Organized Habits » Organizing Your Home

Efficient Kitchen Storage – Canisters

Natalie Conrad — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:01:29 +0000

Some may think that the kitchen is the obvious place to start with organization and maybe that’s true. When you move in and first set up a kitchen, you are intentional about where you put things; you organize the pots, pans, dishes, and glasses as you put them in their new home. However, once you begin to prepare meals and cook in the kitchen, there is usually a need to re-vamp your system. It does not matter the size of your kitchen. I have clients with galley kitchens and others with huge center islands and breakfast nooks. The complaint is almost always the same – “There is not enough room” or “My kitchen doesn’t flow well.” Some of what makes a kitchen work better in to have efficient storage containers inside of the drawers and doors. These containers can be drawer organizers, bins, baskets, or canisters.

Today’s blog will focus on the use of canisters… and how you can win a set of canisters!

Canisters are great because they contain your collections. Now in the kitchen this collection is usually food or related items. Canisters can be used decoratively in the kitchen or behind closed cabinet doors. I like to keep my counters clear so I use the canisters inside of my cabinets. I am attracted to clear canisters but am also a huge fan of labeling.

Use canisters to hold your staples; those items that you always need on hand. The advantage of clear canisters here is that you can see how much you have left.

Group like canisters of food items together. For example, have flour, sugar, and baking mixes in separate canisters stored in the same.together. Have pastas, rices, and other carb side dishes stored in canisters in one location.

Canisters are also known for keeping things like raisins, crackers and cookies fresh long after then package has been opened. (Remember how a stale cracker tastes? yuck!) They are also better than the original packaging at keeping any creepy crawling things at bay! When coming home after shopping, take the time to dump the contents of the cardboard boxes and bagged goods into canisters for safe keeping.

Rubbermaid has just released another fabulous product – modular canisters. Rubbermaid sent me a sample canister set to try out and I really like them! While canisters can be used in the kitchen as I have mentioned, where else can you use these modular canisters? I have an eight piece set to give to someone who posts a comment on my blog. Your comment must contain your name and email address and give us your creative idea for using these canisters!

A winner will be chosen this Friday (5/21/10) at 5:00pm and notified by email.

The lesson learned at a scrap retreat….

Natalie Conrad — Mon, 03 May 2010 23:32:26 +0000

Bradley House in Folsom CA

Just got back from a great weekend, filled with creativity. At least once a year, I enjoy a 3 day binge on my papercrafting and scrapbooking. This weekend I stayed at the Bradley House B& B in Folsom, CA. The innkeeper, Jerry, was great and the rose garden was in full bloom and beautiful. As with anything, there is a lesson to be learned from this scrapbook retreat.

An “organized scrapbooker” is an enigma

There were 9 women at this retreat (including me) and there were 9 tables of chaos – or so it appeared. I brought another table with me to hold my extra supplies, another woman rolled in a caddy of sorts, with drawers (sans labels), and my best friend, brought a shelf organizer so that she had a 2nd tier for her cutting supplies, thereby using less table surface. There were wheeled bags, shoulder bags, plastic totes and cardboard boxes, photo organizers, you name it – it was there!

As we worked away it was amazing to see how the scrapbook pages came together. Each of us had our own system for creating scrapbooks.

One of my favorite scrapbook pages from the retreat

And that’s the key – a system. When organizing,you need a system. Yours can look different than mine but you need to have one.

What looks unorganized to someone can be organized for you. An “organized scrapbook” is an ambiguous term; but most are organized.

You must have a system that you are comfortable with for scrapbooking, and everything else in your life. A trained professional organizer knows how to ask the right questions to assist you in developing your unique system.

What’s a gift closet?

Natalie Conrad — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:54:08 +0000

Okay, so it doesn’t have to be a “closet”, it can be a drawer, shelf, or box. In other words, do you have a stock of gifts that you have purchased in advance (or are going to re-gift)? Having some gifts on hand is great for those last minute invites or the times when you forgot someone’s birthday. Shopping for gifts this way can also save you money. My sister-in-law, for example, shops for Christmas all year long, and puts everything into the gift closet with a tag for the intended recipient. She only shops sales and has plenty of time to wait for the perfect gift to be the perfect price.

Many of my friends have gifts that they have purchased in advance or plan to re-gift but the gifts never seem to leave. Why? Because they don’t remember what they have. They purchase a gift, put it away in their gift closet and then add more and more and pretty soon, forget that they purchased the perfect gift for someone and it lays gathering dust in the back of the gift closet!

The solution: (you knew I had one)

As you purchase gifts, log them on a gift list. This can be done on a handwritten page or on a spreadsheet in your computer. Here’s an example:

Quantity	Item	Gift for:
1	Nerf football	boy birthday
2	Candle holders	mother in law
1	picture frame	Valerie
1	flashlight kit	Joe

Add things to the gift list as you add them to the gift closet. If you purchase an item that does not have an intended recipient (yet) then just note what gender or age range it is for. As you give these gifts be sure to cross them off the gift list. Update your list annually after Christmas so you can start fresh. If you begin to have things in the gift closet that never get given away, then consider using these items for hostess gifts or white elephant/secret santa gift exchanges.

And remember, shop in the gift closet before you leave home to shop!

Organizing the Kids – is it possible?

Natalie Conrad — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:06:02 +0000

Many times when I speak to moms groups or have mothers in my audience, there are always these sort of questions:

How do I get my child to keep their room organized?
How do I organize all the stuffed animals?
How do I get my ADD/ADHD child to stay organized?
How do I get my child to let go of some things?

Bottom line – Is organizing your kids possible? Yes.

Will they keep things organized the way you want them? Probably not.

Think about the things your mother suggested you do in your room. Did you always do it as she suggested? If you say yes to this question, then I guess you were the perfect child so you can skip this blog post. We’ll address perfectionism another time…..

Your children are individuals who are uniquely created, having their strengths and weaknesses that may differ from yours. They will also have different ideas about what being organized looks like. There is no “one and only way” to organize. What you can do for your children is to set some boundaries as far as your minimum expectations for their room and possessions. Give them time to get used to these boundaries; give them tools that will help them be successful. And most important, be a good role model. My friend, Kevin Bracy, reminded me yesterday that children can’t hear what you are saying because your actions are speaking so loudly.

So how organized are you? What are your children seeing?

Organizing Your Home: This is off the hook!

Natalie Conrad — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:00:09 +0000

Really, I mean off the hook. In other words, here are my thoughts on how to best use the hook. A hook is an organizing tool that attaches to a vertical surface and is used to hang things. Sometimes, when organizing we forget about the ever important hook. Where there are space limitations, going vertical may be the answer. Here’s a partial list of uses for a hook, categorized by room:

In the Bedroom – hang robes, work out towels, jewelry, scarves, belts
In the Guest Room – hang towels, laundry bag
In the Bathroom – hand towels or clothes you will wear after bathing
In the Kitchen – hang keys, aprons, shopping toes, display plate collections
In the Mudroom – hang dog leash, jacket, purse, umbrella
In the Hall Closet – hang ironing board, work out bag, hats

In Saturday’s newspaper (I only read the weekend editions) the Hints from Heloise column sported these ideas from a reader:

Next to the kitchen sink to hang rings, watches, etc. while doing the dishes
Install one near the back door for various uses
Put one in the closet to hold belts, scarves, etc.
Place one in the bathroom to hang necklaces, bracelets, etc.
Use to keep training plants happy

What unique ways have you found to use hooks to keep things organized? Would love for you to comment here!

The Bathroom

Natalie Conrad — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 05:47:00 +0000

In most cases, the bathroom is the smallest room in the house yet it has almost as much activity as the family room and the kitchen. Usually, storage space is needed to stock supplies and a variety of necessities for each family member. Here are four tips to help maximize and organize your bathroom.
1. Think vertically – many showers have the shower caddy that hangs on the wall or from
the shower head. Declutter this so that all shower/bath items can fit into that caddy
instead of lining the bathtub. Look at your vertical spaces outside the shower. Is there
room above the towel rack or toilet to have shelving? Use this space to display extra hand
towels, soaps, toilet paper, and other sundries. This can be done in a decorative fashion by
using interesting containers and baskets to hold the items on the shelves. Roll the towels
and tie with ribbon or raffia for a decorator touch.
2. Use hooks – a hook or two on the back of the door can hold robes or the clothes you plan to
wear that day. If there are small children, consider replacing the towel bar with hooks, one
for each family member; towels are more likely to get hung up and still look tidy
(especially if the towels are color coordinated).
3. Assign each family member a space – whether it be a drawer, a shelf in the medicine
cabinet, or a basket. They will appreciate their own defined space and be more likely to put
their things away. Make sure the space assigned is easy to access and easy to use.
4. Add additional accessories in the linen closet or under the vanity – Let’s face it, often times
the reason things become disorganized is become someone found it too difficult to put
something back in its proper place. Adding additional shelving or lazy susans under the
vanity, using drawer dividers in drawers, or adding extra shelves or plastic bins to the
linen closet can maximize your space, while making access much easier. If something can
be obtained and replaced without having to lift several objects from on top of it or from in
front of it then it is more user friendly and likely to remain orderly.

Kitchen Organizing Tips

Natalie Conrad — Thu, 07 Jul 2005 15:01:00 +0000

It seems that every six months or so I have to do a “kitchen checkup”. As there is more than one person helping in the kitchen, preparing meals, and unloading the dishwasher, things can become unorganized over time. Because things don’t always end up back where they belong I use the “SOUP” method to reorganize my kitchen.

S – set up a work space. Use the dining table or set up a card table to stage your project. Have a box nearby for your donations and an empty trash bag for the throw aways.

O- organize by type. Start by emptying one cupboard, shelf, or drawer at a time. Take everything out and decide what to donate, throw away, and keep. This is the time to reduce the number of vegetable peelers, plastic cups, and plastic ware. Be brutal, it will simplify your life!

U- unify the space. Before returning the kitchen items to the cupboard, shelf, or drawer consider the location. Are the pots and potholders located near the stove, are the glasses and everyday plates in close proximity to the dishwasher? Put things as close to where they will be used as possible. Are all baking goods together in the same location? Are all non refrigereated snacks in one location? Having like items together helps with making the grocery list because it is easy to spot check your inventory.

P- put it away. As you return things to the alloted space, don’t fill it up completely. Leave room for the things that are in the dishwasher and future additions to your collection. Overstuffing the space will cause things to not be put away in the future (especially by other household members). It is inconvenient to straighten a shelf to make space every time something needs to be put away. Use the lower shelves for items used daily and the higher shelves for less frequently used items.

The “SOUP” method is easy to remember and helps you do the kitchen one cabinet at a time because who wants to spend all day in the kitchen?!
© 2005 -Natalie Conrad

Menu Planning Works!

Natalie Conrad — Thu, 02 Jun 2005 15:13:00 +0000

You’ve come home from a long day at work and now you have to think about dinner… You don’t know what is in the freezer or the kitchen cabinets. Or you just went shopping yesterday and now you have to put a meal together and you forgot a particular ingredient. If this sounds familiar, then maybe try menu planning. Planning in advance what to have for dinner can actually alleviate some of your daily stress.

Typically, a menu is created for a week or two at a time. But as with many things, just start slow… try planning your dinner menu for just the next five days. As you write down what it is you would like to prepare, also write down the ingredients (groceries) that you are lacking. When you are finished planning, your shopping list is now ready to take to the store. If you plan to use a particular recipe, write down the name of the cookbook and page number or location of the recipe so that it can be easily retrieved when needed.

Don’t feel controlled by your menu plan. If you planned to cook chicken tonight and you’re just too tired then open a can of soup or eat a sandwich. That particular meal can be prepared on another day. Sometimes you may find that you need to switch days on the menu plan. For example, let’s say I planned hot meatballs sandwiches for Tuesday and a crock pot dish for Wednesday. My son has an extra soccer practice (last minute of course!) on Tuesday. So, I switch days and have Wednesday’s meal on Tuesday because I can fix and forget it until after we get home from soccer practice!

After planning your menus for two months, not only is it a habit but you can start rotating the same meals and not have to spend as much time planning! Menu planning has also helped those who are seeking to change their eating habits by planning more low calorie, low fat meals. Menu planning will also have a positive effect on your food budget because you will be making less trips to the grocery store and eating out less! If you would like a sample menu plan sheet, email me at craftynat@prodigy.net.