Courtney over at Women Living Well is doing it again.  She has some challenges and giveaways planned to help us get our lives and our homes ready for fall.   

What a crazy thing to start my new blog off with, but this is what I have been up to so far this year.  Pinterest is a dangerous place.  Lots of photos to inspire you and every once in a while I actually follow through with some ideas.  Thus has begun the laundry room redo.  It was not a very pleasant place, sorry there are no before pics, let's just say a very cluttered, overstuffed space.  Lot's of room but no organization.  So began my journey to a happy place.  Is it possible that you can enjoy your laundry routine?  At first I just wanted to find a nice way to store my homemade laundry  soap- another Pinterest find that is really working well.  

Ever the recycler, I had these pickle jars that I had saved, not as pretty as the apothecary jar I had my eye on at the antique store, but the price was right. The little silver cup was actually from my dad's childhood, it is too big for the measurement needed but I like it sitting there.  I also put some vinegar, which I use sometimes for fabric softener in a bottle that balsamic vinegar had come in, added a couple of little jars for change and buttons that get found in the process, and a ceramic dish that Samantha had made even holds some clothespins.  The bar of Fels-Naptha that I like to use to pre-treat stains is just sitting on an black plastic lid from a coffee container.  I came in one morning last week and the paper plate with its love note from Ken had been added to my shelf.  I need to do something besides the folded towel on top of the shelf but it is still far better than the unfinished wood that used to show.

The cupboard was just stuffed before with all sorts of odds and ends.  I cleaned it out and made room for extra laundry supplies.  I got rid of the bags and boxes and filled and labeled some old Mason jars that I had just sitting empty collecting dust in the kitchen.  I like the touch of the eyelet trim which was a leftover from a sewing project.

This ice box has been with us since Colorado.  I touched it up with some fresh paint, but it too was just a place where clutter gathered.  I've been revisiting my Swedish heritage and thought this would be a perfect place for one of the linens my grandmother had embroidered and a Swedish themed doll with her Dala horse.  For a touch of my mother, I placed an old pair of gloves that I kept on a little watering can.  Because I have been inspired to make even the most mundane thing as pretty as possible I poured the dogs pills into a Mason jar. And what do you think of my feather duster stored in the re-purposed glass bottle?

I have gotten so much use out of the bar that the previous owners hung in this room.  I am not one who likes to iron so as soon as things are done in the dryer I pull them out and place them on hangars.  Who needs to figure out how to fold t-shirts anyway?  The little pink dress is from my own childhood-wish you could see the pintucking on the dress and the embroidery details on the sheer apron. 

I still have some work left to do.  The next time Hobby Lobby has wood products 50% off I want to see about finding a shelf that will fit above the window. I am working on a crochet valance for that now.    In the meantime even the hosta that Ken picked up on clearance is enjoying the space- it's blooming!  And I have been able to start figuring out how the new site and its features work, which has been a productive way to spend some time this morning.  Time to start this week's laundry....

Blessings,
Deb