Little tricks...bathroom organization.

I've been on a "Pinterquest" (exhaustive journey through stores, websites, craigslist, online garage sale sites, etc.) to find a cart or dresser suitable for a kitchen coffee station. While on this arduous quest for the perfect furnishings...a friend saw my inquiry for the perfect cart offered me the Ikea Raskog cart for $30. That's like $20 off the price of buying it brand new AND I don't have to drag my husband and/or kids to IKEA with me. Because, you know, no one in this house really likes Ikea except me. I had a feeling it wasn't going to work for the kitchen because of the color, edges on the shelves and it's a little smaller than I hoped for. THANKFULLY, I quickly noticed that my friend's Ikea cart coordinates perfectly with our kids' bathroom. The bathroom that has no storage aside from the medicine cabinet. Which...you can't really put towels in there.

A year ago, we ripped out the entire bathroom and put in new flooring, new paint, new toilet and new sink, new decor, etc. We decided to go with a pedestal sink because our children (who love to play in water) had played so hard at ye old bathroom sink, that our vanity had suffered significant water damage. Now, you can try to tell kids all you want that sinks are not for recreational use. However, they will always find a way to wash their hands a little longer. To get another drink. To brush teeth another time. All of these things usually end result in swimming toothbrushes, floating boats and extended periods of washing dolls' hair. Sigh. It's just a stage of life. They won't do it forever. I ain't scarrrred - except when they water damage our furnishings.

The pedestal sink looks great; it's pretty kid proof, but obviously offers zero storage. My intention was to put up some shelves (as seen on Pinterest, of course), but that never happened. When I saw this Raskog cart in the perfect color - I knew my bathroom plans were coming full circle.

Look. At. That. It matches the mirror, rug, wall-art and looks like it was made to squeeze right in that space between the wall and sink! I love it. I have it set up with three mason jars to hold toothbrushes and toothpaste (previously they would land in the sink or - gasp - the floor); hair products; hair accessories; and other bathroom-y things. The bottom two shelves have towels and washcloths (which were previously sending our hall closet into overflow status). I LOVE having this cart.

The only problem? Now I've thought of at least one, maybe two more places in the house where I need one.

Also? I found the perfect cart for our coffee station, but it's back ordered. Hopefully I can post on that in early February after it shows up. SO excited!!!

A little sunshine showed up at our door!

I think the polar vortex has worn out its welcome, don't you? It seems we've left to our fuzzy robes, slippers, scarves, giant cups of coffee and...online shopping for months and months and months now. As a result of my polar vortex online shopping therapy, sunshine was literally brought to our front door. Let me tell you how...

I've been carrying a Vera Bradley Hipster bag for quite some time. For a while, it was the perfect purse - convenient size, cross body, several pockets inside and out, and it's washable. After a few months, though, I was beginning to run out of purse space. I found myself in the grocery checkout lane taking four items out just to find my wallet that had gotten buried at the bottom (not convenient, by the way, with four littles in tow). So, I knew I had to go on a quest for a new bag. I was totally spoiled by the cross-body feature, but I wanted something unique, durable, and not $400. 

I thought my quest had taken me to the end of the Internet, really. I'd been all through Etsy with every combination of search term imaginable. I'd looked all through major retailers' sites; I looked through eBay (even the UK and Italy eBay sites). I just couldn't find what I was looking for. I was hoping to make a trip to the Fossil outlet soon, but then I found this.

I know, right?

I was SO excited to find this beauty - made from hemp and with a design inspired by Peter Max's artwork. I absolutely adore sunsets and sunrises. I take a photo of every one I see - be it with my Nikon or an iPhone photo taken through the windshield. I also love to incorporate warm golden hues in the photos I take for clients; so, this was totally up my alley! The only problem was - the listing showed it as a shoulder bag (womp. womp. womp.). I briefly mentioned this above, but I'm all about the cross-body bag. In fact, while I'm usually carrying one baby and holding the hand of another, I really can't have a purse that's sliding off my shoulder constantly. It's just too much. The shop owner, Barbara, kindly offered to customize this bag for me - making it the cross-body style I need. She mentioned that making bags to suit anyone's lifestyle is why she started her shop. I loved working with this sweet lady and since I'm a small business advocate, I wanted to share her shop info with you! You can access her Etsy page by clicking here. She also warranties workmanship for life. FOR LIFE! Awesome, right? Additionally, she offers low cost wear and tear repairs. By the way, Barbara uses environmentally responsible manufacturing processes and makes an effort to reduce waste without compromising quality. This is a top quality bag; I'd say Barbara is doing a great job! Be sure to stop by her Etsy store to see all of her inventory. I think you'll love it!!! 

PS. I was not compensated for this post or asked to review this product; all opinions are strictly my own.