knock knock ...

i love knock knock notepads!

when people come to my house, they always ask where i got my what to eat notepad.
i love their notepads because they are very practical, or very humorous if that is what you are looking for.

a few of my favorites are the, what to eat, crap pad, cook this pad, all out of pad, social media citation pad, passive aggressive pad, and the apology pad.

seriously, check them out.  there are some really funny ones.

globes, a shelf, and a rocking chair ...

as i said before, we just finished our basement.

i'm still organizing and trying to get everything in its place.

over the weekend we finally were able to get to ikea to pick up an expedit shelf to organize all of our toys. it was fun for me to finally put up all my globes i've been collecting over the past three years. i also was able to pick up a modern rocker that i've been wanting forever. [thanks caitlin!]

i quickly threw all the toys up on the shelf. so, i'm sure it will change a bit, but it's really nice to have it all in one area. now, if it would only stay organized. but, with these two kids... that's just not going to happen.

oh well, can't have it all right?

as far as other things going on, i'm in deep party planning mode for ezra's party this weekend.

i've been re-labeling just about everything.

caitlin sent me over a label from her son's party last year that i tweeked a bit to match ezra's party, so that really helped speed up the process!

i'll share more pics of the planning tomorrow!

knee deep ...

hi all!

i am up to my elbows in stuff...
boxes and boxes.
it's terribly overwhelming.

i went through my kids closet, emptying bags and bags of clothes they don't fit.
it's crazy how many clothes kids can acquire and go through when they grow out of them so fast.

i also tackled my closet. i have a ton of stuff to get rid of!

now, i am going through boxes and boxes of stuff that was in our basement.
i'm discovering all sorts of things i forgot i had.
i found a box of my christmas decorations i was missing.
i found a lot of other things i need to get rid of.
i feel like the more i'm trying to organize, the more messy my house is from pulling everything out.
i think i'm going to have to have a garage sale...

and, did i tell you i spent almost all of saturday putting up the wallpaper in my studio?
it's amazing!
... but, i'm still not done. 1 1/2 strips to go! wallpapering is tough..
don't worry.. i've been taking pictures along the way.
i'll post them soon!

'til then.

p.s. do you have the spring cleaning bug too?

{photos via real simple}

glass storage ...

i just bought a set of glass food storage containers.

i love how they display the contents, and stack nicely.
i feel safer heating up food with glass containers in the microwave, and they also go in the oven up to 450 degrees.

the big plus is, they are bpa-free, and should last many years!

organization ...

wow! sounds like from your comments that you loved the book, the help too! it is getting a lot of buzz!

anyhow, last night i started the next book on my list, the happiness project.

i'll post more about the book when i write up my review after i've finished, but i was intrigued by the first chapter and i have already gotten to work.

the first chapter is on organizing and de-cluttering your life. it completely makes sense that you feel a lot more at ease when you feel organized, and all is picked up.

so, wish me luck as i tackle my master bedroom closet today. i have a million other organization/de-cluttering projects. but, i'm going to take a deep breath and tackle one at a time, as to not completely overwhelm myself.

on that note, here's a few pretty pictures to enjoy, and maybe even motivate you!

{jordan's organized workspace/play area}

{a wonderfully organized dressing room/closet, via design sponge, via russet street reno}

{a front closet makeover, via real simple}

{viv's bookcase, via ish and chi}

organization

i absolutely love the idea of using vintage suitcases for organizing and storage. perfect for an on the go craft night with the ladies.

i may have to do this with my little collection of vintage suitcases.

{photo via diy magazine}

workspaces...

i love this little hidden workspace from martha stewart living april 2008 issue. i remember when i first saw it how great i thought it was. and, i love that is has jewelry making items so neatly organized. i think i need a tip from this issue on organizing all of my jewelry stuff.

check out more here on how to make your own little space like this.

le monde...

wow! this pantry from the home of Den Vita Skolan is amazing! i mean why doesn't my pantry look like that? well, probably because real people and a one year old live at my house... not robots? j/k
i would however love to line the backs of my shelves with old issues of le monde.

via made by girl

organizing your bookcase...

i really enjoyed the organizing your bookcase section in the latest real simple issue. i've been trying to figure out my bookcases for months. and these one are just pretty to look at. love the colors.

photos via real simple.

storage ideas..

loved this storage solution idea from country living. so nice to have things away from the desk. nailing the lids of these jelly jars to a shelf is genius! then you can still have your knick-knacks close. now, i really need to tackle my desk. yikes..
instructions here.

better get a move on. z man and i get to go play with nicole at her studio today. should be fun...

{jewelry stand}

i saw this cute birdy jewelry stand at urban outfitters, and i loved it, but i didn't buy it.
luckily, i found one just like it, but in an even cuter antique white color at rod works. [picture the one above in a rustic antique white, too lazy to take a picture of mine] i'm loving the little knick knacks at rod works lately. and the best thing is their prices. my birdy jewelry stand was only $8.95 vs. urbans $18.00.

{organization no. 04}

:: organization no. 04- out with the old ::

:: so i've been working on my clothing closet.. and this just might be the most difficult of them all. these are just two of the trash bags i filled up with things i need to get rid of. it's difficult parting ways with some things, mainly because i think about all the hard earned money i spent on it and it just kills me to give it away to goodwill or whatever. i've taken some to sell at platos closet and pibs exchange, but sometimes they can be quite picky. i may sell some on ebay. it's been successful in the past, but honestly a bit time consuming and i really am not in the mood. we'll see. maybe i should do a cyber garage sale like cute ali suggested. ::

{organization no. 03}

:: organization no. 03. hall closet overhaul. ::
:: our hall closet was looking a little sad the past while, it was a catch-all of things i needed to get out of the way quick. so here was my solution. ::

:: organization no. 03- hall closet help ::
[01] group like items into categories
[02] buy shoebox plastic bins
[03] label bins
[04] place items in bins

yeah! i can finally find a double a battery when i need one!

{plate rack turned bookshelf}

:: love this idea to use a ready made plate rack and use it to store your little ones books ::

:: check out instructions here, via martha stewart ::

{organization no. 02}

:: no. 02 labeling cords. i got this idea from sweet marta, but i used these ring labels that you can pick up from office depot. [cute for gift tags too!] ::

{the year of organization no. 01}

:: so as you may know, one of my big resolutions for 2008 is to be more organized. living in clutter isn't fun, and it's stressful and i don't need that in my life. so, i'm resolving to do a better job. when i say year of organization.. i really mean year, as it may take me all year to do it, but at least there is a goal, right? ::

:: so my first bit of organization to share or as i am calling it organization no. 01, was to organize my holiday decorations. here are a few things that helped me do this.

*holiday* organization no. 01
[01] buy many tupperware bins
[02] fill with christmas decorations [an obvious step]
[03] pick out a color for 'christmas' [i chose red]
[04] use a red ribbon to label all christmas boxes
[05] create a label for holiday and label contents of box [i found it very handy to list box 1 of 5, so i knew there were actually 5 christmas boxes in our basement]
[06] tie label to box with holiday color [red ribbon]

ahhh! i feel better about unpacking christmas next year already..

{paint can cubbies}

:: i thought these paint can cubbies were so cute and a very good idea. via martha stewart ::

:: for a how-to click here ::

{organization, please!}

:: i sure wish my little z mans closet looked like this picture from parent magazine. funny how a new year makes you want to become a better person... and for me a better organizer. since the house has been making me and my hubby crazy with clutter, i've been trying to get a little organizing done. i hope to share a few pictures soon of what i've done so far.

unfortunately i have so much more to do. i've been of the shut the closet and pretend it's not there type the past year. but, my goal this year is to have everything organized in every corner. one thing at a time though... i'm already getting overwhelmed just thinking about it. i think my biggest thing is to just part ways with things i haven't used in over a year. this is going to be really difficult for me especially when it comes to my closet. i mean things i wore in high school just might come back in style, right? ::

Store Jewelry in Ice Cube Trays

Such a great Idea from Real Simple Magazine back in October 2004!
Storing jewelry in Ice Cube Trays in your drawer! What an easy way to keep your jewelry organized and untangled!