Basement Week

The basement organization process is well underway!

This week I took out any of the garbage I could find.
Two bags, plus some bulky broken or useless things.

I've had boxes and bags full of giveaway items packed for almost three years sitting down there... and I loaded them into my car tonight. My car literally only has space for me in it. I might take a photo of it tomorrow before I leave and post it. Ha. It looks like I am moving. The funny thing is, I moved all of that stuff that I didn't need or want from my old apartment. I am going to be taking the items to an organization called Project Concern.

Here is what I will be donating:

Lots of women's clothing. Pants, blazers, shirts, jeans, sweaters, shoes
Kitchen Items: pots, pans, silverware, strainers, salad spinner, mixer, cooking utensils, and so on.
Curtains that my mom kindly washed that were still hanging in the house when I bought it.
Sit-up pillow with arms- it is made out of jean material. I almost want to keep it... I might keep it.

I went to take some "in progress" photos and my camera batteries failed me. I may just do a picture post at the end of this project to compare before and after.

Tips for Staying Organized During Difficult Times

I've been faced with some personal life challenges this month that have truly halted my organization progress. This made me ponder how people can stay organized during various intense life happenings which could include: new baby, sick loved one, loved one passed away, personal illness, financial loss, divorce... basically any major and potentially stressful life happening.

Here are a few tips for staying organized during difficult times:

1. Go easy on yourself.

Get done what you can. You may have a to-do list a mile long, however just checking a couple things off might be all you can deal with right now. This is ok.

2. Do smaller tasks that take less time

Trying to do it all, when what you really need is self care, can wear you down even more- making you less able to complete what you want to get done. Try breaking jobs down into smaller tasks. Devote brief segments of time per day to organization rather than several hours straight

3. Maintain your focus

While you may feel you can't handle another thing, and organizing has perhaps become less important- you really should not give up. Keep your goals in focus. While you may not be able to achieve them during times of emotional stress, it will help to list out objectives and review action plans. Stay steady.

Dining Room Dent

I've made a dent in the dining room.
Progress feels so good.

Here are examples of small efforts making a big impact:

Bookcase Before

Bookcase After

The bookcase did not need much change, just some adjustment. More was added to the shelves than removed, which is surprising. Some of the items on the dining room table found a home on the shelves.

Dining Table Before

Dining Table After

Dining Table Before

Dining Table After

 Ah. The dining room table. This is secretly my office space... And it's just hideous when I let it get out of control. This was actually not bad. Papers just needed to be filed or shredded, books needed to return to the shelf, and so on. Here is where I need a system in place, which in this case may just be setting up a schedule to be sure the table is properly cleared once a week, instead of once whenever it gets so intense that I feel crazy every time I look at it! :-)

Pinterest is Candy

My dining room is still a work in progress. It seems these week long assignments I gave myself are not working in my favor. I did however just pin some interesting things on Pinterest (imagine that... I fully understand the name Pinterest...) I also do sense slow progress in my overall organizational systems. I am being more mindful of how I do things, and continuing to make progress in smaller areas of each room.

My dining room is not a formal dining room. It is also my greenhouse and office. Yes, I eat, re-pot violets and succulents, and write out bills and type all at the same seat at the table. Sometimes I am on the sofa with the laptop, but paperwork tends to stay on the table... for months. From my vantage point right now, I can see my drinking glass, watering can, a vase, small piles of paper, a notebook, a binder, and so on. I recently introduced a bookshelf to the room, but could use double or triple the amount of storage.

Pinterest provided some good ideas- so check them out on the My Organized Dining Room board!

I like the file bench and file ottomon ideas the best. I can feel my creativity bubbling to the surface. Time to put thought into action!

Living Room Week

I have done some online shopping to find an entry bench for my living room. I do not have a foyer or mudroom, so some extra space to help extend our small front closet would be much appreciated.

I found the bench I want on www.hayneedle.com
This is a nice site for inexpensive furniture. I have yet to use it, but at least one purchase will be forthcoming.  This will be a ready to assemble piece, which typically means a lot of annoyance and frustration, but I am pretty handy. Time to commit to this choice and hope that I don't despise it.

I am a Kitchen Designer

It makes sense that I design kitchens since I love organizing.

Yesterday I found out that Roger Hazard of A & E's "Sell This House" and other home design show fame critiqued one of my kitchens! Check out his praise on his personal design blog via the link below:

Fantastic Words About Kate's Kitchen Design

Photo Credit: Custom Craft Cabinets and Custom Cupboards

 

Paperwork

There is one counter in my kitchen that is plagued by all of the mail, bills, magazines, receipts, little post-it notes, and clutter. I've been slowly adjusting that space to be more organized, and tonight I finally finished.

Typical Counter Mess. Mostly mail. Good Lord.

Aftermath of my Frenzy

So I had to solve the disorganized nature of this space. I purchased a Martha Stewart countertop organizer. It has a cute little drawer, which of course makes me slightly giddy. I also moved our shredder to this counter from the obviously awesome living room location where it has been rarely used. I don't like this object on the counter, but it is relatively pleasant in shape and color, so it is tolerable. I am going to see if we shred more often now, thus eliminating the ridiculous paper accumulation.

Last week I had a couple of evening appointments at work- my dining room adventures have been delayed. This means I need to catch up with my schedule if I am going to make my deadline of Labor Day weekend. This week is Living Room week, and well... I am certainly living in it.

Storage for Containers

Storage containers are a necessary evil. Mine were relatively organized prior to my decision to organize Everything in the house. But I got into them unexpectedly. I sorted like sized and shaped items with each other and then made it look good.

Containers

Lids

Herb Appeal

Herbs in Jars

I organized some of my herbs tonight. I like the containers quite a bit and will be getting more of them soon for all of the spices! Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Dining Room Yesterday

Dining Room

In honor of Dining Room week, I present you with my cluttered dining room.
It's beautiful in it's own right. I managed to file some papers tonight.
Life really is limiting my progress, but I Am Making Progress.

I also just realized I can get an app to download photos from my iPhone directly to the blog. This is exciting because I love using Photoshop Express and Instagram to edit photos. It will be interesting to see how this blog evolves.

I am the type of person who wants everything to be just right from the beginning, and I have let that notion go for this project. Learn and Grow as I go.

My Organized Dining Room Week

Last week was kitchen week... and it has spilled over into Dining Room week.

I made a quick shopping trip to Staples and Bed Bath and Beyond. I wanted spice holders and a mail organizer for the ever present papers on the counter. I found some jars I like with lids that will be labeled. The mail organizer is for incoming mail and outgoing bills, stamps, post-it notes, and checkbooks. Yes, I still use mine for things- like paying off my car just now!

The dining room in my house is where all of the paper accumulates. It's just overwhelming. I honestly know why people will hire a professional organizer to come help deal with this stuff. I've done it a few times for myself before though, so I know I am capable of doing paper organization. I just need to set up an easy system for upkeep. That is the key to keeping things manageable.

My Organized Refrigerator

I created a calendar for how I will be tackling my entire house.
I decided that the first week (this one which is nearly over) is Kitchen Week.

Yesterday I threw away all of the long forgotten and unwanted food in the refrigerator and freezer. The past two days have been quite the food purging experience. Haha.

So I have some quaint before and after photos to share:

Refrigerator Before

Refrigerator After

Freezer Before

Freezer After

To be fair to myself, I must say that I cleaned out the fridge and then restocked it tonight, so it is super full. This process of intense organizing made me realize I might want some containers to help keep certain items separated. But, since I love maintaining organization in my fridge (Yes, I typically organize it every week when I put the groceries away...) I am pretty sure I do not need superfluous containers taking up space. We shall see. A good rule for sorting items in the fridge, keep similar foods together and keep similar shaped containers together.

I also cleaned out under the sink the other day. I would like to add a storage bin to the cleaners, soaps and other small items stored there. My before and after photos currently look too similar to share until I have worked on that a bit more.

Tomorrow I will be arranging pantry items. I don't have an actual pantry. I wish!

My Organized Kitchen Day 1 & 2

This week is My Organized Kitchen week.

I designed my kitchen using someone's old cabinetry, so the space inside of them leaves more to be desired- like my deep longing for adjustable shelves and drawers with full extension soft close guides. One day I will have my kitchen updated the way I want it to be, and the way I design for all of my clients: Functional Organization and Streamlined Beauty.

Right now I must do with what I have. I started with one small area of the kitchen.

The garbage area used to look like this:

Garbage Area Before

I targeted this area first because it is quite visible and hideous. I sorted through what was needed and not needed. I decided to keep two coolers behind the garbage can. I also placed plastic bags in a small box to be stored for future use. Anything I didn't want there is by the door to the basement, which I promise you will be an intense cleaning and organizing exhibition.

The garbage area today:

Garbage Area After

It may not look like much of a difference, however my beloved roommate exclaimed "I no longer feel like spiders might be lurking there!" So a big difference has been achieved... we are no longer afraid of the garbage nook.

Tonight I cleaned out all of the old and unused food in the cabinets. I filled half a garbage bag!  Eep.  I also took a look in the dish cabinet and decided it is time for this thirty year old woman to stop using mismatched college dishware from Target.

While I believe most organization of a house can be done without spending much cash on more stuff... I am going to be treating my own space with some tender loving care. It's been three years since I moved into my house, so you may see some furniture and accessories making their way into my future photos.

Here is my list of items to purchase for the kitchen:
1. A full set of dishes and glasses
2. Spice containers with labels
3. Tea canisters (I am not the tea drinker, but from the stash we have- it looks like five people drink it daily... this is not the case)

So hooray! Onward we go.

I Have a Plan

I am going to organize each room in my house and blog my progress.

The following spaces are to be included:

Kitchen
Dining Room
Living Room
Closets
Bathroom
Bedrooms
Multi-Purpose Room
Basement

My goal is to have all of those spaces completed by Labor Day Weekend 2012.