Dresser

Bedroom dumping ground number two is the dresser.

Exhibit A:

I'm not sure what to be more ashamed of: the giant spider web in the windowsill (you can see it. It's the cloudy covering on the glass change jar) or the unnecessary number of bras on display. 

Like the vanity, the dresser is a major spot in the bedroom for dropping things when we don't feel like putting them away. 

Like I said, bras galore. I left these here after organizing the dresser drawers a few weeks ago. We have uncomfortable VS bras that I never wear, a strapless that isn't utilized more than once a year, the stickies from the wedding, and sassy lingerie gifted from Rose at my bridal shower. I need a space for items like these that I wish to keep, but rarely need. I'm thinking the top shelf in the closet would make sense, but that's its own little disaster and will require another post. 

We also have items that simply don't belong. 

Most of these are the result of having a new home and having grand plans for projects that are changed or never completed. I don't know what most of these screws are for. I'll put them downstairs in the workshop (oh, lord, the workshop) and they'll likely be of some use in the future. 

I was able to match these hooks up to their screws and anchors. This was originally purchased to install in the closet for belts, but I think it would be better suited downstairs over the shoe organizer. I've been looking for something to hold Dylan's hats and this may work perfectly. 

After a quick wipe down with my handy dandy baby wipes, we have the finished product. 

The change jars stay. This is where Dylan empties his pockets at the end of the day, so it makes sense. 

The dresser clean up was a quick 15 minutes that makes a huge difference. It's one of those areas that I see every day that adds just a little more to my guilt bucket each time. The guilt is unnecessary and annoying and now it's gone. 

Of course this clean up makes me want to start another project. I wish the top of the dresser looked snazzier. This dresser has been around since my stepdad's childhood, so it's scratched and discolored and, frankly, a bit boring. Can a dresser top be Mod Podged? Off to Pinterest I go!

Vanity

The vanity is one of far too many dumping zones in the bedroom. Why take five seconds to put something where it belongs when there's a convenient little table right by the door?

Yikes. Pay no attention to the unmade bed in the reflection. 

The first step was to get rid of near empty bottles by adding their contents to the bottles purchased to replace them. 

Hey, look! More water glasses where they don't belong!

I don't need three different types of daytime lotion on the vanity when I only use one regularly. To be honest, I don't need three different types of daytime lotion period. 

The following are the only items that need to stay on the vanity as they're used daily or nearly daily. 

Now it's time to wipe away all of the hair and dust with my favorite cleaning tool. 

I keep the morning hair and face items on the left. 

And the nighttime items stay on the right. 

The finished product is so much easier to navigate. Continue to ignore the unmade bed. 

This organization sparked a couple of future projects: find a better container than a plastic bowl for bobby pins and figure out what to do with the curling iron and hair dryer that currently live on the floor. 

What about you? Where is your favorite dumping ground at home? What's one thing you could do to keep it clear?

Carbage

Pro tip:

Take the trash out of your car each time you're at the gas station. That way you don't end up with moldy apples and fruit flies in your vehicle. 

This was the situation in my car yesterday. 

It's embarrassing.  And gross. 

This won't happen again. 

How do you keep your car tidy?

Purse Purge

Sunday is now officially the day to figure out what exactly I'm carrying around with me each day.

Before:

Yikes. 

I dumped everything out on the dining room table to more easily sort the contents into piles. 

A pile for items to toss or recycle, mostly including gum wrappers and expired coupons/insurance cards, and old grocery lists. 

A pile for items that have an elsewhere to be, including keys to the office at a job I haven't had for six months. 

A file pile. 

A pile of things I need to take action on. I found a check to deposit, sanitizer and Advil to refill, a business card for an acupuncturist I'd like to see, a dirty spoon (ick), and stamps for Rachael Ray dishware at Albertson's that I'm pretty sure I don't need, but am still debating. 

Behold! There is also a pile of things that actually belong in my purse!

They just need to be prettied up a bit and compartmentalized. 

Like so. 

The ol' purse may not look much better to the naked eye, but it's a wonderful feeling not to be carrying the excess physical and mental weight around. 

What's the most unnecessary item in your purse right now?

Headboard Clutter

One small extra step in the morning I've added is to take the previous night's water and tea cups downstairs when I head down.

There are two benefits of this tiny tweak. 

We avoid this nightmare: 

and we aren't wandering around the kitchen every morning looking for a vessel for coffee. 

Boom!

What tasks do you make part of your morning routine that have a positive impact on the rest of your day?