DIY Pantry Labels

I am slowly organizing everything in the house especially the kitchen area.  It's not that easy as I have accumulated a lot of kitchen stuff over the past years and I started with just a plain cupboard. We've added some storage spaces as we go along and as what they say, the more storage spaces you create, the more things you will acquire. :)

So now, I am trying to live with the basics and just invest on some kitchen tools and equipment that's really necessary.  As I often bake, I have lots of ingredients that need proper storage so I bought several plastic jars where I could keep all those ingredients and spices.  I've found some free printable labels online but it doesn't suit the size and labels that I need, so I decided to make my own version.

I'm happy with the outcome, though.  Here's what I've got:

I stored these labeled jars on the shelves just below the kitchen cupboard.  This will enable me to have easy access to all the ingredients and spices that I need when cooking or baking.

Admittedly, I felt relieved after having done some organizing in the kitchen.  It makes cooking and baking a lot easier.  Not only that, a properly organized kitchen is very pleasing to the eyes. :)

Fixing My Crafts Corner

I was half way done fixing my crafts corner which is actually a repurposed mini dresser that I took out from our bedroom.  I bought some cheap plastic baskets from a local shop and I used these baskets to hold some ribbons and other arts and crafts materials.  The mini dresser is just perfect and I made use of the front mirror to hold some post it notes where I jot down my daily tasks.  I hope I can complete this soon.  I guess it would be nicer if I could look for drawers that slide from the scrap section of the house.  Maybe I could have it installed on that crafts corner that I have.  This could help me organize my colored construction papers and gift wrappers which I could actually use for my DIY projects.  I'm really excited to have everything completed and I will surely post some pictures when I'm totally done. 

Wish me luck! :)

Adding Colors To My Garden

I've been itching to do this since I came back home last October but I can't find the perfect time since I'm super duper busy. :)

That's why I'm so glad that finally, I was able to find time to retouch the paint of my garden.  It's been colorful ever since but after a series of typhoon in the Philippines, not to mention that our city was the center of a great flood that took place last September, what can you expect but a total disaster!  My whole garden was submerged in water.  Good thing that my plants are still alive but a massive cleaning took place to bring everything back to order.  You see, we have to do general cleaning for weeks just to get rid of the debris caused by massive raining and floods.  Glad that we're back to normal now.

After this, I might be starting with my vegetable garden soon. :)

What You Will Find in an Antique Store

Antique shopping is either done by searching shops for the item you are looking for or by finding places that you can look into each shop and being so pleasantly surprised by the items that you find that you just have to take them home with you. There are antiques in Los Angeles of all different sizes, shapes, and colors in different places around the area. You will find antiques in strip malls, quaint old houses, large warehouses, mixed in with new items for sale, and sometimes in areas where museums are.

Description of an Antique

An antique is something that is old and has increased in value since it was first purchased or manufactured. There are people that collect antiques or furnish their homes or offices with antiques. Antiques can bring a quaint elegance into any space. Some antiques are pieces of art that showcase the skills of craftsmen long ago, who took pride in their craft and created beautiful pieces of art in the furniture they made. An antique can be a pearl button, a wooden spool of thread, a hand saw, a wash stand with a pitcher and bowl, a book, a cup, or an old saddle.

Antiques You Might Find

When you walk into an antique store, you might see wooden dressers, wooden armoires, bedframes made out of wood, old mirrors with wooden frames, and maybe an old plow or two. You might find a spinning wheel in need of repair, or some shoes that lace up and stop about midcalf. They sometimes carry clothes if they are in good shape. You may see old quilts and lots of lace doilies. Jewelry that is old comes and goes out of fashion, and you will find a lot of it in an antique store. They will have signs and weathervanes made out of metal, chicken wire, or wood, and you might be lucky enough to find a complete set of china. Most of the antiques that you find in a store that carries antiques in Los Angeles have made it there because of the pristine shape they are in. The pieces that are not in very good shape you might find in the back, under repair.

An Easy To Do Wall Art

source

If you want to make a wall art either for gift giving or to simply decorate your rooms, then I think this easy to do wall art is worth a try!  

If you could notice, materials used are very easy to find and won't cost that much. Some even came from recycable materials.  This is very easy to do.  The picture says it all.  :)

Try it!

House Warming

I was invited by a friend in their house warming and she was very excited with their new home.  She told me that she's been searching shops for home decors and furniture that would fit her new home.  I was surprised to see that they have a music room in the house.  I was aware that they came from a family of musicians but I am not expecting that she will really exert an effort to have a music room.  It was lovely.  I saw some sophisticated musical instruments which are all part of their family's collection.  There was an organ which was actually a pass down from her parents, a violin owned by her eldest son, an electric guitar and a drum set.  There was no irish drum though but what they had is considered good enough.  

I enjoyed the occasion much more the scrumptious foods that they have prepared for dinner.  There were few song numbers and it was fun!  I love how the house was decorated.  It was simple yet elegant.  I bought her a set of scented candles in pretty and elegant containers as a house warming gift and I'm glad that she loved it.  It's actually my first time to attend a house warming and I thank her for the experience.  

Custom Made Closet

Here's the finished product of the bedroom closet that we've designed for our bedroom.  We hired our fave wood carpenter to do this one for us.  I've decided that from now on, all the wooden furniture in the house will be custom made and will be done according to our design and specifications.  I think it's all worth it!  It's more expensive than the normal store brought furniture but we can be assured that these are durable and would exactly fit the space where we intend to place the furniture.  Another advantage is that, we can plan ahead how many shelves, how many drawers and what to put where before the furniture is fabricated, so we can assure that it can accommodate all our important stuff.

I used to experienced before that after I bought the furniture from the store and delivered into our home, that's the only time I realized that all my stuff wouldn't fit in and it's not exactly fitted to the allotted space. Apart from this consideration, durability is the point of argument here.  With custom made furniture, I could personally decide on what materials will be used and I always choose the thickest plywood and the most durable ones.  

Now I've just changed two TV racks and a big closet in my bedroom.  I am pleased with the result though.  it's worth the wait. :)

Simple Storage Solutions for your Bathrooms

Modern Bathroom by Toronto Architects & Designers Wanda Ely Architect Inc.

Even the tiniest space in your bathroom can be converted into a useful storage space by just using your creativity and imagination.  See how that small space beside the toilet bowl was transformed into open shelves?  I really heart organizing and would also like to transform every small space into something that could be used to store some home stuff.  This is the reason why I am always on a look out for new ideas for my home sweet home. 

There's nothing more rewarding than seeing your personal stuff properly organized. 

Space Saver Laundry Room

 Modern Laundry Room by Traverse City Kitchen &

 Bath Designers Bay Cabinetry & Design Studio

Love this modern laundry room design, a real space saver.  See, the ironing board can be folded and concealed in a covered wall cabinet where shelves intended to store laundry and ironing products can also be found.  On one side, open shelves for dried clothes, towels, blankets and linens are also available for proper storage.  If you have a spare small room in the house, that could be converted into a laundry room similar to the above design.  Space is not really an issue here.  Everything could be built in.  Pretty awesome!