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As many of you know we recently moved from a condo into a house. Because we new have about 4x the space we had at our prior home one might be inclined to think all of my organization problems have been solved. Wrong. In fact, I feel the more space I have, the more overwhelmed I am with finding places where everything belongs. Sure, having 2 extra bedrooms means I could quite literally just open a door and throw someone inside and nobody would be any wiser. And, as genius as that seemed while I contemplated it, I'd still have to invest time digging through the 'junk pit' for those things when I needed them.
Because we don't have human kids our pets are the number one source of clutter in our lives. They are our fur children, so to speak, and they are
spoiled rotten adored. I wish I could say the dog had a designated space and the cat had her own designated space- but anyone who knows cats will tell you not to bother setting boundaries, and having a tiny dog (as it turns out) takes up way more room than anyone could imagine. So I decided to tackle one of Nora's largest areas of active clutter- her traveling
dog treats, leashes, and poo bags.
Now, I know what you're thinking- Jenna, your dog weighs 7lbs, don't you just carry her everywhere. What do you need leashes for? And while Nora does get her fair share of carrying, she is actually a very high energy adult dog. If she doesn't get out for walks regularly I find that she stirs a lot more while napping and during my own free time. Since the 3 staples, leash, poo bags, and treats, are carried out with the dog multiple times a day they are often the first things you'll find laying across the living couch, on the kitchen nook, or even in the laundry room.
In hopes of cutting back on this clutter, and simplifying our daily routines, I set out on a mission to organize our 'walk' materials. First thing was first- I was going to need a variety of mobile treats I could easily store and 'grab-n'go.' Lucky for me, while shopping Chewy.com on a recent stop at the park I discovered a brand new range of Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® dog treats for Nora. With fun names, inspired by real human food recipes, like Pawsta, Savory Roasters, Meatloaf Morself, and Deli Cuts, these colorful fun shaped treats are intended to engage curious canine minds. They're also available in resealable 3oz treat pouches that are perfect for taking on the go with your pup!
I won't lie,
Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® Pawsta, meat-filled treats, was my personal favorite simply for the fun rigatoni shell replica chewy outer layer. They're also corn and wheat free,have no artificial flavors or meat by-products, and feature U.S. farm raised beef or chicken as the number 1 ingredient. While these treats look like they're about bit sized for the ordinary dog, breeds vary and dogs such as Nora should exercise portioning and always be watched while enjoying.
I'll be honest it was the Pawsta and Deli Cuts Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® treat verities that inspired my Chewy.com order, but we simply had to order and try all 5 of the new varieties. Did you know that a portion of the proceeds from Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® sales goes directly to Rachael's personal pet project (pun intended)
Rachael's Rescue®? Though 2016 Rachael's Rescue® has raised and donated over $14 million towards organizations that do good for animals. As if you needed another reason to go ahead and treat your canine family members!
So, with some new, inspired, treats on hand I set out to complete 'project organize the dog's junk' with a handy D.I.Y. Leash Station I could hopefully mount by our front door for easy access. Here's what you'll need:
A Board of Soft Wood (Cut to your Choosing)
100-200 Framing Nails (1 1/2" Works Great)
Handle (In Style of Choice)
2 Hooks (In Style of Choice)
Small Hammer
Measuring Tape
Phillips Screwdriver
2 Clothespins
2 L Mounting Brackets, Matching Screws
Thick Braided Wire Cording (1')
Acrylic Paint (Optional for Clothespins)
The type of wood you'll want to use for this project will vary on what you have on hand- Keep in mind if you are not using a piece of cut, stained, lumber you will want a wood that is soft so as to not split while hammering. I found my base wood at a local craft store. It was 7.5" x 10.5" in rough dimensions.
You do not have to use 'L' brackets as I have chosen to do here, but you will likely want to evenly distribute the weight of the completed leash rack with 2 hanging points. Measure and center this hardware, and screw it directly into your wood base before you begin to hammer nails into it.
***Ideally you would want to attach all of your hardware to your board prior to hammering your paw print design in, to minimize vibrations and movement once completed- I chose to install the remainder of my hardware after to allow my hands better maneuverability while hammering.
Using the Paw Print Template as a guide trace a rough outline of your paw print in pencil onto your wood. Use your printer's copy/scan ability to size the paw print as needed for the shape of your surface. The current template is best for an 7.5" x 10.5" surface.
Using a small hammer drive the first few nails of the outer template into your wood. Hammer them in about 1/5" of the way so the head is securely within the wood, but the majority of the nail still protrudes for depth. Work your way from one side of the board to the other, from the outside of each part of the template inward. I used about 130 nails for my paw print, and chose to leave some of the paw pad open to simulate shading. The process took me about 2, patient, hours.
Once I had my nails all in place I measured our the positioning of my handle, and secured my hooks on either side. My intention for the handle is that we can easily clip longer traditional leashes to it in a pinch, where as we can quickly hang items off of the hooks when needed.
It was around this time Truffles must've decided Nora and I had been gone too long as she decided to pop her head in the window and inspect what we'd been up to. Thankfully some birds at the feeder caught her eye before she had time to notice her canine sister was munching on a stolen snack, compliments of Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® Roasters.
We were almost done in any case- just one finishing touch-
2 wide head screws attached to the underside of our board, left out just enough to wrap our braided wire. While you could use a thick cord, or a variety of other materials for this, I rather liked the rustic, unfinished, feel of the wire and found it sturdy enough to meet our needs. My intend was that I could use clothespins to clip some treat bags, or a harness to this section as needed.
Of course several hours of patiently supervising my latest craft project didn't wear Nora out- if anything it made her even more anxious to get up and get moving. But not before we practiced a few quick obedience commands in exchange for some delicious rewards!
Okay, so she might NOT have been so obedient as she snuck a
Deli Cuts from the pouch when she thought I wasn't looking! They just happen to look like little slices of the human counterpart, pepperoni, so I'm sure she thought she was scoring big time!
I did have to mount my new project on the wall before we could put it to real use, and it seems the rustling of all of her 'away' gear was enough to tell Nora a walk was in her near future. Does your dog do flips and spin in circles when they know they are about to go 'out' too? At least all of her gear is by the door so I don't have to worry about any 'false alarms' when a discarded leash gets in the way, anymore.
Our little leash station comfortably holds a retractable leash, poo bag dispenser, traditional leash, bag of treats, and more. How do you think it turned out? I rather like walking through my front door and seeing a sign of my furry friends at eye level! Want to let your pup experience the new Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® treats for themselves? Grab this exclusive
coupon for $1.50 off treats now, while supplies last and pick up a package at your local grocer! (You can print it twice!)
Now, tell me, what's the biggest source of clutter in your home for your furry (or human) kids?
