Have you ever opened a closet, or a cabinet and have loads of stuff fall on you? Yup, that happened to me recently. It was our double bathroom vanity, specifically, my side of the vanity! So in a fit of frustration, I organized it, in an hour, and spent zero dollars! How to Organize your Over-Stuffed Cabinet for $0 Dollars! Step 1: TAKE IT ALL OUT! This is the fun part, in my opinion - pulling it all out and creating a blank slate! Is that not an insane amount of stuff?! I had old medication and waaaaaaay too many tampons (if my family is reading this, they may get a chuckle out that!) Step 2: Sort and PURGE! Once you're surrounded in the mound of stuff you pulled out, it's time to figure out what stays, what goes and what can be given away. BE RUTHLESS! I gave ... [ Read More ]
How to Organize a Small Pantry!
Another organizing post coming your way this week and this was one was born out of necessity! Our narrow kitchen pantry houses canned and boxed goods, plastic wrap, treats, and anything with a shelf life. But it was a mess. And I was re-buying things I already had. Not to mention finding expired products when I did bother to rummage through it. So I decided to take it on and finally get it all organized! How to Organize a Small Pantry! Take Everything Out! And I mean EVERYTHING! Warning: your kitchen will get messy! Make sure to give your shelves a wipe down and/or add in some shelf liner paper. I use a brand called Macbeth Collection which is self-adhesive (and wipeable!) Purge (and check Expiration Dates!) If your pantry is like mine, you'll be amazed at what you'll ... [ Read More ]
How to Organize a Small Art Station for Kids!
You asked and I answered! In my first post of 2019 (how is it 2019 already?!) I asked about what types of posts you'd like to see. The verdict so far? Organization! And to be honest, January is the perfect month for organizational posts as everyone (including myself!) is all about cleaning, purging and getting the new year off with a fresh start! That being said, today's post is about an art station I set up in the corner of our dining room for our kiddo. How to Organize a Small Art Station for Kids! We set up a little table and chair set we bought eons ago in the corner of our dining room to serve as a small art station that can be converted to extra dining space should other little ones come over and dine with us. Sort, Purge and Assess Kids have a lot (and I mean A LOT) ... [ Read More ]
Our “Back to School” Drop Zone System!
School is coming up quick for our kiddos so it's time to think of lunch prep (gah!) and organizing! We needed a back to school drop zone system quick since our current system was pretty much drop everything on the floor when you come in. Until now! Our "Back to School" Drop Zone System! Sniff. My little girl is now 4 (FOUR!!!) and she will be off to kindergarten next week. If you asked me where the time went, I have seriously no idea!! But I have been enjoying all of the back to school organizing and shopping :) Her and I have hit the town running and I think we have all of the clothes and school supplies ready but looking at our entryway that we re-did not long ago, things needed to be tweaked a bit. (Just as a refresher, this L-shaped bench was created with using IKEA's "Besta" ... [ Read More ]
Living Room Toy Organization and Storage Solutions!
I have a 4 year old with 4 years of toys to prove it! And they all seem to land in our living room. One of the ways we've hidden those toys is with the extra storage we created using storage ottomans in our coffee table: But within those ottomans was a mess. So I got my organizing hat on and got down to work! Step #1 - Clear it All Out and Categorize! The first step to any organization project is clearing out the mess first and assessing what you have. Next up is to categorize what is staying and then shop for storage solutions that work for your space. (Side note, that's my favourite part) :) I had bought a bunch of these containers for the kitchen but they worked so well for our toy issue! I also used clear glass vases to hold artwork and extra paper supplies ... [ Read More ]
THE Best Reusable Grocery Bag!
Yup, you read that right. I found, what I believe to be THE best reusable grocery bag that I'm actually consistently using. And loving! My Inspiration The idea came from the most recent issue of "Storage" magazine: See those beautiful bucket bags down there? The editors suggested using them as an alternative to standard grocery bags and grocery bag alternatives. They're sturdier, they have a flat bottom and they tote shaped so you could really use them for any type of shopping, not just groceries. I also love how cleanable they are. They come in at $20 US a piece at the Container Store, and while I'm sure they're worth that price, I wasn't sure I wanted to invest in a bunch until I knew whether or not this system would be for me. But then I found these beauties at $4 ... [ Read More ]
An Easy Way to Organize Toys!
The #1 question I'm asked is about toys and how to organize them. It seems like a lot of parents are struggling with the mountain of toys our kids have these days and how to deal with them, and, better yet, how to organize them! Taking a look at my living room, you can see that I've struggled with this issue too. After trying to figure out how to manage the toy craziness, I came to (what I think!) is the key to finally kicking the toy overflow problem. I broke them down into 4 (easy!) steps: 1. PURGE You expected this one, didn't you?! ;) But when I say "purge", I'm talking about evaluating every teeny tiny toy piece you find. In my purge, I found all sorts of little bits that I call the "just in case" pieces. I got rid of them all and so far, my little one hasn't missed ... [ Read More ]
DIY Valentine’s Day Pouch!
Happy Thursday! (Surprised to see me here?!) Today I'm participating in a Valentine's Day blog hop organized by the lovely Jo-Anna from "A Pretty Life in the Suburbs"! (Be sure to check out her gorgeous blog!) Now let's talk Valentine's Day. I find it to be a tricky design holiday. Actually all holidays (except for Christmas and possibly Halloween) are tricky design holidays. You don't want to invest a lot of money on seasonal décor items, but at the same time you want your home to reflect the fun associated with that holiday! (Although if decorating for every holiday is your jam, go forth, purchase and decorate!) With Valentine's Day, I like to go the craft route. You can easily make things, use them, gift them and then put them away! Mine this year involves something you know ... [ Read More ]
An Unexpected Organizational Tool!
Hello Monday! How did the weekend treat you? I caught a miserable cold and on Saturday I lost my voice. John enjoyed that part thoroughly! ;) I'm still squeaky but I had to tell you about my latest finding. It's a quick little organizational tip for you that comes from an unexpected item that was too pretty to pass up. They're gift card holders! Yes I'm crazy, but stick with me, I'll show you how I use them! Here's what they look like on the inside: I picked several up at the dollar store because I loved how chic they were. (I'm guessing our dollar stores cleared out the CVS stock on these?!) Then the idea struck me - couldn't I use these tins to store some of my smaller items? So I started with some jewelry studs. The velvet backing was perfect to pierce each stud ... [ Read More ]
A “To-Do” Schedule! (Psst…I made one for you too and it’s free!)
At the top of the year I wrote about my word for 2018 which was "accomplish"! So off I went, starting a massive "to-do" list of all the things I wanted to get done for the year. But something I'm guilty of doing pretty much every time (ask my hubby), is setting out a task list and then not doing said task list. And I always have an excuse: I'm too busy, I put too many things on the list, I'm tired, I want to do something else, I'm tired, do I really want to do this, have I mentioned I'm tired....sound like you too? (Please say yes...) That said, I've realized that I'm a deadline-oriented person. If I don't attach an end date to something, it will NOT happen. Or it will happen, but in a few months from now. (Maybe even a few years from now!) So this year I created a monthly "To-Do" ... [ Read More ]
