Ikea Art Cart...

Our playroom was once littered with art supplies. I love that my kids like to create but finding broken crayons and glue without tops was driving me crazy. Every couple days, I would have the kids round up all the supplies and put them back in their place in the playroom. Just hours after cleaning, I would walk in and find art supplies everywhere. I realized it wasn't really the older kids who were creating the mess - its the monster one year old we have running around that seems to make messes wherever goes. The only way to solve the problem was to remove the art supplies but make them very accessible.

Introducing the Ikea art cart that resides in my office closet.


I purchased a cart on wheels from Ikea. This allows the cart to be mobile and can travel to and from the playroom when needed.

Also from Ikea I purchased two sets of white magazine holders. These hold the coloring books, workbooks and clipboards. The clipboards were purchased for another project that I never completed and the kids kept sneaking them to color on. They are a staple on the art cart.


The bottom two layers are filled with quart-sized canning jars. Hallie meticulously sorted out all the supplies and organized them into different jars. Crayons, colored pencils, twistable pencils, twistable crayons, pencils and pens, scissors, markers, glue sticks, glue, whiteboard markers...and more. Everything they need for a art project or school assignment. Sometimes, they don't need the whole cart and they leave it in the closet and take the jars they need. Hallie will take a jar to her room to color and return it later.

It's been over 6 months and the supplies have remained relatively organized. There have been a few casualties including when the cart was left in the playroom by accident and a certain toddler dumped out the jars. But the kids have been great about making sure it gets put away since then.

The best part is anytime they're looking for a supply - they know exactly where to look. It's also easy to see what we're running low on - which doesn't happen to be gluesticks, we've got two jars full!

Secret Weapon for the Laundry Room...

I was cooking chicken the other night, wearing my favorite down vest (because it's winter and 70 degrees which means it's down vest weather!) The oil started spraying up from the pan and I quickly grabbed an apron. I was smart enough to grab an apron but not smart enough to remove my vest which ended up in front of the apron in perfect range of all the oil spatter. Lame.

I tried immediately to get it out but once it dried the oil was as visible as ever. I went to the laundry room and pulled out my secret weapon: Lighter fluid. Doesn't everyone have that in their laundry room?! There was a time that it wasn't a staple, but years ago, my friend gave me this tip and ever since that we've had a bottle or two right next to the detergent. It's a simple fix and every time I'm shocked when I find no visible stains.

Its just this easy: Pour a little lighter fluid on the stain and let it dry. Wash the garment.

I'll often find after one washing that there's a faint ring around the spot where the fluid had dried. I simply spray some Resolve on it and wash it again and it's as good as new. It's a miracle worker on oil stains.

Do you want to make a practice of pouring lighter fluid on your clothes...probably not. Especially if you're wearing them and decide to attend a bonfire. Both are probably big no-nos. But I'm telling you, I have saved so many pieces of clothing from the trash with this little trick.