Elf on the Shelf Classroom & Home Ideas


Monday is the big day when I introduce The Elf on the Shelf to my preschool class!  In this video I share with you how I wrap it up and reveal our elf friend to my class. This is such a cute idea and can easily be done for your little ones at home. The idea is to make the package look as if it has traveled all the way from the North Pole. Once I get to school in the morning I will put it in the school freezer to get it nice and cold, it came from the North Pole you know!  I will have someone radio our classroom to say that we have a special delivery package and the elf magic can begin!  Watch the video below to see how you can wrap your own Elf on the Shelf for his big reveal at your house!

                                     

Thank you so much for spending some time with me today and don't forget to subscribe!  You can subscribe to My Bashful Life YouTube channel by clicking the red button found HERE.

Leave me a comment and let me know what your Elf on the Shelf has been up to at your house or just say Hello!

Linking with this lovely blogs  The Homemaking Party   Wow Me Wednesday

Love Your Life!


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DIY Dollar Spot Holiday Centerpiece



Christmas centerpieces can cost a small fortune!  It is easier then you may think to create a holiday centerpiece for your table all on your own.  In the video below I show you step by step how to create a beautiful Christmas arrangement using Target Dollar Spot and Dollar Tree items plus a few things you may already have in your craft stash.

The best thing about this arrangement is that nothing is permanently attached so at the end of the season each item can be removed and stored away for next year.  

Thank you so much for spending a little of your day with me and be sure to leave me a comment below and tell me what type of arrangement you put on your holiday table.



Click HERE To subscribe to My Bashful Life on YouTube.  Hit the red SUBSCRIBE button and you will not miss any upcoming holiday videos!


Love Your Life!

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Let's Play Catch Up!



In true blog fashion, I have fallen behind.  No one ever intends to get behind but it happens to the best of us.  So I wanted to get caught up today and post some of the things I have been working on when I should have been here! 

 I started a YouTube channel, My Bashful Life, a few months and I did a few videos to correspond with some blog posts to see how I liked it because I love watching YouTube myself and subscribe to several channels. I honestly enjoyed the whole process.  I loved filming, editing, creating thumbnails and uploading.   So the last few months I have been more intentional with creating and uploading videos.  I have new videos weekly on the same types of things I blog about here.  Family, life and organizing. The thing I loved the most about YouTube was the community, connecting with viewers and subscribers has been so fun.  It's wonderful to get to know so many people that I would have otherwise never had the opportunity to get to know. Community is the aspect of blogging that I love the most too.  

So my goal is to combine my blogging community and my YouTube community by posting each new video I create here on the blog.  It will be a better way to share information, provide links to helpful websites and maybe even a recipe or two.  To catch us all up and kick off the holidays,  I wanted to share some of the last few videos posted.  I am excited to begin my new blog/video schedule this month during the holidays.    

I hope you will all take a minute to visit me on YouTube and while you are there I hope you will take a minute to say Hello and Subscribe.  MY BASHFUL LIFE can be found HERE.  


Thanksgiving


1000 Subscriber Q&A


Fall Purse Organization


Thanksgiving Holiday Planner


Halloween House Tour


Thank you so much for spending a little of your busy day with me and be sure to say hello when you visit me on YouTube!

Love Your Life!

xoxo,
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Just Add Water

While on my quest to find a chemical free way to keep my house clean, I was sent a product that claims to reduce the use of household chemicals by up to 90%!  I was looking for something that I could use for general cleaning without having to get out the big guns (chemicals) every time I needed to wipe down a counter.  All you need to use is water to clean just about any surface.

e-cloth has been proven to remove over 99% of bacteria from  hard surfaces, it doesn't kill the bacteria, it collects the bacteria from surfaces.  This microfiber cloth has 3.1 million fibers per inch, the best cloths on the market only have up to 200,000 fibers per inch.  These fibers make a huge difference.  I can't speak to the bacteria removal but I know a thing or two about cleaning and I really like the way this cleans and polishes.


The cloth that I received is the High Performance Dusting & Cleaning Cloth which retails for $7.99.  I used just water and the e-cloth cleaning cloth  to clean my kitchen cabinets.  The dust and finger prints were easily washed away but I was very impressed with the way this cloth cleaned the cabinets around my stove.  These are always the grimiest cabinet due to the spatter from the stove.  The e-cloth was able to cut through the grease and clean the grime away.  I was very happy with the results and so glad I was able to accomplish this usually messy job so easily using just water.

In the end I was very impressed with the e-cloth for this type of cleaning job.  To be honest, I don't think I would depend on the e-cloth to remove bacteria with out the help of an anti-bacterial cleaner when needed but for those general cleaning jobs around the house, this cloth can't be beat.  An added bonus is after tossing this cloth in the washer and dryer, I used it to clean my smudged eye glasses!

There are so many different cloths to choose from for many different jobs around the house.  Be sure to check out the e-cloth website at www.ecloth.com 




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What's In My Teacher Bag


If it's September, that means its back to school time!  As a preschool teacher I carry so many things in and out of my classroom each day so the bag I carry plays a very important role in my everyday organizing life.  This year I think I may have found the perfect bags!  

I always need a bag with a bunch of pockets to hold all my everyday items, like my water cup, pencil case etc.  The Pocket Rocket bag by Scout is the bag I have been searching for!  There are 6 pockets all around the outside with a large zipper compartment on the inside.  

I share my classroom with another teacher that teaches in the afternoons so I have to carry my materials in and out of the classroom each day.  When I need a little extra space I turn to the Uptown Girl bag also from Scout.  I just love this combo of utility totes!


You can find these great bags on Amazon.  The Pocket Rocket bag can be found HERE and the Uptown Girl bag can be found HERE.  These bags can also be found at scoutbags.com.

Thank you so much for visiting today and I hope you will take a minute to subscribe and leave me a comment to say HELLO!

LOVE YOUR LIFE!

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Bullet Journal: Journaling Unforgettable Days


An unforgettable day holds a special place in your heart and should hold a special spot in your bullet journal as well.  The thing I love the best about bullet journaling is that on any given day your journal can be a to-do list to get things done, your schedule for appointments to be met or your diary to record all those big and small moments of your life.  Whether good or bad these days are all unforgettable.

This past weekend was a big deal in our family, we packed up my son Patrick, loaded the car and we headed to Indiana where he will be attending law school.  We all drove out with him to help him move into his new apartment and get settled.  Now, this was a big adventure for us as we live in VA so the ride out to Indiana was 12 hours long! Although I would like nothing more then to forget about that drive, it was a big part of the adventure and I wanted to be sure to record it.   I may not be the best artist out there, but I do like to doodle in my journal and I thought this would be a great spot to add some artwork.  Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, especially when you sat in a car for most of the day. 



On the next 2 pages is where I recorded the bulk of our trip.  Moving in to Pat's apartment on August 5th and visiting the campus on August 6th to see where he will be spending the majority of his time.


To help me record these memories I used the Polaroid Zip Mobile Photo Printer.  I was able to take pictures with my cellphone and almost immediately be able to print the pictures out for my journal. The photos are printed out with an adhesive on the back like a sticker which makes them just perfect to use in your journal or life planner.  




I found my Polaroid Zip on Amazon during their Prime Days sale.  You can find it HERE.  This machine is great, it's very small and compact.  The Zip works from an app on your phone that allows you to print, make collages etc.



  It's so simple to use and is a wonderful addition to your planner supplies.

More details on journaling unforgettable days can be found on my YouTube channel:  


I hope you have found some helpful ideas that you can use for your own bullet journal.  Please leave me a comment below and tell me how you record those special days in your planner.  Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next!

Until next time I hope you love the life that you have and I will see you next time!
                                     

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Bullet Journal August Planner Setup - The Big Switch



I have been using an Erin Condren Life Planner for over 3 years.  I have always loved how colorful they are, the great quotes and their ease of use. Lately I have been trying to simplify my daily routines and I have felt the need to simplify my planner routine.  I love the different kind of creativity that a Bullet Journal provides.  I have to admit that sometimes I felt overwhelmed by all the stickers and layouts I felt I had to create in my EC Life Planner.  Bullet journaling is equally as beautiful but in a more artsy simple way.



If you are unfamiliar with bullet journaling, it is simply a customizable organizational planning system where you can track and record anything you wish.  It is your to do list, diary, calendar and life tracker all in one place.  There are no rules, you can create it however you wish. for my planner I chose a Leuchttrum Medium A5 size dot grid notebook that I purchased at Amazon HERE.  You can pick any notebook you wish.


These are beautiful notebooks.  I'll give you a little peek inside to see how I set my planner up for August.


 For more information on my planner, setup and the supplies I will be using be sure to watch my Planner Set-up video below:

                          
Don't forget to subscribe, I will be doing a follow up flip through video at the end of August including my planner set up for September.

Leave me a comment below and let me know what type of planning you do to stay on track.  Until next time, I hope you love the life you have and I will see you in the next video!


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Dollar Tree Minute Organization / Linen Closet

Even the most organized space needs a refresh every now and then.  I this Minute Organization video, where we take an organized space in out home and give it an update for under $10 and in under an hour, we give our hard working linen closet a much needed update.  



Thank you for visiting and I hope you take a minute to subscribe!

I am linking with these wonderful blogs: Wednesday Showcase Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop


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DIY Budget Party Decorations and Party Prep Tips



Everyone loves a party!  My favorite parties to give or attend are those celebrating someone special and their accomplishments. We are celebrating two graduations in our house this month, my son is graduating from college and my daughter is graduating from high school. I have taken some time away the last couple of weeks to fully appreciate, enjoy and celebrate my children and their hard earned success.  I have so much to share with you about some fun DIY projects I've done to decorate the party with a budget in mind and some party prep tips that can help you organized and prepare for your next party.  So make yourself a cup of coffee and sit back, this is a long post with many pictures and not one but two videos attached!

Part 1 DIY Party Decor - 
I love including photographs in my party decorating.  It allows you a peek into the honoree's life a bit and photos can so easily be adapted into so many budget friendly  DIY party decor ideas.  Since we were dealing with two different schools with two different sets of school colors, I opted to use my favorite colors and textures for the the party; chalkboard, burlap, twine and craft paper.

An easy way to work photos into your decor would be with a Photo Garland.


  So simple to make and they have such a big impact.   The only supplies needed are twine, mini clothes pins and a stack of pictures.  These photo garlands were in our dinning room where the buffet was laid out. One side of the room had photos of my daughter and the other side had photos of my son.  


Inspired by Pinterest, these photo jars were so fun and easy to put together that I ended up creating several to place throughout the party. I chose to use sand as my base for my jars but beads, rocks or colored sand can also be used.  Those mini clothespins came into play again attached to the photo it was easy to sink the pin into the sand to help the pic stand up.  Once closed the lid can be decorated however you want.  

I thought the jars looked great in the table centerpiece too.

Every graduation party needs a place to put cards and gifts.  This easy to make card box is also a great spot to add pictures of your special graduates.



I found this burlap covered lidded box at Hobby Lobby and I added some pictures to the inside of the lid.  I made a small "cards" banner and filled the bottom with burlap and a sprinkling of shredded paper.



I set the card box out on my china cabinet in the den along with pics of the kids and wallet sized graduation pictures for the guests to keep.

We also used our graduates pictures in our party invitation.  I am a bit old fashion, I think every good party begins with a formal snail mailed invitation.  There are so many online sites that allow you to upload some pictures and create an invitation perfect for your party.  I found a template on Snapfish that fit perfectly with our theme.


You can find more information about the DIY projects you see here by watching my YouTube video below:


                         

Part 2 Party Prep -

I really enjoy prepping for a big party.  I start as far in advanced of the big day as possible, gathering ideas and recipes.  I keep everything organized in a party binder that I put together years ago.  Inside I keep details of the parties I've had in the past like menus, guest list etc. 


I keep all my working list in here from shopping list, timeline prep and even cleaning and organizing lists.  Especially with something like a graduation there is a lot of paper work to keep track of, cap/gown orders, announcement orders, graduation weekend schedules etc.  I always store any recipes that I will be making for a party in this binder as well.  It really is an invaluable tool to help me feel prepared.


I like to set out my dishes and platters, serving pieces and utensils on the buffet several days before the party.  It helps me visually see what I have and how its best organized on the table.  I also like to label every dish using a post it note with what will be put in every dish.  This helps me stay organized and also allows someone who is helping know where everything goes.


I wanted something special for our guest to sign with out being a formal guest book and Pinterest came through for me again.  We used the Dr. Seuss book "Oh The Places You'll Go"  for my daughter who will be going to school to be a Literature teacher.  Everyone wrote a little note to her with some special advise or just well wishes.  For my son, I had everyone sign a Jenga piece.  Everyone seem to enjoy the idea and we had so many laughs reading the messages.

Photo:  www.thelettermate.com

We had stacks of announcements and invitations to send out and this envelope addressing stencil by The Lettermate was so helpful.  It is a stencil that you put over your envelopes that help you keep your lines straight.  If you are like me, I am good for about 10 envelopes and then my handwriting gets all wonky.  This little gadget was such a big help.  They can be found here and are under $10.  The Letterman website has such great ideas on fun and creative ways to address envelopes.

For more information on all these party prep ideas, please watch: 
                          
Milestones, like graduations, are worth celebrating in a big way and so worth the time and effort put in.  I truly believe that these are the times of our lives that are remembered most.  If you have made it to the end of this post THANK YOU!  I have loved sharing our celebration with you.  I hope you will take a minute to subscribe to my channel on YouTube and to follow the blog.  Leave me a comment below and let me know what you are celebrating this month.  Until next time, I hope you love the life that you have and I will see you all next time.


XOXO,

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Purse Organization Ideas

We have all done the dump.  You know, when you lost something in the black vortex that is your purse and you have no choice but to turn your bag upside down and DUMP everything out.  We all carry so many essentials in our purses that keeping everything organized can be a challenge. I have found that storing all my take along items in designated zippered pouches has completely solved the need to DUMP!




I have the contents of my purse separated into 4 different zippered pouches.  These pouches are essentially different sized cosmetic cases that can be found in any store.




I have a case for my sunglasses, my wallet, personal care items and my emergency kit.



I do not carry a traditional wallet. I like to have my wallet items organized in a very specific way (big surprise).


I like to separate my change, cash and credit cards/ID into separate pouches.  This is a system that has worked for me for years.  I always know where to find what I need.



I never carried cosmetic items with me until recently. As I have gotten older I have found that I like to have a few items with me to touch up my make-up throughout the day.  I always carry some lip products, hairspray, blush, a mirrored compact and this retractable Elf brush.



Probably my most important bag that I carry with me is my Emergency Kit/Mom Survival Kit.  This is a "kit" that I have put together over the years of all those essential items that I need to carry with me to give myself the sense of being prepared for whatever comes my way.  Must be a Boy Scout influence.  I think everyone should put a kit like this together and carry it with them daily.


In side I carry band-aids, hand sanitizer, lotion, meds, nail file, small toothbrush, deodorant, chapstick, sewing kit etc.  I can't tell you how many times this kit has saved me over the years.  You can find most of the items in the dollar spot section at Target, travel section or at the Dollar Tree.

I give more details and tips on Purse Organization on my YouTube channel video:


  

Thank you for visiting and I hope you found some of these ideas helpful. Having a well organized purse is a small way to help you get through your day, and isn't the small things that make the most difference?

Please take a minute to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel and my blog so you will not miss what we are up to next.


Love Your Life,

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Kitchen Cupboard & Drawer Organization: Quick, Cheap & Easy

I am back in the kitchen today with some quick, cheap and easy kitchen cupboard and drawer organization ideas using some of my very favorite inexpensive products.

Some very useful inexpensive organizing items are these dish pan containers from the Dollar Tree.  These pans are only $1.00 each and are great to use all throughout the house.  In my pantry cupboard I use 4 of these pans to store and separate my baking products, cake mixes, recipe packets and daily medicines.



I found the chalkboard removable decals at Michael's Craft Store.  Using an erasable chalk pen these decals can be changed easily when the contents of the pans change.

Mason jars are not just one of my favorite organizing items, they are one of favorite multi use items ever!  They too can be used all over the house to store so many things, but in the kitchen we use them for everything.  We use them as drinking glasses, to store left overs and in our pantry cupboard, we use them to store our different types of pasta, rice, bread crumbs and drink mix packets.  




These adorable chalkboard tags were found in the dollar spot at my favorite Target store.

Another great use of Mason jars is in your spice cabinet.  I love to cook and I cook everyday so I have a large collection of spices.  It was always so messy to have all those little jars stacked on top of each other in my cabinet.  I transferred all my spices into 2 different sizes of jam jars. The spices I used everyday I put into the large jars and all the others were stored in the smaller jars. 

The jars look so great all lined up and the cupboard looks neat and organized.  Each jar has a Ball Herb Shaker Cap that snaps open for use and snaps shut so should a jar fall over, it won't leave a mess.  These caps fit any regular mouthed mason jars.


We all probably have more kitchen gadgets then we could ever use so it's always a good idea to go through your collection and purge the ones that you never use.  When you can reduce what you have, not only will you be surprised at what you can do with out, but you will be able to keep what you have in a more organized way.  

I was able to create custom drawers for all those kitchen gadgets that I use most often.  These high quality utensil bins I purchased from the Dollar Tree.  Now everything has a home.


Even more importantly the family will know where everything belongs.


For more details be sure to watch the video:

                          


There are so many ways to organize your kitchen using inexpensive storage solutions.  I hope you will leave me a comment below and tell me what's your favorite organizing tools in your kitchen.


Thank you so much for visiting with me today.  Please be sure to subscribe so you won't miss whats coming next!

I hope you LOVE the life you have and I'll see you next time.

xoxo,



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