Pretty Little Green Things

Posts Tagged ‘organization’

So it turns out that working a more than full time job, catching up with friends and needing lots of extra sleep to keep this pregnant lady moving does not make for a prolific blogging schedule.  All the more reason to have an organized life, that’s for sure!  On my end, this weekend we moved our desk and reorganized our living room at bit in preparation for the baby.  Oh and I recaulked our bathtub.  I have tons of projects in the queue for the next few months, but all in all, a productive weekend all around.

Last week I brought you a few tricks to organize your house with labels and hooks, two things I find so useful to keep all the little things in place.  This week, I’m continuing the organization bug with container storage and tips to organize your life.  I find there are always things around your house that don’t have a proper place, which is why I’m a big fan of bins, crates, baskets and anything to help keep all those little odds and ends in place.  I find they’re especially useful in small apartments where you don’t have the closet space that you might in a larger house.  

1. I love using crates to hold everything under the sun since they’re easy to find and not very expensive.  These are from Three Potato Four.
2. Entry benches are a great spot to store shoes, umbrellas, hats and gloves.  I love this set from Serena & Lily.
3. These Larder Shelves from Greenhouse could be a great extra storage spot for the kitchen, bathroom or home office.
4. In addition to crates, I use tons of baskets to hold everything from blankets to household items.  I especially love these woven African baskets from Viva Terra.
5. Corralling those remotes is an important step to making your living room feel clutter free.  Use an extra flower pot or lacquer box like the one here.
6. If you don’t have a cabinet in your kitchen for cutting boards & baking pans, organize them with an extra paper sorter as shown here from Real Simple.
7. Lidded baskets and bins are great solution because you can stack them.  And with pretty ones like these Felt Boxes from Branch, no one will ever know what you’re storing.
8. Perfect for blankets, ottomans with space on the inside are another great incognito place for storage.  This storage ottoman with casters is a large option from Crate and Barrel.
9. Keep those inevitable extra plastic bags nice & neat in a tissue box as seen from Real Simple.
10. Here’s another basket option for those of you who like a more structured option. Leather Trim Basket from Greenhouse.

If you’re anything like me, as much as I try to go digital, we still collect tons of paper.  From mail, family calendars, bank statements and to do lists, what to do with all this paper?  I love finding creative ways to arrange and hide this clutter and I’ve gathered a few ideas for you here.

1. Binders aren’t just for schoolwork – we use a binders as our filing system as a way to avoid the inevitable file drawers.  If you make cute labels or get colorful binders like these Project Binder’s from Naked Binder, you’ll be happy with the look.
2. I love this creative project from Country Living – take vintage photo albums and turn them into an accordion file folder.
3. Why change your calendar every year when you can customize a dry erase one every month.  Perfect for families to keep everyone on the same page.  Black Dry Erase Calendar from Cedar Hollow Designs.
4. Make your own magnetic message board from a vintage frame and your choice of fabric to fit any decor.  Check out the project here from Country Living.
5. Here’s a cute paper storage idea – put your mail and messages in paint cans organized on a shelf as shown here from Martha Stewart.
6. I’m a serial list maker.  Writing my to-do’s on a chalkboard rather than hundreds of post-its is a chic and eco-friendly way to stay on top of my list.  I love this Chalkboard Tablet (with or without stand) from Branch.
7. Why use boring magnets when you can make chic ones out of vintage jewelry.  Check out the project at Country Living.
8. Make your own corkboard with a vintage frame for a cute pin-up spot.  I made one for our house, but wrapped the cork with antique fabric to fit our style better.  Check out the directions from Life Hacker.
9. Instead of dry erase, you can also make your own reusable calendar from chalkboard paint as seen here with this huge wall calendar from Martha Stewart.

I hope all of these tips, tricks and products help your 2012 to be your most organized yet!

I’m not really a New Years resolution type of gal – I’m more of an avoid-the-gym-at-all-costs-during-the-first-two-weeks-of-January kind of gal.  But to be honest, even though I don’t make resolutions (because I’d rather see where life takes me and vow to do x, y or z as the need arises, say in May), it doesn’t mean this isn’t a great time of year to start something fresh.  And because January happens to be a time I like to stay in and hibernate, what better time than now to start organizing your life.

I’ve written posts before about office organization, but let’s face it – your office isn’t the only area of your life that needs a bit of order.  Even as I write this post, I’m looking around my house right now at the piles of magazines, random pieces of mail and purses & shoes dropped haphazardly by the door that could all have found a better home.  Living in a small apartment has taught me that not only does organization make me a happier person, it also makes me a more productive one.  So I’m dedicating this week to getting my (and hopefully your) act together with some products and sources to help keep your life a more ordered one.  Plus the best news of all – there are tons of eco-friendly & inexpensive ways to get your organization on.  First up this week are labels and hooks, two great and underused organization tricks.  I’ll be following up later this week with even more great round-ups.

One of the tricks I love is using labels for everything from spices & baking supplies to closets and cords.  Not only are labels helpful to remember where things are and where they go back to, but they can look great in the process.

1. Chalkboard labels especially good for items that often need new labels  2. Freezer labels to keep your refrigerator organized (via Martha Stewart)  3. Make your own fabric labels with a vintage typewriter (via Make Something). Even more green if you use organic fabric.  4. Days of the week pins to organize your to dos by day  5. Kitchen labels for all your baking needs  6. Turn a regular garbage bin into a chic labeled piece with these recycle labels 7. Organize your cords with toilet paper rolls. Label the outside and you’ll never have a jumbled mess again (via Real Simple).  8. Make your own spice jar labels – even better if you use recycled paper (via Martha Stewart)  9. Iron on labels with organic twill tape (via Patchwork Pottery)

To help keep entryways, coats and clothing off the floor and available for easy access, hooks are a great way to organize.  My house is sprinkled with them because I love having easy access to my everyday items.  Plus if you pick hooks that are as chic as these, you’ll be happy to put them front and center.

1. Driftwood coat rack  2. Personalized coat rack made from spoons.  This would be great for keys too so you always know which are yours.  3. Boat cleat hooks from Denise DeLong  4. Coat rack made from a vintage cabinet door  5. Hook made with a vintage book as the background  6. Three bin wire shelf & hooks (with labels!)  7. This “bath” rack would be a great place for bath robes