Let's Get You Organized!

Grace Finale! Part VI: The Guest Room

2011-12-11T19:29:00.000-08:00

This room was saved for last because it was the most dreaded by Grace. We tackled it in 10 hours... yes TEN. They donated a TiVo, TV, printer/fax, large shelving unit, tons of picture frames, over 50 books & VHS tapes- when I took the items to Goodwill in Point Loma, the employees were very happy to receive everything! We also threw away at least 5 kitchen size bags of trash including lots of worn out wire hangers, old paperwork, defunct chargers/power sources, and empty electronic item boxes. The behemoth shelving unit in this spare bedroom was definitely an eyesore. Grace's goal was to condense the items on that shelving unit into the closet and get rid of the shelving unit entirely. She wants to be able to have overnight guests stay in the room. The bookshelf was also a bit out of control with the vast amount of CDs, VHS tapes, DVDs, Blu-Rays, video games, and (of course) books. Many were donated and this freed up space to make sure everything can fit now. A little dusting, vacuuming, filing, and straightening went a long way. ♥

Yes there were office supplies in this drawer before, but hey, now Grace can actually see them!

Behemoth shelving unit- GONE!

Organizing the books and VHS tapes- oh yes!

Things aren't on the floor now- everything has a home & there's even a little space to grow the collection (:

Where was the office paper and photo paper in this junk drawer? At the very bottom covered in clutter! Now it is easily accessible.

This defunct filing system was set up in 2003. How did I know that? That is when the filing of bills stopped! Now instead of using it for financial records, I've designated it to be the spot in the home for all user manuals (the TV, PSP, Xbox, Wii, DVD player, BluRay player, cable box, laptops, computers, ipods, ipads, cell phones, cameras, and various other items!).

Thanks Grace for a wonderful 6 sessions! I hope to be back for a few touch-up sessions in the future. Since I have finished my last 5 clients' jobs I am now taking new clients. Here's to 2012!!

Grace Part V: Bathroom, Closet, AND Bedroom!

2011-11-16T21:19:00.000-08:00

The bathroom just needed a little sprucing up with some bins, some tossing of old products, and some cleaning up. Here are the results!

And voila, some simple organization has gone a long way. Now it's on to the hall closet...

By throwing out almost-empty bottles, lining everything up & frontfacing, and sorting like with like we were able to tackle this hidden mess in just 1 hour. Last stop of the day is the bedroom:

Do you see this drawer? Talk about stuffed to the max! Most of the paperwork was not needed , products, keys, electronic parts, business cards, and batteries were sorted into easy-to-access bins. Now the drawer is actually able to close! Let's keep it this way :)

I'll be back to complete Grace's space with one last bedroom and then she'll be in top top shape for the holidays. Stay tuned...

Grace Part IV: The Office

2011-11-04T17:09:00.000-07:00

On to room 4 of the house. What is something I have seen in my work many, many times? Unopened mail! Credit card offers, grocery store inserts, magazine subscription reminders, car & health insurance, phone & electric bills, you name it and they send it! I highly recommend signing up for the do-not-send-junk-mail list, just as you would the do-not-call list. One site to check out would be ecocycle.org. Another great tip is to utilize automatic online bill pay services. By paying most of your bills online, you will save paper and also save space in your home.

The sort consisted of many categories and piles. 2 large black trash bags full of mail to be shredded went out of the house and into the shredder. This cleared up much more space for the desk to be an efficient workstation again.

After sorting for 4.5 hours we whittled down the massive amounts of mail to small bins like this one. Everything has a home here in the office space and I'll be back next time to work on some more closets and shelves. Keep it comin!

Grace Part III: The Kitchen

2011-11-02T15:56:00.000-07:00

Back to Grace! Here's a kitchen with lots of expired food items and bulky appliances that go unused. The counterspace was cleared and the deep dark cabinet corners were cleaned out. Everything seems a lot fresher now!

Ahh yes, the junk drawer. Don't we all have one?? Now this drawer is not so junky, it has instead been organized to perfection!

We all love our Costco hauls... but when buying in bulk you must be careful of losing precious space. I recommend stacking things like paper towels, toilet paper, ziploc baggies, trash bags, etc. and removing the outerwrap so that it is easier to find things. We donated a large George Foreman grill, as well as a large wok, a few dishes/pans, and a broiler. These were unused items in Grace's home and now there is definitely more space here in this little cabinet.

Cleaning supplies bogging you down? I suggest sorting like with like and condensing half-used or semi-used products into one bottle to save space.

Quick! Think about how many bowls and cups you really use. Chances are there are some grimy ones in the back of your cabinets that don't get any love. Why not donate em and clear up some space??

You may ask, how did the cabinets end up looking like that? As you can see in the above picture, Grace's countertop collected many uneaten and expired items, which we of course threw away . The winner of the day? A soup can which expired in early 2007. As Grace's husband so eloquently put, "Say hello to botchu and his friend lism."

And that about does it for the kitchen! 5 hours was the perfect amount of time to declutter and refresh the space.

Grace Part II: The Walk-In Closet

2011-10-29T09:21:00.000-07:00

Grace's husband has many hobbies which include photography, music, and drawing. Grace has many memory boxes including letters+postcards, pictures, and old tapes on film. Together, their 2 bedroom condo holds about a 5 bedroom home worth of stuff! Our job to tackle this time was their walk-in closet, aka the catch-all closet.

The first step in the process of cleaning out a large closet like this is to Take. Everything. Out. And I mean everything! Their living room served as our organizing room and this is what it part of it looked like during the process. Lots of stuff!

We straightened up the clothes and decided to donate over 20 pairs of shoes (which before, had exploded onto the floor). Now they all fit snugly here in the organizers.

Before this corner was a mess of electrical wires, holiday decorations, books, film, and photos. Now the items are sorted into clear bins and placed in a way that maximizes the closet's space.

I color coded the hanging items, and sorted from less used items to dresses to short sleeve shirts to long sleeve shirts. Also the area above the clothing has been sorted into clear categories.

A simple folding job and decluttering leaves these shelves useful again.

Before there was so much clothing crammed in the shelves that it was mimicking an avalanche! Now it has been folded to perfection.

Another area of the closet, behind the closet door, served as a catch-all for miscellaneous items including first aid supplies, books, travel pillows, gift wrap, and more.

Grace and her husband were great about purging the items here, and now they even have extra space!

In the end, 6 bags of trash were thrown away, and 2 bags + 1 box were donated. A successful 7 hours! I'll be back next time to work on the kitchen. Stay tuned!

Grace Part I: The Bathroom

2011-10-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

Deep dark corners? Products that have been long forgotten? Drawers crammed so full they can no longer close? Check, check, and check!

Grace's spacious bathroom offers lots of great storage space, however when left unorganized it becomes un-useful. A few bins, some new drawer liners, and a huge heavy trash bag full of throw aways later and Grace had her bathroom back!

See how far those cabinets go back? Yep, they were stuffed full! Now, all the expired medications and old beauty products are out and organization is in.

The random assortment of things under the sink were a jumbled mess. Now there are bins devoted to lotions, skincare, hair styling & hair products, & bulkier medicinal items (such as rubbing alcohol & hydrogen peroxide).

Whew! Look at all those bottles! The medicine cabinet exploded onto the bathroom countertop and about 80% of the bottles were tossed. The medicine cabinet was then organized and cleaned out. Back to their home these little orange guys went: we can see the countertop again, woohoo!

Overstuffed drawers? No thank you! Your go-to items should be stored in easy to grab drawers while your every-once-in-a-while items such as cold/flu medication, insect repellent, or first aid kits can go underneath the sink. We whittled Grace's products down to her daily favorites and the rest went "bye" (as Grace likes to say when things get tossed into the big black bag).

I'll be back next week to conquer another room!

♥

Aubrey's Garage Crafting Space

2011-10-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

Last week I completed the office section of this client's garage, now it's time to move to the crafting section of the space. Here we have piles of old mail, receipts, electronics, donatable items, and of course- crafts!

(front view)

(side view)

And there you have it! 1 large box went to a local shredding facility, many more items were added to the "garage sale" pile, and everything else found itself a home. More will be done later this year, specifically their holiday decorations section and tool workbench. See you in December Aubrey!

Aubrey's Garage Office Space

2011-10-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

What was once meant to be a workable office space, had turned into a clutter fest. Adding square footage to your home by utilizing the garage is an awesome way to take advantage of space. The other corner of the garage (which we'll work on next weekend) is meant as a crafting table/storage area. Can't wait to see how nice the garage will be once we're done! Here's what we've done so far:

3 large bins of mail needed to be sorted through and in the end we got it down to just these 8 clear boxes. We labeled all the paperwork to create a system that will now be much easier to store bills, user manuals, and work notes. After happily swimming in a sea of paperwork for about 4 hours (see the before pic?!) all has been sorted out and the space is useful again. Next week: the craft corner! Stay tuned....

Clarissa's Craft Closet

2011-10-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

Clarissa has got to be my craftiest client! She enjoys crocheting, beading & jewelry making, scrapbooking, sewing, loves to wrap beautiful gifts, AND sells Scentsy! Therefore, her craft closet was absolutely overflowing- even into the adjoining room next door! A little spacing logistics and purging (1 kitchen size bag full of trash & 1 moving box full of donations) led to a more organized and efficient space.

the carpet's clean again

everything is more accessible now

all done! now the crafting can begin :)

Returning Client Melani's Rustic Country Home

2011-09-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

This 1920's cottage located on 2 acres in Oceanside is full of antiques, wrought iron, wooden furniture pieces, annnnnnd (wait for it) clutter! In six hours we covered the dining room, living room, AND bathroom. The results are here:

The kitchen table was a dumping zone for the overwhelming amount of beauty products.

Melani's family can actually eat at the table now!

This hutch stored many odds & ends- burned out tea light candles, tons of change, puzzle pieces, lids for water bottles, you name it, it found its way here.

Now the hutch is restored to its original purpose of a bar station & a displaying area for some cool antiques.

This nook was overflowing with old baby bottles, candle holders, rags, & lots of clothes and toys on the floor.

Now the nook is cleaned out and looks fresh. We even added a little seasonal cheer :] yay for Fall! The dining room area is now complete.

On to the living room.... piles of books, CDs, DVDs, paperwork and more toys and change.

The entertainment center was organized by getting rid of all CD jewel cases and storing the disks in 4 big black CD binders. We also got rid of all the DVD movie cases and stored the DVDs on CD spindles for easy access- kids movies on one and regular films on another! Books went to the bookshelf (remember the one we organized last week??) and paperwork was sorted through.

The bathroom was an explosion of hair products & accessories, jewelry, makeup, bath stuff, and lotions. Remember the kitchen table? Well now that that's all cleaned off, all the products found a home here in the bathroom.

This built-in organizer in the bathroom was not being utilized! I thought this storage space was awesome. We organized to the nines- lip liners, lipsticks, lip glosses, eye shadows, mascaras, eyeliners, brow stuff, facial serums & moisturizers: it all fit perfectly here.

Even the floor got a makeover!

New Client Melani Moves In

2011-09-25T17:44:00.000-07:00

Melani has a very active 3 year old and was overwhelmed with moving into her new home in Oceanside. When unpacking, book cases were shoved full of anything and everything (see that bike helmet & bins of miscellaneous items?). We decided to create many different piles of categorized items: hair products, arts & crafts, electronics, memories, makeup, etc. Now: the book case solely contains books. There is even a section devoted to cookbooks and one for painting books. Yay for organization!

We also cleared the clutter from surrounding this dresser & lamp.

The rest of the sunroom was filled with dirty laundry, clean laundry, and tubs of bins from moving that hadn't yet been sorted.

Now we can actually see the rug, we moved a table in, moved the loveseat out (as it was just plopped in the middle of the room with no space to put it), and set up an office space.

The day bed will be decorated with a mattress, sheets, and tons of pillows so it can act as a sort of bohemian chaise lounge. The clutter's gone and now the creative ideas can flow! I'll be back next week to conquer the dining room + living room + bathroom. Stay tuned...

Returning Client Julie: It's Kitchen Time!

2011-09-25T17:33:00.000-07:00

Julie had me back for five more hours to conquer the kitchen. Here we have an overflowing closet that had a few organizational traits, but that could have been better. We used the stackable sorter to organize all the cleaning supplies and a handy broom/swiffer clipper pushed all the bulky mops and brooms to the side.

This side of the kitchen had become a bit chaotic... everything from a crock pot to a blender to school projects was crowding the counterspace.

In my excitement to organize I forgot to take a before shot of this side of the kitchen, but here we have counter space visibility again! Julie was most excited about this.

All of Julie's cabinets were organized- everything from the pots & pans area, to "baking land" as we called it, and the spice cupboard. Here's a shot of under the sink cleaning supplies. After bringing most of the items over to the cleaning closet (see above) there was much more space freed up under the sink. A handy mesh pull out drawer lets Julie reach into the far back corners of this cabinet. And with the added space there was room to put the toaster, blender, and other bulky appliances out of sight!

Returning Client Sally: Walk-In Closet

2011-09-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

This walk-in closet in Sally's master bedroom, was not so walkable. I spent 4 hours on matching shoes, consulting with Sally and purging items that she no longer wanted, color coordinating, and sorting. The result was well worth the time! On Monday morning Sally can get ready for work without leaning in or stepping on the clutter.

Sort like with like: I choose to organize the closet by sectioning off what is casualwear and what is workwear. From there the clothing is sorted into long sleeves, short sleeves, tank tops, skirts, pants, etc. By sorting like with like you will save time in the morning and be able to see what you have as if it was in a department store.

Ease your frustration in the morning, line up all your shoes by category: athletic, boots, heels, flats, sandals, flip flops and so on. It will be easier to dress for every occasion, I promise :]

While casualwear and workwear is hung, usually drawers are left for undergarments, gym clothes, and pajamas. In this "before" picture, I couldn't exactly get in the closet to take a full shot of the drawers. After: spic and span! The labelmaker was perfect for marking "gym clothes" "pajamas" "winterwear" and so on.

And now the closet is usable and purposeful again! ♥

Returning Client Sally: Master Bathroom

2011-09-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

When you wake up in the morning, chances are your first stop is the bathroom. Wouldn't it be nice if there was a peaceful setting awaiting you? No more clutter on the countertops and drawers spilling over with products? Email me today or leave a comment here!

hair electronics, waxing supplies, and hair products in a handy pull-out bin.

3 extra deodorants, 2 bottles of mouthwash, facial moisturizer, and a pull-out drawer of lotions.

The drawers and cabinets were full of makeup, hair accessories, cotton swabs, lotions, and products. A little organization went a long way!

Be careful with expired medications. I checked all the labels in this formerly overflowing cabinet and ended up throwing out no less than 31 bottles of expired vitamins, muscle enhancers, weight loss supplements, and old prescription meds. More room and less danger!

A convenient shelf next to the jacuzzi tub holds all of Sally's facewash, shave cream, bodywash, shampoo, and conditioner. After throwing out empty bottles and sorting like with like, the shower will be now be a more relaxing experience.

Julie's Living Room

2011-09-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

Having 2 kids = having 2x the clutter! We threw out 2 trash bags full of old paperwork, school projects, and odds & ends. We also got rid of 1 bin of donatable items.

The landing strip is a great idea for a drop-off spot when you enter and exit your home. Shoes, mail, keys, and store returns can be kept here in this handy spot so that no one forgets anything. However this landing strip was not serving it's purpose for the time being- it had exploded! I put order back to the space by tidying up and delivering items back to where they belonged.

Julie's bar/kitchen window was serving as coupon shelf and miscellaneous clutter shelf. We sorted through the coupons, recycled what had expired, and neatly filed those that remained. Ever seen Extreme Couponing on TLC? Those ladies have got to be super organized!

The dreaded butcher block! Instead of an extra cutting/chopping space for the kitchen, this piece of furniture had become a catch-all for clutter. Now: back to it's main purpose.

Paper and bills and books, oh my! The computer hutch had become overcrowded and almost unusable. By shredding paid bills, dusting, and repositioning the decorative items we were able to shut the hutch and make the whole space more appealing to the eye.

All of this in 4 hours, whew! ♥

Whitney's Books

2011-09-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

before the sort

5 year-old Whitney is an avid reader and l♥ves books. The perfect solution to figuring out what types not to give as gifts in the future or rent from the library? Take inventory! We sectioned the piles out and sorted them out into various genres, such as Animals, Fairy Tales, Science, Nature, Princesses, Disney, Character & Morals, Bedtime Stories, etc. After the sort we positioned the spines from big to small.

after the sort

Taking inventory of your possessions can really help when it comes to birthdays, holidays, and shopping trips. Whitney owns 12 princess books so now Mom knows not to buy anymore! Apply this to your life: Own 7 similar black crew neck shirts? Next time you find yourself at the mall wanting to purchase yet another one, you'll think twice. Inventory, inventory, inventory!

Sally's Kitchen

2011-09-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

The pantry was a quick fix, taking just 1 hour to front face labels and sort like with like.

another hour was spent on getting the bookshelf in the adjoining living room back up to par. a quick sort resulted in a clean space and you can now see the carpet!

before: the kitchen needed the most work! as a baker & cook, Sally loves dishes and avidly collects them. with a little strategic storage planning, we were able to get the kitchen done in 4 hours.

after: 2 crates + 2 kitchen sized trash bags of giveaway/donate items + 4 bags of trash later, the kitchen is spic and span.

Sally will have me back for a guest bedroom, bathroom, and master bedroom, so stay tuned for more results!

2 year old Isaac's nursery

2011-08-31T13:41:00.000-07:00

Single mom Kelly was having a hard time keeping track of all of her little tot's toys, clothes, blankets, diapers, and shoes. I whipped the room back into shape in just 3 hours!

The sectional couch was serving as the clothes dump due to some bulky luggage hiding in the closet.

At Target we purchased plastic bins and hangers. Now: all put away!

An old piece of wooden furniture was not functional for the space. The other part of the sectional was serving as toybox in this corner of the room.

After a quick trip to the garage, the wooden case was safely stored away. We moved the rest of the sectional together for a nice relaxing spot for mom to enjoy.

This corner housed a storage bin which should have been in the closet (again, the pesky suitcases), and the drapes had seen better days.

Another Target purchase included some new window coverings, and now everything has been tidied up.

Kelly's comments after checking in one week later: "It's so peaceful when I put him to bed now. I just love it." Mission accomplished!

10 year old Lindsey's room

2011-08-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

Littlest Pet Shop, Squinkees, bouncy balls, stuffed animals, oh my! This bedroom in Oceanside, CA was jam packed with colorful heaps of toys, books, and school projects. Eight hours, six kitchen-size trash bags, and one large donation bin later- it was time to reveal the final product to mom & dad.

drawer 1: Toys

drawer 2: Jewelry making kits and mp3 players

drawer 3: Jewelry

drawer 4: Headbands

drawer 5: Arts & Crafts

Desk Shot (see before picture #1)
row one: Papers to keep, Stickers, Arts & Crafts (pt. two), Makeup, Music
row two: piggy banks, snow globe collection, graduation dogs
row three: Disney memorabilia, pens & pencil sorter

2011-08-30T08:18:00.000-07:00

Awesome closet organization: Want a closet that looks like celeb Ashley Tisdale's? Follow these steps:

- sort like with like (jeans with jeans, clutch purses with small bags, sunglasses with sunglasses, etc.) you don't want everything in a jumbled mess
-use the one year rule, purge what has not been worn and also items that no longer fit correctly, make a pile to take to the tailor for alterations, a pile for donation to Goodwill or your charity of choice, and a trash pile for the items that just can't be salvaged
-keep everything neat & tidy: don't throw shoes into the deep dark depths of the closet, line shoes up in neat rows or use a shoe cubby or hanger for extra help
-something as simple as turning all your hangers the same way really makes a difference, the standard "question mark shape" is used in retail stores to draw in customers

Bathroom Envy

2011-08-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

When it comes to the bathroom, the devil's in the details!

-Sort like with like: inexpensive bins from TJ Maxx really help do the trick.

-Store hair dryers & flat irons & most used hair products in one easy-to-grab bin preferably under the sink, if you have a pedestal sink, that's another story.

-A drawer organizer can collect all the small things in your life such as cotton balls, q-tips, floss, bobby pins, and whatever you may have lurking in there!

-It is important to take inventory on how many lotions, body sprays, non-award winning face washes, and other such cheap products you have. 12 bottles of lotion? I've seen it! As consumers we are tempted to buy the newest and greatest products that marketing megaminds throw our way. But stick to your staples and find your signature products. It will not only save you money, but space as well! Most women's shelters are in great need of this stuff, especially from frequent travelers who collect lots of sample sized products and never use more than a tiny bit of the contents.

Happy organizing!

2011-08-20T16:18:00.000-07:00

closet (n): a small room for storing clothing, suited for use or enjoyment in privacy

2011-08-16T16:27:00.000-07:00

some examples of bright ways to organize!

Introduction

2011-08-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

Are you a clutter queen? Do you not have the time to organize your life? Are you hiding everything in "junk drawers," guest bedrooms, or spare closets? Let's get you organized!

$50 special: You pick a room and I organize it! Piles of boxes, stacks of paper, I'm up for the challenge! I am a young fresh face in the professional organization business and am looking to build my portfolio. There is no need to shop for bins/file cabinets/storage containers because I try to save you as much money as possible. Chances are you already have many of these items to utilize, just waiting to be used around the house. My fees are very VERY small considering I am just getting started. I would love to sort your stacks of paperwork/bills/receipts/coupons, nurseries or playrooms, and even the dreaded garage! If you are interested in setting up a time to meet and greet please comment here. I am currently serving most areas of San Diego County. Thank you and have a clutter-free day!

♥ Melisa

2011-08-14T16:29:00.000-07:00

bookcase l♥ve.