Day 110: Pin wrangler

I have been using bobby pins in my shorter hair cut lately, and it's amazing that as many as I have, I can NEVER find one.... or I have to dig around, taking out my neatly stored hairspray bottles, brushes, clips, etc., etc., to get to the VERY bottom corners of the drawer!

WELL... I saw a very clever idea that would work in a drawer or on the inside of a cabinet door or medicine cabinet. MAGNETIC STRIPS!

That's right, just apply a magnetic strip (using the peel-away adhesive on the back), and... get those dern bobby pins in line!


You can also use the magnetic strip to wrangle nail clippers, tweasers or other lightweight metallic odds n' ends that keep escaping to the depths of your bathroom drawers!


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 80: My CUPS Runneth Over

Plastic cups.

They migrate... frequently.
They multiply... often.
And they will randomly launch themselves at unsuspecting beverage seekers from their precarious positions in the kitchen cabinets!

If your plastic cups are taking up way too much real estate all over your kitchen (perhaps even invading the pantry!?!?), you might want to herd them up and give them a new home. Together. Where they will cause much less damage and frustration!

Although these cups aren't pretty (I mean, face it, we've collected these cheapies and freebies from decades of yard sales, birthday parties, concerts and ball games), they do deserve some attention. So summon your organizing prowess, and clear a cabinet just for the cups. Swallow your pride, and just stack 'em up by size.


Now, I've let some coffee mugs take up residence here, along with a few water bottles, but this cabinet is probably 83% plastic cups. Every once in a while, they'll start to form a rebellion and try to wobble and lean their way off the edge of the shelf in order to hit someone in the head or bounce all over the floor. But, most days, the cups stay pretty neat and organized. I haven't found a stray in the dog food for a while. And the cup count has remained pretty steady.


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 79: The Pyrex Complex

Ok... back to those kitchen cabinets that we started talking about the other day...

As a neat freak, y'all know that I love to keep "like" things or families of items together. It just makes sense to me. And it makes it SO much easier to store, locate and use said items.

Well, the same can work in the kitchen, and that's why I keep all my glass cooking stuffs (AKA Pyrex) in the same cabinet!

It doesn't look all that impressive. And, frankly, it can get rather heavy to wriggle out what I need. But, until I can figure out how to add more shelves or create some other clever storage rack, this is how it is! ;)


You can see that bowls (on the bottom) are stacked in bigger bowls. And squares/rectangles are stacked in bigger squares/rectangles (on the middle shelf). I left the top shelf for a few of the "serving pieces" (AKA glass bakeware with pretty patterns on them!) since I don't fish them out quite as often as the other pieces. As well, my beloved Pampered Chef batter bowl has a spot of its own up there... which is easy for me, since I'm 6-feet tall! (If you are not quite as, uh.... blessed with high altitude, you might want to try stacking/storing your most-used items at a lower, more convenient, level!)

Neat Freak Cheat Sheet: I lined each shelf with some rubbery, non-skid stuff so the glass has a cushier landing!


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 77: Everyday Dishes

People always tell me that one of the worst disaster areas in their homes is their kitchen. Well, this is not hard for me to believe. After all, a lot of events take place in the kitchen... besides just cooking and eating! Kids do homework here. Crafts get spread all over the tables in this space. Random items get dumped on counters as folks walk in and out of the house. The kitchen is the epicenter of the home, so it makes perfect sense to me that this room is in need of some extra loving care when it comes to getting organized! So... I am going to do a few posts about my kitchen cabinets... where a lot of needed and necessary kitchen items may get "lost" or "hidden!"

So, let's talk about everyday dishes. These are the plates and bowls that your family uses everyday. We're not talking about the "nice" China. We're talking about the inexpensive set (or mismatched hand-me-down sets) that come in odd numbers and might or might not have a few cracks or chips. (I probably don't need to say this, but cracks and chips are dangerous. A few more trips in the dishwasher, and you might have a bloody finger... or lip! Consider saying "good riddance" to these items!)

Personally, I recommend keeping everyday items (yes, even the plastic character bowls and plates that my children use on a daily basis) together in one cabinet, if at all possible. Some might argue that all plates go together and all bowls should have their own space, but I find it much more practical to keep my sets together. It's better for setting the table and for emptying the dishwasher, since they all come from -- and go back to -- the same cabinet! Of course, I still keep all my plates and bowls stacked in nice, neat piles.


As you may see, I also like to use a little bit of decorating tips (like propping a taller serving platter or bowl behind the other items for a little interest) so my cabinets aren't an eyesore, should a random stranger or family member open it up for a peek! BUT... there's no magic to this. Just keep in mind: "a place for everything, and everything in its place!" This way, everything has a permanent home, and everyone knows it! You won't hear my hubby asking, "Where are the cereal bowls?"


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 52: Crafty Storage

I love crafts and craft items, and my collection of things related to crafting (paper, ribbon, stamps, ink, buttons, embellishments, etc., etc.) has multiplied greatly over the last few months, due, in part, to some good coupons for Michael's ...and the discovery of Stampin'Up.

The collection of items was -- until very recently -- scattered all over my house. Some things were upstairs in a closet. Some items were in the laundry room. Other things were just sitting out on the floor and on the kitchen table! *gasp!* NOT a good scenario for a neat freak! That's why I emptied out the candle cabinet...


Now, I've simply used a collection of plastic bins (and one specifically designed for scrapbook paper) along with a plastic container with drawers and one of my very favorite finds: a giraffe print craft storage "tote!" (This thing has about 20 cute little pockets and holds stickers and scissors and glue dots and tape and inks and pens and cutters and crimpers and papers and buttons and, well, you get the point!)


There are now ribbons in one box, stamps in another box and paper punches in the third. There are idea books and craft samples and other crafty doo-dads in the drawers.


Everything is neatly stored... and conveniently located!

There's no more running all over the house, gathering up items to create something. It's all in one place!



Now, THAT's neat!

Day 48: The Dreaded Cabinet

I typically stay away from reorganizing my husband's things.... mostly because he says he can't find anything once everything is all clean and tidy! (HA! He jokes, of course!) BUT... I still leave most of his things to him.... until those things start to intrude on other things, or until those things just get completely out of hand.

One such place is "his" cabinet in the kitchen. It had become a bit of a dumping ground for his work stuff and other random odds n' ends.


When I opened up said cabinet the other day just looking for a plain, white envelope, I experienced a minor avalanche... and also discovered a check for nearly $150, dated over a year ago. Needless to say, it's WAY too late to cash that check, and since I don't want to lose out on any more money simply because of a messy cabinet, I figured I'd put a few new plastic storage drawers and shelves to good use! (I also raided another cabinet in the den that he had stuffed random work-related items in and stashed those things all together in the new, tidy space. That's why it looks a bit more "full" now than it did in the "before" photo!)

See?!?!? A neat, organized space where things are easy to find... and where checks can be safely stored until we get a chance to put them in the bank!


My hubby was a bit shocked at first. But I think even he sees how useful and handy this new layout will be!


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 47: The Great Candle Migration

I love candles. And I have a LOT of them. Some of them are colorful or just plain-and-simple decorative pieces that I no longer use. Others are scented candles -- in ALL kinds of scents -- that I am slowly but surely getting to burn.

Whatever the case, my candles were completely taking over one of the most handy and convenient cabinets in my kitchen.


So, I decided to make a change and move ALL the candles to a new designated spot: a decorative wooden chest! (Great tip: keep all like items together in ONE location. Otherwise, you'll make yourself crazy trying to find things or trying to remember which items you put in which spot!)

As you can see, I used one large, plastic basket (that fit just perfectly inside) and filled it with stackable boxes of candles. Then I simply put the other loose items on top and placed my jar candles and burners on the side.


It's still convenient. All my candles are in the dining room now. So it makes sense (and scents), too. (It's not like I moved them to a storage container in the attic or anything!) PLUS, there is an added bonus: I get to use the really cool wood chest that my grandfather bought for my grandmother.... and then she passed down to me!


Voila! Neatly stashed candles.... and an ENTIRE cabinet to use for something else. (I'll have to show you that later on! I'm still working on it!)

Now, THAT's neat!

Day 39: The Plastic Container That Broke The Husband's Back

You know, I was thinking: as neat as I am, you may have thought that I would've had the whole plastic storage container thing in perfect working order by now. After all, I am -- uh.... over 30 and have been using my own storage units for many, many years.

Alas, the plastic containers in my house were about to drive us all crazy. Granted, I did take the time to reorganize the lids. That worked out great. The ongoing problem was the containers themselves. Some were warped. Some were permanently stained. Some were missing their lids altogether, but they would creep back into the storage-container rotation somehow, and my husband and I would sigh in frustration after searching high and low for a lid that fit, finally giving up and ripping off a piece of aluminum foil to finish the job.

Here is a picture of the leaning tower of plastic containers (mostly the "throw-away" kind) in my cabinet. (I'll admit: it's not that messy. But it was definitely not worth the effort to dig through!)


And here is the chaos spread all over the kitchen counter.

For a neat freak (and even for the not-so-neat husband), this was simply unacceptable.

My solution? Tupperware.

That's right: Tupperware, the world-renowned, tried-and-true storage containers of the gods! :) Ha-ha!

When I discovered that my sister-in-law's boyfriend's grandmother (did you follow that?) was a Tupperware consultant, I knew my salvation was near! Even my hubby agreed. And he set the budget pretty high for us to get an ENTIRE new cabinet FULL of brand new, non-warped, color-coded, matching containers, bowls, cups... and more!

Here is the empty cabinet (lined with rubbery lining stuff, of course)... a blank slate!



Here are just some of the great things I got....




And here is the newly filled "Tupperware cabinet!"


I also purchased a set of containers that will help me reorganize my pantry. But that's a post for another day. Be looking for it soon! :)


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 38: The Bathroom Cabinet

Sorry I seem to be stuck in the bathroom.... BUT (oooh, bad pun) I wanted to share what I do for the cabinet in here, too, just in case your toiletries are multiplying and taking over your precious storage space!

I'm sure you won't be surprised to discover that I use a bunch of baskets! I dumped all the "like" things together (i.e. nail polish and make-up products in one, bath soaps and doo-dads in another, etc., etc.) and then arranged them with the things I use more often toward the front.


It works beautifully! I can dump things in the correct basket and keep it all neat and tidy. Then I sort through the items about once or twice a year to be sure I don't have anything empty, leaking or out of date (by expiration or by fashion!).

You could also get some "shelves" (I put that in quotations because you could get creative and stack items or use risers before you actually went and installed shelves!) and be more effective at using even more storage space. But this is all I need to store here right now, so I'm a-ok for the moment!


Now, THAT's neat!