storage

Tiny House Part 22: Get Ready & Go

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We’re nearing the end of the official tour with only this, the headboard wall, and then my bedroom area. I will continue to make occasional posts as I change things or implement new storage solutions I want to share. 

This area, my “get ready & go” space, is by the door. So, for perspective, here is a shot I took while standing in my open front door.

The teal blue curtain covers the closet, and the four hanging photos are on the closet’s end wall. This blue lingerie chest, which I’ve had for years, was kept firmly in mind when determining the size of the closet. There is just enough space between it and my open door. Truly, we made every inch count.

Every time someone sees a photo of it, I’m asked about this lingerie chest, which is obviously a great solution for small spaces. This lovely thing is a relic of the 70s. I picked it up at auction and had a talented friend repaint it from its original ivory and gold. The drawers seem small, but it holds an amazing amount of my clothing. An amazing amount! This is where I put sweaters and other knits I don’t want to hang, shirts that don’t have to be hung, shorts, pajamas, lingerie, socks…even my electric razor simply because it fits. This is one of the most important pieces in my little home; if you can find one, you’ll love it!

As you look at this picture, it becomes quickly obvious why I call it my get ready and go corner. Getting dressed, putting on makeup, and even tossing on what little jewelry I wear and a spritz of cologne all pretty much happens right here. There are three pegs under the yellow shelf. Two of them always hold these two bags; well, they’re there unless I’m using one, which happens a lot. The third, middle peg, generally holds my little crossbody purse so I can snatch it up on my way out the door.

The lighting, which is the same inset LED fixture you find throughout the apartment, is perfect for makeup application. This is such an “obvious” solution for my makeup that it seems ridiculous how long it took me to come up with it. If you remember the bathroom tour, you might recall that I started out doing my makeup in there.

Here you get a better understanding of my makeup storage, as well as a glimpse at the front door and wall. The little colored basket things you see are rubber. I picked them up on clearance at Hobby Lobby years ago, and they have served in a variety of ways ever since. They fit perfectly here, leaving just enough space for me to slip eye shadow palettes around the edges.

The mirror is a heavy brass piece that I picked up cheap at an auction and spray painted one of my favorite colors. The yellow shelf is yet another offering from my decorator friend. It is a wonderful thing, having friends with gifts like hers!

I only recently “finished” the top of this chest. In fact, it was knowing I would soon be writing this post that pushed me to get on the ball. (Motivation is a good thing!) It needed that final “something,” which ended up being this burned wood tray. I wanted unpainted wood, because one of the beautiful things about this apartment is that they finished it with a lovely variety of woods, and I felt this vignette lacked that touch.

I found the Phirkcraft 12″ Round Wooden Serving Tray with Handle on Amazon. Of course.

I’ve mentioned before that it’s important, especially in small spaces, to surround yourself with things that have meaning for you. This corner does that in spades. The large print on the wall is a photo I took (with my iPhone 5, believe it or not) of an old bridge right down from the family cemetery. It has meaning on so many levels!

First, I have a thing for pathways. To me, they represent the unanticipated adventures that lie ahead. You never know what’s around the corner. Even if you can safely guess, you don’t know for sure until you get there. I see pictures of pathways and I dream of what they’re not revealing.

But there’s a lot more going on with me and this particular photo. 

Two of the greatest people I ever knew were my mother’s parents. Their home, on their 76-acre farm/ranch, was my absolute favorite place in the whole world. Over the years of visiting and staying with them in the summer, and even one year spent living right up the road from them, we traveled a lot of country backroads and went over many of these scary bridges. Yes, I said scary. I was a cautious child, and driving over those one-car bridges without safety rails made me nervous every time.

But the memories are still good, because any time I expressed concern Grandaddy would lovingly reassure me that we were perfectly safe, and he was always proven right. (He was proven right when he assured us the dogs would keep the howling wolves away from the house too.) So, in a kind of twisted way, this bridge also represents security and a grandfather’s love.

And then, there is the fact that this exact bridge was right down from where he and so many other members of my family are buried; it should be no surprise I have it on my wall. That old wooden bridge is gone now. I found out from relatives in the area that it was replaced with a modern construct shortly after I took this photo. I’m so glad I didn’t miss that opportunity!

The four photos on the other wall (Surprise surprise…2 are pathways) are from the El Yunque National Rainforest in Puerto Rico. These are from one of the trips I took with my sister, and I have to say that, in all the places we’ve stopped on cruises, Puerto Rico is by far my favorite. I would really like to go back and stay there a while, preferably exploring it with locals, as opposed to only having a few hours while on a cruise. I cannot express the beauty, on all levels, of Puerto Rico!

Finally, we have a bucket list item represented in the shadow box that sits on the chest.

I’m not a huge exercise fan, but I do enjoy walking, and for years I told myself that I was going to one day walk a 5K. That day came when wanting to support a friend who ran our local half marathon/5K, combined with the knowledge that both my nephew and son were going to be involved, pushed me into making the commitment. I didn’t get to train as much as I wanted to, but I was in pretty good shape and knew I could do it, if slowly.

My son competed in the half marathon with my granddaughter, who had trained a bit with him, but who also had to be carried part of the way. Consequently, their time wasn’t what he would have liked, but it was a great daddy/daughter experience, and I was proud of them both. (Random note, she now runs cross country in school.) My nephew walked with me, and since he had been training more than I had, it was he who set the pace. Where I might have lagged, he kept pushing, and we made it through the course in under an hour. Great time? No. But I was extremely glad I’d done it and am still proud of myself for following through on something I’d always wanted to do.

Having a bucket list or just dreams is a good thing.
Following through and doing the thing; that’s the best.
So if you do, keep reminders of your accomplishment.

Be blessed, my friends!

Celebrating Jesus,
Tammy C

Tiny House Part 20: The Closet

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment

Welcome to my closet! I’ll be honest, I was hesitant to share this one at first both because it was still a mess when I wrote the last post and because it’s a bit much. However, given the importance of a functional closet, it seems like it’s also a necessity. So here we go.

I’ve mentioned the closet curtain before. it’s the SMILE WEAVER Peacock Blue Blackout Curtains. It’s only 74″ long, which is obviously a bit short, but the next size up would have required hemming, so I’m still trying to decide what I’ll ultimately do about the curtain. Maybe I’ll add fabric to the bottom? I opted for a room darkening curtain specifically because I wanted something weighty enough that it wouldn’t be blowing in the wind (AKA, poofing out every time I walked by) so if you’re in search of a bedroom option, this would be a good one. I wondered what I’d think about the silver metallic accents; I was pleasantly surprised to find I really like the extra visual texture they add.

As you can see, the closet is right beside my adorable fridge (That link is in last week’s tour). It covers most of the wall between the kitchen and my door; you can catch a glimpse of my lingerie chest in the second picture above. Specifically, the closet opening is right at 50 1/2″ wide, with another 3″or so inside. When I moved, I culled my closet hard, so what you see here is most of what I’ve got. I do have a couple of coats elsewhere, and some more casual items and sweaters in my lingerie chest. When summer comes, those winter items will likely return to their original location under the bed, although space is at a premium there too.

If you study the wall inside the right end of my closet, you’ll see a few unexpected items. The silver strips hanging close to the front are my metal rulers; they’re leftovers from when I was really into art and crafting, and they’re too useful to get rid of. They’re on a simple cup hook I screwed into the side wall. The bags you see hanging up higher are also on a cup hook, though a sturdier one. After trying this location and that, I settled on this wall as the best option for my broom and dustmop. Those two things can be a pain to hide, and as you can see the shoe rack hides them well!

How did I do it? Take a look at this next photo.

I installed a tension rod that runs from the front to the back wall. I didn’t even have to buy it; I’d brought it over from the other apartment and hung onto it just in case. Then I pulled out more of those leftover shower curtain hooks and BAM, had the perfect hanging system for those two mess cleaners.

The shoe rack is the first thing actually hanging on the rod and it handles quite a few pair of shoes while others are safe on the floor. No link for this since it was given to me, but such shoe racks are pretty standard. So is the arrangement of long dresses to pants, to skirts, etc., as you make your way down the curtain rod. I did specifically put shorter items over the filing cabinet and crates. I even cheated, folding up my really long, LuLaRoe dresses so they could hang short in this area. (Those dresses will not hold wrinkles. I could pull one out now and wear it.)

The closet was the best possible option for my filing cabinet, which is on wheels. The two wood crates on top of the filing cabinet are filled to the brim.

The bottom crate contains my bed linens. The top holds my jeans. They’re folded into fourths and take up so much less space than if they were on hangers. This arrangement also saves me from having to mess with those doggone pant hangers, which always seemed to tangle.

My cowboy boots just fit to the left of the filing cabinet. This picture also gives you a glimpse of my backup package of toilet paper and a popup laundry hamper that I may or may not keep since I’ve yet to use it in this apartment. Then, going on up the wall, you see a couple more cup hooks. Those things are super cheap and great little helpers!

You may have noticed that I use black velvet hangers. I prefer these for two reasons. First, they take up less space than plastic or just about anything else. Second, shirts don’t slip off these hangers! Amazon sells theirs pretty inexpensively, or you can get these…

Utopia Home Premium Velvet Hangers 30 Pack – Non-Slip Clothes Black Suit with 360 Degree Rotatable Hook Heavy Duty Coat

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Tiny House Part 19: Final Kitchen Tour

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And today we reach the end of the kitchen tour, which is pretty much the final part of the house tour, though I will have more things to share. First up, the second built in!

I love how deep they were able to make this cabinet. As you can see, the top shelf is perfect for the two rectangle baskets. As I explained in a previous post, they’re woven rope and are 15x10x10. Because they are flexible and I have my mixing bowls in the one on the right, they’re not decorator rectangles, but they are definitely functional! The basket on the left houses my to-go containers. I’ve made no bones about the fact that I don’t cook, but I do occasionally buy frozen family-sized meals that I can cook in the microwave. Then I freeze leftovers for taking to the office to save money on eating out.

Ah, the rainbow baskets!

MINTWOOD Design 3-Pack Storage Baskets for Shelves, Playroom and Classroom Storage Basket, Book Basket, Decorative Storage Cube Bins, Woven Closet Organizers, Nursery Baskets, Rainbow

Study the picture again and you’ll see how they used more of the teak countertop to set me up with a microwave shelf. As you can see, they notched the teak to give me space for my fridge. They did this because I needed as many inches as I could possibly get in my closet! Maybe I’ll show you the closet later, but it still has way too much room for improvement.

There is plenty of room on the shelf in front of the microwave, however! And, as I mentioned before, the dryer serves me well as additional counter space.

And now, look at my adorable fridge! Yes, this vintage-style treasure is one of the delights of my life.

We found it at Sam’s Club, but believe it or not you can actually get it on Amazon and it comes in six colors! I chose white because I wanted it to match my washer and dryer, and because white works with pretty much everything, but you can also get it in black, a retro blue, creame, pink, and red. I’m not showing you the inside of mine, but here’s a screen shot from the Amazon ad.

It’s the iio 7 Cu Ft Bottom Freezer Retro Refrigerator, Small, with Mini Fridge for Bedroom, 3 Glass replacement Shelves, LED Light,1 Crisper, 2 Drawers, and I chose to take a screen shot of the blue one so you could glimpse the color that would have been my second choice. It stands 57″ high and 21.5″ wide and is very energy efficient. Also, as you can see, the fridge shelves are totally adjustable.

My decorator friend says she’s going to build me some kind of base that we can put under it to raise it up a little bit. It really doesn’t bother me, but she insists someone as tall as me shouldn’t have to bend over so much to reach the freezer. What I’ve not told her is that I usually just scoot over there in my desk chair if I’m going to be doing much in the freezer at all. Just one more advantage of tiny house living!

Ah, and the basket on top of the fridge is something I picked up randomly at T.J. Maxx. I keep my bread products in it: bread loaves, bagels, crackers, tortillas…that sort of thing.

Thank you for visiting my tiny house!

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Tiny House Part 17: Kitchen Counter

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As I’ve mentioned before, at first glance you’d think I have no counter space at all, but if you saw the larger photo of my kitchen area you know the washing machine butts right up against the kitchen counter and it serves me well as extra counter space. So does the dryer, which we’ll get to in another post. So here you go.

Major things first, my sink is huge and I’m so glad. I’d had concerns that I’d be stuck with something small. I should have known better; I’ve said more than once that they tried really hard to make this place as good as they possibly could for me. They weren’t going to let me down and not only gave me a great sink but a fabulous faucet. Second, isn’t this teak countertop amazing? It’s absolutely beautiful and allowed them to bring in a variety of raw woods elsewhere in the kitchen. Seeing them work on all of that was a revelation; wood has gotten so expensive!

They found the countertop at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore and it’s a great example of the bargains you can find there. People assume these stores are filled with things that have been pulled out of demolished houses, and there is that, but there are also pallets of factory overstocks and other brand new items. This particular countertop was long enough that they used part of it here and part to build my microwave shelf, which you’ll see soon, and will still be able to make my sis a beautiful, large cutting board.

So, on the counter, left to right…

Fiberwise, by Melaleuca. Not anything you’re probably interested in, but when you hit menopause fiber becomes especially important as it helps with things like cholesterol. (Remember that TIA I had a while back? Right.)

Now, on the sink? That, my friends, is a stainless steel, Roll Up Dish Drying Rack and it is the bomb. I have it rolled out for the benefit of this picture, but I can roll or fold it up as much or as little as I like, or even roll it and store it. I’ve also discovered that if I fold it up in three layers it will hold my lightweight plate as it dries (otherwise the tall thing flops sideways). If you have a small kitchen, this thing is a great! It’s another of those items that I saw and thought, “Hm…” and have been very glad I purchased.

Two other things about the sink. I don’t use bar soaps much, if at all, but was given some soap samples recently. That little, cream-colored block you see in the sink stopper that sits by the Dawn? It’s one of those samples and I discovered that sink stoppers make great small-soap holders. The blue spray bottle is Dawn Powerwash and I cannot recommend it enough. It’s what I usually use to wash my hands, works great as a clothing pre-treat (especially with oil or grease) and of course is fantastic for dishes. It seems like it would be a waste of money, but I find that a bottle lasts a very long time; you just have to avoid the temptation to spray ridiculous amounts.

Dawn Powerwash Spray Starter Kit, Platinum Dish Soap, Fresh Scent, 1 Starter Kit + 1 Dawn Powerwash Refill, 16 Fl Oz (Pack of 2)

There are only two other things on the counter that I’ll link to. The trivet in the lower right corner of the photo was a gift and I use it constantly since I don’t risk putting anything hot on those wood counters. The plate on the plate rack is primarily decoration since the plate isn’t microwave safe. One day I’ll find a microwave safe plate I actually like and replace it.

The ZeroWater 6-Cup 5-Stage Water Filter Pitcher has been a fixture in my life for years. I don’t like our city water at all, and it’s best to filter minerals out of the water before using an electric kettle, so this stays on the counter permanently. If I drank my water cold, I would of course keep it in the fridge, but I’m one of those strange people who, while I can drink cold water, am just as happy drinking it at room temp.

And last you see one of my HoShip Silicone Spoon Rests. They’re food grade silicone spoon rests that are lovely, dishwasher safe, and store in a very small area. Highly recommended!

I hope you’re having a great day!

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Tiny House Part 16: Built In

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One of the big things about tiny houses is using every inch of space you can. In this case, because my apartment was going inside an existing metal building (a well insulated metal building), they were able to take advantage of a few deep and wide breaks in the framing to make me some built-ins. This one, as you can see in the photo, is at the end of my long shelf. Yes, the shelf runs right up to it, but I don’t care. Again, space is important!

So, the top shelf is kind of a hiding spot for glass measuring cups and that sort of thing; you can barely see them in the back behind the yellow cup I don’t use much. It is a nice tea cup, but I like the infuser on the blue cup from last week just a little better. The other big thing on that shelf is another of my favorite purchases.

I like toast. I like toaster pastries. I like (ok, love) bagels with cream cheese. So yes, I really like my toaster! It’s the iSiLER 2 Slice Toaster. It has extra wide slots for my bagels, multiple darkness adjustments, a cancel button, and an easy-to-clean tray. It also has a place on bottom to wrap your cord for storage, which is awesome for me since I don’t keep it out all the time. And it’s only 9.5 inches long by 5.3 inches wide by 7 inches tall – so it fits!

The second shelf holds sugar in a Kerr jar, a couple of books and a painted pineapple for decoration, and two glasses I got at the dollar store because they were pretty. “Pretty” is also what prompted me to buy the flatware you see in the glass jars on the bottom shelf, and “pretty” is why they’re displayed the way they are. They’re the Kitiok rainbow flatware set and I did buy them off Amazon. Unfortunately, they’re not available anymore and I’m not going to risk linking to a set I’ve not seen for myself. 

But if you like color like I do, you may want to look around and find a set that’s similar. I’ve had these for quite a while and they still make me smile every time I pull one out.

And then there’s just the crock with the larger utensils I hardly ever use. The odds are good most of them, like so many other unneeded items, will end up walking to my sister’s kitchen. For a while there, she just looked up and laughed every time I stepped in the back door to drop things on her kitchen island that I’d finally admitted I’ll never use (or could borrow them from her if I needed them).

Short and sweet this week!

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Tiny House Part 15: More Shelving

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In retrospect, I could probably have put this information in my last post, but we’ll see. Here’s the other end of the top shelf I showed you last week.

On the far right, you can see the left side of the Monet piece. I’ve mentioned it before, but it and the framed art you can see clearly in this picture are in inexpensive acrylic box frames from Hobby Lobby. They’re lightweight enough that I hang them with pushpins. The art print on the left is just something I cut out of a calendar. Calendars are great resources for art!

You can also, on the right, see part of my blue wire snack basket. This is where I toss candies, toaster pastries, popcorn packets, and other such things. Sometimes it’s mostly empty, and at other times it’s packed, like on Christmas day after I’d opened all of my gifts.

The next thing you see is the green vinyl basket that matches the two in my bathroom. This jewel hides all sorts of things that I don’t use often, including my knives, measuring spoons, plates…and I’m not entirely sure what else is in there. It’s wonderful, though, for keeping things out of reach that I wouldn’t want a child getting their hands on, and I do occasionally have children in the house.

The tin next to the basket is both decorative and practical. I bought it years ago, full of tea bags, and keep my tea in it still. Yes, I enjoy hot tea. I like cold sweet tea too, but don’t do that much at home. Give me a cup of hot tea with honey and sugar and I’m happy. I use both loose leaf and bagged teas. I’ve purchased from several companies, but if you enjoy a cup too, I particularly suggest you check out Adagio Teas. They have some amazing blends!

The cup sitting on top of the tin is the one I use most. It is from Amazon and, like so many of the things I’ve purchased, comes in an array of colors. It’s the Yundu 12 OZ Matte Blue Porcelain Teacup with Infuser and Lid, Mug with Lid for Steeping. It sells for around $12 and has been my favorite for a couple of years.

And then we come to one of my favorite purchases ever! Truly, TikTok made me buy it, and I have never experienced one moment of buyer’s remorse. In following several Europeans on TikTok, I began to see just why they were all about their electric kettles. This one is lightweight, easily pulled down for use and put back up for storage. It heats up super-fast, and sometimes I keep it on the counter for days simply because I use it so much – and it’s pretty. It boils water for my tea, of course, but also for my Solle CinnaMâte, which I like to drink hot, (Check out Tired of Exhaustion? for more info on that), hot cocoa, and such things as ramen noodles, which I enjoy on occasion even though I do know they’re not good for you.

Mine is fuchsia pink, of course, but the Ovente Portable Electric Glass Kettle 1.5 Liter with Blue LED Light and Stainless Steel Base, Fast Heating Countertop Tea Maker Hot Water Boiler with Auto Shut-Off & Boil Dry Protection (Yes, I sometimes share these long descriptions in part because they make me laugh.), as you can see, is available in a variety of decorate-your-home colors.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Tiny House Part 14: Open Shelving

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I said last week that I was determined to have open shelving. My dream was actually floating shelves, so I was beyond delighted when I realized that’s what was being built for me. They were also able to take advantage of the framing to give me two built-ins that you’ll see later.

These floating, open shelves are above my washing machine and the top shelf runs all the way to the far wall. I love how my decorator friend put my art on the wall behind my dishes. I am not at all gifted in this area and would never have gotten that far out of my box! This print in particular adds just the right touch behind my clear and white bowls. For the curious, it’s Claude Monet’s Sunset in Venice.

I found this print of Sunset in Venice on Amazon. It is slightly larger than mine at 16×11.

And for the record, one of my glass bowls sacrificed itself when I decided I needed to confirm the name of the painting. I now only have one clear glass bowl sitting up there. I am sad. (Not really, just disappointed in myself for dropping my phone on the stack of bowls while trying to take a picture of the small print instead of just pulling the frame off the shelf.)

My friend also created the floral piece on the bottom shelf, not only to add color but to help tie in the gold of the upper shelf’s baskets. When I was searching for those three baskets, I was hoping for yellow to match the stripe in the multi-colored basket, but true yellow is hard to find. After I’d dubiously decked out the top shelf and sent her the photo, she set about creating some gold accents that would pull the color further into the room. You’ve already seen one of them if you read the library post. She actually painted a medical dictionary (An intentional salute to my love of words) gold and laid it on the shelf as an accent piece.

All four baskets are of woven rope. The three oval baskets on top came as a set. The rectangle basket on bottom came in a set of three as well; you’ll see the other two later. All the baskets arrived squished flat. This is why some are more consistently formed than others; I only devoted so much effort to getting them properly shaped. Both styles are available in a wide range of color options!

The top three baskets contain, from left to right, cereal (Yes, I like cold cereal – dry, because I don’t like milk), whatever I need the second basket to hold at the moment, and my hair stuff (dryer, flat iron, straightening brush, combs and brushes…) You can see that, at roughly 13 by 8 by 8 they hold a lot. So does the basket on bottom, which is 15 by 10 by 10. It handles the bulk of my cleaning supplies, which you can see peeking out a little bit.

So, basket links…

CubesLand Yellow Baskets for Shelves Storage/Organizing,Cube Shelf Closet Storage Baskets Bins Set 3,Long-lasting &Skin-friendly Toy Storage Basket Bin,Stylish Room Decor Basket,Cotton Rope Basket

MINTWOOD Design 3-Pack Storage Baskets for Shelves, Playroom and Classroom Storage Basket, Book Basket, Decorative Storage Cube Bins, Woven Closet Organizers, Nursery Baskets, Rainbow

To the left of the rainbow basket is my glass jar filled with Arm & Hammer Plus OxiClean. I do have the same laundry detergent as a liquid in the rainbow basket, but these pods are my go-to. It’s my favorite detergent, and the colors are perfect for my house.

Finally, you have my paper towel holder and, hiding behind that, a small crock with my toothbrush and toothpaste.

And this has gotten long, so we’ll handle the other end of the top shelf next week.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Tiny House Part 11: The Bathroom Tour Continues

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So last week I talked about the pictures over the toilet. The frames are cheap things I picked up and spray painted. The mats are from the craft store. And, believe it or not, the photos were printed on a copier because budget was a huge issue back when I first needed them to decorate my work office years ago.

You’ll see that they built in shelves for me on the adjoining wall. The teal things on the top shelf are toilet paper rolls wrapped in tissue paper. My decorator friend recommended it as an attractive way to store extra rolls, and I adapted her plan readily because the tissue paper also protects the paper from absorbing the yuk that’s thrown into the air when you flush the toilet. (Don’t know what I’m talking about? Google “toilet aerosol’ and prepare to cringe.) I also put the lid down on the toilet before flushing to minimize the impact. Studies show that the spray is twelve times worse with the lid up.

Knowing this has a lot to do with many of the details of this small room. Since taking this picture, I’ve pulled half of my towels. I only need a couple readily available, and that gave me an extra shelf for toilet paper storage.

This photo shows all of the built ins, and you can see I use baskets that hold and mostly protect a lot as well. The one on top contains my makeup and all that goes with it. The bottom one contains toilet paper in thoi photo, but when I moved those rolls to the other shelf I ended up using it for a variety of necessities that I wanted to keep handy. Because these things are stored in the bathroom, I need to remember to be extra scrupulous about things like cleaning my makeup brushes.

Random note: I took these pictures without thinking professionally. So yeah, the deodorant you see by the towels is Native and the little spray thing on the next shelf up is Poo-Pourri that a friend gave me. I never think to use it. I mean, you have to sort of plan ahead, you know? Still, if you do use it the stuff works great!

My friend made this peg rack to hang above the built ins. It was one of the many little things she did, or instructed me to do, to provide more storage and ready access to the things I need. Long pegs hold my towel, and the cotton T I use for my hair hangs fine on the decorative knobs she selected just for me. The two hats don’t get worn often, but store better here than anywhere else, and the jewelry you see is pretty much all I own after some serious jewelry downsizing. At one point, I had massive amounts of jewelry of all types, but now I mostly wear a sterling silver cross I was given a few years ago and just take down one of these pieces when an outfit demands it.

This medicine shelf is one of those ideas I would never have come up with on my own. I’d kept these things in a totally unattractive tote that literally fit nowhere. The day she showed up with this shelf the tote was sitting on top of my fridge, which greatly offended her artistic sensibilities. (I say that very tongue-in-cheek.) I would never have considered open shelving for these items even though I intentionally requested open shelving for the rest of the apartment. This thing is perfect. Once a week, I pull down my regular supplements and pills and go to my desk where I refill my weekly pills containers I told you about previously. If I need something, anything, I can get my hands on it easily, which was great when I cut myself a couple of weeks ago and needed a bandage.

One of the reasons this shelf works so well is the height at which she mounted it. Because it’s mostly above eye level, in this small room you tend not to notice it. Then she mounted my peacock picture beneath it, which also helps draw the eye away from the bottles and boxes.

I’ve had a thing for peacocks for years, but after seeing those peacocks during that cruise I’ve loved them even more, so this piece quickly found its home right here. It fits the theme, fits the wall size, and as a bonus it gives you something other than a white wall to look at while you’re seated. I laughed when she pointed out that detail, but quickly realized just what she was saying. It is an essential part of the decor.

We’ve made our way three quarters around the room. Next week we’ll finish off with the shower. Oh, how I love my shower!

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Tiny House Part 7: Desk Storage

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We’re taking a closer look at the desk today, specifically discussing storage.

This desk offers great upper storage with one large open compartment in the center and two on each side of it. I will note that in the desk I found for you on Amazon those three compartments appear to be the same width. That is not the case here.

Moving from left to right, you can see that I simply put boxed items in the first space. The center storage is made up of 6 plastic trays that I picked up at Walmart and spray-painted teal. You would be surprised just how much that set of trays holds. The white thing you see between two of the trays is my AC remote; I like to keep it handy. Finally, in the third compartment, I have a wood box that had been hanging around for years. It fit, so I spray painted it purple. Beside it, in case you’re curious, are a glass pen (in the box) and a bottle of purple India ink.

In case it’s not obvious just from this photo, I like color. I fell in love with all the colors while cruising the Caribbean with my sister. Consequently, from my absolutely amazing vintage-style fan to the artwork and decor you’ll see throughout, color rules. Be ready.

And since I mentioned the fan, I’ll point out that my ceilings are low enough that a ceiling fan is not an option. I didn’t even think about that fact until my third night of feeling like I was suffocating from the heat prompted a conversation with my sister. She reminded me that my bedroom ceiling fan in the other apartment was never turned off; I’m used to air that moves. Shortly after this conversation, we headed to Walmart where I almost embarrassed myself in my excitement over this gem. I love its vintage style and the fact it is an almost exact match for the color of my “kitchen” cabinets. I can set it to oscillate and it has a variety of speeds. It even has a fabric-covered cord like they used when I was a kid!

Down girl. Calm down. Yes, I love my fan.

Moving on. Heading back to the photo, if you look at the left part of the L you’ll see that there is a traditional desk drawer. It is huge. I filled it with a variety of desk organizers that I may or may not ever be willing to show. (I do not have a magazine-perfect home and the drawers prove it.) To the right of that, you can see another opening that can be used in a variety of ways. I’ve chosen to slide a bamboo tray into that spot. My pencil sharpener (and, in this photo, a tube of moisturizer) fits perfectly beside the tray.

Moving on to the next photo, I’ll hit quickly on what’s on top of the desk. (By the way, the book on the easel is the one I’m pulling the American Women biographical sketches from.) 

The glass jar holding peppermints is one of a set of 12 I bought on Amazon when I was working on gifts for friends. It’s 20 ounces and has a bamboo top with a seal. It’s the perfect size when you need to hold something (like peppermints) but don’t need a huge container.

The “rainbow” to its left is a clear plastic box that holds seven smaller pill boxes, each marked “Mon.” through “Sun”. This is a huge help to me. I take several supplements, as well as a couple of prescriptions, and it’s much easier to set this case up for the week than it is to haul all those bottles out from the medicine shelf every single day. Each little pill case has two compartments, one for AM and one for PM. When I travel, or even if I just know I’ll be working an extra long day at the church, I snatch up the appropriate pill boxes and toss them in my purse.

Now to the floor. (I might get killed for letting you see this part of the concrete. Remember I’m the one who insisted on no flooring; the rest of the floor is gorgeous.) This is what I meant when I said this desk allows a wealth of under-desk storage. The two white boxes in the back corner are stackable plastic drawers. The top one holds my paper towels and the bottom is essentially my first aid kit; it contains all sorts of things from bandages to lotion to ice pack sleeves to the wrist brace I wear on (thankfully) rare occasions. I did find these boxes available on Amazon and about choked at the price, but in reality these are over five years old and have held up extremely well to continual use, so they’re worth it.

Next to this is a plastic basket I bought somewhere years ago, and it’s home to a variety of items having to do with my book and blog publishing. I hope to reach a point where I have a better place for these things, but for now it works. And then, of course, you have the shredder. It may seem counterintuitive to have a shredder in a small apartment, but it’s great not only for security purposes but also for keeping paper trash volume down as well. I snagged this one at Sam’s Club and it has been more of a help than I ever dreamed.

And that’s almost it for the desk. All that’s left is the shelf on the end. It’s perfect for the few DVDs I permitted myself to keep as well as my bank (Yes, the door is an old post office box front.), journals, my Bible and notebook (when they make it to the shelf; I use them constantly), and the binder that holds my Prismacolor collection. The three zippered sections of this pencil case have elastic straps that hold a total of 120 pencils, and it’s the best storage solution I’ve ever found for my art pencils.

And that’s it for the “office.” Next, the “library.”

I decided that, for this post, it might be best to put the links at the end.

Sauder Manhattan Gate L-Shaped Desk

8″ Tabletop All Metal Retro Antique Style Fan

20 oz./600 ml. Glass Food Storage Container

Zoksy Weekly Pill Organizer

Sterlite 27 qt. White Frame Clear Plastic Stackable Drawer (2 pack)

YOUSHARES 120 Slots Pencil Case

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Tiny House Part 6: The Office

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment

It’s probably no surprise, given I’m a writer, that the office area is the heart of my tiny home. There is so much to discuss, so many details of storage and use, that it will get more than one post.

Your first question is probably going to be about the desk. It’s not new; my son gave it to me after he inherited it from someone else. It is my absolute favorite of all the desks I’ve had through the years, and as you can assume from the fact that I’m the third owner, it’s well built. I like not having drawers beside me the way you do in traditional desks; I like to move around too much. With this layout, I don’t need them. I have plenty of storage up high and a great set of shelves that you’ll see later. When I started writing this post I thought I would be apologizing for not being able to help you find one, but I just tracked it down on Amazon! Well, I can’t guarantee it’s exactly the same desk, but it’s super close.

Made by Sauder, this L-shaped desk from the Manhattan Gate Collection is officially 58.74″D x 55.47″W x 42.52″H. Yes, I can confirm that, at nearly 60″x60″ it’s pretty big. In fact, more than one person tried to talk me into selling it and using a smaller desk instead.

I stood strong, however, especially since I not only love its functionality but absolutely adore the color (mystic oak, to be specific) and wanted it in my home. My decision has proven to be a wise one. This desk allows for a lot of storage, which we will get to, gives me room to spread out when I’m working with an assortment of references and resources, and it serves as my dinner table. I love it!

In the “office” photo, you can barely see my bed in the lower right corner. I said in a previous post that we measured everything down to the inch, and you can tell here that I wasn’t kidding. In my plan I had allowed what I figured was 1″ of wiggle room, and what I ended up with is exactly 1 1/2″ of space between my bed and desk. The desk sits a little off the wall to allow for electrical cords to drop down behind it.

I should explain the outlets. As you can see, the desk has an upper shelf. Given the probability of needing to use part of the under-desk area for storage, we decided to set the two outlets higher than usual so they would land in the gap between desk and shelf. If you’re able to enlarge the photo, you’ll see we were a little off on the left outlet. Fortunately, it’s permanently occupied by two cords and nothing is glaringly visible anyway. The other is my active outlet where I plug and unplug as needed.

The photos you see lined up on the desk ledge beside my active outlet are 5×7 prints from a cruise my sister and I took years ago. The frames are simple plastic box frames that I picked up at Hobby Lobby for next to nothing. I use the same frames, in various sizes, elsewhere in the room and you can catch a glimpse of two more in the office photo. They’re around the corner from the black and white art that hangs over my desk. One huge advantage to these frames is their weight. They all hang on pushpins.

Having aphantasia, with no visual memory of people and places, photos are important to me. I eventually want to get a digital photo frame that my kids can fill with pictures remotely. In the meantime, you’ll see several more photos as we tour my apartment. With only a couple of exceptions, I’ve been able to fill the place with personal artwork, pieces created by myself, my friends, and my family.

The black and white pictures that conveniently cover the shower access panel are two of those. That friend, Anna Davidson, is a wonderful artist who started out as an AOL online acquaintance and became much more. These are actually photocopies of old pieces of hers, but they’ve traveled with me from home to home for decades. They always make me smile as they bring back awesome memories of years spent talking, visiting each other, and writing interactive fan fiction with other close friends who lived around the country. She doesn’t have a website anymore, sadly, or I would lead you to some of her newer work.

And….this one is already getting long, so that’s it for this week. Meet me here in seven days and we’ll cover some more office ground.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C