I must confess...I DROOL over a good organized space! I feel like when spaces in my home are nicely organized, it gives my brain more space! Am I the only one?
My second confession is this...I haven’t been as diligent lately in having my prayer time and for me, it “makes” or “breaks” my day. There’s just something about going to God first thing in the morning that gets me excited for the day.
My typical routine is to grab a cup of coffee and go back to bed and read/pray. The problem with that is it’s not working for me. It's easy to get distracted or fall back asleep (yes, I said it!)
Thus, I needed to change things up a bit and I needed a new prayer space...I now introduce you to my prayer closet!
Some of you may remember my vanity room makeover from last year. I was lucky enough that the previous home owners had already turned this closet into an office space (which is odd because this room still has ANOTHER full walk-in closet)! But I digress.
I still VERY MUCH love my Kate Spade Inspired area but my vanity has since moved downstairs in the master. It just made more sense to keep it downstairs where I get ready...plus, we had the extra space.
Although this area is still very much "girly" and still serves as my office, I wanted to have a little area where I could have my prayer time in an undistracted (but organized) fashion.
The first thing I did was order these bins from Ikea. I just love Ikea for my organization. Everything is just so clean and crisp and streamlined.🙂
The next thing I did is wipe down my shelves with Mrs. Meyers All Purpose “Geranium” scented spray.
It such a beautiful clean scent...I love it! But this is just the one I happened to have upstairs but you guys, their Fall scents are in and they smell delish! I keep them in the kitchen and every time I wipe down my counters or do the dishes, my house smells like FALL!🍁
Ok, so the next thing I did was make these labels.
You guys, I know y’all are gonna laugh at me for being old school but I was NOT about to go OTB (over the bridge) and fight traffic for some labels so here’s a quick and easy DIY for creating your own labels:
1). Type Your Labels - Type our your word labels in whatever font you like (I used "Snell Roundhand"). Also make sure the font is large enough (I believe mine was on 60 font).
2). Make Your Labels - After printing your word labels, cover them with CLEAR packing tape. (It just so happens that I had 3-hole punched paper in the printer but for this purpose, it doesn't matter much).
3). Transfer Your Labels - Now that you have covered your words with tape, you need to TRANSFER the word ink to the tape by rubbing with a credit card (or something similar). I used this plate label to “scratch the words on”. (MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT FORGET THIS STEP. I DID AND HAD TO DO OVER BECAUSE THE WORDS DID NOT TRANSFER).
4). Cut Your Labels - Next, cut Your Labels that will go on your bins. (I think this one is pretty self explanatory).
5). SOAK Your Labels - That’s right. After all that work you are then going to soak your labels in COLD water. Within a minute, the paper should peel from the tape and you can set your labels out to dry. DO NOT rub the lettering on the tape or you will smear your word. Just let it dry naturally (sticky side up of course).
6). Once dry, Your Labels are ready to stick onto your bins! Easy peasy!
I pretty much divided my “closet” into two spaces. The left side is more of my prayer items and the right is more office stuff.
Now the fun part, let the organizing and styling begin!
As you probably already noticed, I divided my IKEA bins into four sections:
CURRENT - Books/devotional I’m currently reading.
JOURNALS - My stash of extra blank journals.
DEVOTIONALS - Devotionals/books I’ll be reading next.
BIBLES - Old and new bibles and some of my faves.
I have one bin blank. I always like to buy an extra bin “just in case”. These bins help keep me organized and keeps me in “check”. I try not to go beyond these bins, if I do, time to “clear the clutter” and pass them on to be a blessing to someone else.
I really wanted to keep this section “light and airy”. I wanted it free from clutter and distractions but also wanted it to very much represent “me”. I still wanted my cute little girly things that I like. This is my space after all and I believe even your prayer space should feel inviting to you.
In this corner I have my little Kate Spade gold lamp for extra lighting, a floral scented candle, and room spray. The flowers (although faux) bring “life” to the space. Plus, everyone already knows how much I love flowers!
I also love inspirational quotes and sayings. The one above says, “ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!”
Another one says, “DON’T LET ANYONE DULL YOUR SPARKLE.”
And here’s another one that reads, “IT ALWAYS SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE UNTIL IT’S DONE”.
It may sound goofy but sometimes I feel like they are God’s words encouraging me. He gets me. He speaks my language.😉
On my chair I have a throw pillow that reads, “GOD HAS AMAZING PLANS FOR YOU (JEREMIAH 29:11)”.
Poor thing looks a little sad and needs to be ironed. I love this pillow though. And the back has black polka dots! Pretty sure it was meant just for me.😊
Now let’s get to the shelves. On the first shelf I have an organizer for some of my favorite pens and highlighters (which I need more of).
This used to be a makeup organizer that housed my makeup brushes but now it holds my pens. Next to that I have more blank journals. I journal almost everyday so I go through these like water! (TIP: My favorite journals are from places like Home Goods, Ross, or Marshall’s. They are usually about $3 bucks or so).
On the next shelf I have some hanging file folders for notes, thoughts, bible studies, etc.
Next to that I am using a recipe box I found at Target’s $1 spot for prayer requests. I thought it would be a neat way to keep things private but reach for it when needed. I also thought it would be neat to look at the answered prayer requests as a reminder when I need some encouragement.
I have the Dymo LetraTag labeler that I absolutely love and I’ve had for YEARS.
It really does come in handy but there are times where I like to see things hand-written. It just gives it a more personal feel (like the Prayer Box up above).
And of course, under that shelf are my IKEA bins as mentioned previously.
As you've probably seen by now, in the center of my desk I have a gold cork board with things that inspire me...
I just truly love this space. I can’t wait to wake up in the morning and come in here to have my quite time!
So how about you? Do you have a special place you have your prayer/quiet time? If not, maybe you can clear a corner and create your own little spot. I promise you, it will make a world of difference!
Hope you enjoyed this blog and feel inspired. Please comment and let me know your thoughts. Would love to hear from you!