Do you enjoy a home project as much as I do? If you don’t, can I convince you that it actually might be an awesome hobby for you to try?

Let me first define “home project”. That’s anything you might do to make your personal space more enjoyable for yourself or your loved ones. 

That might be cleaning the kitchen, restocking the pantry, grocery shopping, washing the car, sweeping the porch, lighting some candles to make your bedroom smell nice, fluffing the pillows, sewing the pillows, doing a meal prep for the week, weeding the garden, fussing with your orchids, baking some bread… literally, anything that will make your home a nicer place to be. They’re incredibly additive to the quality of our life and not as hard as you might imagine to add in. Here are three ideas for how you can accomplish more projects in your own home and enjoy your chores.

Change Your Wording 

Growing up, my Mama called these kinds of things our chores (which, like most kids, I hated to do). For me, “chore” still feels like a bummer way to spend some time. 

But “home project”? That sounds lovely? Who am I, Joanna Gaines? Martha Stewart?? Where are my overalls? Where are my clogs?? I’m here for it! 👩‍🌾 Changing the way I spoke about taking care of my home changed the energy I brought to the experience.

Want to get my best ideas for making it feel like home? 👇🏼

Start Small + Finish Everything 

Depending on your current bandwidth, it might not be wise to take on anything massive. For instance, if you’ve just had a baby, launched your first business or are caring for an aging parent, it’s probably not the season to re-grout your bathroom. Start with small projects you can easily accomplish that will have an immediate impact. 

I’m a huge fan of taking my dry goods (pasta, beans, lentils, oatmeal) out of the bags they come in and putting them in glass canisters and mason jars. Is it necessary? No. Does anyone else in my family care about it? Absolutely not. But I love that it’s pretty for pretty sake. It makes me feel organized and accomplished, and it takes about three minutes to pull it off. If you want something to become a lifestyle (not just a one-time thing) you need to actually achieve it repeatedly, not just once. Aim at the simple tasks and use them as a foundation to build upon.

Lean Into What You Love

This is your home. Not your mother-in-laws or your sister’s place… yours. Make sure that you’re building projects around what you like. 

I’ve always loved to eat, so looking back to early motherhood (the beginning of my journey making a home for a family) I focused first on becoming a better cook. When the kids were a bit older I got my first orchids. Successfully keeping both children and orchids alive encouraged me to try other plants— now my house looks like a garden center! I don’t sew. I never got into sourdough bread baking. I’m not really into crafts. I focus on what I like and it always provides me with new and interesting things to try out. 

It doesn’t matter how big your place is— or even if the only area you have to call your own is your bedroom— your nest should be a soft and lovely spot to land. Try adding in a home project, I swear it becomes such a satisfying way to spend your time.

One of my favorite exercises has always been yoga, but being the clean freak that I am when it comes to products, I have always been hesitant to use harsh cleansers on my mat. I made this all natural solution with only four ingredients and the results were amazing. The combination proves to be an effective antibacterial solution to really get a deep clean, but it also helps preserve the life of the mat. The biggest benefit is the wonderful smell that lasts, an added aromatherapy bonus to enjoy during my workout. ~Brandee 

What You’ll Need:

Eucalyptus essential oil 

Tea tree oil 

Filtered or Distilled Water

Apple Cider Vinegar 

How To Make It:

Pour all ingredients into spray bottle and shake. 

Spray generously over yoga mat and wipe clean with a dry cloth. 

Allow mat to dry before using. 

There’s nothing I love more than being organized because y’all know how crazy things can get. That’s when Rubbermaid Brilliance reached out to see if I would help promote their new line of Pantry Containers I just couldn’t resist. My pantry might be one of the hardest places to keep organized because things get thrown and added that sometimes is hard to find anything. If you want to see how I achieved this Ultimate Pantry Organization than watch my video below:

So I have this weird thing about cords. I know they are necessary to run a modern life, but I just do not like to look at them! They are messy and feel like clutter, and when I have to find one particular cord and they’re all jumbled together I want to run screaming from the charging station. Nobody wants to unplug everything just to find one cord, it’s such a pain!

So I decided to tackle the cord organization and make my cords look prettier with Washi Tape Cord Labels! See how easy (and pretty) it is to organize your cords below! ~Cortnee

 CHIC TIPS:

– If your cords have any manufacturing labels on them (like in our before picture) make sure to remove those as well.

– If you haven’t made that flag shape cut out before, you just fold the end of the tape corner to corner, and cut at an angle down from the corner to the center. Easy!

– You can also get bonus points for decorating your chargers with Washi Tape Phone Chargers! 

I think like most first-time moms I probably went overboard. I got way too much of things I never really used (hello nine thousand cute onesies) and not nearly enough of the things I actually totally needed. And now, over a decade later we just welcomed our fourth baby (finally got my girl!) and I found myself once again filling the nursery with essentials. What I find so interesting is that most of my list is tried and true. The things that worked for my oldest son are the same, or just an updated version, of what I recently bought for my daughter. So I thought I’d share that wisdom with you… my real must-haves after a decade of parenting and caring for ALL the babies with the help of Walmart.   Walmart carries everything you will need from diapers to strollers and best part they also offer great prices. Check out the registry lists for tons more ideas but here are my favorites in no particular order along with pictures of my daughter Noah who we recently welcomed through adoption… I think we can all agree that she’s the greatest onesie model ever.

Pack n’ Play – Every baby list I know of will suggest you get a bassinet and we almost did with our oldest. Bassinets are prettier and they look like every fairytale you ever read about what a newborn sleeps in. Event still, I am diehard about a Pack n’ Play for new parents. This one Noah’s currently lounging in on a recent family vacation… that was Jacksons, as in, we got it at the baby shower for our first child over ten years ago and it’s still going strong. It has an adjustable height setting and a changing table attachment, which is KEY for a new baby (remember to always take out the swaddle after unwrapping your baby to keep them safe). It has wheels so we literally would drive it to a new location in our house and let the baby hang out in the room with us. Lastly, it folds up into a shockingly small space making it easy to store and take as check in baggage on a flight. No, it doesn’t look like a cradle from a Mother Goose book, but dang it, it’s way more functional than that.

 A Wipes Warmer – This was a random thing I registered for when I was pregnant for the first time and I remember everyone at my shower teasing me about it. “Oh the baby needs his wipes warmed? Does he also need gold-plated bottles??” I’d put it on my registry because it seemed like a good idea to me and the years have proven me right. A wipes warmer isn’t super necessary at all times but there’s one instance that makes it all worth it. When it’s 2AM and you’ve got to change the baby’s diaper believe me you want something warm and soothing touching their booty. A cold wipe is a shock to the system and while of course they’ll be fine, my experience is that it wakes them up further rather than helping them stay calm and settled.

Automatic Bouncer – This is a great example of something that was awesome when my older kids were born – a bouncy chair that moved along with the babies movements—that has been upgraded with technology to legend status. You guys, this Smartbounce Automatic Bouncer bounces on it’s own. OK, maybe not alone… it’s not possessed or anything. But there’s some kind of magical technology that gently bounces it while your baby hangs out inside. Back in the day I used to have to bounce it myself, often with my foot as I tried to read a book to my toddler but now you just press a button and your baby is so happy and chill.

Video Monitor – Video monitors aren’t inexpensive and so the instinct might be to go with the audio version only. I promise you, the peace of mind you get with a video screen is worth every extra penny. I really like the ones that have an app to go on your phone so you can access the baby camera from anywhere. There is a wide variety of video monitors so you look for one that’s in your budget.

Baby Jogger City Mini Stroller – Oh how I wish I had known about this stroller sooner! It’s so light. It’s so easy to fold! It’s perfect for a running mama like me (don’t worry even with these headphones I can still hear everything) because it also functions as a jogger.

A few inexpensive trendy things – I want to be thoughtful about how I spend my money. At the same time, this is your baby and it’s so excited to buy fun things for them. I don’t go crazy but I do indulge in a few currently trendy baby items and I have with each on of my kids. With Jackson it was fancy leather shoes. With Sawyer it was an ultra luxurious baby blanket. Ford had a hand made old man sweater before he was a year old. And Noah? She’s got the moccasins, the bows and she’s totally rocking the bandana bibs like a proper hipster. Be smart with your money but have a little fun too.

Wabanub Pacifier – These weren’t popular when my boys were little but I’ve noticed them over the last few years and as silly as it sounds I was super excited to buy one for Noah. Legend has it they were invented by a mom who was tired of losing pacifiers (aint that the truth) so she attached a little stuffed animal to keep them from being lost. Noah loves her Wabanub Pacifer and I love that we always know exactly where it is.

Baby lotions and washes – The newest trend in babies is that now they say not to put lotion on them until they’re three months old. What?! I am a child of the 80’s. I am a mama who lived for that clean baby Johnson & Johnson smell and so when they told me this at the hospital I asked them if it would hurt the baby. “Well no, it’s just, they probably don’t need it” Well sister, they also don’t really need a wipes warmer or fancy shoes but sometimes you just have to mama the way you want to mama. So I used lotion from birth on every one of my babies and their skin is great.

Basic burp cloths – Not the fancy ones, not the ones with patterns or stitching or the ones made out of wool from sheep raised by angels on a hillside in heaven… just straight up, old-school burp cloths. Here’s why, you will go through approximately nine thousand of these in the first six months and if your kids are pukers like mine we will go ahead and double that number. These are lightweight, soft on baby skin and easy to wash.

So to all my new mamas out there here is one piece of advice you just need to take of yourself and your beautiful baby! Don’t worry about getting all the things all at once just get what you need. And no matter what at least there will always be Walmart so you can conveniently go and get something you just don’t have. Best part you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg just to buy it. 

Originally I got this idea from Pinterest, sort of. I saw several people create day of the week outfit organizers using hanging shoe cubbies in the closet. The issue I have with this is A: when you fill them up you can’t see the cute letters stenciled onto the back and B: my boys aren’t tall enough yet for the cubbies that’d be hanging near the top. Since the goal is to help them do it themselves, I wanted a better solution. I wanted something I could pack into their existing drawer so all they had to do was open it and pull out the right outfit… the answer, was pillow cases!

On Sunday I fill each pillow case with an outfit (everything from underwear to socks). This works great because it gives me time to check the calendar and see if there are any special dress days I need to plan for. I fold the case up, lay them all in the drawer and then they can pull it out and get dressed before they even come downstairs in the morning. 

First we chose five different colors of felt. Next I peeled back one side of the iron-on adhesive and covered the back of the felt with it. Then I printed out the letters M, T, W, Th, F in large font from my computer and used them as templates to cut out the felt letters.

Next, peel the other side of the iron-on adhesive off and center the letter on the bottom half of the pillow case. Use a warm iron to make the adhesive stick (follow directions on the adhesive packaging). Once the letter cools off, use fabric pens to decorate around the outside… if you’ve got mad skills on a sewing machine both the felt and the decorations could be done with it instead.

Organizing under your sink is something that many people don’t want to do. I am not one of those people! I love a well-organized space especially when it’s holding something I use as often as I use the areas of my kitchen.

The trick is creating a space that’s not only functional but also pleasing to the eyes. Or at least as pleasing as you can possibly make it. You may be saying, “Who cares Rachel, it’s under my sink and I’ll never let anyone see under there, EVER?!” but it’s important, not because anyone else sees it, but because YOU see it! Frequently, I might add. So let’s make it special!

Here are my 4 Keys to Organizing Under Your Sink:

LABEL IT: Do you find yourself buying hand soap at the store, then come home to see a bunch of other hand soaps hidden behind your paper towels? FRUSTRATING! I’ve got the solution! Use Apothecary Jars, Bins, and Chalkboard labels to store all of your cleaning items. Now you’ve got a place for everything and everything in its place. You save money, and time and it looks cute too!

GO VERTICAL: Use command hooks to hang my favorite towels and brushes inside the cabinet door. Not only does this keep you organized BUT it also keeps cloths and sponges clean.  Additionally, you get the freedom to play with design upon placement.

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW THE MESS IS GONE: Johnny Nash knew what was up. The truth is, if you don’t see it, then you don’t use it. Using clear and white bins give you a sleek clean look. Place the items with the label facing out, this allows you to see what you’re missing at a glance AND it will most certainly give you a sunshiny day!

COLOR IS KEY: Pick one accent color for under your sink bin, like I did here. Figure out what color best matches your mood and then pick out a bunch of cute baskets and bins in that specific color. Using one color gives the space a uniformed look and it will also keep your eye focused when trying to find a specific cleaning product.

Teaching my kids the value of money and the value of savings is important to me. But a lot of their understanding of the concept is something learned over time, it also depends a lot on their age. With the older boys it’s easier. We’ve explained savings to them as part of our values and we’ll continue to work with them on this concept as they grow. But part of learning is to start the concept early. So with younger kids like Ford, we have to turn the concept into a fun activity. Which is where our cute little DIY Piggy Bank comes into play. This is such a fun project to make with your little ones and while you work on it together, you can explain to them the value of saving money for everything from family vacations to college savings accounts. 

We downloaded an easy peasy template right here and then used it to create our own version of this awesome bank.

As part of our ongoing partnership with ScholarShare we’re spending a lot of time thinking about savings… both for teaching our kiddos and for teaching our friends. Saving for college is incredibly important and you can start your 529 savings account with as little as $25. I know the concept of savings can seem daunting if you haven’t done it, but every little bit counts and can be really helpful for your loved one when they need it to go to school. 

Start when they’re little, with a DIY Piggy Bank and while you’re at it, create a college savings account for when they’re big. 

We moved into the new Chic HQ six months ago and that first weekend I spent hours upon hours setting up the main office. I wanted to make sure that everything was pretty for the Chic staff and ideal for doing work. What I didn’t focus on at all, was my own personal office. It was the last of my concerns and with a hundred million other things to do it became the lowest on my list of priorities. It was also– as you can see above –kind of depressing. It didn’t have any color or life or texture it was literally my desk, some random chairs and a large collection of almond butter. I needed an office makeover!

And so I enlisted the help of Designer Maryn Goolsby Favors & Laurel & Wolf which is an affordable, accessible and fun way to design your space online. They helped me design everything and lay it out and I’m so super thrilled with the results! Come on, let me give you a tour.

I was a little nervous about working with an outside company, especially one with designs as gorgeous as L&W boasts. I mean, my style is… eclectic would be a nice way of putting it. I love to mix and match prints and price points. I love color and texture and things that are just a little bit weird. My designer, Maryn, didn’t even bat an eyelash she just kept sourcing more and more product until we got a look that I love and that totally feels like me.

Like for instance… a gigantic picture of a bull behind my desk! I found this print on Minted and immediately added it to my cart. I know it’s kind of weird, but I’m kind of weird guys! I dig that it’s an unexpected backsplash for someone in LA. I also love the mixed materials in everything from the chairs to the frames to the rattan coffee table. Whenever possible I try and use as many textures as I can (call it a leftover style from my days as an event designer) but I think it looks so cool! Oh and the mirror, we can’t forget about the mirror. When you get your picture taken 273 times a week like me, a full length mirror is a must-have!

I really wanted  a seating are for when the staff comes into my office for a meeting or a chat… this happens approximately 87 times a day. I dug the vibrant color of this sofa from Apt2B and went a little nuts with the throw pillows from Pure Home but I think they look so fresh.

The gallery wall is a mix of framed prints, birthday gifts, clipboards and drawings from my kids. I love that it’s mix and match and you can create your own using my DIY post here.

When this bird lamp arrived at the office everyone laughed, but I adore it. It’s different and fun and I’m pretty sure that the glass orb it’s holding will tell you your fortune if you ask nicely.

I have all kinds of things I need to store and display and I love that this bookcase is on wheels!

It’s maybe nerdy but I love the way my books look stacked up on this thing. I can’t wait until the next one comes out to add it to the bunch. 

L&W also worked with me on the office makeover to design a little reception seating area in the main room. It’s fun and playful, just like the rest of the office! From the poster, to the pop of red in the chair, and the continued use of rattan in the side table, I couldn’t be happier. 

A year ago I made a toy jail.

It was a really popular post and a really popular tool around our house. It was a great reminder for my boys to clean up after themselves, but now they’re a bit older and we don’t have to battle so hard to keep the toys where they belong. Now, it’s more about organization and helping them stay on top of their own stuff… so, now we’re onto Clean Up Bins. 

We based this concept on their toothbrush holders (that are still alive and kicking all these years later) so I organized them by the first initial of their name.

The concept for Clean Up Bins is pretty simple. I put one for each boy at the bottom of our stairs, or by the backdoor or in the hallway, basically wherever their stuff accumulates. They’re required to clean it out at the end of every day. I’ve found the easiest way to do that is just to have them carry it upstairs when we head for bed. But, either way their stuff has a location now and actually, magically, finds its way back home.