Easy DIY Disney Pin Trading Pouches

Our family will be making our first visit to Walt Disney World in just a few weeks. My husband and I have spent quite a bit of time planning in order to make this a memorable trip for our children.  Being in their tweens and early teens, among the many things I thought they would enjoy is Disney pin trading.

How did I get them started?  I bought a large lot of pins from a reputable seller on Ebay, and used them to fill their advent calendar this past Christmas.  I also bought them lanyards to put their pins on.  What I didn't expect was that my co-workers generously sent my children another large lot of pins for the holidays.  How awesome was that of them?

Having way more pins than we could fit on their lanyards, I had to come up with a way to store the children's pins for easy trading during our trip, while keeping the ones they want to save for their collections separate.  It would have been much easier if they were the sharing type and would be willing to combine all the pins they want to trade away in one container.  Alas . . . that is not the case.  So, here is what I came up with . . .

How to Make a DIY Disney Pin Trading Pouch

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Gusseted Zip Close 6"x4-1/2" Clear Cosmetic Pouch (1 per child)

Pack of 4"x6" Color Foam Sheets

chalkboard labels

chalkboard marker

scissors

Step 1.  Use your chalkboard marker to write each child's name on a label (one name per label) as pictured below.  We chose to use a white marker, but you can choose almost any light or bright color.

Step 2. After the labels have completely dried, center each self-adhesive name label on the clean exterior front side of your clear pouch. Then press down firmly to apply the label securely.

 Step 3. Select one color of foam for each child.  Then trim 1-1/4" off the longest side of each foam sheet, resulting in a 4"x4-3/4" sheet. Do this for 3 foam sheets (more can be added later).

Step 4.  Place one foam sheet inside the pouch to act as a divider.  Then attach all the pins your child would like to KEEP on the remaining foam sheets by pushing the pins through the sheets and securing with the official Mickey pin backs.  When done, insert the sheets with the pins into the clear pouches with the pins facing the back of the pouch (the side without the name label).

TIP #1:  I ordered some extra Mickey Mouse pin backs because my youngest son already lost one.  Disney Parks pins are not tradable unless they have the official Mickey head backings, so it couldn't hurt to have some extras on-hand.

Step 5.  On the other side of the divider, fill the front side of the pouch with all the Disney Parks pins your child WANTS TO TRADE away.  These pins will remain loose and will be easy for your child to grab one when making a trade.

TIP #2:  I took a friend's advice and had my children put the pins they wanted to trade away the MOST on their lanyards.  Then they can replenish their lanyards with the loose pins from their pouch anytime.

When a child has acquired a new pin to add to their collection, they can either drop it into the backside of their pouch or quickly pin it onto one of the foam sheets.

This little pouch is compact and easy to carry.  Each child will have a small daypack with them, so they can each carry their own pin pouch.  One less thing for mom or dad to carry, right?

If you like this DIY project, Pin It for later . . .

What tips do you have about Disney pin trading?

Share them with us in a comment here.

Easy DIY Wall-Mounted Shoe Organizer

This post was sponsored by Oriental Trading Company, where the possibilities for DIY and home decor projects are infinite.

We live in a small townhouse, and are often challenged by the lack of space we have for five people (and all their belongings) to live comfortably.  One of the first rules of living in a small space is to maximize usage of the walls.  I was pretty happy when we put up two rows of hooks on the wall by our backdoor.  Then after awhile, I started to think about how we could make this wall even better . . .

Before Photos:

Two rows of coat hooks plus a shoe bench.

A bench stuffed with the shoes belonging to two tweens and one teen.

There were three main things that were not ideal about our setup.  1)  The coats were spread out between two rows of hooks, and not every hook was being used. 2) Depending on how many pairs of shoes or boots our children owned at the time, there were times when the shoe bench was too full to close the lid properly.  (Also, the shoes were getting dirty from being thrown on top of each other. I think that bothered me more than the children though.) 3) There was no room for my husband's shoes, so he would leave his shoes strewn about the first floor of our house.

PROJECT:  Wall-Mounted Shoe Organizer

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Unfinished Flower Boxes

Unfinished Wood Slat Crate

Semi-Glossy Latex Paint

Paint Brush

2-inch Drywall Screws (3 per Flower Box)

Cordless Screwdriver

Level

Measuring Tape

Pencil

Chalkboard Sign

Chalk Markers

Woven Table Runner(s)

Step 1. Decide how many flower boxes you need for your space. The ones we used measure 24" x 6" x 6". You can configure them in multiple rows to fit your space. We used one row of three across.  You can make this project fit almost anywhere, from a mudroom to a closet.

Step 2. Add one coat of paint on your unfinished flower boxes and crate.  Add up to two more coats of paint, making sure the previous coat is completely dry before adding the next.

Step 3. Lightly mark on the wall where you'd like your flower boxes to be positioned with a pencil. Use your measuring tape to ensure each box will be the same distance from the floor.

Step 4.  Pre-drill 3 holes in each of the flower boxes for the screws to help prevent the wood from splitting when screwing the flower boxes to the wall.  (See photos below for screw placement.)

Step 5.  With the help of your level and the marks you've made on your wall, secure the flower boxes to the wall by screwing the 2" drywall screws through the pre-drilled holes and into the wall.

Step 6.  Place woven table runners on the floor along the wall under the flower boxes to have a place for boots or wet shoes.

Step 7.  Add a crate to hold wet hats and mittens.

You can create a sign easily using a chalkboard sign and chalk markers.  I made two! One for hats and mittens in the winter, and a second sign for flip-flops in the summer.

Our whole family agreed that the new Wall-Mounted Shoe Organizer worked out great.  Our children could see all their shoes easily and never had to search for the second shoe.  My daughter could fit most of her shoes sole-to-sole, but put her high-top sneakers side-by-side.

Look!  There was enough room for my 3 children's shoes AND my husband's shoes.

After Photos:

If we could have, we would have mounted the flower boxes a few inches lower so our children could hang their backpacks on the row of hooks right above them, but we did not want to cover the existing electrical outlet.  Instead, we are using those hooks for hats, umbrellas, and dog leashes.  All their coats fit on the top row of hooks because we are now using every hook.

Like this DIY project? Pin it for later . . .

What would you want to change about your coat and shoe area?

Tell us in a comment here!

Easy DIY Duck Tape Storage Bins with Printable Labels { a Target Dollar Section Craft }

This is a super-easy craft that I did almost a year ago.  I got the bins and most of the solid and patterned duck tape from the Target Dollar Spot.  Having seen these bins in other colors in the Target dollar section recently made me remember that I never did share this project with our readers.

What made me decide to make these bins was the fact that our children are little hoarders.  You would not believe me if I told you some of the strange things we've found in their beds.  I finally realized it was a losing battle to keep their beds free of their most cherished books, toys, and random things.  These storage bins were the best solution I could come up with for our twins, one who sleeps on the top of a bunk bed and the other in a loft bed.  The twins would be able to keep some things in their beds as long as they could be stored neatly inside these bins.

Easy Duck Tape Craft Project:  Decorated Storage Bins for Kids

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

square or rectangular plastic storage bins

patterned duck tape

coordinating solid duck tape

washi tape

printable labels (provided below)

scissors

Step 1.  Print the labels below or make your own to print out in the fonts and colors of your choosing using any text or graphics program.

TO PRINT:  Be sure your printer is on and ready to print.  Click on the image below to enlarge.  Then right-click on the image and select print.  Use your browser's back button to return to this page.

Step 2.  Cut out each label you will be using for your bins.

TIP #1:  Remember to leave enough room around edges for the washi tape frame to overlap with your label.

Step 3.  Using your patterned and solid duck tape, create one, two, or three stripes on the front (the side on which the label will be) of the bin.  You can get as creative as you would like with the colors and widths of your stripes.

TIP #2:  For a neater appearance, start your tape on the inside wall of your bin, where the side and bottom meet.  Then be sure to wrap the other end of the tape around the outside bottom of the bin with at least 2 or 3 inches.

Step 4.  Position your label at the center of the front of the bin and secure it in place with a frame of washi tape.

That's it!  These colorful bins would be perfect for your child's room or playroom.  You can change this craft into something more elegant for your own bedroom, craft room, or living room simply by changing the prints and colors of duck tape and washi tape you choose and the font on your labels, and even the type of bins you use.

Want to try this easy craft?  Pin it for later . . . 

How to Help Keep Your Home Office Organized in the Most Efficient Manner (#MC)

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Fellowes. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

In many ways, a home office is even more difficult to keep organized than an office elsewhere.  It is difficult to separate mail, documents, and other work papers from those for the home.  I cannot tell you how many times I've searched through the stack of papers on my desk to find a school notice or a crayon drawing mixed into the pile.  It took us many years of trying different systems to keep everything separated and organized, but it turns out that the more complicated systems, even though they were perfect in theory, were the ones that eventually got phased out of our extremely busy daily routines.  Now we have adopted a much simpler system.

The main rule for keeping our home office from becoming overrun with clutter is to . . .

"Handle things just once whenever possible!"

When new mail or papers of any kind arrive, they should go directly into one of these places immediately:

• Trash or recycling bin
• In the paper shredder
• In the proper file
• In a bin for items that will need your attention in the near future (i.e. bills, coupons, school notices, etc . . . )
• Into your child's backpack

You may have other needs, but those five categories should cover most of what comes into your hands.  If you get a credit card application in the mail you won't use, shred it on the spot.  Put the unwanted circulars in the recycling bin.  Sign your child's permission slip and hand it right back to them to put in their backpack.  Do not put any of it down on your desk, the dining room table, or anywhere else.  You may have good intentions to come back to it later, but the odds that you will be sidetracked are pretty high.

Handling as much as you can just once might take ten minutes out of your day and will keep you from staring at a heap of papers on your desk that you'll put off going through until who knows when.  There will be some items you will need to handle more than once, such as bills.  Once each bill has been paid, you should either file it away or put it into a bin to be shredded.  Then once a week or so, shred the small handful of papers and envelopes that have been collected in that bin.  Again, this should only take a few minutes of your time.

There are some things that you should obviously shred, such as credit card applications, expired credit cards, old checkbooks, bank statements, and so forth.  There are other things you may not think to shred.  For example, utility bills are often used these days to show proof of residency.  You probably don't want something like that in someone else's hands.  I also shred my old organizer pages.  I often jot notes, phone numbers, doctors' names, and other personal information in my organizer.  I also would not want a stranger to know that every Wednesday, I go to a specific place at a certain time.  It is just easier to shred all that information than to worry about who might get their hands on it.

Choosing the right shredder for your home will depend on your space, the volume and types of papers shredded, and whether you have children or pets.  We used to have a shredder hung on the wall in an out of the way place, but we found ourselves using it increasingly less because it was too far out of the way.  The Fellowes 63Cb Shredder seems like just the right shredder for us.  We keep it by our desks and made sure that it is in close proximity to the path from the front door, where we get our mail, to the kitchen trash and recycling.  That way we can pick up the mail, drop what we need in the "save for later" basket, shred what we don't want, put items in the recycling, and finally throw what's left away.

The Fellowes 63Cb Shredder has many important features, such as Jam Blocker technology, cross-cutting, and an Energy Saving System.  However, the main reason we are able to have this paper shredder in our home in a convenient place by our desks is because of its SafeSense technology.  The shredder knows when hands touch the opening where the paper gets inserted.  Once it senses this, the shredder is immediately disabled.  My husband and I have tested it over and over again, just to be sure that our children (and our cats) were well-protected.

To learn more about this and other Fellowes paper shredders, visit www.Fellowes.com.  The Fellowes 63Cb Shredder retails for $149.99 and can be purchased on Amazon, Office Depot, and Office Max this Holiday.

The New Scotch and Post-It Home Collection is Available Exclusively at the Container Store

Thank you to 3M for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own.

Scotch and Post-It are trusted brands because they make excellent products that people are very loyal to. Their new Home Collection has new, innovative products to make our lives a little easier. This exclusive line can be purchased at The Container Store.

The Post-It Reminder Tags let you put your reminders where they’ll be seen. Their unique, wrap-around design means they can stick to seat belts, purses, backpacks, and more. These are very handy for giving myself little reminders to pick something up while I’m out, to label containers, and to write sweet notes to my kiddos and hubby that I can stick just about anywhere. These are very handy and unique Post-It’s that I’ve used quite a lot. They retail for about $3.99.

Post-It View & Go Pockets are a great organizational solution because these pouches stick very well and yet remove cleanly and their clear front means you can see exactly what you’ve got in them. I use them to store important papers or worksheets for my kids, but they could be used for so many things. They come in 2 sizes so there is sure to be something to fill your needs. These retail for $6.99-$7.99.

Scotch Display Frames instantly frame and display precious artwork in a beautiful way and yet it is simple to change out the pics without damaging them or the wall. Instead of storing art on the fridge where it can get damaged or lost, this gives them the display they deserve without being unattractive. I love this frame and plan to buy another so I can display each of my son’s artwork in its own frame. This retails for $4.99-$6.99 depending on the size of frame chosen.

And finally, Scotch Restickable Display Strips give a decorative way to store important pages in style. These reusable mounting strips stick just about anywhere without damaging anything and are sticky enough that pages stay put but also won’t rip or tear them. I got these right around my birthday and it was a perfect place to stick my cards so we could enjoy them on display without it cluttering up my tables. I love the color and the way they look with or without anything stuck to them. These are among my new favorite products available. These retail for $7.99.

As with all Scotch and Post-It products, these are well-designed and well-made, just as you’d expect. I would highly recommend any of these products to anyone because of how handy they are.  You can view the full Home Collection line at www.ContainerStore.com.

Silly Monkey Stories: What We Say vs. What They Hear

A few weeks ago, I shared about a project we were undertaking to organize small toys more effectively.  Well, the photos had shown that the project was still unfinished.  It actually took quite a long while for the children to get motivated enough to complete their part of the task.  Well, that's what they were working on upstairs while I was working at my desk downstairs yesterday.

Every few minutes, I was interrupted by one of the three children with an "I'm thirsty!" or a "What should we do next?"  At one point, I told our 6 year old son to ask his big brother whether all the pockets in the carousel are full.  He nods at me and runs upstairs.

Then I hear . . .

"Jake, are all the possums in the caramel full?"

Click here to read all our Silly Monkey Stories!

Weekend Wishlist: DC Logo Backpack, Ninja Children's Storybook, 30-Pair Shoe Rack, and More!

It's Friday!  That means I've been browsing the new sales on Zulily.  I love shopping on the weekends because I only pay shipping on my first order and get free shipping on everything else from Friday through midnight on Sunday.  Even though summer vacation only started a few weeks ago, I am now turning my focus to back-to-school.  I have 3 different lists of school supplies to tackle, wishlists from 3 different classrooms, as well as filling in the holes in our children's fall wardrobe.  My 9 year old son also managed to break the chest strap on his backpack during the last week of school, so I have been keeping my eye out for a new one for him.

What's new on my Zulily wishlist today?

1.  Stainless Steel 'Hope & Humility' Inspirational Cuff - $23.99 (Originally $60)

2.  Core Kitchen Teal Woven Square Cast Iron Trivet - $16.99 (Originally $30)

3.  Collins Black 'I'm Not Bossy' Pillow - $8.99 (Originally $17)

4.  Home Basics Pink & Silver 30-Pair Shoe Rack - $21.99 (Originally $45)

5.  DC Dark Red Dodgy Backpack - $21.99 (Originally $45)

6.  Dily Black & Blue Dress - $14.99 (Originally $40)

7.  'Nighttime Ninja' Hardcover Children's Book - $10.99 (Originally $17)

8.  Artzooka! Recycled Art with Stickers: Theme 1 Kit - Set of 3 - $7.99 (Originally $12)


If you haven't already, be sure to checkout my post "6 Tips for Shopping on Zulily"!  What's on your weekend wishlist from Zulily or somewhere else?

Regain a Sense of Organization Using Playroom Labels

Thank you to Kidecals for providing complimentary product samples for us to complete this toy organization project. All opinions expressed are my own.

I am a firm believer that everything should have a place and that, if I go through the trouble of making sure something has a place, then our children should be able to clean up their toys 100% at the end of the day.  Unfortunately, they just do not seem to grasp that logic.  For example, a couple of years ago, my husband and I bought a basic wired baker's rack type shelving and filled it with plastic bins about the size of shoeboxes plus some larger ones.  We helped the children separate their toys into each bin and felt pretty great about how organized all their small toys were.  This feeling did not last long though . . .

It did not take long for us to realize that our children were not putting the toys back in the right bins even though they could see what was inside each bin.  At the time, we just tried to police it, which was exhausting.  Now that our 6 year old twins can read, I am able to clearly label each bin, so that they cannot claim to put something in the wrong place accidentally.

Today's Project:  Small Toy Organization

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Plastic Storage Bins (shoebox size or larger)

ProMart 3-Tier Smart Carousel Organizers

Custom Playroom Labels (2 sheets per carousel)

Step 1.  Make a list of items you need to keep organized.  Then visit Kidecal's Playroom Labels product page to create your labels.  Each sheet of labels comes with 6 large labels to use on the plastic bins and 12 small labels to use on the carousel organizer.  Each field corresponds to a label in the preview, so you can see what the final labels will look like.  If you are really organized, you can color code your labels so that all red labels belong to one child and all yellow ones belong to another.  (I am not that organized.)  These labels are both dishwasher and laundry-safe, so they will work on both smooth surfaces and on fabrics, such as canvas.

Step 2.  After you have assigned a toy category for each plastic bin, carefully place the larger labels on the correct bins.  If you need to reposition them, you will need to remove them immediately before the adhesive sets.

Step 3.  After you have decided what should go in each pocket on the carousels, place the correct small label on each pocket.  Try to plan ahead.  For example, it seemed to make more sense to put the Barbie dolls on the bottom tier since they were the tallest of all the small toys.

Step 4.  This is the toughest part of this project.  Get your children to put everything in the empty bins and pockets.  I think if they do the work of finishing this project themselves, they may be more motivated to keep everything organized.  (Of course, this is just a theory.)

The things I liked most about these Playroom Labels are that they are easier to read than any labels I've ever made with a label maker, I could be as specific or as general as I wanted with the labels (ex. Action Figures vs. Star Wars Figures), and the labels stick amazingly well on fabric, even on the extremely wrinkled canvas pockets.  Each sheet of 18 custom waterproof and laundry-safe labels sells for $15.00 plus there is Free Shipping on all orders.

To find more unique label products, including chalkboard decals, keycals (keyboard decals), "from the garden of" labels, "from the brewery of" labels, and mustache labels, visit www.kidecals.com.