It's A Wrap!

Quite a while ago (actually kind of embarrassing to admit how long ago), I started to build a Wrapping Station for my laundry room.  I found inspiration all over the internet:

Source: oopsey-daisy.blogspot.com via Linda on Pinterest

Source: pixiesdidit.com via Linda on Pinterest

Source: 33shadesofgreen.blogspot.com via Linda on Pinterest

Source: lizzyford.blogspot.com via Linda on Pinterest

I especially like the last one above, so last summer, with pegboard and burlap in hand, I set to work.



Since this was going to be hanging on the back of my laundry room door, I had to cut out the area that would fit around the door knob (actually, Ron did the cutting for me ).



I knew that I needed some sort of frame around the edges to hold the pegboard away from the door itself, so I made one out of scrap lumber and screwed it to the pegboard.



Then I wrapped the whole thing in burlap and stapled it in place on the back.



And then it sat . . . . .
And sat  . . . . .
And then Jordan hung it on the back of the laundry room door for me.
And it sat some more.  
Until today.
After a run to Big Lot's for curtain rods, I fastened them to the pegboard with the enclosed brackets.



Needing some way to store pens and a hole punch, I decided to use a little twine and a clean tin can and pegboard hooks for the accessories---which were things I already had on hand. I may decorate the can later, but now I kind of like it "as is".





I purchased some laundry bags (3 / pkg) and a package of shower rings at Dollar Tree.  I slipped gift bags in the laundry bag on the left and tissue paper in the one on the right.     





The shower curtain rings were perfect for securing the paper on the roll.  I hung the extra ones on the end of one of the rods, in case I need them later.  (that bottom roll of paper was extra wide, so the rings don't fit it)

I still want to add at least one more rod for paper, and then I'll be done!

Laundry Room Reveal

Time to reveal the mostly finished laundry room project. I still have a few things left to do (hoping that I can get a new white dryer before too long), but it is mostly finished. It is certainly not anything fancy, but it is fresh and clean and I love it!! Just to refresh your memory (and to make me cringe yet again), here are a couple of before photos:

From Mommy's Treasures

From Mommy's Treasures

And, now for the "after":

Here are a few more before and after shots. My favorite parts are:

the drying rack that I built myself . . .

. . . the antique blue bottles found at Canton. . .
. . . the counter top. . .
. . . the "lonely sock" basket. . .
. . . the shelf and brackets that I installed under the cabinets (I've had those brackets for along time waiting for the perfect spot). . .
. . . and the polka dot rug that I found at Target. The basket and vintage linens belonged to my mother. For now, I really don't mind doing laundry at all. It's nice to be able to have some room to move and yet still find the things that I use the most---even in this tiny space! Of course, one project almost always leads to another, and now I want to tackle my sewing space. For now, that will have to wait---I think there's a load of laundry to be folded.

Green DIY

I certainly don't consider myself any sort of health nut----my diet and habits can definitely attest to that. But, while considering my word of the year, "Purpose", I have become more concerned about being more healthy and making small changes that can impact the environment in a positive way. I tackled one of those small changes this weekend.

With my laundry room "re-do" well underway, I decided that one change I could make is to switch to more natural laundry products. After seeing lots of different options for homemade laundry detergent, I settled on the recipe I found over on Go Green Street. This was an easy-peasy recipe, with only 3 ingredients needed (I love the packaging on that Dr. Bronner's soap). I found all of them at Drug Emporium and the total cost was about $9 for enough laundry powder to last me months! So, not only is it pretty and safe for the environment, but it is VERY cost-efficient, too. And did I mention that it smells good, too?!?! I chose the lavender soap, but Dr. Bronner's comes in lots of different scents.

First I grated the bar of soap into a large bowl. One bar makes over 2 cups once grated.

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Next, I measured out the Borax and Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda) and stirred them together really well. Lastly, I poured it into a pretty jar that I found on the sale table at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago. The whole process only took about 15 minutes and my whole kitchen still smells really nice from the lavender soap! I made one other little change---I really like to use dryer sheets but have been reading about how unhealthy they are, both for the environment and for our bodies. So, I made my own natural ones! I cut some plain terry washcloths in half, zig-zagged the edges, and placed them in a jar filled with a fabric softener mixture. (I used Mrs. Meyer's lavender fabric softener diluted with water) I can now take out a cloth, squeeze out the excess liquid and toss it in the dryer with my clothes. Normal dryer sheets are pretty cheap so I don't know if my homemade variety is that much cheaper, but it definitely is not any more expensive and will be much better for us. (that's the cloths in the square jar I found at Target)

Gitter Done!

With a new hot water heater installed, it seemed like the perfect time to proceed with the laundry room re-do that I've been wanting to do for the last few years. I had visions of doing a lot of it myself, but it just seemed so very overwhelming that I couldn't even figure out where to start. Enter, Jonathan---my friend that built the storage building for me. He's trying to get a remodeling business going and I have lots of little projects, so I decided to get him to do it.

When we moved to this house 17 years ago, the laundry room was a small area in the back of the house. The original laundry room had been a separate space in the carport itself and when the previous owners enclosed part of the carport to make an "office", they also created a couple of "interesting spaces" that now function as my laundry room and sewing area. The laundry area was just a concrete floor with open studs, so we put up some sheet rock and painted. Since I was the only person that actually used the laundry room, I made it a feminine pink, with a lovely early 90's style wallpaper border at the top. The room is tiny---5' x 10' and the plumbing is situated oddly, so over the years, it has become a junk room of sorts, with metal shelves that I installed to store paint and patterns, etc. After the recent hot water heater leak, even the floor has become quite a mess.
Tonight, Jonathan texted to tell me that if I could get the room cleaned out, then he could start work tomorrow morning! Yikes!!! Yet another emergency "moving out" to get done. At least this one didn't involve a PODS storage bin in the driveway. As you can see, I had my work cut out for me, but I was determined to "gitter done".


During commercials in "Castle", I rushed around, piling things in my spare bedroom. How is it possible to amass so much stuff in such a little space???
But, I got it done! Hooray! Come on over, Jonathan, I'm ready!

(I couldn't get those metal shelf posts down!)

(of course, I can't host any guests anytime soon)