Here are the sites featured on my facebook page in the last several weeks.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.  If you do, don’t forget to leave comments for these incredibly talented, hard-working bloggers.  We live for comments here in the blogosphere so share the love when you stop by these sites.  (Remember to click the pink blog titles – not the pictures – to follow the link)

Etsy: Fall Down Tree

There’s something about this guy’s art that really grabs me. I love the expressions of the quirky creatures…they almost seem like they were plucked from the pages of a great picture book. I fully intend to buy some for my son’s new room.

Better After

Who doesn’t love a great makeover? This entire blog is devoted to before and afters brimming with inspiration.

Controlling My Chaos

Is menu planning a constant struggle? Check out this Mom’s low-cost magnetic solution.

Ambrosia Girl

These polaroid-inspired magnets are both functional and fun. I can’t wait to create a bunch and highlight some of our favorite family memories on the fridge.

Cute Girl Hairstyles

Do your daughters need some quick ‘n easy hairstyles for summer? The video tutorials on this site are a great place to start.

Etsy: The Home Centric

My cool gray sofa is looking little bare at the moment – it’s just aching for some color or sparkle to warm it up. I found this shop on Etsy and I’m totally coveting all the awesome (and inexpensive) pillow covers. If only she didn’t have so many to choose from.

We Love Indie

Know any stylish brides-to-be? This charming idea for a ‘guestbook’ beats the tacky feather pen and book sets by a mile. It would be fun to do for a baptism or graduation party too.

Always With Butter

Strawberries are in peak season now so I made gobs of strawberry freezer jam. Up next, these scrumptious shortcake cookies.

Here are the two sites featured on my facebook page last week.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.  If you do, don’t forget to leave comments for these incredibly talented, hard-working bloggers.  We live for comments here in the blogosphere so share the love when you stop by these sites.(Remember to click the blog titles – not the pictures – to follow the link)

Laura Thoughts

Is your teen’s bathroom covered in makeup? Check out this cool magnetized, organized solution. Love it!

The Bumper Crop

I was planning on splitting up our three boys when we move to the new house. This amazing bedroom may change my mind. All I can say is wow.

Happy Monday, guys.  I kicked my week off in true Eckersley style by waking up late and dropping my kids at the school doors well after the tardy bell.  At least is was for a good cause (and by good I mean completely self-serving).  I was up late into the night working on an all new version MeckMom.com.  I can’t wait to show it to you.  My handsome husband and I are still working out the kinks but it should be up soon.  It better be, I’m not sure how many more tardies my kids can take.

So it’s that time again.  Time for a recap of a few fabulous ideas from around the web. All of these sites were featured on my Facebook fan page in the last week so, if you haven’t had a chance, you should check them out. If you liked them as much as I did, take a minute and let the content authors know. Bloggers love comments; so share the love when you stop by their sites.

Birthday Girl

I love the vintage cowboy look of this birthday party idea. Wouldn’t it be perfect for school fundraiser or a Primary pioneer day activity?

Dittle Dattle

Everyone needs closet organization – teenage boys are no exception. Check out this cool DIY closet tutorial. I thought the mirror was a particularly smart touch.

I Heart Organizing

I’m a sucker for a great organizing make-over. The laundry nook-turned-office area at the end of this post really wowed me.

Another Lunch

The incredibly cute, cold lunches on this site put my kids’ lunches to shame. Who could resist nibbling on that chubby cheese chicken?

Remember, if you’d like instant access to the links I love and a few other tips and tricks, you can sign up to be a follower on Facebook by clicking the Facebook icon at the top of the page, joining the like group at the bottom of my sidebar or by following this link and then clicking the ‘like’ button.

I’m a sucker for a great pantry makeover…I’ve been begging my sister to let me rework hers for months.  I see mountains of cans and overloaded shelves and my fingers start to itch for organizing tools.  I’m not sure this exact system would work for me or my sister, but I thought the ideas were inspiring.

You should hop on over to her site (House of Smith’s) to see the full re-do but here are a few of my favorite touches …

I was a big fan of the color choice and the cool, open vinyl pattern.  I never would have thought to do that.  So clever.

store packaging is so ugly and bulky in a pantry.  I love that she ditched the store packaging for more attractive options.  Her use of varying containers to house everyday items made a big difference in the overall look.

I keep all our cereal in Ikea jars (like the ones she uses for her pasta) but I thought her cereal stash basket was another great alternative.

Here’s the link again…there are lots more pictures to enjoy in her post.  Enjoy the organizing eye candy.  Have a great weekend, everyone.

POST UPDATE: I just added some new Christmas printables today and thought they should be included in the roundup.  Here’s the link…

Merry Kissmas – Free Christmas Printables (2010)

An easy advent calendar (with free printable) (2006)

Christmas Game Plan (with lots of free printables) (2006)

Santa Sacks (still a personal favorite of mine ) (2006)

Quick and Easy Santa Letters (with free printable) (2008)

Wrapping tips that make life easier (2008)

Holiday How-To (a three-part series chock full of fabulous organizing tips) (2009)

To-die-for Cinnamon Roasted Pecans – still a family favorite (2009)

Pass-along plate tradition (with free printable) (2009)

More fun, free Christmas printables to come tomorrow so don’t forget to check back!  Just thought I’d pass it on.

Remember, if you’d like instant access to the links I love and a few other tips and tricks, you can sign up to be a follower on Facebook by clicking the Facebook icon at the top of the page or by following this link and then clicking the ‘like’ button. Here are the links from the last two week…

Cooks Illustrated

I love Cooks Illustrated. It’s like the consumer reports for all things kitchen. I’ve been a subscriber to their video podcast for a long time but after perusing my Mom’s magazines I think I may subscribe to the print version as well. The fresh, corn-from-the-cob chowder I made last night was phenomenal.

eHow

Want to add a little sweet science to your kid’s last few weeks of summer? Try creating a few of these simple rock candy suckers from a sugar/water solution.

Sweet as a Candy

Don’t you just love looking at great photographs? This photo array of a dream Italian wedding was simply lovely. I especially love the one of the gown and the oh-so-charming gold shoes.

Young House Love

I love multi-functional rooms…particularly when they ooze a clean, relaxed, modern vibe. This guestroom/office/playroom is a great example.

One Charming Party

I’m not really into elaborate kid birthday parties myself, but this Wizard of Oz Party from One Charming Party was so lovely; I just had to share it with you.

Tackling Laundry Tip 5: What You Give is What You Get

I’m not sure how it happens but my big kids must peel off their clothes like you’d peel a wrapper off a candy bar.  Every time I fold laundry I end up with boatloads of jeans, t-shirts, and socks that are flipped inside out.  In my nicer-mom days I would take the time to flip them all right-side out while I was folding.  Now that I have 7 people to fold laundry for I have to be a little more savvy.  I save myself time by returning their clothes to their baskets exactly as they came.

Clothes fold just as neatly inside out as they do right-side out so why waste flipping them around?  Why not let your big kids (and husbands) do that work for themselves?  Trust me, once they know that clothes don’t magically appear perfectly in their drawers they’ll pay a little more attention to how they take them off.

I follow the same principle when it comes to socks.  I don’t flip them or match them.  I just toss them into their baskets and let them figure it out.  Every six months or so we dump out their sock drawers and pitch anything that’s missing a match.  It’s a simple system that saves me time and effort.  That makes it a keeper in my book.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

Here are the links to the rest of the series…

Tackling Laundry Mini-Tip 1: Set a Schedule and Stick To It

Tackling Laundry Mini-Tip 2: Get the Right Equipment

Tackling Laundry Mini-Tip 3: Incentivize to Minimize

Tackling Laundry Mini-Tip 4: Hang Out Outside the Closet

It’s Monday again.  Time for a recap of a few fabulous ideas from around the web.  All of these sites were featured on my Facebook fan page last week so, if you haven’t had a chance, you should check them out.  If you liked them as much as I did, take a minute and let the content authors know. Bloggers love comments; so share the love when you stop by their sites.

Remember, if you’d like instant access to the links I love and a few other tips and tricks, you can sign up to be a follower on Facebook by clicking the Facebook icon at the top of the page or by following this link.  Here are the links from last week…

The Little Green Bean

Attention crafty Moms with cluttered craft rooms! Need a cheap and easy way to keep excess fabric organized? Check out this simple trick. Sew very smart.

The Lettered Cottage

Don’t you just love it when you find a post loaded with helpful DIY tips and ideas? If you love before and after photos as much as I do you should take a minute to browse the design solutions offered on this helpful post.

Becky Higgins

Who knew that gorgeous hardwood drawers would be a smart addition to a family pantry? This mega-crafty Mom, that’s who. Check out her cool before and afters here…

It’s Monday again.  Time for a recap of a few fabulous ideas from around the web.  All of these sites were featured on my Facebook fan page last week so, if you haven’t had a chance, you should check them out.  If you liked them as much as I did, take a minute and let the content authors know. Bloggers love comments; so share the love when you stop by their sites.

Remember, if you’d like instant access to the links I love and a few other tips and tricks, you can sign up to be a follower on Facebook by clicking the Facebook icon at the top of the page or by following this link.  Here are the links from last week…

Sew Much Ado

Every little boy should have a no-girls-allowed fort. If your little guy needs some space of his own you should check out this cool card-table playhouse tutorial.

Just Something I Made

My favorite pair of expensive distressed jeans are completely shredded at the heel because they were about an inch and a half too long when I bought them. If only I’d read this post first I could have taken 5 minutes to hem them myself (without losing cute distressed edge). Check it out.

It’s Greener Over Here

Need a fancy but inexpensive way to display and store your favorite jewelry? Check out this cool picture frame idea. This idea would be a great way to jazz up a teen girl’s room.

Here’s the link to Tackling Laundry Mini-Tip 3

Laundry Tackling Tip 4: Hang Out Outside the Closet

I used to dread hanging clothes.  It seemed to take forever and I didn’t like being cooped up in the closet.  As I mentioned before I like to watch Hulu on my laptop while I do laundry.  A few months ago it occurred to me that I could do most of the work outside the closet if I simply brought the hangers to the clothes rather than the other way around.

Now while I sort ‘Parent’ clothes I make a stack of shirts that need to be hung.  Then, I go to the closet, grab a bunch of empty hangers and bring them to the bed.  I slide the hangers into the shirts one at a time and stack them into ‘his’ and ‘hers’ piles.  When I’m through making piles I grab the entire stack of hangers and hook it on the closet rod.  Thankfully, Hulu’s commercial breaks are about 15 seconds which is about how much time it takes me to get from the bed to the closet and back.  Isn’t that handy?  Thank you Hulu for being so considerate of my laundry needs – now I never miss a moment of Modern Family or Lost.

Here’s one more cool laundry link for you.  Meredith over at the lovely site Penelope Loves Lists recommends ignoring your laundry all together as an organization strategy.  Check out her interesting approach here.   Just thought I’d pass it on.

Here are the links to the rest of the series…

Tackling Laundry Mini-Tip 1: Set a Schedule and Stick To It

Tackling Laundry Mini-Tip 2: Get the Right Equipment

Tackling Laundry Mini-Tip 3: Incentivize to Minimize

Tackling Laundry Mini-Tip 5: What You Give is What You Get