Guest Post on De-Cluttering Your Home

Hello everyone! I have a guest post today by Josh Waldrum -- on SpareFoot, the world's largest inventory on self-storage units on the web.  Hope you find this informative. 
 
Did you know the average American spends one year of their life looking for lost or misplaced items? If you are like the average American, you are probably aware of how easy it is to accumulate a ton of stuff in your home. The more things you collect the less space you have to store it. As a result, people often find themselves living in a home full of clutter. While you might find it difficult to part ways with things that have sentimental memories, home organization experts recommend getting rid of items you rarely use.

SpareFoot,the largest online inventory of storage units, offers up some advice on why you should cut out the clutter at your home. Their infographicon clutter gives fifteen great reasons to keep a tidy house.  De-cluttering your home can save you money, relieve stress, improve friendships, and even lead to a better sex life. It’s incredible all the ways you can better your life with a little home organization. Check out the infographic for all the great benefits.

Produced by SpareFoot Self-Storage. Copyright 2013.

ThinkEco² Rustic Handmade Products

I absolutely love promoting eco-friendly products on my blog. Recently, Jules Lavallee, one of the founders of ThinkEco² got in touch with me and shared how their products are being made. 

Brian Behncke, Owner of Briven Construction in San Diego and Jules Lavallee, Marketer from Boston are Founders of ThinkEco².  Brian noticed a lot of wood going to waste from his job sites, particularly the fencing jobs.  The wood from old fences has an aged, weathered, and rustic look. He wanted to do something about it, so he came up with the idea of using the scrap wood to build fun and original products. Brian dissembles the unpainted fence panels and re-mills the sides of each fence board so they are straight. He then planes down both sides of each board to clean it up and get the desired thickness. Then he cuts the pieces to make the products.

ThinkEco² rustic handmade garden planters, wedding décor, and wine racks are made in San Diego.

Our wine racks are offered rustic or in a variety of colors including black, white, green, and red. They fit nicely onto a counter-top.

Our products can be viewed at the well-known website Etsy.com www.etsy.com/shop/thinkeco2

Our wine racks, wine gift boxes, and garden planters make great holiday gifts.

Children's Room Storage Ideas

This morning, I was browsing for storage ideas when I bumped into these doll-houses, pretty bookshelves and ferris wheels that serve as storage! Don't you love these whimsical ideas? I bet any child would like to spend quality time in these rooms and keep it tidy as well.  Some DIY is of course involved, but the prototype seems quite simple -- lumbar stores would cut the wood for you, and there are special glues and staplers available to assemble something as simple as you see here.  I would anchor these shelves onto the wall either with wall studs or earthquake putty to keeps them from toppling onto children.

I hope you enjoy this page :) credit of course goes to real source.. all I did was grouped my favorite rooms together.  Here's a quote on childhood memories before you start scrolling: "If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older." -- by Abraham Sutzkever

via:housetohome.co.uk

via: whitebookshelf.org 

via: organizedonadime

 via: bhg

via: weheartit

via: dixonstyle.blogspot.com

via: roominterior-forkids.blogspot.com

via: vizimac.com

via: roominterior-forkids.blogspot.com

Kitchen Coffee Nooks

I'm dreaming of a coffee nook with a big "V" somewhere in there. It doesn't seem impossible to create one after putting this collection together. All I need is a nook in my kitchen or my dining room dedicated to making coffee; one of these -- a dresser, console, cabinet, or a credenza; a few open shelves or wired shelves; some hooks to hang my coffee cups; an espresso machine; and finally a variety of coffee powders and condiments. I can only imagine how energizing it will be make a hot cup of coffee in such a nook. Hope you agree with me and enjoy the picks here.

via: lifemorelovely.blogspot.com

pinterest

via: pinterest

 sweetnumber9

 

via: thevintagewren.blogspot.com

via:roomzaar

 via: pinterest

ModCloth Decor

Modcloth is always surprising me with the cutest things that I never come across anywhere else. Whiskered away hanger set, collapsible trash can, a laundry hamper that almost looks like a washing machine, a duster that looks at me...and more.

ModCloth Apartment Decor

Retro Vintage Inspired Organization

Get into the holiday spirit by shopping at ModCloth this season! They have adorable, vintage-inspired clothing and accessories for women at fantastic prices. ModCloth doesn't only have clothing, however, they also have the cutest, retro home decor. Check out what ModCloth Homeward Bound is offering now!  

1. Interest Coop Keepsake Board

2. Twist and Tout Keepsake Board

1. Growing Collection Jewelry Stand

2. Giraffe Ring Holder

3. Umbrella Ring Holder

4. Rabbit Ring Holder

1. Orderly Fashion Jewelery Organizer

2. Haute on a Limp Jewelry Stand

Beautiful Garages!

Here's the continuation of my previous page - Make the most of your Garage. Which one is your favorite? You can click on the image to go to the source..

Make the most out of your Garage!

Think of your garage as an extension of your home - not a space where you hide your unwanted things! First, purge all the things you don't need. Next,  zone your garage  - group similar functions/objects together (my page on zoning has more information on this topic).  Create space for seasonal storage. Store hazardous materials, sharp tools out of reach from children. Open shelving is an in-expensive storage option, but can easily get cluttered. Cabinets, even though they are an expensive alternative, give your garage a clean look. Finally,  don't forget to create space for your car in your garage - your car is secure and it's interior and exterior are well maintained.

Here are some examples on how to store your garden tools, brooms and mops, paint brushes and screw-drivers, your bike and sports accessories, and finally your exercise equipments! Hope you like them as much as I do! In my next page, I will post a few photos of well organized garages. Look forward to your thoughts on "Making the most out of your Garage!".

  

Back to School!

Can you believe that summer is already nearing an end?  For the latest in school accessories be sure to check out Layla Grayce. Best of all, shop back to school during the month of August and save 10% off with promo code school. Below are a few of my favorite accessories that will be sure to have your child counting down the days until class begins.

Zone your Home!

Zoning in interior design is the process by which different areas of a space get its own function. This space could be a room, a part of room, a cabinet, or even a closet. I use this principle in my own house to simplify my life. Zoning and organization go hand in hand. In my previous page, I talked about Organization and Creativity. On the other hand, this page is about zoning what you have organized. In simple words, zoning is when you group things of the same functionality for a task together.

Last weekend, I worked on one of my clients kitchen - I organized and zoned it for her.  She loves tea, and she had around 20 varieties of tea tins/boxes/bags scattered all over her kitchen.  I pulled everything out, and created a breakfast nook - with her tea collection, sugar, cereal, and oatmeal. All her favorite teas were set at her eye level, rest below and above.  Similarly, collected all her spices into its own zone, and other lentils/rice etc., into another zone. She is a happy client now!

Here's more on zoning done by functionality:
1. Kitchen - primary functions of a kitchen are organizing a pantry, preparing the ingredients for a meal, cooking the meal, storing/serving the food and finally cleaning the dishes. An ideal kitchen should allow you to create zones for each of these functions. A kitchen that is ergonomically designed which follows the Kitchen Triangle as shown below can be easily zoned.

source: http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/kitchen.design.rules.htm

2. Kids Room - zones would include - soothing space to get a good night sleep, play area which is safe/child-proofed, well-lit study cum mini-library and a well organized dresser/closet.

Similar zoning is very effective in home office and garage. Home office zoning will depend on the kind of work you do, and similarly for a garage it would depend on what you use the garage other than for extra storage. Please leave a note on how you would use zoning in your home... to simplify your life... love to hear from you!

Unique ways to organize your home

A beautiful home is nicely organized and there are plenty of ways to arrange your things. There is no perfect way to organize something, it has to just work for you. In this page, I would like to share some unusual but practical ways that have worked for me.  A few of them are perfect DIY projects for someone who is hands on. Remember, Organization goes with Creativity! 

Not only is it cool to organize using your creativity, there are also several advantages to being neat -

• By de-cluttering - you are keeping only things that you need. This habit, in the long run, will guide you in buying things that you only need.
• Finding things easily removes anxiety and helps you stay on task.
• Cleaning becomes a breeze - you know where everything should go when you are done using it.
• You are motivated to pick up something and use if it is nicely organized.
• Once you have a system in place, then you are pretty much set unless you are willing to try something even better.

Pens, pencils, crayons etc., sorted in a muffin tray or in paint cans. Ribbons in a basket where it is nicely sorted or in a hanger beautifully hung.

Hooks for your Jewelry and Spice Rack for your Nail Polish! 

 

Nice way to hang you scarfs, takes less space and easy to pick one via Bed Bath and Beyond. 

Tuck the sheet set inside one of its pillowcases via Matha Stewart.   Sorting laundry is a huge time saver.

There are so many spice jars on the market, key is to label them!

This is just a short list, there are plenty other ways to organize a home... I hope you like these tips and I look forward to your comments!