Tag Archives: space saving

Custom Closet Idea

Love the look and functionality of a custom closet? Here are some ideas that will help you crete your own custom closet from scratch without actually building one or buying one. Custom closet systems are great. My husband put one in our old master closet and we are hoping to put one in our new master closet as well. But there are so many other projects for the house right now that a custom closet may have to wait a bit. With that in mind, I decided to take matters in hand to see what I could do, just with … Continue reading →

Cleaning out the Pantry and Cabinets

This is a really good time of year to start fresh, and that means fresh food too. It’s a great time to go through your pantry and kitchen cabinets to see what’s lurking in there. Check the expiration dates on canned goods and packaging, rotating the oldest items to the front and the newest items to the back, as mentioned in Cleaning and Organizing the Freezer. You can do a little “pantry cooking” to use up things that are getting close to their expiration dates. Keep a pad of paper and a pen handy, to write down items you need … Continue reading →

Cleaning and Organizing the Freezer

Cleaning out the freezer does not have to be tedious. It can actually be kind of fun. Discover what you have in the depths of your chest freezer or in the back of the freezer in your fridge and get creative. This is the perfect time to take a few minutes to explore new recipes or come up with some of your own. Some of our pantry cooking and freezer cooking times have led to favorite recipes that we still enjoy. Look through your cookbooks or check online for interesting recipes. You can find lots of great ideas in Food … Continue reading →

Storing Linen in a Small Space

“The Leaning Tower of Bedding.” That is what I call the insides of our linen closet. Can you guess why? Back in our old home, we were blessed with tons of closet space. Each bedroom had one or more walk in closets, and there were additional closets in the upstairs hall, a walk in cedar closet and two very large linen closets. Those linen closets could hold our entire collection of sheets and towels for every member of our five-person family, plus extras for guests, pillows, comforter and blankets. And yea, I even stored my stockpile of health and beauty … Continue reading →

Fun Book Storage Ideas

Do you have books spilling every which way and all over the house? Here are some fun and practical ideas for book storage. Cookbooks Store your cookbooks in the kitchen, where they can be easily accessed. I keep mine in a glass-fronted pantry in the kitchen. The books add to the decor of the space and make everything look warm and inviting. Here is a de-cluttering tip: Go through your cookbooks and add a post it not on the pages of every recipe you regularly make or have tried. If a book has less than five post it notes, consider … Continue reading →

Home Week in Review: January 7 – 13

As things wind down and we begin a new year, trying to get back to normal, there are lots of things we may want or need to do around our homes. Mary Ann and I hope you’ll find these articles useful: Organizing the Family Room (3) Don’t miss this great series: Organizing the Family Room (1) Organizing the Family Room (2) Organizing the Family Room (3) Organizing the Family Room (4) Organizing the Family Room (5) We’re still in holiday mode to some degree. Considering Post Holiday Let Down and taking care of those Returns and Refunds may leave many … Continue reading →

Top 10 Scrapbooking Organizational Articles

Organization is key to a productive scrapbooking hobby. Knowing where your things are, and being able to access them easily is key to time management and giving yourself a bit more time to scrapbook. These are the top 10 articles on scrapbooking organization. I hope they help you as much as getting organized has helped me with my scrapbooking. It’s a whole lot easier to get some pages complete when I know what I have and where it is. 1. Color Sorting For Organization Color sorting has become a favorite, easy to use way, for scrapbookers to organize their dozens … Continue reading →

How to Store Leftover Photographs

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, and the big quest for leftover recipes already in browser search engines, I thought it would be a great time to take a look at leftover scrapbook supplies. Starting with photographs we easy because it is the most commonly leftover scrapbook supply. So what do you do with all those leftover photographs that are taking up space and are not seeing the light of day? I don’t scrap every picture I take. I try to scrap as many as I can, but I don’t do every one. Those that say they do, must either … Continue reading →

New Uses for Blanket Plastic Bags

Do you know those zippered or snapped plastic bags that come with blankets, comforters and sheet sets? They seem so useful and a shame to throw out, don’t they? They are made of sturdy plastic and they have that convenient zipper or snaps to close the bags and protect something, right? You keep the bags thinking that they might be useful to restore those blankets and sheets, but no matter how you fold them, the blankets, comforters or sheets just won’t fit again. Well, read on to find some ways you can give them new life, saving money in the … Continue reading →

Kid’s Clutter: Making Room for Birthday or Holiday Gifts

Whether it’s a birthday, major holiday, or another special occasion, our kids tend to be the recipient’s of lots of gifts. They get goodies from us from friends, neighbors, and other family members, and it doesn’t take long for the accumulation to become overwhelming. While many gifts have sentimental meaning, there are also those toys that kids “had to have” that they have since gotten over or outgrown. These items can be handed down to siblings or donated to make room for new stuff. If there are toys that your child still plays with occasionally and you really aren’t ready … Continue reading →