9.5.11

She Decorates!

Oops....I kind of forgot She Thrifts existed! A lovely Friday girl's night, cruisey Saturday family time and my nicest Mother's Day yet on Sunday, left no room for thoughts of projects or blogs. Which is a good thing in the way of projects, because I have quite a few piled up, waiting for their moment in the spotlight! 

I mentioned, some time ago now, that I've gave my Laundry Room Hallway some love, so it's about time I shared the progress!
 

You've seen the Laundry in my house tour here, but this is how it looked the day I got stuck in. Dreary (much like the weather that day), with a view of something resembling a Boy's Toy Yard. This is the window I have to walk run past after a shower, and is also the window near which my Father in-law waters his garden. Far too often, our timing is excruciatingly similar, and I have had too many near misses to leave the window bare any longer. The 'higgledy piggledy' shelf set up was also a bother, and to prove that I am out of order with my blog posts, those white stacked shelves on the dryer are the ones Hubs cut up for the Wardrobe Overhaul the other week. I was glad they got put to better use, but I had to get things sorted in the laundry quick smart!


Shelves are removed so the Hubs can cut them up for my new laundry bench! Lots of icky lint and general muck to be found in spots like this :o(

Dryer is out, floor gets a wipe down, and I go off to cut up my new window treatment!!

I heart our Indoor-Outdoor table, the slats make the perfect cutting guides for all of my projects!

I picked up all of the things I needed to treat the window from our beloved Ikea! See budget further down for more details. I have been in love with this particular blind for years, and it was perfect for this project. I only wanted to filter the light coming through this particular window, not block it out entirely, and it would provide just enough privacy to avoid any awkward In-Law situations!

After I measured the length needed, I cut up the fabric, and hand stitched a pocket for the curtain rod. I must say, I would usually rather hand stitch than use a sewing machine. Those machines scare me a little, and I actually find hand stitching quite therapeutic, in the same way I enjoy ironing ;o) But one of these days, I am going to set up the sewing machine my lovely Granny gave me, and beat my fears into submission! Because honestly, this would have taken 2 mins on the machine, vs. the 10 mins it took me to do it by hand.

Rod is up, blind threaded through, looking better already! Now you might be thinking at this point "Ah...you realise that your window treatment is the wrong width Cassie? Right?!" Of course I did!! I'm not quite that silly, and I already had the solution...

Some curtain net from Ikea gave a very soft and pretty solution to the gaps either side!

Thanks to my 'cutting table', the lengths were perfect and neat, just an inch off the floor if that for perfect drape.

Not done with Ikea bargains yet, I pulled out this bench top/cupboard door we picked up from the As-Is section for a bargain price...

...and popped it right on top of our the freshly cut shelves and the dryer!! Perfect, thanks Hubs for trusting my vision, though it took some convincing and multiple explanations! You would not believe how happy this bench has made me :oD

Now I have a proper work space, as opposed to some oddly mismatched flat surfaces.

The best part, putting all of the accessories back in!

I love the clean, crisp lines, with subtle organic touches. A very pretty place to do a spot of ironing! Oh and incase you're wondering, I squeeze the ironing board up against the washer and dryer, and anyone who wants to use the bathroom while I'm ironing has to squeeze past me!

My 3 little bowls are ready to hold Tips for the Washerwoman Pocket Findings for each member of our family!

My housekeeping tins are sitting pretty, full of rags and spare washers.

Now! I want to do something about the power point eyesore, and with a little of the blind fabric left over, I can almost see a solution. I'll keep you posted on the changes!

I'm considering another shelf above the sink to get my tins off the work bench, and my huge laundry liquid dispenser out of the linen press! Oh, which reminds me, I really should post about the linen press declutter! There are not enough hours in my day! Oh, and those are long handled BBQ tongs hanging off the tap, the BEST laundry tool I own, perfect for stirring and picking up clothing from soaking buckets. Especially if you are soaking laundry belonging to a toilet training toddler!

Budget Breakdown
-Curtain Rod- $1.99 @ Ikea
-Curtain Net- $5.99 @ Ikea
-Bench Top- $12.00 @ Ikea As-Is Department
-Shelves- Already Owned
TOTAL LAUNDRY MAKEOVER (so far) $34
The only items purchased new and at basically full price in our entire house are our washer and dryer, and our TV. In these cases, we bought the best quality our money could buy, because there are some things you shouldn't compromise on.
Overall, we spent the minimal amount and got the maximum impact. So even if you're working with a tight budget, some research and planning can land you with a fresh new space in a matter of hours!

How does your laundry feel? Bright and cheery or dull and dreary,?? I think it's really important to have your laundry feeling the same way you would want your clothes to come out of wash: Fresh, Clean and Bright! That's why we did this project! Have you got a laundry make over to share?

xo Cassie

2 comments:

  1. Love the pocket finding bowls! That is a great idea!

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  2. Thank you! I wish I could take credit, but Jen over at http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/ had some cute bowls in her laundry for this purpose and I just loved the idea!

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