Hat Storage

housedressingstyle.com

I love this organization for hats. My husband has way too many and this is perfect!

family pictures

This post is fairly similar to the family files post. 

Since this client is on square one when it comes to scrapbooks, picture books, or getting her pictures in an order we can to the conclusion that we just needed to get everything separated. 

We had pictures from all over the house and cleared out frames as well. We got a Tupperware for each child and separated photos into them. The photos that had more than 3 kids we put in the family Tupperware. 

Now when school projects or Dvd's need to be made they will know where to go.

front entry

Your front entry can say a lot about you and set the tone and flow for the rest of your house.
With my client we wanted to make it welcoming, warm, and spiritual.

A mirror is seen right when you walk in, along with light and a statue of Christ.
She has a pretty piece of furniture that flows with her other pieces throughout the house.
We also added some color with flowers to brighten up the space along with a family picture that has a lot of meaning.
The structured lamp added some height and then the warm detailed chair was the last touch to make you feel welcome and also have that functional touch that was needed.

What do you have in your entry?

family files

This may look messy to some.
This right here is a handful of tests, grades, artwork, letters, song books, and more.
This client had stacks and piles and shelves of loose things for each of her children.

I decided right away that each kid needed a large Tupperware container
(because of the different sizes of things) and it wouldn't hurt to have some extra space for the years to come.
Once I had the containers I split everything up and labeled with tape for time time being.
While splitting into different containers I came across many things that could be tossed without question.

I didn't throw anything out before letting my client know but that was another way to make sure the sifting process also was productive.

Now when each kid moves away or gets married they can take their keepsake Tupperware with their special belongings.

living room

This living room was definitely simplified. I don't have the before pictures but we removed pieces of furniture, rearranged, and styled the bookcase a bit.

As you can see the fireplace in this room we decided to keep bare. It's taller and also a mirror is a good way to open up the room and not draw too much attention.

I removed a lot from the top of the bookcase/hutch. We decided to keep it more simple so your eyes were drawn so high right away.

The table behind the sofa that isn't against the windows- we decided to do something that would most likely look good from both angles. My client loves plants and so this was what she really wanted and they did look the same from all angles.

We cleaned off the coffee table and also stacked the books in the shelves more formal and eye appealing.

I think it turned out nicely.

my mom is the best.

When my husband and I were dating I definitely showed my love towards him by doing "service."

I would surprise him by cleaning his apartment, doing his laundry, and even organized his closet. 

He told me he loved it but at the same time he probably thought I was a little crazy.

One thing I discovered while doing his laundry is the fact that his shirts ALL have to hang dry.

I hate high maintenance laundry but I've become use to it. 

My mom bought him this drying rack pictured below from Bed, Bath, & Beyond. It is our saving grace from preventing our house from becoming covered in clothes. It expands and also has multiple levels and we've loved it. We use it probably at least twice a week. I highly suggest it. When you aren't using it you just fold it up and put it in a closet. Poof!

my favorite type of organizing.

I love to organize and I have found that there are different types.

I’ve come to the conclusion that my favorite is, MULTI-USE organizing.

If you are a fan of Real Simple magazine you know they have a section in the back with multi-function items. This is and was my favorite section when I discovered it way back in Junior High. It seems like every time I look at that section I’m amazed, and also think to myself - I could have thought of that. 

I love coming across materials with a double use or even triple. 

Here are a few of my recent favorites.

winter clothing storage

Fall and Winter will be here before we know it. My current living situation doesn't allow us to have a great front room closet for our gloves, scarfs, hats, and coats. So, when I found this idea I couldn't help but get excited. Even though this is in a front closet, the idea can be taken to anywhere (tasteful) in your home. Adding an extra rod or two to your closet is something so simple and makes things a lot easier with getting ready in the morning on a cold day.

hair organization

One thing that is a constant change up when it comes to organizing for me is, hair supplies.

My hair routine changes and sometimes I find myself running out of bobby pins and elastics faster than I can run to the store. 

The latest pictures below were found on Pinterest and I love them all.

bed sheets.

This tip will save your linen closet.

1. Separate each set of bed sheets with the proper pillow cases.
2. Fold the bottom and top sheet and 1 pillow case to about the size of a piece of standard paper.
3. Put the sheets and pillow case inside the remaining pillow case.

This way you have the full set on hand and it isn't mixed up. This is also a huge space saver and awesome when guests come into town!

wrapping materials.

After my wedding I had so much ribbon, bags, and tissue paper I swear it could last me a couple years.

That has proven to be true. 

I am still working on using all of it up before I go and buy my own.

For my organizing tip for storing and being able to access what you need quickly I've found a few pictures and ideas that may help.

I have:

1. stored my bags in the largest gift bag I have

2. stored the tissue paper in a medium sized bag

3. stored all the ribbon in one small sized bag

I haven't had the issue with wrapping paper storage just yet but I like the ideas below.

wires. cords. charges. blah.

My husband let's me organize just about anything....besides his drawer full of electronic's.

I hate opening the drawer and finally I convinced him to let me organize just a little bit.

A very simple and easy trick,

I bought a bag of rubber bands. Make sure there are different sizes and widths.

I took the clump of wires and one by one I did the crazy 8 fold and then secured them with a rubber band.

It was so simple and ended up saving so much more space in the drawer. 

Now when we need one it won't be a disaster to find it in the pile. 

The clutter trap.

I don't have my own garage just yet...but I get garage envy when I see pictures like this one.

When moving in to a new place there is always the one room (garage) that gets the unwanted junk.

I'm sure you've all noticed neighbors that have so much stuff in their garage they couldn't park inside.

I cringe and want to help them all at the same time.

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Once you dejunk the clutter trap make sure to group items together.

Put them in logical places on the wall or ceiling.

label

Toss out the unwanted and do a garage sale to make some money!

Medicine cabinent

I don't take a lot of medicine and that is how I was raised.

I don't know right away what certain medicine helps with....so

I found this idea on Pinterest. 

I did my own take on it but this is the picture I went off of.

I found my container at Wal-Mart. 

Labeled each drawer (depending on what you use)

Then put it in our Kitchen for easy access.

*The only downside of this, is the throat spray doesn't fit in a drawer. If you have a lot of bulkier things I suggest getting a larger container.

cleaning up dvd's

I'm not a consumer of DVD's or CD's but the compiling that I do have has been organized.
I also did this for one of my clients.
If you keep allllll of your disc's in their original case, you know that it will take up A LOT of room. It's hard to find the one you want unless they are in alphabetical order. Then besides that if the kids take them out they never put them away in the right case.
There are a lot of cracks in this scenario.

I decided to buy the some CD cases for my collection because of my low number.
I labeled them; DVD, CD, Family Memories.
For my client we got her the large binder that holds 4 per page. I alphabetized them and then also categorized them into, action/comedy/childrens/church/holiday/etc
During this process she eliminated quite a bit. We also did this for her CD's and her DVD's it gave her a lot of space in her entertainment center and made it possible for her to have a design element instead of plastic cases.

I highly recommend doing this if you have a small or large collection. You'll know where they go and also it's a lot easier if you're in the process of trying to decide what movie to watch!