Friday Favorite

Friday Favorite Bulletin Board Idea

by Monica on May 17, 2013

in Friday Favorites

d991e4f556098466f51894e9c19ad4c9-1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a cool idea from Martha Stewart. If you have a bulletin board and it’s filled with clutter (but important clutter that the family needs for current activities), pull down a roller shade and cover it up! Now that’s not a green light to add more junk to the bulletin board. It’s a good idea to occasionally pull everything off and tack it back up to keep it tidy. As you can see in the photo, this board happens to be divided into sections with a ribbon. That’s a great concept for families and kids, dividing up their different activities, parties, etc…  You can even cover the shade with a nice fabric that matches the decor of the room. Here’s a tutorial for making your own shade. The shelf on top of the bulletin board also serves a purpose. It adds storage above as well as a place to house the shade. Nice, organized space!

Friday Favorite: Wire Door Racks

by Monica on May 3, 2013

in Friday Favorites

www.chaostoorder.comWire door racks are one of my favorite organizing products of all time. The back of a door is sometimes the last place people think of for storage, but with a large open area of vertical space, a door is the perfect place to store smaller items while keeping them handy and within reach. These Adjustable door racks from Closet Maid are terrific for use on any closet door. They can also be used on open wall space inside of a pantry or closet (as shown below). they are especially nice if you don’t have quite enough depth for shelving because they’re only about 4-5 inches deep. They can even be used in many closets that already have shelves because they only come out about as far as the door knob. 

www.chaostoorder.com

They do have to be installed onto the door (hardware is included), so you need to check that the type of door you have is sturdy enough to install a rack. You can purchase this particular ClosetMaid Door Rack at Target, but variations of it are available in many home and hardware stores.

Friday Favorite: Sterilite Storage Boxes

by Monica on April 19, 2013

in Friday Favorites,Tip of the Day

10066867The rain has hit my neighborhood hard. The drain under our hot water heater backed up and there’s a squishy mess in my basement–YUK! The one thing I’m thankful for is that I store (and organize) most of the stuff in the basement with plastic boxes. Today’s Friday Favorite has to be storage containers from Sterilite. They are a terrific size for so many storage needs and you can find them in big box stores like Target or Home Depot. Anything from off season clothing to kids toys, keepsakes, and holiday storage are all perfect in these nice clear plastic containers with white tops and of course adding labels to the front of each box is the finishing touch. They are a staple for so many organizing jobs including my own. When the water creeped in, I was happy that it couldn’t get to anything stored in those terrific containers! 

Keep Snow Gear Warm and Dry with a Heated Floor in your Mudroom

by Monica on February 22, 2013

in Friday Favorites,Tip of the Day

A snowstorm can wreak havoc on your entry, especially if you have kids that love to play in the snow. When they come in, snowy wet gloves, hats, coats and pants leak all over making a mess. In my house, the mess is ok because when the kids throw their snowy wet clothes on the floor, there’s heat below the tile that dries it all up quickly. When we first built our home, I didn’t understand why we put heated floors in the mudroom. I know it’s nice to have in the bathrooms and basement with bare feet on cold tile, but in the mudroom–why? I told my husband we didn’t really need a heated floor in our mudroom. He’s an electrician and likes that stuff, so I went along with it. Now it’s one of my favorite features in the house. On snowy days the kids fling their wet clothes onto the floor and before long they are not only dry, but toasty warm too. Friends that come to visit love it too. They leave their cold, wet shoes on the warm floor and when they leave, they are pleasantly surprised to put on warm dry shoes.

If you’re building or remodeling, consider putting a heated floor near your entryway and enjoy the benefits on cold and snowy days.Boots on Heated Floor www.chaostoorder.com

Friday Favorite: Hideaway Storage Desk

by Monica on February 8, 2013

in Uncategorized

Screen Shot 2013-02-08 at 9.23.14 AMIf you’re tight on space at home, or don’t want your computer, printer and papers all over the kitchen or dining room table, here is a great solution. This Hideaway Storage Desk from Officemax looks like a nice end table when it’s closed, when you open the door,  voila–you have a workspace! There’s knee room under the desktop so it’s comfortable to work at, space for a printer and two adjustable shelves inside. Make sure to have a place to hold your files, incoming mail, etc…either inside on the bottom shelf or next to the desk. We wouldn’t want papers to pile up on top!  557935_10151272883000669_126267346_n

Friday Favorite: Greeting Card Organizer

by Monica on November 30, 2012

in Friday Favorites

In the month of December, greeting cards are sent and received like crazy, so it’s a good time to consider how you organize ALL the cards you have. In addition to the Holiday exchange, there are still birthdays, anniversaries etc.. taking place in December. 

Do you buy greeting cards as you need them, or do you keep many on hand for various occasions throughout the year? It saves time and money to stock up, but if you can’t find what you need when you need it, it’s no use. The key is to be able to easily  access the cards you have when you need them. If you don’t have a designated place, and they are randomly placed in drawers and piles causing clutter, then you may be better off buying cards for each occasion. If you like to keep a stash on hand, consider purchasing a greeting card organizer like the one we organized in the photo and putting the cards you have in order (of course our organizers can take on this task for you as well). A good functional container is  a much better solution than stashing them in bags and piles!  :-)

Friday Favorite: Presto Printer – No Computer Necessary

by Monica on November 16, 2012

in Friday Favorites

With the holidays approaching, here’s a gift idea for grandparents and those who are not able to communicate with a computer. Technology has allowed us to keep in touch with emails and photographs like never before. However, if Grandma and Grandpa are nervous around the computer and just can’t open those attachements and jpegs, here’s a solution. Check out the Presto Printer. It’s a printer that connects through the phone, no computer required. When an email is sent, the machine prints out the email and any attachments. Presto Printer sells for $99.00 and you have to add the Presto mail service which is $149.00 per year. It’s a great solution for  those who don’t want to deal with a computer.

Friday Favorite: The Perfect Sticky Note for iPhone

by Monica on September 21, 2012

in Friday Favorites,Tip of the Day

 Do you ever feel like you just need to look at a written reminder so you don’t forget something important? It’s one thing to set reminders (which I love and live by) but sometimes I need to have a bright note that stares me in the face in order to remember–can you relate? So I found a perfect solution,  Post-it Notes for the outside, yes the outside of the iPhone! Post-it makes Label Pads 2×3″ that have a full adhesive “super sticky” backing and it’s the perfect note pad to stick on the back of the phone and no it does not peel off until you remove it! It fits perfectly, stays put and is brightly colored to help me take notice. If you’ve got a list of important tasks and you want a bright, visual reminder, grab some Label Pads and keep your list front and center!

Friday Favorite: Letter Bin

by Monica on August 31, 2012

in Friday Favorites,Uncategorized

With school starting, papers and homework will soon be flying if they’re not already. Here’s a terrific way to keep them organized and conveniently within reach. These Letter Bins from Pottery Barn are a great way to corral papers that are in transition. Transition means that this is NOT a permanent holding place for any papers, it’s a convenient spot to place them so they can be processed. For example, homework to be checked then filed or tossed, papers that need to be signed, outgoing mail, etc… It’s a functional and decorative holding spot to keep important papers from turning into cluttered piles on the countertop. Check them out. They also happen to be on sale now!

Friday Favorite: Stacking Bins as Dorm Decor

by Monica on August 10, 2012

in Friday Favorites

If you are sending kids off to college, or a coed heading there yourself, planning efficient dorm room space requires a good sense of order and some clever containers to get the job done right. The Sterilite Stacking Bins are a great choice to make the most out of every inch of that tiny space. These stacking, topless containers are perfect because you can just grab and go. No need to pull off a top, the flip out ledges allow the containers to stack up perfectly.  In a dorm, you must make wise choices about every item you bring, here are tips for heading off to college. Remember, there’s no need for longer term storage, you should only keep what you’re currently using, you shouldn’t need to “store” it away, thus removing the need for tightly closing lids. When using any containers, first measure the area they will be in and make sure you purchase the right sizes, then determine what is going to be stored in them so that everything will fit properly. Improper use of containers can actually lessen the available storage space you have, so measure and plan ahead. The Stacking Bins are great for storing school supplies, food items, bags and totes, miscellaneous clothing, etc… they also have a nice design, so they look cool and the fact that they stack so nicely while providing great storage is an added bonus. Check out the Stacking Bins from Sterilite to bring order to the dorm.

Friday Favorite: Packing Cubes

by Monica on July 20, 2012

in Friday Favorites

A great way to stay organized when traveling is to pack with these terrific packing cubes by Eagle Creek Pack-It System. Yes they’re great for putting everything in your suitcase in an orderly manner, but beyond that is the organization they provide for you at your destination. When my kids go to camp, I use them for socks, underwear, t-shirts, etc… One side can hold clean clothes and the other for dirty clothes. Rather than sifting around a jumbled bag of clothing, 

these cubes allow you to keep like items together and organized. It’s more efficient because you’re not digging through everything to find an item, you find the cube that contains them and there it is–organized! Even wet swimsuits can be stored on the water resistant side. You’ll be amazed at how much more you can fit in your bag with these! You can purchase the Eagle Creek Packing Cubes at REI or on Amazon.

 

Friday Favorite: Expandable Pull Out Shelf

by Monica on July 13, 2012

in Friday Favorites,Tip of the Day

In order to create optimal organization in your space, you need to have a place for everything. Making the most out of every bit of storage space you have is crucial. Here is a product that is terrific for adding space to a cluttered cabinet. This pull out shelf by JA Marketing is awesome because you can install it yourself and it’s expandable! You can adjust it to the exact size of your cabinet, so one size fits all from 12″ to 20″. If you have a base cabinet in your kitchen or bathroom that’s stuffed and cluttered, these would be a great addition. I like to put one at the bottom, and add more depending on the size of the items in the cabinet. I have one cabinet that has 3 pull out shelves and I’m able to fit much more than I would a regular cabinet without these terrific expandable pull out shelves. You can find them here.

Friday Favorite: Foldable Ironing Laundry Center & Valet

by Monica on June 15, 2012

in Friday Favorites,Uncategorized

When it comes to household chores, laundry is an ongoing nag at the top of the list. Having an organized system for doing laundry is essential to getting it processed quickly. Here’s a product I found during our visit to the International Home & Housewares show that I really like. The Honey-Can-Do Foldable Laundry Center is a multipurpose laundry station that includes an ironing board, laundry sorter, iron rest and clothing hanging bar. It’s a great product that can do a lot. Since I already have another laundry sorter, I’ve found having the two extra bags is great addition. I use one for dry cleaning and the other for items that are going to be donated (it’s always good to have a bin for outgoing clothing). I keep out in my laundry room with the casters at the bottom locked, but I love that it also folds up nice and slim when needed. The laundry center is available at Home Depot for $120.49, and I also found it priced even better at Wayfair.com for $69.00 with free shipping! It’s a nice, well made product, and since there’s no getting around the drudgery of doing laundry, you might as well have something that makes getting it done a little easier!

Friday Favorite: The Public Library

by Monica on May 25, 2012

in Friday Favorites

Library to organize, make use of the libraryWritten by Karen Henley, our office manager who helps to keep all of us here at Chaos To Order organized!

I was telling Monica how much I love our public library and she asked me to turn it into a Friday Favorite. I received three book suggestions the other night and thought I’d go ‘check them out’. Pun intended  : )

One I found on the shelf, right where it was supposed to be.  When I couldn’t find the other book, I asked the librarian to recheck the system for me.  She agreed that it should be available and actually went in search of it for me.  When we didn’t find it in the “New Books’ section, she went down to the circulation desk, as it had just been checked in and might not have been reshelved yet.  Ta Da!  She found it!  
 
When I was checking out, I happened to mention that I had put a “hold” on a book earlier, but if they could recheck the system, I’d appreciate it.  Sure  enough, it also had just been returned and she went  ‘in the back’ to retrieve it for me.
 
Now I had three books…two were ’14 day’ books, and the third was a 3-week book.  The librarian at the circulation desk offered to extend the due date on my ’3-week’ book under their vacation policy, for 6 weeks!  Bonus!
 
I have a spot in which I keep the books I intend to read and as I finish them, I return them to the library.  When the stack of books is gone, I go back and check out more! 
 
Not only does this help eliminate cluttered shelves in our house (because I don’t have a book nook for storage like this), but is also cost effective for our budget.  There is something at the library for the whole family, whether you’re into books, movies or video games, the library has it all!

I love our public library! 

Image from Pinterest

 


Friday Favorite: Shelving Unit for Sporting Goods

by Monica on May 11, 2012

in Friday Favorites,Tip of the Day

It’s that crazy time of year when kids sporting activities are in full swing. Here’s what our organizer Lara does to keep all the different sporting activities organized in her busy household:

My family is involved in multiple sports per person including soccer, baseball, basketball, softball, football and tennis. Recently, our mudroom, which is really a hallway, was completely over taken by sports bags and shoes. I’m a firm believer in having a bag for every sport or activity including music lessons, Sunday School and library books. Our household seems to have a lot of grab and go days. Inside each sports bag, there is a check list including items such as equipment, uniform, water bottle and shoes. Get Buttoned Up makes a great checklist notepad.

It is my child’s responsibility to check that the bag is stocked for each practice or game.

When we could no longer store all of the bags in the mudroom, I found a sturdy, easy to assemble chrome shelving unit from Home Depot.  It is at the foot of the basement steps. For about $100, I’ve saved my sanity and the sporting equipment has a new home. Our mudroom can now be a place for school backpacks, lunch boxes, coats and shoes.

← Previous Entries