food storage.

Food Storage can be a pain...but if you have a lot of kids or a lot of food the chances of knowing where everything is could be next to impossible. 

Here is a pantry that I did. I separated into canned foods, diet foods, condiments, and boxed meals. 

Some places didn't really have a spot and so I had to find one for them. 

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When it comes to food storage my tip is to make sure you know what you have so you can replenish 

(before labels go bad) 

Also don't buy things for your food storage you don't already eat. 

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!

college student = open bedroom

I recently had a client that decided to clear out her daughters room that is attending college. 

I loved every minute.

She has been in college for 3 years so there were a lot of treasures that had been forgotten about as well as junk. I rearranged the entire room, filled the hall with loads to take to the thrift store, and about 2 dumpsters worth of garbage. 

jewelry organization

It took me awhile to decide what was the best system for all of my jewelry.
I wanted to share with you some of the tricks I've learned.

EARRINGS
---I have a love for earrings even though I'm to the point where I switch between about 2 different pairs.
I still want to keep them organized and open so if I decide to jazz up an outfit I have that option.

I found my earring organizer at Urban Outfitters. (click link below for options)

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/category.jsp?id=A_DEC_JEWELRYBOX

It's has the perfect amount of openings, holds studs and dangling, and it also rotates so I can see all of my earrings. My particular one is the, spinning bird jewelry stand.

NECKLACES
---I gravitate towards necklaces when I'm in a store. I have too many and I rarely even wear one. Just like my earrings I still want them to be available though.

I discovered that the best organization for this would be a diy project. I went to the local thrift store, got an old frame that had a thick painting inside of it, and then covered it with some fabric I had on hand.
Once I had completed that I just got push pins and then hung my necklaces from there.
It was very simple and cheap and it hangs in my closet.
*depending on the amount of necklaces will vary the size of the frame.

RINGS & BRACELETS

---For one of my birthdays years ago my sweet cousin gave me a jewelry box. I still have it and it holds my special jewelry along with a few rings and a few bracelets. Jewelry boxes usually can't hold all of your jewelry so choose a particular item to store and it will be a lot easier that way.

CATCH ALL

---Everyone needs a catch all. I have a small vintage dish that hold my wedding ring at night along with the two pairs of earrings I switch out. It's nice to have a place just for those items so you aren't misplacing those for any reason.

I've attached some links with great organizers and of course you can search pinterest for some fun ideas also.

http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=3744511

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/3/jewelry-organizers

makeup. makeup. makeup.

How do you store your makeup?

I'm probably not the best person to talk about makeup storage with, only because I have the minimum.
I have loved the makeup bags that I've owned so I wanted to share those with you and some things that I've learned.

bag: 1

My makeup bag was this size until March. I wanted to be able to fit everything in it because of traveling, throwing it in my purse, or the convenience of less options while getting ready.

It served me well and had a side pocket that held tweezers and extra bobby pins. I learned this was a must. My particular one was from TJMAXX but the one pictured is from Target (always have cute makeup bags)

bag: 2

This makeup bag I use for travel (if I'm not flying with just a carry on)

This can hold hairbrushes, curling irons, makeup, and dental hygiene products.

I love the two sided compartments that zip so you can also throw in a couple items in the middle if you need to. This bag is also from Target.

bag: 3

This bag is my current makeup bag. I graduated to a larger one finally but this one holds shape which is a must if you have a larger bag. It also can fit my hairbrush and other random items to throw in if I'm in a hurry. My makeup definitely doesn't fill it up but it's nice because I can actually see what I'm trying to get.

This bag is Kate Spade.

*TIP

When buying a makeup bag make sure the inside is washable. If it's lined with fabric, chances are it's going to be looking pretty gross really fast. Also make sure to clean it out about once a month 

(depending on how much you store inside) which means it's always a great time to clean out some lipstick or mascara that you don't use or needs to be replaced!

travel sized extras

My husband and I like to travel.
One thing that comes with flying and staying in hotels is all the extra little travel sized items you end up with.

I'm not joking around when I say, I love all the travel sized extras...but they can add up and get lost anywhere.

My solution that I've come up with is very basic and simple. Put them all in the same place. I have mine in a picture sized Tupperware. The size of your container obviously depends on how many "extras" you may have. I have them in my storage closet by my batteries, light bulbs, etc. This is a good reminder to pack those instead of the full sized items next time you have an overnight or a vacation. Plus you will want to start snagging them when you see them instead of leaving them behind.

when you buy new items...get rid of the old.

I have a policy that my mom instilled in me when I was younger.
"however many new items you're putting in your closet, get rid of the same amount."

I have stuck with this.

You tend to forget all of our clothes you have in our closet. They are usually in the same place for years.
Once you do buy new items though, it's nice to find either similar items and get rid of the old one.
You also can just try to eliminate something that you don't wear, don't like how it fits, or just don't need.

A trick to help you with figuring out what you should donate,
start each year with your hangers facing backwards. Once you wear that item, hang it back properly.
At the end of the year if you still have items that haven't been worn, they should go.
A realization of knowing you didn't wear them for the last year should be good enough reason!

This tip & trick will also keep your closet manageable and not bursting at the seems!