Toni Hammersley's Blog, page 3

2021 Home Organization Challenge: Week 5 Master Closet

 

Hi Friends. It’s time to conquer week 5 of our 2021 challenge. We are finally finished with the kitchen and now we’re moving into the master closet. This spot is a magnet for clutter and I am determined to motivate you to get it organized! Let’s get started.

PS. If you’re new to the challenge, you can find the first four weeks here. We’ve completed the  laundry room, home office, kitchen, and pantry. Be sure to print out the free challenge kit and use it as a guide as you work your way through the challenge. It has a step by step process that you can follow.

  

My closet system is from Easy Closets. Learn more about the installation here and reveal here.

  

My closet was completely overhauled last spring. It hasn’t changed a bit. I love the system I have in place.

  

I purchased several organizing products for this space last year. The whitewashed baskets are from TJ Maxx & Home Goods. I actually had to go to different 3 stores to find what I needed. The tags are from Target. You can find beautiful faux flowers here.

  

I organized all of my running clothes into the baskets. They are labeled:

Solid tanksScripted tanksLululemon tanksRunning shortsRunning pantsLululemon shortsRunning socksCompression socksSports Bras    

The unit on the left contains several drawers & more baskets. 

  

These baskets contain t-shirts, extra perfume bottles, my hats, and wallets.

  

This drawer contains more running gear. I have running t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, race equipment, sun glasses, cold weather gear, and more running miscellaneous. 

  

This drawer contains my winter scarves, swim shirts, swim suits, swim dresses, and sunscreen. The organizers are from Bed Bath & Beyond but they are no longer available on the website.

   

On the right wall, I have many shelves for shoes and accessories. I keep my shoes in clear plastic containers (to keep the dust off). You can find similar boxes here. I hung my necklaces on the side of the closet with command hooks.

  

I store all of my hand bags in their dust bags, to protect them from the sunlight and dust. 

  

As you’re organizing and purging, dont forget to add your own personal touch to your space. Some faux flowers, a few perfume bottles, and a wedding photo warms the space and creates a beautiful ambiance. 

  

To complete the challenge, I added a French linen chair to the space. It screams my decorating style (French Farmhouse) and makes the closet more cozy.

  

I hope you enjoyed a tour of my organized closet. If you want more inspiration, be sure to check out my other closet organization posts here. If you’re on Instagram, I will share a video tour of the closet today! Take a couple days to really clear the clutter and reclaim your space. It feels so great! I’ll see you back here next week. We will be organizing the bedroom. Have a great week.

   

NOTE: If you’re a part of the Home Organization challenge, you’ll want to get the challenge companion guide and cleaning book. Both of these are essential tools that will help you get your homes organized and cleaned from top to bottom.

 

The post 2021 Home Organization Challenge: Week 5 Master Closet first appeared on A Bowl Full of Lemons.

2021 Home Organization Challenge: Week The 4 Pantry

 

Welcome to week 4 of the Home Organization Challenge. If you’re new to the challenge, click here to see what we’ve covered so far. This week, we are organizing the pantry. If you don’t have a pantry (like me), organize the area where you keep your food. Let’s finish the off the kitchen area strong and have a productive week 

 

Since we don’t have a pantry, I use a cabinet for our pantry staples. It works well for our needs and fits the space nicely. My cabinet is from Ikea.

  

I keep the cabinet in the back hallway right outside of the kitchen. It gives us extra storage for the pantry staples we use often.

  

I use these jars to store our food. They are air tight and add a French flair to the space. I keep our bread in a gardeners basket.

  

I use confit pots and an old stoneware bowl to store potatoes, onions, and garlic.

  

The confit pots are from Pottery Barn.

  

It’s the perfect pot for potatoes!

  

I use a lazy Susan for my baking staples.

  

Extra pasta and flour is stored in baskets on the bottom shelf. These baskets are from Target. 

  

I keep our canned goods in a cabinet under the kitchen island & snacks in a kitchen drawer.

  

Our pantry is simple and functional. It’s not fussy and works well for our needs. If you don’t have a pantry, I highly suggest finding a cabinet or shelving that you could transform into a pantry.

  

Here is a blog post of my old pantry. It had French doors and several shelves to store food.

  

And another blog post of the way it looked before that. There are lots of storage ideas in this post.

  

New to the challenge? Print out the challenge checklist and use it as a guide as you work your way through the pantry this week. It has a step by step process that you can follow. 

  

If you’re a part of the Home Organization challenge, you’ll want to get the challenge companion guide and cleaning book. Both of these are essential tools that will help you get your homes organized and cleaned from top to bottom.

  

Have fun organizing your pantry this week. I will see you back next week, as we head into the master closet. Have a great week, friends.

Click on the photo below, to revisit all completed challenges. 

 

The post 2021 Home Organization Challenge: Week The 4 Pantry first appeared on A Bowl Full of Lemons.

2021 Home Organization Challenge: Week 3 Kitchen

 

Welcome back to the 2021 Home Organization Challenge. It’s week 3 and we are moving into the kitchen this week! We have conquered the laundry room and home office. You can find those posts here. Now it’s time to organize the kitchen. This is the most challenging week but worth every minute. Let’s get organized.

  

If you’re a part of the challenge, you’ll want to get the challenge companion guide. This is an essential tool that will help you get your home organized from top to bottom. If you haven’t printed out the challenge checklist, click here. It contains the kitchen checklist which you’ll need to complete this weeks challenge. Please refer to that checklist, when you begin.

  

My kitchen is very functional and a great working kitchen.

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To the right of the range, I keep my most used cooking items on a marble lazy Susan. (French salt, Fleur de Sel, Pepper grinders, Avocado oil and Olive Oil).

  

To the left of the range I keep my glass canisters. They are filled with oatmeal, kamut flour, einkorn flour, and sugar. I use these daily so they need to be easily accessible. Here is the marker I used to write on these jars.

  

Here is my coffee center. If you love coffee as much as I do, you’ll want to set up a space in your kitchen for all of your essentials. Some of my must haves are my coffee machine, coffee grinder, and a pour over kettle. (My coffee machine is a Jura Impressa Z7).

   

I keep my aprons on these hooks, beside my refrigerator. I use them daily so they have to be easily accessible. 

  

For visual appeal and order, store similar items together in the cabinets.

   

To save on space, take your cereal bags out of the boxes and clip them.

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Line your spices up in a drawer near your prep space. You can also use spice drawer organizers.

   

Keep food storage items contained in bins.

  

If you’re looking for more kitchen organizing inspiration, check out these blog posts.  (My bar stools are from Restoration Hardware & the pendant lights are from Rejuvenation).

  

I hope you gained some inspiration and tips to help you organize your kitchens. I’ll see you back for week 4 of the home organization challenge. We will be heading into the pantry. Have a great week of organizing.

 

The post 2021 Home Organization Challenge: Week 3 Kitchen first appeared on A Bowl Full of Lemons.

2021 Home Organization Challenge: Week 2 Home Office

 

Hi friends. Welcome back to the 2021 Home Organization challenge. Last week, we cleared the clutter from our laundry rooms and now we are entering week 2 – the home office. If you don’t have a designated home office, concentrate on the space in your home where you store your bills and office supplies.

Don’t know where to begin? Review your challenge checklist and use it as a guide as you work your way through the home office this week. It has a step by step process that you can follow. This is such a rewarding week. Let’s get busy.

 







 

During lock down, I changed some things around in my house and this is one of the areas that’s different. You can see my old home office here, which I shared during last years challenge. I no longer use this space as an office. We turned it into a family media room. However, you may still want to browse that post because it has a ton of tips to help get your office organized. If you would like more inspiration to help get you motivated, below I linked more of my previous home offices – there are many.

2021 Home Organization Challenge Week 1 – Laundry Room

 

Happy New Year, Friends! 2020 is (finally) over and in the past. It’s time for a brand new book and we get to write the chapters. This is our first chapter and we are going to start by clearing out the clutter from our homes. The Home Organization Challenge is an annual event that we have become accustomed to and so many of you participate each year. Can you believe that we are launching the 10th challenge? It’s time to get started with week one ~ the laundry room. I hope this is your best year ever!

 







 

START HERE: To begin, print out the free 14 week challenge kit  here. You will need this, to complete the challenge. You may also want to pick up the companion guide. It will walk you through the entire challenge and give you ideas on how to organize each space. 

 

Just like last year, we are beginning in the laundry room. I did this on purpose. I want you to completely finish washing (and putting away) all of your laundry and get your laundry room squared away before we head into the rest of the house. Laundry can be a daunting task and it never goes away, so this area needs to be addressed before we can concentrate on other spaces.

 







 

Follow the checklist in the challenge kit, to complete week 1. It has the step by step directions on how to get your laundry room in order. If you need more inspiration, here are a few laundry posts I’ve shared on the blog. I tried to link as many sources as I could, in this post. If you don’t see a link to a product you like, you can also look for it here. In the mean time, enjoy this tour of my organized laundry room. 

The hanging basket is from French Mercantile & flowers can be found here.

 







 

During the pandemic, (as I’ve had free time) I really concentrated on eliminating clutter & the things we no longer use from our home. I donated so much stuff! Comparing last years laundry room to this years space, you’ll notice I have less. I’m not where I want to be but I am headed in the right direction. I will never be a minimalist, however I want to be intentional with what I consume & keep in our home.

 







 

I eliminated a lot of different cleaning products that were collecting dust in the cabinet. I also simplified my laundry system. I now only purchase and use one type of powder and one liquid laundry detergent. I use each for various reasons. Instead of toxic dryer sheets, I use pure essential oils & wool dryer balls, to freshen clothes. Remember, the key to organizing is to simplify use and functionality as much as possible.

TO NATURALLY FRESHEN CLOTHES: Once clothes are completely dry, simply add 3 drops of any pure essential oil to each dryer ball, toss them in the dryer with the clothes, and fluff on no heat for 5 minutes. I get my cleaning essential oils from Grove Collaborative.

 







 

You can find my wool dryer balls here. I keep the laundry supplies in glass jars on the shelf.

Sources:

Jar with glass lid. Jar with metal lid.Labeler.



 







 

The middle cabinet contains my cleaning supplies & homemade cleaning products. I try to eliminate as many toxins as I can from our home and making my own cleaning products is the best way to do that.

Sources: All of my bottles can be found here. I use cleaning recipes from my book. Here are my favorite containers. PS. If you don’t see a product linked, check my laundry room post from last year. It may be linked there.

 







 

I keep my dusters and mop pads on the middle shelf, for easy access. These containers are wonderful to organize everything in the home. If you love to label things like me, this is a great vintage style label maker.

 







 

Here’s one more peek into my cleaning cabinet. I love the simplicity and functionality.

 







 

The fabric bins can be found at The Container Store. Here are some similar bins, for a fraction of the cost.

 







 

On the right side of the laundry room, I have a 3 hook system (from Target), where I store my duster wand, dust pan, laundry bag, and drying rack.

 







 

If you’re a part of the Home Organization challenge, you’ll want to get the challenge companion guide and cleaning book. Both of these are essential tools that will help you get your homes organized and cleaned from top to bottom. 

 







 

That concludes a tour of my organized laundry room and you now have your first assignment. Good luck with the challenge this week. If you conquer your laundry room first, the rest of the challenge will go smoother! I’ll see you back next Saturday for week 2 of the 2021 Home Organization Challenge.

The post 2021 Home Organization Challenge Week 1 - Laundry Room first appeared on A Bowl Full of Lemons.

2021 Home Organization Challenge Kit

 

Happy New Year, friends! It’s time to get ready for the 10th annual Home Organization Challenge. We had a long and challenging 2020 and it’s more important than ever to begin 2021 on the right foot. Our homes have been our quarantine space & our sanctuary this year and they are in so much need of cleaning and organization.

Let’s come together and work our way through the next 14 weeks. Every Saturday I will assign a different space in your home and we will clean and organize it until it’s all cleared of clutter and dust. Below, you’ll find the free challenge kit as well as the schedule and everything you need to help you get prepared for the new challenge. Im so glad you have decided to join me this year.

 







 

Fill in your calendar with the challenge schedule dates, so you are prepared for what’s to come. Planning is half the battle.

 







 

I’ve included a checklist for you to jot down anything you need to purchase or do during the challenge. You can print one for each week, or use one for the whole challenge. 

 







 

Be sure to get the challenge companion guide and my cleaning book, to help you navigate through the challenge. The Home Organization book contains the 14 week challenge as well as checklists, tips, and tons of photography to inspire you get organized. The cleaning book has tons of homemade cleaning recipes that you can use during the challenge as well as tips, cleaning checklists, and ideas.

 







 

Print the free challenge kit out here.

 







 

Thanks for joining me this year. I’ll see you back here on the 2nd when you’ll get your first assignment. Happy New Year!

~Toni

The post 2021 Home Organization Challenge Kit first appeared on A Bowl Full of Lemons.

New routines for a brand new year!

 

Goodbye, 2020! This year, we’re feeling positive, energetic, and vibrant. We’ve all been through a lot, but we know good things are coming. So let’s choose new routines that feel fantastic — and help our planet. Let’s switch to a healthier cleaner with a beautiful scent. Let’s find a supplement that makes us feel great. Let’s tame that unruly closet once and for all. Getting things done takes positive energy, and we know you have it.

Here are 5 routines that will start you off on a positive note this year. Happy New Year, friends!

 







 

Routine 1: Swap out single-use plastic hand & dish soaps.

Grove Collaborative’s glass soap dispensers and recyclable aluminum bottle refills are the perfect alternative to wasteful plastic bottles.

 







 

Routine 2: Swap out single-use surface cleaners.

Replace them with Grove’s eco-friendly glass spray bottles and cleaning concentrates.

 







 

Routine 3: Eliminate single-use shampoo, conditioner, face, and body wash bottles.

Replace these with Grove’s low-waste Peach haircare, facial, and body bars.

 







 

Routine 4: Eliminate the clutter.

Replacing single use plastic household items is a great start to tackling clutter in our homes. Let’s take it one step further and conquer household clutter by implementing a weekly goal. Choose one space each week and purge the clutter. By breaking it down into smaller tasks, you’ll slowly eliminate the piles of un-necessary clutter in your home. Our Home Organization Challenge is a great way to get started. The new challenge begins in January.

 

Routine 5: Find one thing to be thankful for every day.

There is a lot of negative energy in the world we live in. We need to redirect that energy into more positive thoughts and actions. Write down something you are thankful for every day. Remember, we are what we think!

 

Beyond Plastic Initiative

Grove exists to make products that are great for people and the planet. And plastic isn’t part of that mission. Beyond Plastic is Grove’s five-year plan to solve the single-use plastic problem for home and personal care products.

Today, we’re 100% plastic neutral; for every ounce of plastic we sell, we collect and recycle an ounce of plastic pollution.By 2025, we’ll be plastic-free. We’re working hard to remove plastic from everything we make and sell.

Did you know?

260 billion pounds of plastic packaging are created annually.Up to 24 billion pounds of plastic enter the ocean each year.Only 8.4% of plastic is recycled in the U.S.

That’s why Grove has worked so hard on reimagining a line of household essentials that make it easy to live more sustainably, without compromising on quality.

 







 

FREE Beyond Plastic Starter Kit

Grove Collaborative has graciously offered new customers a FREE Beyond Plastic starter kit with your first purchase. Depending on product availability, you will get a variety of these items. *Not all products will be in your free kit and it’s while supplies last, so don’t wait!

If you’re new to Grove, they are an E-commerce site that offers a variety of plant based and sustainable products that are gentler on the earth. They prioritize post-consumer materials for packaging and they carbon offset every shipment that goes out their door. 

 







 

Note: This offer is for new Grove customers only. You will receive a free gift with purchase. Grove ships to the lower 48 states. Grove does not ship to Canada, Hawaii, or Alaska, at this time. 

 







 

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Grove Collaborative®. All opinions are my own & I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe my readers will enjoy. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Please click here for full disclaimer.

The post New routines for a brand new year! first appeared on A Bowl Full of Lemons.

2021 Home Organization Challenge ~ Coming Soon!

Happy Holidays friends. It’s time to announce the 10th annual home organization challenge! We will begin on 1/2/21. Each week, I will post a new challenge here on the website & on Instagram. Follow along and get your home in order for the new year. Let’s make 2021 the best year ever.

 







 

Here’s what you need to do to get prepared for the new challenge:

1. Print out the challenge schedule.
2. Get the challenge guide, to help you work your way through the weekly challenges. 
3. Choose an accountability partner to join you. Those who have an accountability partner are more successful in the challenge. 

4. Share the challenge on social media, so your friends can join along. Then share your weekly progress with us. Tag me @abowlfulloflemons in all of your posts and use the hash tag #abfolchallenge.

5. Join the challenge group on Facebook. 

6. Subscribe to my blog (to get the weekly challenges in your inbox). Check your spam folder!

7. Follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration. My user name is @abowlfulloflemons.

The goal of the challenge is to take back control of your home. Purge the clutter, simplify the messes, create organized systems for your things, and create a welcoming environment for your family and guests. Are you ready for a challenge? 

 







 

On December 30th, I will share the free printable 2021 challenge kit.  You can download the kit on the blog. Be sure to join my email list, so you don’t miss a thing. We will conquer clutter and organize our homes together. 

 

The post 2021 Home Organization Challenge ~ Coming Soon! first appeared on A Bowl Full of Lemons.

Hoover ONEPWR System

I finally upgraded my floor cleaning tools to a brand new system from Hoover. It’s called the ONEPWR System. It includes the Evolve Pet Cordless Upright Vacuum, the Dust Chaser Cordless Handheld Vacuum, and the Dual Bay Charger. #Ad

 







 

The Evolve Pet Cordless Upright Vacuum is a very lightweight cleaner, weighing 50% less than the traditional vacuums. This made cleaning super easy! I have 4 pets and it had no problems lifting up embedded pet hair and dirt. That is a priority to me. The canister capacity is more than I need which is nice. And because it’s cordless, I was able to knock out all of my hardwoods in no time. The battery held a charge without any issues. Im very impressed with this system. It definitely checked off all of my boxes.

 







 

My pets were thankful as well.

10 Tips to become more sustainable while homebound

We are living in an unprecedented time. Our world has turned upside down and we are changing the way we do life now. We have become more frugal, less wasteful, and mores sustainable, in the blink of an eye. Good has come out of the bad and I am grateful for the good. Today I would love to share 10 quick tips, to help get you thinking about sustainability, as you spend more time at home.

 







 

What is sustainability? The definition of sustainability is something that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” It’s choosing not to deplete our natural resources and caring for our environment in a more responsible manner. From what you eat, to where you shop (or refuse to shop), and how you live your life, you are either compromising future generations or protecting them. Your lifestyle is either fixing the problem or adding to it. Once we wrap our heads around the concept of sustainability, we can start implementing small daily changes that will positively impact our world.

 

10 tips to become more sustainable while homebound

Cook & bake from scratch. This eliminates so much unnecessary packaging you would otherwise bring into the home. Homemade isn’t packaged!Use reusable glass cleaning bottles instead of single use plastic bottles. This is an easy change that makes a huge impact.Use cloth napkins and towels instead of paper napkins & towels. Bundle online orders to ship on a certain day each week. This eliminates so much packaging waste.Meal plan! By implementing a weekly meal plan and shopping from that plan, you eliminate so much food waste.Plant a garden. Turn off the lights and unplug small appliances & gadgets not in use.Refuse to purchase single use items like water bottles and individual snacks.Shop your local thrift stores. This is a great way to practice sustainability.Use cloth shopping bags instead of plastic or paper bags.



 







 

Free sustainability Kit

Grove Collaborative has graciously offered new customers a FREE sustainability kit with your first purchase. If you’re new to Grove, they are an E-commerce site that offers a variety of plant based and sustainable products that are gentler on the earth. They prioritize post-consumer materials for packaging and they carbon offset every shipment that goes out their door.

Your shipment will help Grove in its partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant tress across the United States. Their goal is to plant one million new trees over the next three years. The most exciting news I have to share about Grove is that by 2025, every product they make AND sell will be plastic-free!

 







 

What’s in the free kit?

Depending on product availability, you will get a variety of these sustainable items. *Not all products will be in your free kit.

Grove Spring Silicone StrawsGrove Spring CaddyGrove Spring Bubble Up brush & dispenserGrove Spring Ceramic Sink TrayGrove Glass Spray Bottle with all purpose cleaning concentratesGrove Walnut Scrubber SpongesFree Shipping!

Note: Grove ships to the lower 48 states. Grove does not ship to Canada, Hawaii, or Alaska, at this time.

 







 

My Monthly Shipment

My monthly Grove order typically consists of toothpaste, deodorant, household cleaning products, laundry products, feminine products, and vitamins. There’s just so much to choose from. Grove replaces my weekly Target trip. During this pandemic, I am thankful for my Grove shipments. By the way, you can skip any shipment or customize it to fit your needs. I have been a satisfied Grove customer for over 6 years and I highly recommend trying out their company. You won’t be disappointed.