How Jean Organizes Her Entry

in ,

This month's first guest participating in the How I Organize series is Jean of Flower Hill Design Company, whose design aesthetic I love. She gives us a peek inside her home and shares with us her beautifully organized entry:

jean-entry.jpg

My design dilemma was that I had an entryway closet that blocked my front door from my living room space. It was small, cramped, dark and not functional. Living a busy life style, I needed organization that allowed me to keep the daily essentials within reach, without having a space that looked cluttered and unorganized.

My solution was to remove the old entryway closet, opening the front door to the living room and allowing more light to fill the space. I designed a built-in closet in another area of the home that not only had space for in season coats and shoes, but incorporated cubbies to hold the day to day essentials that were ready to "grab and go". Items include my handbag, keys, and accessories like sunglasses or lipgloss. It also needed to provide storage for transient things like my son's school papers that need to be referred to in the short term, incoming mail, a place to store my laptop when not in use, and some basic office supplies (i.e. a pen for a quick note, tape, notepad, etc...). I painted a mural on the interior of the closet. By treating the closet design like another area of my home (not just a storage space) it keeps me motivated to keeps things looking pretty.

There is a hanging rod for in season coats. Beneath the hanging rod there are two shelves which is ample storage for our in season shoes. An upper shelf holds baskets for hats, gloves, and scarves. The cubbies hold my handbag, accessories, laptop, and basic files to hold paperwork that needs to be referred to but is not quite necessary to be filed away in the office filing cabinet. An urn holds pens for quick notes (either notes to the teacher or a grocery shopping list). Simple DIY storage boxes made from shirt boxes hold some basic office supplies like tape and a stapler.

Everything has it's place. The cubbies make everyday essentials easy to find. It makes a busy lifestyle and constantly being on the go so much easier. Having a designated space for everyday essentials keep my countertops clutter free.

Jewelry Box as Office Supplies Organizer

in , ,

I love when people think creatively and use things for something other than their intended purpose.  In an article for Traditional Home, Chris Plantan suggested using a jewelry box to organize small office items like paper clips, pushpins, pens, tape, notepads, etc.  Looks pretty enough to have out on a desktop for easy access. Great idea! -wouldn't you agree?

In case you're wondering, the box shown is the McKenna from Pottery Barn(unfortunately looks like they no longer offer it in pink).

image credits: 1-5 via this video, 6-photography by werner straube for traditional home

How Annie Organizes Her Nightstand

in ,

This week's 'How I Organize' guest is new pal and professional organizer, Annie of Live Simply. She gives us a look at how she beautifully organizes her nightstand:

My nightstand is small, meaning that I have to keep it really streamlined. I do most of my reading and note-taking in my bed, so for me its important to keep pens, highlighters and sticky notes on hand. Since I always sleep with my hair tied back, my nightstand also has hair ties or a clip. There is nothing worse than being on the verge of sleep, only to realize that you have to get up to get a hair elastic! I also apply hand moisturizer and chapstick right before I go to sleep, so having those two things within arms reach is a must.

I like to keep a cup of water next to my bed as well. For a long time this meant that I would end up with a collection of cups on my nightstand and none in the kitchen. I finally solved that problem by purchasing a special cup meant only for my bedside. I don’t bring cups from the kitchen upstairs because I know that cup is there, and I since I only use it for water (and it’s only me using it) I feel fine about simply washing it in the bathroom sink with soap and water.

I keep a small stack of books by my bedside, but make sure that they are only the ones I am currently reading. If it’s completed or neglected, then back to the shelf it goes!

Beautifully Organized Medicine Cabinet

in

The bathroom medicine cabinet tends to be a place where many of us store everyday essentials like our toothbrush, face wash, cotton swabs, etc. Since we access it frequently it's nice to have set it up in a way that's functional and looks good too. The best way to make this happen is to get rid of all the products that aren't being used. You know what I'm talking about - expired cosmetics and medicines, bath and body products once tried and didn't like. Doing this frees up space so it's not so crowded in there and makes products that are being used, easy to find. Once you get rid of the clutter, you can optimally organize.

You can group items by type (e.g. all oral hygiene items on the lower shelf) and arrange by frequency of use (e.g. put less used products on upper shelf). Use containers as needed. A pretty tumbler (2) makes a nice toothbrush holder, canisters (1) are great for cotton swabs and cotton balls, and small "drawer organizers" (3) are perfect for corralling smaller items.

If you're short on space, use acrylic risers (5) to create an additional shelf, and take advantage of the unused gap between the cabinet door and the inside shelving by adhering magnetic pods (4) to the inside of the door. Pods are great for holding all the tiny things, like bobby pins, lip balm, etc., that can tend to get lost.

Hope you found these tips useful!

top image: instyle magazine

Martha Stewart for Staples

in , , ,

As soon as I heard about this from my friend Maggie, I got so excited (yes I'm an organizing geek!).  I went this weekend to Staples to check it out in person and I loved what I saw - beautiful boxes, binders, notebooks, desktop accessories, dividers, labels, files:

How Maggie Organizes Her Bathroom Cabinet

in , , ,

The How I Organize series, which gives us a peek at how others organize their homes, is back! I've got some fabulous participants lined up. First up is my friend and Seattle-based interior decorator, Maggie of Maggie Rose Interiors (who just launched a new e-book!).  She shares with us today how she organizes her bathroom cabinet:

Our apartment has no under-sink storage, but it came with a generously sized cupboard in the corner near the door. It's not the prettiest thing to look at, but it holds a LOT of stuff! It's nice to have everything at eye-level instead of getting down on your knees on the bathroom floor to dig stuff out from under the sink. 

The top shelf (out of my reach!) holds infrequently used items like beach towels, a small tub for soaking, and back-up bulk kleenex. The next shelf holds back-up toilet paper (we keep 3 rolls in a glass vase near the toilet so guests don't have to scrounge), once-in-a-while beauty and health products, travel supplies in a shoebox, and our first aid kit (blue bin on the right). The third shelf from the top holds towels (holds up to four plus our two in rotation), hand towels, cleaner, and the heavy kitty litter box - I wish there was a better place to stash that, but the litter box is in the bathroom, so it makes sense. The bottom shelf is the most frequently used and easiest to reach. I have a basket for everyday items (hairdryer, etc), occasional items (feminine products, curling iron), and the basket on the right holds all the washcloths. It's not uber-glamorous but it IS uber-functional and I can find everything quickly. Maybe someday I'll get around to painting or wall-papering the inside, but for now, it does its job!

Beautifully Labeled Pantry

in ,

Came across photos of Sam's pantry and fell in love...

She used glass mason jars and labels she designed, to create a beautiful way to store basic food items.

Would make a great weekend project, don't you think? The labels are available as a free download here.  Print them on sticker paper and adhere them to the tops like she did or on the fronts of larger jars.  Or just use it as inspiration and make your own (let me know if you do -would love to see!)

all images via elephant shoe blog

4 Year Anniversary

in

The framed photo below was taken four years ago today.  Looking at it makes me smile remembering how special the day was :-)

I'm taking the afternoon off to spend out and and about with my hubby in celebration of our  wedding anniversary.

Til' tomorrow my dears!