Category: kitchen

2020, budget decorating, cheap decorating, decor, discount stores, Dollar Store crafts, Dollar Store Upcycles, dollar stores, farmhouse, farmhouse style, for less, kitchen, seasonal, seasonal decor, spring, spring decor

Dollar Store Spring Decor

by LumberInMyMiniVan2 Comments on Dollar Store Spring Decor

Have you all been to your local Dollar General lately? If you haven’t, you might want to pop in. If you’re a fan of the Pioneer Woman line at Walmart, you will love their spring stock. They have some of the cutest kitchen items I’ve seen in a long time…and it’s not expensive at all!

I came away with these salt and pepper shakers, a melamine mixing bowl, a Dutch oven (for looks, it’s probably not food safe) and a cute picture frame.

And those are just the things I bought. I wanted waaaaay more! I thought I’d share the cuteness that I loved, but left behind (and might still go back and get).

These sweet melamine juice glasses for $1.50

My kids are not allowed to use glass drinking glasses for obvious reasons. They sometimes get offended that they can’t have a pretty glass like the adults. With these, they could feel like they have a fancy glass…and at $1.50 a pop, if they drop it and break it, it’s no big deal.

These are $3 a piece but still adorable and worth the price.

Any hobnail fans in the house? I love that these glasses are hobnail and I love the color.

Pretty bottles for $3-$5

If you like glass bottles, grab a few of these to stash on top of your cabinets. Or you could even fill one with mini Christmas lights.

I just love these colors!

These small canister jars would be great to buy and fill with candy for a small gift, or even to store small goods in your own kitchen.

Who doesn’t want a flowered piggy butter dish?

This flowered butter dish is a cutie. I have a cow creamer that I’d like to put this beside.

A lettered sign that looks like a grain sack!

You all know how much I love lettered signs! Here’s a pretty one for $10!

What an adorable “tag” frame!

This tag frame could look cute in any room.

This would make a great utensil bucket.

This bucket reminds me of enamelware.

Which item was your favorite? My favorite would definitely have to be the drinking glasses. Comment down below and tell me which item you liked best!

And have a wonderful weekend.

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2019, 21-day organizing challenge, getting organized, kitchen, kitchen tips, organize, organizing, organizing tips

21-day challenge: pantry organization

by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment on 21-day challenge: pantry organization
21-day challenge: pantry organization

We have a really big pantry/coat closet at our house that I absolutely love. It has a ton of storage space, has nice shelves and is just a really useful space. At the moment, though, it’s a really messy space.

What. a. mess.

Thankfully, it’s a mess that isn’t too hard to clean up. I started by going through each shelf and throwing away anything expired, or more than half empty. I also consolidated boxes and containers if I had any items that were open.

Group like items together. It makes it easier to find what you’re looking for.
Use clear jars so you can tell when you need to replenish your dry goods.

I also went through all of my canned goods and straightened them.

Using shelf risers helps maximize your shelf space.

And finally, I used baskets and bins to corral chip bags and snack boxes, clip on shelves to maximize space, and wood crates for under-shelf storage. Eventually, I plan to add casters to the bottom of my crates so I can roll them out easily when I need them.

All of our breakfast items are on one shelf, making them easier to grab and go.
Quick lunch items are also stashed together to make packing lunches easier.

I also straightened up the items on the shelf to make them easier to find and store.

All in all, my pantry is so much neater and better organized. What cabinet or pantry organizing project have you completed recently?

2019, command center, getting organized, home management, house management, kitchen, organize, organizing, time management

Organize your time with a family command center

by LumberInMyMiniVan2 Comments on Organize your time with a family command center
Organize your time with a family command center
Courtesy of Good Housekeeping

Most of us have a calendar hanging up somewhere in our home, and some of us may even have a meal planner calendar. When we hear the words “command center,” usually images of something decorative and organized come into our minds. Did you know that a command center doesn’t have to be anything big or elaborate? It just has to work for you.

Back in the day, I used to have this big elaborate command center in our home office. It looked great, but it ended up being too overwhelming.

So I tried to simplify it a bit. This, too, worked for awhile.

We began to realize that this wasn’t working, and it didn’t have anything to do with how elaborate it was. It was due to the fact that the command center is in a room that we barely enter. Your command center should be somewhere you will walk by it multiple times of day and see it.

For now, our command center looks like this:

But, after our kitchen remodel is complete, I’d like it to look like this:

I would use the frames to post quotes or scriptures, and our school schedules. I also love the basket at the bottom for bookbags and lunch boxes.

Stay tuned! Our command center is about to get a major underhaul.

2018, closet organization, closets, declutter, farmhouse style, getting organized, kitchen, pantry, Pinspiration, Pinterest roundup

Organized pantries: a Pinterest Roundup

by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment on Organized pantries: a Pinterest Roundup
Organized pantries: a Pinterest Roundup

Source

My pantry is a hot mess right now. I’m almost lost when it comes to deciding how to handle it, which is out of character for me. I did what any self-respecting working mama would do…I hit up Pinterest! The ideas I gathered on Pinterest were so awesome, I knew I had to share with you all.

Source

I was drawn to this picture because this pantry and mine are similarly shaped. I love the baskets and glass, and how the food items are stored and grouped. This makes for a very cohesive look.

Source: Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day

This is a smaller pantry. My pantry is a walk-in, but there are so many ideas from this picture I can use. I love those baskets the fruit is stored in, and I really like those jar labels. This person really made a great use of the space, too. There’s a lot of stuff in this pantry, but it doesn’t look cluttered.

Source- The Container Store

Those matching containers. Those baskets! Those storage bins! The use of space! Do you notice a trend here yet?

Source- HGTV

I like all of the same things about this pantry, but I especially like how this pantry is organized using materials you can find in any store. You wouldn’t have to spend a lot of money to do this, either.

Source

What about this lovely pantry doesn’t say “farmhouse?” I love everything about this. Those labels and wire baskets are super cute!!

Source

Here’s another small spaces pantry. I liked this one because I liked those leather-look tags and aged labels. Aren’t they cute?

They say our Pinterest boards are a good indication of what we want our own home to be like. Based on my Pinterest roundup, it seems my pantry needs a little more organization, a more cohesive look and I need to make better use of the space. Stay tuned: next week I’ll show my pantry…in all of its chaotic, messy glory.

I hope you have a wonderful week.

2018, cooking tips, declutter, kitchen, kitchen tips, organize, organizing, organizing tips

Organize your fridge: a stress-free approach to simplifying your kitchen

by LumberInMyMiniVan1 Comment on Organize your fridge: a stress-free approach to simplifying your kitchen
Organize your fridge: a stress-free approach to simplifying your kitchen

Our fridge was pretty well organized, but like most organized spaces in our home, it was starting to get a little out of hand. This happens to the best of us, but I have good news. With these tips, you can get your fridge organized quickly and easily.

1. Group like items together

I grouped these dairy items together in an acrylic container because not only are similar, but because their containers are also similar.

Our bottom drawer is used to store sandwich items, such as cheeses and lunch meats.

Kid snacks are all stashed together.

As are salad items

And dairy/ condiments.

2. Put items in clear containers so you can see them.

How many times have you forgotten about perishable food items and only rediscovered them when they were expired? Clear containers help you see what’s in your fridge. I am the world’s worst for forgetting about fruit and veggies in the crisper drawer, so having these things on eye level helps as well.

3. An unused crisper drawer is a space-saving place to stash canned drinks.

They still roll around a bit, but not as much than if they were loose in the fridge. Plus, you have more room in the fridge for other things.

4. Stash things you use the most in the front, and things you use the least in the back.

No one likes knocking over everything when they’re trying to reach something else.

5. Use place mats or Fridge Coasters to catch spills or stickiness

See those handy dandy flowered mats in my fridge? They’re cheap shelf liner. It grips the fridge and doesn’t slide around, and it wipes clean with a wet cloth. Plus, it’s cute. Win, win, win.

6. Take a moment each time you grocery shop to clean out any expired items.

When you are restocking your fridge with fresh groceries, this is the perfect time to do a quick check for any expired or spoiled items. I also like to take this time to wipe down the inside of the fridge with a wet, soapy cloth.

These tips help us keep our fridge clean, functional and organized, which makes cooking a lot easier. Plus, you spend less money on grocery day, because you aren’t spending on items you already have.

How do you keep your fridge organized and clean?

Have a wonderful weekend.