Using under the bed for storage is a great solution for seasonal clothing, extra pillows and bedding, and other things that just need to be stored.
In this video I’ll show you how to use a soft sided under the bed storage container and a storage bag, both purchased at Walmart. These are great for fabrics because they are breathable and flexible. Use plastic containers for things like books, memorabilia, or toys.
I recently wrote a post on how to organize jewelry and showed you all how I did mine and some ideas using other containers.
Well, the Neatnix company spotted it and sent me 3 of their stackable and slideable (is that a word?) jewelry organizers to try out. They are called Jewelry Stax.
Let me say two things up front: 1) I was hesitant about them because I don’t like containers that stack and 2) I’m sorry right now for saying “super” so many times in the video! Super sorry!
apartmenttherapy.com
If I could give you one piece of advice about training your kids up and maintaining your home, it would be to make your bed! It’s part of my 4-Tiny Tips series, but I consider it the most important.
I cannot tell you how much flack I get about this topic with otherwise perfectly sane people. As soon as I bring up bed-making, wham…boxing gloves come out. The number one statement I hear is, “If I’m going to get back in it tonight, why bother?”
I’ll get to that in a minute.
My mom taught me to make a bed with “hospital corners” and that’s the only way I know how. She took extra time teaching us that, but I have no idea why. My whole life, she expected us to make our beds. Now, as an adult, I am so thankful that this is a no-brainer for me.
When I searched “bed making’ on Google, I found no less than 10 sites telling you how to make a bed. Everything from how to do it like a hotel to simply the steps involved in getting the sheets right. I love what the Art of Manliness says about it. But what I’m not saying is that the bed has to be well made. Just do it.
art of manliness
So, for starters, Why Make the Bed?
For kids, it teaches responsibility. It’s a contribution to the home and says, “you are responsible for the things you use.” It also sets the tone for the day by clearing the messy, cluttered look that an un-made bed has. When kids are little, the bed won’t be made very well and that’s OK. When they’re teens, like mine, I want it done well, but perfection is not the goal. Just get ‘er made.
For adults, well, it’s a mental clearing-of -the-slate, so to speak. It also helps your home look less messy and a little nicer. And it says to our brains, “I am responsible for the things I use.” I can guarantee you that an un-made bed attracts clutter. Show me a house with un-made beds and I’ll bet there is clutter in several areas and rooms. I see it all the time.
my bedroom
More than anything, the practice of making your bed is a discipline just like like any other. The more you do it, the easier it is to do and the less you think about it. I can’t prove it, but I believe the discipline of making your bed makes you more disciplined in other areas of your life. That’s my scientific statement. But if you need more proof, read this article from Apartment Therapy.
And kids won’t always be kids. We parents are training them up to be spouses, roommates, and maybe parents themselves. If they have the habit of making a bed, they will always make great guests and if you have a boy, his future wife will love your forever!
Test my theory by making you bed for 2 weeks straight! Do you dare?
I love doing closet organizing! Closets usually turn out so great and they are actually pretty easy to complete, especially with the right shelving and system.
We just completed the closet below and once again, used the Rubbermaid Home Free system. We have installed this system no less than 15 times over the past couple of years and I still love it every time we do.
It’s a flexible wire shelving unit with two sizes of kits and then tons of add-on pieces. After our handyman installed the 3-6 foot kit in this closet and we spent the next several hours organizing it.
This homeowner called us because the original shelving and hanging bar had fallen off the wall! It was a total mess and she needed all new hardware. But the rest of the closet was quite unorganized and needed some restructuring.
Here is are the before and after photos.
A few things happened from the “before’ and “after” photos:
1. Rubbermaid system installed on the wall where shelving had fallen.
2. Purged about 6 bags of clothing
3. Consolidated the husbands clothes to one area (they were spread out across the closet)
4. Instead of having clothing grouped by color, which the homeowner had done, we grouped by style. Sleeveless with sleeveless, long sleeve with long sleeve, and so on.
5. We added 6 open face bins to corral loose things like t-shirts and jeans, added 3 hanging shoe pocket organizers, a basket for flip-flops and tennis shoes, and clear shoe boxes for “fancy” shoes. All of that was purchased at Wal Mart and Target.
That’s it! You can do the exact same thing in your closet. Now this closet is fun to walk into because everything can be found so easily and there is a place to put everything.
I am thrilled to be featured in the About.com article, 15 Ways to Organize and Display Your Jewelry using my door jewelry organizer.
I have featured this on the blog before, but since the article just came out I thought we would re-visit the topic of organizing jewelry, plus I have another giveaway for you!
Here is the original post in video form featuring the door organizer-
Using a simple door bought for $30 at an antique shop, I mounted it on the wall in my closet and used long nails to hang stuff on! You could mount it on any wall in your bedroom, too.
The only thing it doesn’t hold are earrings and rings. I use a hanging pocket organizer for earrings and a small felted box with compartments for rings.
Remember that there is no wrong or right way to organize any of this, but it has to simple! Easy to take out and easy to put away. Anything that stacks won’t work for me because I will get irritated by having to unstack everything when I want something at the bottom! Then, I will quit doing it all together.
But one organizer that I absolutely love and have featured on the blog before is the Roxsee Hanging jewelry organizer by Untangle My Chains.
It’s so cute and can fit almost anywhere and holds a ton of jewelry. I am thrilled that they have sent me another one to give to one of you! This one is black and all you have to do is do the entry steps below! One winner will be picked next Friday!!
{click here if video does not display}
#1 Everything should fit.
If it doesn’t, why is it still in the closet?
#2 Everything should be in style within last 5 years
*look older when out of style
*look heavier when styles are too baggy
*look tired and worn out when clothes are faded
#3 You should LOVE everything you put on
*Not eh-eh, but love! Otherwise, get rid of it. Better to have just a few things that you love and wear a lot than have a lot of so-so clothes that you don’t feel great in!
1. Make 3-5 “ready” outfits-
Have these ready to go all the time; bottom, top, shoes, jewelry, undergarments, socks/hose, belt, scarf, all accessories.
2. Hanger Strategy:
As you are trying to decide what to keep or give up, use the hanger strategy: turn all hangers the wrong way. As you wear something turn the hanger around. Whatever hangers are still in the wrong direction at end of the season gets donated.
*Also try the clothes pin trick!
3. Group clothes by style:
Short sleeves, long sleeves, jackets, jeans, pants, dresses, sweaters, dressy, casual.
4. Add shelving and/or second rod:
5. Recommended tools to organize:
*Use felted hangers and clear plastic shoe boxes for best outcome.
*If not using shoe boxes, make sure you have open shelving for shoes or a hanging shoe organizer.
*Use curtain rod rings with clips for belts and scarves
*Shelf dividers
*Canvas shoe pocket or canvas shelves.
*Baskets for purses, sweaters, T-shirts.
6. Consider putting a small dresser in the closet
*For undergarments, fitness wear, socks, t-shirts, shorts, small or loose items, hats, etc.
This week of the year is always such a weird week. I’m itching to get things cleaned up, but still love the spirit of Christmas that lingers with the decorations, the extra goodies to eat, and the unwrapped gifts still hanging out under the tree.
Still, I feel the need to purge some stuff and yesterday we did just that. With a pile of clothes, some Christmas decorations I no longer want, and some “little boy” stuff my son has outgrown, we have a large pile for donation. During this process I discovered my daughters messy drawers. Yes, she is my constant organizing project! God gave her to me to keep me humble.
Our pile of donations
Using drawers organizers from Ikea, here is what we did in about a half-hour. Doing small projects like this don’t take very long and yet they make a big difference!
Skubb, $7.99
We used the two of the large organizers from this set to create a “make up and toiletry” drawer because she like getting ready in her room.
There was a little bit of everything in here!
On the left is a container for lotions, deodorant, hair stuff, and creams. The right is make up.
Notice that the drawer is not completely full! Always leave some wiggle room in your drawers because you will buy things and fill the drawer anyway, so don’t start with them full!
We took everything out of the drawer and sorted. Then we purged the junk and did not put anything back in the drawer that was not either make up or toiletry related.
There are so many solutions for organizing your jewelry, but like I said yesterday, most of them don’t work.
Remember the rule of easy-to-put-away and easy-to-retrieve. If it’s not both, following through is much harder. That’s why earlier this year I decided to use a vintage door to organize my jewelry. I bought the door at an antique store for $30 and the only thing I had to do was wipe it down to get the dust off. It was exactly the way I wanted it.
I then hired a handyman to install it on a wall in my closet and put trim work around it. Here is the video of that project.
But this solution is not an option for a lot of folks, so when I saw the Roxsee Jewelry hanger by Untangle My Chains, I just had to test it out. Results?
I love it!
Here’s a description from the company:
This hanging jewelry organizer has 400 earring holes, 16 sturdy hooks and 5 posts so you can store all your fashion jewelry in one place…even rings! Easily store 100 pieces or up to eight pounds of your favorite fashion accessories. The metal hanger rotates and can be hung in your closet, on an over-the-door hanger, or wall mount. Can also be used for scarves, belts, hair accessories and more!
It comes in the black you see above or a hot pink. It’s perfect for small spaces, dorm rooms, back of doors, a wall, or anywhere that the metal hook can be used.
It reminded me of all the things I love about my door solution: I can see everything. It’s easy to use and easy to put stuff away. It’s flat. It can hold bulky bracelets and necklaces. But my favorite part is that it holds rings! Even my door solution doesn’t hold rings.
Good job girls over there at Untangle My Chains! They were so generous is letting me try it out and they sent over an extra to give away to you! Just use the easy entry form below. One winner will be chosen and you can pick from the black or pink organizer!
I love jewelry. Shoes too, but jewelry follows a close second!
There are dozens of jewelry organizers out there, but let’s be honest, most of them are a complete waste of money. Why, you ask? Because unless anything, jewelry included, is easy to put away and retrieve, it won’t get done. Complicated systems and tools add to the problem, not help it.
But I have found a few jewelry solutions that I think actually work and tomorrow, we will have a giveaway to win one of them!! Today is part 1 and tomorrow with part 2, we will revisit my tutorial on making a jewelry organizer out of an old door plus our featured jewelry organizer!
These first three are from the Ready Made DIY website. Brillant.
Wire mesh wrapped in ribbon. Hung on door.
Painted pegboard,then framed. Pegboard hooks for jewelry
Pretty pegboard
Next, one of my personal favorites, the hanging pocket organizer. I’m a very visual person so I love seeing all my jewelry out. This is one is from Home Decorators Collection.
Hanging pocket organizer
Command Hooks by 3M. Can we say enough about these ingenious little sticky hooks? We have organized several jewelry stations using Command Hooks and it’s so easy and inexpensive.
Command Hooks
Think about the space you have to organize your jewelry. A closet? A wall? A drawer? This will help you decide what kind of organizer to use. Then purge your jewelry and sort into necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, and bangles.
Remember the rule of easy to use and easy to put away. If it doesn’t fit that criteria, it’s not a good fit for you. Join me tomorrow for Part Two of Organizing your jewelry!
It’s the first day of Fall this weekend and where I live, it’s definitely starting to feel like it.
Each season there are a few things you could {or should do} for your home to keep it running well. These are 5 things that will get you kick started and can be done in one weekend.
Happy Weekend!
