• Organization & Storage,  Uncategorized

    Space Saving DVD Storage and Organization

    In this day and age of online streaming everything, I don’t even know if people still have DVDs. However, we do. A lot of them. And since we don’t have a lot of extra storage space in our home, I’m always looking for ways to minimize. All while keeping things that we enjoy and love. Our collection of favorite movies were taking up way too much room, so it was time to tackle some space saving DVD storage and organization.

    Dresser Extra Household Storage

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click the link and purchase. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details.

    We’ve always loved watching movies and our collection of DVDs has grown throughout the years. Even though many shows and movies can be watched online now, it is nice to still have a DVD for when streaming services no longer offer them or charge extra. Since DVD towers are basically the ugliest furniture pieces of all time, we’ve stored ours away in a lovely dresser-turned-entertainment stand. (We’ve used several different dressers for this purpose over the years.)

    Use Dresser As Entertainment Stand

    It was nice because they were out of sight, but they took up almost 5 1/2 drawers (plus, video games). Typically, that wouldn’t be a problem, since we’ve used this method for a long time. However, we were wanting to do a little furniture rearranging and needed the DVDs to take up less space.

    DVD Storage

    Initially, I was a bit hesitant to get rid of all of those cases. I don’t know why, but I had some weird attachment and felt that I would regret purging them. However, I knew that I had to move on, if I wanted more space.

    After some researching, I found these plastic sleeves that use way less room than the traditional DVD cases. We went through our collection and donated movies/games that we knew we weren’t really going to miss. Then we placed the leftover DVDs and their folded covers inside the sleeves.

    DVD Storage Sleeves

    DVD storage sleeves

    These sleeves save so much space!

    Look at how small the new collection is versus the cases that they came out of! We can technically fit two DVDs in each sleeve, which is nice for those that have bonus discs.

    DVD Consildation

    When we moved in the new, smaller dresser that would hold the DVDs, we knew that we wanted to also be able to store lots of other items inside. We were able to fit all of the DVD sleeves into one small drawer. Plus we used the other drawers for the kids art supplies, computer/camera accessories, game controllers, and office supplies!

    DVD Storage & Organization

    We are so happy that we went ahead and made this simple switch. It saves us so much space! I’m honestly really glad that we went with this method and letting the cases go was a lot easier than I thought. I don’t miss them one bit!



    If you still own them, do you have any space saving DVD storage and organization tips/tricks?

    Space Saving DVD Storage & Organization

  • Holidays & Seasons,  Home Decor,  Outdoors

    Spring Front Porch

    Happy spring, friends! The weather is warming up ever so slowly and the days are feeling much longer thanks to good ol’ daylight saving time. To celebrate the season and since I’ve been itching to get outside, I put together and styled our Spring Front Porch!

    Front Porch Welcome Mat

    Also, I’m joining up with my friend Kendra from Joy In Our Home, as well as a bunch of other talented bloggers for the Spring Festival Blog Hop. Each day this week, there will be new posts featuring DIYs, vignettes, styled front porches (that’s today!), decorated mantels, and recipes just for spring. Make sure to check those out at the end of this post!

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click the link and purchase. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details.

    Our Spring Front Porch

    After all of our Christmas decorations came down, our front porch was looking pretty blah. And since there is no better way to welcome people to your home than a good first impression, it was time to get this area spruced up.

    We first had to do some intense pressure washing, thanks to all of the mud our pup drags up here when the ground starts to thaw. Once that was done though, I was able to start gathering the pieces I wanted to use to decorate with.

    Spring Front Porch

    There is just enough of an area to pull together a small seating arrangement and add a few decorative items around the door. I always add a new small door mat each season and I love the layered look with the bigger striped rug.

    Front Porch Decor

    doorbell | welcome mat | striped rug

    When the weather is warmer, we enjoy sitting outside in the mornings and drinking a cup of coffee. This little seating area will be perfect for quietly soaking in the sounds of nature. Well, at least until the kids wake up. *wink*  As a last minute project, I found and painted this old stump to serve as mini table.

    Outdoor Seating Pillows Chairs

    pillows | chairs – Ikea | throw blanket

    I also love to add wreaths to the front door seasonally. This is one I whipped up just this past week to welcome spring! It was super easy to make and only took a few minutes to put together. Plus, the wicker is very similar to the chairs which helps tie things together.

    DIY Spring Wreath

    Since the weather is still a bit chilly here, outdoor plants are hard to find in stores. I wanted to add a little life to this area, so I incorporated this mini button fern and a few small boxwoods. (The button fern will have to spend its nights inside.) However, there is nothing wrong with some faux plants to get that spring feel. Especially if you live in an area with frigid temps during this time of year!

    Patio Chairs Cushions

    Have you noticed all of the little bunnies around our porch? I thought they were a fun little find at the Target dollar spot!

    Painted Stump Table

    It didn’t take much to get this area ready for spring! Now excuse me while I wait inside for warmer temperatures to enjoy it.

    DIY’s on Monday

    Joy In Our Home | Timeless Creations | The Tattered Pew

    CityGirlmeetsFarmboy |Life on Kaydeross Creek

    Vignettes on Tuesday

    anderson + grant | Follow The Yellow Brick Home | White Arrows Home

     Worthing Court | Camelot Art Creations

    Front Porches on Wednesday

    County Road 407 | Elizabeth Joan Designs |The Crowned Goat

     2 Bees In A Pod | Sanctuary Home Decor

    Mantels on Thursday

    DIY Beautify | The Painted Hinge | Making It In the Mountains

    Grey Birch Designs | The Homemaking Momma

    Recipes on Friday

    Love In My Oven | Noting Grace | Beyond the Butter

    Confessions of a Baking Queen | The Sugar Coated Cottage

  • Holidays & Seasons,  Home Decor

    No Mantel? No Problem.

    I’m joining up today with my lovely friend Kendra of Joy In Our Home and 23 other amazing bloggers for the 2nd annual Christmas Festival Blog Hop! If you are stopping by from White Arrows Home, WELCOME! Isn’t Kristin’s mantel festive? Love it!

    Not Mantel? No Problem.

    This year I also decided to share how to decorate a mantel for the holidays. (Last year for this hop I showed our Holiday Front Porch, which was so fun to put together. )

    The only problem is that we don’t have a mantel!

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click the link and purchase. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details.

    As much as I would love to have a beautiful and cozy fireplace with a chunky wood mantel to decorate for the holidays, that just isn’t our reality. So what do I do? Improvise, of course.

    Christmas Holiday Mantel Decor

    Last week, I showed how we created extra storage in our entryway with these hacked Ikea shoe cabinets. This welcoming area right inside our front door is the perfect place to decorate and hang our stockings for Santa.

    Stockings Faux Mantel

    Stocking Style 1 | Stocking Style 2



    I used this DIY stocking hanger that I made several years ago to hang all of our stockings on. We are so happy that we were able to add a 5th stocking the the bunch in 2018!

    Stocking Holder Hanger

    Chipboard Letters (Similar)

    The shelf on top of the shoe cabinet is perfect for decorating with fun holiday tchotchkes.

    Christmas Holiday Decor Stockings

    These cute wooden nesting houses are one of my favorite decor items to use year round. They fit in perfectly with the little evergreen trees!

    Mini Christmas Trees Houses

    Nesting Houses | Lantern (Similar) | Small Evergreen |Large Evergreen (Similar)

    I love this welcoming little space spruced up like this.

    So, if you are a member of the “no mantel club”, don’t hesitate to get creative with your holiday decor and stocking hanging skills. A shelf, a piano top, and even a decorative ladder can serve as a place to decorate and hang your socks up! No Mantel? No Problem.

    Simple Christmas Mantel

    Thanks so much for stopping by and don’t forget to head on over to City Girl Meets Country Boy to see how Kelly decorates her mantel. Oh, and check out all of the other creative holiday ideas below!

     

    Christmas DIYs on Monday

    Joy In Our Home | 2 Bees In A Pod | My Creative Days

    County Road 407 | Chatfield Court

     

    Christmas Front Porches on Tuesday

    The Tattered Pew | The Crowned Goat | Little Brags

    Follow The Yellow Brick Home | The Painted Hinge

     

    hristmas Recipes on Wednesday

    Crisp Collective | Love In My Oven | Countryside Cravings

    Walking On Sunshine Recipes | Beyond The Butter

     

    Christmas Mantles on Thursday 

    anderson + grant | White Arrows Home | Elizabeth Joan Designs

      City Girl Meets Country Boy | Red Brick On The Lake

     

    Christmas Tablescapes on Friday

    The Inspired Hive | Curly Crafty Mom | Making It In The Mountains

    Rain and Pine | Timeless Creations

  • Build It Yourself,  Furniture Makeovers,  Home Decor,  Neat & Tidy,  Organization & Storage,  The Country House

    Create Extra Storage In The Entryway

    Since we’ve moved to The Country House, something that we’ve struggled with is storage space.  Especially, after we turned our master closet into a sweet little nursery. Living in only 1300 square feet with 5 people makes finding or adding storage solutions many times difficult. However, we’ve been able to create an entryway with extra storage by whipping up a cool Ikea shoe storage hack!

    Entryway Update With Shoe Storage

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click the link and purchase. Clicking a link won’t cost you any extra money and helps keep this site running! Please check out our disclosure policy for more details.

    Once we knew that our master closet was going to be transformed, we had to come up with a game plan for all of the stuff already inside.

    We sorted and donated the things we didn’t love. Our clothing took up residence in a small hallway closet. But that left us with no place for our shoes, hats, belts, scarves, etc. We did try to hang a shoe rack over the inside of the closet door. However, the shoes hit the hanging clothes and fell off the rack constantly. It was just a huge mess!

    Entryway Ikea Shoe Cabinet Hack

    After some brainstorming and online storage system browsing, we decided to buy two Ikea shoe storage cabinets and add them to our entry area. The original set up of each cabinet left several inches of space between the center of the cabinets. They ended up extending beyond the hallway wall just a bit, which looked pretty wonky.

    Create An Entryway With Extra Storage

    So, we decided to remove the original tops, slide the cabinets together, and attach a new stained/painted top to make them look more like one unit. We also replaced the old knobs for some ring pulls that have a more unique look.

    Wood Painted Welcome Sign

    Welcome Sign | Nesting Houses | Ring Pull

    Each cabinet is supposed to hold a minimum of 12 pairs of shoes, but depending on the size and style, you can definitely fit more.  I’m a size 7.5-8 and have over 20 pairs inside of one cabinet!

    Small Space Shoe Storage Cabinet

    I love the extra drawers at the top of the cabinets too! Perfect for cold weather accessories.

    Entryway Decor Storage

    Magnolia Wreath | Rain Boots

    You truly realize how much stuff you have when you don’t have a place to put it. Adding this shoe cabinet storage to our entryway has helped us with a major storage struggle. The depth of the cabinets is perfect for our small space and doesn’t impose too much on the room. We are so happy with how this project/hack turned out!