OPEN 24/7

Good afternoon!  I hope everyone is staying warm out there.  We are on day two of school being cancelled for snow and cold.  This morning when we got up it was -8° and the windchill was -30°.  I was so thankful that I didn't have to get the kids out in that.  Brrrrr!

My project for the last couples of days has been my laundry room.  It has been functional since we moved in, but I was ready for it to also be pretty. My "before" picture seems to be lost somewhere on my computer.  You can just imagine a blank slate; basic white shelving, countertop, etc.  Now, I know the room still needs to be painted, but so do a lot of other rooms in the house.  No idea when that will get done.

It is amazing how adding the vintage lace to the shelf edges changed the look of the room.  I think that might be my favorite part.

This old enamel pitcher holds my dryer sheets.....

....and this pewter pitcher contains powdered detergent.  It is so easy just to pour a bit into the dispenser.

How fun is this crocheted Comet holder?!

Sorry for the bad picture, but can you see that clothespin?  The one with the layers of chippy paint?  Love it!

Ummm, did I mention that this post would contain lots of photos?  There is a lot to share from this little room.

I was very pleased to have this hanging rod.  The only thing I really think this laundry room is lacking is a utility sink.

My 13 year old installed this pull-out towel rack yesterday.  It holds the empty hangers and just slides underneath the counter when not needed.  I bought it at a yard sale this fall.  Somehow I knew I would find a good use for it. No more fighting with tangled hangers!

This is the first house where I have had a counter top to fold clothes.  Now I fold them right out of the dryer.  No more baskets of unfolded clothes sitting around!

The burlap needs a little tweaking.  It is a piece I picked up at the thrift store.  I just unfolded it and hung it on a tension rod.  All my cleaning supplies are hiding behind it.

I love this big basket.  It was a thrift store find. Imagine that!

These three baskets (and the one above the washer) were bought at four different times and I think in four different thrift stores.  And they are miniatures of the big basket!

Get it?  OPEN 24/7!  Seriously, it feels like it sometimes.  Some young, single person who works for my husband said to him the other day, "Wow!  At your house you probably have to do like three loads of laundry a week."  Ummmm, guess again!

Okay, I'm almost done.  Just a few more of my favorite things.

So, here's the deal.  I've done a really good job of folding clothes right away.  But I hate socks and underwear!  My solution?  Each family member has a bag.  As I pull undies and socks out of the dryer I just put them in the bags.  When you take your clothes upstairs, you also take your bag.  The boys just dump theirs in a drawer.  Works for me!  When your bag is empty, just drop it.....

....down the laundry chute!  Seriously my favorite part of the room!  I've always wanted one.  My 10 year old will actually take clothes upstairs just so he can drop them down.  Thankfully the chute is small enough that no one can fit through it!  I'm sure they have thought about it.  They have been known to shoot Nerf darts up and down it, though.

Here is a picture from the upstairs bathroom.

It is so much nicer to do the laundry in a "pretty" environment. During one of our moves there was a college guy helping us load the truck.  He picked up a box marked "laundry room decor" and laughed at me.  He just didn't understand.  Poor guy! 

{Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean,

scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life. Psalm 51:7}

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