Organizing Made to Look Simple with Pictures

In the June issue of RealSimple magazine  the writers had 3 great photo articles for organizing tips.  The first article was 3 Room Makeovers of 6-pages including 

Real Simple Magazine
June 2012 Cover

before and after shots of the spaces that were redone: den/family room, couple’s closet, and a teen’s bedroom.  There was also a 10-page photo spread Organizing Secrets of the Pros related to storage options including organized shelves, special folding, drawer dividers, and assorted bins/baskets.  The other article was 3-pages on "A Place for Everything (else)." This was primarily for organizing and storing smaller items. 

I liked many of the ideas listed in the last one and had a few suggestions to add. 

·      Another option for the small toy storage is old lunch boxes or school boxes.  My son re-used his boxes each year as toy storage, which we referred to as treasure chests.  He stored micro-cars in one, army men in another, legos in another, and so on.  He knew what was in each box so he could quickly grab and go with the ones he wanted.  The closed boxes were kept standing next to each other neatly in book shelves.  To make it easier you can store the toys in boxes of like color (green for army men, checks for racing cars, etc.) or put a sticker or label to designate contents.

·      Instead of labeling the button cards from new outfits, toss the card and sew the button into the garment.  Many manufacturers now sew the extra buttons on a side seam near the hem so they do not bother the wearer but are easy to find when needed.  This way there is no hunting for the extra when one breaks or pops-off.  You know where it is and you don’t have to wait until you get home to do the repair if you have a sewing kit in the car, desk, briefcase, or purse.

·      I have my light bulbs in the cabinets above my washer and dryer.  They have been in the same place for years, but my husband seemed to have trouble finding the size he wanted for lamps and ceilings in this small space.  So I reorganized them with the size of bulb visible on the box and sorted in order by number 3-way, 25W, 40W, 60W, 100W, followed by Vanity Size, then all smaller bulbs for flashlights and chandeliers put in a bin at the end.  He is a numbers guy, so now I never have to help him find a bulb… unless we are shopping for replacements at the store that is.