the RO is 3!

On my third birthday I demanded a purple cake {pronounced "pul-ple" at the time}. I thought it was the greatest thing ever! Hindsight, dark purple may not be the best color for a cake, but bless my mom for making her baby girl's wishes come true!

In the same vein, there are some organizing ideas and projects I've worked on that are like a purple cake. They've seemed like great ideas at the time, but looking back may be a bit unappetizing. 

In previous "blogiversary" posts I have shared what the most popular posts of the year have been, this year I wanted to do something different. Instead of the most popular posts I thought I'd just share some updates on three of my favorite projects we still utilize regularly and three projects that maybe should have never been done.  

Three Favorite Projects How to Organize Cords Using a Shoe Organizer
I shared a couple different attempts to organize all of our cords, but this one is by far my favorite. We still use the idea in our house now, except we have the door space to use a full shoe organizer on the back of our basement closet. It's seriously so easy to store and locate our cords this way. 

Spring Cleaning Donation List
I do at least two large donation purges a year. In addition to the organization aspect of the Donation Tracker, it's so motivating to look back at how much we donated each season {and great to use during tax time}. 

Setting Realistic Goals
Although this post is relatively new, I have found this way of planning so beneficial. This has seriously saved my sanity {for the most part}. 

Purple Cake Posts
Updated frames
Sometimes I just get the itch to be crafty so I jump into projects without too much thought. In this case, I was super excited about some old frames I had found and some new spray paint. The frames did prevent us from collecting too many items to put on display, however in my mind the frames on the wall just became clutter as well. I felt like I just relocated the clutter. Needless to say, these did not go back up when we moved. 

Sand Dollar Art
Hmmm. No. It was cute for a minute, but no. I much prefer where the large sand dollars hang now {you can see that here}.

Spice Rack
Ugh. Hello bane of my existence. Long time no see. I tried so hard to make these work. We actually used them on the back of the cupboard until we moved. I can't tell you how many times they came crashing down. Brit and I used to hold our breath anytime we closed that cabinet door. Now, thankfully, they are nicely organized in a large drawer. 

So, in the last three years have you been inspired by anything? Do you have any "purple cake" projects you've completed? I'd love to hear your success {or not so successful} stories!

Have you been inspired by any projects you've seen on the Realistic Organizer or have a fun idea you'd like to share? Share your story by submitting a Realistic Reader post to therealisticorganizer@gmail.com! 

Thanks for visiting!