Dollar Tree Haul | September 2015

So the kids are back in school and although it was a bitter-sweet time in our home, I’m happy to say that they all had a wonderful first week of school.  I on the other hand was a mess.  You’d think that by now I’d be ok with this, I mean my oldest is in the 10th grade! But I’m not and I’m ok with that.  I love my kids, so yes I get emotional.

To help me cope with my kids returning to school,  I decided to do some retail therapy.  I went to a few shops over the last few days and got some cute items for future home decor and craft projects.  I thought I’d do a haul and show you what I bought but that would be too big of a post, so I’m going to break it down into store hauls.  My first stop was my local Dollar Tree.  I went in to get some organizational tools but they were completely gone.  I guess this store only carried certain things in season?  Now I know.  Any who, I went and picked up a few things.  Here they are:

Black & White floral print place mats.  I got the last four that were available in my local DT (dollar tree).  I have a future project I’ll be working on and this is totally something I’ve been searching for.  I hope they restock because I think I may have to get more.

These orange pumpkins.  I’m not too thrilled with the way they currently look.  They’re a bit banged up and the orange color doesn’t go with what I have in mind but I thought I’d spruce them up.  Check back soon to see what I do with them.

This Autumn Blessing Cross.   Last time I went to the store my Hubby liked this cross.  So when I saw it I thought to pick one up and add to our home Fall decor.  Nice and simple.

I also picked up some household goodies.  I randomly stock up on certain items from the dollar store.  I find their toothbrushes and other goodies great for when the kids have sleep overs.  I even picked up this clear table cover.  I have fabric tablecovers I collect for the season and with three messy ladies, I decided a clear cover will help protect my lovely tablecovers from stains.

This awesome picture frame.  I liked the frame.  I have a future project in mind and if all goes well, I’ll be sharing my tutorial with you.  *fingers crossed!*  By the way doesn’t the picture look like a denture commercial?

Softsoap Hand Soap.  I had to get these.  I’ve seen them for almost $2 bucks everywhere I shop.  Even if I use a coupon I still wouldn’t get them for cheaper.

Awesome Halloween Decor.  Every year Tan and I go all out for Halloween.  It’s one our favorite times of the year.  (pretty much all Holidays are our favorite time of the year 😉 ) Halloween is especially our favorite because we celebrate our daughter’s birthday that same month.  She always asks for a Halloween themed party.  Whenever we see Halloween decor we add it to our ever growing collection.  We always shop at the Dollar Tree or clearance sections of any store.

Floral Print Shelf Liners – I am in the middle of several organization projects and got these bad boys to help me spruce up some drab spaces.  Come back and see what I did with these bad boys!

Elegant Gift Wrap Roll.  I saw these gift wrap rolls and was attracted to the color (notice a theme here?) I love these wraps and am holding on to them for future home decor / craft projects.  I’m thinking Christmas.. Valentine’s maybe?  Stay tuned to see what it is!

That’s it!  I hope this haul post wasn’t too long.  I’m glad I didn’t add the other store hauls to this one post or my fingers will fall off!

Thanks for stopping by!  If you have any hauls you’re interested in me doing, just let me know in the comments below (hey that rhymes!) and I’ll see what I can do.  I’m thinking of doing a Youtube haul in the future.  What do you think?

Talk to you soon!

Home Organization | How to Fold a Bath Towel

Hi guys!  I hope you’re all having a fabulous day.   Today I’m going to show you a quick tutorial on how I fold my bath towels. I have tried several folding and rolling methods for a while and really like the simplicity of this version.  In the future I will show you other methods of towel folding so you can try the other ways.  Hopefully you’ll find one that works for you.  Ready? Let’s do this!

On a flat surface fold both ends of the towel to the center not overlapping the towels.

Next bring both ends of your towel to the center not overlapping.

Do it again only this time you’ll fold the outer end of your towel upward towards the center (like below).

Finally fold in half again and boom!, there you have it!  A nice clean fold with no towel corners shown.

I like this method because it keeps the towels neat so when you place your towels in your linen closet or armoire, you won’t see a sloppy mess.  Nice!  Also by folding it this way I find that my towels don’t take up too much valuable real estate.  Which is another win!

There you have it!  If you have other towel folding methods you’d like to share, please leave me a comment below!  I hope you guys have an awesome day!

My Goals

One of the reasons I started this blog was to keep a collection of all the fun and creative inspirations and to share what I’ve learned along the way.

Another reason why I created this blog was to keep myself accountable for the many goals I set out.   I often start off pretty strong (for about 3 months) then life gets in the way and poof my goals are forgotten.   I’m hoping that by putting my aspirations on my blog for the world to see I will accomplish most (if not all) of my dreams.

I have always had this belief that through God all things are possible but you also have to do your part to achieve your life goals.  With that in mind, here is a list of goals I have set out to achieve:

• Create and Maintain weekly cleaning schedule.
• Create systems of organization for home/blog/kids
• Create and maintain a monthly budget, record all purchases
• Buy a new (to us) house this year. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!
• Be intentional about inviting others into our home 2+ times a month
• Read at least one book on the topics of faith, marriage, raising children, home/organization, blogging, etc
• Have at least three date nights/month (one out, two at home).
• Show my hubby small gestures of love & appreciation through notes, phone calls, etc.
• Write consistently to polish skills – at least 3 blog posts/week
• Get published elsewhere
• Take up running and work out at least 4x a week
• Learn to cook/eat healthier
• Learn a new physical challenge: dancing, cross training, yoga, pilates etc..
• Continue creative projects and crafts for this blog
• Share some DIY projects and home design projects
• Create YOUtube vidoes and tutorials
• Grow this blog!

Whew! That seems like a lot right now.  But it does feel great to put it all out there and to hold myself accountable. It’s kind of like my first day at school. I’m anxious and excited to get this started!

What about you? What are some of your goals?

 

 

30 Day Organizing Challenge

I love being organized and having a schedule!  For years I’ve lived my life just doing what I could when I could do it.  But as the kids got older, my work life and Tan’s work schedule have increased, it has gotten almost impossible for us to get anything done.  Just to buy groceries has been a difficult task for us.

A while ago I mentioned reading Pen & Paper Flowers and  iHeart Organizing and how I made a promise to keep my home and life better organized.  I’m happy to say that I’ve been doing very well and have continued to make small steps towards organization.  I’ve even created a Pin Board on Pinterest to help with my organization.  I have a monthly planner where I jot down all of  the tasks, shopping, birthdays, Dr.’s appt, etc and it’s my daily go to for anything.  I even have a back up calendar reminder on my phone for those days where I may have forgotten something.  Such a helpful tool to have!

Although I’m doing great I’m still having trouble with my home organization.  I sometimes get a wee bit overzealous and want to do it all in a day.  I’m so used to my motto being “Why put off for tomorrow what you can get done today”  but now I must say I need to learn “Slow and Steady wins the race”. To help me with my organization, I’ve decided to do a 30 Day Organizing Challenge.  I have written down a list of things I want to get done in 30 Days.  I’m hoping to work on my list and tweak it when needed.   I’m pretty stoked about it and can’t wait to share my list with you fine folks!  For now I’ll start with my first challenge:  Laundry.  I don’t mind doing the laundry.  I find folding the laundry very therapeutic at times and the smell of fresh clean clothes is wonderful –ahh! But I hate how long I take to get it done!  I mean it takes me hours to wash, then dry then fold and sometimes I can’t get to the putting it away part.  I have recruited the help of my kids but sometimes their help is not very helpful if ya know what I mean!  I often find myself refolding the clothes :\-which is NOT fun!  If you know of any neat tips or tricks in folding the laundry or home organization, then please help this Mama out! 😉 And I promise, as soon as I can, I’ll share my organization tips!  But please understand I am NOT a professional organizer nor  do I play one on TV!

 

 

Keeping Organized & BIG Changes

Hi everyone and Happy New Year- {I know I’m late but better late than never right}?  I hope you all had a wonderful time ringing in the New Year with loved ones.  As for Tan and I, we had a lovely time with our chicas having a small celebration at home.  Almost every year we go to my in-laws home and ring in the New Year with them but since everyone has moved a bit farther away, this year it was just us.  It was nice to have some quality time with my wonderful hubby and sweet girls.  But now that my girls are a bit older, who knows maybe next year we’ll have a New Year’s Eve party.  You know me; I just can’t get enough parties!  Party?! Hmm.. You just never know huh? 😉

That being said I decided to have New Year’s Resolution this year.  Many of my friends and family members decided not to have a resolution because they won’t stick to it.  I thought that was kind of silly and realized, that that’s basically the same thing I say every year.  This year I decided to be different and actually HAVE a New Years Resolution.  It’s hard for me because I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist and an overachiever.   I usually write a list of things that are truly difficult of not impossible for me to achieve in the small amount of time I give myself.  This year, this year will be different.  A few months ago (back in February) I was reading one of my favorite blogs (Pen & Paper Flowers) and came across a Promise Me post.  It basically is a list of promises you make to yourself of things you will achieve in a years time. To put it in her words “An exciting, year-long adventure of keeping promises…promises I’ve made to myself.  Promises involving fun activities to strengthen relationships – especially with my daughters.  “Promises” that will bring added value to my home…to my life…to my family…and ultimately to ME. Each of these promises has one resounding common thread: ENRICHMENT.”  She also has a Promise Me Pdf you can print and write your own promises.  Go get yours here!

When I read this I thought “That’s exactly how I feel”.  I’m always talking to Tan about self improvement and what can I do to have accomplished more in a day.  So back in November I made a list of the things I will be achieving this year.

One of the Promises I made to myself  is to be better organized.  I have been saying I’m gong to be better organized but then I get so over whelmed I stop.  Like I said I’m a perfectionist and an overachiever and when something isn’t done right the first time I get so frustrated I give up.  Not this year,  I’ve decided to make a promise and so far I’m doing very well (notice I said well and not great -perfectionist).  To help me in my organizational goals I have been reading  iHeart Organizing. There I have found some truly awesome tips and tricks for organization. From where to place my chicas art supplies to storing medicine and so much more!  If you’re like me, then stop on by Pen & Paper Flowers and iHeart Organizing and get started on your own promises or get organized.  Or do both!

This year means a lot to me and my family.  There are going to be BIG CHANGES heading our way.  Some of it is exciting and some a bit scary.  Although I can’t divulge anything as of yet, I promise I will definitely let you know the goings on very soon.  All I can say is that 2012 will be an exciting and challenging year for us at the HipnCreative Villa ;)~