Big Daddy List of Organization Projects

Semi-Unrelated Note: I've got some good thisclose-to-being-done laundry room pics, I just need to get them up here. Hoping to get that done today or tomorrow. 

I was reading {Ducks In A Row} last week and {the post} (excellent by the way; all about keeping reality in mind while organizing) referenced Laurel's 52 Weeks of Organizing project. That project struck me as brilliant. She shared her list and the items on it were really manageable (clean shower heads, hang pin board in closet, organize medicine cabinet, etc.), and she allotted one week during the year to get each organizing project done.

Since I've been feeling really overwhelmed and under-confident about DIY lately, this whole thing seemed like something I really need right now; tasks that I can actually tackle and complete by myself (for the most part) that don't involve a table saw. 

I didn't come up with 52 since we're already a third of the way through the year. I think I came up with close to 30 though. I may add some as I think of them. 

Here ya go:

Clean out and organize coat closet. Something like this. Sigh.

via

Clean out and organize Chris's closet

Maximize space and organization in blue bathroom closet

Completely organize under kitchen sink. Just like Jen.

via

Totally organize all table linens

Organize and functionalize Man Cave closet

Organize Man Cave desk

Create jewelry organizer

via

Organize jewelry and get rid of unworn stuff

Get bedroom tv cords organized

Organize and functionalize guest room closet

Organize and functionalize guest room dresser and night stand

Organize all spices in spice drawer

via

Organize screws

Organize drill bits

via

Organize screw drivers

 

Better organize sandpaper binder

 

Organize auto care stuff 

Go through camping and fishing stuff, organize, and throw away unused stuff.

Organize travel items (suitcases, etc) 

Make completely organized and grab-and-go travel toiletries kits for me and Chris

via

  Itemize and take pictures of everything for insurance

Organize all 2012 photos and move onto cd

Organize and backup computer harddrive

Make hanging organizational items in master closets for belts, robes, etc.

Create easy and functional storage for all hand power tools

Organize dremel accessories

Major Kitchen Organization Overhaul Update 5: Drawer Liner

Number five on The List is "Install pretty drawer liner." I crossed it off, but I have to warn you: I'm using the word pretty extremely liberally. Let's take a moment to talk about Contact paper. You can buy very pretty drawer liner online or even at Target. But it's expensive! So I went to Wal-Mart (I know, I know...). It was there that I learned that someone is still living in the late 90s; I'm guessing it's their drawer liner buyer. She needs a ride in a time machine stat. Of all the choices, this was the best I could find:

Yes, it's pebbly

So, after spending 30 minutes in the aisle, hemming and hawing over 4 ugly options, I chose the blue pebbles. I just bit the bullet and reminded myself that this is d r a w e r  l i n e r. No matter how ugly, everything's gonna be ok. 

Silverware drawer with the "pretty" drawer liner

It's in all of my kitchen drawers now and the world hasn't ended...yet. Once I put it in, I actually kind of liked it. Shhhhh....

What do you think?

~Liz

Major Kitchen Organization Overhaul Update 4: Design Boards

Creating design boards was item four on The List. Until two nights ago, I had never made a design board. Now I'm an addict! They are so fun!! I made one for the laundry room and one for the kitchen. The laundry room design board was more fun because we're actually making some big visual changes in there. Most of the changes in the kitchen are happening behind the cabinet doors. 

Laundry Room Design Board

1. The Aesthetic Writer 2. The Quaint Cottage 3. Things That Inspire 4. Lowe's
5. Anthropologie 6. Southern Living 7. Sweet Pickins and Ana White Homemaker

Kitchen Design Board

1. Storage Glee 2. Family Handyman 3. Ask Anna... 4. Remodelaholic.com 5. Real Simple 6. Good Housekeeping
7. I Heart Organizing 8. Breakfast for Dinner 9. Coupon Connections 10. Pinterest :-/ 11. Delightful Order

I'm sorry about the couple of photos that don't have great sources. Lesson learned from this exercise: make sure there's an actual, clickable source associated with a pin before using a pic in a design board. Duly noted.

~Liz

Major Kitchen Overhaul Update 3: Cabinet Re-Assignment

Number three on my list is to re-assign the cabinets in the kitchen/laundry room to make food, dishes, and cleaning products storage make more sense. Here's a look at what each cabinet was being used for Before:

When I rearranged the cabinets, I had a couple goals in mind. First, I wanted to keep like things together. Previously, I had cleaning supplies in at least two different places and food being stored in both the kitchen and the laundry room. Secondly, I wanted to improve the flow of our open-but-smallish kitchen. The dishes were conveniently located above the dishwasher. Except it wasn't all that conveneint because it was hard to reach the cabinets to get the dishes in them when the dishwasher was open. And the person setting the table (me) was always in the way of the cook (Big Tex) when trying to gather plates and silverware. Spices were nowhere near the stove or counter.

Below, check out the new arrangement. It's still not perfect, but it's getting there. Over time, I'll be able to get a real feel for what kind of arrangement we need, and then we can tweak it.  

That's it! I know I'll be changing things up slightly in the near future because I'm not crazy about how tightly packed my canned goods are in their new home. I need to find a better place for them. But, overall, I'm happier with the new arrangement than I was before. 

I'll be back in a few days with another update!

~Liz

Major Kitchen Organization Overhaul Update 2: Clutter Removal

Item number two on my list is: Clean out clutter and get rid of crap we don't use. This really is such an important step because both the kitchen and laundry room end up as repositories for old or not-all-that-useful stuff that doesn't really belong. The following is a partial list of the clutter-removal I completed:

• I brought a bunch of mismatched cups and mugs to work to leave in the break room; they'll get plenty of use there and no one cares if they don't match! 
• We had an inexplicably large number of beer coozies, many of which I brought to Goodwill. 
• I tossed out some old hoses (I think maybe related to the washing machine?) that were stored in the laundry room cabinets. 
• I threw out so many way-expired canned goods and dry mixes that I felt like I was on an episode of Hoarders. 
• I actually threw away a bottle of medicine that expired 12 years ago. 

12 years ago?!? Yeah, it was time for a real intervention. 

~Liz

Major Kitchen Organization Overhaul Update 1: Before Pictures

Wow, I've been MIA for a loooong time. Very sorry about that. I'm still trying to learn how to juggle doing all the stuff I want to do, plus finding the time to take pictures and write about it. I will get better, I promise!

The kitchen/laundry room overhaul is going well. Things are happening, but not quickly. That's ok though. I want to get it done well and I want to learn as I go. I read a great blog post the other day in Emily's Thirteen82 Chronicles at IHeartOrganizing. In it, she discusses how design blogs show so many great Befores and Afters, but they don't often talk about how long it took for a room to transform to the After. Things always take longer than I planned and everyday chores (as well as that pesky day job!) can get in the way. 


I've completed several of the tasks, but I'm going make a post of each step over the next few weeks to get me back into the habit of posting. I also think it'll help me keep track of all the stuff I still need to do! 


The first thing on my list was to take some good Before pictures. 

That's step 1! Check back for more progress reports throughout the week! 

~Liz

Major Kitchen Organization Overhaul

I'm kind of scattered when it comes to all of my projects. I just get so excited about the possibilities and then I don't stick to one thing. I really want to get all of the rooms in my house super organized, but I have to learn to focus. I work full time (40 miles from my house!), so my weekends are really the only days that I have a significant amount of time to devote to major projects. Therefore, I decided to pick the most used room in the house and just focus on getting it as perfect as possible. I chose a room combo actually: the kitchen/laundry room (they're basically one). These are the first rooms we walk into (from the garage) when we get home, and a lot goes on here. They have a tendency to get really messy because they're used for so many different things. 

I don't want to rush because I really want everything to be done right and I want to have time to figure the best way to do it all. Today is April 2; I'm giving myself until July 31 August 31 to completely organize and beautify these two very important rooms. Since this is my first really big undertaking, this is a total time estimate. I could take less time. Or a lot longer...

I don't have any super major changes to make in the kitchen; the paint and appliances are fine in there. The appliances in the laundry room are great, but I wouldn't mind painting the walls. It's a small area, though, so that's not a really huge undertaking. Structurally, the laundry room will require the most work because I'd really like to build a folding & ironing counter. Gonna have to get Big Tex involved in that part!


Here is a list of things I'd like to get done:

1. Take some good Before pictures!!!
2. Clean out clutter and get rid of crap we don't use.
3. Re-assign the cabinets in both rooms to make smarter and more efficient use of space (Super inspired by two of my favorite blogs: this and this).
4. Create design boards for both rooms.
5. Remove current cabinet liner and put pretty liner in the drawers.
6. Decide on and buy small organizational additions for all cabinets (e.g. baskets).
7. Build big organizational additions (shelf risers, cabinet drawers).
8. Install dream pot rack.
9. Have an electrician install a plug in the cubby above the oven so that we can put our microwave up there and get it off the counter.
10. Move items to newly assigned cabinets with appropriate organizational additions.
11. Deep clean laundry room in preparation for panelling and painting. 
12. Install beadboard panelling on laundry room walls.
13. Install molding and chair rail in laundry room.
14. Paint walls, cabinets, and trim in laundry room.
15. Build washer/dryer pedestal.
16. Build a folding & ironing counter in laundry room.
17. Install clothes hanging rack in laundry room. 
18. Change door hardware on cabinets in laundry room.
19. Make or buy matching curtains for laundry room door window, window above sink, and window in breakfast nook. 

That's the preliminary list! I know I'll add to it, but it's a good start. Wish me luck!

~Liz

Salvation Makeover - Quick Hit

Shower Caddy Under the Kitchen Sink

This shower caddy didn't fit quite right in our shower, but it's perfectly good. So I spray painted it and hung it under the kitchen sink to hold sponges and stuff.

To keep it from swinging when the door is opened and closed, I secured it with these nylon fasteners (I found them in the "Hard-To-Find" bins in the hardware section of Lowe's). 

Organized Life: Pot Lid Holder

In my last post, I mentioned that my productive Saturday had included two organizational accomplishments, one of which was my cabinet cork board. The other was this piece of bad-assery: a special place to keep all of my pot lids! The lids to our pots are glass and I'm always worried they're gonna break when I toss them haphazardly in the back of the cabinet under the stove...probably a valid concern...

Anyway, I've been contemplating the best way to store the pot lids for a while (what an exciting mind I have, right?). There are pot lid holders that you can buy, but those don't really work for me because you still have to drag it out every time you want to get one, unless you have a rolling shelf attachment (which would really be quite awesome). But, you start buying all that stuff and the price really creeps up. So, I decided to just make one on the cheap and learn a few things in the process. 

I got the idea originally from this Real Simple article. However, I knew that I couldn't make mine just like that one because I freakin hate tension roads. I have tried before to make cabinet dividers and what not from tension rods and they never stay where they're supposed to. Then my projects start falling apart and I get sad and give up and spend hours on the couch watching reruns of Monk and Say Yes to the Dress. So, basically, the tension rod is not my friend and I won't employ it in any capacity other than shower curtain-holding. 

I chose to use good old cheap and sturdy dowels and roller catches that I think are actually intended for cabinet doors. I used the roller catches instead of just screwing the dowels in place so that the dowels are removable and I can clean the bottom of the drawer (and change out the lining paper). 

I measured the width of the drawer and then cut my dowels down to size (they needed to be 22.5 inches) using both a handsaw (ugh) and a jigsaw (probably not the right tool, but it got the job done). I sanded the ends with my awesome new sander, then spray painted the dowels a pretty grayish color. 

I then installed the roller catches in the side of the drawer and placed the dowels in them, as shown below. I used two dowels (and four roller catches) so that lids of different sizes would have a place to lean.

And that's it! Now I have great (and removable!) lid storage right in the same drawer as all my pots. And when I make my dream pot rack, I'll probably add more dowels and use the drawer for cookie sheet and cutting board storage, as well as lid storage. Fingers crossed that'll be in the near future!


Let me know what you think and if you have any questions about the installation process!