Uncluttering the cluttered

There is only how many days until Christmas ?

2011-11-16T22:37:00.000-08:00

Our holiday season is fast approaching . It's a good idea to go through your things to make room for all your new presents . You wont be overloaded with stuff and you will have space for your goodies .

Donate to local charities like Big brother , Canadian diabetes they will pick it up . Also drop boxes are found usually in the north vancouver area by the malls .

Sell your items if you have them time .Make some extra spending cash for the holidays . Sounds good to me . But make sure you have time to do it and have a back up plan .

I put my tree up already . November really I know . K decided it was time and I got a chance to bring out my winter gear and go through it to. My donate bag is sitting outside right now going to donate tomorrow . Bye bye too small winter hats , boots & mittens . My lights are up outside too first on my block :) . Few days later guys across the street did theirs then down the block. Yay . K & I enjoy christmas light walks .

So I hope I have inspired you to think about your space and getting ready for the holidays .

Take care .

Spring cleaning

2011-05-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

Spring cleaning is a great time to heave-ho those crammed closets and storage spaces . With summer coming ( eventually here in Vancouver too ) you know you don't want to be searching through heaps or crowded closets to find your item you need . In and out is all its about in summer , at least to me that is .

Key things to keep in mind when cleaning your areas.

1. Think about the last time you used the item .
2. Will you use it again .
3. Is it yours ?
4. Is it broken?
5. Try on your shoes. If they hurt and you probably won't wear them get rid of them
6. Same goes for clothes
7. File that paper work . You wont want to stay inside on a nice day at home and do to much filing . Filing right away will help control any paper clutter coming into your house. You can always inquire about electronic bills .
8. Clean out your fridge & freezer . Try to get underneath and behind as well because dust can build up .
9. Do you want to sell or donate the items? Make sure you have time to sell otherwise it will just sit there.
10.Be happy with what you have completed . Continue to strive for more .

I will be posting some recent pics of my daughters room while I complete it .

Teaching my lil K how to canoe May 2011 long weekend .

Happy organizing !

Contest for organizing products

2011-02-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

Womens Post has a give away to help you organize your home !

There is a chance to win a Canadian Tire prize pack:

1 Family Laundry Basket
1 Storage and Cleaning Product Caddy
Stackable bins
Stackable 3-Drawer Tower
80L storage container with wheels

Just go to http://womenspost.ca/node/10624 and enter.

Happy New Years

2011-01-13T11:56:00.000-08:00

Its a little late but Happy New years to my followers . I know I haven't been blogging much lately but with holidays I get a little swept up in the fun stuff .

So it's a new year and during the holidays we all got a bunch of new stuff . Which of course means we have to find a place to put it . Haha . In my case it was a mountian of new toys for my lil girl K . I decided that this would be a good time to go through her toys and thin out the least played with . We played keep it . There were toys we gave to her cousins , CDA and closet keepers ( which are toys she occasionaly plays with that we rotate) .

I also found some under bed storage containers to put some books and puzzles in . Doing that gave me more shelf space for toys she plays with . I wound up getting rid of and entire shelf unit in her bedroom and relocating it to my hallway to put shoes and winter gear on .

Of course doing that makes me want to redo the whole house which is what I'm currently doing . I like the feeling of new year new space . It really energizes me and keeps me inspired when I work for my clients .

My short term goal is to purge once a month this year and have Canadian Diabetes or Big Brothers come monthly . This goal will help me to not be as materialistic . Now if only dear hubby would purge .

Art room

2010-12-17T12:57:00.000-08:00

This is a clients art room . This space really became functional once clear totes were used to sort through the art supplies . I was able to create a scrap booking box , painting supplies were all together, rainy day activities were grouped together for easy access and any supplies that had seen better days were chucked out / recycled .

Finished art work can be put into a binder or tote to keep them safe . Remember you don't need to keep everything they do . Let them go through and pick out their favorites and pick out your too . This will help keep your art contained .

Extra school supplies were grouped and stored in drawers for easy access .The electronic cables ,manuals and accessories were tied and labeled as well .

Photos

2010-11-04T14:23:00.000-07:00

I would like to save you all some future time. If you are one of those people who print doubles of every picture please stop . I have been and currently am still sorting and placing photos from the 70's till present day into albums and guess what . Almost every double was thrown out . Now I'm all for extra prints but seriously how many blurry , back of the head double pictures do you really need . Probably none .

So in the future scan your photo index card , sd card or whatever you have your pictures on and then print out doubles of the ones you want not the ones you don't . And if you can put them immediately into albums , scrapbooks etc instead of filing them into boxes . It will save you hours of sorting in the future .

Just to keep you updated

2010-10-02T19:09:00.001-07:00

I just finished organizing a clients daughters room . I have photos to come .

The client bought a new dresser and desk with a hutch . I put everything together and was able to sort through books and remove some from other rooms . The new dresser replaced the highboy dresser . Being lower down maximizes the use of the dresser for smaller children . Even thought the new one took up more space it became more useful to the space and client .

Tips:

-Drawer organizers are a great way to separate out your smaller items

- separate out your winter and summer wear and put them away when not using

- Space saver bags are great for blankets , sweaters , jackets and so much more

* keep a dryer sheet in the bag to keep them smelling fresh

- use your vertical space . This helps with keeping your floor space more usable

Happy organizing!

Staging a home

2010-09-17T21:37:00.000-07:00

Here is what I was working on today .

When you first walked into this home you saw the image on the left . The image on the right was after removing the extra clothing and nicknack's the entrance. It became a much move inviting space .

In the bathroom a quick organization of the cupboard under the sink and the space is cleared. I made enough space for items from around the house and the tub .

Here are some after shots of the rest of the house .

If interested in buying or selling a home check out http://www.moscrip.net/ .

Organizing your business

2010-09-07T09:16:00.000-07:00

I received an email a short while ago from the creator of Thrive Solutions Brenda Garcia .In this growing world its important to keep your business well kept Brenda helps with administrative support to small and home-based businesses . Their rates are reasonable and they have knowledge on lots of areas in business .

Organize your home and work .

Epic night uncluttering

2010-09-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

Moms busy night

Before we got started .

Late night epic organizing at J's house . With myself , J & A + 2 1/2 hours kid free we managed to sort quite a few boxes of baby clothes , toys and baby gear . We had a great system set up with our KEEP , SELL , DONATE , GARBAGE , KEEPSAKES piles . J was quite a trooper and plowed through boxes like a pro and A was an amazing source of encouragement prodding J along .

after the attack!

I love working with an empty closet . We labeled all tupperware and stacked them in according to the time of use each would be needed . All the clothing was sorted into sizes so J could bring the ones she needed upstairs and store the ones she would need later .

We condensed many boxes and have everything ready for selling , donating and going to the dump . Amazing work done in a short time . Hope this gets you motivated to call up your friends or family and have an uncluttering night together.

All this was leaving the house . Yay for progress !

It's all in the family

2010-08-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

Before and after

This is my Grans basement . Its not a space that was used much over the years so it was used for storage of many different types of items . I was visiting up there recently this summer and my Gran purchased a fridge for the basement suite since it is being used more often so my dad and myself made a nice

little eating area / kitchen . Inspiration come when you least expect it . Like me while on vacation . I enjoy putting positive energy into my work . It may not look spectacular ( the before and after ) but progress is progress not matter how big or small . Be proud of you accomplishments .

Some interesting history found in the piles . Welcome to BC Electrics , mint condition yoyo strings and an absolutely brand new like type writer . These are just a few examples of history that my Gran has stored.

K's Closet

2010-07-09T11:16:00.000-07:00

This last week was a re-purge week of clothing , linen and toys for my daughters room . I recently got K her big girl bed so all the crib sized sheets had to go . Her clothing was swapped out . Winter was put on the hanging shelf along with the clothing thats the next size up for her that way when the cold season comes along I can easily check to see if the larger stuff will fit her .

Since I cannot store K's baby clothes in our storage due to dampness and creepy crawlies it's all in boxes and totes in her closet ( or at a friends since we clothes swap which helps us control the chaos) and they are labeled 0-12 months 12m-3t and 6+ which she is going to grow into . I also have a tote of toys in the closet which I swap out every few months and if shes no longer interested in it then out the door it goes .

I've hung up her heavier sweaters and jackets for easy access since we live in North Vancouver and it rains a lot here.

I have put a basket of hats in the hanging shelf as well and a stack of very large puzzles that drive me crazy but are still available if she wants them (she has to ask first) . To top off my closet I have put a lovely child resistant door lock on so she cant pull everything out .

Hope this has inspired you . Happy organizing .

My Closet

2010-06-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

Well here it is folks . My Closet . Keep in mind that I do not have a dresser and I have limited bathroom and living room space so be nice . I am currently swapping out my old hangers for new ones one trip to Ikea at a time . I am lucky enough to have two hanging bars in my closet which I highly recommend . I had to be clever in using the right side of my closet since the space was so small . If only it was identical to the left side but alas it is not . I picked up this hanging sweater shelf at Walmart for around $10 and the white boxes are from Ikea . I hang my sweaters so using boxes for easy access to smaller items on this shelf was a huge plus . I have a very small shoe collection . See that little box on the bottom right photo . Thats it . If I had more I would probably store them under the second rack of clothing because they'd still be visible . I have done this with clients before and it has worked well .If you don't see them you tend to not wear them . I store my purses in my giant purse so they don't fall out everywhere . If I could change one thing about my closet it would have to be no sliding doors . If I had room to store them I would take them out and put up a curtain . I hate sliding the door back and forth putting my clothes away . Very annoying . If you can do it... DO IT ! Enjoy my closet . I hope it inspires you and happy organizing .

Wrap up on Karas room

2010-06-09T20:11:00.000-07:00

So here we have it . The last parts of the room with the exception of the closet and under bed storage which have yet to be redone .

Her bedside table has her bedtime books in the top drawer . Bottom drawer is socks, face cloths and slippers. .

Then in the corner is her private potty station with books and a cloth hamper hanging from the knob. I love this idea for a hamper especially when there is limited floor space and its easily portable as well .

Kara s new to her smaller dresser is great . Not only does it take up less space than the previous one but now there is another lower usable space for her to use . The smaller the dresser the better to limit clothing ( for me at least) . The image I posted is her top drawer with undies , swim suit , and jammies . I like to contain smaller clothing items in small totes within drawers. I visually separate long shirts from t-shirts warmer from cooler clothing so I can just grab and go instead of digging through a pile . Each of her drawers are separated this way . I just didn't want to post a million photos of the same thing .

Coming up my closet . Just got some more hangers from Ikea and Walmart . The right hangers can really help make a closet work well for you .

My cutlery / utility drawers

2010-06-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

So here we are another snippet of my life uncluttered . My lovely kitchen drawers . First drawer is the top one and yes I added organizers to my organizer . I always look for ways of making what I have work better and I needed separation of my utensils . Knives are further back and harder to reach for my little one and the higher sides also help . Less used items are also at the back so they don't take up the good drawer real estate

Second drawer is dedicated to baking since I do a lot of test kitchens for my wheatless blog http://imwheatless.blogspot.com/ . I have reversed this holder since I have more smaller items that I use quite often and I don't mind if my daughter wanders off with some cups or spoons .

Hope this inspires you to take at look at your drawers to see what else you can do !

Blog button now available !

2010-06-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

I am not a tech wizard but thanks to Amanda at http://monpetitshoo.blogspot.com/ I now have a blog button . Thanks so much for giving me the link http://a-heart4home.blogspot.com/2009/04/blog-button-with-text-box-for-code.html so I can be shared even more with this world . Next step a button for my wheatless followers !

Kara s Bedroom in progress

2010-06-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

I recently took a quick jaunt out to ikea and picked up some wonderful clear and pink totes . I am currently still re-organizing her room as she just got a new smaller dresser and a big girl bed . So next step is under bed storage and getting a book for her dvds . I have had the luck of garage sales on my side this last weekend . I pick up a cute box kitchen ( big shelf, middle area, under the tv ) to replace the monsterous one taking up 3' of space .

I'm always looking for ways of improvement in my home .It might drive my hubby nuts but he never puts anything away anyways . Today I'm going through my kitchen drawers . I will post more later when I am done .

A walk around my house

2010-06-04T11:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my home . This is my organized chaos . It may be cluttered looking but in fact its very organized . Everything has its place and in some cases are labeled . The first image is my Art cupboard that is shared with my daughter . I have the top 2 shelves for my painting and other crafts and all of Kara s art supplies is contained in boxes with her name and in the boxes her crafts are zipped in bags .

Next image is my pantry . Candy waaaaay up high away from lil fingers (u cant see be they are displayed beautifully in mason jars like an old candy store) . My spices (contained in wipe containers ) , rice, pasta altogether on one shelf . Baking on the next . Then the okay snacks on the bottom shelf and a chip bin for my hubby . Eventually I will get another small shelf like the one on the bottom but until then I just make do . The small shelf on the bottom has my canned goods . Grouped of course as fruit/veggies , then soup .

Hello linen closet . I love this ikea system . There are 2 here stacked on top of each other . Top drawer is candles, flash lights and batteries for emergencies . 3 drawers for towels / hand towels / face clothes. 1 drawer for kitchen towel / cleaning cloths . 1 drawer blankets , 1 for bed linen , 1 for table linen. My handy dandy tool box on the top for those quick fixes and my work basket easy to grab and go . Very top shelf are some games and my printer which I rarely use . I always use the top shelf for my less used items .

I hope you enjoyed this small tour of my home . More to come as my projects get finished . I'm working on my daughters room and my closet right now as our storage situation keeps changing .

Happy organizing !

Lucky Duck Toy Box

2010-06-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

I recently wrote an article for http://www.yoyomama.ca/ about organizing children s rooms . When the article was published I soon after received an email from one of their followers Michelle Shackleford .

After taking a look at her website I knew this was something that needed to be shared .

Michelle runs a Vancouver based business called Lucky Duck Toy Box which was launched just last year. It is a toy rental / delivery service . The idea for toy rental occurred to Michelle when her daughter was 6 months old.  She was playing on her living room floor with her daughter with a basket of toys when she realized not only was the basket full, but her daughter no longer played with many of the toys in the basket - some she had never played with. Michelle knew her daughter needed a new set of engaging toys that were appropriate to her developmental level . Like so many of us she didn't like the idea of purchasing more toys when she already had a bunch sitting in her house .

Michelle did some research on the toy rental / delivery business and found that Singapore , Australia and France had this service but no one in Vancouver had anything like it . Not anymore!

Instead of shipping, Lucky Duck Toy Box delivers and picks up toys directly to and from Vancouver homes and offices, much like an organic home food delivery (her inspiration) or a diaper service works. They are currently serving the City of Vancouver and plan on expanding as the business grows.

At Lucky duck toy box they make sure all toys are sanitized by British Columbia's Health Services Recommended Cleaning Procedure for daycare toys and All of their cleaning products are environmentally friendly. They currently test their toys for lead using the Top Lead Test Kit from Lead Inspector  and keep up to date on any toy recalls from Canada and the US to help keep your child safe while playing .

Michelle accepts donations as well . Just email her at either michelle.shackleford@luckyducktoybox.com or info@luckyducktoybox.com
or phone her at (604) 551 - 4528. Arrangements will be made to pick the toys up from your home. They accept toys that are in good condition and preferably don't require batteries. Any toys that are not rent-able  Michelle donates to Share Family Services http://www.sharesociety.ca

This is a super idea to help minimize your toy chaos . Thanks Michelle for bringing this service to Vancouver!

On a budget

2010-05-31T21:52:00.000-07:00

If you are working on a tight budget use what you have around you . Ziploc bags can be handy for office and arts n craft supplies . Got small kids ? Re-use those plastic wipe containers to round up those small blocks , cars , figurines , and crayons . You can make magazine and paper holders out of old cereal boxes by cutting off the top and corner piece . Decorate them with paper or paint them .

Check me out on yoyomama!

2010-05-26T12:30:00.001-07:00

http://www.yoyomama.ca/2010/05/sleek-and-streamlined/

DVDs & CDs

2010-05-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

I recently suggested to a client (mom) that instead of having her DVDs in their cases to have them in a CD booklet with a master list printed on the front to relieve some shelf space . This is a great idea when dealing with limited space . Another great idea is to separate them into types of movies creating your own library . It does take time but in the end is quite rewarding and visually less cluttered . Store the DVD cases safely in a labeled box . When putting your DVDs away take a few minutes to go through them and edit out any you don't want anymore . Same rules can be applied to your CDs as well . Happy uncluttering!

Filing containers

2010-05-21T21:59:00.000-07:00

I'm sure we all tired of seeing those hideously obvious looking file boxes lurking in our home office. Here is a great file box for your home office that is more stylish than ever before. These are available at Staples for $13.99 .

http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=3,43,63,65&webid=822472&affixedcode=WW

Paper

2010-05-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

Get your papers organized . With compartments measuring 9" X 12" and plastic channels and labels this little box will have you organized in no time . Great for the office , craft room , and children s room . $20.93 at Staples .

http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=3,43,63,66&webid=763616&affixedcode=WW

Micro Organizing

2010-05-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

Here is an amazing box with stackable compartments . Perfect for office supplies , crafts , sewing and those small loose ends in the garage . Easy access to each level as they just lift out . Get rid or you junk drawer and micro organize your life . Boxes are available at $24.99 and trays at $4.99 .You can also use the trays in your drawers to organize there as well .

http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=3,43,63,67&webid=782918&affixedcode=WW