My 5 Cleaning Must Haves

I'm just going to preface this by saying, I do not consider myself a cleaning expert, nor do I call myself a clean freak. I still have a lot to learn, but recently, I have discovered some really great cleaning products that, in my book, make a world of difference.

1. When we got married, we spent a good chunk of our wedding money on a good vacuum cleaner. I was sick of the ones from my college student apartments that did nothing. I swear I never vacuumed in college. That's really gross and sad and beyond the point... but anyway... so I did my research, talked to friends and family about it and decided to take the plunge and buy a Dyson.

I love it. It works like a charm and I know it will be something that will last for years and years.

This is the one we have:

It's great and I highly recommend it!

2. As far as mopping goes, I have never been very serious about it. I remember my mom blocking off the kitchen and getting out her sponge mop contraption and a bucket of soapy water and going to town. I'm not really a fan of that. At all. I opt for the Swiffer Wet Jet. It's so much easier. I have the really old one. I actually think I took it from my parents' house a long time ago, since obviously my mom likes to do things the hard way! ;)

3. When I discovered these, my feelings about dusting totally changed. This little guy makes it so easy! Swiffer Duster. Get one, buy lots of refills, use it. It will change your life... well at least your dusting life. The dust actually clings to it and you don't feel like you have to vacuum every time you dust or like you are just swirling around a pile of dust on the surface. I got so excited the first time I used one that I literally dusted every inch of molding in our apartment. Obviously, the excitement has worn off, but I still love it.

4. Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. Best things ever. They really are like magic. I don't understand how they work, I just know that they do. I use them on the grout on our bathroom counters and they are the only things that actually make the grout white again. Also, I used one to clean my white MacBook and the cord. Seriously looks brand new now. I have the bathroom ones and the regular ones.

5. So far, this has been my favorite all-purpose cleaner. I have tried out some other ones and this one smells the best and works most effectively. I love it because it works on every surface, including glass. I have the regular one (the green one), too, because I didn't realize this one was multi-purpose. They are both excellent.

I try to buy more natural cleaners because I am not a fan of gagging every time I spray a cleaner. I have yet to find a really good tub/shower cleaner yet though that does not choke me! Any suggestions??


What are your favorite cleaning products??

Medicine Storage

Last Christmas, yes almost a year ago (can you believe Christmas is only 3 months away?! Me neither!!), while we were staying with my in-laws I got sick with a really bad sinus infection. It was not fun, but I got to see my mother-in-law's medicine cabinet and I was in awe. She had everything labeled neatly and divided up into categories. It was then that I knew I wanted to do that to our medicine. So now, about 10 months later, I finally have an organized medicine cabinet and I am pretty excited about it!! 

We have this awesome corner cabinet in our kitchen that has doors on both sides. It's about the only cabinet I like in our kitchen. It has always been the home to all of our vitamins and medicine, but it used to be really ugly and look like this:

With some inexpensive bins and a double-tiered lazy susan from Walmart, along with some washi tape labels, it's a whole new space!

Check it out!!

Here is the view from the back, this opens up into our eating area.

Here is what it looks like from the front, which opens up in the kitchen.

I put our most-used vitamins on the lazy susan for easy access each day.

 Washi tape has been really popular lately and there are so many uses for it, as evidenced all over pinterest! I learned about using washi tape for labels from the ever-famous and ever-wonderful iheartorganizing blog. Such a great idea! They are so easy to remove and change up.

I just sorted out all of our medicine and categorized them according to what we had.

My categories are:

Sleep Aids and Motion Sickness (I realize the way I abbreviated it on the label is kind of funny, but I wanted it to be shorter!)

Vitamins (These are the ones we don't use very often, but I can't bring myself to throw them away. YOU should always throw things away that you don't use, though! ;))

Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat

Tissues and Chapstick (We have about a million little packs of tissues and TONS of Chapstick!)

Fever and Pain

First Aid

Please ignore the fact that our white trim on the edge of the shelf fell off. I don't even know if it was there when we moved in or not. I didn't even notice until I was uploading the pictures. Oops. I know it looks super classy.

Am I the only one that didn't know that was how medicine should be stored??

I hope not. 

P.S. I am in the process of reorganizing my whole kitchen, so a kitchen cabinet tour will be up soon!
Be sure to follow and check back soon for that!!

Happy Thursday!! :)

And the winner is...

Thank you so much to everyone who entered the giveaway! 

I loved reading all of the tips and tricks you guys shared!

I definitely learned some things I am going to use!

So, I used random.org to select the winner and the winner is...

Sarah OsborneSeptember 14, 2012 2:49 PM

I'm a new follower! (saw this giveaway posted on Ali's FB :))

My best cleaning tip is to use dawn dish soap with baking soda on stained kid's clothes :)

Congrats, Sarah!!

I will email you ASAP!

Thanks again to everyone who followed the blog and entered!!

You guys are awesome!!

Our Bedroom Progress

When we moved into our apartment over a year ago, the kitchen and one wall (yes, just one wall) in our bedroom was this hideous green color. Our landlord refused to paint it before we moved in, but agreed to let us paint it ourselves as long as we chose a neutral color so I was determined to paint ASAP. We painted the kitchen before we even moved in, I could not deal with that being green.

 

However, our bedroom looked like this for about 8 months:

 

 I could not stand it any longer, so we finally painted it a nice neutral grey and I am a lot happier with it! It really opens up the space and makes it so much lighter and airy! We replaced our bedding because it had gotten all bleach-stained from the products we use on our face at night. We got some nice white crisp bedding from Target that I love! My sister made us some new Euro shams and curtains, while I sat there and tried to help. I am lucky to have such a crafty sister. We also hung some prints that a friend gave us for a wedding present. Aren't they so cool?? I love them!

 

 

It looks so much better, but it still doesn't look finished to me!

There are just a few more changes I would like to make.

 

I'm thinking some fun throw pillows, painting the dark wood nightstand a pretty coral color, maybe giving the book case a little remodel, and possibly doing a collage over the bed with the drawings in the center.

 

Stay tuned for some bedroom updates very soon!

 

Be sure to let me know if you have any suggestions or any ideas of where I can find some awesome pillows! I cannot find any that I absolutely love!

 

Have you entered the giveaway yet?? Only 3 more days to enter, click here if you have not entered!!

 

P.S. I will be back soon with some more organization projects... possibly an entire kitchen re-organization!!





First Giveaway!! *Closed*

I am excited to announce the very first giveaway on Pretty in Place!!

I will be giving away some items from none other than my favorite organizing line...

The Martha Stewart Collection at Staples!!

I have picked out some of my favorite things from the line that I know will be perfect to jump-start your organizing projects!

Here is what you'll get:

Chalk labels with chalk

White round labels with turquoise border

A dry-erase refrigerator sticker (don't worry it is reusable and leaves no residue!)

A little pink mini notebook (What girl doesn't need one of these?? Would be super cute to keep in your purse!)

Pastel colored cutely shaped sticky notes

Here is how you enter:

1. You must be a public follower of Pretty in Place.

2. Comment telling me your email address and then share your favorite cleaning/organizing tip! I would love to learn from you!

For extra entries (1 per action and make sure to tell me what you have done in the comment!):

1. Post a link to the giveaway on Facebook.

2. Pin the giveaway on Pinterest.

Rules:

1. You can only enter once.

2. Must be 18 years old or older to enter.

3. Must live in the U.S.

The giveaway will be open for a week, so be sure to enter by midnight next Sunday night, September 16th!!

What's in My Purse?

This post is obviously a little different than the typical Pretty in Place post, but I thought it would be a fun one! I always like to read these on other blogs. I guess I am just nosy like that. Hopefully, you are too. I know my neices always love to know what is in my purse.

 

Right now, I am carrying my Grandma's somewhat vintage Dooney and I love it!

 

 

Somehow I manage to store SO MUCH stuff in that little thing.

It's kind of crazy, actually.

 

 

Here's the breakdown:

1. I try to keep my coupons in my purse so I always have them when I'm out and about.

2. My FAV kind of pen. I write the best with it.

3. My sunnies.

4. My itty bitty wallet. I used to have a massive one and I am very happy with my down-sized version now (no room for extra junk!).

5. Gum, candy mints, mints (this is one of the reasons my neices like my purse!).

6. A makeup bag stocked with all of the necessities, you know.

7. One of those Colgate Wisp things. They are pretty sweet.

8. Advil: my medicine of choice at all times. Gotta have it. I just refill that little one with my big one from Costco. That's how serious I am about Advil.

 

To break it down EVEN further:

 

 

1. Cutest little mini tweezers ever. Essential.

2. Extra hair ties.

3. Bobby pins. You never know when you might need one. Oh, and if you are in the market for some new bobby pins, Sally's has the best ones ever! I didn't believe it either until I tried them. They are perfect.

4. Blotting sheets. These are probably 5 years old, they look like they have been through a lot, and that's because they have.

5. I used to have twice as many lip products in my purse and realized it was getting ridiculous. Burt's Bees, Aquaphor, MAC lipgloss, and Buxom. All favorites of mine. If you have not tried the Buxom one, go out and get one now. It's the best. Mine is in the color Sandy. (Ok, this is really why my neices like my purse so much. The second I walk in, Livvy, the three-year-old says, "I have some lipgloss?!" She is quite the girly-girl.)

6. I am a hand sanitizer freak.

7. This is a rose water facial spray. I got it in my Birchbox and carry it in my purse for when my face gets dry.

8. Lotion. When you live in Utah, this is a must!

 

Oh, and how cool are these foldable sunglasses my husband got me for my birthday?!

 

 

I love how conveniently they fit in my purse. Now, I just need to remember to wear them!

 

That's what's in my purse! What is in YOUR purse??

 

 

I tag everyone to do this! :)

 

 



Makeup Storage 101

For me, the way I store my makeup affects every single day. There is not really a day that goes by that I don't use my makeup. If you know me though, you know I love to sleep, which means that I usually don't have a lot of time to get ready in the mornings or to put things away.

When we first got married, I did my makeup in our room on the floor using the mirror on the door. I stored my makeup in this:

It worked decently well, until I started collecting more makeup. It would take me 10 minutes to put my makeup away because it was like putting a puzzle together. So, a lot of times I wouldn't have time and it would end up all over the bedroom floor. My husband was not a fan of this. So, then I started doing it in the bathroom, using this container still. Well, then my makeup just ended up all over the bathroom! Not good.

Until...

I found this beauty.

It is perfect for storing makeup!

The drawers are very shallow, so you can see everything perfectly.

There are enough drawers that you can divide everything up by category.

It looks a lot cleaner and sleek so I am fine with storing it on my bathroom counter.

It takes 2 seconds to put everything away and my husband is pretty happy with that. :)

If you are lucky enough to have a makeup drawer, I would recommend a drawer divider that fits the dimensions of the drawer and is shallow enough that you can lay out all of your makeup and not have to double things up.

One like this would be perfect:

One downside to this storage container is that the drawers are too shallow for a couple of my products. So, I just put them in a small bin in the medicine cabinet right above it.

Here's how mine looks:

On the shelf above my makeup, I store brush cleaner, setting sprays, primers, and then other makeup that won't fit in the drawers.

Top drawer: Face and eye brushes.

Second Drawer: All my face makeup- concealer, foundation, powder, blush, bronzer.

Third drawer: I store my eyelid primer, eyeliners, brow liners and gels, mascaras.

Fourth Drawer: All of my eyeshadow.



Last drawer: All lip products (Probably the most fun drawer. Yes, I really really like Revlon lipsticks!)

Please forgive all of the finger prints and smudges, I tried to clean them off, but they are kind of inevitable. I think the flash on the camera just makes them look worse! What can ya do?!

So, there ya have it. How I store my makeup. Oh, and I also store some random makeup, that I don't use very often but can't part with, under the sink in a bin!

How do you store your makeup??

P.S. Happy Labor Day! I hope everyone is having a great long weekend!!

To see how I organize my bathroom cabinets, go here.

To see how I organize my medicine cabinet, go here.



Happy to say...

This little blog won a little award!

 

My sister and two of her friends have a super cute blog, The Plum Verbena, where they blog about the cutest crafts, clothes, food, parties, home decor, etc. If you have not checked it out already, be sure to head on over there and show them some love! They nominated me for this cute little award!

 

 

The Liebster Award is for blogs that have 200 followers or less. The word "Liebster" is German for kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, valued, cute, pleasant, endearing and welcome.

 

How sweet, right?!

 

Here are the rules for accepting the award:

 

1. Each person most post 11 things about themselves.

2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you, and then create 11 new questions for the people you tag with the award.

3. Chose 11 bloggers (with less then 200 followers) and link them in your post.

4. Go to their page and tell them about the award (social networks accepted).

5. If you have not done so already, follow the tagger and visit at least three nominees. Spread the love!

6. And remember, no tag backs!

 

 

ONE: 11 Things you don't know about me.

 

1. Fall is my favorite time of the year! I love the crisp air, the changing leaves, and most importantly fall fashion! Boots are my favorite thing ever. I already have a new pair for this year, it's so hard not to wear them now. Boots in 90 degree weather are okay, right??

 

2. I'm a night owl and have really bad insomnia. I can't remember the last time I went to bed before midnight, unless I was really sick.

 

3. I am really weird about my feet when I sleep. I absolutely CANNOT sleep in socks under any circumstance, but I can't sleep without my feet under the blankets. I always feel like something is going to come and bite my toes off or something.

 

4. I love pretty much any chick flick in the history of mankind, no matter how cheesy and I strongly dislike boy movies (I'm lucky my husband likes chick flicks, too and don't worry, I still see some boy movies with him!).

 

5. In the 5th grade, my teacher passed out my cursive writing assignment for my classmates to trace. They all found out it was mine and pretty much hated me for it. It was a huge deal at the time and I cried about it. I cried a lot when I was younger, actually. I guess I was a little dramatic. My husband still thinks I am.

 

6. I love talking on the phone. My old roommates used to make fun of me because every time I walked in the door I had my phone attached to my ear.

 

7.  I went to London and Paris in high school with a school group and I can't wait to go back one day. I love to travel!

 

8. I don't like sports. Playing them, watching them, watching my husband play them on XBOX, watching ESPN. Any of it. I don't like it.

 

9. I secretly wish I could be a ballroom dancer.

 

10. Bruster's cotton candy explosion ice cream is my favorite ice cream of all time.

 

11. I can't eat breakfast food for breakfast. It makes me feel sick. Therefore, breakfast is my least favorite meal of the day and it is my husband's favorite.

 

 

TWO: Answers

 

1. Cake or Pie?

Pie. My mom's coconut cream pie. It tastes like heaven. I wish it didn't take her 6 hours to make so she would make it more often. That's why I can't wait for Thanksgiving.

2. Best gift you have ever received?

 That's a hard one. Probably my DSLR from my in-laws because it has made me want to take more pictures!

 

3. Favorite guilty pleasure food?

Hot Krispy Kreme donuts. Oh my gosh. I could eat a dozen of them in one sitting.

 

4. Do you sing in the shower or in the car?

In the car, when I am driving by myself.

 

5. Anywhere exotic/off the beaten path you would love to go?

I don't know how exotic this is, but I would love to go to Greece. It is the top of my list and is definitely off my beaten path...

 

6. What would you buy for yourself with $100?

Probably the new Juicy perfume, Viva La Juicy La Fleur. It smells AH-mazing and Benefit High Beam.

7. If you could go on a dream date (think Bachelor/Bachelorette style) where would you go? What would you do?

Oh wow. Well, of course we would have a private plane. So, first we would fly to London and see the sights and go on a shopping spree, then we would head over to Italy and eat some delicious authentic Italian food and gelato. THEN, after that, we would finish off in some exotic place with a beach and get couples massages and go horse back riding on the beach. It would definitely be an overnight date.

8. Favorite, can’t live without, beauty product?

Just one? This is hard. I guess my Colorescience Mineral Foundation. I love it.

 

9. Would you rather buy an old house with lots of character or a new house you could add your own style to?

A new house that I designed.

 

10. Favorite TV show?

 Desperate Housewives right now.

 

11. One thing on your Bucket List?

To run some type of race or marathon. I better get on that.

 

THREE: 11 Questions for the winners.

 

1. If you could meet any celebrity, who would it be and why?

 

2. Favorite childhood memory?

 

3. If you could choose 3 words to describe you, what would they be?

 

4. Would you rather live in a small apartment in a big city or a large home out in the country?

 

5. What would your dream job be?

 

6. Dogs or cats?

 

7. What is your all time favorite movie?

 

8. Staying in or going out?

 

9. Flats or heels?

 

10. If your house were on fire and you could only grab 3 things, what would they be?

 

11. What snacks would you bring on a road trip?

 

FOUR: Winners! Go check them out!

 

Fresh Coat of Paint

Up to Parr

Love, Lauren

Finding Lovely Things

redfly Creations

 Love Grows Wild
Once a Mom Always a Cook
norrey.
Number Fifty-Three
The Evas of Bellabini
Glamorous Mommy


 Thanks to The Plum Verbena!!



Medicine Cabinet Redo

Although we don't have any drawers in our bathroom, we are fortunate to have a large medicine cabinet over our sinks that stores so many things!

I love having a medicine cabinet to store our bathroom products because they are shallow and you can see everything really well.

We use them to store our everyday, most-used products. To see how we store the rest of our bathroom products, see our bathroom cabinet post!

 

I took these "before" pictures a few months ago, so the products we have may be different in the "after" pictures. Here is the process I went through to accomplish the end result.

 

1. I took everything out of the cabinet, section by section and cleaned thoroughly with a warm damp cloth.

2. I made a plan of where to put each thing that would make the most sense.

3. I put the organizers where they should go and put all of the products back in, with the labels in the front and made sure I could see everything.

 

It all works like a charm now!

 

 

On his side:

I added a larger medicine-cabinet-clear-acrylic-storage-container (wow! That's a mouth full!) from Target to store his everyday products and rearranged a few of his products.

 

 

In the middle section:

I used one of the smaller clear dividers we had (I found those at Ross a while back for $1.99 each!) to store our toothpaste and other "mouth products."

Then, I moved the white plastic container from my side to this section to hold my makeup primers, setting sprays, and other makeup that would not fit in my makeup holder (a makeup storage post is coming soon!). I store my makeup brush cleaners next to those (did you know baby shampoo works well to clean your brushes?! So much cheaper than the cleaners made for that!) 

 

 

On my side:

I used the other clear storage container to hold my tweezers, little scissors, and contact stuff.

The middle shelf holds all of my skincare products. Yes, I am a skincare product junkie.

The bottom shelf holds all of my hair products and my deoderant.

 

 

I love how it turned out! It is so much easier for me to put things away after I use them when I know that they have a place and that it looks so much better!

 

If we had this medicine cabinet in a more permanent home that we owned, I would definitely add some fun patterned paper to the back walls and maybe even a little chalk board paint to the back of the doors! :)

 

And there ya have it, my non-medicine medicine cabinet makeover!!

 

Does anyone actually use medicine cabinets for medicine anymore??

I know my grandparents did, but I can't imagine wasting prime bathroom storage space on medicine! Maybe if we had a bigger bathroom...

 

Let me know what you guys think and as always, if you have any requests!