Sunday, May 15, 2011

Five Organizational Tips from Your Fave Bloggers

This is the year that I am getting organized – every room in the house, inch by inch.  Things seem to slide and before you know it there are mountains of papers and “stuff” on every possible surface. 

Seeking inspiration, I asked some of my fave fellow Canadian bloggers to describe one way they keep organized.

1)  Jen from Rambling Renovators

I use a vintage Coca-cola crate for my daughter's art supplies. It’s sturdy, the compartments are great for keeping all her crayons, fingerpaints, and scrap paper corralled, and I can tote it around easily. Plus, it looks great sitting in her playroom!

 Jen2   

 jen

2) Barbara from Hodge:Podge:

Thanks Vanessa for asking me to join in the organizational fun. As a mother of three busy children and an active husband, I try to stay organized as best as I can. Our family has a "piling" tendency. We pile things around the house. My solution to that is to corral those piles into baskets. I have them all over the house and inside cupboards. The bonus is they can look fantastic incorporated into the decor giving a room texture.

Baskets in a book case just off of the kitchen:

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Fabric for my latest sewing projects:

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Great way to store my Mac book and all its accessories:

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All tucked away, visually tidy and organized, ready to go!

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3) Sharalee from Escapade:

dressingroomstyleathome2

I'm definitely a believer that one of the best investments you can make is a little bit of  time and just a few small tools to keep your frequently used drawers and cupboards in order. For me, the one that has had the biggest impact has always been my toiletry drawer.

Since I was about 15, I've been vigilant about dividing it into organized sections by repurposing old boxes or containers. While I have moved up a little and invested in some great little acrylic drawer organizers from Ikea (like the ones pictured above), one of my favourite organization devices still remains the Ferrero Rocher box. After devouring one of my favourite sweet treats, the clear acrylic container is the perfect size for smaller toiletries. The biggest treat of all is the time you'll save digging through drawers in the morning. They really are the gift that keeps on giving!

{Photo: Michael Graydon for Style at Home}


4) Nancy from Marcus Design:

I always love getting into the spirit of spring cleaning! I've still got a long way to go this year, but have started attempting to organize my gift wrapping supplies. I swear, I can have it all set up perfectly, and then throw one birthday and a baby shower at me and I'm in a pile of bows and ribbons again!! So I'm set on organizing the goods once and for all.

What I did was purchase an inexpensive tupperware drawer unit and sub-divide all my goodies inside each drawer. For things like tissue paper and ribbons, I placed these items inside smaller boxes within the drawers so it's easy to grab them, rummage through, and place them back again. Now my supplies are ready to go at a whim and I can more easily see what I have!  Here's hoping it lasts :)

gift wrap -2


gift wrap -1


5)  Christine from Bijou and Boheme:

Hi Decor Happy-ites...it's Christine here from Bijou and Boheme and I'm very happy to be here sharing a little organization yumminess.

When it comes to keeping things tidy, I have only one rule...it must be pretty.

organization

I'm a firm believer that storage/organization need not be ugly- I also think that most store bought 'solutions' are just that so in general, I prefer to opt for things that aren't actually meant for this purpose.

Take my jewelry/perfume storage for example.

Here I've used decorative statues for my necklaces, a china bowl for my bracelets, an antique silver tray for my perfume and a vase for my earrings.

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  organaztiion2

It's all practical but still pretty- an organizational vignette if you will.

When trying to keep things functional, think outside the box- those pretty little pieces you might usually think of as simply decorative, can be multi-purposed into brilliant storage solutions.

Thanks Vanessa and happy organizing everyone!!
xo

And thank you to all of these lovely bloggers for sharing an organizational tip.   I loved hearing what works for them and I hope it inspired you to tackle an area in your home that needs attention.

Happy organizing!

21 comments:

  1. Gorgeous photos! I'm having a difficult time sitting still because I want to go do beautiful things with my jewelry and cosmetics.

    And thanks, Sharalee, for giving a low-guilt reasons to eat chocolates.

    Thank you, Vanessa, for posting these organizing ideas and pictures. And I am not just saying that!

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  2. Thanks for having my Vanessa. Honoured to be with all those amazing {and organized} bloggers! Have fun in NY!

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  3. Great post, good tips and fabulous bloggers - thanks!

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  4. Vanessa great ideas from our favorite blog friends! Thank you so much, I needed this!

    I have a New Giveaway from Serena and Lily you will love!

    xoxo
    Karena
    Art by Karena

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  5. Great post! I love the jewelry display! I'm inspired!

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  6. Thanks for having us Vanessa - it was great fun seeing how each of us like to inject some organiztion into our homes:)

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  7. Some good ideas! I'm already on the bandwagon with those wicker IKEA baskets, but I really love the Coca-Cola box for kids supplies. Very cute!

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  8. So many great ideas here. One can never be too organized and this has given me inspiration to better my office..!

    Thanks and have a lovely week!

    xx Charlotta

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  9. P.S. Loved the 'organization post'. Feel inspired to tackle my sadly neglected art studio now. It's in dire need of some restructuring!

    Have fun in NY!

    x C

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  10. Good grief.. Posted that last comment on the wrong blog... :) Was meant for dear Christine over at her blog..! Sorry!! :)

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  11. Thank you so much for including me in this fabulous post Vanessa, I really appreciate it. It's so fun to have a little peek into how others organize all there stuff!
    Nancy xo

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  12. Thanks for including me Vanessa! Love the tips from the other ladies... I'll definitely be using some of these to help get my house in order.

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  13. Simple but great ideas. Barb, you continue to amaze me. A basket for the laptop...brilliant! So glad to have found another Canadian blogger to follow:)

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  14. How was blogfest? I'd love to hear about it!

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  15. Brilliant post! I love hearing other peoples organisational tips.

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  16. What a great collaboration of ideas! Great post Vanessa!

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  17. Sooo here's the thing. I organize everything. When I say everything. I mean everything. I have to know where things are, so I'll know where to tell my boyfreind to go get them! Lovely ideas.
    Kimbelry
    Pinkeggshell.com/organization

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  18. These are all great ideas. I am obsessed with organization! So fun.

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  19. Great organizational tips/ideas! So much fun!

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