Tag Archives: organization tips

A Tote for All Seasons

I am a sucker for a good tote bag. I love stuffing things in a tote and carrying it all with me. I keep a tote in my car to fill with items for field trips, groceries, extra clothes, or blankets during the winter. I struggled with totes that were flimsy or small until I found the Large Utility Tote from Thirty-One. On the day I took this picture my Large Utility Tote helped my daughter carry all her art supplies to the park for a fun arts and crafts day. The tote works full time in my home so … Continue reading →

Clutter: Attack and Destroy

Like nasty in-laws and pretend-to-be friends, clutter must be put in its place from time to time and from room to room. It must not be allowed to reproduce and multiply while you sleep; nor should you have to quit your day job and stay awake all night to insure that it doesn’t. Here are some tips, cluttered room by cluttered room. Read on even if you can’t find the page. The Entrance Hall Place a large decorative bowl or basket on a small table in your entrance hall. Keep your keys and gloves inside and they will still be … Continue reading →

The Dining Room Table: Any Hope At All?

Is your dining room an eyesore? Can you even find the table, much less sit down and have a meal there? What can you do to make dining in your home a more pleasant experience? In the words of a famous president, ask not what your dining room table can do for you. Ask what you can do for your dining room table. And there are many answers, one of which might be to buy a new one. If you are in the market, look for a tile top or a tough wood like hard rock maple or black walnut. … Continue reading →

The Junk Drawer: A Crowded Phenomenon

America is known as the land of plenty and its citizens are certainly known to have a lot of “stuff.” The ever-growing monster known to the modern world as the “junk drawer” no less epitomizes this concept. Usually found in or near the kitchen, this catchall attic, basement, and sometimes sewer can lurk anywhere in the home, and it lives with every family under the sun. The problem is that as the amount of “stuff increases”, the space to put it somewhere diminishes. (This is sometimes known as the “law of diminishing returns” but it is more often called “junk … Continue reading →

Multi-tasking and Clutter: A Team?

Multi-tasking is one of those things that sounds great, but when it comes down to performing, it is not so easy. (Think of that juggler with the plates and the balls that used to appear on the Ed Sullivan show in between the dog act and the ventriloquist). It’s a great theory, the idea of doing several things at once, but does it really work? In doing several things simultaneously, it may appear that efficiency is greatly increased. This could be so, but rarely is, as in effect what happens is that more than one thing becomes half-done instead of … Continue reading →

The Desktop: The Mt. Everest of Clutter

Perhaps the reason that no one has ever found more of the elusive “yeti” than a snowy footprint is because no one has ever looked for him or her amid the clutter on top of my desk. Jimmy Hoffa may be somewhere in there too. Who knows? If you can say you have a similar problem, stay tuned. Help is on the way, even though it may break down to a severe case of the blind leading the blind. The first rule in cleaning off the top of the desk is to find it. Even though I mean to be … Continue reading →

End of Season Clothing: Where Should It Go?

It’s almost the end of the season and those summer clothes are still there, living on those hangers (hopefully) until YOU decide where they should hibernate for the fall and winter. Of course, it is still warm out and you might still need them before their final trek northward, but it is never too late to think about the best storage place for them. It would be better to choose a place where you can find them again, although this is not always possible. Still, try your best. Let’s start with a few tips about clothing and work our way … Continue reading →