Keeping the Homeschool Stuff Straight

We have only two more weeks of summer vacation before we need to go back to our full schedule and that got me thinking...you might be interested in seeing how I keep things organized. I bought this bookcase at our thrift store for $39.00!!! What a steal for a REAL bookcase!

It only had two shelves when I purchased it. I am so thankful we have a really handy gentleman in our church who was willing to make me two more shelves. I keep the kids reference books, science, history and free reading books on the shelves along with lined paper and graph paper. The bucket has flashcards and math manipulatives in it. I keep the boys' workbooks and notebooks in their individual backpacks because we sort of ooze all over the house when we homeschool. Reading on the futon in the "mantuary" because it gets the best morning light, math and handwriting at the kitchen table for the posture and structure, beds for reading etc.

The picture wire is strung across the wall is attached to eyelet screws. One of my guys LOVES art and this is a great inexpensive way to have an art gallery.
The plastic box ( I know soooooo beautiful!) is for my teacher manuals, tests and keys.
The green bin is actually for silverware. I bought it on clearance and it is great for holding supplies such as glue, white board pens, pencils. Again, very portable, easy to keep tidy.


So this is the back of the door in this room. The organizer is from a dollar store. I keep little stuff such as math manipulatives, extra art supplies, and pencils here so they are easy to grab. See all those bags. Crazy, huh? My husband does not call me "the bag lady" for nothin'! The kids each have a bag for Awana and then the other two are piano bags. Usually there is a church bag there as well.

Finally, the prettier side of the room. I know, I know, attack of the fake flowers. Here is the thing, they are really nice, expensive fake flowers. Well, they would have been if I hadn't bought them from a designer shop going out of business! I also teach piano and voice lessons, that mess gets disheveled on a regular basis. I love love love that clock. So unique,unless you have one and I don't know it yet! Feel free to tell me with what I should replace those flowers.

Trash to treasure-A dresser rescue

I literally picked this out of someone's trash. (I even asked first)I brought it home because of a few crystal knobs it had for handles. It had been painted many times and decoupaged with fabric and sponged with gold paint. Unfortunately it was missing a drawer. It took the span of a month to transform this into something pretty and functional. A good friend cut a piece of plywood to match for use as a shelf. The back of this dresser is marked elm. The grain pattern is so unique. I didn't use a stain on the piece after stripping it. I just used a rub on poly. The new hardware matches the ghosts left by the original hardware. It is a bit too brassy; I might have to antique them some. This has to be one of my favorite refinishing projects. Sorry about the order of the pictures. I haven't figured out how to command their order even though I posted the before picture first.

Before and After Lamps-Kimba's DIY Link Party

Kimba is having a fun DIY Link party. When you are done here, go check out her McKLinky list and add one of your own! We have been living room furniture shopping for quite some time now. I have been admiring the lamps that they always have staged with the furniture. I found two brass lamps at GW last week. I sanded them, primed them and then spray painted them with my new favorite color-Oil-Rubbed Bronze. I am so pleased with how these turned out! I got the new shade at Big Lots. Shades are NOT cheap, even at Big Lots!