I have been trying to find a jewelry organizer that would work in the empty space in my closet, that didn't cost a fortune for quite awhile now. After looking at several sites and stores just to come up empty handed, I decided to make something that would work for my needs.

I had a small makeup bag that I stored my necklaces and earrings in, but it just turned into a tangled mess. More often than not, I would also forget what I had in there and it would sit un-touched for months at a time. Here's how I made the above jewelry organizer:

Everything that I needed to make this organizer was purchased at Walmart. I bought a coat hook for $12, a picture frame for $4 and some ribbon for $3. I carefully removed the glass and inserted some plastic canvas in it's place. For the hanger, I measured the length of ribbon I would need, tied the bow, and folded the ribbon over itself in the back a couple of times and drilled a small screw into the frame to fasten it on.

Now I can simply hang all the earrings with a hook on them into the canvas. For the earrings that do not have hooks on them, I took a small plastic bag, (like this one), punched a hole in it and put a earring hook from my craft supplies, like this through it to hang it up.

Problem solved! Now I can see what I have in an attractive, organized way and I still had enough money leftover to get that necklace I've been eyeing :)

If you missed part 1, click here.

Recycling can seem like such a hassle, so how would it fit in on a blog that has set out to help you live a simpler life? I want to share a few things with you that might make it simple enough, you might consider joining me!

6. Go Paperless: Try to stop using paper plates & towels (plastic utensils fit in well with this one too) and use cloth. Good quality cloth napkins, hand towels and dish rags can often be found at thrift stores for much less than buying from a big box store.

7. Put it to the curb: Find out if your area has curbside recycling, also check to see if RecycleBank will pick up in your town. (They reward you with points for your recycled material which you can turn into rewards).

If a curbside pickup is not available, locate the nearest recycling drop off center to you and try to incorporate a bi-weekly trip around your other errands & shopping trips. You could even see if a neighbor would be interested in alternating trips with you.

8. What about the odd stuff: What do you do with batteries, CFL light bulbs, old cell phones, electronics?

• For battery recycling locations, check out http://www.esho.com/
• CFL Bulbs, check out the EPA website
• Cell Phone recycling, check out call2recycle.org (or send them in for Swagbucks)
• For old electronics, check out this page on the EPA website

9. Swap or donate your stuff: Arrange a swap with some family, friends or neighbors and swap some stuff. Give your items a second life and get some "new to you" items in return. Just because you don't use it or love it anymore doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't.

If a swap doesn't seem likely, maybe donate the clothes or VCR you don't want anymore. Let's do our best to keep these items out of the landfills. (Please use your best judgement when donating items, if it's stained, torn, or broken beyond repair, it probably will be thrown out at the donation site).

10. Spread the word: Try to start a recycling plan at your office, put some boxes in various places for paper collection and a separate waste basket in the break room for cans.

At the company I work for, the cans are sold to an aluminum recycling plant and the profits are used to buy a special treat for the office a few times a year.

The best way to spread the word though, is to do it through your actions. Rather than just telling people what they should do, lead by example and maybe they will follow along.

What tips do you have to make recycling easier or more convenient?

Recycling can seem like such a hassle, so how would it fit in on a blog that has set out to help you live a simpler life? I want to share a few things with you that might make it simple enough, you might consider joining me!

1. Start at the store: Try and buy foods and products that have less packaging. The less packaging you bring into your home, the less will end up needing to be recycled or be thrown into the trash. Also, don't forget to bring any reusable bags you may have. (If you do not have any reusable bags, consider paper. If that is not a choice either, there are many places to recycle the plastic bags or you could drop them off at a thrift store, most will gladly accept them).

2. Make it convenient: Instead of keeping the recycling container in the garage, try putting it where the trash can should be. Make recycling easier by keeping the recycle bin close by and have a small bag for trash which could be taken to the garage at the end of the day.

I have also noticed several stores selling multiple compartment trash cans, although sort of pricey, could help with recycling. If you have the money in your budget for it, and the space as well, it could make your efforts quite a bit easier.

3. Opt of out junk mail: I don't know about you, but most of the paper in our house is brought in from the mailbox. Store fliers, credit card offers and magazines come in by the bundle. Not only does this take up a lot of space in my recycle bin, it takes up my time trying to decide what needs to be shreded or tossed or put in my to be read pile.

If you are interested in opting out of junk mail, check out the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse for more information.

4. Stop buying bottled water: Do you purchase a lot of bottled water? Maybe a faucet mounted filtration system could save you a lot of money and help cut down on the waste. If the convenience of taking it with you is key, a reusable bottle may work for you.

5. Make a list: Keep a handy list of things that can and cannot be recycled. If you have to question whether plastic #5 can be recycled, it will probably end up in the trash. You could post this on the inside of a cupboard door or on the side of the container itself, where ever makes it convenient. Recycling Revolution has a decent list of common items that can be recycled, check it out here.

In an effort to keep things short and sweet, tips 6-10 will follow later this week. Even if you cannot make all the changes, every little thing counts. It takes time to develop new habits or routines, and the best thing to remember is to just keep trying.

What tips do you have to make recycling easier or more convenient?

Have you ever lived somewhere that had lots of built-in shelves and storage space? We did, at the last apartment we had, there was an abundance of shelving. It was such a nice thing to have, but when we moved into our house and didn't have it anymore, getting organized was a struggle.

Our new home has plenty of closet space, but only 1 shelf in each that is pretty high up. Lots of stuff ended up getting piled up on the floors of the closets and I couldn't find anything in there.

I love doing hands on type of projects and I figured "how hard could it be to build some shelves?" So I pulled everything out of the closet in the office and started to think I was way over my head...



Next I somehow managed to get to the closet in the back of the room, took some measurements, and headed off to the hardware store. I had 2 big sheets of plywood cut to fit the measurements I needed, bought the primer, paint and brackets and headed home.

Once we had all the unpainted shelving in place, I sanded the edges, primed the boards and painted them the same color as the rest of the closet.



(We built the shelves like this, so if we decide to take them out later we won't have a bunch of holes in the walls.)

Now, I just had to put everything where it goes. I found the storage bins in the Dollar Spot at Target and the clear plastic drawers are lined inside with pieces of scrapbook paper.



Finally, this wouldn't be complete without showing you how our office ended up looking!

Hers

His
(The desks were found at Target as well for $40 on clearance, we could have found them for less elsewhere but we were looking for something that can double as a work table for our various hobbies)

The total cost for the shelving materials was around $30. Total cost for the room was just over $100. It was money well spent for a room that we spend a lot of time in and need it to be as functional as possible.

Do you enjoy DIY projects? I'd love to hear some of your stories!

Here is my first attempt this year in becoming more organized:

The space under my bathroom sink was unorganized, and the space was under-utilized

Here is the before picture:

Here is the after picture: