quick! we’re leaving on saturday morning for 4 days to celebrate the nuptials of andy (anton’s best friend) and his bride-to-be erica in punta cana. i’ve had data meetings on 187 children this week, met with 24 teachers, tested 3 kiddos, made it to the gym 3 days, made dinner 3 nights, have packed ava’s suitcase for a longer-than-ever stay at my parents, and have been in work overdrive, preparing to be out of commission (and the united states) for the next 5 days.
and then, last night, in a fit of trying to find a travel-size tube of toothpaste and cursing the fact that i have to be in a swimsuit in february, a whole 3 months before swimsuit season begins, i realize – my 52 week project isn’t done! i thought about using my pass card (do those exist for this game?), i thought about writing an elaborate excuse as to why i just couldn’t meet the week 5 deadline. but, i just couldn’t do it.
and so, here it is – my week 5 project. it was both literally and figuratively healing, as it brought a much-needed organization to our junk drawer; but also allowed me to see some balance with my overly-chaotic life right now.
i found this tutorial for cereal box organizers and fell in love. these little dividers sell for 4-5 dollars a pop within the doors of target and tj maxx and i can never bring myself to parting with 20 dollars for drawer dividers.
so here was our problem. our junk drawer. it houses everything from ava’s hair bows to loose coins to screws to stamps to a staple gun to chapstick. it’s a catchall. and a vortex-like pit that will literally attract any piece of random material into its magnetic force of a drawer. it was time for some action.
i gathered 2 cereal boxes, 2 celestial seasonings tea boxes, a cracker box, and a printer cartridge box for this project. i had a stash of scrapbooking paper that i used to camouflage the boxes.
i started by wrapping the boxes by taping down one side, and gluing the paper over each edge of the box, creasing the sides in each corner.
after wrapping each box, i filled each divider with synonymous contents:
it’s like a breath of fresh junk drawer air.
organization – check.
repurposing – check.
recycling – check.
stay tuned for some highlights from paradise!
Erin,
I admire your seemingly endless bounty of energy and great ideas! Enjoy your get-away with Anton. I’m sure your parents need some Ava time just for themselves. Most grandparents appreciate alone time with those “baby grands”! I know we always did. She will be fine, and you will get some uninterrupted together time with your hubby.
I enjoy your blog. Keep writing!
Love, Nancy
these look fantastic! although i do not believe for one second that the pen count in that drawer will remain at two for longer than a few weeks.