Storage and Display Sport Momentos

I ran in college and my budget right now is low but I took my bib numbers and added them in a memory frame I purchased from Hobby Lobby. Eventually the medals will have their own shadow box and so will the batons I have from every school I ran and or coached at. The biggest thing is to protect from light and dust.

Message Board

Took the frame of a cork board and covered it with fabric using a staple gun then took a roll of ribbon and and attached it in a vertical pattern adhering it to the edge with a staple gun.

The Closet the Last Frontier

Organizing that closet can be just as challenging as trying to find anything in it! You invest a lot of money in your clothes, don’t just cram them into your closet, organizing your closet can not only prolong the life of your clothing but keep you from buying duplicates of items and help you revive what you wear giving you new outfits.

Some prefer to organize their closet by color while others prefer to organize by article of clothing, blouses, skirts, and pants.

You will need, hangers (3 different colors) 2 hangers for multiple pairs pants, and hangers for skirts. Plastic containers or baskets for folded clothes, several containers with lids for storing accessories, your choice of a system for storing shoes.  3m hooks I use several.

I am the typical women in that my shoes probably out number my amount of friends on Facebook.  There are several methods to organizing your shoes. I have seen women use their camera and take pictures of each shoe taping the picture to the outside of the shoe box and stack the shoe boxes so that the picture can be seen. If that works for you great! What you use needs to make your shoes visible and easy to get shoes out. Keep in mind the space you have and the amount of shoes you own. You don’t want your system for organizing your shoes to take up more than 1/3 of your space on shoes. I have seen women go out and spend hundreds on the 7 dollar box that shoes your shoes off and the front of the box flips open and the shoe slides out the side. These are nice but not budget friendly. I myself use milk crates and recycled toy bins. I place the shoes in categories of pumps, sandals, and activity. For shoes I really love and don’t want to place in a group bin I do the picture thing. I have a friend who uses over the door shoe rack for the shoes that she wears the most. Making them easy to grab and go, she boxes and stacks the others that she wears on other occasions.  The shoe rack is nice as well but it can take up valuable floor space, try using one and then placing the others in a different system. Don’t be afraid to try different types of organization systems and mix with others in order to find what works for you. Keep in mind the total amount of space you can use in your closet don’t waste your space budget. You should be able to organize your closet without spending too much money.

Accessorize, belts, hats, gloves, scarves, pins. We have tons of items that we use with our outfits. Try placing items like belts, and in an open basket or investing in a hanger for belts it can work for scarves as well, if you have the room.  

Find and designate a box for winter gear. This way you can move it in and out of the closet to leave yourself more room.

Thanks to Kat Middleton and the royals hats and fascinators are making a comeback, if you’re willing to invest in the hats, invest in hat boxes for your hats. This will help them stay clean and keep their shape. Use acid free tissue paper to tuck them in.

Purses- are just as bad as shoes. Use hooks in your close to hang larger bags, small clutches and hand bags can be placed in a plastic container to store in your closet, larger bags can be placed in an open basket. Try to store bags on their bottoms  and the packing bubbles and tissue paper in order to store and help keep the purses shape.

Choose what works for you, organizing by clothing piece, or by color. I use a hybrid all of my tops are organized by color with space for shirts with patterned material.  I organize the colors with tanks on the right, t-shirts in the middle, and longer sleeved shirts on the left.  Organizing this way makes putting away and finding them much easier. For bottoms I have them on one side of the closet and they are also sorted by color. My point is, your options for organizing and where to place items are limitless.

Try this: I bout 3 different colors of hangers; blue hangers are for dress clothes, purple hangers for athletic wear, and pink are for casual clothes. You could also use them this way; red hangers for t-shirts, orange, for tanks, and halters types, black for blouses and long sleeved shirts.

Swap it I use several large plastic containers one for spring and two for winter to swap clothes out. Giving me more room in my closet before I place items in them they are cleaned, pressed, and nicely folded so that they are ready for their next use. I keep my staple pieces year round but add and subtract based on season and weather.

                Designate a box in the closet for a lint roller, shoe polish, heal guards, buttons, and safety pins, patch kit, sewing kit and any other miscellaneous clothing pieces.

Instruction Manuals, Warrenties, and Reciepts Oh My!

As I most certainly can relate, knowing where to find the paperwork for your electronics and appliances is really important when it comes to saving your self; stress, time, and money. Many of us buy the warranties on computers and our devices also have a lifetime warranties, but we've thrown out the paper work, or are unable to find it. You are only going to make the most of  these warranties and get what you pay for, if you can locate the papers. Having a filing system that works and a go to spot for these is key.

Start by going through your house and rounding the paper work into one pile. You'd be surprised how much you find, even the smallest devices like pedometers have limited warranties.  You should be looking for purchase or repair receipts, manuals, proof of warranties or anything else that might apply to an item.

Next go through the pile and verify that you actually still own the items for which you have paperwork. If not shred it.
Your next move is to designate and clear a spot tucked out of the way, but still allow you to find and put papers away easily.

Choose a filing system that fits both the space and your preference. Try accordion folders for small spaces, and small file boxes. These work great for pantry's, living room cabinets, or closets. Other options can include part of a filing cabinet, binders, archiving boxes, or even fire proof boxes. Whatever works for you!

Filing- Label each folder clearly and in large enough print that a person can read it quickly. Most recent repairs or work on anything should go in the front of a file.

Start by giving each computer in your house hold its own folder. These tend to have several pieces of paper and need to be kept separate from each other for clarity. I try to keep all the set up discs as well with these. It is also a good idea to make a copy of the lap top bottom with all the numbers and info on it. I also make a copy of the receipt of purchase. I do this for almost all electronics. Includedshould also be any programs that you buy and install off the Internet like virus protection in these files.Printers should get their own group folder.
         *To distinguish paperwork for similar models and same brands. I take a highlighter and run it down the side edge of the paper giving it a pink tint or blue when looking at it from the side.

You should also have a folder for both large kitchen appliances, and small appliances, receipts, warranties, and manuals go here. Any time you replace track down the manual for the old and attach it to go with the item you are getting rid of.
Ipods and Mp3's,  can be lumped in with both cellular and land phones. There is not as much paper work but they fit well together.

It's alright to put all the TVs together in a file just invest in paper clips and try highlighting the edge of one side to differentiate paper work. I also include each cable or dish box pamphlet that accompanies each TV with it in the individual TV's paper work.

Game systems and accessories can be grouped in together. They are similar in style but different again to differentiate try the highlighting trick and paper clip. Rock band equipment and Wii fit tools apply here.

Home stuff, you can separate these into four folders. Try splitting the folders this way things you would take with you if you were to move and things that will stay were you to move.
    (These are the two indoor/outdoor folders of things you wont take with you)  Home repairs indoor should have its own file, this is for any work or repairs that is done to the inside of the house. Outdoors gets it's own, same as follows I would also keep a copy of paint colors and brand types that you used in each room, new counter tops you put in and even blinds, and items in your home . Should a repair be faulty or not work it is good to have the original paper work, also helps when trying to sell a house. Documentation is key when dealing with home buyers and insurance companies, also included would be faucet fixtures.
  (These are the two you would take with you)  Home indoor: should include information about floor lamps and furniture. Outdoor would include, lawn mower, snow blowers, and patio furniture.

Any Exercise equipment can go in a shared folder. Radios and stereos can be grouped together. Its always nice to have a misc. file for hard to place items like floor fans.

I recommend designated a box or binder just for cars because of all the different types of paperwork, keep this separate from this box.

Some times buying that warranty pays off especially with laptops but knowing where you put it can be a pain, establishing and keeping track of these things can only take about 15 minutes a month to up keep if that, and  assure you didn't buy the warranty in vain its worth knowing were it is!

Keep This, Not That- College Edition

Moving home from college can be difficult with both parties adjusting to the new changes. Finding places for all the things that you managed to cram into your dorm over the last several years. You wonder how things ever fit in your dorm room yet alone your room. Trying to find places to put everything can be like trying to fit a semesters worth of information into your brain in one night, for finals. Let’s be real most of your things you won’t use again, and will end up either being donated, trashed, or permanently stored until you are forced by the rents to come take it off their hands. There are something’s that I wouldn’t discard just yet.

Repurpose :

Trash can, old use; catching trash and keeping beverages cold in your college youth. New use; don’t rule out the beverage cooler just yet (if it’s clean and washed out). You can turn this into a recycling can, something to store umbrellas, yoga mats, and other workout accessories. Children’s toys if you’re at that point in your life. Point is you can reuse a quality trash can to your advantage and store whatever you need it to, even if it’s that outdoor equipment or your spouse’s mounting collection of fishing poles.

College bedding, old use; snuggling and keeping you warm as you sleep through your 8 o’clock class. New use; chances are if it’s in good shape you can use it in a spare bedroom, as an extra blanket for downstairs and out of town guests. (Make sure you run comforters through industrial washer first.)If it’s not in the best shape you can always use it to cover and protect furniture for your moves, turn it into blankets for football games and other outdoor events.

Shower caddy, old use; toting your shower supplies back and forth between your municipal bathrooms. New use; corralling your bathroom supplies under your sink, or keeping craft projects together, nice for storing your gardening tools or weekend warrior tools and gadgets.

Other things to keep:

Plastic bins and over the back storage containers. Are some of those things that if they survive the wear and tear of college you should try to hold onto. You can reuse these and place them just about anywhere in the house to help organize your life and make locating things easier.

Lounge arm chair, that you bought, as post college graduate, I have to say it’s a must have for those sick bed days.

Fridge, having another fridge on hand can be handy, whether you still use it for housing your beer or are now using it to store food you buy in bulk. Mine is in the garage cooling our beverages.

Futon, as long as it’s at a reasonable height off the ground you shouldn’t have a problem. These make great impromptu couches and beds for guests. It almost always comes in handy.

Message board, you’re not done with it yet, it can now stand duty in your kitchen, for; to do lists, groceries, phone messages, and notes.

College texts, hold on to any books, you think might come in handy with your line or work. They’re a great reference point for interviews or just reviewing something, but dump anything you don’t think you can use after one year. Continue to pare down the paper work you hold onto from college until you’re at the bare essentials.

What not to keep:

At this point most of these things had a lot of tear and wear and are not in the best shape you can be the judge but most things that get tossed. That or they should probably not accompany you home as you start your professional career.

The chair or couch you bought from goodwill and looks like it just finished a fourth tour in World War III.

Carpet, you spilled on it, walked on it, and hardly ever vacuumed it so it’s looking worse than Shaggy on Scooby Doo before his yearly haircut.

Bath towels, it’s time for new bath towels, those are probably slightly ratty, and your older now it’s time to invest in quality bath towels.

Anything you wore to a themed frat party, you probably wouldn’t and shouldn’t wear it out in public, and it’s only going to take up valuable space in your closet, so toss it.

Piloting the Piles

Fix, To Do, Recycle, Recycle, and Read the list goes on. We all have a perpetual never ending list of things we want to achieve. In today’s technology and fast pace word finding the time can be near impossible. If you can spare 15 minutes a day you find that list might narrow down just a bit.

Starting, give yourself 15 minutes a day to work on a pile of your choice and set a timer. It is easier to accomplish more, when you know you have an end point.

Reshuffling, into categories; send, do, read, recycle and fix. Remember there are thousands of categories for piles.  It may not feel like you get much done at first but, it is easier to deal with a pile that is all one category. By placing things you need to read or go through in one area, it will be easier to whittle this down later.

Pair it down, once you piles are complete, take care of the space stealers first, anything that needs to leave the house, for example recycling or donating. Remember that 15 minutes you had to organize the piles; you’re not done with it yet. Next time you go out shopping through it in the car and make the stop at Good Will, or the recycling center. (Make sure to keep a list of what you donated for tax season write offs) Ask yourself, if you are really going to ever read/use. this? Do I need it? Can this be put away? Does this have a home? Can I through this away? If you answered yes to any of these take care of that. If you answered no in the trash it goes. When sorting your piles, keep a bin to place items in that need to be put away, a recycling bin/trash bag for items you choose to discard in order to pare down and simplifying your piles.

Bin away, the “put away bin” should be done every other day, set the timer for 15 and go, move around the house quickly putting items in their proper homes or returning to their owners. Try to empty the bin as fast you can, this makes for a good work out for houses with stairs. Once you have your piles organized use the concept of “the put away bin” for quick clutter cleaning, of any common living space in your home. Do it every other day and you should be able to keep clutter under your thumb. Also make sure people understand the put away bin is not storage and only you are allowed to use it. This sounds harsh, but I have seen people take the bin and use it for other things or to store items witch quickly defeats the purpose of de cluttering and taking on your piles.

Take a paper cut, things like; bills, menus, business cards, appliance information, house repair receipts and magazines /catalogs. Try investing in a business card box that is alphabetized, you can find most of these at any office supply store , I stick mine in the pantry it’s a great way to keep track of numbers of services for the water heater and any other home repair people you use. I also have a friend who has dedicated an entire binder to her home, she keeps the repairman’s business cards, and all her important home papers and warranties in the binder. She uses the baseball card protector pages and slides the card in, and protector pages for the other paper work. If you have the time and get crazy you can enter the information on your computer and keep it in a database there. Try investing in a decorative box to keep your bills; it’s a great way to keep everything together and a place to hide the bills when guests come over. I do the same with menus and store it in my pantry. As for the magazines and catalogs, the choices are unlimited make sure it’s something pretty that you won’t mind having sit out and that fits the available space you have stash the magazines in there, go through though and purge every year. If you know you will never look at it or are not interested take it right to the recycling don’t waste your time. The goal is to find these things easy but kept nice, neat, and organized. Whatever system you choose to organize your pile of papers make sure it’s one that is easy to use and keep up. Anything that requires complicated work won’t last. The easier it is to put things a way, the more likely you are to stick to it.

Memorabilia, oh the nostalgia things we just can’t seem to let go of, there is a box for that. Put it all in a decent size box to be stored in your closet.  Over time as the collection grows and the lid won’t close pare down items until it does. Your options are to display the items you removed from your book shelves or trash them. Remember if you choose to display them you have to have room for them, if you choose to make room that means something else has to go, don’t let your shelves become cluttered.

My pile buster tools include; a timer, allergy medicine for the dust, paper towels and cleaner to clean off anything that might need it,  three ring binder and hole punch for corralling and organizing papers. Labels and markers for just that, labeling, a recycling bin and trash bag for discards, storage solutions-boxes-magazine rack, and a small piece of chocolate for a reward when I finish

Piles are part of life they just happen, but taking some time can break them down into smaller piles and help you keep on top of the mess.

Diamond Solutions-Organizing Jewelry

I love jewelry it’s a large weakness of mine.  Problem is I have so much I forget what I own and what my options are.  Jewelry is one of those fun accessories to organize. Locate that missing earring, rescue tangled or broken necklaces. Reclaim tarnished treasures and rediscover a long lost favorite piece.

To untangle jewelry try using a needle and tweezers. Slide the needle through the not use the tweezers to wedge into the knot as well. Work gently and pull on the chain until you have enough space to slip your fingers in the chain and finish untangling it.

Place anything that looks tarnish in the jewelry cleaner, you can buy this at almost any super store. Once done use the sliver/ gold clothe to finish cleaning.

Place any jewelry that you need repaired into a plastic bag to be dropped off. It is easy to replace broken catches or lobster claws. Most craft stores sell jewelry catches. All you need is jump rings and pliers. If you are unable of fixing it, call your jewelry making friend they might be able to lend you a hand. Keep another bag for anything you decide to get rid of. Consider selling it to cash for cold if it is of value look into what they accept it’s not just gold and silver. You can use the money to invest in new pieces or an organizing system.

Recently I noticed that the miniature wire dress mannequin have grown in popularity. Last year I decided to capitalize on the opportunity and I bought one. I decided to have this decoration do double duty and turned it into an earring stand. Having the earrings out reminds me of different pieces I own that I can pear with necklaces to wear. This saves me valuable drawer space. This is not the only option you have. When choosing jewelry stands or displays make sure it’s something you won’t have to turn, and that it’s   easy to reach the back. Look for something with a wide base. I had a stand before that toppled over easily because the base was too small and it toppled over easily. Make sure if it has hooks or places to put your earrings it’s easy to use and things won’t become tangled. Also before you buy asses the size and amount of the jewelry you plan to put on there, you don’t want it to topple over for weight.

I bought several fabric colored divide drawer organizers. These came in handy when organizing my jewelry and they fit perfectly in my drawers. I can easily lift them out in layers and see everything I own with digging and tangling my jewelry. Make sure if you decide to try these you measure your drawer space height, length and width to make sure the ones you buy work. I bought these at TJ- Max, Marshall's and Home Goods. Play with how you organize the jewelry, try different combinations. Also if you don’t want to designate an entire drawer to jewelry make sure to measure the space you plan to give. Instead of buying dividing boxes you can use old boxes from around the house to get the same affect.

If you don’t want to use drawer space there are other options. I recycled an old wooden cigar box and turned it into a jewelry box. I also have an old tea box that had dividers I decided to use.

Small jewelry boxes are fun. I have three that I collected from family vacations and trips that I took. It’s nice because they provide sentimental value while holding jewelry that I love. They also do a great job of decorating my dresser top. Just be careful not to overdo it with these. It’s easy to forget what you put where and could find yourself going through a few before you find what you’re looking for.

I have entertained the idea of a jewelry stand but currently do not have the space, so this particular stand fits my needs. I plant to place it on top of the jewelry stand when I buy it. Don’t be afraid to be creative. I have a friend who rescued a folding shutter and painted it she added some small hooks in which to hang necklaces and bracelets. For the earrings she uses the wire ones over the side of the shutter. She removed some of the shutters and added a cork board with a small bin for the earrings with a stud. She places the backs in the small bin. Everyone is different and different things work for different people.

The Remote Situation

What if we calculated the average amount of time we spend looking for the remote. How much would it total? What about the most common hiding places? For my home it’s the couch cushions and under the bed.  I have seen several unique approaches to find the remotes in your life. I think my favorite has been placing an electronic key finder on it. That’s a nice one except you have to know where to find the remote for key finder and if the TV volume is blasting you can’t hear it beeping.  Here I have listed several ways to never lose your remotes again.

Velcro

One of my friends in college introduced me to the “Velcro it” method. I liked this because on my way out the room all I had to do was stick it to the side of the TV. I also went a step further and placed a Velcro spot for the remote by the side of the bed. This stopped the remote from falling down in-between the wall, and saving me the annoying task of digging it out every time.

Caddy Shack

                My mother’s favorite method is storing the remotes in a caddy on the end table. I wasn’t big on this but liked the idea of contained storage and designated location for remotes. I decided to think out of the box (literally) I found a large candle holder. I chose scrapbook paper that matched my room colors and cut it to fit inside the candle holder, so you can’t see the remotes. It sits beside my bed and easy access and storage when I’m done with the TV

Box for the Box

                I have also seen people use a decorative storage box, where they not only stored their remotes but a list of their TV channels, and the product information for all their TV accessories. I like this because it places all the information and needs in one central location, while giving the living room a glamorous feel.

Place it There Every Time

                For some this works, but the more people you have in a house hold the harder this becomes. We tried this one but gave up. I would recommend this for extremely organized people who live in small numbered households. You might want to back it up with the beeper thing, and when all else fails check the refrigerator; you’d be surprised, especially if you have adolescent males.

There’s an App For That

                Permanently bench the remote. Download the remote app that turns your phone into the remote for your TV. It also places the control of the remote in your hands making you the Queen. Make sure to download the” find my phone” app so that when you lose that you can locate it. I find to be too much work but if you’re big Techy, it works.

The Old Ball and Chain

                If you get really desperate you can always do what the banks do to keep people from steeling pins. Chain it to the end table.

These are just some Ideas If you have your own please feel free to share.

Organizing Pictures- The experience that’s “Worth a thousand words”

Remember the era, where you actually had to go to the store to have your film canister developed. We thought we were in heaven, when one hour development developed! (Please enjoy the pun) Now thanks to digital we no longer print and store photos like we used to but  what about all the ones stashed around the house?

 My parents have been married for almost 40 years; it’s safe to bet they cumulated quite a bit of photos.  I took it upon myself to downside and organize all their photos. Once I got started everyone was jumping in, it was a great family bonding moment. We had a great time sharing our memories and stories. I also learned a lot about each other and I heard some stories I’d never had before. If you have the spare time, grab the family and start organizing. Remember a picture is worth a thousand words and a pretty great story.

You will need:

·         Acid free boxes with a lid

·         Permanent Marker

·         Your pictures

·         Dividers (if they don’t come with the box)

·         Pencil with a good eraser

OrgaOrganizing
               First locate and gather your pictures in an area to work. Make sure it’s someplace you’re going to be comfortable, so you’re able to stay motivated and enjoy revisiting memories.  Bring a large tub for recycling into your work area. Make sure your work area is clean and clear of any liquids.

Pull out about five envelopes, page through the pictures and organize. Look at what you have and try forming different piles; you will want to turn into a tab finder in the boxes for example. You will place all those pictures that correspond with the tab finder title behind the tab in a box I gave a tab to:

·         Individual pets

·         Homes we lived in

·         Each person in the immediate family

·         My mother’s side

·         My father’s side

·         Vacations we took

Once you have gone through label your piles and continue the process with more envelopes.

I designated an entire box to negatives, CD’s, canisters of other film; I dubbed these “the originals”.

 WhatKeep, Recylce, or Pitch
                        Recycle – the empty picture folders, any doubles or  triples you really don’t need, photos that are out of focus or just not flattering to anyone in the picture. If you took several pictures of one thing or grouping of people pick the best three and ditch the rest.

Keep- any pictures of places you used to live, great shots that make you laugh or bring back fun memories.

Share- While making piles I designated a few I wanted to give to my friends or other family members. I stored these in envelopes with their names written on in pencil.
                                                                                                                                           Labeling and Fileing
Label the back of any photo that does not clearly portray what is going on, IE houses you used to live, label it with the years you lived there and the address. When filling in the dividers list events and people in the pictures and the years on the dividers.

 For example my brothers tab showed pictures of him from his first baseball game to senior prom and commissioning ceremonies complete with years.

Next decide which pile to put in which box, I gave one to vacations, another to family and a third to pictures from my Grandmother’s house. Label boxes with general terms such as Family, Vacations.

Your other option is to divide based on year, in that case divide the boxes by decades (it’s possible to fit 2 decades or more into 1 box. Then break the dividers into years and file accordingly. It is important to be specific with labeling pictures in this case.

Some Tips Before You Start
                         Pictures contain silver which if not properly stored can bleed and leak onto other pictures.  Pictures often become stuck together when something ruins the silver in the picture. The culprit is often times dirt, water, improper storage, or if your me my cat. (some strange phenomenon to me she likes to like pictures)

Storing you pictured once you have them organized in boxes needs to be a cool climate controlled area off the ground to avoid flood damage.

The lid helps keep critters and dust out.

If you decide not use the box method make sure your albums are acid free.  Storage methods made from different chemicals an compromise the pictures, acid free ensures that the pictures won’t become damaged from their storage containers over time.

If your boxes don’t come with dividers card stock or scrapbook paper, which is acid free can make for great dividers.

See   storage advice and be patient it takes a lot of time and you will keep finding pictures to file around the house so make sure you put your boxes someplace easy to reach for a while. This does not have to be a project you complete in one day.

Make sure to put pictures away to keep safe when not working on organizing them.

Organize It and Forget It != DDSGAML

1.       Assess and Prioritize

Pick a room, only one at a time. It will be less overwhelming when you focus on small areas. Decide if what you have, is working or if needs to be adapted. Many times it’s just a matter of organizing the material and downsizing, you don’t actually need to go out and get more organizing boxes and excetra.

Set goals, and answer questions.  What is the purpose of this room? What type of feelings are you trying to evoke? What area is the most important to you or do you want to stand out? What type of space is available for storage? IE= shelves, bins or drawers. What area do you want to start with first?

Make a list of what you are going to need. Check around the house, to see if you can re-purpose anything IE= labels or organizing, pretty boxes for stoarge. Free is alway nice.

 Decide what will house what, example; in your night stand you will put lotions, glasses, and remotes. Magazines will have a magazine rack.

*Tip -Shoe boxes are great for organizing small items. If you don’t like the mismatch of them you can always cover them with scrapbook paper to give a more uniformed looked.

2.      DDSGAML!

Divide the room into sections focus on smaller areas at a time, For example: focus on the dresser first before moving to under the bed. If you come across an item that you want to keep but don’t want to put in the area you’re working on, put it in a box designated for miscellaneous items (this box moves with you around the room) as your organizing continue to go through it  place items where you want them. Example: found remote when cleaning under bed put in box to later file with nightstand.

Designate a box or bag for: Items to be resold, recycling/trash, donate to Goodwill,  and miscellaneous.

Sort, now is the time to go through and find all the pens that don’t write anymore and toss them. Clothes that don’t fit, things you don’t really want anymore, don’t hold back.

Group and or Categorize like things together. Colors, Size/Shape, and purpose are all ways to group. Example; Make up brushes, tweezers, and nail files, can all in the same make up bagor box, because they are beauty products.

Arrange and Rearrange, try a couple different lay outs. Keep in mind the items that you use the most. You will want those in front and they need to be accessible. Organization shouldn’t add all that much more work. It should help you find things and de-stress. Ask your self is this system easy to understand and follow. You want it to be fast and within reach, also easy to put away.

MIS it! Make it simple and easy for yourself! Example Place sheet sets inside a coordinating pillow case, so you only have to grab hold of one thing, and put away away one thing, all while being compact and saving room. Don’t add 5 extra steps. Chances are the more complicated you make it the less likely you are to use the system you created.

label sMABLE, You need to be able to know what’s in the box. It is not fun dragging all the boxes out and having to open them to figure out their contents. Make sure to type labels on the computer or do neatly by hand, either way the print needs to be nice and easy to read from -about two feet each direction. Also when working with food, pictures, or make-up from their original container add the date.

3.       Make It your own

Use paper you like to make labels or decorate the boxes. Don’t be afraid to add your own twist. Add your own touch or things you enjoy in-between the shelves or drawers you are organizing.

4.       Curb Appeal, meets Shelf Appeal

Add volume, depth and texture, when working with a high traffic area you want it to be appealing to the eye. Make sure your organization system flows with the furniture and things already in the room. Boxes with raised ridges or patterns add texture. Change the boxes, bins, and bowls to face different directions which allows for depth. For volume stack boxes or arrange books in different sections on book cases lay some horizontally and some vertically.

Make sure high traffic areas are free of obstacles; don’t stick a bin in an area where it is most likely to be tripped over.

Breakables and valuables should be three feet or more off the ground, below is the toddler/ tail zone things at this level are not safe.