Image: Kathy Zengolewicz

Place a small table under the pegboard to hold a couple of baskets. I save any gift bags or bows that I receive, that look nice, and re-use them for gifts that I give to others. You can use the baskets to store gift bags and bows.

Group all of your like objects together. For example I group my scissors together with my hole punches. Use hooks to hang your scissors, punches and small items like rolls of ribbon and tape. To store your rolls of wrapping paper, stand them upright on the table, against the pegboard, and attach a small bungee cord to hold them together. Don’t make the cord too tight or it may rip your gift wrap.

You can attach a small black mailbox to hold things like a glue gun and extra glue sticks. I you have the kind of mailbox that has a newspaper holder on the bottom to store my craft paper.

If you keep the table top free of clutter, when you are working on a project you will have plenty of room for your tape, scissors, glue, craft paper, etc. It is much easier to complete a project when you and your work area are organized.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!

Post from: Keeping the Castle

1.  Commit to 15 minutes. Set the timer for 15 minutes and commit to work for that amount of time.  Give yourself permission to stop working when the timer buzzes.  This will help get you started and the time you’re working doesn’t seem so overwhelming.  This way you can conquer the clutter one small pile at a time.  And it’s amazing the amount of work that you can get done when you diligently work with no distractions.

2.  Make a compromise. Set realistic expectations for how you want your house to look.  For me, I try to keep the common areas fairly clean.  Each day I *try* to put away the things in the main areas of the house.  It makes me feel like things are under control, even though there’s five loads of laundry waiting.

3.  Get the whole family involved. Set the timer and have everyone work together for 10-15 minutes.  Encourage teamwork, working as a family, responsibility, and end results.

What tips do you have for getting organized?

image (c) Karen Weideman

Post from: Keeping the Castle

The all or nothing attitude results in piles of clutter throughout the home. The clutter and disorganization leads to feeling overwhelmed and trapped, which is definitely not good for your health. Rather than looking at organization as an all or nothing thing where you see failure try working on a compromise. 

While I like a clean home, I realize that since having kids my house is never totally clean.  No matter how much I clean, I constantly find socks, clothes, or something out of place.  Someone didn’t do their chore or they left trash on the counter.  Rather than throwing up my hands, I keep chugging along.  Some days are really frustrating, but I can’t let it go.  Letting it go for too long leaves me with a suffocating feeling.

Stay tuned for more tips soon on organization.

Do you have an all or nothing attitude?

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Post from: Keeping the Castle

Mini Waste Hanging Basket – While this container isn’t the most attractive out there, it’s convenient and inexpensive. The hanging basket hooks on to the waste basket which makes recycling easier. This would be a convenient way to recycle at work. Simply throw your plastic bottles and paper into the hanging basket. At $4.51, it’s affordable.

Scrolled Metal Newspaper Rack – This is a perfect example of an attractive recycling solution.  This piece keeps your newspapers neatly together and is nice enough to go in your living room.

Set of 4 Recycling Bags – These are great if you like bright colors or want to several bins for sorting.  At $30, these are fairly inexpensive.  My concern is the amount of floor space that these would take.

Flip Lid Recycler – This one is probably my favorite.  It’s a bit pricer than the others, but it seems to be well-made.  I think this is something that would get plenty of use and could be set out in your kitchen without being an eye sore.

What do you think of these recycling containers?  Do you recycle?

images are from sites linked above

Post from: Keeping the Castle

One of my struggles is organizing the clothes in the bedroom that is shared by the two smaller children. We have future plans to turn some attic space into a fourth bedroom, but for now they’re sharing and I need to work with the space we have.

I hung up all of the hanging clothes, but I still had lots of pants and other clothes to sort through. As you can see here in these pictures, I dumped them out on the bed and the floor. I needed to see what I was working with and what my needs would be.

My husband was going to put in another hanging rack on the bottom of the closet , but I didn’t really like that idea. That would mean I would need more hangers and that I’d have to hang up every piece of their clothing. Then we agreed upon a shelf so that I could fold their pants and shorts and put them on the shelf. Then I got to thinking that we already had the Yaffa blocks and they would work great because they have divided sections.

I ended up sorting a bunch of outfits together and putting them into two bins for my daughter. She likes to have her things sorted to where she has lots of choices. It also helps keep the morning drama to a minimum. I also folded some pants and put them on the top shelf and I have another bin for my son’s shorts. I’m still working on washing and sorting fall clothing, but it’s ok because we still have plenty of room left.

Right now I’m waiting on my hubby to hang up the canvas shoe racks on the back of the doors. I didn’t show you the mess of shoes. I’ll save that for another time.

This is what I’ve been tackling. What are you tackling?

For more Works for Me Wednesday ideas, visit We Are THAT Family.  images (c) Karen Weideman

Post from: Keeping the Castle

I am guilty of disorganization in my kitchen.  I am trying to get better though.  Here are a few kitchen organizing tips.

1)  Put things away when you’re done using them.  If we did this with everything our lives would be so much cleaner and organized.

2)  Buy functional organizational tools.  Don’t just buy some baskets because you think you can use them.  Access your needs and space.  Decide what will work and then make the purchases.  Yesterday, I bought some little plastic baskets for my kitchen drawers.  I bought them for the scissors, clothes pins, kid’s medicine cups and syringes, and other small items.  They were pretty inexpensive too; some were 2/$1 and some were 3/$1. 

3)  Give a new home to things you rarely use.  If you rarely use the vegetable steamer and waffle maker, then consider storing them in the garage or basement.  I have a little storage container that I use for storing cookie cutters and other infrequently used utensils.  It keeps them from getting in my way and junking up my kitchen drawers.

4)  Have a clean up time before dinner.  Each night, have a short clean up time before you begin dinner so that you can put away all the little things that are lying around.  This will help keep your kitchen clean and will also make for less clean up later.

5)  Try the 15 minute rule.  Set the timer for 15 minutes to clean, pick up, and organize.  Sometimes we put off tasks because they seem so overwhelming.  If we know that we only have to clean for 15 minutes, then we’ll be more likely to get in there and tackle projects.

What kitchen organizing tips can you share?

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Post from: Keeping the Castle

I can hardly wait to get stuff out of my house.  I know that I have way too many posssessions, but if there’s something that I know I’m not going to use anymore (such as baby toys and outgrown kid clothing) then I’m eager to see it go.

Many folks have a yard sale once each year.  They go through all their closets before the big sale and try to decide what they can do without.  For me, I have found that an ongoing yard sale pile works best.  Each time I come across something in my home that I know we can’t use anymore, I put it into the pile.  I keep the pile in my garage.  I try to put the items into the boxes and sometimes I’ll even take a few seconds to price the items before they go into the boxes.  This makes the yard sale day flow much smoother.

What do you think of this yard sale system?  Do you think it would work for you?

For more Works for Me Wednesday tip, visit We Are THAT Family.  image sxc.hu

Post from: Keeping the Castle

I immediately needed to find some way to storage my kitchen utensils.  After some thought and searching around in the stores, I found this handy basket.  It stores my most used cooking utensils neatly on the counter and they’re easy to grab when cooking. 

Even though I have plenty of drawer space in my new kitchen, I am still using this storage basket.  I like the easy access of grabbing what I need without having to dig through drawers with other gadgets that I rarely use.  My basket is looking a bit worn.  After all, I have been married for a while.  I’ve been looking around at the thrift/antique store.  I think my next storage option might be some handmade pottery or crock.

What do you use to store your cooking utensils?

image (c) Karen Weideman

Post from: Keeping the Castle

I have stored shoes under the bed before, but I just put them into an under bed plastic tote.  This clear storage bag is made specifically for storing shoes.  It sells for $11.99, which I thought was reasonable.

Do you have any old dresser drawers? Better Homes and Gardens recommends converting them into under bed storage by using paint, harware, and casters. I have tossed out old dresser drawers before and never thought of this idea. What a great way to repurpose something old.  These dresser drawers are also more attractive than the normal plastic totes too. You may even decide that you don’t need a bed skirt.

The best use of under bed space is with an underbed dresser. The problem is, these are usually pretty costly and can cost hundreds of dollars.   If you have some carpentry skills, you might consider making your own.  Knotty Plans has several different building plans that you can purchase to get your on your way.

What types of storage do you have under your bed?

Under the Bed Storage, Part 1
Under the Bed Storage, Part 2 

image 1 – organize.com, image 2 – bhg, image 3 – knotty plans

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Instead of the normal under the bed plastic box, you could use a similar box that is soft sided and made of cotton.  Several years ago I purchased some of the cloth storage boxes.  Although they are an attractive solution, I liked the plastic bed boxes better because the cloth ones gave me big concerns about dust.  I am very allergic to dust and did not want my personal items getting covered in allergens.  Someone that is looking for a more attractive box may like this solution.

If you’re looking to put a lot of stuff into a little space, then you the space bags might be just the thing for you.  You simply put your clothing or bedding into the space bag and then use your vacuum cleaner to suck all the air out of the bag.  Once the air is gone, the bag lies flat.  I have tried these bags before and was pleased with them.  You do have to make sure your valve is on the bag properly so that the air won’t leak back inside the bag.

 Stay tuned for part 3 of this series where I’ll show some other under the bed storage solutions.  Do you have any organizing tips to share?

images from target

Post from: Keeping the Castle