Lost Sock Organizer ~ DIY Friday

The legend of the Dryer Monster eating socks has been passed down from one generation to the next since the dawn of time.  Or at least since the very first dryer was plugged in.  I remember my mom had a round laundry basket filled with socks who were lost from their mates.  If we were lucky one of us kiddo's got to pair up the socks for cash.  If we were unlucky we had to pair them up for punishment.  And I mean it was a BIG basket.  But have no fear SuperMom's (and our kiddo's) the Sock Organizer is here.  Bye Bye big baskets full of lost socks!

This project is very simple and can be completed during a drying cycle!  I used an old wooden window frame to make my Lost Sock Organizer but a picture frame would work great too.  I picked up three of these shabby frames for $5 each at a swap meet!  Little did I know at the time it was my first step towards the death of the Dryer Monster.

I sanded one just a bit where any paint was chipping but wanted to keep the character of the frame with all it's painted layers.

I have been dying for my hubbie to make me a chicken coop.  Me and this roll of wire has been waiting for quite some time now.  So I figured a if I cut a little piece off it wouldn't hurt my chances of one day getting my coop.

 I then gathered up the rest of my supplies.  A staple gun, jute twine and a pack of wooden clothes pins.

The first thing I did was tie a few knots in one end of the twine and then staple it to the back of my frame.  I didn't want the twine to try and slip through the staple, freeing the lost socks.  You know, just in case the Dryer Monster bribed the twine into doing so.

To make sure the twine hang the way I wanted it I attached a few pins to see how it would look.  It's a good idea to do this before you cut the other end of your twine, tie it and staple it down in case it is too long or too short.  I speak from experience.

Once you have your sock-hanging line up it's time to attach the chicken wire with a few more staples.  After doing so I realized the back of my frame would be kinda scratchy so I rummaged through my crafting supply and found this stuff.  I'm not quite sure what it's supposed to be used for but it was perfect.  I grabbed my hot glue gun and glued it down the edges of the wire so it wouldn't scratch up the wall.  Or a thick ribbon would do the job.

That's it.  Simple.  But the dryer was still drying.  So I decided to add a fun touch.

I had Pin'd this project a while ago and loved the cute saying "Searching: Sole Mates".  I whipped up a quick batch of my own chalkboard paint from some green paint I had leftover.  I added a simple stripe to the top of my frame.  I thought the typical black color would be too harsh.  Learn how to make your own chalkboard paint in ANY COLOR here!

There.  And just as the dryer belched his final "I'm done and full of socks" buzz!  Here is how it looks hanging in my freshly decluttered laundry room thanks to Week 5 in my DeClutter Confessions of a (not-so) SuperMom series.

What did I do with the other frames you ask?  Well I used one while decorating my Neutral Fall Mantle this year.  I used shades of whites, woods and shiny silvers to decorate with and didn't purchase a thing.  I just shopped from my home for anything that matched my description.  I'd love it if you stopped by to see how it turned out!

The other one?  I used the third frame and made an Memo Board I used as an Advent Calendar for Christmas.

For now I'm just relishing in the destruction of the mythical beast.  Although I will continue to pass on the legend of the Lost Socks and the Dryer Monster, for the kiddo's sake.  

But for now I've tamed him.  Plus I put a smile on my face when I'm doing laundry.  

And that my friends puts me one step closer in my day-to-day struggle down the treacherous path of becoming a SuperMom.  But that's another legendary tale that's proving to put up a good fight.

How do you tame your lost socks?  Do you organize in some way or throw them all into a big basket?  =)