Guest Tutorial: Organization Tips

Hey everyone!  This is Cheri from I Am Momma - Hear Me Roar.  Emilie and I go way back....well at least to June :)  We competed in SYTYC together and she made some amazing things.  I am excited to be a part of this organizational series.  Why?  Because when I finally conquer an area of my home and fully organize it I feel like I can conquer the world.

Today I'm going to show you what my unsightly cabinets over the desk area in our kitchen looked like.  Yup.  It was bad.  There was no real structure, which means it became the collection area for all random objects.  I wanted to make the space logical and organized.

So, after an afternoon of sorting, labeling, and more sorting.......we arrived at this.   Ahhhh!  So much better!  Now there even room for growth.

So, I'm going to share four tips with you to help in organization.  Let's hit it!

1) Containers are obviously a must.  When dealing with small objects, you just need containers.  It's nice to use the same ones so that the area will have some consistency.  The silver bins are from Target.  I found them in the dollar section, but they were $2.50 each.  Not bad. 

These stackable shelves were from DI.  (Maybe it's Goodwill where you live.)  This is a great place to find cheap bins and containers.  They were $. 75 each and at Wal-mart the cheapest thing I saw that was similiar was $8.

This little puppy helped a ton!  It was also $2.50 at Target and it perfectly houses all those tiny little knick knacks that don't really have a place.

See?  Yeah, I bet you have most of these random little items, too.

I also got a little container for my coupons, which helps me remember to use them.

They are divided by catagory.

2) Labels.  I LOVE labels.  They are so nice because then everyone knows where things go - not just you.  I created these with my Silhouette machine, but you could also order some HERE.  (She takes custom orders as well.)  Don't labels make everything look nicer?

3) Find the right place.  Put the things you use all the time in the most reachable area.  Use bins for storage that's up high.  Then the bins are like drawers and you can access things by just bringing it down, rather than climbing up high to see what exactly all the small items up there are.  Try and keep dangerous things out of the reach of your little ones.

4) Once you've got your system down - USE IT!  If you start to casually leave things out or stop putting them back where they go it won't take much time to be back where you started.  Ugh!  Not pretty.

That's it!  So, pick an area of your home and TACKLE it!  It feels so good when it's done.  I'm off to find another area right now.  Thanks for having me, Emilie! 

All of you are welcome at my place anytime. -Cheri