Hey there, everyone! During downtime between our morning Christmas festivities yesterday, and going to the movie theater in the afternoon, I kicked back, relaxed, and caught up on reading all of the blog comments you all have left in the last few weeks.
November and December are such busy months, that I didn’t get to read every comment.
But I thoroughly enjoyed catching up on them. Thank you all so much for taking the time to leave them. I do read each of them – even if I fall behind occasionally.
With Christmas behind us, I’m totally changing gears now to some cleaning and organizing.
I’m the only non-coffee drinker in my household, and even though I’m the only person who doesn’t drink the stuff, the job of keeping everything organized seems to be my task.
So I took matters into my own hands and made a coffee station that takes up very little space on my kitchen counter.
I started with a wooden cable spool that I bought a few years ago for just a couple dollars, and within 15 minutes, it was finished, and everything was neatly organized!
I’ve had this wooden cable spool for several years. I picked it up for just a few dollars, and have been saving it until I figured out the perfect project for it. All of the wooden cable spools I’ve ever seen are big, like the one I used to create a farmhouse table, but this spool is really small. It stands only 9-1/2″ tall, and the round parts are 10-1/2″ in diameter, so it is just the right size.
Even if you can’t find a small cable spool like this one, this would still be a super easy project to assemble with 2 wood rounds (available at most craft stores), and a fat wooden spindle (I’ve repurposed old bedposts to use as spindles).
Some are available HERE.
If you aren’t a coffee drinker, this could easily work as a hot cocoa or tea station as well.
First, I screwed cup hooks around the top wood piece to hang cups on. Just space them evenly apart, and make sure to distance them far enough so the mugs each have room to hang freely.
An old wire fryer basket is large enough to hold a bunch of K-cups.
Next, I positioned the basket at the back of the top round piece, so there would be some space in front of the basket.
In that space, I put 2 half-pint canning jars filled with powdered creamer and sugar.
Here’s a fun and easy project using the Rise and Grind transfer on a pallet sign that’s perfect for a coffee station! The supplies are available HERE.
PIN IT!
And speaking of clutter, I’m curious… how long do you leave your Christmas decorations up?
The decorations that looked so festive before Christmas, look like clutter to me after the day is over, and I can’t wait to take them down.
I feel like I can’t work on anything new, or even really clean until everything is put away, so the day after Christmas the tree was the first thing to come down, because it takes up a lot of space in our small living room.
I felt like the room had grown larger and brighter once I had removed it.
All the pretty fresh greenery I had in the entryway was now dry as a bone, and dropping needles everywhere, so I tackled that space next, removing all the dead greenery and Christmas decor. I did enjoy the smell of the fresh pine, so I bought some pine scented air fresheners (affiliate link) so I can continue to enjoy the fresh scent throughout the winter months.
My husband finished getting pallet wood on the the last wall in the entryway. Once I have it painted and finish sprucing everything up, I’ll show you the whole room – hopefully in the next week!
Now that I’ve cleared away the Christmas messes, I feel motivated to declutter more spaces in my house, and start the new year out with a clean slate!
How about you? Are you in decluttering mode, or will you leave your Christmas decor up a little longer?
I’ll leave mine up for a while, since I was so late in putting up the tree. wasn’t decorated until Monday or Tuesday…. so I’m still enjoying it. 🙂
Though, I am ready to declutter all the other stuff… like the wrapping paper and such.
I enjoy leaving the tree up until after New Year’s Day and then get it packed away. I did get the wrapping paper and boxes put away. I am hoping to do a major “Clutter cleanup” during the cold winter months either donating or throwing things away.
I’m like you in feeling like the day after everything changes and I want to move on to clean up and change up but…..I do leave tree up until right after New Years Day. I do love the “warmth” it seems to bring to the room.
I don’t take my tree and decorations down till after January 6th, which is The Feast of the Epiphany or Little Christmas.
Our small apartment will seem huge for awhile after I put all the Christmas stuff away.
This year, at my husband’s urging lol,I am going to declutter my decorations by filling a tote with items I no longer use. After I finish with the Christmas decorations I need to start organizing ALL my craft supplies.
Happy New Year to everyone!!
Although I feel like you that it’s just clutter after the big day, I leave it up till January 2nd. Over the years, we’ve had family get together all week, so it still feels like Christmas with everything up.
I take my christms tree down after the New Year Jan. 2. This year I decorated in more of a winter theme so some of my decor will stay up. Rather than put up the big Christmas tree, I put up 2 little tabletop trees in antique white cast iron urns (one on the mantel and one on a side table) The white small tree in the dining room takes up very little space so I’ll decorate it with hearts for Valentine’s day. My mission is to de-clutter and clean all the closets in the house after the holidays.
P.S. I love your little coffee bar organizing!
Oh, mine will be up at least until mid-January. I was still poking bits of artificial greenery into things Christmas morning just for fun while I was waiting for afternoon festivities! I live in a one-bedroom apartment and have a very small tree and I like to decorate more winter-like so that it is not jarringly Christmas and can stay up longer. I use whites and gold and greens that go with my everyday decor. I’ll probably leave my balcony white twinkle lights up until spring!
I keep my tree up until the 12th day of Christmas…. January 6th. I have other spaces that I will de-clutter in the meantime.
Hi Angie,
I always take my tree & decorations down the day after Christmas. I love it & have enjoyed looking at it for a month but once it’s over I’m ready to get everything cleaned up & I usually will do some cleaning out & de-cluttering somewhere in my house. I love all your posts, great decorating ideas and re-purposing ideas.
Happy New Year!
Wanda
I LOVE your coffee organizer! It really has a fun industrial look about it! I leave some greens up during the winter, but anything really Christmas looking is already coming down. I get into a BIG decluttering mood now, too!
I’m with you Angie…ready to take down and put all back up in the attic the day after. It’s beautiful but it does seem like clutter after it’s over. I love your coffee station!
I am waiting till mon. then down that tree comes and i, like you, have already got plans for some vast cleaning and decluttering. I got me a new steam mop for my floors,i think that is improper english!!! Your coffee station is really cute, just the perfect size.
My decs stay up until at least Jan 2. I love them so much – I have 3 pre-lit trees thru-out the house. I miss the white lights after they are packed away. But then I really clean & enjoy lots of “extra” space in the rooms!
I usually leave our Christmas decorations up until New Year’s Day, then start putting everything away. This year we have no company coming this “span week” between the two holidays, so I may start gradually and do a little a day. Always enjoy your posts, Angie. Have a Happy New Year’s.
I usually get my tree up and decorated pretty late–like the week before Christmas. So I leave it up at least until Epiphany on Jan. 6, which was also my grandfather’s birthday. I just like to look at the decorations a little longer.
However, I am definitely wanting to de-clutter other spaces in my house BIG TIME. I am thinking of selling my house in the next year or so and really need to pare things down, so I’m inspired to get going on it.
I’m actually always relieved when the holidays are over. I’m not really a very organized and calm hostess, so it’s a real strain to get things together for the family to all come. Plus my house is quite small and once everyone is here it’s pretty chaotic. I have seven grandchildren now, ages 8 months to age 15, so you can imagine what a task it is to shop for gifts for them all, plus my two daughters and spouses. I even have trouble keeping track of what I’ve bought and who it was for! Anyway, it’s a stressful time for me even tho’ I like them to come. So I’m enjoying this down-time week between Christmas and the New Year which is extremely low-key around here. I’ll probably have my twin, almost-five grandsons over-night so their parents can celebrate a bit! And they’ll probably be asleep well before midnight!
But once January hits, I’m ready to dive into the decluttering!
Hi Angie,
Thanks for linking up to Saturday Sparks. You have been featured today. Love your cable spool coffee station – so creative!
Happy New Year,
Suzanne
Pieced Pastimes
Oh Angie, I and you have a similarities as a non-coffee dinker but I have to keeping everything organized and clean everything as well :)) But it’s not a big problem as long as you do it for your beloved family:)
We usually keep the X’mas decoration until 1 week after because our children love the winkle lights!
Hi there Angie, I am currently working on a blog post about spool tables and how we can use them in Décor. Was wondering if you would let me use your gorgeous spool table pic with a link back to you naturally??? XoXOXo Christine from Little Brags
Hi Angie, my post is up. Would love it if you would visit. Thanks for letting me use your gorgeous picture. Here is the link: http://littlebrags.blogspot.com/2017/01/decorating-with-wooden-spools.html