A Better Solution for Receipt Storage!

Back a couple of weeks ago, I posted about the new receipt storage that I created. Well, after a few weeks of trying this method, it just wasn't working out for me. Overall, I felt I could create a better system. The alphabet notecards didn't want to stay in place, it was hard to find the letter you were looking for, and the appearance of the box wasn't neat and clean. I am an individual that has to have clean and attractive organization. I have always been told that it is all about the presentation! :)

So, I went back to square one and restarted the whole process with an expanding file folder. I have never been a huge fan of these tools, but I decided I would give it a shot.  After making cute and colorful labels, I think I am going to like it much better than the other box. Plus, it takes up less space than the storage box.

Here is what I came up with...

My supplies.. I had the mailing labels already, and the expanding file cost $5.27

at Wal-Mart.

A closeup of the label.

I did not like the tabs that came with the expanding file. They

were too plain for my taste. So, I created new ones using Microsoft Word

and 1" x 2 5/8" labels. I stuck the new label on top of the original one and cut

off the extra paper.

A look at my labels after the changes. Much better!

The tabs after placing them in the expanding file. The file only had room

for 12 tabs, so I had to combine letters.

And, the after, with my new label attached to the front. I created this

label in Microsoft Word using symbols and shapes.

A closeup of the label.

Now, I have to find a use for the other receipt box. I will keep you posted on what I come up with.

Happy Organizing,



The Class Pass!

I am an individual that not only likes to be organized at home, but at work as well. I am a teacher, so I am always having to write my students passes on a random piece of strap paper that I have laying around my desk. It got to where I was making so many notes in one day that I got sick of having to write the same thing over and over again. I am not a huge fan of writing or my own hand-writing at that. If I can get away with typing something, I will. So, I created a printable to ease my writing issue. For all of my fellow teachers, feel free to download the document and use it in your own classroom.

(download this document here)



This is definitely a very simple printable, but I felt this one didn't need all of the extras added!

Happy Monday,



Friday Inspiration: Office Inspiration!

Happy Friday, everyone! We made it through another week. I wanted to share with y'all the photos that I have been using for inspiration for my new office space. Of course, these photos were taken from Pinterest, and I have listed the source for each photo in case anyone wants to research any of them further. I hope everyone has a wonderful & relaxing weekend.

I love all of the bright colors & the storage boxes!

(source)

I love how crisp & clean this space looks.

(source)

I love the chevron rug! I plan on getting one if I can find one

within our budget.

(source)

I love the wall color (even though my husband says we are not painting) &

the white desks & shelves. I also like the fact that each person

has their own space.

(source)

I love the three white metal hanging buckets!

(source)

Now, THAT is how you add a pop of color! I would love to have

a hug "M" in our new office. And, look at all the chalkboard labels. Love them!

(source)

And, last but definitely NOT least...

If I get my own area in the office, I want one of these (not the color, though)!

This company does an excellent job. I have bought several Keep Calm

posters from them.

(source)

Now, it is time for me to start looking for these things, measuring, and getting the right prices!

Happy Decorating,

Litter to Glitter: Coffee Container Revamp!

Welcome to my first blog post in my new monthly section. Once a month, I am going to take an item that most people would consider trash or Goodwill worthy and turn it into something usable and cute. As most people know, I am a huge Goodwill person. If I am not using something, I like to give it away. So, I am trying to take a different perspective here and think outside my box.

My first "litter to glitter" items that I chose were a few old plastic Folgers coffee containers. I do not like to throw plastic away. So, I usually put them in the recycle bins at school, but this time, I decided to try something creative. Take a look at how I turned these coffee containers into cute paper clip and staple holders for work. 

The before

The process

Step 1: Peel off the labels

Step 2: Get all of your materials together.

You may notice the fabric. I also used it on my car trash cans.

Step 3: Measure and cut the fabric. Make sure you measure the length and the

width of the container, so you cut enough fabric. You sure don't want to waste any!

Step 4: Pour Mod Podge in a bowl or cup and spread it across the back

of the fabric.

Step 5: Place the fabric around the coffee container. I added some extra Mod

Podge to the outside of the fabric too in order to make sure it stayed in place.

Also, it makes it nice and shiny!

Step 6: Let it sit for approximately 24 hours and it will look like this! If you

notice, they still need to dry a little bit more. I took this picture

after about 18 hours of drying.

A view with my staples and paper clips added to them.

One more view.

Happy DIY Day,



Office Supplies!

I bought my first set of new office supplies for our soon-to-be office this past Sunday with a gift card that I got for Christmas from the Container Store. It took me all day (no joke) to decide which items to purchase! I wanted to make sure I purchased supplies that would get used in our new office, and that were a good price. So, after much thought, here is what I ended up getting!

1. Mini Mesh Stacking Bins in Silver (2 @ $2.99 each): I plan on using these little bins for the exact same things that are shown in the picture. Every time I need a paper clip or a post-it-note, I know I have them around the house, but I can't ever find out where they are located. Now, I will know!

2. Silver Mesh Desktop File (2 @ $9.99 each): I already have a use for each one of these accessories. The first one will be for daily items that seem to find a home on my kitchen counter like bills, coupons, and miscellaneous mail. The other will be used to create a greeting card container. I like to purchase the boxes of miscellaneous greeting cards because I seem to always forget to purchase one to go with a gift. This way, I am always ready and there isn't any last minute mad-dash to Wal-Mart. The problem is that I have no place for these greeting cards to sit until they are used. Now, I do! Stay tuned for a blog post on both of these file uses.

3. Label Maker with Translucent Case (1 @ $49.00): This is a Brothers brand label maker. It comes with a clear case, six AAA batteries, and two label tape refills: clear with black type and white with black type. I didn't think the price was bad at all for the number of items included. This is one organizational product I have wanted for awhile now, but I never had the extra cash to purchase one. Now, I did! I can't wait to use this little handy tool to label my file folders and get even more organized than I am already.  

4. Silver Mesh Magazine File (1 @ $6.99): Who doesn't get tons of magazines in the mail? It seems like everywhere I look in my house, I see a magazine. The reason is because we have no specific place that we put these items, so it was time for a change. Now, we won't have any excuse for magazines scattered everywhere.

5. Silver Mesh Storage Bin (1 @ $5.99): I plan on using this item for calculators, notepads, and any other desk accessories that need a place to go.  

6. Silver Mesh Pencil Cup (1 @ $2.99): I plan on using this accessory for exactly what it calls for: pencils, ink pens, and any other writing utensils.

Now, I am going to be in search of some cute storage boxes and wall decor. I will keep everyone updated! And, remember, I am supposed to decorate this room a little more masculine since this is going to be my husband's decorating space. In other words, I place to put all of his coaching and football gear. Wish me luck!

Happy Desk-Organizing,

Oh Christmas Tree! (Part 2)

Finally, after several weeks of waiting, our Christmas tree bag arrived in the mail!

A closeup picture.

As much as I love the Christmas season, I was getting a little tired of seeing the naked tree sitting in my living room. It is a little depressing to see it standing there without all of the ornaments, netting, and bows.

One last photo!

If you remember from my first tree post, I told y'all that I had to clean out the corner of the garage before I could even think about moving my Christmas tree. Well, my husband was not letting me slack on this task. He reminded me that this needed to be done before any moving was going to take place. So, Sunday morning, I made it happen.

This actually only took me about 10 minutes.

Once the space was cleared out, it was time to move the tree piece by piece. Then, reassemble it!

My daughter wanted to help!

One last section to go!

And, now, the base has a new home until next Christmas season.

Our new bag stretched out and ready to go!

The bag wrapped around the base of the tree!

The bottom half put back together.

We had to pull the bag up to cover that portion.

On to the middle & top layer (pulling the bag up gradually as we went).

Finished!!! It wasn't nearly as hard as we thought it was going to be.

It definitely requires two people, though.

We put two trash bags around the hole in the bottom of the bag, and then

put bungee cords around them to make them tight. We wanted to make sure

all of the spiders and bugs could not make a home there.

Now, on to my next project.

Happy Tuesday,

The Name Game

Welcome to my "new" blog and layout. I plan on answering all of the questions you might have about why I decided to do this. If you still have questions by the end, please don't hesitate to comment or email me. So, here we go!

I have been throwing around the idea of changing my blog since the beginning of December. When I started my blog back in May of 2011, I had no idea if it was even going to be something that I continued after a week. I wanted to give it a try and see where it took me. After I decided I liked all of the aspects of being a blog poster, I needed to determine a direction. Since the beginning, I have been blogging about everything from parenting to decorating to see what interested people the most. And, without a doubt, the areas that receive the most attention are the ones that involve organizing or decorating. So, I decided to go in that direction! And, I promise I am going to try to stay down this path and not veer off too much. : ) I am very thankful that everyone enjoys these areas the most because organization is my passion. Back when I was in college, I thought fashion was my passion, but I later determined I am all about the discounts and deals, which doesn't necessarily go along with the word "fashion."

I hope everyone continues to follow my blog with the recent changes. I am very excited about them! You will notice differences every time you open my blog for a little while. I am still working on the layout, pictures, and links, so please bare with me. I decided my space needed a new makeover to go along with the new name. How do I do all of this? Let me just say that Photoshop has become my best friend! All of the images, headings, and graphics you see were made through this awesome program. Here is just one of the changes that I have made so far:

label before

label after



Now, to the name "The O.C.D. Life - Organizing, Creating, Decorating." This was probably the hardest thing about this whole process. After becoming a huge admirer of blogs, I noticed that most of the successful ones did not have their name in the title. So, my goal was to remove "Kristin" from the name. Second, I had to create a catchy name. One that was going to be memorable, described me, and sounded fun! Some of my favorite blogs have cool names. For instance:

A bowl full of lemons

I heart organizing

tatertots & jello

Now, those are fun and memorable names! So, I had to first determine what I was going to blog about: organizing, creating, and decorating. If you notice, the first letter of each one of those words put together spells "OCD." Bingo! Anyone that knows me knows that I am a little on the OCD side.  So, the name is a play-on-words. I am not OCD about everything and it comes in spurts, but it exists at all times. I think it goes hand-in-hand with my perfectionist issue. LOL!!! I embrace it and move on.  

I had "The O.C.D." part, so now, I just needed a nice ending word.  I threw around the words "notebook, nook, and niche." But, at the end of the day, I liked the word "life" the best.  

So, that is where I am today! Thank you so much for continuing to follow my journey through all of my crazy projects. I hope you will continue to follow me through these changes. I have a lot of great blog posts in store for everyone.

Have a wonderful week!

Love,