Organizing after Christmas

I purchased a few new things for Christmas this year, but I'm not home to put them away yet.  They are stuffed in a closet until we can get them home. 

At home I've got shelves full of Christmas décor and barely an inch or two of room left to squeeze anything else in, so when I get home it's going to take some organizing and re-organizing to put all the new with the old. 

Luckily we were in a small apartment for Christmas 2013 so we don't have a lot of new décor to add, but any little bit is more than the room I have at home.  
  

My hankies and elves will not take much room.  
This snowman is a bit larger, but he is skinny so maybe he can slide in somewhere. 

And the wreath could be a tricky fit. 
I have a few other things and will probably stuff them somewhere until Christmas 2014 so I don't have to go through all the boxes to find the proper place and fit.

Ill have to remember to be prepared with extra boxes and things to use when I do put them exactly where I want them.  

I use a lot of Rubbermaid or similar type boxes. Those from Costco are great.  I love the clear containers so that I can see through them and I don't label much if I can already see what's inside.

It takes up extra space to put small boxes inside of large boxes, so I don't do a lot of that.  I usually just stick all the small boxes on the shelf unless they are really small boxes.  

I don't have to climb to an attic so packing in and out is not too hard.  If I keep gathering things I might have to start preparing a place in the attic.  No, I will just have to find another space because I'll never be able to climb up and down from our attic with large boxes full of delicate and fragile items.
 

Maybe I will go through and organize everything in my house and maybe I'll be able to get rid of things easier since I haven't seen or used them in what will be about 5 or so months. And maybe that will then give me more room.

Those are big maybes!  

It's always hard for me to get rid of things, so it will not be easy, but I'll give it my best shot. Some people say to Purge Until It Fits, but that is truly a difficult, if not impossible, task for me.  I don't purge like items so the space I free up doesn't always allow the new item to be put where the old item came from. My bad!

I'm an Organizing Junkie has a post about organizing through the year - Popular Monthly Organizing Posts of 2013.  Her goal is to keep the posts coming for this new year - Creating Peaceful Organized Homes in 2014.

I Heart Organizing has a few great ideas too, including one for my wreath (except I don't have a door I can do that with - mine are French doors).

And more: 52 Weeks of Organizing, HGTV Organizing, and of course you can click on the Organizing label in the labels list to the right and find a few more ideas and looks, and even a fun quote or two about organizing. 

Now, all this talk about organizing could make one think I was making a new year resolution.  Nope, I try that on occasion but I just can't seem to make them work for me.  It's not my thing.  
So, when I saw this

(here)


I smiled!

Ironing Board Cupboards

How do you like your ironing board?  Do you keep it in a cupboard?

Is it your cupboard? Check these boards from Montgomery Ward

 

 

 

 

Clever!

This is surely the next DIY project. Somebody can repurpose a dresser, shelf unit, or cart into an ironing board.

 

 

Fabric Storage

A great look from Cameras and Chaos.

 

 

--

The drawers are still in this unit - and the fabric is in the drawers. From Sew Mama Sew



--

 

 An entertainment center repurposed as a sewing center. From Mia Dolce Originals



--

Did you notice the fabric was stored vertically in the previous photo?  That way you don't have to lift the whole stack to get to the bottom piece.

Here is another vertical storage from Mommy by day, Crafter by night.



--

Tag your pieces of fabric to know what size each piece is.  Write in pencil to change it each time you use it.   We don't always use one single piece of fabric when sewing, so it is a good idea to write a short description of the fabric on the tag so when you take it off you know where to place it again.
 

 

 

 This great idea comes from Bloom.

--

 

 

 

Washi Tape Storage

 

This looks like a great way to store washi tape.  It's fun to see the display and know exactly what you have.  It's great to see the tape peeled off the roll a bit so you can see exactly what the tape looks like.

 

Check out this and several other Washi Tape Storage Ideas from Craftaholics Anonymous

 

 

 --

I saw this on pinterest and loved the look too.

--

I have shown washi tape bunting before, (here) but this one is cute too, and worth saving the look.
This look comes from Etsy.  Cute Stuff!
 

 

 

 

Finished Files

 

Something I had in my file cabinet -

 

 

 

 Have a Happy Wednesday!

 

 

Table Cloths

In the previous post about Pantries I showed this awesome tablecloth storage.

I don't know if I like the storage idea or the lace tablecloths best.  Both are awesome!

 

 

--

 

Here is another way to store table cloths.  I have seen this done before and have tried it myself, but don't continue doing it because I don't have the closet space for it.  I don't have this many table cloths either.  This closet from The Tablescaper looks lovely, and the other side of this closet is full of table cloths too.

 

 

--

 

Here is most of what I own. 

Not as beautiful or as easy to get to as the table cloths on the rolls.

Not as many or as nicely stored as the table cloths on the hangers.

They are however kept in zipper bags or clear boxes to keep them together and away from dust.  (That doesn't help with the wrinkles tough.) 

 

 

Most of the table cloths I own are for our round tables.  I have two sizes of white and one size of ivory (about 9 each size).   The things on the floor are top sheets that can be used for table cloths or for buntings some day.

 

I do have a few cloths (and valances) that fit nicely in a drawer.

 

 

 I love to use pieces of fabric, dyed flour sack dish cloths, or cloth napkins over the white cloths to add the color.

So I store them in a similar manner to the cloths.

 

 

Assorted pink fabric squares are stored in a box with other décor I used for the Valentine Dinner Dance décor here.  I know right where they are when I want them.

 

---

 

So, that's how I store table cloths - wanna see how I use them?

 

I  used black squares over white for our 3rd son's wedding in November 2008. 

(This was only days after our room was finished, so there is nothing on the walls in that back corner at that time.  I promise that it is full today.) 
 

It isn't visible in the photo, but the black is sheer fabric with white dots.  It's very lovely.
Then the runner is another strip of fabric (raw edges).

 

I love these candle chandeliers too, but the photos just don't show how beautiful this tablescape was.

 

 

I used this black fabric again for a graduation luncheon here.

 

  The dyed flour sack dish cloths were most recently used for a farewell here. 

 

They worked great for our extended family Thanksgiving gathering here.

 

Colored napkins work great too, I used them here.

 

For this wedding luncheon, for son #4 in 2010, we just used 12x12 paper squares and it was just what we needed - hard to see in this photo, but look closely. 

 

FYI - These water bottles turned out so cute, I wish I had a close-up photo of them on the tables.  I took the label off the water bottle, wrapped and tied a sheer ribbon around them and added beads to the bow area.  I had one left over, so I put it on a bottle I have.
 

 

and here are some green beads I have left over from those we used with the green ribbon.



 

 Burlap runners and doilies were used in the wedding for son #5, in  August 2011.

 

The same assorted pink fabric squares used for our Valentine Dinner Dance here, were used again for a dinner when our 6th grandchild was blessed. 
I didn't get a finished photo, but we scattered some salt water taffy around the tissue poms before the guests came.  (The poms were also used at the Valentine event.)

 

 Well, that's my table cloths, unless you count the quilts I use on tables for cloths, but that's another story.

 

 

Great Pantries

"A pantry is a room where food, provisions, dishes, or linens are stored and served in an ancillary capacity to the kitchen."  (here)

I have a pantry! 
My pantry is located in my dining room, behind these closet doors.

Open them to find the food and ... stuff ..., kitchen stuff.

I don't label my shelves because I think everything is visible enough to know what it is, and I sometimes change things around a bit.  I do make it known that when you stock the pantry (or any of my cupboards) you turn the can to show the front forward - you gotta see what's in the can without touching it. 

This wasn't enough room for our large family so we had to find another place to store things too.  Many years ago we gave up one wall in our play room (just around the corner from the kitchen) for a row of cupboards.

It's nothing fancy, but I don't need fancy as much as I need storage.
(I think the three center units were from Costco and the two units on the ends were from Wal-Mart.)

 

You can see that I still need extra space for things (especially empty jars), so I've stored them up above the cupboards.   I'll try to do something nicer with those boxes. ick huh!  Too bad my cupboards don't go all the way to the ceiling like these in this next photo.


 Here is a lovely option for a built in pantry from Content in a Cottage

---

My food storage space is sufficient, in fact, with fewer people living here now it's quite adequate. However, I have acquired many other items that seem to need space too.  I've had 5 sons marry and have purchased things for each of those weddings that I am storing.  I'm sure I'll buy more for the next 4 children's weddings too, so I need more storage space.  I'm sure the bedrooms will free up, but for now, I'm still stuffed.  So I'm dreaming ....

I love a good storage room, and for the things that belong in a kitchen, a bigger pantry would be wonderful.  How about a butlers pantry?

"A butler's pantry or serving pantry is a utility room in a large house, primarily used to store serving items, rather than food. Traditionally, a butler's pantry was used for storage, cleaning and counting of silver; European butlers often slept in the pantry, as their job was to keep the silver under lock and key." (here)

Ya, a butler's pantry, complete with butler, don't ya think!
Not gonna happen!
The butler nor the butler's pantry.


But I can still drool over them!  Oh, that doesn't sound very lovely - I'll just look at and admire them!

Butler's Pantry from Content in a Cottage
ahhh!  sigh!

 ---

Oh Yes! ...  a China Closet!  ;)   It's a great walk in closet. 
There is so much to see from Habitually Chic



I can only imagine a lovely room like ...,  well, like any of these butler's pantries. 

I have my own stuff to fill it, but the shelves here look wonderful.  What fun I would have filling them.  ;)



Hidden away, but lovely as ever.



Table cloths rolled up look so lovely here.
Though it seems to take up a lot of vertical space it keeps them wrinkle free, and that is awesome.



---

I've always loved a rolling ladder in a library, but how about one in a pantry or kitchen?  Awesome!
This and other great butlers pantries from Houzz

---

Several more butlers pantries can be seen at The Enchanted Home

--- 

I showed an awesome hideaway here - and it is really awesome.



---

I think I have too much stuff to put somewhere.  My husband knows that I have too much stuff.
I should show him these next few pictures of stuff and maybe he will be okay with my stuff.


Take a look at Entertaining Women
This is only a very small portion of her stuff.  She shows us where she puts her stuff, so check it out.

Love that stuff huh!
I wonder if she has dust like we have dust!  I hope not!  Even behind closed doors the dust accumulates and it needs cleaned on occasion.  That would be quite a task here.

 ---

Now let's take a look at Monkeybox.
Her stuff is Christmas stuff..., and stuffed it is. 

Did you click into and look at those last two sites?  Lotsa stuff huh!

---

Just thinkin' ...

I wonder what my kids will do with all my stuff when I'm gone

....?

 Oh Bother!

SaveSave

A Kitchen Kind of Hideaway

Look at what I just found -

 

I don't foresee that we will ever build ourselves another home, but if we did, this would be a most important feature or room added to any plan we might choose.

 

 

Isn't it awesome!  Oh wait, you haven't seen the awesome yet.

Forget the kitchen ..., nice as it might be, that's not what I'm lovin'.

Wait until you see what is behind the tall cupboard doors where that arrow is pointing.

 

Wanna open those doors and see what's behind them? Let's do that -

 

Shelves ...

a sink ...

small appliances ...

 

 

and more shelves (and of course the beautiful things on them) ...

 

 

and more shelves and baskets ...

 

 

Isn't that an awesome surprise?  Love what is behind those closed doors!

 

I found this awesome kitchen and pantry at Between Naps on the Porch

(there are a couple more photos there)

 

I think every room in the house needs a walk in closet like this.  I should start drawing up some house plans with that special feature.  ;)

 

 

 

Multi-Media Storage

Make a storage box / drawer or a small storage shelf like these I clipped from an Oct. 2006 Family Fun magazine.

 

---
 

We have a "Lean-on-me Holder" in our house.  Hubby made it in his younger years (I don't know if it was school or scouts) and it's still being used - it's a put together in a little different way, but it's been around for a lot of years.  Presently it sits on his shelf above his desk.

 

 Here's a bit of history and explaining -
One might notice the Spanish books (and photo) above and wonder about it.  He is not Hispanic, but served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Spain (1976-1978).
Because he has learned Spanish he has served in our church with the Hispanic people, and has made lasting and treasured friendships. 
He loves to learn and uses that dictionary often, though the Spanish scriptures may not get used as much anymore, since he has been released from that call to serve.