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Clear The Clutter

Simple Organization Ideas Around The Home

When people think of organizing, they tend to think of big organization projects they need to do around the house – like clean out the closet. But sometimes, organization can be very simple! Decluttering a little and having simple ways to store items may be all you need around the house. With just few items, for as little as $1, you can have simple organization!

Hair Band Holders – As the mom of girls, I can attest that hair bands must be related to rabbits – they seem to multiply fast and are everywhere! Try this simple trick – use a carabiner (or some call them D-Rings) to hold them together and keep them in one place. Easy to hang on a hook in the bathroom!

dring

My daughter also uses one as a key chain that easily can attach to her purse!

keys

 

Bathroom Storage – A trio of glass candle holders on a small long platter make the perfect storage for Q-tips, cotton balls and small personal items.

bathroom

Baskets, either wooden or plastic can also work for larger items like towels or toilet paper storage.

TP

 

School Supply Storage – The kids need supplies like pencils, crayons, scissors, but those can get messy really fast! Try using wire tea light holders for storing them on a worktable or shelf.

desk

Jewelry Holder – I love my earrings, but they can get tangled and separated in my jewelry drawer. Try using ice cube trays to store pairs of earrings together – they are stackable in a drawer!

earrings

Pantry Storage – Simple plastic storage works perfectly for open goods like crackers, rice or dried beans that need to be protected from humidity and bugs. Or use stackable plastic storage for spice packets, napkins, Potatoes or onions makes things neat and organized.

pantry

Beach Toy Storage –Use a mesh laundry bag to carry kids beach toys to and from the beach. The mesh allows you to rinse off the toys for easy clean up and you don’t take the beach home with you!

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Simple Car Cleanup –Turn a small plastic cereal holder into a trashcan perfect size for the car! (This can actually fit between two seats!)

trash

Thank you to WTLV-TV, NBC 12 First Coast Living for inviting me on to share these simple tips!

 

organization for home

collage organization

Clear The Clutter: Too Many Photos On Display?


I LOVE photos of my family, especially of my children. But I do have a hard time taking some down to make room for more (it is more of an addiction!). I just buy more frames and put them along side all the other photos. Well, this can lead to lots of clutter! So Chris Stone, professional organizer and owner of NeatlyDeisgned.com, comes to my rescue to help me clear the clutter of too many photos!

Here is the before and after:

clutter shlef photo

We take you through the process of how to tackle those photos and really show off what is most important to you! So sit back and enjoy!

 

Clutter SHelf 2

Too Many Candles – A Clear The Clutter Challenge

Chris Stone of Neatly Designed is BACK and we are talking clearing the clutter of candles! In this video, we show you how to approach decluttering those stashes of candles you have around the house (come on, I KNOW you have them!). All you need is an hour (maybe two, if you have as many as I do!).

So clear the clutter and feel good about doing it!

 

Screen Shot 2015-10-03 at 4.25.48 PM
You think I might have a candle problem?

SSD Too Many Candles

Clear The Clutter, Part 4 – Putting It All Back Together!



With this video, the Clear The Clutter Challenge is coming to a close! Chris Stone of NeatlyDesigned.com and I have brought you through the whole process: where to start, how to let go of things, and how to prep the space for the new, organized closet. Now we put things back together!

Let me refresh your memory of what we started with – a very disorganized, cluttered craft closet!

Before 2 (1) Before1 (1)

This process has been tough on me – I had to learn to let go of some things, not just because they made things messy, but because they were making me feel overwhelmed! Letting go really made me feel lighter, less stressed and ready to take on new challenges!

I now take pleasure in opening the doors and seeing this:

Finished closet (1)  After Drawer school supplies (1)

Boxes closeup 2 (1)
All neat and tidy! I feel less stressed already!

 

Take The Challenge!

It was our hope we could motivate you to take on the challenge of clearing the clutter in your home – whether it is a big or small project! If you need help, don’t be afraid (or embarrassed!) to contact a professional organizer to help you.

The reality is, if you aren’t on a episode of Hoarders, you are probably normal and just need a little help letting go!

And if you live in Northeast Florida, I highly recommend contacting Chris Stone to help you through the process! Here’s how to reach her:

Christine Stone, Owner, Neatly Designed

Professional Organizer, Member of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers)

Closeup of the storage containers we found at The Container Store!
Closeup of the storage containers we found at The Container Store!

To find the Iris containers we used, you can visit The Container Store, or you can click the following links:

Look for future Clear The Clutter videos down the road – we had a ball working on these!

Final Shot Clear The CLutter

A Simple Challenge: Clear The Clutter, Part Three- Prep & Measure

With the decluttering finally finished, the next step in my journey from cluttered to clean had arrived! Prepping the storage area & measuring for the storage boxes!

Here’s where I begin to see the fruits of my labor!

Chris Stone of NeatlyDesigned.com has shepherded me through this process, gently (plus a dash of humor & firmness!) helping me clear out this mess!

So here are the steps for this decluttering process so far:

Steps For Decluttering

 

 

A clean space to organize is a treat! You know you don’t want to put all your nicely organized items back into a dirty area! You also want to make sure you have the right sized storage bins, so you can actually close the doors! So follow along! And next week, you can see how we put it all back together!

SSD Clutter Cover Slide Part 3

A Simple Challenge: Clear The Clutter, Part 2

 

So when I decided to do this video series with Chris Stone of NeatlyDesigned.com, I thought to myself,

This will be great! I will get organized and someone will actually HELP me do it! Easy Peasy!  . . .  Well, I was in for a shocker!

What I didn’t expect was to feel a combination of anxiety, embarrassment and attachment to silly things like fuzzy balls and googly eyes (watch the video and you will understand)!

Laura is not too happy!
Laura is not too happy!

When you have clutter, there is a reason you are keeping it around, whether you know why or not. When you start to get rid of it, you start to see patterns. This video is meant to really illustrate the sometimes difficult process of letting go of the clutter! These are my true and honest reactions; I’m not acting. And the funny thing is, Chris knew it was going to happen! She’s a pro, she’s seen this before with all of her clients, and knows how to help people get through it to a nice, clean, organized space!

So sit back and enjoy! And realize, if I can do it, so can you!

SSD Clutter Cover Slide Part 2

A Simple Challenge: Clear The Clutter – Part 1

 

Welcome to the first in the video series,  A Simple Challenge: Clear The Clutter. I’ve teamed up this month with professional organizer Chris Stone of Neatly Designed to give you a helping hand in getting started in your decluttering process. In today’s video, Chris and I begin the process to tackle the hidden clutter in my media cabinet/craft closet – AKA My Anxiety Closet! 

BTW – I highly recommend subscribing to Chris’ blog for great tips & little nuggets of motivation! They really do help keep you going!

SSD Clutter Prt 1 cover slideMy Personal Clutter Journey

For years, I was really good at a mass purge every six months or so – I was forced to when the kids were little to go through their stuff because they were outgrowing everything so fast! But as time sped up (parents of teens and pre-teens will understand this concept of time flying!), I seemed to have less and less time to get things done!

Now, I believe most people have clutter, whether hidden or in plain site. Many will go along and live in their clutter, either unaware or unwilling to deal with it. Avoiding, putting it off, waiting until they have a quiet day, etc. That is, until something happens and they force themselves — or are forced — to deal with it! My moment of truth came when my oldest left for college. I have, for at least the last year or so, been ignoring the piles of junk accumulating in and around my house!

My Media Cabinet/Craft Closet/Junk Hideaway! AKA, My Anxiety Closet!

 

Between doing projects for SimpleSolutionsDiva.com, family activities, sports, and just wanting to eek out those last few moments with my “baby’ before she left for college, etc., I found myself throwing things in a closet saying, “I’ll get to it soon!” Well, I think I reached that point of being just grossed out by it all!

 

And the subtle (and not so subtle) requests from my patient husband just got to be too much to ignore. . .

So join Chris Stone and I, as she shepherds me through the process of clearing out my clutter! I hope it will help motivate you to take care of some of the piles in and around your home!

 

P.S.: I have to say, I find this has helped me feel lighter, more organized, and I actually have more time and energy to do the things I want to do. I think I was being paralyzed by the piles!

 

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