Reusing Leftover Flower Vases

My childhood friend, Julie, recently wrote to me with this question...

"Have you considered doing a segment on leftover flower vases? I mention this because I recently had a birthday and received a lovely vase of sunflowers (my favorite). Like most people, I have a whole bunch of flower vases stored away. What I'd really like are some ideas on what to do with them besides making flower arrangements."

I hope you had a wonderful birthday, Julie! I'd be delighted to share some of my organizing ideas for re-using leftover flower vases in your home. But first...

Making her appearance for the very first time, I'd like to introduce you to my adorable dog Sydney! She's a border collie/husky mix, and she's going to be my model for today. She was such a sweet little thing and sat so still while I took her picture. What a good girl!

Now, back to the flower vases! I used this leftover glass flower vase to plant an herb garden on my windowsill. I added little rocks to the bottom so the roots will have enough drainage to grow.

This particular variety of basil has purple flowers that I think are just beautiful. I'm going to be planting some rosemary, parsley, oregano, and cilantro, too.

Here are some more ideas for reusing leftover flower vases...
make-up brushes in the bathroom
extra toothbrushes in the bathroom
plastic combs in the bathroom
hair accessories in the closet
spare change in the closet
pens and pencils on desk
scissors in the arts & crafts room
paint brushes in the arts & crafts room
puppy treats in the pantry
people snacks in the pantry
scrub brushes under the kitchen sink
vitamins on the kitchen table
wooden spoons on the kitchen counter
yarn and knitting/crochet needles on a nightstand
lemons and limes as a centerpiece
breadsticks on the dinner table
sipping straws at a party
garden gloves in the garage
box tops in the garage
decks of cards in the game area

This is Sydney visiting with Sadie, our next door neighbor's dog. Isn't it amazing how they look so much alike and their names are so similar, too? Sydney and Sadie are best friends and have lots of fun getting together for play dates.

Playing is lots of hard work!

I think I need a rest.

Ready for playtime again!

Well, I'm off to go play ball with Sydney now! She loves to play as long as I chase her, and she won't retrieve unless I bring her puppy treats. (Is she a little spoiled, or what???;)) I hope you like these ideas for flower vases and until next time, happy organizing & saving!

Cathy : )

Everything & the Kitchen Sink

Good morning, everybody! I hope you are having a wonderful day! Today I’d like to share with you a few quick and easy kitchen organizing tips. Each of these will help you save time, and be more efficient all around the kitchen!

#1 - Laminate place mats on the dinner table means no more washing and drying the fabric kind. Not only are laminates lower maintenance, but they keep their color and last much longer, too. Just wipe up spills with a wet dish cloth, and you are ready to set the table!

#2 - Store eggs inside a berry bowl. Berry bowls are an "egg-cellent" way to store eggs within easy reach. Donate leftover cardboard containers to egg merchants at the local Farmer's Market.

#3 - Keep a stack of folded plastic trash bags inside the bottom of the kitchen garbage can. Every time the trash is taken out, a new bag will be ready and waiting!

#4 - Remove the utensil caddy from the dishwasher and place it inside the kitchen sink. This makes loading the dishwasher faster, and saves time when unloading it, too. Rinse and sort the silverware into the caddy and place it back inside the dishwasher when full.

Do you have any favorite tips that help you save time around the kitchen, too? If so, I'd love to hear them!

Happy organizing & saving time in the kitchen!

Cathy : )

Organizing Family Photos

Boxes and bins and baskets, oh my! This is how I felt recently with over 1500 photos to organize. My goal was to go completely digital by scanning and backing them up on CDs. I finally accomplished this major project, and boy-oh-boy, does it feel good to be finished! If organizing photos is on your to-do list too, here are a few of my simple suggestions to help you get started and moving in the right direction...

Its a good idea to set aside time each day to work on sorting your photos. Even if your schedule is wide open, I’d still recommend just 30 minutes a day. It feels good to take your time. Look closely at each photo, and really enjoy them.

Group like-sized photos together. Some of my photos were 3x5, and others were 5x8. I separated them into two different stacks, and first scanned one pile, and then the other. A small number of photos were different sizes (like wallet or portrait photos) and I put these into their own piles, too. Each pile got it's own paper bag that I labeled by size to make the scanning process easier.

If possible, opt for a multi-photo scanner. This made scanning so much faster because I could feed in up to 20 photos at a time. Check with your local photo center to inquire if they have a multi-photo scanner. A flat bed scanner will work just fine, too.

Organize photos on the computer. Once I scanned my photos and uploaded them, I labeled them on my desktop by date, event and year. This way, I'll always be able to find them, right when I really want to use them.

Burn photos to CD for back-up. After I saved my photos on my desktop, I burned them to CDs, and made extras copies for back-up.

Choose a safe place to store back-up CD's. Store backup CDs inside a fireproof save or in a safety deposit box at the bank. They can also be saved and stored online at photo sharing websites such as Flickr.

Organize and store the original photographs. After I finished backing-up my photos, I separated, labeled and alphabetized the originals by the people and events in the photo. (For example: James' birthday, our Hawaiian vacation, John and Lora's Wedding, etc.) I keep them inside several pretty photo boxes which I store on a shelf in my office.

This was a very special journey for me as I took a walk down memory lane. I laughed, I cried, and I felt joy and gratitude for all the precious memories that my photos brought back to me. I hope these tips that I have learned will help you along your photo organizing journey, too!

Happy organizing, saving & picture taking,

Cathy

Happy Mother's Day!

This adorable little girl is Elia, the daughter of our dear friends, Sandy and Shawn. Elia has been taking ballet lessons for the very first time this year. What a beautiful little ballerina!

I'm sending out a very special Mother's Day congratulations to Sandy and Shawn today...for the adoption of their newborn baby boy!! James and I are so very happy for you!!

And to you, mom, happy, happy, happy Mother's day! You are the kindest, sweetest, most loving and caring woman a girl could ever ask for in a mom. And I'm so proud to be your daughter. I love you!

Cathy
xxxooo