DIY ELEPHANT GARLAND

When I was doing my daughter's nursery, I was obsessed with Etsy and Pinterest. I searched day in and day out of how I want to decorate the nursery.  Since the nursery will be housed in the same bedroom my husband and I sleep in, it had to be something that I could live with it.  Translation: no cutesy pink stuff or ruffles because we would be waking up to it every single morning for as long as we have a one bedroom.  In one of my searches, I came across garlands as a decor.  What a genius idea!  But I wasn't buying a $20 one if I could make one! I had everything I needed to make this project --- card stock, transparent tape, scissors, string and a sharpie. I googled "elephant template"  and chose one that I like, I cut the template and traced it on my card stock.  I used a sharpie to draw dots along the edges because the color I chose was very light and it blended on the wall.  The one on Etsy did not have dotted lines but I like the way mine came out.  To add a hint of color, I used yellow wooden clippers to finish the look. 

SHOE CLUTTER BASKET

You know how you come into your apartment and take your shoes off by the door and the next thing you know there's like a big pile of shoes and you don't even know how they all got there? Welcome to my world! My husband and I have a no shoe policy at home so we take our shoes off as soon as we enter our apartment.  We are pretty good at making sure we don't bring in the outside dirt, but we're not so good on putting our shoes where they should be.  Thus, the pile of shoes by the door.  What to do.. what to do... I came up with the solution of setting up a "shoe basket" by the door. It's not conspicuous enough to be an eye sore and it blends with our home design and serves the function of de-cluttering the entryway.  

MAKE COOKING LESS MESSY

I'm not much of a cook, but when I do cook I tend to be very messy... (spills on the counter, flying chopped garlic, vegetable stalks on the floor, unwashed plates and bowls), I finally figured out a way to  make my life a little bit easier. 

On the Rachel Ray's show, she uses a bowl to put all the "trash" in as she preps her ingredients; instead of using a bowl, I use a plastic bag (you know those clear bags where you put your produce at the grocery store).  When I am all done prepping and cooking, I just throw the bag straight to the garbage.  This makes my clean up time much faster and the counter a little bit less messy (now, if I could just address my inexperienced chopping and slicing abilities).   

MOBILE OFFICE

My husband and I live in a 480 square foot apartment in New York City.  Translation: Space is a precious commodity.  Believe it or not, I am a teacher who does not have a desk at home!  Since our apartment is tiny, having a desk specifically for the function of work was just not an option (like that's not a good reason enough!).  So instead of setting up a desk, I opted for an IKEA Billy bookcase for 2 reasons.  First, it gave me a much needed storage and second, it took less space than a desk would.  I used white IKEA boxes to store all my paraphernalia (scrapbooking materials, lesson plans, supplies) and labeled each box with what's inside it.  The printer is set up in the bookcase low enough that I could connect it to the power supply and to my laptop when I need to print without the need to move it.  I purchased a basket from Container Store to hold my "most used" items like pens, stapler, calculator, post-its, etc. which I could easily move to the dining table when I need them. The beauty of this mobile system is that everything has its own place and it doesn't take so much space than a desk would.

HOW TO ORGANIZE SMALL TOYS

For Christmas, I got my nephew a Snap Circuit Jr.  It is a pretty cool toy that lets the little one conduct electricity based experiments.  It is recommended by The National Parenting Center-Seal of Approval, Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products and Dr. Toy Best Educational Products.  Really amazing toy for only $25.  The thing about this toy is that each piece is labeled and each piece is equally important than the other piece.  Translation: You can't lose a piece. Initially, we put the little pieces in a bin, but that didn't work since it meant picking out each piece manually to see the label and it was a bit much of work.

SEWING KIT ORGANIZER

I love this Dumpling Place in Midtown Manhattan named Rickshaw.  I always eat there whenever I'm in the area.  They have these tiny containers that holds the sauces and I took some home and re-purposed them for my sewing kit. They're perfect in holding buttons, pins and little bits and pieces.