I Need a Shoe-tervention

This week's Organize Life challenge actually made me feel like a little less of an organizing failure. Thanks to a wall-mounted key rack/mail basket and memo board, we already sort of kind of have a "catch-all" place for most of our necessities.

We might have the key and mail situation worked out, but we I have a major shoe problem. We generally enter the house through the front door instead of the garage (Mainly because the garage is so full of junk, I can't make my way to the garage door once my car is in there. But that's an organization project for another day.) This means the tiny entrance area of our town home becomes a dumping ground for shoes. In an attempt to remedy this problem, we purchased Ikea's Hemnes Shoe Cabinet shortly after moving in. This piece was perfect for the entrance way because it provides a table space to add decorative elements to the space, and is designed specifically to store eight pairs of shoes.

Problem #1 - We I have been shoving waaaay more than eight pairs of shoes in this poor shoe cabinet. And the shoes that don't fit? Well, I just leave those on the floor.

Easy fix... I moved the shoes that I don't wear daily up to the shoe organizer in my closet, where they belong.

These are all the "extra" kicks that I dug out of the shoe cabinet. (The cat, however, was not removed from the shoe cabinet.)

Problem #2 - A few months ago, the Home Owner's Association built a dog park in our neighborhood. And everyone LOVES it. (I'd even say it is almost worth the hike in HOA fees that came with it.) The dog park is so very loved, that it has actually become more of a mud pit. Which means several times a day, our sweet pup, Ella, treks mud and bits of dead grass into the house. Because when you have a dog who is thoroughly obsessed with chasing tennis balls, there is simply no way to avoid this mess. Cleaning it up is literally driving me crazy... which is why I usually don't even clean it anymore. Because I hate hiking up the stairs to get the broom to sweep up the dirt when I know it will simply reappear in a few hours when Ella is once again reunited with her precious tennis ball.

Light bulb! Why not keep a broom downstairs? I bought a small hand broom and dustpan to keep in the shoe cabinet, along with a small towel for cleaning wet messes. Now, when we bring the dog in, all it takes is a quick sweep with the broom, dump the dirt back outside the front door (Because I will avoid an extra trip up and down those stairs at all costs), and all is well in the world.

So in the end, there's one drawer for Ella. One drawer for Joey. And two drawers for me. Don't judge me. We've already established that I have a shoe problem.

And with that, this space is manageable again:

Much better. The next time I'm tempted to drop a pair of shoes where it doesn't belong, I need to remember how nice it feels to open our front door to see this, instead of an imitation of Imelda Marcos' closet.

   

Repurposed with Purpose

The organization continues! This week's "assignment" was to organize a cabinet. I decided to confront the terrifying space under our kitchen sink. This cabinet has been a huge frustration... I could not find bins and baskets that fit around all that crazy plumbing in there, so instead I just shoved all our cleaning supplies wherever I found space. Anytime I needed some cleaning product, I had to pull everything out (if it didn't all fall out on top of me first) and I pretty much ended up making a bigger mess than the one I was trying to clean up in the first place. Clearly wasn't working for me.

Then, I stumbled across this genius idea of using a repurposed tension rod for under sink storage (Found it on Pinterest of course, where else?):


[Via]

And with that, I was finally inspired to begin the makeover.

I installed the tension rod with the intention of using it to hang spray bottles, but then I remembered that a few years ago, in a failed attempt to organize my bathroom, I purchased a BYGEL rail and hanging baskets from Ikea. (Failed attempt because I never actually installed said rail and hanging baskets. Turns out I don't know how to use power tools.) I dug the baskets out of their home on a shelf in the garage and discovered that they fit perfectly around the tension rod! I filled the baskets with garbage bags, extra sponges, and dishwasher tablets

Next, I found shallow plastic storage bins at Target that slide perfectly under the sink pipes. It turns out I prefer to keep all my cleaning supplies in a bin, so when its time to clean, all I have to do is pull the entire bin out and everything I need is right at my fingertips. I was sure to put the things I often use right up front (Helloooo Lysol wipes and pet stain remover!), and the things I rarely use tucked in the back (Tough to use silver polish when I don't yet own any silver...)

Costs for our new and improved cabinet:

• Tension rod from Lowe's - $4.34
• Set of five plastic storage bins from Target - $5.99
• BYGEL container from Ikea - $0.99
• (I already owned the hanging baskets so I didn't have to purchase them, but for those who are not pack rats with random baskets lurking in the garage, you can buy them for $1.99 at Ikea)

Grand Total - $11.32. Not to shabby.

The only problem is that now I have two leftover plastic bins... Guess I better start organizing another cabinet so I can put them to use!

Organizing Life with a Little Mod-Podge

Confession. If I continue on my current path, there's a strong possibility that you will see me on an episode of Hoarders about twenty years from now. Okay, I'm probably exaggerating a little... but over the years, I have accumulated tons of stuff. And after all my stuff was combined with all Joey's stuff, I now find myself feeling overwhelmed and unable to even begin dealing with the mountain of stuff that looms before us.

Just as I was realizing that our home is about three seconds from being declared a national disaster, I stumbled across this post on Jordy Liz Blogs. Organizing Life? Yes please. This girl was preaching to my soul. Shoving junk into a drawer so I don't have to look at it anymore, setting the clean laundry aside somewhere to avoid dealing with it, holding onto things that I believe to have some minor significance to a memorable any life event - I've done it all. And I do not want to spend the rest of my life being controlled by this cluttered mess I have created.

So, in the spirit of organizing my life, I took on Jordy Liz's first challenge this week - Organize a drawer. Of course I managed to turn the process into a DIY project. An organized drawer, and a chance to use Mod-Podge and my label maker? Clearly a win-win.

I decided to tackle the dreaded kitchen junk drawer. It hasn't always been a junk drawer. It actually started as our VIP drawer - a place for the things we just knew we'd need in the future. I'll let you be the judge how that system worked out for us.

I started by sorting through all the treasures in the drawer to figure out what actually deserved the coveted VIP title. Turns out most of the stuff in there actually had a better home - craft supplies in the office, bags of spare change in the car for tolls, instruction manuals for various kitchen appliances all contained neatly in a folder next to our cookbooks, and all the bags of "spare parts" (Thanks a lot, Ikea.) with the tools.

Next, I spent a few days perusing my organizational options at a few stores. I fell in love with the Silver Mesh Drawer Organizers at The Container Store. And then, like I do after I spend time admiring pretty much anything I find at The Container Store, I fell back to Earth and realized it would cost about $20.00 to buy those beautiful, shiny drawer organizers. Multiply that by the four other kitchen drawers I also plan to take on and that adds up to a grand total of heck no. Enter DIY project.

I gathered up all the empty boxes I could find in our house (boxes that once held cereal, pasta, zip-lock bags, granola bars, dryer sheets, anything!) and tried out a few combinations until I found one that fit perfectly in the drawer - two Kroger granola bar boxes and the long sides of a Cheerios box. I cut them down to size and used the scraps to create smaller compartments within the larger boxes.

Perfect-o! There was just one problem. After fawning over what could have been at The Container Store, I couldn't stand the look of that hideous cardboard. So, I measured and cut scrapbook paper to cover the inside and outside of the box, then plastered it on there with some Mod-Podge.

I finished it off with thin strips of paper to hide the unsightly cardboard on the edges, and voila!

I simply repeated the process three more times, and I ended up with a lovely set of color-coordinated drawer organizers. (And let's be honest, everything is better when its color-coordinated.)

Just to avoid any future confusion, I labeled every compartment when I loaded up the drawer. I figure there's no excuse for something ending up where it doesn't belong if everything has an official home.

The best part about all this? The grand total of these beauties is... FREE. Take that, Container Store.

We've Achieved the Impossible.

Thanks to Joey, yesterday was laundry day. If it were up to me, laundry day would be next week. Or next month. Maybe. Staying on top of the ever growing pile of dirty clothes is not my wifey super power. I am still getting used to the fact that my laundry is now OUR laundry. Therefore, I can no longer wait a month and a half to wash my clothes, because, frankly, the laundry bin won't hold 45 days of clothing for two people. Not to mention the questionable hygienic practices that this would suggest. So, of all the reasons I'm thankful for Joey, the fact that he doesn't mind regularly taking care of a few wash and dry cycles has gotta rank in the top five.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE sorting laundry. I'm very detailed in my work... I don't limit myself to darks, lights, and colors. My categories are a little more like:

• whites (AKA socks and undershirts. The boring load.)
• blues and greens
• navys and blacks
• greys and browns
• yellows and oranges
• pinks, reds, and purples

The problem is, after all that sorting, I get a little bit... tired. Which means the laundry then sits in those beautifully separated piles for a few days weeks. Don't even get me started on the piles of clothes that develop AFTER the laundry finally comes out of the dryer. Folding is my least favorite.

Which is why I'm thrilled about what went down yesterday. At the end of laundry day, when it was time to tackle the dreaded chore of folding, Joey and I discovered something amazing. Incredible. Mind-boggling. Wait for it...

Did you know you can fold a fitted sheet?!

Seriously. You can learn how here. I had no idea this was possible. Martha was holding out on me. That is, until yesterday. And now I'm amazed. Like, I might make this my new party trick or something.

This is probably old news to all you laundry pros out there (Turns out this stuff is all over YouTube. Who knew??) I, however, am not up to date on the latest laundry-folding trends, so please let me have my moment.

Imagine the future... Soon, my linen closet random shelf where I stash the sheets will no longer contain a clump of wrinkled mess, but instead will be a perfect picture of neatness and organization!

[via]

This knowledge will surely revolutionize the way I do laundry. That is, if I ever actually get around to doing our laundry. I'll work on that... Promise.