I have talked about my garage in other posts and how I am determined to have it all cleaned out and organized by the time the cold weather arrives.  Small steps every week to the finish line!

The process I am using is one most folks use when trying to get organized.  I say to myself should I……………..

Keep it!

Donate it!

Trash it!

I tend to want to donate most things, but now that I am not working I do have more time to recycle.

Here is the latest find.

This is a set of six small baskets which fit into a thick wire base.  Years ago when I purchased this I think I used it in a bathroom.  Like most things I suppose something else replaced it and it ended up in the garage, like everything else.

I love Pottery Barn, it is one of my favorite stores, cannot afford most things they offer, but I love to look!  In the latest catalog they sent to me I really loved the basket storage ideas shown below.

Adding tags, and numbers, to small baskets used for storage, definitely the Pottery Barn look!

Sooooo…………I decided to try and give that look to my garage found basket unit.

– Gave the base unit a fresh coat of black paint.

– Cleaned all the baskets.

– Bought some black tags with jute ties.

– Printed out numbers on my PC with cream colored paper and simply attached to the tags.

It didn’t take much of my time, and the cost was minimal.

Here’s my recycled Pottery Barn look alike…….

It will work out great as a catchall in my work area for post it notes, push pins, paper clips, etc.

Love it!

Thank you Pottery Barn!

See you all tomorrow, have a great Friday!

XO

Really enjoy my stress free days now that I have stopped working.

I worked for a while in my garage today, and also out in my yard trimming and taking care of all my plants and flowers.  My daisies are in bloom!

I shared my project of updating my “crooked little back porch” a couple of weeks ago, but never took it to completion, so I thought today I would finish.

This is the photo of the area that needed something else!

I moved an old small table and chairs from my barn to the porch, touched up with some white paint, and as you can see it works!

Added some bright green pillows which helped to pull all the colors together.

So very pleased with the entire update.

I love the time I spend on my porch, it is my peace and quiet place.

“Blackie” is always there with me!

Added some other little things too!

Found this colorful plate at Pier One on the sale table.  It added a special touch to my small table between our chairs.

Below you can see that I made some coasters from clay pot saucers.  Hobby Lobby offers 6 for $2.99, but I used my 40% off coupon, for an additional $1.20 off!  I used hot glue to add some cork to the inside, that was it!  The terracotta matches the brick.

These coasters would make a great “thank you” gift for the hostess of an outdoor gathering.

Just one more thing to share, this silly, but useful watering jug.  I made it from an empty jug that held spring water.  I loved the blue handle and didn’t want to just pitch it!  All I needed to do was to poke holes in the lid with a nail and hammer.

Hope you all enjoyed seeing my completed “crooked little back porch” project.

Fun to put together with very little money, and using things I already had.

I wish peaceful days to all of you!

See ya tomorrow!

This past week I have been working on sprucing up my back porch.

The years have not been so kind to my little porch, it’s a little crooked from age, and wear and tear, but I love it just the same.

I started with the floor.

The stain had faded a bunch since the last application, several years ago.

Before

After

I used the same Olympic solid stain that is on the front and trim of our house, chocolate brown.

We have some outdoor furniture, two chairs, both with ottomans, that are in very good condition. The cushions for the chairs, are tan, and also in good shape, but some color was definitely need.

Found some print toss pillows at Home Goods, with a little terracotta, blue, brown, and bright green.

The terracotta color blended well with the brick wall.

I really love pillows, so I added some bright green ones as well.

Added two small tables, both as a result of my on going garage cleaning.

They were rusted, so I sanded, and spray painted, one brown, and the other a bright green.

The brown one fit between the chairs, and the green one was the perfect size for my Hoya plant.

Feels so good to use things that you were going to trash.

They really turned out great!

The sun shines on our little crooked porch quite a bit, especially in the mornings, so we bought an inexpensive roll up, tan, bamboo type shade.  We are very pleased with it, we not only get shade, but some privacy from our neighbors.

Added a citronella candle in a bright green tin, and an ivy plant.

So that takes care of one half of the porch, but there is still room for something more!

Maybe a small table next to the railing would complete our little space.

That will be the project for next week!

Everyone should have a special place to sit, with a comfortable chair, hopefully by a window, if not outside, to read, pray, write special things, enjoy some coffee, and sometimes music, as I do every morning.

It’s a simple pleasure that adds to life.

If you don’t have a crooked little porch, find a private spot in your home, or apartment, make it yours, and enjoy the time you spend there!

Love to all!

Last month I shared my project of sorting through stacks of old magazines.

I sorted and clipped out articles, ideas, recipes, and beautiful photos that I loved.

Now, instead of having the stacks of magazines I have this………

.. a stack of clippings!

I have many gift cards that were given to me when I stopped working and also at Christmas time.  I guess it must be hard for people to buy things for me, so I receive lots of gift cards.

They sure come in handy when you are on a budget and find something that you would like to have but can’t justify buying.

I found these “Poppy” binders, file folders, and dividers at Target and I used one of my gift cards to buy them.  It felt like they were free!

Poppies are one of my favorite flowers, so I knew I had to have them, and as it turned out they were just what I needed to organize my many magazine clippings.

They are so bright, with the dots and stripes, that match the poppy colors.

Just love them!

I purchased some clear sheet protectors, and also a coordinating small locking pouch divider to hold smaller items.  The small organizer is perfect for holding photos.

I started the process of sorting and deciding what categories I wanted to place each clipping under, and placed each one in a sheet protector.

Made labels for each category divider.  I based many of the categories on by blog interests and also my Pinterest boards.

Worked on the stack for a number of nights while watching TV.

I am now up to date organizing, but there are many magazines left to page through and clip.

Just needed one binder for now, but down the road I knew I would need another one which is why I purchased both. It would be hard for me to pick one over the other anyway!

This way of organizing could be used for children’s art work, or maybe just for the many recipes we all accumulate and can never find.

Now that I have the clippings organized, as I page through the binder, I feel like I have one awesome magazine made just for me, featuring all the simple things I love.

Hope you all love this idea as much as I do.

Simple things like this bring me joy!