Spring Cleaning Tips

We are doing some Spring cleaning at our house this weekend! It is just amazing how stuff accumulates throughout the year.

Organization guru Julie Morgenstern shared these 8 tips for spring cleaning in the April issue of Redbook. I hope they are as inspiring to you as they have been to me!

8 things you can toss without guilt-right now!
1. Kitchen items you haven't used in a year or longer. If you've never used your breadmaker or panini press, the odds you'll used it in the near future are pretty slim. Donate the bulky appliances and enjoy the extra space.
2. The entire contents of your junk drawer. There's a reason you call it that! Think you might hae some useful items stored there? Empty the whole drawer into a box, and any time you use an item, place it back in the drawer. At the end of the month, toss whatever's left in the box and rename the newly functional drawer.
3. Clothes that no longer fit. They make it more difficult to search your closet to find the things you do wear. If you truly believe they'll fit at some point in the near future, then box and store them until then.
4. School work from high school or college. The material is most likely outdated, and the chances you'll refer to it again are slim. Save your favorite papers in an archival box, but toss the notebooks, texts, and handouts.
5. Baby gear. Safety standards change so quickly that car seats and cribs are generally outdated just a few years after they're manufactured. Plus, they take up a lot of room. Keep only if you're already working on baby number two.
6. Random receipts. If you don't know what they're for, or if they're for basic items (groceries, toiletries, lunch) that you don't need to record for taxes or expenses, get rid of them.
7. Half-used bottles of shampoo, conditioner or makeup you only tried once. If you don't like the product enough to use it everyday, you won't like it in a few months' time.
8. Books you've never read, or books that you'll never re-read. Donate them and save space on your shelves for the books that speak to your soul.

2-Holiday Thank You Notes

Get a jump start on your holiday thank you notes by ordering them online today at http://www.vistaprint.com/ Click on holiday and then caricatures to create items like the above. Everything holiday is 50% off right now too!

SATC moment....

I definitely had a Carrie Bradshaw moment on Sunday when I finished putting all of my jewelry onto my new organizer. I just know she would approve of this wonderful addition to my life. I can't believe how much it holds! Thanks to mom and dad for the fantastic early b-day present. Get your own at http://www.ltdcommodities.com/home/catalog/cat_item_pg.asp?G=718&P=302&Rec=1&Ntt=jewelry+organizer&N=37&Nao=0&R=463389-7J4O---1

This piece complements my already organized shoe and belt collection. Gotta love Container Store....check out these great and affordable items and makeover your closet for Fall today! www.thecontainerstore.com

Back to school supplies (for adults!)

Why should kids have all the fun buying new school supplies this year? Here are some great grown up goodies to keep you organized, on time and sane as another school year kicks off.

This mail sorter from www.seejanework.com will help you tackle the mounds of bills, catalogs, fliers, you name it accumulating in your home. Empty your mailbox into the Mail.sorter: Its pre-labeled slots-"notice me," "respond to me," "read me," and "pay me." Also includes a side compartment for storing stamps and your checkbook. Your next project: deciding what to do with all your extra counter space!
This 3-way note pad is pretty much the bomb. I purchased one for myself last year while out Christmas shopping. I figured I spend 8+ hours a day at work, might as well try to cut down on the excessive post-it notes littering my desk. Although the pic doesn't show it real well, each of the sections are separate note pads. So if you finish your Tasks first (as if!) you can tear that one off and start fresh. Love it! Especially the little boxes to check off things as you complete them. So satisfying.
Get your own at www.organize.com

Cute Closet

My friend April recently created an adorable and
functional closet for her new baby Henry.
I just had to share the details.

She took the door off of an extra closet and
filled in the holes where the hinges were with spackling.
Then painted the closet and frame white.
Luckily the shelves were already there, but they are EASY
to put in yourself.
They have kits at Lowes.
Next she bought 15 canvas storage bins at Target
for 6 bucks each.

To make the tags for each bin, April purchased left over
matting from Hobby Lobby.
It was already pre-cut for her!
She found coordinating scrapbook paper and made the
backing for each.
Then she took left over nursery linens and cut out the
animals.  Next she put iron on "sicky backing" on the
cut outs and hot glued the animals to the matting.
Then labeled with things like "onsies"
She is so smart she even attached the labels to the bins
with velcro so she can reuse them and just re-label
as Henry grows.
I think this would also be a great way to organize your
coat closet (think bins labeled with hats, gloves, scarves)
or even your craft closet using labels like scrapbook paper,
ribbons, giftwrap, candles, etc.

Pretty as a picture...and organized too!

Check out this adorable jewelry organizer idea from Sandra Lee's new magazine. www.semihomemademag.com
An old frame, some mesh screening and you are on your way to getting your jewels organized and creating a cute display for your wall as well!

Materials
Frame
Aluminum mesh screening
2 D-rings
Teacup hooks
Staple gun

Directions
1. Brush off dust, and wipe clean.
2. Lay frame on top of mesh, and trace the inside of the frame using a black Sharpie®.
3. Cut the mesh 1 inch larger than the frame outline.
4. Fold edges back one side at a time, and attach mesh to the back of the frame using staple gun.
Note: Check the thickness of your frame before stapling. We used 1/4-inch staples.
5. Attach two D-rings in the top corners for hanging.
6. Attach teacup hooks as desired on the front of the frame to hold necklaces and bracelets.