52 week challenge-week1-after

Phew!
oh man that was way more work than i really thought it would be!

So, i ran to the gym for about 35 minutes, then swung by the dollar store on my way home to pick up some supplies, and got to work! (didn't shower, or eat, or anything...i'm regretting that decision now that i'm done and have 30 minutes until i have to go pick up the lovely miss ang from work...hmm...)

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okey dokey, here you go...hopefully you saw the disastrous "before" pictures i posted earlier today...here are the "after" pictures :) 

I made these super cool canning jar soap dispensers last night...ended up replacing the pumps with these metallic ones. love love LOVE them!

our recycling got put into a milk crate to keep it condensed, and to keep the cat from knocking it over. i organized the drawers of the island, and ended up collapsing one side so it takes up less space.

This is quite a bit better, but i still hate these darn shelves...canning jars can only fix so much!

Much less clutter. i moved our cookie jar to cover up the ugly phone jack in the wall.

i think this took the longest. i took an old empty frame i had that just so happened to be the right size, made wine cork corkboard on either side, and put a carpet sample we had in the middle...used bottlecaps i have been saving up to cover up the edges of the carpet sample.  then i used contact paper from the dollar store to cover up boxes that i stuck to the corks with push-pins to sort out calculators, business cards and the like...phone chargers are thumbtacked to the board in contact paper covered tp rolls, and i hung a jar for pens.  trinkets and notepads are stuck to the carpet sample using christmas ornament hooks.  there is just as much stuff on this counter now as there was before, it is just up on the organizer now :) hopefully ang likes it...oh, and the clips holding paperwork on the left side are cut off the ends of a broken plastic jeans hanger :) the oly thing i had to pay for was the contact paper! everything else i had on-hand already!

close up of ang's counter :)

a temporary solution to the apron problem...a wreath hanger over the laundryroom door

i even made a divider to organize my caning lids by size (it was drivin me nuts!)

moved the insane amount of junk on the fridge to the side, and downsized it quite a bit to the important things.  also cleared off the top of the fridge except for my canning tools.  moved our bottle collection to the top of the cupboard so we can still see them without having to deal with them being in our way :)  ooh ooh and i also finally trashed my dead christmas lily, and put the pineapple that our roommate sprouted for me in the pot (see it on the counter by the fruit bowls? his name is gary :)  oh and the egg carton between the fridge and the counter is there to keep the cat from getting her fat head stuck in there.  because she has. no joke.)

i really wish i could figure out how to hide all the stuff i store on top of the cupboards...

this weird shelf will get conquered another day. it has become a catch-all because it is the only shelf tall enough to stand up my bottles of oil and vinegar.

have i mentioned how much i love this stand i made?  it is a glass platter and upside down ice cream sundae glass from the dollar store that i attached to eachother with superglue!  with a nice little half pint jar on it to put jewelry in while i do dishes, and my new favorite soap dispensers! :)

it looks so much better! i even found some stainless steel polish under the sink that i used to shine it up...i just need to find something to hang in that weird spot on the wall above it, and cover up those ugly holes.

this counter is so much better. i moved my green onions to a new container, and stuck them over here as well...

oooooh, aaaaaah!

i ended up downsizing to a smaller trash can. it is worth it because it means it will fit under the sink. no more waking up every morning to the cat tipping over the garbage! yay!  i tried to fit a crate under the sink to hold the cleaning supplies, but it wouldn't fit, so i'll have to figure out something else.

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impressed? i am! :)  i'll conquer the cabinets next week as per the challenge(yikes!), but for now you'll have to excuse me. i need to peel myself off the couch and hop in the shower.

have a wonderful evening!