You Down With O-R-G? Yeah You Know Me.
Yes, that’s a Naughty By Nature reference. But why O-R-G? That’s $herdog’s abbreviation for organizing. I’ve gotta be honest. Our house hasn’t been this trashed/chaotic/messy since we moved in 16 months ago. Seriously, I’m not talking about a little dist around the baseboards or some streaks on the windows, I’m talking about serious stuff like not being able to locate anything in our completely ridiculous sink drawer:
So although we have two entire sections of our Projects page dedicated to cleaning and organizing posts of yore, there hasn’t been much of that going on lately. At all. It all started to fall apart back in Jan/Feb during three weeks of book shoots in our house (with a crew of people, and a ton of moving/painting/general insanity) that left our house looking like this…
Why would other things like our sink drawer go downhill too? The only way I can explain it is that it’s a slippery slope. When you’re juggling secret book projects, regular blog projects/posts, and baby care while a bunch of folks are in your house shooting over 150 different book photos that you’re DIYing and styling yourself, you just don’t have a minute to breathe during the day. And once the baby goes to sleep and the crew leaves, you think you’ll tackle stuff at night, but since they’re all coming back in the morning (and you have 20 more projects to finish, style, and walls to paint before they arrive in the am) it feels like you’re working two shifts and you don’t even remember what day it is let alone where the deodorant should go.
And between writing posts, doing projects, raising a toddler, and birthing this book baby of ours (we’re still proofing 200 page stacks of layouts, completing the resources section, and finalizing the cover) it feels like we’ll never have time to put our house back together. Unless we officially declare whipping our insanely unorganized casa back into shape as Project Numero Uno in a week-long bootcamp of sorts. So we’re doing it!!! Hang on to your hats. It’s gonna get messy. And then hopefully clean (with a giant yard sale pile at the end of the rainbow). And we’d love for you guys to hop on the spring cleaning train with us! Speaking of which, we got a head-start this weekend (forgive us) since we needed a Monday post to kick things off. First, I decided to make the cabinets under our dining room built-ins say my name. That’s right, I literally whispered “Say my name” to my cabinets. Winner.
Then I took everything out. Well, I took about three things out and was already over it, so I padded over to the computer and put on some tunes (Nicki Minaj then Eminem then a little vintage Britney). And I did some mild to moderate head bopping (but zero freestyle rapping) as I removed every last book, magazine, and other random object that found its way in there (many books and mags are stored in there since the built-ins aren’t deep enough for them).
I made piles. Piles of each magazine (Domino, Cottage Living, House Beautiful, Blueprint, and BHG & other Meredith mags like DIY). I also tried to stack my books by subject (pregnancy/health/green, chick lit, decor/design, and teen fiction like Hunger Games & Twilight – haha). I’ll say it again. Winner.
Oh and see those white things on the bottom of the pic above? They’re actually old shelves from the built-ins that we removed since it was way too crowded up there (more on that here), so we shoved them into the cabinet in case we changed our mind and wanted to crowd the cabinets with too many shelves again (why????). It was a bad call. Over a year later they’ve just collected dust and wasted space, so off to John’s scrap wood pile in the basement they went.
Then I wiped down the shelves (they were grosser than I’d like to admit) with good ol’ white vinegar. It cleans things and kills odors at the same time (they sort of smelled like an old storage room). Wiping the entire cabinet only took about half of Hit Me Baby One More Time. So worth it.
Then I slowly put things back in, grouping stuff that made the most sense, and stacking them in a way that I thought would be easiest to maintain while allowing me to store everything and see almost all of it. Instead of standing everything up (knowing I’d pull something out and everything would topple) I made small stacks of things that I can see beyond and can easily remove each stack to reach something in the back row.
Ahhh, order. How I love thee. Let me count the ways Domino magazines.
Of course about 10% of the books and mags that came out ended up in a yard sale pile I’ve started in the guest room closet. It’s nice to admit that I’m not going to read something again and give someone else a chance.
Oh and you might be wondering where all my hard cover decorating books are (other than stacked in plain sight on the console, on the built-in shelves, and on the top of our office file cabinet). Well, the two ottomans in the hallway under the console (you know, that sits in our hallway o’ frames) are filled with them. But they don’t runneth over so I don’t think I have a decorating book problem. Yet.
At this point my brain hurt from thinking too hard about what to group with what, what to put in the yard sale pile, etc. But I still had a bunch of random decor related items sitting around looking for a home (remember in the before pic there were faux gourds, vases, and candlesticks shoved in there too?). So it was time to deal with the cabinet under the built-ins on the other side, which is where I keep all of my candlesticks, vases, and various decor-related-items. That side had gone to h-e-double-hockey-sticks too.
It was so bad that I started stashing overflow items in the book/magazine cabinet on the other side. Not good. Time to pare things down, group them so they make sense again, add stuff to the yard sale pile, and generally get my stuff together under there. But wait, there’s more…
Yup, I also overflowed stuff into the new corner cabinet in our kitchen. But about half of the things in there actually belonged there since they were kitchen/food/serving related (like a cake stand or a salad bowl). So I decided to turn the corner cabinet in the kitchen into only serving/food related storage and pare down my decor stuff so it would hopefully all fit in the single cabinet under the built-ins in the dining room.
Once again, the first step was taking everything out. This time I listened to various Glee versions of songs, more Nicki Minaj, and old school Snoop & Dre. Picture me singing “Ain’t nothing but a clean thing bay-bay. I got so many candles it’s cray-zay.”
I also emptied the corner cabinet in the kitchen. For reference that peninsula counter is five feet long by three feet wide. Blort.
Then I pulled out every last item I didn’t use/need/want for my growing yard sale pile and grouped everything else by item (ex: all vases in one spot, all candlesticks in one spot). Then back in it went after a quick vinegar wipe-down.
It juuuuuuust fit. A loose description of what’s going on in here now is that the top right quadrant has candle holding devices, the bottom right quadrant has vases and planters, the bottom left quadrant has various vase filler and a few other random decorative items, and the top left quadrant has all of my tabletop decor that gets rotated in and out pretty much all the time.
But where did all those crazy candles go? Well, many of them used to live in our first house’s living room fireplace (on a big silver platter) but since we now have a toddler who gets into everything, I just saved a few of the better looking ones and put them in a candle drawer of their own. How novel! This small cabinet in the dining room was empty (it’s actually a night table, but we thought it worked nicely in here), so I commandeered one drawer for candle storage. And the rest of my too-large candle collection went into the yard sale pile. Update: I’ve added two plastic place mats to the bottom of the drawer to protect it from any potential waxiness.
Huzzah! Now the corner cabinet in the kitchen only has kitchen-related items, like serving dishes, bowls, plates, trays, a cake stand, etc.
And there’s room to spare in there. Lookout John. Momma feels a shopping spree coming on. Just kidding, I’m way too tired. But I better buck up, because there’s still lots to do this week. And we’d love for you guys to join our bootcamp and clean/organize/pare down along with us! Here’s our schedule:
- Monday: Since we shared how we organized a few cabinets, feel free to tackle one or two of your own (you could also just dive into books and decorative accessories, wherever you keep them)
- Tuesday: Taming kid clutter is on our agenda (if you don’t have kiddos, any clutter-wrangling works)
- Wednesday: We’ll cover how we pare down our grooming & cleaning products (feel free to tackle yours and share your tips too)
- Thursday: Let’s get on some paper/tech org (we’re aiming for some blog streamlining, but you can take on anything from digital photos or cleaning up your desktop to filing paperwork or receipts)
- Friday: Ahhh, we miiiight let you see our basement. Gotta work up the courage. So maybe plan a little basement or garage cleanup on your end?
- Bonus: We also hope to tackle clothes (make sense of our dresser and maybe do some slight closet shifting) and our clutter-fied night tables at some point – here’s hoping!
Of course that’s tentative since we’re blogging in real time, but we can’t wait to report back and hear how you guys are doing. Have you already been doing some spring cleaning/organizing or any general house streamlining? Are you down to do it with us? What music keeps you from going out of your mind while cleaning and organizing? Or do you favor an audio book/TV/NPR? That sounds like a good time too.
Micha Davis says
I confess these are some of my favorite posts. After moving out of my dream fixer-upper into a tiny tiny apartment (less than 1/3 the size of my house), I struggle to not let our minimal storage spaces feel completely cluttered all the time. I try to pare down and reorganize probably monthly and yet it seems a never ending battle. Thank goodness none of us are alone in that :)
S'Mo (aka Sarah) says
Spring semester just ended (as in, I turned in my last paper on Friday), so this week is Spring Cleaning week here, too! I’ll be trying to keep up with y’all…maybe I’ll find something to ORB, too!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, nice!
xo,
s
Jules says
At first I thought the title was down with O-R-B and was getting pumped to see what all you spray painted this weekend hahaha. Did a mega spring clean at our place this weekend as well…began to tackle the mega garden and the back room that houses all we don’t know what to do with!
Kacy says
We’re spring cleaning too! It must be in the air! :)(That and we’re also getting ready to move in 2 months so necessity dictates that we start opening every cupboard and drawer….but I’m giving myself a high-five for starting early and purging/organzing as I pack this early on versus mad-cap packing the week before we move.)
Does John understand your desire to hang on to old magazines? My husband doesn’t get it, and was very “helpful” in helping me purge them (coughing *hoarder* when I would hestitate). Although I did find a Martha Stewart mag from 2001 in the bottom of a pile – that’s pretty bad! ha ha.
YoungHouseLove says
I think John is more of a saver in most areas (old clothes, shoes, keepsakes from childhood, photos) and I’m more of a minimalist, so he’s ok with my weird things I save as long as they don’t overflow (ex: if my magazine pile gets too big to fit in that cabinet, he might ask if I can pare them down).
xo,
s
Krissy says
I tried to start this project about two weeks ago, but got stuck in my craft room. :-(
I over-analyze what I might maybe someday possibly need, so it goes back in the craft closet. Ughhh.
Been in this house 4 months, my partner has his office all done and workable, and mine is still packed with moving bins.
The rest of the house, though, looks pretty great. I go on cleaning whirlwinds where once I start, I cannot stop. (Read: 11, 12 hours of cleaning at a time) So I have to be careful to not let it get TOO out of control, otherwise I’d spend 15 hours cleaning! Hah. (Insert embaressed face here)
Lindsey says
This is so timely! I’m two months away from my due date (first child–a girl!) and have been putting off organizing our house since we moved in… which may have been a long time ago. I decided I had better get a handle on things before the baby comes and I no longer have the time. Anyway, I just started a new filing system over the weekend! I can’t wait to see all the posts this week and use some of your tips!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, congrats on the little girl on the way and good luck with all the organizing!
xo,
s
Colleen says
I am working on cabinets today, too! We JUST had new ones installed in our kitchen, so it is time to reorganize everything kitchen related and help things find new and functional homes. I think this “spring clean” is going to spill over into other rooms of the house, and there is a garage sale in our near future, too. Happy organizing!
Lindsay says
What a well timed post! I’ve been spending the last few weekends trying to get our place into a manageable state. I’ve found putting on some 90s dance music or watching and episode or two of Hoarding helps to put me in the mood to clean :)
Beth in DC says
Ignore this if someone else asked, but do you not use shelf paper, in kitchen and elsewhere? So many fun and pretty patterns!
YoungHouseLove says
I lined Clara’s drawers with pretty gift wrap and mod podge, but don’t usually use it. Might have to start though, since it’s so cute!
xo,
s
Abbie says
Wow, this totally has me motivated! Can’t wait to see the rest of your posts for the week. Oh, and I think your ceramic animal obsession has rubbed off on me. I found a good-sized stone elephant in the backyard of the house I’m renting and I plan on cleaning it up and possibly spray painting it white or something and putting it near the fireplace :)
ara jane says
i am super impressed with your organizing talents. we have an out-of-control basement that is bordering on hoarders territory, and has so overwhelmed us that i hired a professional organizer to help us out. in fact, we are starting this thursday! yippee! we’re so looking forward to finally moving our tv into our finished basement and having a happy little hangout spot.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so exciting! Good luck with everything Ara Jane!
xo,
s
Kristin says
This sounds like what I’ve been doing all weekend! Between priming and painting trim in 2 bathrooms I’ve organized baby toys that my kids are too big for, sorted through a stack of 300 pictures and put some into albums, made a book pile to donate to the library, uploaded pics and videos from my phone to my computer, and have a big ol pile for the town wide garage sale.
Sabrina says
I love this! I am so in need of organization! It’s hard with 2 little ones and a hubs who works 14 hours a day lol Our basement and sunroom look like hoarders! I put up curtains so people don’t see that we are “those people”
Kerrie says
I just did a major purge, file, organize of our mail and receipts on Sunday. I pooped in movie and it literally took me the whole 111 mins to get through all the stuff, but it felt so good afterwards. YEAH for getting stuff organized.
Sarah E. says
YES! I need this! Sounds awesome! We were planning on devoting Saturday to spring cleaning, but a week long sounds even better!!!
Totally unrelated… but I haven’t been able to find the answer in previous posts (though I probably just missed it somewhere)… what do you use to paint baseboards and doors? Do you use your awesome angled brush (I picked one up today!) or something else? I think I’m ready to tackle our “antique white” baseboards and doors and make them bright white, but I wasn’t sure the best thing to use! thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
I use my angled brush for that with primer and paint (in semi-gloss) or just paint (in semi-gloss) if I’m feeling risky. Haha. Good luck!
xo,
s
Karen F says
I would love to keep up with you guys (my bathroom drawer looks just like yours)! Not sure I can do it, but I’ll try!
My big organizing project has been our basement. We did some remodeling in our house 2+ years ago, and instead of renting one of those Pods (which in retrospect I wish we’d done), we stashed everything in our basement, garage and attic. Every week I spend an hour in the basement (that’s the maximum amount of time I can stand to be down there) purging, organizing, cleaning etc. It was really a disaster. The first few weeks were fun because I got rid of a ton of stuff, but now I’m at the part where it’s getting more difficult and less fun. But it’s such an improvement already! I’ve probably been at it for a month and probably have a month left (of working an hour a week on it). Then I’ll tackle the attic. I’ll let the husband deal with the garage ;) My music choice is usually a Pandora station (either Muse or Dan Zanes depending on how mellow my mood is).
Valery says
I love that you have Blueprint! When I saw that you were listing the mags you saved, I said to myself, if they didn’t save Blueprint I’m never stopping by again (which of course would make me a liar).
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, of course we do! Those out of print mags are like “antiques” to me! Haha.
xo,
s
Emily says
Wow it’s looking great! I have a question, though, sparked from looking at your book collection…
What are your favorite design books? Like, top 5 or something. I want to start investing in some good, inspiring books but I don’t know where to start! I mean, I like Decorate, and I’m looking forward to your book (of course!) but what else? I’d really like your recommendations! Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
If you scroll back in the comments I listed a few recent favorites and a link to an old post about them. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Heather says
I HEART organizing. And I HEART YHL! I’m a huge fan. Quick question – those delectable moroccan candle/glasses in bright colors (orange, pink, green) that were in your corner cabinet don’t *seem* to be in your post-organized photos. Are they part of your yard sale? And if so can I just buy them from you now??? I LOVE THEM.
Thank you for your awesome blog. You inspire me every day.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you’re so sweet! I pulled those out as a gift for my BFF since they always remind me of her and I never use them. They’re all wrapped and ready to go to her house the next time I see her!
xo,
s
SueP says
I spent Friday and Saturday (freezing…) holding a garage sale with a friend. Approximately $400 worth of items in the $0.50 – 2.00 range. That’s a whole lotta stuff out of my house. *sighs with relief.*
Meredith K A says
We just did a major amount of tidying anticipation of throwing a big party yesterday after our daughter’s baptism – we were so worried the weather would force 40+ people into our small ranch, the house had never looked better…except for the second bedroom, where everything is now stashed, it is a disaster in there! So there is some major purging in our near future, hopefully I’ll get started this week too! Good luck to you! Actually my main goal is to keep my house looking this good, you are SO right about the slippery slope.
Stacy says
Good luck with cleaning.
I try to make purging a weekly / monthly thing as I don’t like clutter. That said, sometimes decluttering can be scary. It isn’t the mess that bothers me as I know it will go away. It’s the things I hoard that I never knew I “hoarded” until I start cleaning something out.
2 examples:
I have 32 note pads neatly put away in a dresser drawer that I use in my office for office supplies. That 32 count doesn’t include the number of regular sized notebooks and pads of Post-It notes I have stashed. Nobody needs 32 note pads. Yes I’m a list maker, but sheesh.
When I cleaned out our bathroom closet a couple of weeks ago, I discovered I also hoard soap. I have enough bars of soap to wash a small Army. The said soap smells lovely as most of it is cold pressed soap from Whole Foods, but again, I have to ask myself why. There are 3 people that live in my house and while all of us take showers daily, none of us get that filthy that we’d need that much soap.
I suppose I could try to justify my hoarding habits as some people keep books, my mother hoards socks ( she loves new socks) hubby hoards small pieces of paper with things written on them only to forget what that phone number or whatever was for, ect. But the more I think about it the more I start to wonder if there is anything else I hoard that I never paid attention to, so I don’t think about it until the next time I go to Whole Foods and walk down the soap aisle that is. LOL
Natalie says
Oh how I love posts about organization! Be still my heart! <3
Caroline says
I heard domino is coming back. Not sure if it’s a rumor but im holding my breath.
I want to make the 2 hour trek to go to said yard sale. Not only because I’m sure I’d buy 50% of everything but to meet you and be all awkward in a giddy school girl kinda way.
Daily creep quota has been filled for today.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you’re so funny! Domino has a new special issue out but said they’re not coming back (just releasing two issues and that’s it). So sad! Still not totally giving up hope! Haha. As for the yard sale, I promise I’d be the awkward one. Guaranteed!
xo,
s
renee says
This post is so timely for me! i moved about a month ago and i Really need to get on this unpacking. ive got my ‘dance’ playlist pulled up, alot of what you mentioned, also some justin timberlake and jay z.
Jacqueline says
Oooh love a bit of org!! I will enjoy this week.
Off topic… Hubby was watching some Nascar on TV over the weekend and it was in Richmond, Virginia! I was like, hey that’s where the Petersiks live! (We’re all the way over in Australia you see…)
Robyn says
One other thought on magazines, which may or may not yard sell well! I take all of my old ones to Ronald McDonald House–families are often there for a lengthy stay and really enjoy some decent reading material…just a thought!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that idea!
xo
s
Judy W. says
I didn’t read all the comments, so I don’t know if someone else has already mentioned this, but it looks to me like you could put another shelf in the upper half of the corner cabinet in the kitchen, now that it’s so well organized. I think that often a lot of space is wasted by having shelves too far apart, and you lose a lot of potentially useful storage space to, you know, air…
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, that’s a great idea!
xo,
s
Angie says
So exciting! This is exactly the motivation I need. Please make this an annual event!
Debbie @ My Little Mess says
At our old house we only have one junk drawer, but somehow in our new house we have THREE! I don’t know how it started but it’s a pain to find anything in any of them :(
…but then again the entire house is a totally mess right now so I guess it’s not THAT surprising…
andrea p says
Okay I have been looking everywhere for the post where you guys got rid of the 2 ceiling fans in your living room. Can you please point me in the right direction? We have a very similar project happening soon :) :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, will have to look back for that link and post it here if we can find it. Sometimes Google search gets glitchy so it’s literally lost among 2,000+ posts, so we’ll see what we can find!
xo,
s
andrea p says
Thank you! I keep trying different word combos in your search bar! The closest I could find is when you got rid of the small pendant light near your living room window. “Blort.”
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, so sorry! Sometimes waiting is the best (the search capabilities, go in and out for some reason- they’re just glitchy) so perhaps in 48 hours it’ll pop right up! So random!
xo,
s
Robyn says
We just finished our spring cleaning today, by shampooing ALL of our carpets! We haven’t really gone through and decluttered/gotten rid of anything though, so I’m excited to take this on with you guys this week!
Beth C says
You have copies of Blueprint? Lucky! I think my are all gone. And just a couple of Dominoes. *sniff*
Amanda says
Sherdog…I saw the title of the post and thought I had misread it, because I can SO picture you rapping, “You down with O-R-B?!?!?”
Yeah, we know you!!!
I, too, share the love for ORG and ORB. :)
mp says
Sherry, I’m old enough to be your mom (my daughter is a year and a half older than you), but we have the same reading (Stieg Larssen, Jane Green) and decorating (Apt Therapy, Domino, Cottage Living) tastes. Some things transcend generations.
YoungHouseLove says
I love it!!
xo,
s
Heidi P. says
Hey guys. I really need your help! I am dying over here. I cannot for the life of me figure out what I’m doing wrong with my painting. I’m using new foam rollers and just finished applying the second coat of polycrylic (with sanding in between). And with BOTH coats I’ve gotten bubbles. Grrrgrumblegrrr. Please tell me you have some tips so I don’t pull all my hair out. :/
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I would sand it and try applying a very very thin coat with a brush. Sometimes a roller can rile things up (cause bubbles) and very thin coats with a brush can be better. Just don’t go back over anything once you apply it (ex: don’t brush it all on the top and then do a leg and then see something on the top and go over it again- you’ll get drag marks and imperfections, so once you move on to a new area, there’s no going back- but you can always sand it afterwards). Good luck!
xo,
s
Heidi P. says
Ah, thank you. I will try that.
Kristin says
I have already finished this year’s spring clean (I like starting some weeks earlier than everyone else so I can enjoy the first warm days with an already clean home), but maybe with some good tips from you I’ll look into a couple of closets a second time!
I don’t know if this has been asked before (I didn’t read all the comments), but how many acid does your distilled vinegar have? I have a concentrate here (about 30%, I think) and would like to know how I have to dilute it.
YoungHouseLove says
It’s 5% acid. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
OntarioGirl says
I love organizing! Stuff always seems to build up though when life gets busy. I’m 6 months pregnant and on an organizing/de-cluttering rampage. Nothing is safe!!
cindy says
All I can say is holy cannoli you have lots of knick knacks!!! LOL
I just started on the spring cleaning and I even have a list of items and how to clean them…yesterday was a deep clean of my washing machine and today will be cleaning my dryer…I want to tackle a floor a week so by the end of the month the whole house should be deep cleaned…we are also looking to start the closet organization but we are still researching what would work best…we are looking at the ikea pax system since in our house the closets are so small and we have a perfect nook in our bedroom for a closet, dresser and vanity which I like to call Cindy Land.
Do you guys have any spring cleaning plans?
YoungHouseLove says
We did a big post about homemade cleaners and another big post about how we systematically clean the house (both on our Projects page) so we’ll definitely do some cleaning as we go, but probably won’t blog about it unless we make any big discoveries or something! Haha.
xo,
s
Nora says
Ick, work tends to get in the way of my organization. I started to tackle my office last weekend but it’s going to be a multi-week project! I look forward to reading all of your tips to help with other areas!
Andrea says
oh yes, I’m in the same mood right now. Spring cleaning or shall I say de-cluttering for the win. I usually listen to one of my favourite Austrian singers, Feist or Don McLean (don’t ask)
Jessie says
You need a yard sale blog. I have never had a yard sale. I need the 411.
Did I miss it?
YoungHouseLove says
We actually have two in our archives! I linked to both of them back in the commments here somewhere! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jackie says
I made a vow about 2 months ago to not buy another shower/hair/body/lotion/styling product until I used EVERYTHING currently living under my sink. It is going great, and my stash is slowly dwindling. Plus, I’ve saved some money. I highly recommend it!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that tip! We’re crazy about only buying something again when we run out of it!
xo,
s
Meliss says
I LOVED this post and how you invite readers to join in. I’ve definitely been feeling that tingle of want for a good Spring cleaning (or is that my allergies?). I don’t have a blog, but I’m down to follow along with boot camp this week! Also, I clean almost everything with white vinegar – the garbage can, the counters and stove, the cabinet fronts, the fridge, the drains. This is my strange addiction.
YoungHouseLove says
It’s so great for cleaning! I totally agree!
xo,
s
Jenn says
Oh Sherry, THANK YOU!!!Giving me a list of ideas to follow actually helps! I went with “THE CHINA CABINET” (big letters and quotation marks should tell you how very bad it was!) last night and I can’t wait til Friday because your basement day is my office/oubliette day!!! That room has everything from a full size arcade game(repurposed to play off of a windows program with over 1000 games) to original atari games to my sewing/crafting things! Yep we needed your inspiration. I’ll do my best to keep up!
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! Go Jenn!
xo,
s
Betsy says
love it! good for you!!! i’ve been on an organizing binge for awhile now! still have a ways to go though!!
can not help to suggest… for your decorating books since those little trunk things aren’t totally full all the way, if you put turn those books to the side instead of stack them, they will be much easier look though when you are searching for one. Somehow I KNOW you already know that, so I should keep my mouth shut, but I sorta can’t help it! :-) :-)
YoungHouseLove says
So smart! Honestly never thought of that. Haha. I love it!
xo,
s
amybeth says
Did some fridge/cabinet ORG inspired by ya’ll! Thanks!
http://tangleskey.blogspot.com/2012/05/little-organization-inspired-by-yhl.html
YoungHouseLove says
Looks awesome! Love the gratuitous shot at the end! Haha.
xo,
s
Megan - Newly Wife says
Have you tried the whole lemon and vinegar idea from pinterest? Basically you put lemon peels / the remains of squeezed lemons into a jar and then add vinegar. Let it sit for a couple weeks. Then you can mix it (I do equal parts water and lemon vinegar) in a spray bottle and clean. Smells so much better, but seems to be just as effective!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds fun! I am weird and I love the smell of vinegar (I also eat like ten pickles in one sitting) so I – oddly enough – like the smell! Although lemons smell good too!
xo,
s
Jasanna says
I have the hardest time trying to figure out where to put things like cake stands, decorative dessert plates, the fondue set, etc. They’re all awkward sizes and we have such funky cabinets. I need those awesome storage spaces like you all have. :) I adore organizing. It’s pretty much the best.
http://munchtalk.blogspot.com/
Kelly says
Shizzle sticks! I wish I had read this post on Monday! I sooo need to pair down and organize from my move (6 months ago…) Why do I have so many girl products? I blame my sister and mother for giving me things they don’t want. I finally got on my “Dude, get on that” upholstered headboard project and finished that up on Sunday. But I will try to get to organizing this week since you guys are doing it too. A virtual buddy system is a great idea.
I’ve tried to clean with the tv on, does not work. I end up watching too much. Music is best. Old 90’s dance mix cds I have do the trick.