Under Bathroom Sink Organization Project

Happy Christmas Week!!

I can't believe it's the week of Christmas- this month has flown by! Today I just want to share a quick organizing project I did recently. Under our bathroom sink has looked like this since we moved in:

A total disaster. I literally would just toss products in here because there was no place for them to stand upright. I had no idea what was in the back and it was just a nightmare trying to find anything.

So I did what I always recommend everyone to do- pull everything out, organize into categories and put everything back in! Remember it always gets worse before it gets better. 

I picked up two new organizing products from The Container Store to help me organize.

The first is the Silver 2 drawer mesh organizer which is a reasonably priced container at $25. I feel like sometimes organizing products can get a little ridiculous, but $25 doesn't seem bad for the amount of products it holds!

The second product is the iDesign Linus Deep Turntable  which I think is another reasonable product, the large one I got is $19. I decided to use this to store all my cleaning supplies.

The only other product I used was a basket that I bought at Target years ago. Everything fit back in the cupboard neatly and having just a few places to corral products truly made a huge difference! 

It's definitely not "pinterest worthy" but not every organization project has to be about that. Most of the time you simply need to be able to organize in order to make your life easier! Every day I benefit from this project and I'm so glad I finally completed it!

Guys, I have so many projects (organizing/cleaning/redecorating/renovating) that I want to complete in the near future, so make sure you stick around!!

Have a great day!!

 

Keep Busy During Quarantine, Organize and Binge

Happy April fools Day, April 1st, Hump Day everyone!

I know that everyone is sick of being stuck at home at this point and it might be extra hard for all you extroverts who thrive on human contact. I'm an introvert and honestly my preference is always to be at home but this even has me wishing I could browse the aisles of HomeGoods, go out to dinner, and see all my friends and family.

I am fortunately still working from home during this time but I know many people are furloughed, laid off, or otherwise have no work to keep them occupied for even part of the day. I wanted to share some areas you can organize during this time and also some shows and podcasts you can binge during this time.

Areas To Organize/Declutter

• Coat Closet: This is a great time to go through all of your coats and see what you have worn this year and what you can potentially clear out. I recently donated a bunch of clothes and before I took them for donation I quickly went through our coat closet and found a coat that I haven't worn in years that I finally was ready to pass on. 

• Clothes: I recently went through my closet and dresser drawers and I was able to pass on quite a few things. I regularly declutter my clothes but I'm always surprised how many things I actually can get rid of each time. I try to be honest with myself and think about the clothing that I try on and then hang back up because I don't like the way it looks. It's also a great time to list your clothes on Poshmark to sell! If you have the time why not make a little bit of money on the nicer clothes?

• Under the Bathroom Sink: This is a great spot to declutter right now because you can really take the time to check expiration dates for beauty products and organize them the way that makes most sense for your daily routine. 

• Pantry/ Fridge: I did both of these recently and it was great to go through everything. I honestly just wanted a good idea of what we had to work with especially with everything going on. I went through every item of food and reorganized everything so it made sense. We also were able to buy groceries and spend less money because we knew what we had. It also prevents us having to make extra trips when right now we don't want to go to the store unless it's absolutely necessary! 

Shows To Binge

• Good Girls: Have you seen this show yet? It's hilarious! I highly recommend it.
• The Office: I just finished watching this and I still laugh hysterically even though I've seen it a dozen times.
• Friends: One of my all time favorites but unfortunately you will need the DVDs or to pay for them right now.
• Tiger King: Have you watched this train wreck yet? If you haven't go check it out!
• The Circle: I really enjoyed this reality tv show and even Tim got into it!
• Love Is Blind: So good!

Podcasts To Binge

• YoungHouseLove Has a Podcast: I love John and Sherry and they are always entertaining!
• The Office Ladies: This is a new favorite for me, but anything Office and I'm in!

What have you been organizing and binging lately? I am planning on sharing some organization projects with you soon to hopefully inspire you!

Have a great day!

Packing Up Our Apartment

Hey everyone! Today I wanted to share how the packing of our apartment is going....

Despite the look of our guest bedroom in this picture, it's going well! I'm trying to stay organized and get as much done as possible before we officially close. Our closing is set for this Thursday and we gave notice at our apartment for the 30th. So we have to be out by the end of the month and have a little bit of time but I really want to get in much sooner. Once we close I will start packing even more stuff but for now at least I have a ton of decor packed away and all the items we don't use daily.

I wanted to share how I'm staying organized during this move and how I can tell you exactly what is in each box!

As you can see, I've given each box a number and labeled it with the room it will be put in at the new house. The room labels so far are: Master Bedroom, Guest Room, Living Room, Kitchen, and Office.  On moving day it will be easy for anyone carrying a box to know exactly what room it should go in. I've written it on the top and side of the box.

I've put all the boxes in the guest room and along walls so they don't get too in the way since we are still trying to live here. 

Now, the biggest thing I'm doing is keeping track what's inside each box. In Google Sheets I mark the box, the location of where the items were in our current apartment, where it should be unpacked and then the general contents. 

Here is a screenshot of my spreadsheet:

In addition to my spreadsheet I also have a Google Doc with each box and exactly every item that is inside. This way if I'm looking for something in particular I can find it quickly. I'm hoping this will help make unpacking in the new house quick and easy!

I realize this is being insanely organized but I can't help it! I just want to make this process as easy as possible and organizing is the number one way I know how to help. I will keep you all updated on the progress but hopefully next weekend we will be in the house getting it ready for move in!!!

Have a great day!

Spring Cleaning: Front Hall Closet (GIVEAWAY!)

Hey loves!

Today is the first episode of my Spring Cleaning series and we are starting small with the front hall closet. 

In my usual forgetfulness I didn't take a before picture but if I'm being honest the before and after wasn't too different. I mostly just wanted to wipe down the shelf and vacuum the floor. There wasn't a whole lot that needed to be decluttered. In this closet we keep our coats, board games, some shoes, and a few other random items.

The first thing I did was pull everything out of the closet and pile it in the kitchen. Then I wiped down the shelf and used my vacuum to clean the floor. 

As I put things back I tired to keep my coats on one side and Tim's coats on the other. I'm sure we have more coats then we really need but I truly wear all the coats from my side and Tim's stuff is his responsibility to declutter.

On the top shelf I stacked up our games and found a spot for my dance bags. I'm not sure why I insist on keeping all my dance stuff ready to go, but I like to have it here. The second bag is for my dance team stuff so that is necessary to bring when I coach.

I keep a  few extra hangers available in case we have guests who want to hang up their coats in the closet.

I despise our floors, they are so gross looking. I can't wait to buy a house and chose my own floors at some point!

On the floor I kept my rainboots, my uggs, Tim's boots, Tim's lunchbox, a shovel, car cleaning supplies and my step stool. In the back I also have a poster with a picture of me from Halloween when I was little and the poster from my bridal shower. To the right side there are also a few golf clubs and a golf umbrella. 

Overall the only thing that didn't put back in here was a gaming chair that Tim has never used but it definitely gave us a little more room.

Now for the exciting news, I am hosting a giveaway!!

If you haven't heard, The Home Edit just released their first book and let me tell you it's incredible! The pictures are gorgeous and their method for organizing and making things look beautiful is perfect. I adore their Instagram (thehomeedit) and want to share the inspiration with all of you so in addition to buying a book for myself, I picked one up to share with one of you! In order to enter the giveaway you can head HERE.

This giveaway will be open until April 3rd at 11:59PM and I will announce the winner here shortly after. This giveaway is only open to those located in the United States. Good luck!

In addition to this post I also filmed a front hall closet clean with me video which you can check out here.

Spring Cleaning Plan 2019

Hey loves!

Spring is almost here! I'm starting to think about spring cleaning and getting our apartment into tip top shape.  Today I want to share my plan for spring cleaning with you guys in hopes that it will inspire you to get ready for your spring cleaning. I plan on doing a few posts about the cleaning I'm going to do and I'm trying to build up my bravery to create some cleaning videos on YouTube....So we will see what happens!

I've split my spring cleaning list into locations so it's easy to follow along if you want to clean along with me. So here's what I have planned so far:

Kitchen

• Move fridge and clean/vacuum behind 
• Declutter all cabinets/drawers and wipe down inside and out
• Clean out inside of fridge
• Tidy up pantry
• Vacuum/Mop Floors
• Clean out trashcan
• Wash rug
• Vinegar rinse faucet/sprayer

Front Hall Closet

• Remove everything and declutter
• Scrub closet shelf
• Vacuum and Mop

Living Room

• Move couch and clean behind (baseboards and vacuum)
• Dust all furniture- every nook and cranny
• Clean out and wipe down seat storage
• Clean out/declutter baskets
• Vacuum everything

Bathroom

• Good scrub to shower, sink and toiler
• Clean out/declutter cabinet
• Vacuum/Mop
• Clean trash can

Middle Room/Office

• Clean and declutter desk and table
• Wash out recycling bins
• Declutter/Clean Alex 9 Drawer
• Declutter/Straighten Up Jewelry Armoire
• Wipe down baseboars
• Vacuum/Mop

Our Bedroom

• Vacuum out closet
• Vacuum room
• Dust
• Baseboards

2nd Bedroom/Storage

• Straighten up closet
• Go through dresser and nightstand
• Dust everything
• Baseboards
• Vacuum

Car

• Wipe everything down
• Vacuum
• Car wash

What are your plans for spring cleaning? Share what areas you're most anxious to get to in the comments!

Our Wedding: List Number One

Today I'm sharing a bit of wedding organization with you guys! We really hit the ground running since we are planning a wedding in eight months- we have less then seven months to go so I thought I would share how I'm organizing all my planning.

I decided to make three lists to split up my wedding tasks. The first list I am planning to complete before May, the second must be completed by the end of August and the third is the final list to be completed by our wedding day.  Today I want to share what was on list number one and what we've already completed, I will be sharing my next two lists in the upcoming months as well- don't worry I'm taking you along for every step of this journey!

Wedding To Do List #1

• Go to bridal expo  We really enjoyed this! It gave us quite a few ideas and we got a ton of free stuff! To see our day at the wedding expo you can check that out here.
• make bridesmaid proposal gifts and give them out  You can see my bridesmaid proposals here!
• meet and hire photographer We hired Carissa from Ella Grace Photography and are THRILLED with our decision- she is fantastic!
• meet with Peggy at The Rotunda We met up with Peggy one Saturday to view the inside. She was great and gave us some great insight on using the floor plan!
• make appointment at Davids Bridal I made an appointment for April 14th and I can't wait to spend quality time with Rachel and my mom trying on dresses
• engagement shoot We had the best time working with Carissa even though it was freezing on this day!
• insure ring this was super easy to do- I signed up through Jewelers Mutual and it was much cheaper then I thought and certainly gives me peace of mind!
• get ring resized again, super easy to do and I was just putting it off because I didn't want to give up my ring. I went to Simply Majestic and had a great experience- it was done so quickly!
• create wedding website I just used the free website TheKnot does and have started to put our information on there
• book Kayla for hair- I briefly spoke to her about this but want to make sure she is completely booked for my day! I actually will see her later today and plan on checking with her then
• book Laura for makeup I checked with Laura and we will be setting up my trial soon!
• book hotel for wedding night- Tim is currently working on this!
• block hotel rooms for guests done! The credit for this goes all to Tim- he has been dealing with the hotels which has been so helpful!
• book caterer Once again, the credit for this goes to Tim! I did put the deposit down for this and went with Tim to drop off the contract- so it was a team effort!
• order save the dates and get them mailed out- We are waiting for our pictures to come back and then this will get checked off- hopefully in the next couple of weeks!
• book videographer My brothers best friend will be our videographer for our wedding day! I'm happy to have someone we trust and know well to do this important task! 
• book DJ Another point for Tim- he's the one who contacted Dr Graeme and booked him. 
• register for gifts we have three registries going right now and although we will be revisiting them in the future to add I'm sure I'm counting this as done!

We've had a very busy first month planning and have almost this entire list crossed off! In a few weeks I'll share list number 2 as I start to work on that next!

What were the most important things on your wedding to do list?

Have a great day everybody!

Two Drawer Declutter

In January I always make a list of places in my home that I would like to organize and this year our second bedroom nightstand drawers made the list. If I'm being honest I've just been shoving things in there for a long time. Not sure where to put it? Second bedroom! Doesn't fit into any other category? Second bedroom! I swear that room is becoming my junk room slowly but surely. 

Anyways, it was time to do a quick declutter and get organized.

Here's what we were starting with...

The top drawer just had a massive collection of random items. Crafting items, stickers, decor items I'm not currently using, you name it.

The second drawer mostly holds tools. We don't require many tools here in our apartment but these are just some things that we have accumulated in the time we've lived here. They were just all kind of thrown in there and I knew I needed to find a slightly better solution for all the screws and nails that were just floating around the drawer.

Here's the after! Still a little crowded and not entirely organized but now all the screws and nails and other random small pieces are contained in jars. I think this will be perfect for now until the day we have a basement, garage or shed to store all our tools!

One item to toss so far! This food dye was expired and I used it for a project and then never touched it again so it was time to get tossed.

Here's my top drawer after! Now I can see everything that's in here even though it's still a random assortment of items.

I had quite a few items to get rid of which I plan on possibly selling at a yard sale in the future or donating.

A ton of items just didn't belong in here and needed to find new homes. I had some decor items I'm not currently using that needed to be stored somewhere different, my vacuum attachment should live with my vacuum, and some travel bags and containers that needed to live with the other ones! The stickers got moved to my desk area where it makes more sense to house them.

Not a ton of items to toss but I found some expired seeds that were a freebie, some bath accessories I needed to toss and some paper products to be recycled.

Quick Pantry Clean

Good morning everyone!

Today I'm sharing with you a quick project I did on Friday night. I got home from working both jobs and was feeling really motivated so I decided to take everything off my pantry shelves and put everything back in neatly!

I didn't take a proper before picture but if you head over to my youtube channel you can see a quick video of me emptying everything out of the pantry and putting it all back in. I'm still trying to figure out my Canon Rebel and I think I need to order a new memory card because it got full awful quickly! Anyone out there who uses a DSLR camera who has any tips on memory cards and filming HD videos feel free to send them my way!

Anyways, I moved a few things around in the process- our crockpot has been moved onto our blue table in the middle room. It took the place of Tim's popcorn machine he never uses which was sent into the second bedroom to be stored. (It will be great in a man cave someday!) I also put our blender into the second bedroom to be stored- we hardly ever use it but I feel it's one of those kitchen appliances we need to keep.

Here's what each shelf looks like now:

Our top shelf has all of Tim's coffee on the left. I didn't want to toss anything without talking to him first but we will be going through the coffee since I'm pretty sure some of it is old. I also have some tea samples in the center of the shelf. On the right side is our glass pans for baking. Usually our colander sits in front of this but it was dirty when I took this picture.

The second shelf holds baking items like flour and sugar but also holds my teabags for my morning tea and the toaster. We don't have enough room on our counter for all our appliances so I tucked this inside the pantry for easy access. In the back is pancake mix and extra syrup, a container that normally holds cereal and some refill Brita filters.

Our third shelf holds quite a bit. On the left is some hot chocolate supplies while along the back wall lives all of our pasta, rice, beans and other meal supplies. The bin on the right is full of candy and gum from Christmas. I swear this was empty before Christmas!

The bottom shelf holds Tim's pizza stone. On top of it I placed some snack foods and on the right we have all our bread products.

On the floor my pink bin is still working great for holding water bottles and I keep all of our plastic grocery bags on the right side so I can return and recycle them at the grocery store. 

The door shelves stayed pretty much the same. I did check the expiration dates and everything was still good so I kept everything pretty much where it was.

I did throw out a few snack foods that were past their prime but for the most part this is all the same stuff just placed inside the pantry in a neat and organize fashion. Just goes to show you how much of a difference a small tidy can make!

Creating An Effective Cleaning and Organizing Plan For The New Year

As much as I hate to admit it...I love cleaning.

Please don't tell Tim.

I love making our apartment sparkle and vacuuming makes me want to dance around. I don't know why I'm this way...but I am. I realize that not everyone loves to clean and I also know that most people don't even like to clean. If I'm being honest the last thing I want to do when I come home from work is clean up the apartment- the days I like to clean are the ones when I am home all day to enjoy it. Let's be honest I'd be a great housewife :)

It's no secret I love to organize so let's not even try to justify that.

So today we aren't just talking about my love of organizing and cleaning we are talking about how everyone can create a plan that works for them and their life! I've also sprinkled in some old photos of my apartment looking clean just to inspire!

Clean When It Works For You

This is one of the biggest tips I can give you. There are all sorts of cleaning schedules out there but they may not necessarily work for you. If you have a ton of kids you might have to do a load of laundry every day in order to stay caught up while if it's just you and one other you may be able to just do laundry one day a week.

If you wear shoes in the house you might need to vacuum and mop quite a few times throughout the course of the week and if you don't you might only need to vacuum once or twice.

Your cleaning schedule is completely based on your lifestyle. You may like things super clean and dust daily, you might not mind a mess and let it go for weeks. Decide for yourself what you want your home to look and feel like and go from there.

I personally like my "reset" method. I clean a little bit throughout the week- doing dishes, vacuuming, etc.. but let Tim make a mess of his side of the couch and coffee table. Then on one weekend day I do a "reset" and everything has to be cleaned. I clean out the fridge, change the sheets, do all the laundry, etc.

This allows Tim to live the way he wants to- aka not picking up after himself constantly and allows me to keep my sanity by getting everything completely clean before the start of the next week.

That being said there are some things I make sure to complete daily such as doing all the dishes and getting the kitchen cleaned up but if I'm being realistic it doesn't always happen!

A Place For Everything

I cannot stress enough how this will change your organizing life! I make sure that every item we own has a specific place to go. If something doesn't have a place we either get rid of it or find it one. I am constantly decluttering and getting rid of items we don't want or need. I go through my clothes, I go through papers that are sitting around, I ask Tim to go through his belongings. We don't keep things that we don't want or need and that allows us to be more organized.

I don't follow a specific organizing plan- I go through everything constantly so I don't think I really need to but if you are looking for a specific plan I suggest you make your own! Think about how often you'd like to go through each type of item. Going through your closet seasonally is a great way to do it. See what you didn't wear at all in the last season and donate it! I've also become a big fan of Poshmark and would highly recommend it as a way to make a little bit of money off of used clothing. 

I have also made lists of sections of my home to organize and having a list to check off makes you feel super productive. Think of all the places you haven't organized in awhile. Is it your closet or garage? Go through everything and you will feel so much better when it's completed. Keep a list of all the places you want to organize throughout the year and when you are feeling motivated go get one checked off! No rush on completing a project like this, just get to it whenever you feel motivated! 

Work With Products You Love

I absolutely adore both of my Dyson vacuums! My cordless Dyson (picture above) is great for day to day cleaning. I use this to clean up daily and it works great for all types of messes. When I want to get a really deep clean I use my other Dyson which is great on our carpets and I feel like it sucks up everything! I can't say enough good things about Dyson and would highly recommend them to anyone who is looking for a new vacuum. They are 100% worth the price and Tim always jokes that I'm starting a "collection" by having two and I can't even tell him he's wrong because that is one of the few things I would ever want to collect!

I also have fallen in love with a few multi-purpose cleaners. You have to find scents that you love and it will make cleaning so much more enjoyable. I personally am loving Mrs. Meyers Honeysuckle and Method Ocean Waves. I have also heard that Mrs. Meyers will be releasing a new mint scent which sounds amazing and I can't wait to try it!

I know I've linked them in the past but Makers Cleaning Cloths are amazing and I really love supporting Melissa Maker by purchasing them!

I am planning on doing more clean with me videos on my YouTube and have a lot of big plans to share even more cleaning and organizing with you this year! I hope these tips helped and you can come up with an effective cleaning and organizing plan for the new year. Everyone is different which means your plan will be unique to you- but I'm happy to share tips and help- just comment below or send me a message!

Happy cleaning and organizing!

Organized Cookware

Long time no organizing projects! Let's change that today and I'll show you my recent re-organization of my cookware. 

I think we are growing out of our apartment slowly but surely. I'm noticing as we acquire more items we need, our kitchen feels smaller and smaller. I try to declutter and keep our possessions to a minimum as much as possible, but sometimes there are things we need- such as different kinds of cookware and one cupboard wasn't able to hold it neatly anymore.

So I ended up purchasing a pan organizer from Amazon with the idea that it would solve all of my problems.

It's such a simple concept but it truly did make a difference since I was able to use some vertical space to keep these pans.

Pretty good! The only problem is that is only four pans. I ended up moving quite a few of the items that previously lived in this cupboard into other cupboards. There was too much going on in here and it stressed me out every time I needed to grab something!

Here's what ended up staying in here...

I would like to eventually grab a desk organizer to keep my cutting boards organized but I think for now it looks pretty good! It's a much cleaner look and I'm not scared to open those doors anymore!

Here's what found new homes...

My cookie trays, pizza pan and muffin tin went into the drawer under the stove which was completely empty.

My strainer went to the top of the pantry where I just made a little bit of room.

I'm very happy with how this turned out and I think our kitchen will work a lot better for us!

What organizing projects have you completed lately?

Getting Organized in 2017: Our Closet Revamp

Our closet was completely packed, completely packed. I decided it was time to go through my clothing and get rid of anything I haven't worn in awhile and anything I knew I wouldn't wear soon. I decided that while I was planning this project I would pick up some Huggable Hangers to create two to three times as much room in my closet! Since buying all new hangers is a little pricey I know this project will take me awhile to complete.

I ended up buying six packs of Huggable Hangers and man did they go quickly!

Here's where I started off, I had a few things in the wash but for the most part this is my closet. There were many items in here that I just didn't feel good wearing and I knew I needed to just get rid of them.

Look how many items I was able to fit more comfortably with the Huggable Hangers! I also donated a ton of items along the way which was great.

I still have quite a few items that need to be transferred onto new hangers, I just need to save up for my next set of hangers!

Although I didn't take pictures of Tim's side of the closet once he realized I was cleaning out my wardrobe he decided to do the same! (I love when he gets motivated to clean up!) We ended up with a ton of hangers between the clothes we got rid of and the clothes we moved onto the new hangers. 

I ended up with two bags of clothes and accessories and Tim ended up with thee bags of his clothes (unpictured). We ended up donating them last weekend and it feels so freeing to have all of those gone! I will keep you updated as out whole closet gets changed over to our new hangers and we gain more room. I will also keep you updated as I organize other areas of our apartment this year!

Nailpolish Declutter

I have been in the mood to declutter lately and I found a great drawer for my next session.

My nail polish collection has slowly gotten out of control. I paint my toenails pretty regularly but don't paint my nails much anymore. Most of this polish came in random Birchboxes, Pinch Me Boxes, and I picked up free couponing so it quickly filled up this drawer! 

I had gotten rid of few polishes here and there but it was time to really dive in and toss what I didn't love, what was old, and also some of it was actually separating or clumpy....yuck!

I ended up getting rid of quite a few things I was honestly impressed with myself.

This was my final get rid of pile:

27 bottles of nail polish, two nail pens, and various old nail files later we had a nice clean drawer!

Now I can see everything and my collection is more streamlined. I only use Seche Vite as my top coat so I no longer have five top coats that I'll never use. So many of my polishes were super clumpy and many were colors I received without choosing them so there were a lot of colors I didn't love anyways. Now it's so much more manageable and there is room to grow if I see any new colors I have to have!

What does your nail polish collection look like?

Apartment Living: The Living Room

Welcome to our living room!

You've seen a couple pictures of the living room in this post where I shared the ladder bookshelf I decorated from Kohls but today I'm here to share the rest of our living room! 

I love our minimalistic living room. Less stuff, less stress! As I shared before, we bought our couch from Jordan's furniture. So far we absolutely love it. There's nothing better then lounging on the couch after a long day at work. It's so nice to have room to spread out. Our coffee table was an internet buy from Kohls. The corners are awful sharp so I would not recommend it if you have kids in the house, but it's working for us right now. The candy bowl is another Kohl's purchase and has been quite dangerous as we keep it pretty fully stocked.

The above is a more recent picture. We have purchased a basket to hold a couple throw blankets and some coasters and received the candle as a gift.

Behind the couch we have the ladder bookshelf and this smaller white bookshelf my dad built for me when I was younger. I don't hold onto a ton of books, only ones that I will re-read but nevertheless this bookshelf is packed. It also has the same beach theme from our previous bedroom.

I love the sign above the bookshelf. Tim picked it out in Target which was super sweet.

We also may have bought a new tv which was one of our favorite purchases so far! Yes, I was watching Gossip Girl when I took this picture :)

In addition to everything above, we've also started a gallery wall which I will be sharing soon! So far it's more frames then pictures but soon we will have pictures to fill a ton of frames!

We still plan on purchasing floor lamps for either side of the tv stand. We also talked about a side table but I'm not even sure we need one. I love how this room is coming along and it's my favorite room in the apartment!