Storing Out of Season Shoes

Here's a handy tip for making your life easier:

If you're like me, you have boots for the winter, and strappy sandals for the warmer months.  And if you're also like me, you don't have space to display them all year-round.

And if you're lucky enough to have that much space, just think of how often you don't use those strappy sandals in the winter, and how much less stress you would have if you didn't have to reach around the sandals to get to your boots. 

My sweet, thrifty, and easy organizing tactic?  Store them in their boxes!  Genius I know.

I keep most of my boxes for my shoes.  I know many of you throw them away, but if it's winter, I bring out the boots, and put the sandals into the boots box.

The box for my boots is also big enough that I can fit several pairs of sandals in there.  Also, they stay nice and unflattened for summer.

Change of seasons?  Out come the sandals and up go the boots.

This also leaves space for the year-round shoes like my tennis shoes.  

One added bonus: I don't start dreaming about summer and wishing it were here when it's freezing outside just because I see those strappy sandals I love so much.

Nifty bookcase Idea

Over at Young House Love, they're featuring a bookcase they modified to create a built-in feel to their office. 

Here's the Link

My favorite part?  How they carved the footing of the bookcase to mesh perfectly to their wall.  Genius!  Never would have the guts to do this, but now I know there's no reason why not.

I also love how they used some wicker baskets with lids to conceal their office and baby supplies.  Very organized without having to sacrifice the multi-functioning area. 

Beginning to Organize

So, you've decided that your space is unorganized.  Maybe it's an office, or a closet, or a bathroom.  Maybe it's your kitchen, or maybe it's ...Everything.

I have been there.  Yes, in the "everything" category.  And honestly, it stressed me out. Take me back to the first year of marriage, to a one bedroom apartment with a tiny bathroom, a tiny office, and a tiny kitchen.   Throw in the newly-wed Husband, along with all the other newly-wed stresses and you've got yourself a big fat mess.  And no one but yourself to clean it up.

Oh how I do love that man, but that first year...aye yi yi.  I hadn't managed how to keep up on my laundry, much less another person's.  Plus, he worked outside which meant two sets of clothes, every day.  And how did this man have that many T-shirts?  And yes, he had a lot of them...almost as bad as my addiction to shoes.

Almost.

How many times have you walked into someone's home and thought, "Wow, their house is so clean and organized?"

I call that Home Envy.  Not the kind where you want their house....where you want their Home - the comfort and cleanliness without all the work.

I used to look at that Lady with all her splendor and organized drawers and organized cabinets, and organized bathrooms, and really and truly envy her.  Oh wow, did I envy her.  How did she not only work full time but also have this really spectacular home where things seemed to magically find their appropriate spots and things never were out of place. 

And I tried her tactics, and somehow they never seemed to work for me.  I would start out on a great trend, and be really motivated to finally follow this one through.  But in around week 3, I would start lapsing, and losing steam.  I'd start chanting "Yes I can, Yes I can" to my Little-Engine-that-could self.  But nope, back down to bottom I'd go.   Hitting rock bottom...and hard. 

Well, get ready, because I'm going to show you how you can use ideas that work  How does having everything easily accessible and handy sound?  How does having a solution that seems almost magic seem to you?  Well, I don't have a magic wand, but I have something almost as good.  Practical organization ideas, that you can start implementing today, to save yourself time and stress in the future.  Ideas that work for YOU, not you working for them.

After all, you have better things to do than run around organizing your house.

And We're off!

How many times have you started a "Honey-Do List" and gotten half way down the page and wanted these things to magically get themselves done.  Or thought, well, my husband/friend/anyone handy can do that, but I can't. 

How would you like to learn?

And what if along the way you found easier ways to organize your home, your space, your life?


Think of how proud of yourself you would be for doing something minor on your own.  What about that little bit of independence you get when you know how to do just one more thing that you didn't know before.

How about if you don't have a "Honey" to do your list for you?

I know you've been itching to know how to change a tire, how to fix a button, how to hem that pant line.  Heck, you've been itching to know things you didn't even know you wanted to know.

What if there's something blocking you from those goals?  How many times have you tried to organize a room, only to find there's more organizing tasks than you know what to do with.

Well, get ready, because you and I - we're about to learn how to live a life where things are easily found, tasks are easier to complete because you know how they work, and you are a happier version of yourself.