No matter where you have your meals a common issue among dining spaces is their ability to clutter. These areas usually have a table – flat and perfect for setting stuff that really shouldn’t be there. In fact, I can see my dining room table from my desk right now, and here’s what’s on it:

• A library book.
• A product I’m reviewing for a blog (and not it’s not actually food or dining related).
• All my mail from the last week.
• My winter ear flap hat.
• My bag that I took grocery shopping last night.

How sad. Geez.

This is how lots of people treat their dining space table but you shouldn’t. For one thing, everything in your home needs a place and I doubt the dining room is that place. I KNOW where my library books go, they actually have a space, I just made a pit stop at the table. Also, by leaving stuff all over your dining space, you’re less likely to eat family meals together at the table. I try to leave my table clear usually (it’s been a bad week) so that my son and I don’t have to clear it at mealtimes.

Tips that can help clear your dining space:

Make no table clutter a rule. One thing that works well is to obsessively keep flowers on your table. Who wants to ruin that look? You can get older flowers on the cheap from wholesale flower sellers in your area. Go in and ask which flowers they’re getting rid of or tossing soon? (I worked at a flower shop once – mainly for the free flowers), so I know that shops discard flowers that look amazing still but that are getting old. If you make it known you’re willing to buy regularly you’ll get a discount.

If you really have table clutter issues, place a small basket or nice box near your table and make that your catch-all.

Unclutter the sideboard or hutch: You really don’t need to display each and every dish you own. Pack some up.

Quick open storage solutions: If you use your dining room for crafts, game night, or other activities, get a nice chest in the dining room, and store items in there. You can shut it, or even use it for extra seating (like a bench type chest).

What are your dining room issues? Does your table look like mine does today?

Post from: Blisstree

Organizing Your Dining Area

What do you think?

Post from: Blisstree

Visual motivation to declutter that dining room

My biggest headache in dealing with all their creativity has been storage. I’ve had those plastic containers with drawers, a bookshelf and most recently a white rolling cabinet. I just wasn’t pleased with any of them, mainly because they were an eye sore and hard for my kids to use.

I just bought this cube organizer from Target the other day. (Please ignore the ugly black cables that are peeking out. ”Buy cable organizer” is on my list of to-dos. ) I’ve had my eye on it and it went on sale, so I snatched it up. I have been so pleased with it and it has kept my kids craft supplies nicely organized, even with them digging into them almost everyday. It sits right beside our dining room table which is where all the crafting happens.

So, here’s how I use it. I have one container that is just coloring books, one that is for drawing paper and the other ones are filled with crayons, markers, scissors, glue, rulers…you name it.

I use this Craft Organizer Box by Snapware to keep all the markers, crayons and colored pencils together. This container is very easy for my older 2 kids to use, but I have to help out my 3 year old a little bit. I love this container because it keeps all the essentials for coloring connected together. These are by far some of my favorite containers around.

I use a simple pencil box to store their pencils for school homework, as well as storing erasers and sharpener in there. Again, it’s all together.

For the glue sticks, tape and scissors I use the Sterilite Small FlipTops Storage Boxes. This is another storage container that I use quite a bit around the house.

As you can see, the cube organizer has other shelves for storage. Right now I don’t have much on there and I plan on keeping it that way. It’s a great place to store some of my boy’s video games. I’d like to use the other cubbie holes for decorative items, but I’m afraid they’ll get knocked over. So, they will probably stay empty for now.

I will need to continue to go through the cubbies and do maintenance organizing every once and awhile, that’s just life, but I like the fact that this organizer looks nicer and it’s easier for all of us to use.

Do you have any questions about your kids’ craft supplies? Feel free to ask!

Post from: Blisstree

How I Organize My Kids’ Crafts

There are so many things that I love about fall: the food, the cooler weather, every one seems friendlier (why is that?), but probably my favorite thing about it is that I get to decorate with my most favorite colors: mustard yellow, burgandy, green and brown. I love those colors and you’ll found them throughout my home year round, but come fall, they’re everywhere.

Now I know this blog is not about decorating, it’s about organizing. But one thing I have learned is that if you don’t use organizing products that you love to look at and use, then you might as well not buy them at all. Also, there are some products you may think to use only for decorating, but you can use them for organizing items in your home too. You just have to use your imagination a little bit and think outside of the box.

So, my list this month is all about organizing products that have a touch, or a lot, of those fall colors in them. Adding just a few of these to your home will help create a functional, inviting and warm house for the fall.

Declutter It’s 50 Organizing Products to Add a Touch of Fall Color to Your Home

1. Round Pandan Storage Stool

2. Barrington DVD Box

3. Cargo CD Box in Spice Red

4. Magazine File in Spice Red (8 pack)

5. Large Tribeca Bin

6. 5 Drawer Wicker Storage Unit

7. Modern Contemporary Dark Brown Wood Storage Box End Table

8. BILLY Bookcase with Height Extension

9. Besta Burs Wall Shelf DVD Storage

10. Jade Media Sectional Ottoman Dark Brown Leather

11. MOLGER Bathroom Bench

12. MOLGER Storage Bathroom Stool

13. KASSETT Clothes Box with Lid

14. SKUBB Clothes Organizer

15. Lorraine Leather Storage Bench

16. LEKSVIK Hook

17. RAMBERG Bedside Table

18. Coat Rack in Sandy Black Finish with Umbrella Stand

19. STRIKT 4-piece Desk Set

20. LAGIS Mouse Pad

21. Basket in Espresso

22. Burgundy Expressions Family Photo Album

23. Small Canvas Eyelet Storage Tote

24. MOTORP Storage Wrack for Writing Materials

25. FNISS Wastepaper Basket

26. ALVE Storage Bench

27. KNYCK Napkin Holder

28. Knitter’s Tote-Pumpkin 14”x13”x6-1/2”

29. Marquis by Waterford Tango 8-Inch Footed Bowl, Lipstick Red

30. OXO Good Grips 1061948 Black Plastic Rectangular Trash Can, 13-Gallon

31. STRIKT Magazine File

32. ORIGINAL Pen Holder

33. Pandan Hamper

34. Coffee, Tea and Sugar Canister Set

35. Java Pandan Bath Accessories

36. DANHOLM Round Baskets

37. Java Pandan Bath Tray

38. EVA Tread Box

39. HOL Storage Cube

40. RAMVIK Storage Coffee Table

41. Wood Trunk – Medium

42. Winsome Wood End Table/Night Stand with Drawer and Shelf, Black

43. Dolce Dark Walnut Folding Bookcase

44. BÖLSNÄS Storage Baskets

45. RÖRA Mortar and Pestal

46. Makati Wastebaskets

47. Storage Ottoman – Lid Lifts For Storage

48. BAGN Bed Tray

49. LACK Wall Shelf

50. Portofino Photo Storage Box

Check out the rest of the Home and Dining Channel’s Lists. Here are 500 (with my 50 added) Ways to Keep Yourself Warm this Fall:

• Baking Delights: Hot Desserts: 50 Ways to Heat Up Your Autumn Evening
• Simply Thrifty: 50 Things You Can Do to Stay Warm this Autumn
• Chocolate Bytes: 50 Ways Chocolate Can Keep You Warm this Autumn
• The Food Bowl: 50 Ways to Keep the Pets Warm this Autumn
• Keeping the Castle 50 Awesome Crockpot Recipes to Keep You Warm and Full
• Offbeat Homes: 50 Soul-Warming Ways to Inspire the Next Generation of Offbeat Architects
• Noodles & Rice:  50 Reasons Why a Japan Winter is hot
• Mother Earth’s Garden: 50 Vegetable Recipes to Keep Warm This Season
• Cooking Gadgets: 50 Warm-Up Cooking Gadgets
• Foodie Obsessed: 50 Drinks that Warm the Soul

Post from: Blisstree

50 Organizing Products to Add a Touch of Fall Color to Your Home

Family/Living Room

• Leave only 3 to 6 items on the mantel
• Follow the 1 to 3 large scale decorative items per surface
• Replace old outdated curtains with new ones or just leave windows with no coverings
• Replace bent and broken blinds with new ones or just leave without blinds
• Repaint or do any touch-ups on the walls
• Don’t arrange all the furniture facing the tv, arrange in conversation groups
• Arange furniture where it allows for easy traffic flow
• If you have a fireplace, lay some logs inside and also add a decorative touch like pine cones and greenery
• Open all the curtains and blinds to let as much natural light in as possible

Dining Room

• Remove a leaf out of the table to make room appear larger
• Only leave out 4 chairs and store the rest away
• Check the chandelier for any bulbs that are out or broken pieces, also wash it so that it shines
• Clean out buffet of any clutter
• Set out a simple place setting on table, but don’t over-do it
• Open up the curtains to let the natural light in

Post from: Blisstree

Home Staging Tips Part 2

• Put up a cork board in your kids’ rooms to display their artwork instead of letting it take over the refrigerator. Kids are proud of their work and should be able to display it. This way everyone is happy.
• Have the whole family do a 5 minute quick clean every morning and night. This helps control clutter. Keeping a house looking neat should not take hours and hours. Preventive maintenance is the key.
• Add hooks over the bathroom door or mounted on the wall or door for robes and extra towels. It makes it easier for kids to hang up their things as opposed to a towel rod.
• Store all your childrens’ crafts in the place where they like to do them. If that is at the dining room table, then put all their paints, crayons, coloring books and
  paper in a plastic cart with drawers or if in a hutch. There are many decorative organizing items that would look great in the dining room or kitchen. 15 minutes before dinner have them clean up the table and put all the items back in the appropriate drawer.
• Use shelves instead of toy boxes to store your kids’ toys. This way they can see all the toys they have and this will put an end to digging through the toy box and
  emptying all the contents on the floor.
• Give each of your kids their own basket or container for the bathroom. Have them store all of their toiletries in there. When they are getting ready in the morning or at night for bed, they take out their basket, use what they need, put everything back in and store it under the sink. It helps keep those bathroom counters clear of clutter.

Do you have any tried and true tips that you use for your kids’ spaces? If so, send them on in!

Post from: Blisstree

Tame Those Toys Thursday – Some Great Tips

For example: Your bedroom is for sleeping, spending time with your spouse, relaxing with a good book, etc.; so does that piece of exercise equipment help you serve any of those purposes? If not, then move it to another room or if you never use it, get rid of it!

Here are several evaluation forms that you can use:

The Kitchen

Children’s Bedroom

Family Room or Great Room

The Dining Room

It’s also good to have an ongoing wish list for the room. For example: If you want to be able to use your bedroom for a place to curl up with a good book, you might like to purchase a chaise lounge or a big comfy chair with an ottoman. Put it on your wish list and save for it.

Post from: Blisstree

Evaluating Your Needs

Post from: Blisstree

Evaluating Your Needs – Dining Room