How Do You Do It?: Chicken Organization... yes, seriously.

                More than organizing closets, drawers and cabinets, Matt and I also “organize” our food.  We have found it is easier (and much less stressful) to cut and portion chicken for the week prior to freezing it.  I know this seems like an odd tutorial, but I feel as though this is a useful thing to know.  We start with one package of chicken that is approximately 1.5 pounds.  We then portion it down from there.  After it’s all portioned, it gets frozen and taken out portion at a time as needed.

Step 1:  Get out your supplies.  You’ll need your cutting board and knife.  I prefer a boning knife as it’s nice and sharp.  If you prefer to use another knife, please do so.

 

I also go ahead and get my plastic bags ready by flipping the zippered part outward and opening them wide.  I then set them in front of my cutting board for easy access.

Step 2:  De-vein and trim fat.  I know it’s gross, but get rid of the stuff now and you won’t have to worry about running into it when you’re chewing. 

Step 3:  Begin cutting.  I like cutting my chicken into thinner, easier to cook breasts, strips, and cubes.  This allows me to be ready for a variety of meals in an instant. 

I cut thinner breasts by putting my palm over the entire chicken breast with a light amount of pressure and slicing across.

When you pick up each chicken breast, there is a weird flap that doesn’t quit fit in with the breast.  I cut this off and use them as tenders.  I also use an entire chicken breast to create more chicken tenders.

Finally, I use the final chicken breast to chop into 1 inch cubes.  I usually split the cubes into two separate bags to give us the option of more meals.

Step 4:  Bag it up.  Place each of the types of chicken into separate bags.  Wash your hands well.  Now place your fingers under the zipper.

Roll your fingers upward and zip your bag shut. 

Step 5:  Label.  Write on each bag to identify its contents. 

Pop them in the freezer. 

BONUS!!!  If you know you are going to use one with marinade, go ahead and add it prior to freezing.  As the chicken thaws, it will also marinade the meat.

How Do You Do It?: Closet Organization

         Several people have asked me, “How do you do it?”  My organizational skills get plenty of attention from family, friends, and co-workers.  What I want so badly is to say “It’s so easy!”  Instead, I usually say something along the lines of “I really don’t know.”  Truth is I want to share my methods with everyone, so I decided, why not?  I’ll be doing a series of organizational tutorials over the next couple of weeks and I hope they are well enjoyed.

            To give a little background, my husband and I live in a two bedroom apartment, and while I wouldn’t call it small, others may.  I utilize all the space in this apartment to its full capacity.  We coupon and need space to stock-pile, but as you can guess, this is difficult to do in an apartment.  We made it possible using several different organizational methods, all of which I will share with you.  I welcome questions and (kind) comments.  Feel free to enjoy and organize!

The Closet!!!

            I started organizing my closet by starting top to bottom.  I went through item at a time at the top shelf, getting rid of anything I don’t use without a second thought.  Part of organization is minimization.  Don’t think about an item.  If you pick it up and your first thought is “I didn’t know I had this” or “I never use/wear this,” get rid of it!  You don’t need something you didn’t even know you had.  I continue this method going through each and every hanger then through each and every pair of shoes.  I toss things into one pile of “get rid of it” items, and the other pile is stuff I plan to keep.

            Next process:  sort it!  I pick through the items I’m keeping and organize them into work clothes, casual clothes, and outerwear.  Do the same with your shoes.  Sort them into boots, flats, tennis shoes, and sandals.  Finally grab your accessories and place them into piles:  belts, scarves, handbags, wallets, etc.

            Now that you have that, let’s start putting it back!

Shoes:

            I start here first, you can skip around as needed.  I was tired of all of my shoes ending up on top of each other and ruining the look of these shoes I paid so much for.  To fix this problem I went out and grabbed a tension rod and placed it about two feet from the floor of the closet.  I then took pant/skirt hangers (the kind with the clips) and clipped my boots to these.  

Next, I bent up some wire hangers and used these to hold my flats and sandals.  These shoes normally get squashed and ruined, but with them off the floor, they are not only easier to see and access, they last longer. 

On the floor of the closet I placed my heels and tennis shoes in pairs.  

Now that we finished the shoes, let’s move on.

The top Shelf:

            I use my top shelf for a variety of items.  I make sure to used boxes and baskets to organize items such as cords, paperwork, and manuals.  I use the top shelf of my closet to store these items as there is nowhere else in our apartment to store them.  I also placed all of my wallets and purses into a basket and place them on my top shelf.  That was easy!  Next!!!

Hanging Everything:

            As I already stated, I start by sorting everything into piles of work clothes versus casual clothes.  I use two different colored hangers to differentiate between work clothing and casual clothing.  I mostly did this because I already had a mixture of two colors of hangers.  The two piles I already had I began to sort down further.  I grabbed these really awesome pant hangers that each hold four pairs of pants.  Can you say space-saving!?  I hang slacks on one hanger and jeans on another.  

I also grabbed a skirt hanger and hung my skirts on that.  

On to the next step!

            Begin hanging any dresses you own on one color hanger.  I know you may have some casual dresses and some dresses you wear to work or formal events, but hang them all on the same color hanger.  They will go in the same place due to their length.  Once you have your dresses on hangers, hang them to one side of the closet.  Your dresses will hang toward the back of the closet due to the length of them.  Because dresses hang so low, they sometimes hinder the view of your shoes now that they are on their awesome new tension rods.

            Place your skirts next in line followed by your work pants.

            Now start putting your work clothes on the same color hanger you used for your dresses.  I hang my clothing up in a ROYGBIV spectrum.  Feel free to hang your clothing up however you feel comfortable.  After your work clothing, hang any extra hangers of that color in front of your work clothes.

            Next, I took one of the pant hangers I had left-over from my boots.  I used shower rings to hold belts and scarves.  I looped these shower rings over the hanger and placed them next in line to the extra work clothing hangers.

On the opposite side of your scarves and belts, hang your jeans.

            Start hanging lightweight jackets and cardigans on the other color hangers.  Place these on the other side of your closet.  Because I do not have space in my closet, I hang all heavier sweatshirts and coats in my entry-way closet, but you can hang all sweatshirts and coat in your closet if you would like.

            The next (and final) step is to place all of your casual shirts on the same color hanger as your jackets.  Place these in line next to your jackets.  Hang any extra hangers on the opposite side of the scarves and belts. 

            Now you are finished.  Step back and admire your handy work!  Enjoy the look of your beautifully organized closet.  I hope you enjoy!

A Quick, Cute Project

    I have been working hard on two quilts and two crocheted blankets, I have felt very under-accomplished in the way of projects.  To help get myself motivated, I decided a quick and fun project would be the cure.  Last weekend, I noticed Michael’s had a great sale on Christmas merchandise.  There were baskets on this 80% off sale that had a fabric insert that was removable.  JACKPOT!!!  I bought two baskets for a grand total of $4.88.  I removed the festive Christmas liner and set out to make my own.  I decided the best way to start this project was to copy an old one.  I grabbed the directions for the sewing machine cover I made and set to work.  The result was an adorable basket liner that no one else will have!

Basket Liner Tutorial

Step 1:  Begin by taking the basket’s measurement.  Measure it’s length, width and depth.  Below are the formulas you need to use.  You will be cutting two rectangles of the same width and length.  You will get the length of the rectangle by adding the basket’s length, half of the basket’s width, and an extra inch.  For the height of the rectangle, add the basket’s depth plus half of the basket’s width, plus 3 inches. 

For example, my basket was 13 inches long, 7.5 inches wide, and 6 inches deep.  The measurements of my rectangle were 17.75 inches by 12.75 inches.

Step 2:  Measure and cut.  Using a ruler, yard stick, or tape measure, measure and mark your fabric on the “wrong” side.  Cut out two rectangles.  I do this by folding my fabric in half so I only have to make one cut.

Step 3:  Iron and pin.  I feel it is so important to iron your fabric.  Place your two rectangles with the right sides facing and pin the edges.

Step 4.  Sew it.  Sew around both height edges and one length edges, leaving the bottom open.  Make sure to use a ½ inch seam allowance.

Step 5.  Make it “3D”.  Measure a square from the seam equal to half of the basket’s width.  My basket was 7.5 inches wide, so my square was 3.75 inches by 3.75 inches.  This square should be measured at the top of the rectangle.  Cut out these squares.

Step 6.  Pinch it together.  Pinch together the edges of the square so that the seams match up.  Pin this together and sew it closed.

Step 7.  Hem it.  Keeping the right sides in, fold the bottom up ¼ inch and the up another ¼ inch.  Iron this down, then pin it.  Use a top-stitch to sew up your hem. 

Step 8.  Fit it.  Leaving the right sides in, place the liner into your basket and fold the hem of the liner over the top edge of the basket.  Your result should be that the right side of the fabric is facing you and the wrong side is facing the basket.

Sewing Blunders

        I already mentioned how much I liked the One Yard Wonders book, but I decided to try another project out of it.  When I was in ninth grade, I took a fashion class where we made our own pajama shorts.  I saw the “Perfect-Fit Sleep Shorts” and it reminded me of the project I did as a freshman.  I figured this project would be like riding a bicycle.  I was SO wrong.  I had trouble reading the directions and ended up frustrated before even starting.  Finally, I had an epiphany.  I grabbed my favorite pair of pajama shorts and decided to use them as a template.  I remembered to add seam allowance both above and below the shorts, but somewhere in this process, I forgot to add the seam allowance for the sides.  The result?  I ended up with shorts much to small around for me.  Oh, well, practice makes perfect.  Below is what I did (although I wouldn’t follow what I did, if I were you).

Step 1:  Trace your template.  Grab an old pair of shorts you like.  Make sure to add a seam allowance around all sides (I used a 1” seam allowance).

Step 2:  Cut it out.  You will need four pieces.  I folded the fabric in half and cut out only 2 times, giving me 4 pieces.

Step 3:  Sew the Side Seams.  Place the right sides together, iron and pin them together.  Then stitch along the side.  Do this for both sides.

Step 4:  Stitch the Crotch Seams.  Turn one piece right side out and slide it inside of the other piece, matching the leg seams.  Stitch the entire crotch section.  Reinforce this stitch by stitching again with a ¼” seam allowance.

Step 5:  Hem the shorts.  Press the leg opening under ¼” then roll under again 1”.  Iron this and pin it down.  Top stitch the top edge.

Step 6:  Add the waist band.  Flip the top edge down ¼” then again ¾”.  Iron this fold and pin it down.  Sew around waist, leaving a 2” opening.  Measure your waist and cut the elastic to this length.  Insert the elastic into the opening and pull it through the entire top.  Overlap the ends of the elastic and sew it down.  Top stitch the 2” opening.  You’re finished!