Repurpose

I have been trying to get creative with my living space - finding new ways to use what I already have, since I really can't afford to go to IKEA or The Container Store every week.  Nor should I be doing that, but it's been a hard habit to break.  However, I have discovered two things.  First, that all that pinning on Pinterest actually does serve a purpose, just like I hoped it someday would.  Second, that my own spin on the things I add there seem to work better for me.  I am really not good at following instructions, you guys.

So here is an idea I had that came from one pin, but inspired me to take things a step further.  This Apartment Therapy pin (which can be found on our Things to Consider board) features a bit on putting sheet metal at the back of your bathroom cabinet so that you can put magnets up and organize certain items.  I had quite a few Cube Mighties that I wasn't doing anything special with and those suckers are strong!  So I put a couple in my already metal-tastic medicine cabinet and stuck tweezers and a small pair of scissors in there.  They're slim enough that they don't interfere with the contents of the cabinet and it's way better than hunting for them on the top shelf or in a drawer.

Then I remembered that I once used dry-erase markers to leave myself reminders on my bathroom mirror.  I decided to reinstate that fabulous idea (below left) and put up a couple of inspirational quotes in the cabinet.  Since this is a rough month for thinking positive, I also noted upcoming plans with friends to remind myself of things to look forward to in the short-term.

All this took was a cheap pack of dry erase markers that already had magnets attached (though you could easily glue on your own).  The ones pictured above were picked up at Target and I love that they're mini markers that hang from little chains with magnets on the end.  But the ones that Amazon offers (to the right) are even fancier - they are double-sided, so you get more color variety while saving space, they have erasers on every cap, and they still come with magnets if you don't want to buy those separately and stick 'em on.

Aside how horrible that picture turned out and how much it reminds me that I need to clean my bathroom, I'm a bit proud of myself.  The point is that, aside from actually using some of the pins you spend all that time organizing on Pinterest, let them inspire you to look around and see what pin-worthy ideas you have rockin' about inside your brain.  If you like Pinterest as much as I do, you've probably got a fair few just waiting for discovery.