Blogs

Hi, everyone!

I hope most of you saw my spring organization posts from this week. I asked five of my blogger friends to tidy their homes with some of my favorite organizational pieces, the Lori Grenier Tabletop Cosmetics Organizer and the nesting baskets from Honey-Can-Do. I shared each of their blogs on Facebook but wanted to share some questions they sent me about how I organize my home.

Beeb from MomStart tidied her cosmetics with Lori Grenier's tabletop organizer and sent me these questions about bathroom organization:

• What are some tips for making the most of a small space when it comes to storage. For example, organizing a lot of beauty products in a small bathroom?

It seems obvious, but the first thing is I would do is clean out my stash so there’s less to organize. The second thing I always did in my apartment days was to use an over-the-door-rack to store everything…day-to-day essentials, toilet paper, washcloths, and jewelry. The other thing you can do is hang shelves for storage, if you’re able to drill into your walls. You may not have space for furniture, but you can use every inch of wall space.

• How can you tackle a large spring cleaning/organizational challenge when you are really short on time?

Great question, Beeb. I’m a big advocate of the 15-minute approach. Do as much as you can in 15 minutes, every day, and you’ll have an area clean in no time. You’ll also keep yourself from abandoning the project and getting overwhelmed. If company’s coming tomorrow, however, and you don’t have a week, do as much as you can and hide the rest away in some handy storage ottomans until you do have time. I have these all over my home—in every room—and they’re perfect for a quick clean-up.

Lisa, blogger behind Planet Weidknecht organized her under-the-sink-space with QVC’s Honey-Can-Do Baskets. She asked me how I handle organization in small spaces:

• What are some of the best ways to maximize storage in a small home?

Lisa, you can’t go wrong with over-the-door-storage racks, storage ottomans, and functional furniture. Every piece of furniture in my home has some kind of storage solution, whether hidden or visible. And again, if you can hang shelves, use that wall space for all it’s worth!

• Can you give me some creative ideas on how to downsize my “stuff” without throwing it away?

Donate, donate, donate. Just last week I cleaned out my linen closet. I had at least six sets of sheets that I don’t use and the local animal shelter is always asking for sheets, towels, and newspaper for its cages. I kept two sets of sheets (one for my bed, one for the wash) and donated the rest. I hate throwing things away so I always do a little research and find organizations to take our extras.

If you don’t want to donate, try vacuum bags for clothes, towels, pillows—anything soft. It’s amazing how much you can get into those bags and now they can stack neatly under your bed. Plus, now you have the shelf space to hide clutter away.

Tristin from Tristin & Company totally thought outside the box with her tabletop organizer. I was honored to answer this question about being a memory keeper:

• How do you document your life? 

I haven’t always been a memory-keeper like you, Tristin, but after I lost my father, I made a conscious effort to take more pictures—if only with my phone—as often as I can. Memories are so important. A few times a year I download them onto my computer and have some printed to update photo frames I have throughout my home. Last year, I also had some of my all-time favorite family photos printed on canvas…just like art. It was so easy and they’re so much more meaningful than a random picture.

Don’t forget to check out Nicole’s post at her blog Mom Always Finds Out and Fawnda’s post from Fireflies & Jellybeans, if you haven’t already. Both girls put those nesting baskets to great use. I’m on vacation for the next few days but plan to share photos on Facebook!

See you soon…from my home to yours,
—Jill