New Dress Up Storage & Organization!

Tah dah! Everyone at our house is now a princess... due to our wonderful new dress up organization for the girls' dresses and accessories! It works as great storage when the items are not in use and gives them easy access to use things during play time!

We had originally seen a dress up station on Wayfair.com, but my husband thought it was something he could tackle and do himself. We came across blogger Jess, that had that same thought on "Craftiness is not Optional", which even contained a link to another site by Ana White that had some plans for similar designs! He went to work on ours and came up with a design that would work great in our play room.

My husband put it together over a few weekends, with some additional work time being added on it by using a router on all of the edges to give them a rounded finish - so there were no sharp corners in the girls' play area. We picked out paint at Lowe's (Valspar "Plum Burst" 4002- 10B, in case you're looking for it!) - and made our own stencils on some card stock using a font in the word processing program on our computer. I think it turned out beautifully!

The top shelf has storage space for tiaras, cowboy hats, and the pirate hat... if it was ever not in use!

Lots of room to hold the ever important dresses & tutus!

The bottom has a bin that is a great little cubby for purses, shoes, and jewelry:

It has been a great addition to the play room! I will do an updated playroom organization video soon!

Here's the reveal of the dress up station to the girls for the first time - and a mini tour of their dress up items (so far, ha!) in their collection:

The girls loved it, as you can see here!

Cupcake looking all grown up in her Rapunzel costume!

Peanut enjoying the dress up selections!

Great job to Daddy and Grandad - and a very special thanks to Craftiness is Not Optional who was a great help in giving us inspiration for ours, and the plans by Ana White that she linked on her page that gave Daddy a great place to start for ours!

Coat Closet Reorganization

I quickly realized while looking in my coat closet the other day, that something was going to have to be done to make getting out the door now that we would have four people needing space in the coat closet, and all of the winter items that go along with that!

My before didn't really have much organization, some gloves and scarves were tossed into a basket - many of which were not the correct size or were not items we use the most often. I had hats stowed away in the girls' closets upstairs... which is not a convenient place when I'm trying to get out the door and have to run back upstairs for a hat to match their outfit. And we also had a number of just miscellaneous items stowed away in the closet, since it is our main area of extra storage on the first level of the house.

So I took to the closet, of making the winter items more accessible, and also shaping up the functionality of the closet.

Here's my before and after:

I really like the way it turned out! Each member of the family has their own separate bin, which helps to quickly find the size you need to find - and also I like that there is a place for boot storage on the bottom. I was finally able to fit our upright Dyson vacuum cleaner into a spot in one of our closets... and all of the cleaning supplies fits more neatly as well.

Now, baby, toddler, and adult hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves can be found in a matter of seconds - and I'm hoping it will help things go back into their spot when we are done using them as well!

Updated Vanity Drawer Organization!

The organization project continues!

Product Review: Gigi Hill Audrey Tote Bag

Gigi Hill is a company that was started by two moms that had fashion and function in mind. They wanted to create bags that were feminine, but could still meet the demands that moms have on bags. The company has a full line of handbags and accessories to meet the needs of any consumer that desires a bag that can be functional and pretty at the same time.

They've sent me a purse to review and I'm excited to share my thoughts with you on this feminine and functional accessory!

Gigi Hill Audrey Tote, www.gigihillbags.com, Starting at $130

The Audrey is a versatile tote style that I selected in the Enchanted color, because I thought it would be a great addition to be something different in my collection. The print is a gorgeous tangerine and pink rose floral against a neutral tan background. The exterior is a faux leather finish that is easily cleanable and could be wiped off with a baby wipe - and the interior has a laminated canvas lining that would contain spills while still being pretty to look at with a colorful striped lining.

Size wise, the bag is the perfect tote size... large enough to carry all of the things you would want to carry in a large tote, without looking like lugage. It is spacious and could carry everything from items for a diaper bag, to work essentials. There is a magnetic button closure at the top and snaps on either side so that you cinch in the sides to create more of a closed look when you don't need the top to be open. The strap drop is 10.5 inches and comfortably fits on the shoulder.

There are a few special details which make you realize that the creators of Gigi Hill really are passionate about handbags and creating something special for their consumers. The interior has a tag that reads, "a great bag is a woman's treasured secret place" ~ gigi hill. There is also a matching key holder that can hang from the d-ring on the inside. I think these extra touches just make the bag feel that much more personal and special.

My verdict: I think that the Audrey style tote bag is a fabulous bag that would be perfect all types of occasions. From mommy bags to work tote, this bag could do it all! The enchanted print is perfect for summer and the bright floral print feels very in tune with this season's trending colors. It is comfortable to use and the perfect tote size.

In a few words, substantial, beautiful, and most definitely worth the $130 pricetag. If you're looking for reasonably priced durability that will last you a long time, I think that a Gigi Hill bag would be perfect.

Watch my video review on the Audrey Tote here:

Learn more about Gigi Hill here:

http://www.gigihillbags.com

View the Audrey Tote, Starting at $130 - HERE

Stop by their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/gigihillcollection

* Please note the products in this review were sent to the reviewer by the company to perform an independent review. I've given my honest opinions on the products mentioned.

Vanity Restyle

I'm in that age range where you transition from your young adult years, when it is still moderately acceptable to a bit whimsical in your daily life - to a full fledged adult - when you are expected to be all responsible, organized, and put together. (And stuff.) I actually really enjoy organization (I'm sure my husband would declare otherwise), but I just get so caught up in the routine of day-to-day living, that sometimes I have to step back and look at things from a different perspective in order to see the disarray.

Case in point, was my vanity area. I bought this vanity because the house we lived in just prior to our current one didn't have a built-in vanity (which I had been used to having from the house previous), and just had a small open room with bare walls to use for a vanity and dressing area. So I found this vanity to solve the problem of having a place to do my makeup.

When we moved to our new house that we live in currently, it didn't have a separate dressing OR vanity area either - so I had to take up a corner of our bedroom with my vanity. (I sacrificed having a separate vanity area when we narrowed it down to this house from the other ones we were looking at, to give my husband a space to have his "man cave" area - just want that on record. Ha ha!) With a new baby and just getting settled into the new house, it was too easy to walk past my vanity on a daily basis and just ignore it. I used my makeup out of separate makeup cases and could never find anything!

The before:

Not really a pretty sight to look at, was it?

So one day, I was inspired and realized that I needed to do some re-organization... desperately.

I purchased two clear drawer acrylic containers from Space Savers (which I've also since purchased one to organize my daughter's changing table), two glass vases, and some vase filler from Michael's. I started sorting through things and found things I had forgotten I even had! I sorted the items I used the most into categories like face, eyes, and lips. And for brands like Nars, I had enough to have one drawer dedicated to holding it.

This was the result:

Everything was out in the open and easy to spot! I was amazed that this actually help cut down on the time it took me to get ready too!

In the vanity drawer, I organized all of my Bare Escentuals shadows, Benefit powders, and extra brushes:

And inside the acrylic drawers ended up looking like this:

Overall, it was a relatively inexpensive project that made a big impact! I happily can now find all of the makeup items I own quickly, and also have been using different products in my makeup routine, since I can find more than just my go-to items!