SOCIAL MEDIA

February 3, 2015

Make It Organized

An exciting part of January for us was seeing our master bathroom featured in the latest issue of Make It Organized magazine.  Yet, it felt somewhat ironic because our house has been feeling anything but organized these last few months.  I sat down with that magazine and read it until I was inspired to make some changes in our home.
Make it Organized magazine feature-www.goldenboysandme.com
So, I have been on a mission to organize everything the last few weeks.  There is no closet safe from me, armed with a garbage bag or two.  Living in a busy house, staying organized is a constant struggle.  I know things run so much more smoothly when I plan out how we can currently best use a space.  As kids grow, their needs change.  For us, with 2 teens and a 9 year old who thinks he is a teen, it isn't about organizing legos and trucks anymore.  Rather, we need to keep track of phone chargers.  And laptop chargers.  And earbuds.  I recently took the time to remove the rarely used coats from our front entryway closet.  Our most used jackets hang in our mudroom.  I learned long ago that kids (& husbands) are much better with hooks to hang jackets on rather than a hanger in a closet.  So I moved our extra coats to the basement.  And then I thought about ways to put our front closet to better use.  My main goal was to make room for our vacuum.  With 2 big hairy dogs, I need to keep a vacuum readily accessible on every floor of our house.

I had a bunch of wrapping paper jammed into this closet amongst the coats.  I decided it was time to finally find a better way to organize that wrapping paper.  I purchased this Elfa Over-the-Door storage system at The Container Store.  Now I just need a few more rolls of wrapping paper to fill it up (most of the wrapping paper that had been stuffed in the closet was wrinkled and ripped-another reason why my old "system" wasn't working).  I would also like to add another Elfa shelf or two for the door.  I also have visions of adding another Elfa system to our pantry, but The Container Store is $$ so I will wait a bit for that.
The Container Store Elfa wrapping paper storage-www.goldenboysandme.com
I saw the idea to keep paper towels in a shoe organizer on Pinterest.  I was excited to free up an entire shelf in our pantry by moving the paper towels to this closet.  Where would we be without Pinterest?
I have also been working on organizing this blog.  I knew if I was having trouble finding some of my own projects, that some of you were too (sorry about that!).  I have been busy organizing posts on both the Projects and DIY Tutorials pages.  
And now, in my continued effort to "keep it real", it is time for me to head into the mudroom for some more organizational fun.  This room is rarely clutter free, but I try to remind myself that this is what we built this mudroom for.
messy mudroom-www.goldenboysandme.com
Yes, there is a hole in the ceiling soffit near the door.  I am not even quite sure how it got there.  
It. never. ends. :)

11 comments :

  1. Congratulations on the magazine feature! Love reading all your organizing projects. I've been wanting to add a wrapping organizer to my mushroom door for a good 2 year. I've just never gotten around to it. And the paper towel set up is genius!!!

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    1. Thanks! I searched for a more affordable way to organize the wrapping paper, but found nothing similar to what they had at the Container Store. I think it is worth it.

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  2. Courtney,
    Congrats on your feature. Your bathroom is sooooo gorgeous. Love seeing that pretty bathroom. Love your organization of the closet. The paper towels rock!!!!
    Kris

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  3. Congratulations on the wonderful feature, Courtney! I can't wait to see it! The mudroom photo is so great...lol!

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  4. Your closet looks so neat, Courtney! I saw something on Pinterest some months ago with a similar (if not that storage piece) wrapping paper holder on the door. Such a great idea. Most of the closets I have to organize have sliding doors - like the guest room closet. Our pantry also has sliding doors. I would like to get those soda can organizers for my canned goods in there as well as a wire raiser. Too often soups and canned veggies get lost in the back.

    Lovely to see your bathroom featured, too! You've inspired me to get painting our new bathroom cabinet tonight. I got the brushes and rollers today so there is no excuse.

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    1. Kathy, your bathroom is turning out gorgeous! I am always on the hunt for some new organization ideas.

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  5. Courtney....great ideas..... I am wondering what type of vacuum you use. we have a labradoodle and she sheds like crazy......I was told Dyson, Animal but am unsure.....what do you use?

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    1. We have a Dyson Animal. It is about 10 years old and still going strong so I think it is worth the investment. We also have a rechargable cordless Dyson that is great for quick touch-ups, but the Animal is the workhorse in this house.

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  6. Hi Melissa. I think most of us have that closet (or closets) that we just never seem to get organized. It is a never ending battle.

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