It’s now garage sale season. I have mixed feelings about this because while they can be great places to find fixer-upper items for DIY projects, they can also be a source of cheap junk for your home. How often have you bought something at a garage sale because it was cute or worth a lot of money or ”useful” or simply cheap? I have fallen prey to these excuses myself.

So here’s what I do so I can enjoy garage sales without filling up my house with clutter:

1. I only hit the garage sales once a month or less. The less you go, the less opportunity you have to buy, the less stuff you will end up with.

2. I decide on a budget and stick to it. I bring my allotted amount in cash. This forces me to really think about what I am buying and cuts down on the impulse grabs.

3. When I see something I want, I visualize where it will go in my house. I get specific, so rather than seeing it merely somewhere in the living room for example, I visualize it on the end table next to the side chair. If it is a tool or craft supply I am eyeing, I try to envision it in a certain drawer or cupboard. This keeps the object from winding up as clutter in that dark hole known as your garage.

4. I make sure I can use the item within one week at the absolute latest. Stuff that you buy because it may be useful “some day” will never get used. If you buy something that requires a bunch of other parts to be complete or steps to be finished, it will probably never be used. Trust me on this.

Following these steps keeps attending garage sales fun while avoiding an influx of cheap clutter. What’s your outlook on garage sales? Useful resources for DIY projects or lawns full of nicely organized junk?

My son believes that all of his stuffed animals are alive and secretly play at night when he is at sleep or during the day while he is at school. I chalk it all up to one too many screenings of Toy Story. The downside of this is that we are not allowed to get rid of any of the animals, because that would be akin to giving away a member of the family. So the pile of stuffed animals grows, along with the accompanying dust bunnies.

As an organizer, I’ve been in many other homes where the children also had huge, suffocating piles of stuffed animals. The parents plead with me to find SOME WAY to deal with all of them (the stuffed animals, not the children). So here are some options for of those of you drowning in plush and fluff:

Stuffed Animal Tree from Amazon ($27.99)

1. Stuffed Animal Tree from Amazon ($27.99). Hang them from the elastic bands off of this 5-foot tall metal structure. I love how it takes advantage of vertical space. But will it tip over if your child puts all of her stuffed animals on one side, which might happen if you have the pole standing in the corner?

Boon Trio Animal Bags from Amazon ($69.99)

2. Boon Trio Animal Bags from Amazon ($69.99) Here’s from their website: “The Animal Bag is an oversized, plush bag covered with large, zippered windows made out of transparent, durable mesh. Children can fill the bag with stuffed animals of all sizes, then use the Animal Bag as a soft seat.” Might I add that they mention the bags are breathable. So your stuffed animals don’t die of suffocation (Nathan would appreciate that). Takes up a lot of floor space, but it would work well to keep them all in one spot.

The Original Chain Gang Toy Organizer from Amazon ($12.95)

3. The Original Chain Gang Toy Organizer from Amazon ($12.95). You have probably seen this device before. Again, it takes use of typically under-used vertical space in your child’s room. Plus you can’t beat that price. Probably the most cost-effective, space-effective solution.

6-Tier Hanging Mesh Storage Closet Organizer from Amazon ($5.99)

4. 6-Tier Hanging Mesh Storage Closet Organizer from Amazon ($5.99). This too takes advantage of vertical space, but it has the added advantage of being easier for little kids to use. Kids can simply stuff animals in the pockets instead of trying to fumble with clipping them on a chain or looping them through an elastic band (something a toddler will be unable to do.)

Owl Canvas Bin from The Container Store ($31.99)

5. Owl Canvas Bin from The Container Store ($31.99). This 17-inch diameter bin is made out of canvas and would look absolutely adorable in a child’s room. Choose from an owl, raccoon, pink elephant or yellow monkey. Guaranteed to hold a couple of armloads of stuffed animals while looking quite stylish.

Stuffed Animal Couch at Harrod's

6. Stuffed Animal Couch at Harrod’s. I’m saving the best for last here. I can’t actually find this item online anymore so I can’t tell you how much it cost, but don’t you think you could whip that sucker up yourself with an old garage sale couch and a hot glue gun? If you make this, PLEASE send me a photo!

I’m thinking I might get the Chain Gang Toy Organizer for Nathan’s room. What about you? Have you seen any other ways to organize stuffed animals? Or have you found a fun and unique way to organize your kids’ menagerie? Let us know in the comments below.

I had the nerve-wracking pleasure of appearing on Portland’s AM Northwest TV show earlier this week, this time to talk about how to organize your kitchen cupboards. (Hover your mouse over the image above to find the “play” button.) I had a great time! I even revealed the secret to organizing your Tupperware so you can find the matching lid!

On a side note, after I got asked to be on the show again I treated myself to the gorgeous blue blouse you see me wearing in the clip. It’s made here locally at a nifty little store called Jet. Check them out and tell Jennifer I sent you!

In my line of work, one of the most common reasons I see houses get so disorganized is because the owners have a great system for getting stuff into the house (shopping, gifts, freebies) and no system for getting stuff out of the house.

If you keep adding to the contents of your home without ever removing much, you will eventually run out of space. At this point, it would be unwise to chalk up this problem to lack of storage space, easily fixed by $200-worth of product from Storables. Instead, you must take the time to sort through your stuff and discard what you do not love or do not use. If that sounds time-consuming to you, you’re right.

Prevent that headache by putting into place a discard system before your house gets overly cluttered. You could make a rule that for every new piece of clothing or accessory you bring home, an old one must be discarded. You could start holding an annual garage sale. You could create a donation center in your house, making it convenient to stash your unwanted items as you come across them. You could walk through your house once a month with a big garbage bag, collecting all the cast-offs as you walk by.

So the next time you are looking around your house and wondering how it became so cluttered, ask yourself, do I have a system in place for making sure stuff leaves the house? The answer to that will put you well on your way to living in an organized space.

1. Don’t start organizing without making a plan for your space first. Take the time to sit down and write out a list of all the functions the room has to serve. Otherwise, how will you know what should stay or go?
2. Don’t expect to get your entire room organized in a day. Can you say burn-out? Because those will be your last dying words if you try to sort through every object in a room that hasn’t been organized in years. Break your project up into chunks of hours over the course of a week or two instead.
3. Don’t buy containers before you have sorted through everything you own and figured out exactly what you are going to store and how you are going to store it. To do this, group your like items together in a pile on the floor and eyeball the pile to get an estimate of the size of container you will need to hold it all.
4. Don’t buy all new organizing containers before looking around your house to see what you can repurpose. Most people have extra plastic bins, decorative boxes and baskets sitting around unused. Furthermore, if you want an eclectic, funky look, make use of containers such as terra cotta pots for organizing your spatulas on the counter or sorbet cups for holding paper clips and rubberbands. Save money by using what you have first.
5. Don’t forget to take snack and water breaks when you are organizing for more than a couple of hours. Organizing can be hard, sweaty, tiring work particularly if you are working in a room that holds lots of heavy objects such as the garage or basement. Make sure you have a chilled water bottle nearby to keep your energy up.
6. Don’t make all the decisions about a space yourself if you are not the only one who uses that space. For example, if everyone in the family uses the living room, they will probably have opinions about which direction the TV should face, where the video games should be stored and how many board games should be kept. Making these decisions by yourself is a sure way to prevent the organization from being maintained by the rest of the family.
7. Don’t forget to label boxes, bins and tubs. You might remember which container each object should go in, but I guarantee you the rest of your family will not remember precisely how you organized everything without labels. And if they don’t remember, they won’t put things back where you want them too.
8. Don’t let the Goodwill pile and dump pile sit in your garage for weeks after you organize your space. This is where most people stumble after taking the time to sort through all of their belongings. Put those discard bags in your car immediately and get them out of your house!
9. Don’t forget to take time to bask in the glory of your newly organized space. Take photos to remind yourself of all of your hard work. Invite people over for a party. Celebrate your amazing achievement!

Image courtesy of Little Luck Tree. Thanks!

Do you have the freedom to do what needs to get done when your desk looks like this?

Some people don’t see the point of organizing. They equate organizing with being uptight, overly rigid, and deadly to the creative process. They embrace the mess in their house and insist that they love it that way.

But here’s the truth about organizing. True organization is freedom! When you can find WHAT you need to do what you WANT, you are experiencing freedom in your own house.

Think of how much more creative you could be if you could find your art supplies and have a clear tabletop to work on. Or think of how much more entertaining you could do if the couch and chairs in your living room were available to sit on, and you could find your nice linens and flatware to serve from. Think of how much more you could experiment in the kitchen, cooking up wonderful meals, if you could only find your favorite pans and spices. Is that being overly rigid?

Disorganization imprisons us in our own stuff. It suffocates our creative process, creates animosity in our families, eats up our living space and drowns us in our own belongings.

Organization liberates us from the bondage of our stuff. When you live an organized lifestyle, you have the time and resources to put your priorities (family, health, faith) first instead of your possessions. It’s a choice you make to allow certain things in your life and let go of other things.

Make the choice for organization and allow yourself to live the life you have always wanted.

Image courtesy of Olles Venson at Flickr.

Just in care you missed it, here’s what we were discussing a year or two ago the week of April 4:

2011

Feel like you are drowning in your stuff? Maybe these “should” statements are to blame Too often, our things oppress us because they carry with them so many responsibilities and obligations. See if you find yourself saying these things.

2010

4 essentials for managing paper in your home office Paper is THE biggest headache for my organizing clients. Here are the items you desperately need to keep if you ever hope to get your paper organized.

Drop-in craft space open on NE Alberta for all your DIY projects It’s a perfect spot for those of us who don’t have the space for a craft room in our house. Plus, you can rent sewing machines by the hour along with other craft necessities!

2009

My favorite place to donate in Portland, Oregon I love it so much that I do complimentary drop-offs there for my clients’ old craft and office supplies.

A creative use for old railings Our ugly railings by our front steps have a new lease on life.

Are you in clutter recovery? It’s one thing to get organized — it’s a whole different ball game to STAY organized! Here’s how to do it.

Today’s topic is neither sexy nor glamorous (but you know that the rest of organizing is!), yet it is something that I think most of us struggle with in our homes: our tangled mess of wires and cords hanging behind our appliances. How best to organize them? Here is a round-up of some great ideas from around the web:

Wire snake cable organizer @ The Container Store for $9.99. This simple-to-use twisty band wraps your cords together behind your appliance, making them look nice and neat. Comes in black or white.

Plug Hub @ ThinkGeek for $24.99. The flat panel opens up to reveal a box, containing brackets for winding your cords up. Then you simply plug everything into a power strip underneath the box. Great for corralling cords behind a desk.

Cable Capture @ www.ClearSimpleLiving.com for $24.95. This is a rather unusual idea, but I like how it organizes the cords into a small space underneath a surface. Very unobtrusive.

The Zip Sleeve from www.zipsleeve.com retails for $19.95. It is an insulated sleeve that encases all of your cords together to make one big sausage cord. It comes in 6-foot lengths that can easily be shortened or lengthened.

The Cable Turtle @ www.cableorganizer.com is $4.95-$8.95, depending on the size you get. It comes in a variety of colors. You simply wrap your cords around a center point, then snap the rounded cover over the top of it. Doesn't get much easier than that.

I LOVE this picket fence idea designer Karl Zahn created (www.ohgizmo.com). It hides your cords behind an easy DIY fence cut-out. This item is not for sale anywhere, but it seems like something pretty simply you could whip up in an afternoon.

]]> http://respacedpdx.com/2012/04/6-easy-ways-to-organize-your-snake-pit-of-wires-and-cords/feed/ 1 http://respacedpdx.com/2012/03/labels-can-be-beautiful-here-are-7-of-my-favorites/ http://respacedpdx.com/2012/03/labels-can-be-beautiful-here-are-7-of-my-favorites/#comments Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:48:15 +0000 respaced http://respacedpdx.com/?p=1046

When it comes to keeping your home organized and getting all your family members to put things back where they belong, labels are essential. Labels communicate to everyone “hey, this is where this thing belongs!” and keep us from having to rely on our own puny brains to remember those homes. They eliminate your child’s excuse that he can’t put his toy away because he doesn’t know where it goes.

But a lot of people don’t like the look of label-maker labels. So here are some awesome, amazing, beautiful and functional labels that will work perfectly on your bins, baskets, containers and shelves:

Set of 25 wooden favor tags for $29.90 from Melinda Wedding Design at Etsy. Write on them with a Sharpie and tie on to a wire basket holding craft supplies.

Set of 25 chalkboard tags for $25 from Dazzling Expressions at Etsy. Use and reuse on your containers in the pantry or craft room.

Fifty 3" wide paper tags for $4 from The Printed Owl at Etsy. Stick double-stick tape on the back and use to label plastic bins in your child's room.

Set of 30 red tags for $4 from Cutie Handmade at Etsy. These would look perfect in a living room attached to fabric boxes that hold DVDs and video games or in a home office on filing cabinets.

Set of 54 labels for labeling all of your electronics' cords. These come pre-printed from Mabel's Labels for $12. www.mabelslabels.com

Clip-on label holder set for $10 from www.seejanework.com. Stuff manuals, handbooks, maps or other bulky paper products in magazine holders and label those suckers!

Ok, I don't really have a practical home application for these engraved mirror labels from Lisa Shay at Etsy, but they sure are cool. They can be sewn into fabric. What would you do with them? $12 each.

I got to preach the Gospel of Organization on morning TV this last Friday! I was asked to present 5-6 tips for saving time for our local ABC affiliate KATU’s morning talk show called AM Northwest. Click on the image above or on this link to watch the video. It’s about 5 minutes long, and if you wait until the 4th minute or so, you get to hear my little ditty.  It’s the rallying cry of the Get Organized movement …