Pantry party

I'll never forget my first pantry in the first house we purchased. *sigh*  I still drool over it to this day because of the space and storage that pantry provided. Every house since that time has had to measure up, but let's just say that not all pantry's are created equal. If you have a large pantry, small pantry, or even no pantry at all, there are solutions to maximize your space.

First thing I'm going to address is the no pantry house.... gasp! I know, I know, but believe it or not, not all houses had a pantry because there really wasn't a need. Think about it- very few things were pre-packaged back in the day. Grocery shopping was done almost daily, still is in some cultures, and the meals prepared fresh. The need was more for refrigeration and freezing than dry goods storage.  If you happen to live in a house with no pantry and you really want one, I suggest using a piece of furniture for something other than it's intended purpose. Or even a piece of furniture that can also double as another work surface if you're lacking counter space too. Friends of ours have used a neighboring coat closet and turned it into a pantry since in the south, coats aren't needed as often. I personally thought this was brilliant.

Carolina Panache

Magnolia Homes

When we first moved to South Carolina, we rented a townhouse until we figured out where we really wanted to live.  Let me tell you, it had the TINIEST pantry. (You done been shrunk tiny pantry.) It was narrow and made it very difficult to navigate around and that's when we had to get creative with our space. The first thing we did was empty the pantry completely out, bought new containers for food we bought all the time, and labeled everything. We also utilized shelving racks to split spaces in half and provide more storage.

Before

That's a lot of stuff!

All done

The new system made use of the limited space while allowing us to see exactly what we had at all times. No more guess work, moving things around to get food, or forgetting that we had certain items.

When we moved to the new house, our pantry didn't get a whole lot bigger, but we used the same system and two years later it's still working. The exception is with the new house that the pantry door is big enough to utilize the back of the door as storage as well. Adding hooks keeps the girls lunch boxes within quick reach.

Back of the door

Labels are key! Chalkboard labels are my favorite!

Just a few of my favorite containers.

Ta-da!

When we get back from the grocery we like to break everything down. Food that can come out of their packaging they are put them in their proper containers or baskets. That alone makes putting the groceries away a breeze; everything has a home. It also takes the guess work out of knowing if we're out of something or getting close and need to add it to the grocery list. (Who hasn't had a box of disappointment when they reached for their favorite snack only to find the box empty?)  The wire racks are a standard in most houses and to make ours more of a flat surface, we used left over floor tile from when we resurfaced cabinet floor under the sink. It provided a sturdy surface for our canned goods.

Something else unexpected, we turned a magazine holder into a aluminum foil/wax paper/ cling wrap and paper lunch bag holder.

The plan is to group like things together and putting them in their spots based on the frequency of use. I'm vertically challenged, aka short, so having items in front of me that I use all the time makes more sense. Items we don't use as much go higher in the pantry. We also put things like the kids snacks at a level that helps them to become more self sufficient. (And helps me to not constantly be fetching the kids snacks.)

Now, for those that are able to have the mecca of all pantry's, I bow to you. Think big rooms, with shelving and drawers. Let's take a moment...

So pretty!

Dreamy pantry

The shelving, the space, the multifunction of it all! A girl can dream can't she?!?! I am extremely envious of people who have this, but even though there is a lot of space to play with, it's just as important to be deliberate so it doesn't become the dark hole for lost things AND food.

No matter what your situation is, the most important piece of advice I can give is think outside of the box, or in this case, pantry. See through containers are especially helpful and labels are their best friends. Use all the space up, down and sideways to get the most out of the storage that you can have.  

Selling your home while trying to keep your sanity.

Once upon a time we bought our very first house when I was minutes away, not really, from delivering our very first child.

Love at first showing.

It was everything we had hoped it would be and was enough of a blank slate to allow us to put on our own personal touches. We brought not one, but two babies into that house and when the time came to put it on the market, it was NOT an easy decision. We sat down with an agent and we discussed various things, but we were so emotionally invested in the house that the information fell on deaf ears. For the next 11 months and 90 showings later, yes 90, we FINALLY sold.

Here's what we learned from that experience:

1) Staging is everything.  Potential buyers need to be able to picture themselves in your space. This is also a great time to disconnect yourself and start looking toward your new place.
     -Take down as many personal pictures as you can.
     -Declutter either by packing up your stuff, purging/ selling the items you don't want any longer.
     -Neutralize paint colors if possible, buyers often have a hard time with seeing past paint.
     -Rearrange or use smaller furniture to give the appearance of more space.

Before

After- Changing the layout of the sofa and removing the chaise made the space feel larger.

2) Do any necessary repairs. If it's something that you know needs to be done, do it. Most buyers would prefer a house that is more turn key than not. Even if you're in a starter home, most first time home buyers are intimidated by taking on even what may seem like "easy" projects. We found out the hard way that old caulk around the top of our cabinets scared off first time buyers. They didn't know if there was an issue with the cabinets coming away from the ceiling, when really it just needed to be redone. A simple 15 minute project pretty much cost us a sale.

3) Before you go to bed, tidy up. We would do this just in case we were at work the next day and had a showing while we were gone. It gave us peace of mind knowing we didn't have to worry about last nights dinner dishes still being in the sink or laundry piled up. Each night we would put stuff away, wipe off counters, and finish up the laundry. Mornings were hectic enough trying to get 2 adults and two babies out the door, let alone getting your house show ready.

4) Less truly is more.  I can't say this enough. If your cabinets are stuffed to capacity or your closest can't handle one more article of clothing, you could scare off a potential buyer. They WILL open up drawers and doors because they want to know there's enough storage.  Even if the reason you're moving is because you want more space, you don't want them to figure that out as well. Purge, pack, and even sell your items to reduce the amount of stuff in the space. Also, this will help you when it's time to move; it's a win-win.

5) Listen to your Realtor.  Understand that while they want to make money off of your sale, in order for them to do so, they have to actually SELL your house. Your Realtor will come armed with prices from the recent sales in your area, comps, look at them and be honest with yourself. Don't be like us and have such big emotional blinders on, that you sit on the market forever with unrealistic expectations. We survived and sadly sold it for way lower than had intended. Had we listened to our realtor and not been so stubborn, we could have saved ourselves heartache and frustration.

Cards from the Realtors who showed our house, right before we burned them at the new house.

6) Listen to the feedback. This can be one of the hardest pills to swallow, but it could be key information for ways to help your place along. If you hear something over and over and it's something you can easily fix, do it. This could range from painting a room, to maybe even changing out carpet.  For us, it was replacing our kitchen table with a smaller one because the buyers kept saying the eat in kitchen was too small. Unfortunately, there are things you cannot help, like the size of your back yard, or even the state of your neighborhood.

Smaller table and cleared off counters...aaahhhhhh.

Selling your house can be a potentially stressful time, but it doesn't necessarily need to be as stressful.  Believe it or not, through the long process of trying to sell our first house, we still utilize some of the things we did to maintain a "show ready" house.  I like to think of it as the birth of my love for organizing.  (Don't get me wrong, our house is not reminiscent of a hospital, but items having their own home as well as tidying daily allows our space to not feel overwhelming.)  Selling our second house to move to South Carolina was a much easier process, sold in three days, because we paid attention to the struggles we had the first go around. Keep it realistic, have a plan, and keep the end result in mind.

The ties that bind.

I'm not going to lie, last week was hard all around. Nothing horrible happened,  it was just emotionally trying in nearly every facet of my life. Not wanting to be a downer, just being real because I heard from many of my friends that they too were struggling last week. Maybe it's the change in weather; sunny summery days are most likely put away to be enjoyed next year, getting into the groove of school. Whatever the reason is, it's pretty much stopped me in my tracks. Then it got me thinking, this emotional hold that has taken over, the emotional side of anything really, is the very reason many people can't let go of "things." (I know that may seem like a large leap, but i'm always thinking organizing.)

Think about it...

No matter if we bought something or it was given to us, there is meaning behind it both positive and negative. To spend money on something only to give it away, sell it, or throw it away is difficult because someone had to work to earn the money to purchase it. If it was given to you, most likely it was given to you by someone who means or meant something to you. To dispose of that item may make you feel like you would offend them or you're trying to get rid of them. However, holding on to the physical object may cause you a life time of burden.

1) Purchase items with intent and purpose, don't settle.
I have been guilty of this on many occasions. Many. Occasions.

The rug on the left I settled for until I finally found the original rug I wanted.  (Porch isn't done just yet.)

I have had a vision in my mind and out of pure impatience bought something else that was close enough.  When in all actuality it wasn't "close enough.  Later I found myself disappointed and ended up spending more money getting what I originally wanted. (The yellow rug above is still in my trunk waiting for me to take it back. Oopsies.)  Make a plan, figure out a what you'll need, and either save the money for each item or gradually buy them to complete your project.

2) Give it to someone who will get a lot of use out of it.
We kept our girls Baby Einstein DVD's until this year, they are 8 and 7. I kept them mostly because I didn't want to let go of the idea of there not being another baby, but also because I didn't want to forget the sounds that played when they were a babies too. Instead, I gave them to a neighbor who had mentioned on the local mom swap that she was looking for those DVD's.  Not only did it give me satisfaction knowing that someone will probably cherish them as much as we did, but also they have a more relevant use for them than we do right now. Win-win.

3) Make it into a keepsake.
Our family has a running joke about a shirt that I gave to my dad.  He wore it ALL the time and it got to a point that in some holiday pictures, it was getting really difficult to tell which year and holiday was which one.

My daughter Kennedy's first year of life: Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas and getting ready to have her little sister. 

Three years ago my dad passed and that shirt was the first thing that I grabbed going through his stuff. It was him, even though I know it's not really him, but I won't be able to ever get rid of it. Ever. There are companies out there that will turn your favorite item into a keepsake pillow or even a keepsake bear.

Source: etsy

An article I found on Yahoo that even talked about upcycling other objects into wearable keepsakes.  For right now I have his shirt in a safe place until I decide the special what exactly I am going to do.

4) Get your money back.
Recently I spoke with a young lady who still had her rehearsal dinner dress from her first marriage. The only reason she kept it was that it cost so much money to purchase, but really she hated the dress; then and especially now. I told her to get rid of it... immediately! Not only was it a constant reminder of a relationship that ended, it was also taking up space. This goes for anything you have! If you're on Facebook, check to see if there is a local swap site to sell it or take the item to a consignment store that will buy the item from you.  My biggest profit has come from my girls clothes and toys. (Show momma the money.)

Then with the money you profit, either treat yourself to something new or save your money for something big down the road.

Aside from the typical "one day" I'll use something, often times there is a deeper reason that we hold on to the "things" in our lives. However, don't let the "things" consume you; if everything is important then nothing is really important.  Evaluate why you have held onto something and if truly has a deeper meaning or moves you strongly, it's ok to hold onto it for another day. I have a trunk of keepsakes that I periodically go through to not only remember special times in my life, but also to see if there's any way I can incorporate it into my life right now. Keep in mind though that if you decide it's time to move on, doesn't mean that you have to erase that memory, those you can keep for a lifetime.

Multifunctional furnishings

After we had our second baby I had dreams of giving the girls a room where all of their toys would stay. A room that if we didn't feel like straightening up, we could simply close the door; out of sight out of mind. But reality set in and I knew it would be a while before we could let them play on their own without fear of choking hazards and other shenanigans. That and the fact that they didn't want to be too far away from us seeing as they were so young and all. What that meant was we needed to figure out a way to have toys in our main living space without the house looking like a daycare. Not that there's anything wrong with having toys out and about.  I mean it's not that we were trying to hide the fact that we had children, but our house at the time was not the biggest so a couple toys scattered around and it went from living space to obstacle course.

We put our thinking caps on and decided that our furniture needed to be able to serve multiple purposes. Not only to be aesthetically pleasing, but also be able to handle our toy storage needs. Even though we had a sectional sofa, we could always use additional seating so we used a storage bench similar to this:

www.brookstone.com

To this day the storage bench holds toys and provides additional seating.

As for our coffee table, side table, and sofa table we chose the Metropolitan collection from Pottery Barn  and used decorative baskets to hide books, blankets and other toys.  At the time I felt it important we buy the set, but now I would say to mix it up and buy different pieces that will give interest and provide function. The quality of these pieces have stood the test of time, test of children, and are just now starting to show signs of wear 9 years later.

Pottery Barn

Jo-Ann

Even as the kids have gotten older and their toys found their way into that dream playroom I spoke of earlier, we still utilize the storage now for things like blankets, magazines and movies.  

While we left our little first house a long time ago, we still keep the same ideals of multifunctional. Furniture is expensive and if you can use it for more than one purpose, you'll really get longevity out of the piece and keep things organized.  Don't be afraid to use furniture for other purposes. My mom gave me her dresser she had growing up when I went away to college. That piece has been well loved and has survived more moves than I can count. It has served as a dresser, but now it's the sideboard in my dining room. The only thing I did was switch out the drawer pulls. Inside I store table cloths, candles, games, crafts for the kids, gift bags and tissue paper.  I have found a few local thrift stores that I love to peruse for gems just like this to give a second, or even a third, life to. 

Moving to South Carolina also meant that we would have visitors, but we also didn't want to have a designated guest room. The fourth bedroom doesn't have a closet and has been designated the playroom/guest room/ office. Keeping with multifunctional, we selected a queen sleeper sofa to serve as seating and a bed. La-Z-Boy also has twin sleeper chair and a half, with many fabric choices, if you're looking for something a little smaller or need additional sleeping space. This could also be great for a nursery for those long nights, or children's room for little guests. 

La-Z-Boy

Purchasing furniture is not only a necessity, but aside from the standard reason you need the furniture, think beyond the surface level functions and determine what your space really needs. What will you be doing in that space? Who will be using that space? Can the piece evolve even after you've used it for its intended purpose? And just when you think a piece of furniture has outlived it's space, is there some place else you can use it before you decide to sell or donate? What if you painted it? There's a lot to consider when you're buying furniture, but since this is an investment, it's important to consider all the possibilities.

Eye of the designer

Deep down I guess I never really knew that I had a budding passion for decorating. I loved organization, that part came naturally, but the decorating part I was a bit of a late bloomer. Even now I'm not on the cutting edge of interior design, but through practice and studying, I've picked up a few things here and there.  I couldn't afford a lot of things, one of which being a personal interior designer, but then the next best thing happened..

Raise of hands on how many people have looked through and drooled over the pages of Pottery Barn? Now, have you ever read the back of the magazine? I mean REALLY read the back? Or really read to the bottom of the sale emails? Perused the website? Because if you did you already know what I'm going to say, but for those of you that may have missed it, THEY OFFER FREE DESIGN SERVICES AND CLASSES! You read that right, FREE!!  I will never forget the first class that the hubby and I signed up for, I thought it was too good to be true.  They showed us in that class how to create a seascape in a tall vase and some other tips on decorating with vases.  Then we were able to shop the store, using a discount and this all happened on a Sunday BEFORE the store opened. It was amazing!

10 years later and we still have it!

The free design services are legit too and I was super skeptical before I made my appointment. My problem at the time was the top of our kitchen cabinets and the built in bookcases surrounding our fireplace. They were both completely empty and there was a lot of space to cover, but I didn't want to jam pack those areas and make it feel totally cluttered. I took pictures of the spaces and brought in my iPad to show the designer. For a solid hour she showed me different ideas, we played with the products in the store, I asked loads of questions, and I took LOTS of notes. At the end, she said I could use a discount if there was something that I wanted to purchase that night. Shut the front door! Well yeah! The best part, she told me they do in home services if I still needed help! The most impressive part was that it was, once again, free!

Before

After

Don't have a Pottery Barn near you, have no fear! On their website there are a slue of decorating ideas tips and tricks. Including a room design planner so you can figure out how to arrange your furniture without having to lift or move anything! How-to guides, holiday decorating tips, room inspirations...I mean come on!! I feel like Oprah right now."You get free information, and you get free information!!"  Still have design questions, they have a hotline you can call.  Their services also apply to their Pottery Barn Kids/Teen side as well.

But wait... there's more! Pottery Barn isn't the only company offering free services. West Elm, Ethan Allen, and La-Z-Boy, to name a few, also offer free services.  (Contact them for more information.)   No matter if you're trying to figure out a design issue, pick up a new skill, or refine your design talents, I don't think you can go wrong learning for free from the experts. In the land of Pinterest and Google, it makes sense to have so much information right at your finger tips. I know it keeps me coming back to Pottery Barn time and again.  Well played Pottery Barn, well played. 

DIY on the Fly Friday

Paint. It's one of the most inexpensive and most impactful DIY projects you can take on as a new or even an experienced DIY'er. Picking the right paint choice can be a huge headache and if you have a partner/roommate/spouse/significant other weighing in on the issue, well things just got a little more complicated.  

So. Many. Choices

For me, I typically don't have a hard time visualizing what it will look like on the wall, but for my husband he's more of a visual person. Before, we would buy a sample of paint and then slap it on the wall, but then it was there while we "lived" with it before we decided that it was the right choice. But then we'd have visitors and there would be all these paint squares painted sporadically on the walls. If you're like us, there would be multiple paint squares on many walls because paint looks different in different light... You get the gist. Hot mess express. Then one day we found an amazing product that has changed our lives!

Home Depot to the rescue!

SureSwatch is really easy to use. You simple paint on your color sample, remove the paper backing, and place it on your wall. Once you decide, you simply peal it off, or if you're like us, you can move it to different locations. ("To the windoooooow... to the wall...." I couldn't help myself.)  If you have many paint choices, like we did, I recommend cutting the pieces in half and writing the name of the paint color with a sharpie on the sheet. Then you won't get confused as to what paint color is what and you're not using all of the sheets at once, even though there are three in each pack. 

See, we like multiple options

The best part, if it takes you a long time to decide, like us, you can always take them down if you don't want people to see what you're planning. OR you can always make it a fun party game and have guests help you pick your color. ;) 

Here's another quick tip: Say for example you're perusing Pinterest or a friend has paint color that you're in love with but it's carried by Benjamin Moore or Sherwin William, but you don't have either one of those close to you, not a problem! Home Depot can pull the color codes from Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams, etc and still get you that color with their paint. One. Stop. Shop. (Lowe's does this too incase you don't have a Home Depot close.)

Happy painting and happy weekend!!

You gotta know the "why".

Lately I have been asked a lot why I decided to write a blog about organizing.  I should also begin that when I'm asked what I blog about I see people cringe and appear repulsed almost instantaneously. I get it, really I do, but I figured this was a good time to give you a little of my back story as we're getting to know one another. Bottom line, I love to organize, I always have. When I was younger I was OBSESSED with my school planners, color coding, planning my school projects; the whole nine yards.  As I've gotten older, organizing has taken on a whole new meaning.  First when we had our own place, and again when we started having kids. Nothing felt better than pulling everything out, sorting through it, and purging it to my little hearts content.  When cleaning up everything had it's "home" where it belonged. *loving sigh*

When we bought our first house we thought we were clean and organized people, until we put that house on the market. We were rookies in the home selling process and had an emotional investment in trying to get the best price for that house.  Really we loved that house, we just wanted something a bit bigger for our growing family. It sat there for nearly a year and with over 90 showings, I kid you not- 90. (More about that too one day.) We became experts at getting a house "show ready" within a moments notice. Have you ever tried to keep your house that spotless and tidy with 2 children under 2 for nearly a year? You better believe that you pick up some strategies that become engrained even to this day.

The other reason I love to organize is more than just organizing the house.  As I stated recently, I love to stay organized with the bills and paperwork in general. Having worked for the government for the past 12 years, I know the importance of having vital information right at your finger tips.  Hours of searching for bills, receipts or important paperwork can be taken care of by having a great system in place. Adding children to the mix created more important paperwork that needed to be dealt with, and the last thing I wanted to do was have them miss out on a field trip because I lost their paperwork.

Time management is another thing that falls into the realm of organization. The number one reason why people say they don't do something is that they "don't have the time." Truth is you do, it's just how you choose to spend your time is the real reason we don't have time when we need it. Reading the book "A Maker's Guide" by Amy Howard she says "Statistically, Americans spend an average of three hours per day on social media. In a decade you will have lost one year and three months of your life to nothingness. Where would you be right now, if you were allowed to take a year off and focus on your dream?" Definitely something to think about...

I want you to do this, take a look at your surroundings  and list out the areas that are a bother.   Give yourself a goal of a month to do at least one thing on that list. If you get it done sooner, great! Then you can mark it off and move to the next thing. What is an activity that you've been wanting to do, but you just could not figure out a time to work it into your schedule? Mine was working out and eventually I had to suck it up and add it to the beginning of the my day.  Sitting down and planning out your schedule will allow you to live life with intent and purpose. Breaking things off into manageable pieces, things become less overwhelming.  Looking at the broad picture it's hard to even imagine it any other way, but when you focus on smaller chunks, before you know it, you've tackled it all!

People ask me why I organize, my question to them is "why not?" I don't know about you, but I don't want to spend hours on end trying to find something,  deal with the frustration of not being able to put something away, or not have enough time to get what I need to get done. We owe it to ourselves to have a space that doesn't give us panic attacks. I've seen it too many times where people are overwhelmed in their spaces, be it at home or even at work.  For me personally I feel a sense of peace when I'm in an organized space or when I feel like I have a really good grasp on my schedule. It allows me freedom to devote to other things like spending quality time with my family and maybe even adding on another activity, that otherwise I would not be able to do.  Chaos breeds chaos and for me it's just not a good feeling. There are very few things in our lives that we have much control over, but the things that we do have control over have the greatest potential to be positive. Just know that you CAN do this, I believe in you.