needed to be cleaned. I don't use the utensils on this level as much, but dirt finds a way to get to every nook and cranny!  Now that I've done this drawer, I have decided to tackle one drawer per day.  We've been in this kitchen for about 9 months, so it was time to do some maintenance.

Now just for some gratuitous sharing, I wanted to post pictures of our yellow bedroom.  This is where I sleep because my fella snores and we are on completely opposite sleep schedules.  We did a complete renovation of two rooms and our hallway upstairs.  It was a preceded by a full house electric update and attic updated.  The second floor had horrible, dirty, old wall-to-wall carpet.  We had it pulled up and new flooring went down.  The walls were also in sad shape.  We gutted two rooms, put up new drywall (including insulation), and gave our upstairs a complete update.  This involved using a lot of saved money, and the work of our favorite contractors who have now updated every square inch of our old house.  

Bold colors are kind of my thing.  We call this The Bee Suite because of the yellow and black. I actually took inspiration from a Mackenzie Childs design.  I painted the ceiling fan with a black and white check like theirs. My problem is that I like flashy decor, but also like natural fiber, comfort-centric bedding.  It's been a challenge to reconcile my desire to be a little chic, with my need for simple comfort.

The beside drawers were a present to me from my husband.  One of the reasons I chose a yellow colorway, was to work with the finish of these pieces.  I keep the things I need access to in bed on the right side. The window needed dark/heavy curtains because one neighbor has bright lights, and we have motion sensor lights that get set off all night.  I did have our contractor put recessed lighting over the bed, which can be dimmed.  The small light next to the bed is a USB rechargeable Walmart piece that is there just for low lighting when I need to get something from a drawer during the night.

I had more fun on the left side of the bed since it didn't need to be functional, and there was no window.  Taking my M&C mimicry maybe a step too far, I came up with decor inspired by a picture I took at their store in Auburn, NY.  I zoomed in on a bouquet and then had it printed on a canvas by CVS.  The wild pitcher was a great garage sale find.  That sale yielded four awesome vases & pitchers.  Our last dog was a Golden Retriever, and a friend gave be a piece of button art, made of gold buttons.  The pill boxes and music box were mostly gifts. I did find a small porcelain pill box shaped like a chair for a buck at a garage sale.  As for the lower shelf (painted by me), the Prussian mug holds granola bars (I am a midnight snacker), the ceramic champagne flute was made by my sister-in-law (a talented artist), and the small bowl was a Mackenzie & Childs sugar bowl that had lost its top (tragically dropped), so its owner passed it on to me. I keep sucking candy in that for nighttime coughing fits.  As for that big clock in the corner, it was a $40 estate sale find. The original price tag from the 80's shows it was purchased for $400!

Having a serious jewelry addiction, I needed to come up with storage solutions.  The shelf is mounted next to the window. It holds a case with my perfumes.  There's also a nod to bumble bees on that shelf.  The hooks below hold my costume pieces.  I culled over half of my collection so I would have room for it all.  The bee-themed piece holds my sterling and gold chains.  The bee design was a screenshot from a Mackenzie Childs webpage.  I had it printed with a cheap plastic frame through CVS. I used markers to outline the design and put a clear coat on it. I mounted it over a small block of wood, painted black, with a bunch of hooks.

Just having one dresser doesn't provide a lot of storage.  I'd like a more fashionable set up, but I need a place for my jewelry box and other doo-dads.  We have a vent in the wall to help draw warm air out since there are no return vents upstairs.  I use it to hold my chains with magnetic clasps.  There's also a wall piece, painted by me, using stencils found at a garage sale. They weren't intended to be stencils, but that's what I used them as.  The rod holds an extra blanket, fluffy socks for bed, and a wireless speaker.

Our house was built in the early 1800's and was likely a farmhouse.  The closets are tiny, so I needed to come up with extra storage.  Every room has an over-the-door rack, and there are hooks mounted on the wall in back of most doors too.  It's not all that pretty, but not visible from the hallway when the door is open.  I also created storage on the wall adjacent to the closet.  I have a long rod that I hang clothes using wooden hangers, and a row of hooks for shoes.  It's all covered with long curtains.  Extra hangers and hooks hold clothes that have been spritzed and need to air out before being put away to be worn another day.  Since the room also accommodates guests, when we have someone stay over, I move the clothes on the wall, as well as the shoes, to the attic.

 

This chair can hold a suitcase, or clothes that I don't want to deal with at the moment.  It is a curbside acquisition. The paint treatment was pretty simple, but it works with the theme. And having something this small gives me a holding spot in the small space.

The light switch plate was my splurge. It was a clearance markdown, but at $18 a worthwhile spend to set the theme for the room.  That kind of money for a switch plate is ridiculous -- and it was normally $38.  Thankfully, I was able to take the look and make it my own.

This is the view from the hall. I call the room "The Bee Suite" and have a small beehive (the same one as on the perfume shelf) over the door.  Every room upstairs has a door ornament.  And to point out another resourceful element, there's a large mirror over the bed. It was in the basement when we moved in, and I'd wanted to use it in the room from the first time I saw it.  It reflects light, and it makes a big statement.

So, here's a look into part of my domestic sanctuary.  I've been lucky having the funds and ideas to make it something unique -- and also so fortunate to have a contractor who does great work to make my ideas come to life. Not everything in my world is sensible.  Is this too wild for you?