Robin's Laundry Room Makeover (OAP Challenge) Part One

So we have been talking about our OAP Challenge, and you saw my laundry space in one of my recent posts.  Well, my partner in crime Robin has sent her laundry room "before" pics!

Robin's laundry space is just off her living room and opens with double doors.  She has (drum roll pul-eese) not one, but TWO shelves.  Can you tell I am a little jealous of the extra storage???? Oh and is that a drying rod I see there in the pic???? Super Jealous now. 

Well we are headin' to IKEA and The Container Store Monday to do some thrifty shopping for these rooms...toddler free by the way...thanks to G-G!!!!

Laundry Room Makeover (OAP Challenge) Part Two

So if you are catching up with me you will want to check out my post about our OAP Challenge.
This weekend I finished painting the laundry room and I posted my "before" pics here.
Today I got busy on a little crossover project. 
After cleaning everything out this weekend and purging lots of stuff that did not belong in the laundry room I saw this:

 

That's what I said.  Wow, I hadn't seen that space clutter free since we moved in!!!

My mind got-ta-goin' and I thought...What if I use this empty space as a "multi-purpose" surface. 

Many of the laundry rooms I covet see in Blogland have countertop space...even a hinged counter over the washer and dryer.  Well, since the budget's a little too snug for front loading machines right now, and I know I don't want to have to raise it each time I want to put in clothes, I quit dreamin' and I let that one go.

My mind then went to this...

 

one of those spaces that makes you very unhappy every time you see it.

Its our hall closet that gets used as a "throw everything without a home here" space!  One of the monsters that lives in there is our gift wrap bag.  It gets crushed by the vacuum cleaner and I can never find what I need! ARG!

So I decided to organize and move my gift wrap materials, and came up with this...

One old laundry basket later....My new Gift Wrap Station!  It fit perfectly between the wall and the dryer  Yippee Skippee!  And remember this?

 

I plan to sew up a little mat to keep on top of our dryer, that will catch spills and make a nice little work surface, perfect for gift wrapping or whatever else I want to use it for!   So long Clutta'!!!!

Laundry Room Makeover (OAP Challenge) Part One

So I talked all about the OAP (Organization Accountability Partners) Challenge in this post.  We chose to start with our Laundry Rooms/Spaces.

Here is the down and dirty on my (Jess') laundry room!

You walk through our laundry room from the garage.  I rarely allowed guests to come through this way because of our previous litter box.  Long story short...we found new homes for our cats (they moved out together and are now living on a farm) and therefore the litter boxes were burned no longer needed.

As you enter from the garage, you pass the washer and dryer and then walk into our kitchen.  I am grateful for this space but it is small.  It is not my dream laundry room, but it is what it is and I have decided to make the most of it this month.

The walls are Kilz Balsam Beige and I have decided to go with a beige, black, and white color scheme.
We have painted since I did the tour of my home on here so I will just show the most recent pics.

 These are the builder installed shelves that I can't stand.   I am hoping the cabinet fairy will bring me some dirt cheap tear out cabinets that need a little love before being installed.  Just sayin'!

 

  

As you can see in the pictures, the paint job was incomplete.  Well, I finished that up this weekend after my hubby moved the washing machine and dryer.  That was a job that was LONG overdue!!!!  I dusted, mopped, and finished the paint job before he moved everything back.   Part One...finish paint job is complete.

The "Sisters After Birth" O.A.P. Challenge

Let me start by explaining the title.
The Lord didn't give me a sister growing up.  I was an only child.  I turned out fine.  (no comments allowed about that).
In 2006, He sent me Robin.
I knew by looking at her pocketbook that we were gonna be lifelong friends.  I told her this.
I have a sister, God just didn't give her to me until later in life.
Knowing us, if we had grown up together, we would have caused a lot more trouble.
He knew what He was doing. 

Now back to the challenge.

When we bought our home almost 5 years ago...it was a plain blank slate.  I had never decorated a house before and expensive, magically appearing due to credit cards, furniture was not an option.  And boy oh boy am I glad I had a hubby that would say no!!!! 

It has been a process over the years.  It is definitely still in progress but we've come along way baby! 

But with decorating comes organization.  I love organizing (especially other people's stuff) that I don't have to see get messed up!

I have a toddler.  We have purged a lot of stuff.  But we still have a lot of stuff.   I also have a lot of unfinished projects.  Did I mention I have a toddler???  Come see my half painted laundry room that has been that way for months!

Now I know you are thinking...get on with it Jess, what does my sister after birth and organization have to do with one another.

Well we Robin and Jess have decided to become Organization Accountability Partners. 

I got the idea from I'm and Organizing Junkie.  Not the OAP part, cause I came up with that snazzy-ness (lets just give credit where credit is due folks!).  jk  She basically suggested choosing a room/project a month and focusing on "getting it together" in that space.  She encourages that you take pics of the space before and after.  I loved that part!

I liked this plan.  It requires focus.  Something I struggle with.  And I have Robin to get me on track.  She can pop in anytime to see my progress, and will not judge my mess.  We can bounce ideas off one another and celebrate together when the project is complete.

I encourage you to do this with us.  You don't have to pick the same room or space, just find a bud and get to it.  We will be posting pictures of before and after.  Our first challenge is the LAUNDRY ROOM...dun dun dun!!!!!  It all kicks off in March so be on the lookout for our progress and we hope you will join us.