A very unfortunate Before:
Note the enormous bucket of hairbows and the changing pad, which has not been used in some time, as Michaela Byrd is three now and potty trained.
I started with a big trash bag and tossed old diaper changing things, an empty (?!) box of thermometer covers, a tissue box with only one tissue, Natalie's "collection" of clothing tags, and various and sundry objets d'crap.
I also went through the dresser drawers. One in particular had not been opened in at least two years and contained a size 3 month Vegas onesie and two pairs of baby socks. And that was all. Once those were tossed, I had an empty drawer.
An empty drawer, can you believe it?!
It didn't stay empty for long. I didn't have any dividers, so I used a couple of child-size shoe boxes as makeshift organizers to hold very important items like "jewels" and Hello Kitty lip chapstick. And one must never underestimate the importance of an extra nightlight.
On to the dresser top!
There was an empty, dusty Southern Living at Home tray in Natalie's old room, so I brought it in to corral some smaller items.
After:
The PB planter that holds brushes and combs
An old Avon container stores clips and barrettes (will come up with something better for the bows in the "bucket" later)
The giant label on the pink lotion was bothering me, so I ripped it off and wrote a favorite quote on the front:
The other side of the dresser has some framed "name art" that I quickly freehanded so they'd each have something to display. I found it slightly frustrating that by the time I had one area straightened out, they had destroyed the other side...
What looked like this:
Now looks like this:
I think the Spring cleaning might carry on into the summer, no?
Linking to Kate's Fair Weather Forum at Centsational Girl and Leslie's Purge Party at Goodbye House, Hello Home!
*Hope you'll come back tomorrow for Session #3 in my blogging series Commenting 101.*
Looks great. You're reminding me that I have so many little projects like that to do. Dressers are such clutter magnets here. Love the PB planter for storage and the Chanel quote :)
ReplyDeletexo
Love it! Oh, to have a little girl whose dresser I could make cute. I'm living vicariously through you :)
ReplyDeleteLooks good! I just cleaned out the top drawer in my 5 and 7 year old's dresser and used shoeboxes too-works great! Good luck keeping it clean-sometimes I feel like my children's goal is to just play where I've just cleaned!
ReplyDeleteGreat transformation. Your daughter's room is adorable. Litte girls are the cutest!
ReplyDeleteThe white tray looks great on the dresser and the box of Hello Kitty chapsticks in the dresser...looks like you've got 'girlie girls'!
ReplyDeleteIt looks great! What a smart idea to use shoeboxes for organizers:) I need to clean out my boys dressers...but it is such a daunting task! I think Grant may still have some 3T stuff in his drawers and he is 5 1/2:)
ReplyDeleteAn empty drawer? What's that like? Love that tray! And they quote you wrote on the lotion bottle is percious! What a great idea! Don't ya just hate it when they mess up the neatness before you even get done cleaning? Mine always do that. The neatness never lasts more than 2-3 minutes. Looking good girl!
ReplyDeleteLooks so nice! I have that same white tray tucked away in a closet. It hasn't been used for a while. I think I might just go pull it out and get busy on re-doing my daughter's dresser top too. Thanks for the idea :)
ReplyDeleteJennifer
Their room is adorable! I love the SLAH tray you used to corral everything on their dresser. And their bedding is precious! :)
ReplyDeleteAhhh... so much better! Your girls' room is adorable. I love that Coco Chanel quote!
ReplyDeleteYour girl's room is adorable! I'm in love with the colors of the bedding. I know what you mean, by the time I'm dne with Spring cleaning I will have one week of rest and than it's already time for Autumn cleaning!!
ReplyDeleteLove it - I need to go through my older boy's room this week, it looks far worse than your Before pics!
ReplyDeleteI love the shoebox-as-drawer-divider idea...definitely stealing that one! And your bed before-and-after is hilarious!
ReplyDeleteYay for purging! I'm sorry but I just laughed out loud that you still had the changing pad on there. :)
ReplyDeleteI love those kid size shoeboxes. We use them for all kinds of stuff around here. Actually my 10 year old covers them with pretty paper before she uses them. Gee, whose daughter is she? :)
So can I ask a favor since you're doing the commenting series? Could you mention the embedded comment form? I cannot comment on anyone's blog that uses that. And I've heard of other bloggers with the same issue. I am so bummed when I go to leave a comment and it's the embedded form. I've posted a little note about it in my sidebar so maybe if we get lots of bloggers mentioning it, people will change their comment forms to the pop-up.
And now the longest comment in history has come to an end. haha!
A great post, Amanda!! My favorite parts? Your coining the term objets d'crap (you are so darn funny) and your penning that Coco Chanel quotation on the lotion bottle. In purple, of course, to coordinate with the room. Awesome!
ReplyDeleteSpring cleaning will need to last at least until the autumn around here.
It looks fabooolous! Even Coco would approve. Seriously, why do we all put off doing stuff like this when it makes you smile every time you see it? You should be smiling--it looks so pretty now :).
ReplyDeleteI love it! Too funny with the Coco quote! I'm so glad you came and commented on my blog because now I get to discover yours! Definitely a new follower! hope you get to visit me again soon!
ReplyDeleteLove it! Just did this to my baby girl's dresser top, now thinking of adding a mirror top for extra fun...though probably a lot of extra cleaning too so I may be rethinking.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, it looks great and I love the idea of getting rid of the commercial lotion sticker and making it fantastic on your own.
Great job!
Love the tray to "corral" things, so sophisticated! Always good to use what you have and if you don't have it, improvise, (shoe boxes work!)
ReplyDeleteWhen time allows I'll be back to look over your series on blog commenting...
Cathy
Thanks for stopping by my blog. Love your idea of writing on the pink bottle! Plus I love the quote.
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job! It looks so fresh and totally different (which always makes me want to tackle other areas.)
ReplyDeleteI have that same tray, but my cats have taken it over as a cat bed. It sits on an ottoman in our living room! At least it keeps them technically off the furniture.
Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier, Amanda. You've got a really cute blog here. Great job getting everything organized in your girls' room. Funny, I've been working on my girls' rooms today, too. Can't fight that "urge to purge"!
ReplyDeleteGotta love a good Spring Cleaning! And that is a fabulous quote to share with your girls! :)
ReplyDeleteIt feels good to get a project like that done! Their room is looking really cute.
ReplyDeleteLove spring cleaning and purging...it always feels so good...!!! Love the room...looks great and bright!!
ReplyDeleteHugs
SueAnn
Oh, this is looking so very pretty. I love the bottle with the quote instead of the label. Very pretty.
ReplyDeleteStopping by from Leslie's Purge Party. Thanks for sharing.
Blessings.
I am sorry I am so late in telling you thank you for coming by my party! What a weird busy day for me!
ReplyDeleteSo, here I am!
And I tell you--WOWOW--
Are your girls wondering what in the world is going on?
Momma's on a purging rampage?
I'll bet, like my girls did when they were small, after I'd cleaned some stuff out, they want to be in their room even more because it just feels better to them when it's tidy? I guess it's like that for us taller (I won't say grown up) girls, too.
It is a constant battle- yes- it lasts all seasons, not just Spring and Summer, no?
THANK YOU for coming by my place and sharing! I am so inspired by you!
HUGS!
~me
P.S. What's next? :)
Does it make me completely pathetic that I am envious of your "before" picture?
ReplyDeleteI so recognize those yellow shoe boxes! We have a plethora of them at our house as well!
I am inspired to clean something tomorrow! Yay! Now please bless the inspiration lasts through the night!
OH SO PRETTY! Love it! So spring inspiring!
ReplyDeleteDoesn't it feel good to give order to something? Having an empty drawer is a good sign, you must have done some serious purging! Things are looking good in the girls' room.
ReplyDeleteWow, this looks lovely. Hope to see you at My Dream Canvas.
ReplyDeleteNIcely organized. Especially love the after picture of the bunk beds. ;)
ReplyDeleteAmanda, it looks fantastic!! The SL tray is perfect on there. And their bedding is SO CUTE!!
ReplyDeleteIt looks great! I was wondering about the changing pad, lol. I would love to work on my daughters bedroom, especially since we are about to transition to toddler bed. BUT my 6 year old can't stop writing on or cutting things, so I'm not sure it's worth it!
ReplyDelete