Unconventional Solutions - M's Closet Room

Storage and organization frustrations are common issues, but the solutions are not one-size-fits-all. There's no one remedy that can fix a chaos problem, nor is there an organization plan that works for everyone. Sometimes your solutions are limited or require out-of-the-box thinking. So, when a busy mom of 3 found herself with insufficient closet space, too many directions to go with clean laundry and an underutilized spare bedroom, she came up with an unconventional fix to closet organization... and the closet room was born.

While I know that not everyone has a spare room that can be repurposed as a dressing room for 3 little girls, I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the process and wanted to share this fun idea for turning unused space into something useful for the whole family.

About the client: {M}

M and I have crossed paths a few times over the years at community events, but I never had an opportunity to really chat with her. She's an absolute delight with 3 beautiful little girls and a fun-filled, kid-centric home. Everywhere you turn there are signs that this family loves playing and spending time together. It was no wonder this mom wanted to not only create a better system for keeping the girls' clothes neat and organized, but to do it in a way that allowed her girls to enjoy the space as well.

M had already made great progress on the project before calling me in to assist. She'd purchased some new clothing racks and moved a few dressers into the unused guest room, but wanted help moving the project along in an effort to get it finished before returning to work at the end of the month. Her mom joined us for the afternoon and, truth be told, it's no wonder M is such a joy! Conversation came easy during our 3 hours of sorting, folding and hanging clothes.

We started with a general discussion about how the space would best work for the family and ultimately decided that putting each girl's clothes into one section (one wall each, to be exact) would make the most sense. It can be tempting to fill open space with items that truly belong elsewhere (in this case, sharing dresser drawers), but for this working mom, keeping track of 3 different sizes and the process of hand-me-downs from one to the next was already a full-time job and the goal was to make things easier. The added benefit of keeping each girl's clothes separate is that, as they get older, they can easiliy find items that are their own rather than having to sort through a sister's things to find something that fits properly. I'm a big fan of giving kids responsibilities (age appropriate, of course) and having distinct zones will allow them to slowly take on the task of putting their own clothes where they belong or selecting their own outfits each day.

Their oldest was assigned the left wall with a large dresser and clothing rack, which M had already set up and sorted. Their second had a temporary rack while M waited for a second matching rack to arrive, and a slightly smaller dresser. The baby got the closet, which was set up using several different shelving and organization systems. While some might prefer to go right for a perfectly matched closet system, I like to encourage people to start with what they already have on hand so that they can try out different ways of organizing things until they find the option that works best for them. You can always invest in matching items later, once you find the setup that works best to fit your needs.

We went ahead and stocked the baby's closet with clothes from the next size up, which she's just weeks from moving into, and came up with a plan to have a bin handy for everything she grows out of along the way. Since she's expected to be the last, M will have the opportunity to donate or sell anything that gets used for the final time with their youngest, so it'll make life easier to have a convenient place for those items.

With the arrival of the final rack and the last few items put away, M was able to put the finishing touches on the girls' closet room after I left. I know she'll be adding some personal touches going forward, but she's now got one place to bring all of the clean clothes to be put away and can more easily wrangle all three girls into one space when it's time to get ready for the day.

While the solution to M's problem was an unconventional one, at the end of the day, everyone needs a little relief from the extra work that life requires. When it comes to organizing, it's not about having everything in a place that looks nice... it's about everything being in a place that makes the most sense for YOU! If it can also look cute, that's a bonus! But life is short... give yourself the gift of an organization plan that saves you time, energy and stress. Then give yourself the gift of a cookie... you deserve it!

My First Client Project

I was pretty excited to announce recently that I was starting my own business as a freelance home organizer. It's been in the works for some time now, but it's been slow going as I tried to figure out exactly where to start. Then I saw this post on LinkedIn and figured it was a sign that it was time to take the leap.

And what better way to share this announcement with the world than to present the progress on my very first client project!

About the client: {J}

I met J a few years back when our sons were in sports together. Our paths have crossed from time to time and she's an absolute delight, so I was thrilled when she agreed to be my business model guinea pig. During our initial consultation meeting we discussed a few different options for a first project, but it was clear the job she wanted to tackle the most was her basement. It's a large space her family uses for all kinds of purposes, including storage, kids' stuff, exercise, her husband's work space and, during the winter, storage for their kayaks and outdoor plants. She knew she wanted to rearrange the space into zones specifically for each thing the basement was used for and we walked through a few options before she settled on one she thought would work best. We also determined that she wanted a combination of hands-on working together and smaller jobs that she could do on her own between appointments to keep the project moving forward. We set our first appointment for the start of the organization project and I gave her a little homework to prepare for our next meeting.

Here are some pics of the space before we got started:

(Future workout zone)

(Future kid zone)

(Future storage zone)

(Current view of center of basement)

(Current miscellaneous storage)

As you can see, there's tons of space for storage, but what J needed was usable space for her entire family.

By the time I showed up for our first organization appointment, J had not only completed her homework of clearing out one section of the basement, she had also moved some of the furniture into the its new zone, allowing us to make even more progress working together. During this appointment, we organized all of their board games and moved the larger games into the "kid zone," cleared the space around her husband's "work zone" and cleaned out and reorganized the bookshelf.

(Games in the kid zone)

(Kid zone seating area)

(Designated workout zone)

(Tidied up shelves that now block the hot water tank area from the kid zone)

(Easily accessible games)

At our next visit, J wanted to tackle the "storage zone." I was particularly excited about this part of the project because my spatial relation game is strong (I consider myself a pro when it comes to real-world Tetris situations). Ideally, a too-cramped space can be reorganized by getting rid of things that are no longer needed. The tricky part here, however, was that there wasn't much we could purge to free up space, so this was more about finding better storage solutions for the items she had in order to make room for everything that needed to be stored.

We tackled this space in small sections. We skipped the area where she keeps Christmas decorations (that'll be done after the holidays) and went right to work on some shelves that held all kinds of things from other holiday decorations to old yearbooks to suitcases. My goal in this space was to create designated areas for each type of thing. J is like me and hangs onto things for very specific reasons. She keeps a limited number of mementos and anything that can serve a future purpose, like storage containers and party supplies. She's also a realist when it comes to an item's possible future use and isn't afraid to part with things that didn't get utilized as she once thought they might.

(Before: mostly holiday decorations - the shelves on the left are Christmas decorations to be organized later)

(After: holiday décor & mementos)

Next, was the larger section of shelving for household items. It was mostly a combination of kitchen gadgets and storage containers (for things like Christmas cookies and foods you take to parties), as well as basic household items like paper towels and cleaning supplies. She's also got collections of things for outdoor use and some great containers for gift wrap. In this section, my goal was to rearrange the items into categories so that she could easily find anything she needed without having to do a lot of digging. My goal in organizing a space is rarely about making room for more stuff... it's about organizing the stuff in a way that makes it more manageable and accessible for the user. In this case, I felt the reorganization of these shelves made it possible to not only store more things, but also to more easily find and retrieve the things J and her family might be looking for.

(Before: mostly household items)

(After: household items)

Note the potential avalanche that existed on the top left shelf of the 'before' photo... In the 'after' photo you can see that grabbing one life jacket no longer poses a threat to one's wellbeing. Believe it or not, nothing was purged from this shelf. It's all the same stuff from the first photo, just moved around in a more organized way.

(Progress to date: storage space all neat & tidy)

I'm excited to see J's basement reorganization project coming together. It's already changed so much from our initial consultation meeting and I'm super excited to continue working towards her goal of a more useable space for the entire family. While there are a few sections left to be organized, tackling this project in small sections has made it easier for J to take her time going through things to make decisions about what to keep and what can go. And it's given me an opportunity to work with her multiple times... and more time with J is never a bad thing. Thank you, J, for trusting me to help you with this project!!

When Things Go Wrong: How a Junk Drawer Cleanout Becomes Something Else Entirely

Everyone has one, right? That one drawer filled with an odd collection of items, probably in your kitchen, and most definitely in need of some TLC. Need a screwdriver? A rubber ball? A Taco Bell sauce packet? It's most likely in that infamous location known as your junk drawer.

(I asked a few friends to share with me what their junk drawers looked like... and they did not disappoint)

If you're on top of your organization game, your junk drawer might be beautifully organized with sorting trays and perfectly shaped containers to keep your knickknacks tidy. Or maybe it's limited to only specific kinds of items, like this 'junk drawer' that contains mostly games and a few out of place bottles of sunscreen, a few lighters and a camera. 

(It's almost a junk drawer, but I'd say it's closer to a 'game drawer' with a near-perfect Tetris-style arrangement making it an excellent example of a well-organized space)

But, if you're like most people, it's a hot mess of charging cables, batteries and playing cards. Throw in a hodgepodge of office supplies, twine and hand sanitizer and you've got just about all your bases covered. And I'm here to tell you, there's nothing wrong with any of it! As promised, you'll get no judgment from me.

To prove my point, here's my current junk drawer situation. Somehow we've ended up with a fairly typical junk drawer, as well as a secondary/bonus junk drawer... right next to each other in the kitchen... because every home needs a safe space (or two) to tuck things away when people drop by unexpectedly.

(My junk drawers in all their haphazard glory)

Shockingly, mine aren't overflowing. I've tried to find better homes for the assorted goodies that tend to wind up in these spaces, but there's always a collection of the most random objects you can find in one's home. We've got masks and gum and stickers and paper and flashlights and tools and sunglasses and magnetic letters... well, you get it.

Now, you may be wondering why I would write about my not-so-well-organized kitchen drawers. This post, my friends, is not about a thing I've gotten right. It's about the journey of trying something new with my home organizing and I thought it would be fun to take you along for the ride rather than the traditional write-up with before and after pics. My goal was to show you the steps I took, the things I tried and tie it all up with a pretty little bow at the end where I reveal how my brilliant idea came together. It turned out to not be that...

The original idea for this post was to utilize decorative items that not only look nice on shelves and end tables, but also serve a practical purpose... storage for the not-so-tidy-looking collection of stuff that winds up in our junk drawers in the first place.

(These books, for example, aren't books at all... they're cute storage containers for things you might want to keep hidden)

Growing up, I remember my parents having a Campbell's Soup can that looked like a regular can of soup but was really a little bank for stashing away a few extra bucks. I'm not sure if it was hidden from us kids or if it was a rainy day fund, but it was a great hiding spot!

This idea was the same, but rather than hiding cash and priceless jewels in a pantry or bookcase, I wanted to use mine in plain sight with easy access so that we could have everything we need close at hand while still not leaving everything out on the counters... maybe a cute container of household tools and another with pens and pencils. The goal was to end up with no junk drawer at all, while still keeping those handy items, well, handy.

I started with the process I apply to almost every organization project I work on... I go from room to room looking for miscellaneous items that I'm not currently using to their full potential and attempt to repurpose them in a new space. I also use plastic containers and mason jars and Amazon boxes and pretty much anything else that's not nailed down. My goal is always to start with the things that cost nothing and only spend money to organize a space once I know the system I'm putting together has long-term potential.

(Here's everything I could find to get me started)

Step two was the emptying of everything out of the drawers and onto the counters so they could be seen and sorted. It's easier to organize a space when you know exactly what needs to be included. I started by separating out anything that has an official place to be returned: tools back to the garage (except the measuring tape, which is used almost daily for measuring my son's current height because he's obsessed with it and somehow seems to get taller every day! Pardon the tangent...), recipes into our recipe container and Neosporin back to the first aid kit. Then I sorted the items into piles based on who they belonged to and each of us decided how much of it should be kept and what could be thrown away. 

(If you're anything like me, you tend to hang onto things longer than necessary.... receipts, paystubs, grudges...)

Anything that's left after this process needs to be re-homed, which is where the fun usually begins. But, sometimes things don't go exactly as planned and this was definitely one of those times.

This post was intended to be about the moving of things from a junk drawer into cute storage solutions that actually freed up space in my drawers. I even had the perfect title: Junk Drawer to Junk Décor (cute, right?!?). But none of my junk drawer contents ended up making sense in any of my containers (clear containers aren't so great for hiding "junk") and all I'd done was pare the contents down to one drawer. 

(Don't get me wrong, it looks lovely and organized and I'm not mad about it, but it wasn't what I was looking for)

Since I wasn't yet satisfied with this project, I decided my next step would be to find the best use of this newly empty drawer. And the best place I could think of to free up space was my pantry. From the pantry I brought out all of the coffee, tea and hot chocolate related items... because it's starting to get cooler out and a wintertime hot chocolate bar is one of my favorite things to set up in the kitchen. I placed them neatly in the drawer and stepped back to admire my work.

(Progress... but still not right)

I was only slightly satisfied. I now had all of my beverage station supplies in a super convenient location and they were fairly well-organized, but I still hadn't achieved my goal of turning my junk drawer into junk décor, which is when I started to completely rethink the premise of this post... and the idea of re-titling it was stressing me out way more than was reasonable.

So I circled back to my original plan of using containers to store and display my stuff, this time with the contents of my newly created beverage supplies drawer. I desperately wanted it to count as "junk", but as a drawer filled with only drink-related accoutrements that actually came from the pantry, I realized that would be cheating.

(Beverage station with new containers on display)

At this point I have one freshly cleaned and well-organized junk drawer, a cute-ish beverage station with all of my coffee, tea and hot chocolate supplies and just a few additional drink-related items in the second drawer. 

(Not satisfying to an organizing junkie like me)

Since home organizing is not one-size-fits-all, I often try something out for a bit to see if it's a system that will work for me and my family (hopefully before spending any money on it). Still unsatisfied with the current arrangement, I spent the next few days reshuffling all kinds of things from pantry to drawer to shelves and back again until I found something that functioned well. 

With a cat, an elderly lab mix and an unhealthy bulldog (is there any other kind?), we have tons of random pet supplies, so I move those items from the pantry and try a few different configurations with them. 

(I don't like the way cans roll in the drawer, so I switch out food for treats in this space)

The mismatched containers on the counter at this stage drive me a little crazy, but I'm determined to be fiscally responsible, so I continue to hold out on spending money. This is the hardest part of a project for me. I love when a project comes together and the end result looks as incredible as I'd imagined it. This is not yet that.

(I snag a few storage containers from another space and try a few more configurations. Nothing is perfect, but it's getting closer.)

Finally, I believe my project is ready for the finishing touches... the décor that brings it all together so that it's both functional and fun to look at. In this process, I have not only cleaned up my junk drawers effectively, but also made my kitchen more efficient through the consolidation of all hot drinks to one station, freed up valuable real estate in our crowded pantry, AND relocated a variety of pet essentials into one convenient place. In celebration of my efforts, I treat myself to the kinds of things I'd envisioned when I first took on this little project of mine.

(My organized junk drawer, new pet supplies drawer and a fresh look for my coffee bar)

And while I completely failed at turning my JUNK DRAWER into JUNK DÉCOR, I did manage to free up space in my pantry by creating a functional coffee/tea/hot chocolate bar... so I successfully turned my PANTRY DISARRAY into a COFFEE BAR DISPLAY... which also has a nice ring to it. It's not at all what I set out to do, but it turned into a win on all fronts.

Bonus life lesson: somewhere in this post is an important lesson about adapting or going with the flow or rolling with the punches or (insert other overused cliché here). In life, there are things that just don't go as planned... even in something as simple as cleaning out a junk drawer. 

And if there's one thing I've learned in this life so far it's that, no matter how much I may believe otherwise, my home will always have a junk drawer (or two).

(Toy) Storage Wars - a constant uphill battle

If you have kids, you know. There’s no way around the chaos of toy organization. Every toy is a different shape and size, and no single storage solution makes sense for everything. For years, I have shuffled my son’s things around into an assortment of bins and shelving units, never quite reaching a point of satisfaction with the whole thing. And just when you think you’ve figured it out (much like nap times and eating schedules), they outgrow the toy that perfectly fit into that one great spot, and it’s replaced with some other horrendous device that doesn’t make sense in that spot at all.

My greatest nemesis of all the toys: Nerf guns. With these gems you have the joy of trying to find something large enough to house these awkwardly shaped contraptions, while also coming up with a way to corral the pellets and bullets in a wide array of shapes and sizes (particularly if you also own other brands of toy guns).

My son’s collection wasn’t vast. Maybe 4 or 5 in total with a small collection of foam and rubber bullets. This felt manageable to me. They were stuffed in a toy chest, the bullets left to tumble their way to the bottom of the bin and, thus, were rarely played with. But, if you’ve ever purchased one of these atrocities, you know how expensive they are, so them not getting played with didn’t feel like a win either.

That all changed 3 years ago when my brother’s family decided their boys had outgrown their old toys and that it was time to pass them down to their younger cousins. Many toys were up for grabs, but I knew exactly which ones my kid would gravitate toward. In all their obnoxious glory, we inherited a massive collection of these noisy, lopsided, absolutely un-storable toys. The toy chest was no longer an option and, for several months, I had the pleasure of stepping over piles of Nerf guns in our basement. I knew there was a solution out there, but it took a while to find it.

To my dismay, no one else seemed bothered by the utter chaos of it all. Our basement had become a Nerf war zone and my son didn’t care one way or the other about how these toys were stored. He never once expressed his displeasure about the fact that his Nerf guns didn’t have a reasonable storage solution. But I knew this was a problem for him (or me… maybe mostly me… okay, completely, totally me) and I was bound and determined to solve it.

After lots of research, I found these metal grid racks that are designed for merchandise. The brand is Only Garment Racks. They were sold in sets of three and included the wall mount brackets. The brackets are now sold separately. We also purchased some additional gridwall peg hooks in various sizes to meet our needs.

The racks were heavy, so hanging them was definitely a two-person job and required measuring, marking the walls and utilizing wall anchors. Thankfully, my hubby was thrilled(-ish) to help hang them and my son, who was now convinced this massive undertaking was all about him, was eager to assist with arranging his collection of useless weaponry.

(The end result - Nerf gun display wall)

While it wasn’t the cheapest organization project I’ve ever done, it was definitely one that made my heart happy. We probably spent about $200 on supplies (not including the Nerf guns). And I’m proud to say that my son regularly puts these back where they belong and even rearranges them from time to time to better fit his collection. As a mom obsessed with organizing, this feels like a parenting win (almost as exciting as the fact that he does his own laundry).

The truth is, there will always be toys that aren’t easy to organize. What this photo doesn’t show you is the shelves on the other side of the room where we’ve stacked all his other un-storable gadgets and toys. But since I’m all about celebrating the little things, I choose to turn around, face this wall, and pat myself on the back for a job well done. After all, we can only wrangle one disaster at a time.

What genius toy storage solutions have you come up with in your home? And do you find those organizing solutions are just for you or do your kiddos pitch in with tidying up because it’s easier for them too?

No matter what kind of toy chaos you need to wrangle, there’s always a creative solution out there! And if there’s not, remind yourself that your kids will eventually outgrow those toys and you’ll have your space back again someday… in 18 years or so…

It's Probably Time to Clean Out the Fridge

How long has it been since you’ve cleaned out your fridge?

Let’s start by saying you’re in a judgment-free zone here. I’ve seen the insides of lots of refrigerators and I can promise you one thing… yours is not likely the worst I’ve ever seen. The goal here is not to end up with something resembling what you see on Pinterest (although I absolutely LOVE Pinterest!), the goal is just to see what’s in your fridge.

I thought this post should start out with a little song to inspire you as we get started on today’s journey…. 

Okay, so maybe that would have been a better choice for the ‘let’s clean out the liquor cabinet’ post 🤷. But what I love most about this song is the fact that this guy started out with a list of all kinds of chores and, while he didn’t get to all of them, he’s celebrating the fact that he did manage to accomplish something. And I think we can all get behind celebrating the little things. And drinking beer… I can get behind that as well.

The idea of celebrating the little things is what usually inspires me to clean out my fridge in the first place. It’s a fairly quick process, doesn’t cost any money and also counts as cleaning, so it’s a win-win-win. Here’s what I love about a project like this:

1. It’s hidden behind a closed door, so there won’t be any judgment from passersby about the work I’ve done.

2. Unlike work-related projects, it doesn’t have to function for anyone but my family, so I can arrange things exactly how I want to.

3. I feel a little bit healthier with every expired item I toss, and it requires no cutting calories in the process.

4. Sometimes cleaning out the fridge means using up foods that are just about out of time on this earth… and sometimes those foods end up being delicious treats that I can consume, which goes against #3 above, but is still worth celebrating.

5. It’s a project everyone in the family notices (note that I didn’t say ‘appreciates’ because the noticing might come from not finding what they were looking for in the exact place it used to be). While I prefer when someone compliments my completion of a project, sometimes it’s enough for it just to be noticed.

6. A clean slate is almost always a good thing.

If you’re like me, you love a list. Here’s a breakdown of how I tackle my fridge cleanout:

1. As mentioned in my last post, before the crap can be put away, it first must all come out. I like to use the emptying process as an opportunity to check the dates on everything. I pull the garbage can over and pitch anything that’s past its expiration date. *Side note: if I throw away anything I use regularly, I take the time to add that item to my shopping list right away. I 100% do not rely on my memory when it comes to this kind of thing. 

2. Once the fridge is completely empty (don’t half-ass this one – empty it completely), I take the time to wipe down the shelves and drawers. It’s so rare that this gets done thoroughly because it’s so much work to do it. You’ve already done the hard part, so take advantage of the opportunity.

3. At this point, your kitchen is likely filled with all kinds of stuff you didn’t even know you had. Congratulations! It’s like you just went to the grocery store and didn’t even have to leave the house! Whatever you do, don’t jump right into putting everything away. You have the perfect opportunity to get a little closer to that Pinterest fridge we talked about earlier, so use it! I move everything around so that it’s sorted by need. Condiments, salad dressings, fruit, snacks, cheeses, meats. That’s not to say your sorting should be in these categories. Think of it in terms of what you use together. It doesn’t have to match the layout of the grocery store… it should be based on how you (and who you cohabitate with) use these items on a daily basis. For example, in our house, there are a few things we consistently pack in our son’s lunch: yogurt and fresh fruit. In most households, storing these things together may not make much sense, but for us, putting them in the same drawer means only having to reach into one space to get both things. Add up those 2 seconds I save every day over a year of lunch packing, and I’ve just taken back 4.8 minutes of my life… I’m nothing if not efficient.

4. Bonus project if you’re up for it. While everything is still out on the counter (and maybe the table and the floor and the chairs), I look for items we rarely use or that may be reaching their expiration date soon and come up with a plan to use them. Some of the recipes we try in our house call for a rare ingredient that we won’t likely use in many dishes. I make it a goal to use that item before the next fridge cleanout so that it doesn’t tragically turn into one of those things that ends up in the trash.

5. Finally, the finish line! It’s time to start putting everything away. With everything sorted, it’s a little easier to determine where things will best fit. Keep in mind a few additional tips:

a. If you have little ones that access certain items in your fridge, be sure to keep those in reach.

b. Be intentional about what gets shoved to the back and what stays in front. If you use it often, keep it front and center, so you don’t have to dig through everything to get it.

c. Keep those close-to-expiration items easily accessible so you don’t forget about those delicious recipes you’re going to try.

d. If your fridge has adjustable shelves, don’t be afraid to move them around. I occasionally put things where they fit rather than where I’d like them to be… sometimes the solution is to adjust the shelves so that things can fit where I really want them.

e. Don’t be afraid to use bins and sorting trays. A refrigerator’s design doesn’t always fit our needs. If you want to store certain items together, but you don’t want to forget about those items in the back, use a bin (I like those cheap plastic shoebox-size bins). This makes it super easy to pull out your entire collection of something (sauces, salad dressings, cheeses, anything really) without anything getting lost in the abyss that is the back of the fridge.

(Shredded and sliced cheese packages fit perfectly in these bins!)

If you’ve elected to mix things up a bit and store items in a new way, try to stick with this system for a few days and see what you like or don’t like about it, then rearrange as needed. The beautiful (and frustrating) thing about reorganizing your refrigerator is that it can look different every time you restock it. Just try to avoid shoving in more than you need making it impossible to see those hidden treasures (that later turn into moldy messes) in the back.

(This is what our fridge often looks like at the end of the week just before we restock at the grocery store - lots of leftovers and some wiggle room for new items.)

Whether your fridge looks like it belongs to a hoarder or as if the Grinch has stolen every last morsel of your holiday feast, there’s always a reason for a good refrigerator cleanout. If it feels like an easy project to tackle, get after it so you can celebrate the accomplishment. If it feels like more than you can handle on your own, ask for help. In my experience, the offer of an adult beverage usually results in a friend’s eagerness to assist with a project… and if that beverage was in the fridge, the consumption of it means you’ve already begun the cleanout process. Cheers to you for taking the first step!