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

Homedit

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

Brittany Blum

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...

The Container Store

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!