Category Archives: DIY

Closet Organization: Shelves + Junk Drawer(s)

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This project started off with my increasing disdain for the look of my bookshelf. It was filled with teenager chick lit reads and while I enjoyed them when I was 15, I wouldn’t be reading them again.

I took all the books and DVDS off the shelf and put them into a box to donate them. I kept my favourites and found a fridge insert — yes, a fridge insert — that held my leftover books and DVDs perfectly! Since all my new books are on iPad and all new movies are on Apple TV, this setup will be good for the long run.

Much. Much. Better.

After that, I was a woman possessed. I decided to tackle my “bedroom junk drawer”. This drawer houses extra wallets, memories, pens, jewelry and miscellaneous items.

I took out the felt insert that came with the closet organizer. It was meant for jewelry, but the layout was awkward and it didn’t really keep anything organized, per se. One quick trip to Home Sense later and I have an organized jewelry/memory box (there is a hidden drawer on the bottom) and a divided container for my extra wallets, pouches, phone cases and screen cleaners.

Aaaaaand my other bedroom junk drawer, located in the little table I have underneath my TV.

Yes, that’s a sock. My dad’s sock. I think I had intentions of turning it into a sock bun that never came to fruition.

Here’s the after!

I used a divided container to hold my iPod/iPhone armbands, headphones, pens, coupons and passport. In the other drawer, I used a displaced makeup holder for my dry erase markers, camera cord, Apple TV remote and headphone splitter.

Organization is definitely a long process, but I love working on one small project at a time because it doesn’t feel overwhelming.

Now I’m off to spend the rest of the day listening to NSync’s greatest hits and work on a magazine article! NSync definitely needs to reunite. I think boy bands are the way to go! It just seems that no matter what kind of music you listen to now, you can put on any song from 1998-2004 and practically everyone knows the lyrics and/or still loves the song. Also, now that we’re old enough to understand the dirty lyrics from boy band songs (O-Town’s We Fit Together and Liquid Dreams, B44′s Down on Me just to name a couple), we might even enjoy the music more!

Easy Upcycled Candle Jar!

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Turning this…

into this…

…is surprisingly easy.

What you’ll need:

- a candle jar that’s at the end of its life (I used a Slatkin & Co one from Bath and Body Works and the scent was soooooo last Christmas)

- Mod Podge

- Glitter

To easily and efficiently clean out the candle jar, stick it in the freezer for about an hour. Run a knife along the edge of the candle and then in the centre to break it apart. It should come apart easily. To get the wicks out, pour hot water into the jar and gently use a knife to unstick them. The stickers will wash off easily in hot water.

Clean the jar out thoroughly with dish soap and a sponge. To remove remaining residue, use a cotton ball and nail polish remover. Then it’s time to begin!

Paint the inside of the candle jar (or whichever cylindrical jar you use) with an even coat of Mod Podge.

Watch out for globs because they won’t dry evenly. Once it’s even coated, dump a generous amount of glitter at the bottom and then turn the jar on its side, rolling the glitter around to evenly coat the entire jar. Dump excess glitter onto wax paper/newspaper and funnel back into the glitter container.

And you’re done!

These ones aren’t fully dry yet, but after they dry for several hours (at least 10), you’ll have cute glitter jars to store make up brushes or what have you! I would also recommend spraying a sealant (I use Krylon) to ensure you won’t get glitter all over the stuff inside the jars.