*affiliate links used

Happy Friday! I hope you’ve all had a good week! I finally wrapped up my kitchen organization. I seem to be taking two weeks per space so I’m totally behind on my own organization challenge living proof of how you can tweak this challenge to work for you.

I’m tricky like that. ;)

Sharing a few organized pantry updates! (Organization challenge details are in this post.)

I’ve shared this space before.. it’s one that I work to keep clean and organized daily! My best tip when it comes to keeping your pantry clean is spending a few minutes on it every time you bring in new groceries. I always unload our groceries, toss boxes and empty packages in the recycle bin, toss anything else from the pantry that is garbage (empty sacks, expired items, etc.) and then I straighten things and quickly vacuum crumbs out of the baskets and drawers. It has become such a routine/habit for me that I don’t even think about it! I just naturally do it every time I bring in new food.

Because of that I didn’t have to do too much in this space. I basically just followed my routine this week to tidy things up and then I snapped some pics with my phone to share! I’ve been using this beloved handheld vac to hit my drawers quickly and absolutely love it. It’s so small and is perfect for drawer crumbs!

I even organized our treat drawer. Every home needs one. ;) It made me smile when I saw all the green and purple Blow Pop suckers. My girls and I love them but we all 3 like the red ones best! You’ll never find a watermelon, cherry or strawberry sucker in this drawer because we eat them so fast and then just have purple and green leftover. Ha.

This pic of our top pantry drawers was taken years ago!

So I also smiled when I took pictures the same drawers this week.. my kids are older but snacks around here haven’t changed much.

Kole still eats Ramen noodles at least once a week. Creatures of habit at my house. ;) And I still swear by my drawer dividers for spaces like this! I use different drawer dividers in my closet drawers too and love them. They are perfect for separating items without taking away drawer space.

The main pantry update I wanted to share with you all today is my Ziploc bag drawer! It’s one drawer I continually have to straighten because it usually looks like this with my kids getting in and out of it so much for lunches and snacks they take to school.

SpaceAid Ziploc Bag Storage Organizer (4 pack)

I found a couple of fun Ziploc back organizers on-line and ordered two different sets to try. I ordered this set that isn’t available anymore (I linked a similar set above) and I wasn’t sure how much room they would take up in my drawer. I tried laying them in a square like this.

Then I played around with a few other arrangements.

{SpaceAid Ziploc Bag Storage Organizer}

They basically took up the same amount of space as this similar organizer that has everything in one box. My second option! I decided to go with this because I knew my kids would move the individual boxes around and there was a better chance things would stay put together with this organizer.

Plus we never buy quart sacks! And we always have TONS of sandwich bags so I like that with this box I could label them how I wanted to and use two openings for sandwich bags. Is this organizer not GENIUS!? Seriously why did I not invent this? The top slides off so you can place the bags in their individual spaces and then it slides right back on and bam! You can now easily pull one Ziploc bag out and everything else stays in place. Words can’t express my love for this organizer! After I had this beautiful set up going on I had to find something to store my tin foil and saran wrap. I mean why mess with perfection!?

{SpaceAid WrapNeat Dispenser & Cutter}

So I ordered this too. Ahhhhh! When I stood back to look at my drawer after adding the foil/plastic organizer the angels were singing so loud the heavens opened! Seriously brilliant. Not only does it store tin foil and plastic wrap nicely but is also has a little cutter that cuts them perfectly too! DAY  YEAR MADE. I wanted to order this dispenser & cutter with 3 slots so that I could fit my parchment paper also, but it was too large to fit in my drawer. I was bummed for about one minute until I asked myself when was the last time I actually used parchment paper and I couldn’t remember a time I’ve ever used it.. ha. So I decided I could do without both the larger organizer and my parchment paper. Less is more, right?

I’m tricky like that.

Pantry is clean. Ziploc bag drawer is the cleanest.

And I am one happy mom.

Right up until it’s time to fix dinner. Again. My menu (that hasn’t changed in 6 years) isn’t helping much.

Since it’s Friday I think it’s time for take-out! What better way to celebrate a clean pantry than to just leave it clean? Right!? At least for one night.

Or two.

We’ll just play things by ear.

Because I’m tricky like that.

:)

{POST SOURCES}

*I linked some fun fruit print options since mine are sold out! 

*affiliate links used

{similar laundry basket/herringbone throw}

It’s organize your kitchen week! But I’m posting about my organized laundry room cupboards and drawers. How’s that for some organization? Ha. I’m off one week but I’m so excited to finally share this cleaned out space with you! This laundry room is on our main floor right off of our mudroom and for years it was the most unorganized spot in our house. (Followed closely by my closet.. ha.) Last year during my organizing challenge I worked hard to whip this space into shape, but by the time I finished organizing it we were moving on to organizing our kitchens. Then it was Spring Break and life got busy and I never prioritized sharing the makeover! Hence the reason I’m sharing it one week late this year. If I don’t get these pictures up on my blog they may never make it!

This is a long one friends. Grab the popcorn. :)

{capri blue hand soap & lotion/faux boston fern}

Before I share the organization here are a few pics of this space!

{bosworth wool rug}

I would love to switch out the light fixture over this sink for something larger with a little more personality (on my 2022 home to-do list!). The rug is a favorite I’ve had for years.

{WASH DRY FOLD prints/similar frames here & here/glass canisters/wool dryer balls/clothespins}

These simple jars hold clothes pins, these wool dryer balls I sometimes use instead of dryer sheets and laundry soap (I use Tide pods for every day but like having some of the detergent around for rubbing out stains). I wanted something to add behind our drying rack for years and finally landed on these cute WASH DRY FOLD prints. I just bought them as a download and took them to an office supply store to print them. They come in a set of 4 but I didn’t have room for REPEAT. :) An easy, inexpensive way to decorate a laundry space if you have a blank wall or room on a shelf for a few prints! Looks like the exact frames I used sold out but similar options are here and here.

This drying rack pulls out from the wall just like the rack in our upstairs laundry room. So handy for drying clothes and I love having the fun prints behind it to break up all of the white in this space!

Side view with the rack down..

{magnolia baskets – mine are out of stock but lots of fun options!}

The grey vintage wash basin in the corner is so special to me. It was my great grandma’s – such a treasure! Can you imagine doing laundry with that!? It’s a constant reminder to me not complain about laundry. Ha. ;)

Ok.. on to some organization.. are you ready!? I am so ready. :) This entire laundry room made one great “before.” It was such a mess! I never really organized it after we built our house and moved in and it quickly became a catch all for any and everything. I always knew what items I wanted to store in this space, but I kept putting it off because I knew it was going to be  a big job! I just kept the cupboard doors closed and walked away. Ha. So happy that’s not the case anymore!

Here’s the first “before” (told you it was bad!).

And “after.” Ahhh.. so much better!

{laundry powder bin/other fun similar options}

The left side is now just holding a few laundry essentials and extra canisters I’m not using at the moment.

{farmhouse open canvas storage bins}

I had so many random things to store on this side I decided bins or baskets would be the best option. These canvas bins were the perfect size (I have the XL) and I love the look for a laundry room! The lighting in these pics are making them look a little yellow.. they are a true cream with grey stripes.

I mainly wanted to use this cupboard for our towel overflow. Extra pool towels on the bottom shelf and extra old towels we use for cleaning and for the garage on the middle shelf.

I also wanted a set bin for Kole’s swimsuits! It has always made more sense to keep them in this laundry room vs. upstairs in his bedroom. When it’s summer and he is swimming daily with friends it’s easier to just wash his suits and toss them on him in this room!

The top baskets hold sewing supplies (they are organized in a container I forgot to photograph!) and other miscellaneous items I need to store that I don’t reach for as often. I got rid of a lot during this little project! I tossed and donated so many random items and just kept what we really use/love so these baskets aren’t too full.

{BEFORE}

I never created a good spot in my house to store all of my candles and knew I wanted to make space for them in this laundry room. That meant not only cleaning out these messy cupboards and drawers, but also rounding up candles from various spots throughout my home. (This messy drawer was still holding hardware from when we built our house over 8 years ago!)

“Before.”

And “after.” Yes! I know! That’s a lot of candles. In my defense (and as you know!) I really use and love them. :) I actually don’t have half of these candles in this cupboard at the moment because I gave them away in Nov/Dec. I always stock up on my favorite Anthro candles because I use them all around my home and give them as gifts every Fall/Holiday season. I put my smaller candle holders on the top shelves. I love having a set place to keep them all together!

I cleaned all of the hardware out of this drawer so now it’s pretty much empty other than a few scrub brushes I use to clean and sink stoppers/strainers.

The cupboards below store extra picture frames I’m not using at the moment and my larger candle holders.

{BEFORE}

These three drawers were a hot mess! I had one battery organizer but ended up with so many extra batteries they didn’t all fit so a lot of good that did.. ha. I think Kenny and I each ordered batteries at different times not knowing that we already had plenty! That’s what happens when things aren’t organized well, right!? You spend money on things you already have but can’t locate!

And the after. {SIGH} Nothing like organized drawers that actually function well too!

This drawer holds candles and my favorite fairy lights I mostly use for holiday decorating. :)

Then comes the battery drawer. You know how much I love my battery organizer (it was my favorite I took as a gift to one of the favorite things parties I went to in December!). So I didn’t think twice about picking up a second one to hold our overflow. You might notice I have some of the batteries turned facing down in one of the organizers.. those were batteries I used for a short time during Christmas 2020. I used them again this year and now they’re dead and gone. :)

The next drawer holds our flashlights and headlamps. I have them separated with these grey adjustable drawer dividers that I love! I use drawer dividers a lot to organize things and have these in a few other spots in my home too. I used to keep flashlights and our headlamps in the garage but then Kenny and I started hiking in the evening and often needed the headlamps and our kids always need flashlights for camping trips and other events with friends. Plus it’s nice to have all of this close when the power goes out. It went out for an hour in the evening a few months ago and Addison and I both said “I have a fun idea!” at the same time. Her idea was to light candles and play board games. My fun idea was to all go to bed early. Ha.

One year later these drawers still look great! It was so nice during the holidays to have my candles and batteries all stored together! Easy to access and easy to clean up and put away when it was time to take things down.

{BEFORE}

This cupboard above my drawers was a catch all for years.

Now it holds my larger candles. Yes! More! And I use every one. When you decorate for a living you get to own as many candles as you want!

And pillows.

And throws.

And vases.

And faux flowers.

I could go on but we’ll stop there with you fully understanding why this job speaks my love language. ;)

I had extra wallpaper from my powder bathroom laying around so I cut it out to put below the candles so that they don’t stick to the cupboards. I don’t ever use contact paper in cupboards/drawers because I keep them pretty clean and I like to use organizers so I didn’t have any on hand. I was trying to use what I had to knock this makeover out quick! If I would have known I wasn’t going to share this space for over a year I might have taken the time to get some contact paper. Ha. ;)

The cupboard on the right side of my hanging rack is mostly empty! A few extras for decorating and that’s it. It felt so good to clean all of these shelves too.. they were pretty dusty!

{BEFORE}

Last “before.” This is the cupboard we stashed all of our extra lightbulbs in when we finished building. You can see why I just shut these cupboards and walked away for so long!

Much better!

I moved our extra hardware to these drawers below my washer/dryer. I get asked a lot whether or not these drawers are functional. They are! They just aren’t very deep.

The perfect place to store extras I’m not quite ready to part with. :)

Now that the cupboards and drawers are clean and organized this laundry room is running like a well oiled machine! If only it always looked like this with no laundry in sight. ;)

I hope you enjoyed the tour of my organized laundry room cupboards and drawers! Nothing motivates me like a good before and after. I’m ready to tackle a few spaces in my kitchen!

And hopefully share pictures of my progress before January 2023.

;)

{POST SOURCES}

*affiliate links used

{blush runner}

We’re moving on to week two of our organizing challenge and kicking off laundry rooms! But first.. how did your bathrooms go last week? I still have a little to finish up this weekend but I’m feeling good about the progress I made! It definitely didn’t take as long to give my bathrooms a re-fresh vs. a complete overhaul like I’ve had to do in the past. Once you get spaces organized really well it’s a lot easier to keep them clean and just spend a little time wiping/vacuuming out drawers and cupboards every 6 months or so.

{tower art here & here/wild poppy art/dotted terra-cotta planter/seagrass woven tray/glass jars}

I’ve shared details on our upstairs laundry room before but here are some pics of how I have it decorated and organized for anyone new!

Last March when we were talking about laundry rooms during this organizing challenge I mentioned that I had never organized my main floor laundry room. (Not pictured here.) It was a mess for years! I finally took the time to deep clean and organize it during laundry week but then I got busy and never shared pics of it on my blog. It has been so nice having it all organized! It was one of those spaces that was on my to-do list for years. I’m going to share pics of that space sometime this week! Coming soon. :)

Hello Sunshine.  :)

{similar white faux flowers here & here}

If you’re new here my pull out laundry hampers are how we store dirty clothes in this room.  They are the first thing I sketched out for this house when I was in the planning stage and I can’t recommend them enough if you are building/re-modeling.  If you don’t have the space for them I’ve seen so many cool ways to organize laundry with baskets!  Type “laundry room hampers” in the Pinterest search bar and so many fun options will pop up.

You can’t see it in this picture, but I have each hamper labeled when you pull the drawer out – lights, darks and towels.  My kids have hampers in their bedrooms but then separate their clothes in these hampers every couple of days or when they are about to do laundry.

We have a pull out ironing board in this room too but I rarely use it.  Most of you know that I absolutely hate ironing and avoid it at all costs. It’s one of my least favorite chores (after cooking). ;) I try to buy wrinkle free clothes and when something really needs to be ironed.. I use a steamer.  Anyone else with me on this one?

As far as tips for organizing laundry supplies.. I really don’t have much in this room!  The few things I do use I keep in this cupboard above my washer and then I use the rest of the space in these cupboards to store my Christmas village! #priorities :) We display this village on the long table in our upstairs hallway each holiday season so I moved the village here a few years ago.  It’s so much easier to set up and take down each year with it all stored right next to the table we set it up on.  The rest of the drawers in this room are completely empty!

I use Tide Pods to wash our clothes and store them in these OXO good grips that are long time favorites.  I keep them located right next to the washing machine.  They are out of sight when you walk in the room but are close to the washer and easy for my kids to reach.  The jars seal so tight and are perfect for laundry pods.

{LAUNDRY ROOM SOURCES}

When it comes to laundry I think it’s so important to have a routine in place! What that routine looks like doesn’t matter and it will be different for every family.  The important thing (if you want to stay on top of your laundry and not let it get the best of you!) is just to have a routine.  When my kids were little I cleaned my house in the late afternoon/evening and always did a load of laundry when my girls were playing together in their bathtub (their bathroom was next to my washer/dryer in our last house).  When we moved into this house and my kids started getting older my evenings became a lot busier so I started doing laundry in the morning.  I’ve shared my routine before but for those of you who might have missed it I do a load or two of laundry every morning. I wake up, splash some water on my face and put on my workout clothes and then start a load of laundry. Then I exercise (usually treadmill or walking with a friend but about to switch to my peloton bike). After I exercise I put the clothes in the dryer and then wake Kole up and start getting him ready for school (my girls are up earlier and get themselves ready and off to school). I used to toss in a load around this time in the upstairs laundry room for the kids (and sometimes still do) but my kids do most of their own laundry now. (The best!) I usually end up folding and putting away clothes later in the afternoon in-between my kids’ activities.

Now that my kids do their own laundry I don’t use this laundry room much other than to help with their sheets and towels.  Tuesday is my main cleaning day so that’s the day that I always wash sheets and towels.  I wash our sheets most weeks and I wash my kids’ sheets every other week (one week I wash Kole’s and the next week I wash the girls’ sheets).  With this system I’m usually pretty caught up on laundry by Friday so I don’t have to do any over the weekend.  For me it has always been so much easier to do a load or two of laundry a day vs. spending one whole day doing laundry, but I know for some families that might not be the case!  I know one family who does their laundry together every Sunday. Try doing laundry a few different times/ways and see what works best.  Set a reminder on your phone each day if you have to until it becomes a routine.  I would love to hear about your laundry routine in the comments!  If you’re really struggling to stay on top of laundry I would recommend doing a load or two a day at the same time every day.  It’s so nice when you can stay on top of it all!

A few tips for the week while we get our laundry space organized!  

*affiliate links used

It’s time! Time to get our houses organized! We’re kicking off this 9 week organizing challenge with bathrooms. I’m so excited! This is going to be some work, but at the end of 9 weeks we are going to look back on our progress and it’s going to feel SO good. If you don’t know what I’m talking about you can read all about this challenge HERE. Or if you haven’t downloaded the challenge printables you can do that HERE. The printables include a few pages of basic tips/ideas to help you get started.

After reading those tips I still recommend printing out these 3 pages with more space or the below page (less space) and making your own to-do list. There is something SO rewarding about checking things off of a list! These pages will give you some direction and help motivate you to keep going!

I did a quick walk through in my home today and wrote down all of the things I want to get done. Not as much this time around because I’ve organized most of these spaces before, but definitely enough to keep me busy. :) When you do a walk through like this it’s really easy to feel overwhelmed. Don’t! You probably won’t get every single item checked off of your list and that’s ok! The goal of this challenge is PROGRESS. Something is always better than nothing. Even if you just check one or two items off of your list each week you’ve made progress and you can always go back to hit other spots when you have more time. Just KEEP GOING.

After you take a minute to make your list set aside some time on your calendar to dedicate to organizing. Do you have a 30 minute break during each day? One free afternoon? Do you need to cut out some down time each evening? How are you going to fit in time for organizing each week? If you don’t plan ahead it won’t happen so put it on your calendar!

I’ve shared these pictures before but here they are again for a little motivation! I’m anxious to do a master bathroom re-fresh with new rugs/decor but that will have to wait. I’m organizing first.. then decorating. :)

A few things to have on hand during bathroom week. Black bags for items to trash or donate, a bowl (or use your sink) for hot, soapy water, wash cloths or paper towels and a hand held vac. I’ve been using this Vaclife handheld vacuum the past couple of years for organizing projects. I also recently bought this portable hand vacuum cleaner to try. I’ve heard so many good things about it and think it looks great for drawers! I’ll let you know if I love it. :)

My messy under the sink “before.”

Remember when you’re organizing bathroom drawers and cupboards to pull EVERYTHING out!

Yes. Things are going to get worse before they get better. Ha. ;)

Touch every item and decide if you’re going to toss it, donate it or keep it. If you’re keeping it, start categorizing like items into piles.

*Try to be ruthless during this stage! Make-up you never wear? Toss/donate. Four brushes? Toss/donate. Nail polish from 8 years ago? Good-bye. Only keep items you LOVE and USE.  

Vacuum out your empty drawers and cupboards and wash them with hot, soapy water.

Then the best part.. putting everything back in! Decide where items belong and how you want to organize everything and then if you need organizers you can order some. Always organize your space BEFORE you purchase organizers! It’s too hard to know what you really need until things are clean and in their new home.

{divided lazy susan}

I decided on my drawer organizers after I had sorted through everything and could tell I needed compartments for all of my small items. These are my messy notes figuring out what I needed. Yes.. I’m a visual learner. ;)

{linus shallow drawer organizer}

The Container Store always comes through. :)

{linus shallow drawer organizer}

Here are the happy “afters!” I organized these drawers in April 2020 (right after everything shut down) and I’m happy to say they have been so easy to keep clean!

{drawer divider}

I’ve added a few more products but everything has a spot so it’s easy to put things away and stay organized.

{linus shallow drawer organizer}

{linus deep drawer organizers}

{linus deep drawer bins}

This bottom “catch all” drawer of extras is the only spot that has been harder for me to keep clean. It doesn’t look like this picture at the moment so I’ll be tackling it on Monday! (I’m sharing my real time progress in IG stories if you follow me there!)

Go through linen closets and towels. Toss/donate old towels and wipe out cupboards. Then fold everything nicely and put it back.

Best feeling isn’t it!?

I got ambitions during my last challenge and organized my husband’s side of the bathroom too. A paint brush?  Really Kenny?

Why am I not surprised.

Messy “befores.”

A lot of the mess on his side was packaging he never tossed!

When I tackle bathrooms I also clean out our brushes. After you’ve taken the hair out let them soak in a little shampoo and hot water and they’ll sparkle like new again!

And the “afters!”

{linus shallow drawer organizer}

I remember showing Kenny his sparkling clean side of the bathroom and asking him if he could please try to keep it organized. He told me that he keeps things messy around the house for me. To give me some blog content. “You’re welcome” he said.

Nice babe. What would I do without you? 

{shower curtain/similar CLEAN rug here}

Our guest bathroom never gets too messy but I’ll give it a quick re-fresh this week like I did last year!

{bosworth rug}

And wash the CLEAN rug so that it’s clean once again. :)

Remember to also wash out your trash cans with hot, soapy water!

I got clean towels and other essentials stocked and ready for guests!

{grey wood 4-piece bath set}

{similar vase/faux peonies/soap dispenser}

I keep my faux pink peonies in this space (the pop of color they add always makes me happy!) but when guests come I love switching them out for real flowers.  An easy way to make your guests feel welcome. :)

I keep our powder bathroom pretty clean and organized because it’s the most used bathroom in our house, but I’ll definitely wipe out drawers and straighten the cupboard under the sink again this week!

{silverware tray}

I’ve shared this drawer and tip before but for anyone new.. we keep extra toothbrushes in this bathroom because it’s close to the garage door.  That way my kids can brush their teeth here if we’re having a busy morning and need to get out the door quick for school.  It saves so much time not having to run back upstairs after breakfast! I get Kole ready here every morning. :)

I keep extra towels in the other drawers.

{similar bath mat here & here}

{chevron vase/similar white flowers/pink peonies/soap dispenser}

This cute Love Yourself bathroom mat sold out, but my other favorite heart bathroom rug is still in stock! I’ll be putting it in this space this week after everything is organized.

Here are a few other cute heart rugs I found on-line! So fun this time of year.

{moroccan diamond washable rug}

My girls bathroom definitely needs a re-fresh this week! Here are some pics of their drawers after we organized them last Spring..

More pics of my girls’ organized bathroom and sources are in this post. I’ll definitely be re-freshing (or encouraging a re-fresh!) in this bathroom this week. :)

Ok friends. I know that was a LONG post of bathroom pics. I hope it helps you get started this week! Just focus on bathrooms and do whatever you can! May the force be with us all!

We’ve got this. :)

{POST SOURCES/BATHROOM ITEMS}

*sidenote – Numbers 2, 4, 7, 11 and 12 are in my bathroom pics above. I also have #10 in my vanity drawers.  They are great but really shallow!  Perfect for shallow drawers. 

1-  woven tank tray   2 – large deep drawer bin  3 – 2-tier organizer basket

4 –  linus shallow drawer organizer   5 – hanging shower caddy  6 – 16-piece organizer set

7 – adjustable drawer dividers  8 – clear plastic jar set  9 – woven rattan nesting baskets

10 – expandable drawer organizers  11 – lazy susan   12 – linus deep drawer organizer 

Happy 2022! It’s a new year. A clean slate! I love that feeling. I also love January. January is a month for organizing. What could be better!? :) Time to get our homes back in order. Our homes have a HUGE impact on how we feel each day!  Happiness, self confidence, productivity.. an organized home helps with all of that.  Your overall mental health will improve when your home is in order.  I’ve learned to not underestimate how important it is!

Last March I kicked off my first organizing challenge and we spent 9 weeks working on getting our homes in order. It was a huge success and so much fun. It really held me accountable and I loved having so many of you join me! We’re going to do the challenge again starting next week! Details are at the end of this post.

Let’s talk New Year essentials! I’m feeling ready. :)

{stripe planner/white dot sugar paper planner}

I picked up a few planners. Yes.. multiple. I like options. Really I just couldn’t decide which one to get out of 3 so I got them all. Ha. Solved that problem. ;) I would feel guilt except I know I will use them. I really love my planners and to-do lists. :)

{garden party scissors/gold scissors/garden party ruler/Big Monthly Planner/TUL gel pens/page marker flags/stripe planner/white dot sugar paper planner/washable rug}

A few more essentials I’ve been rounding up! We have been having a scissor shortage lately (seriously they have disappeared!) so I picked up a couple of cute pairs. Also a matching ruler because who can resist that!? Some new pens (my friend recommended these and I’m obsessed now too!), planner tabs and my 3 planners.

I got the Big Monthly Planner to block out weeks for my blog. It’s nice because it’s so simple. Just blank boxes! I like that for making a rough plan of the year w/o a lot of details.

These Blue Sky planners have a simple weekly layout. Sometimes I’m just in the mood to jot notes for each day and I like simple.

Other weeks I like more details and I have a feeling I will use this planner the most! It has space for each day like the planner above but also a weekly page for to-do’s, goals, and other important things to remember during the week.

{fabric storage box/small fabric storage box/XO garland/metal & leather doorstoppers/linen tray}

I mentioned wanting to organize Kenny’s office. I found a few fun things for his space at Target along with a cute Valentine’s Day banner and some doorstoppers! I’ve been looking for a good set forever for our french doors upstairs (we like to open them in the Spring/Summer to cool the upstairs off). These are so heavy and nice. Random find I was thrilled about!

Better view. The linen tray would be cute on a console or coffee table too! I’m thinking I’ll have Kenny use it for incoming work/important papers. If he doesn’t want it I’ll steal it for my office. I’m tricky like that. :)

{time marker water bottle}

A good water bottle is also essential for January right!? Always when they get used the most. ;) I like this one to hold me accountable. I actually used it for most of 2021! I got off track big time during the holidays though and pretty much drank nothing but Coke Zero so I’m going to be good this month and drink my water. :)

Below are some other New Year favorites! Gratitude journals, a cleaning caddy, good workout socks and shoes (love these shoes!), a few favorites for organizing, etc. I love all of these items. We are ready! Clean slate! Let’s make it a good one. :)

1 – 5 min. gratitude journal  2 – 52 week gratitude journal  3 – white dot sugar paper planner

4 – make-up eraser  5 – weekly planning pad  6 – time marker water bottle

7 – storage bins w/ handles  8 – microfiber cleaning cloths  9 – bento lunch box

10 – live in pocket joggers  11 – exercise mat  12 – cushion no show socks

13 – OXO good grip containers  14 – air zoom running shoes  15 – cleaning caddy

My kids are out of school one more week! It has been a weird year with no time off for them before Christmas but we got lots of time after. Ellie has been with friends 24/7 and it’s so fun having them all over. Several of them feel like part of our family at this point! I’ve been chilling with these two a lot.

{J Crew Coat – loving that it’s actually cold enough to wear it!}

We met friends at Sing 2 and it was such a cute show! I’m glad we have the rest of this week together. Which is part of the reason I’m waiting to start my organizing challenge! Kids are still home and I need some time to get Christmas put away. :)

Ok.. here are details for the challenge. It starts this Sunday, January 9th. I so hope you’ll join me! 

Our schedule..

Week 9 – GARAGE

I’m going to be doing this right along with you!  Yes a lot of these spaces in my home are already organized, but some of them aren’t.  I have several hot spots I’ve never really organized and I’m excited to knock them all off of my list for good!  Also my organized spaces can all use a quick tidy/re-fresh.  Even if your home is mostly organized I think you can benefit from this challenge!  We all can.  It’s a great time of year to really determine if our homes, systems and routines are working well for us.  If they aren’t.. it’s time to fix that!

This is what I want you to do this week..

1 – First.. click HERE to sign up for my e-mail list and download my Get Organized printables.  If you don’t get a follow-up e-mail soon after check your junk/spam! It’s one large PDF but you can choose what you want to print! There are 3 pages that include a general checklist and tips.  If you feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.. follow this printable!  Obviously every home is different and some things might not apply, but it’s a good general idea of what items are important to focus on. I also included 3 pages of the same checklists that are blank.  If you’d rather fill out your own checklist items for each space, print out the sheets with blank lines and get to work making your to-do list.  This is helpful because our homes are so unique.  Some of my home office items might be located in your kitchen, etc.  There is also a printable that has every space on one page if you don’t feel like you need as many to-do lines.  Most of us will need the 3 pages. ;)  Print just a few or print them all!  Use whatever is helpful and make these checklists work for you! (I took the March dates off of these printables and left the dates blank so you can start/do this challenge anytime!) 

2 – Follow me on IG if you aren’t already.  I’ll be sharing pictures, tips and my progress on my main feed and in stories.  I’m going to use the hashtag #ssugetorganized and would absolutely LOVE it if you would share your before/after pictures on IG too!  Tag me at erin_sunnysideup and I’ll share some of your before/afters in stories to help motivate us all and give us more ideas! 

3 – Buy black garbage bags if you don’t have them already.  A label maker is helpful too but not necessary!  (I’ve heard really good things about this label maker.) 

4 – Get a friend to do it with you!  I’m serious.  Right now call or text a close friend or family member and get them on board.  It’s so much more fun and it will hold you accountable each week!

Ok.. that’s it for this week.  *Print the printables, make your lists, get your garbage bags ready, follow me on IG and text a friend!

I’ll be writing one post about the assigned space to kick off each week with some ideas and tips that have helped me.  Here are a few general tips to keep in mind before we get started..

General tips:

This isn’t a cleaning challenge.  Cleaning and organizing go hand in hand so let me explain.  The goal of this challenge is to get rid of items we don’t need and to organize the cupboards, drawers, piles, hot spots in our homes that are cluttering up our lives.  If you finish cleaning out all of your bathroom cupboards/drawers and have time to then wipe off counters and mirrors and scrub your shower.. go for it!  But the main goal is to PURGE like your life depends on it and organize all of the hidden messy spaces.  Do that first!  Then if you have extra time during the week you can do some deep cleaning too.

I’ll say it again.. be ruthless with purging/donating items!  Pump yourself up before you start to get rid of as much as you can.  Less is more.  Trust me.. you won’t miss things!  To truly be organized you have to be comfortable living with less stuff.

If you’re short on time one week and can’t really get around to organizing your space, just commit to purging items you don’t need/use/love.  Just doing that alone will make a difference!  You can come back to that space to organize it all later.  Feel free to move ahead if you complete spaces early, just don’t get burned out!  It might be better for you to put your feet up and rest if you complete a space early so that you have energy to tackle a new space the next week.  :)

Don’t buy organizers YET.  Wait until each space is complete to see what you really need.  Then if organizers would be helpful you can order exactly what you need.

Resist the urge to over organize and have everything labeled and color coordinated.  Yes.. this is coming from me.  The one who loves to over organize and label everything and make it all color coordinated. Ha. ;)  That’s my personality (I have a touch of OCD in case you haven’t noticed!) and I’m a more naturally organized person and it’s part of what I do for a living.  If that’s you too then great.. go for it!  Live it up and label away!  If that’s just NOT you.. take the pressure off of yourself immediately!  The goal of this challenge is to get rid of clutter and to set up systems that work for you/your family and that will be sustainable.  For example: If having all of your cereal dumped into clear cereal bins isn’t something you want to keep doing every time you get groceries.. don’t do it!  Designate a spot for your cereal boxes all together in your pantry/cupboard and line them up.  Done!  Something you can easily maintain.  (I’m talking to you mom.) ;)

Don’t waste too much time making decisions.  You want to move fast and get as much done as you can in the time you have.  I always say when it doubt.. donate!  Plus moving fast keeps your momentum up!

Get a good playlist ready!  Or download a good book on audible or find some fun podcasts to listen to while you work.  Make this fun! It’s time to party!  My kind of party.  And you’re all invited.

LET’S DO THIS! 2022 is going to be a great year.

:)