Organization crazy

So my dear friend Shanon @ Modern Meets Traditional has been participating in the 21 days to getting Organized challenge from A Bowl Full of Lemons. Everyday they take on organizing one particular place in the house. Being the organization fool I am, I wanted to participate as well....then the actual challenge began! I have to admit that for the most part, my house is much more organized than even I realized as I've tried to work step by step through the challenge with her. I have nothing to do!!!! All of these spots in my home are organized, except for 1 lovely area which I STRUGGLE to tackle because lets be honest, I hate the chore! The Laundry room...thus my real challenge begins!

I will be sharing the organization takeover of my laundry room sometime in the next week because it is not going to be an easy project! I hate...despise...loath...dread...have some deep animosity for laundry. Mostly the folding part of laundry and the fact that I feel like I can NEVER stay up with it. It is the one chore that I (even though there is no one here to actually vouch for this) stomp my feet and pout about having to do. This will be interesting and will probably take me a lot of time to complete, but once it is done, it will be a goal of mine to keep up.

Ok enough negative talk. I've shared that I am insanely organized....now to prove it. I will now be sharing some of the areas that they have covered in the challenge that I have in my house. In these pictures contain my 3 favorite organizational tools (mini crates, stackable color crates, and fabric cubes). Hopefully you'll find them as useful as I do!


This is my pantry. A couple tips here: organize like items together, have a basket for snacks, and invest in some great pasta containers. Mine are the the 365 ones from Ikea. I absolutely love how organized it makes everything and that they are see through! I'm currently using one small shelf cabinet in my garage for my soup stockpile because it doesn't all fit! I guess that's what getting 50 cans of soup for free will do to you though!

This is my spice/tea cabinet. I keep all my spices in two mini crates I got at Dollar Tree(the black ones on the 2nd shelf). They make everything so easy to find and I don't have to dig through all the spices to find the ones I want. The top shelf is filled with extra cups, coffee filters, and cooking spray/olive oil. I can't reach this shelf without jumping so it is perfect for extra things I rarely need.

Under my master bathroom sink. These stackable color crates are MY FAVORITE ORGANIZATIONAL TOOL EVER! Look how much stuff I have in such a small space! They are perfect for under the sink and just $1 each at Dollar Tree. The other totes are great for holding some of my toiletry stockpile. I have to go through this sometime in the next month or so to donate a lot of these things because my stockpile closet is almost full. The front green basket is everyday use stuff so its perfect to grab when I need to get to those things!

The other side under my master bathroom sink. Curlers and the same mini crates that I use to hold my spices. These are also stackable. The bottom crate holds plug in and cone air fresheners and the top one holds extra soaps, Frebreeze, and Glade spray (all for FREE with coupons)

Movies in my entertainment center. Notice the fabric cubes that I use to organize movies. They are so convenient! Another one of my favorite organizational tools. They fold up and are easy to store if you aren't needing them at that moment too.

Under the guest bathroom sink. Some TP, TONS of boxes of Puffs with lotion I got last year, all the bathroom cleaning supplies in more mini crates, and the extra soap dispensers I have for when my foam one runs out.

The other side of the sink. More of the cleaning supplies in mini crates and my FAVORITE things! I keep extra shower stuff in the guest bath for guests to use if needed. Hair dryers, razors, etc.

My closet...although not spotless, this is pretty organized. I have all my shoes on the rack (with a few that don't fit....hmmm maybe I need to go through them) and my clothes are divided up on the rack by style (tank tops, short sleeve, button down, long sleeve, sweaters, dress jackets). The back rack has sweatshirts/sports jackets/jerseys on one end and dresses on the other. I also have a tote on the top rack(not pictured) where I put all my Goodwill donations as I decide to get rid of something. I love that everything has its place.

Ok yes...my underwear drawer. I love how organized the fabric cubes make it though! They are divided up by style (thongs, boy shorts, bikini, and then sports bras). So easy when I am putting laundry away!

This is the cart the TV in my bedroom is on. Its an awkward space so I put the cubes there to dress it up a bit because I already have a bookshelf in another room. I love how much extra hidden storage it adds. The top one has odds and ends in it (those things you don't really have a place for???), the bottom right one has thank you notes, the bottom left one has after Christmas clearance candy in it (so I can't see it....) and the middle one is currently empty. That normally has tea light candles in it.

I hope you have enjoyed my mini home organization tour. What tools do you love to use to keep your home organized and tidy?

Organization Part One

Today begins the quest for organization. I figured I would start with my office since it is the place I feel most organized in my house. I have a LOT of stuff, but I like to think of it as stuff I need. Everything in my home office has its function. I may not use it every single day, but if I need something it is usually at my fingertips.

I have a downfall in my search for organization...the mail. All the bills and papers and stupid-stuff-you-can't-just-throw-away-because-someone-might-steal-your-identity mail. I hate dealing with it and worse I hate filing it. I have set this system up so I can file things once a week instead of every day. The top has a flag that says "File It" where all the mail goes to be filed. The bottom has a flag that says "Hold It." This is where any important papers I still need go, manuals for my computer and printer, and cards or notes I'd like to keep. By doing this, everything has its place and it is more manageable for me.

I know we've all been there...you need a pen to write down someones number, but one is no where to be found. Thank you IKEA for this wonderful solution. This wonderful bar was actually in their kitchen section with the holders meant for kitchen utensils to dry after washing. I took the spin in a whole new direction and attached this to the wall right next to my desk. The first container is for pens and pencils. The second is for markers and highlighters. The third is for address labels that I periodically receive in the mail from organizations I donate to. All these things are at my fingertips whenever I need them!!!

I have this little tray attached to the desk that I think is meant for a keyboard. Seeing as I have a laptop, I figured I would put it to other use. I have 2 long desk drawer organizers that I got in the Dollar Spot at Target when I was in college. In these are scissors, whiteout, tape, glue/glue sticks, post its, staples, and hand lotion. I also use this space to hold a package of CDs, paper clips, a 3 hole punch, and a box of envelopes. A great way to use otherwise wasted space.

The last storage piece that I use religiously is a set of severely beat up bookshelves I got from Freecycle Indy when I first moved back to Indianapolis. I had the intention of using them in my classroom....that I didn't have my first year of teaching, so it seemed only natural to bring them to my house when I moved. I have one other one that I use in my guest bedroom to hold picture frames. These 2 shelves house all my college education books, regular books, cookbooks, documents I want to save, yearbooks, my college diploma, and a number of other things. I have placed picture frames in front of many of these things to break it up. Right next to these shelves, you'll see 3 boxes. In these boxes are all of the things I might need. Two of them contain all the freebies I will be using in my classroom for my token economy and one contains extra office supplies. They are housed inside storage boxes I got in packs of 3 last summer at IKEA for less than $2 a pack and labeled with blank index cards and tape.

Some people may think this is too much to have the boxes out in the open, but since they are all uniform and have labels, I actually like it. I get in and out of them too frequently to store them away in an area I cannot readily access. This makes the most sense for me. The whole area is less than 3 feet and it fits into a corner I would otherwise just leave empty.

What storage solutions work for you in your at home office space?