I love that! Did it come with all the boxes or did you add those?

I don't have a picture of this yet, but my new favorite storage solution is replacing all the plastic storage containers of odd sizes in the kitchen with simple glass canning jars. They fit much better in the cupboard, they look so clean and nice and they are great for storing leftovers. I'm still in the process of getting rid of all the plastic. Some of that pricey Tupperware is hard to let go.

 

OK, I don't have any pics, and this is such a tiny little thing, but it does solve a problem!

Inside the door of the laundry closet, I have a medium-sized bulletin board. I hang all the stray socks on it so I can easily see when a match comes through the laundry.

There's my teeny tiny contribution to order in MDC homes everywhere.

 

I just don't have that much that would even rate a storage solution. I keep everything fairly basic so there's just not a need.

I do like to see other people's pics, though.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by UptownZoo OK, I don't have any pics, and this is such a tiny little thing, but it does solve a problem! Inside the door of the laundry closet, I have a medium-sized bulletin board. I hang all the stray socks on it so I can easily see when a match comes through the laundry. There's my teeny tiny contribution to order in MDC homes everywhere.

HA! omg what a fantastic idea!!!! never would have occurred to me in a gazillion years.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by UptownZoo OK, I don't have any pics, and this is such a tiny little thing, but it does solve a problem! Inside the door of the laundry closet, I have a medium-sized bulletin board. I hang all the stray socks on it so I can easily see when a match comes through the laundry. There's my teeny tiny contribution to order in MDC homes everywhere.

Great Idea!!

It was a real pet peave of mine years ago --- I used to spend way to much time sorting socks ... so one day I just got fed up .... got rid of all of our socks and bought several packages all the same of black and white. Put a big wicker trunk in our upstairs hallway and all the socks are in it. when I am doing laundry I no longer match socks .. dont need to .. they are all the same ... I just dump them in there and we all just grab our socks from there.

looks similar to this : http://images.netshops.com/mgen/masterCR003.jpg

 

peppermint leaf: i've often thought of doing that, and for the most part we have mostly the same socks for the adults (although i do have some cute ones that are not the same as the rest LOL) but for little Ava, she LOVES fancy/different/special socks. Rowan's socks are all the same so it's not a big deal but they look similar to ours though obviously much smaller. anyway, somehow that idea never quite worked for us...though i certainly see the value in it and if you can make it work for your family, awesome!

 

I can't say I'm organized at all. One of my biggest hopes this year is to have my new house organized completely...even if I have to hire someone. I'll definitely be sticking to this thread and keeping the ideas I like!

One thing for socks I did and it really worked that time is this.... Hanes at one time (not sure if they still do though cause I haven't bought them lately) had different colored where it says "Hanes" on the bottom of each size sock. This allowed us to all know our color and the socks were so much easier to pair! I should do it this way again next time we're buying socks.

I saw a pant trolley the other day online at an organizing store. I thought that is a great idea for pants and will get or make one in the year. This would go a long way towards organizing pants for us, which would help the whole clothes thing.

I love, love, love the socks on the bulletin board idea! s

 

Loving these ideas! I wish there was an Ikea here! Even a couple hours away would be okay, I think Phoenix is the closest and it's 6+ hours.

Peppermint, I'd totally copy your idea- it would work so well on our landing/loft area!

 

this is mine...... my "wall of chaos"

i've shown this photo before, so if it's a repeat, i apologize. but this is the organizational area in my home that is the most helpful to me. i keep EVERYTHING here (not bills or that sort of stuff)........kids schedules, school calendar, etc. and all notes/chores/etc. are jotted down on the chalkboard. i always know where to find everything!

 

I love that idea! Where did you get the magnetic chalkboard? My papers are always EVERYWHERE!

 

I find that by having all my socks be radically different, they're easy to sort. That, and I just prefer the stripey socks with toes and monkeys on them, etc.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovebeingamomma I love that idea! Where did you get the magnetic chalkboard? My papers are always EVERYWHERE!

thanks! first we painted about 7 coats of magnetic paint directly on our wall, and then topped it off with about 5 coats of chalkboard paint. i love the versatility of it. we switch things around all the time.

 

Must sub to this thread. Love the ideas so far!

Here are two of my bathroom organization methods that aren't necessarily beautiful but are certainly functional.

Over-door shoe organizer hanging in bathroom to organize toiletries / vitamins / etc. Mine hangs from my shower wall. Could easily hang from a door, too.
http://www.somanyjoys.com/2007/02/wf...anization.html

Dish Drainer in shower to hold shampoo / conditioner / shaving stuff / etc. so that I can just take that out to clean and not have to move around a dozen bottles.
http://www.somanyjoys.com/2007/06/wf...wer-stuff.html

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by UptownZoo OK, I don't have any pics, and this is such a tiny little thing, but it does solve a problem! Inside the door of the laundry closet, I have a medium-sized bulletin board. I hang all the stray socks on it so I can easily see when a match comes through the laundry. There's my teeny tiny contribution to order in MDC homes everywhere.

You just gave me my best Christmas gift of the year!

 

I just went to Ikea yesterday and got the expedit bookcases (2) of the 8 section ones and I am redoing my playroom and living room. I will try and post some pics if you want.

 

My best organization solution is 3M Command Hooks. I use them everywhere. They make some nice brushed metal ones that I use on the back of my front door and they are super stong. I have one for the keys so as soon as we come in the keys are put there. I also have 4 low ones that I put the kids jackets on. That way they can do it themselves and my entrance way stays more organized.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucky_mia My best organization solution is 3M Command Hooks. I use them everywhere. They make some nice brushed metal ones that I use on the back of my front door and they are super stong. I have one for the keys so as soon as we come in the keys are put there. I also have 4 low ones that I put the kids jackets on. That way they can do it themselves and my entrance way stays more organized.

are those the ones that are also easy to remove and place somewhere else?

I have always wanted to buy them

are they strong enough for heavy winter coats??

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peppermint Leaf are those the ones that are also easy to remove and place somewhere else? I have always wanted to buy them are they strong enough for heavy winter coats??

Yes, they are easy to remove and usually don't leave a mark but I have had a few break when I remove them. They have diffrent sizes that can handle different weights. At my other house I used one for my diaper bag and it held it. I also use one for my bathrobe and for towels and they strong enough. The only downside is the big ones can be expensive ($10-12/piece) but I'm addicted to these products. They really work.

 

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Quote:

Originally Posted by lucky_mia My best organization solution is 3M Command Hooks. I use them everywhere. They make some nice brushed metal ones that I use on the back of my front door and they are super stong. I have one for the keys so as soon as we come in the keys are put there. I also have 4 low ones that I put the kids jackets on. That way they can do it themselves and my entrance way stays more organized.

Oh, yeah, me too! I use the little wire hooks inside my kitchen cabinets for all those tiny little things that you're always digging for - measuring cups and spoons, tea strainer, etc. In the area where I keep my cleaning stuff, I hung one of those broom/mop hangers, and used command hooks to hang all the little tools - dusting brush, tile scrubber, and all the rest. How many dusting brushes have I ruined when I left them in the bucket with bottles of liquid cleaner and something leaked on it?

Plus, it's easy to find any small tool that I need, esp. the ones I don't use very often that tend to get pushed into some little cranny where I can't find them.

I thought of another something that's handy around here. I keep a small (very small, the smallest one I could find at the discount store) tool box in my kitchen with all the basic tools - needle nose pliers, small hammer, two screwdrivers (one Phillips, one flat), some small nails, a few picture hangers, some wall anchors, a putty knife and a small tub of spackle, a measuring tape, and a level. For 98% of the jobs I do around the house, everything I need is in my handy little toolbox and I don't have to trek to the garage, find the keys to my DP's massive tool boxes, figure out where everything is, and return it all when I'm done.

I'm glad several people like the stray sock bulletin board idea.

 

I am curious how everyone stores their christmas decorations.

I purchased several large rubbermaid containers from Walmart this week and I am labelling and packing it all up and putting in a cupboard under my stairs.

However, My christmas trees do not fit in them so I am putting them in large garbage bags and putting them in the garage.

How are the rest of you storing your christmas stuff????

:

 

I don't have anything too big (i.e no fake trees) so everything gets put into those RM bins and labelled.

When I finish my garage, I'll show ya

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by AprilDaisy One thing for socks I did and it really worked that time is this.... Hanes at one time (not sure if they still do though cause I haven't bought them lately) had different colored where it says "Hanes" on the bottom of each size sock. This allowed us to all know our color and the socks were so much easier to pair! I should do it this way again next time we're buying socks.

I have a similar system. Sorting socks wasn't so bad when I had 1 daughter and 1 son, but when my second son was about a year old, it started taking too long to figure out whose sock was whose, and which sock went with which. So now, each child has a designated colour for socks, and they each have about 12 identical pairs. Sorting is now a no-brainer.

 

I love to bake, so one of my aims for 2009 is to get my recipes in order so they are close at hand and easy to find.
Over the years I have collected recipes from magazines and photocopies from library books. I want to sort through them and firstly decide which ones I am REALLY interested in making/have the equipment for.
secondly I want to try one new recipe each fortnight. For each succesful recipe I want to type it up, laminate it (not sure what you call this in the USA) so it is wipe clean (and easy to lean-up when I'm baking) and put it in my new recipe folder that I plan to store in the kitchen.
I'm going to try and not collect any more recipes until the ones I already have are sorted! Hopefully this will put and end to recipes littering my house and me not getting frustrated when I can't find the one I want!

:
Wish me luck!

 

I love the 3M Command idea and it would have been great months ago for our coats! I wrote it down and it will be part of my organization in the future!

Here's 3M's webpage on the plastic hooks and the weight each one would hold. There are also listings for the metal ones, etc. there if you look around. This is so neat! http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...roducts/hooks/