march monthly must-haves: organizational storage products that will change your life

those that know me well know that i love organization. my label maker is my best friend....but the key to great organization is great products. this is the truth. 

genelle and i were sent these amazing acrylic organizers from whitmor . they are sleek and so beautiful. they are intended for make-up organization, however we both found that they work so well for organizing hair accessories and jewelry, too. we love how the well designed organizer makes it so easy to see everything that you have in there. you know, not like the drawer that you currently have everything shoved into. (wink, wink). 

whitmor 5 tier acrylic cosmetic organizer 

what i learned, after falling in love with my organizer is that i actually already own and use a ridiculous amount of whitmor brand products (no joke)! the following are other organizational products that i use and love and that changed my disorganized life into organized bliss. try a few...they will change your life.

whitmor over-the-door shoe rack
this is the best item i have. it store 36 pairs of my shoes (even heels), sits neatly on the back of my bedroom door and isn't in the line of sight when people come over to our home. *love* it. i even own a second one for the kiddos shoes. now all of their shoes are tucked nicely behind the door and not thrown all over the closet floor. it's a minor miracle!

whitmor storage cubes

love the locker-style look these give in a boys room or can provide in a garage or mud room. i personally use mine with canvas storage cubes to hide some of the toys and clutter that my little men accumulate. 

whitmor gift wrap organizer

goodness, does wrapping paper take up so much space! it was overtaking my hall closet, until i found this simple case. it fits perfectly under my bed and is there in a snap when i need to wrap something but stays tucked away until then.

whitmor kid's canvas collection raccoon collapsible cube

whitmor shark collapsible cube

these canvas cubes (and a couple other styles) are the cutest things. not only are they an adorable addition to the decor of a playroom or bedroom, but they are so functional. from matchbox cars to rescue bots and pokemon cards....there is a bin for everything. 

what are some of your favorite organizational products? 

xo- heather

fun finds: small space storage solutions

as i've mentioned before, the boys and i recently moved into the cutest little cottage. it's perfect for our little family, but trying to fit three people comfortable into a small, 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom home calls for some creative storage solutions. here are some of my favorite things that have helped us a lot transition into our home and save space. lifesavers, really.  xoxo- heather

better living products classic four chamber shower dispenser
all our products in one place, plus the added bonus of feeling like i live at a spa? yes, please. 

oxo steel kitchen tool and utensil rack
our little kitchen has awful storage, so anything i can find to help me there is a major plus. i hung this right above the range so everything is right there and easy to access when i am cooking and need them.

ouddy aluminum magnetic knife bar
all of my knives easy to access, near the sink and out of grasp for the littles. plus, it looks visually pretty with these *super* cute colorful knives....

cuisinart advantage 12-piece knife set

they are so pretty and colorful and look *amazing* on the magnetic knife rack, too. 

whitmor over-the-door shoe rack
this is the best item i have. it store 36 pairs of my shoes (even heals), and it sits neatly on the back of my bedroom door and isn't in the line of sight when people come over to our home. *love* it. 

organize it all basic overdoor 6-basket unit
we are sharing one tiny bathroom, my sweet boys and i.....storage is a major necessity (mostly, because i am a skincare and beauty product junkie). this little beauty hides away on the back of the door and holds a *ton*. it's a game-changer.

salsbury industries metal locker
i am currently using this awesome piece in the garage to hold of my laundry supplies. all my detergent, fabric softener, dryer sheets and stain sticks are tucked neatly out of sight and stay dust-free. plus, how cute is it?!?!?


what are your favorite small space storage solutions? please, share!

purging...good for the soul...and garage space

i have four boys...this means i have a lot of hand-me-downs, a lot of clothes to store. when we first moved into our current house (a house that has zero storage space...literally), we had a storage system built in our garage to store all of the clothes we are passing down from child to child. thanks to a ton of plastic, labeled tubs, we are pretty organized and we never have to start from scratch for any children but the first two, the oldest boy and the one girl. trust me, that saves a ton of money. we are also super thankful for hand-me-downs from friends.

with baby number 5 (and boy #4), we are pretty sure this is the end of the "nellie" kids line. now as we stare and the mounds of tubs, we are slowly figuring out what to do with it all. if you have tons of stuff of your own, maybe this could be helpful. here's what has worked for me:

• start one pile at a time. it's kind of ridiculous, but when i open up a tub of clothing, i get instantly sentimental. i'll pick up a cute outfit and picture each of my children wearing it and remember the stage they were in. if i tried to do all of the sorting at once, i'd be a mess. start small and try not to get overwhelmed.
• work when the kids aren't around. whatever you are going through, clothing, toys, baby items, etc., go through them all when the kids are away. i can't tell you how many items had not been played with for a year...until i tried to get rid of them. then all of a sudden, the items became the things that could not be lived without. my daughter has also cried buckets as her favorite old outfits are packed up to give away. there is much less drama if the sorting is done alone. 
• make four piles. 
• garbage: every time i open a tub of clothes, i'm amazed at some of the things i have chosen to keep. seriously...tennis shoes that have gone through two little boys already? what was i thinking? as hard as it is, make a garbage pile. some things are just not worth keeping. 
• selling: make a second pile of things you can re-sell. there are countless kids' consignment sales out there. i am selling a ton of stuff at one this week. it is a lot of work to get everything together and tagged correctly but i've managed to make some cash off of our things that we can no longer use. do a search for consignment sales in your area and get selling. you're not making any money off of the things sitting in your garage. 

 

• sentimental: third, make a sentimental pile. this needs to be small. i have one or two things from each kid. they are usually items with their names on them or the outfit they wore for their church dedication. keep this pile as tiny as possible. trust me, your kids probably won't want any of the clothes they wore as children for their own kids. it's just going to collect dust. 
• charity: the fourth pile is the "give away" pile. as long as the clothes are still in pretty good shape, give them to a local charity. if you're not in the mood to do a consignment sale, this pile might be very large. if things are just sitting unused in your garage, give them to someone who will wear them everyday. while you are at it, go through your own closet and find some unworn items as well. for myself, i find it hard to justify keeping something i haven't worn in a year when there are people who need it and could use it on a daily basis. used clothing can be a huge blessing. take the time to take pictures of what you are donating and to itemize these items for your taxes. you'll be surprised at what a difference this will make on your taxes each year.
• only keep what is necessary. i know that we all want our kids to have nice things. sometimes, though, i feel like we all get caught in the "have more stuff" phenomenon. do i really need two princess bikes on the off chance that a friend comes over to play? probably not. again, this goes along with the principle that there are people less fortunate than ourselves who don't have one bike. do i really need to be holding on to two bikes "just in case"? definitely not. i am learning to look at our things from a different perspective. if a good friend lost everything in a fire, would i immediately be able to find things we could live without? definitely. it's probably safe to say that i don't need all that stuff to begin with and that i could certainly stand to get rid of some extras. 
• get it out of the house...fast. the longer i sit with stuff, the more likely it is to be reincorporated into our daily lives. package things up right away. put things into large, black trash bags so you can't revisit the items inside. stick them in your car to take away as soon as possible. 

purging does a household a ton of good. it can open up space, de-clutter storage, and be a blessing to someone else...all in one big clean up. try it...one plastic tub at a time.