DVD Organization

Confession: My husband and I do not have cable television. We do not have Netflix, Direct TV, Hulu, or anything of the sort. We have not had television in our home for the entire span of our marriage, which is coming up on 8 years. What?!?!? Correct. AND WE LOVE IT.

Our main news provider/news anchor is my mother, and following that, the Internet and radio. If David wants to catch a sports game or enjoy the History Channel, he watches at a friend’s home or via Internet or his smartphone (free apps!). If I need an HGTV fix or have the desire to indulge in my irrational choice of Hoarders: Buried Alive, I also watch on my smartphone.

The positives of this decision are many. We find things to do other than sitting in front of the tube. There’s no extra monthly bill that’s not a necessity. No flipping through one hundred channels just to say, “There’s nothing on TV.” No bargaining over who gets the remote. No lost times of fellowship when friends or family visit. No thoughts of “I just spent 4 hours watching back to back episodes of Hoarders, and I now need to throw out every item in my home besides soap and toilet paper.” 

The negatives of our decision? We have none. 

So, why do we even own the big black tube?—Because David and I do enjoy watching a good movie. This brings me to one of my latest home projects. We have a mirrored dresser in our living room that holds our DVDs. After years of acquiring movies that we’d enjoy watching more than once, the dresser began to overflow. Several years ago, I tried housing the DVDs in a large CD album, but cramming them into the plastic sleeves scratched the discs, so back into the cases they went. I recently searched the Internet to find another solution, and I have to tell you . . . we love the current setup. We have been using this system for about two months now because I wanted to truly test it out before writing about it. It’s been great for us. 

The drawers were beginning to overflow.

Supplies Needed:

I had everything on hand except the Memorex sleeves. I simply had to invest time, patience, about $20 for the sleeves (we ended up buying 3 packages), and it was worth it!

I chose to separate the DVDs into movie genres as the first step.

The Finished Project!

I labeled the dividers into our most-watched movie genres and labeled each individual sleeve with the movie it holds. I then alphabetized them in each category, so we know exactly where to go if wanting a specific movie. If we are unsure, we simply pull out the acrylic holder and flip through, which is fun!

Now all of our DVDs fit into one drawer—with room to spare! I had two empty dresser drawers afterward, which I used to house all of our games that had been crammed into a spare closet, making the dresser a true entertainment catch all (and now have an empty closet shelf!). I boxed up the DVD cases and have them stored in our basement. 

The back of the third container to the right holds about seventy-five empty sleeves for future DVD purchases (which should last us for years), as well as a few hard plastic DVD cases for the times someone wants to borrow a movie. 

I hope you enjoyed this organization project! How do you store your DVDs? Any others out there who don't have cable television? I'd love to hear from you!

~Kara

Beauty Is In the Eye of the Beholder...But Not Under Fluorescent Lighting

I have always enjoyed makeup and have fond memories of sitting in the bathrooms of both my mother and grandmother, a small blonde-haired girl, my round, green eyes watching with wonder as they applied their makeup (Mary Kay for Mom, Avon for Gram). I remember the day I turned thirteen, for it was the day I was "finally" allowed to wear makeup. My mother gifted me a few neutral eyeshadows and a light lipstick, and I thought I was in makeup heaven. Today, at age thirty-seven, I continue to enjoy makeup, beauty products, natural oils, and, more recently, simply taking care of my skin. On the days I choose to wear makeup (there are plenty that I don't), I find the quiet moments while applying it therapeutic. I use that time to reflect, pray for others, and listen or sing along to a few worship songs.

The photos above show my current setup, and I must say that I love it. I keep the area free of clutter, with just a few sentimental items that make me smile: silk flowers from a close friend, a white deer head ornament that I keep rings or hair ties on, and a small picture of my nieces. The dressing table is from IKEA (Malm Dressing Table), and the acrylic storage units are from MUJI USA. I am an extreme organizer (something else I find therapeutic), and these drawers keep everything wonderfully organized and accessible. I purposely house my makeup and statement jewelry in the clear drawers because I find that I rotate and use all of the items this way, as opposed to having things tucked away where I forget about them. I affixed some white hooks to the inside of the desk, where my hair dryer and curling iron are stored. I also have a small, pretty garbage can underneath, just like my grandmother did. I can clearly see her blotting her lipstick and tossing away her lip-marked tissue.

The runway lights. Well, these happened after David and I were in a store one day. I saw myself in a mirror under the fluorescent lights, gasped, and said, "Why didn't you tell me I looked like a CLOWN??" David laughed and exclaimed I did not look like a clown, but that did not comfort me, as I prefer a more "natural but nicely noticeable" makeup look . . . and that day I felt I could rival a drag queen. I had never noticed this issue before and immediately knew it was due to the lack of light in our master bedroom.

After researching different lighting options, I fell for a lovely but costly name brand Vanity Girl Hollywood setup that was unfortunately priced around $400. I asked my handy hubby if we could make something similar, and he happily took to the task. After one trip to Lowes, measuring around the large white mirror we already owned, and some drilling, (myself once again watching David like that little girl watching her mother and grandmother), I had my own custom setup that rivals the expensive name brand. David was really quite excited about making this for me, and he decided to make the lights dimmable, which is my favorite part. In one afternoon, for under $100 (bulbs included!), I no longer had to wonder if I was going to frighten people who glanced my way.

I'm looking forward to more frequent beauty posts, sharing some of my favorite low-cost alternatives to the more costly high-end brands. While I do enjoy luxury makeup items that were either gifts or purchased at a great discount, I get a tiny thrill from finding much less expensive products that deliver the same high-end result. Do you still "play" with makeup? Do you have any holy grail items in your beauty/skin/hair care routine? I'd love to hear from you!

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone." ~Audrey Hepburn

~Kara