7/23/13

ORGANIZE ME....

AND MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE, PLEASE...

Shelterness
I envy the linear thinking group, 
the left brainers, 
the organized.
It pains me that organization comes so naturally to some
and gives me a headache

Capone.mtsu.edu

Were I more left brained
My garage would be neat as a pin

don't they look happy?

My closet would be color coordinated

The spices in my kitchen would be fresh and cleverly displayed
The Kitchen

I'd be able to find my shoes....

I actually come from a long line of the left brained
My sisters are very left brained
I am one of seven
six are organized, tidy, efficient
(some are a little anal - in a good way of course)

then there is me
left brain challenged...

I actually took a fun test to determine the degree 
of left or right brain dominance
19 questions
My score was 16 to 3 in favor of the right
(click on the link above to take the test yourself)

We all have two hemispheres to our brains, right?
One side is supposed to be more dominant
My husband scored 11 left and 8 right.
He's left hemisphere dominant, but a lot more balanced...

I'm more 'right brain took over and is holding left brain hostage'

I wish I were more left brained
I'm always looking for solutions to the things my brain refuses to come up with by itself
like organizing my pantry...
Remodelaholic

or my paperwork....
I Dream of Clean
When it comes to storage and organization
I really have only one criteria
(besides that it works, of course)
Please make it attractive...

like this DIY Dry EraseTo Do list from Eighteen25.
Eighteen 25
So, I'm making this for myself,
because something hanging on the wall is a lot less likely to be misplaced -
like the grocery list I was looking for today...
(thank Heaven for the cloud where my calendar hangs out until I need it...)
It looks fairly simple:
Print out a 'things to do' sheet, put it behind glass.
Use as a dry erase surface.
A few DE pens.... voila!
Such a clever idea.  You can make it as large or small as you need...
Why didn't I think of that?

As storage goes, classic is best.
Even for the things you really need to have at hand but can't stand to see
Just Something I Made

Cords are a pet peeve of mine.  
I'm always losing them because I can't stand to see them, 
so I put them in a drawer somewhere....
or a storage box or basket...somewhere safe
which I promptly forget...
This jar and a box of labels will keep them together in a sort of cute way


The same thing goes for those small travel sized shampoos, conditioners, toothpastes and lotions.
Pull it out to counter top for house guests to use freely!

For the Love of a House
They are also super cute to use as canisters
very attractive for storing flour, sugar, etc.
(and I wouldn't be your very good friend if I didn't tell you where to get these great jars...
a true classic design that has been around 70+ years...
here or here or here or here)
and the little scoops?
here

Serving plates and platters you say?
I have a lot of these for entertaining
and they take up a lot of cabinet space due to their size
So I love this platter rack
taking up no more space than that between wall studs
and attractive too (minus the wallpaper)
Better Homes and Gardens
It would be a fairly easy job for a handyman to put together!
I must put this on my list for my 'someday' kitchen remodel..
Country Living
same idea, here on the side of an island.

For the things that need to be close at hand and usually hang out in clutter on your countertops
Homestead Revival
corral them with an attractive basket.


Not everything can be behind doors in a kitchen.
And that's where I get a little crazy.  Kitchen has clutter!
Open shelves are convenient, but
only work if it looks like this....
Better Homes and Gardens
And this works because its tidy, clean, uniform and uncluttered

If you do have mismatched items, you can always add attractive storage with baskets.
Brabourne Farm
As long as they are very similar and tidy, baskets add texture and warmth

Plate storage can be behind doors, on open shelves, or in racks.
I'm really happy these dish racks seem to be making a comeback
Content in a Cottage
Dust Jacket Attic
Forever Cottage
It seems as far as open shelving goes
white is right
Even if it is a little cluttered, it isn't as noticeable
Decor Happy
Justine Taylor
I recently changed to all white dinnerware 
after living with a mish mash of assorted plates, bowls and mugs.
Romantiskahem
It's a little drop of serenity in my crazy world.
kind of like this kitchen...
Favim

Small appliances are another pesky kitchen necessity
they are NOT attractive
I realize their necessity
and I realize there are some we use daily
and its a huge pain to repeatedly pull them out
and put them back
Houzz
but a kitchen looks so much bigger and attractive
when they are out of sight.
Houzz
An appliance garage is a great answer to countertop clutter
because I firmly believe
a truly beautiful kitchen has empty counter tops...

I currently have no storage for cook books in my kitchen.
I have a box of recipes books in the garage that I never see.
I'm quite sure my family would starve if not for my ipad
and Pinterest
If I had a cabinet end bookcase like this my family would eat better.
a clever message board cupboard with key storage 
(and with a plug included - a charging station?)
would conquer the 'drop everything at the front door' clutter 
but I think this one is truly genius!
narrow storage for mops, brooms, and cleaning supplies
I hate how they look so they always end up in the garage...

I love the smart use of over the fridge storage for pans and trays
Family Handyman
because another storage problem for me is trays, cookie sheets, racks and muffin pans

While we are still in the kitchen, here are a few more storage ideas
From Crate and Barrel - refrigerator organizers
my fridge NEVER looks like this...

tall uniform storage canisters
I'd be tempted to keep the doors open just to show how organized I was
(check Ikea for similar canisters)
House of Smiths
this is a girl after my own heart..
Wallpaper, or paint, to make it look nice inside, too.
Clear storage - no guessing

From the Kitchen to the Bedroom

I'm always assuming everyone else's closet has tidy shoe storage except mine
with tidy clear boxes, stacked neatly
or built in shelving
Brittany Blum
or in boxes of the non see-through variety
with little snapshots of the shoes on the front for quick selection...

its definitely more attractive than a bunch of jumbled shoes in a heap on the closet floor


this is definitely more attractive than that...

But my favorite are the clear boxes above
stackable, and no photos needed, available from the container store.

Still speaking of closets, these baskets provide great, attractive storage for handbags,
scarves, mittens, and other miscellany.

here is where I completely fall apart.
Keeping the insides of cupboards and drawers
organized and attractive

I really want my bathroom cabinets to look like this
brilliant, organized and so pretty
I've always hated that cavernous under sink space

and shelves this pretty do not need cupboard doors
once again, uniformity creates a visually calm space


If you have the space and the budget, California Closets will make sure you have a space for every little thing in your closets life...
beautifully...

or you may opt for the DIY route
but you and your clothes will be much happier with a little organization in your life...

I really do need to get a handle on my linen closet.
So many mismatched towels and sheets
and tablecloths
I'm quite sure I'd be much happier to open the door to this
Martha Stewart
Makes me want to go run out and buy matching linens
I bet Martha has a very well balanced brain -  50/50 right and left.
How else could she be organized and detail oriented
and yet so creative
And then there's paperwork
Paperwork should be ruled a dirty word and used as an expletive

A Bowl Full of Lemons
this is where the left brained excel...

but the right brained make it look nice...

Apartment Therapy

Better Homes and Gardens
storage components are available from Ikea
Ikea

and before you go, had to share just a couple more storage/organizational ideas
I love this DIY ribbon storage rack
Craft Magazine
I also think this is a great storage idea - a pants hanger
Creating Keepsakes
Creative Organizing
and the tags on these binders are adorable
and genius!

Exchange Kodak
So thanks for listening to me rave about left brain, right brain
and my pet peeves in organization and storage
I truly hope you found some ideas you could use
I know I did!
I Heart Organizing
and both my left and right brain really like this one!
but the next one is sheer genius...
Chalkboard paint on cabinet and drawers fronts in the garage
so you know where everything is!

However you choose to organize,
remember to keep it aesthetically pleasing, too
its part of your home,
make it beautiful!

Storage Geek
Best wishes!
from the left brain challenged...

I think I should start a club!






2 comments:

  1. Good information. Lucky me I found your website by chance (stumbleupon).
    I've saved it for later!

    Here is my blog - comment pirater un facebok

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi, thanks for sharing your amazing idea it's should be helpful for us to save more place for the storage.
    https://boxesxperthub.us/markets/food-and-beverages-boxes/cake-boxes/

    ReplyDelete

Highly intelligent comments from amazing readers...

WHAT DID YOU MISS?

link within

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...