A key 'must have' for our new home was ORGANIZATION. This was only compounded when, while living at my parents, I fell into the black hole that is The Home Edit.
Now, while I will admit to not adhering to their 'system' entirely -- I've taken what I've learned and modified it to fit how we live and what we use.
Keep in mind, most of what is in this post is 'in progress' and a result of me quickly taking photos to get this post out because y'all NEEDED LINKS 🤣 - but, here's a few looks at what we currently have in motion. (please note most of these links are affiliate links)
Our Kitchen:
Where have raised spice organizers been all my life? Or. At least the past few years. I found this one at my local Home Goods - but they're all over Amazon too. Here's another great option.
I love these little lazy susans and pantry storage bins.
Hellloooo, fridge organization. This set was a great starter kit for us!
Also, yes, I am hooked on seltzers and another HUGE win this week was Bubly sparkling water finally releasing their Seltzer Drops for the SodaStream!!
And, finally, I can't get over how much these pull out drawers helped make this space functional for our pots/pans, etc. It was the ONLY place in the kitchen they really fit, but it was still a pain. Easily one of our best buys so far!
Our Closet:
The magic of these hangers keeping everything looking neat is beyond me.
Working on seasonal storage here. These bags were great for my holiday shirts. Also great for comforters, blankets, and sweaters! Which is what I think will be going in those two empty spaces once Florida heats up again.
So, there's no magic tool here - I just like how my bags look lined up like this - easy to see and grab for any occasion. The shelf below still needs some work though. Or does every closet have a random Hamilton book on display? 🤣
Love these shelves in our closet to display a few mementos I just like seeing - like the giraffe hat! Which was one of the first gifts Sean gave me, and often makes an appearance on any request for a 'silly hat'.
Organization Bin - these are great for holding odds & ends - belts, heating pad, etc. I also used them to organize Lularoe leggings and more elsewhere in the closet.
Jewelry Organizer - I used this for all my 'retired' / sentimental jewelry I no longer wear
Another amazing find was this mirror jewelry box that can hang on a door or be mounted to a wall - SO GREAT for displaying all my jewelry so that I can SEE it! PS: My jewelry is not monetarily expensive, so, don't even try me. You will be severely disappointed when you try to pawn it, lol.
And --
I know you all have been waiting on this weekend's project -- Casie Memorabilia.
I am, like my mother before me, a keeper of things. Notes. Cards. Ticket Stubs. The list goes on. There's a large part of me that wonders WHY I still do this in a digital age (and truthfully, it's slowed as time has gone on because...well, there's a cloud for that.) But there's something to be said about seeing notes from Kellie - her chicken scratch handwriting, how she'd mimic her signature off mine. And. Y'know getting a sense of her personality and impeccable timing.
Exhibit A:
I was cracking up as I looked at this the other day. Like, wtf. There I am, being all sweet to our mom and Kellie's gotta swoop in with, "Yo. Need some feminine products." 😂 But that is 100% her in every way.
And it made me so happy that, not only did I hang on to things like this, but so, too, did my mom.
In one large box, my mom gifted me every card received from my baby shower to age 3 -- and just about every piece of art I ever created, and even the Lamaze and baby books she read while awaiting for my arrival.
Do I need Lamaze books circa 1983? Probably not. But was I happy going through each card received -- seeing not only Grandma Shimansky's handwriting, but also my Great Grandma Rice's too -- and flipping through those books? I was low-key thrilled.
Will I be framing art I created in the early 80s because they're creepy AF and are spot on themed for Nightmare Before Christmas? You know I will!
So, yeah. These things are important and, hell, if we ever have a kid someday...who knows. Maybe they'll get the genetics that has them sitting on the floor smiling at signatures that came before them, too.
And I just made it WAY easier for them to find things from my life, too. 😂
My goal for this weekend was to take 5 very different sized, mildly organized storage bins and fit them into these 4 stackable beauties:
What I used:
Greeting Card & Craft Keeper by Simply Tidy - Pretty self explanatory. I also went back and ordered a few more once I realized how many other cards I had saved over the years that were hidden in the larger boxes plus the ones my mom had saved from my first few years of life. The box I organized yesterday was mostly recent cards, and a majority of those were for our wedding.
Rainbow Photo & Craft Keeper by Simply Tidy - I originally got this for photos (of which I have entire box to go through, at some point I will likely digitalize those - although I still want to hang on to the hard copies.) but it actually worked MUCH better for singular, loose items like ticket stubs, my old Blockbuster card, and pens I used to keep from trips Sean and I took at the beginning of our relationship. It may still get used for photos once I go through them as well, but I honestly love the versatility and the vibrant colors of this storage bin.
12" x 12" Storage Keeper by Simply Tidy - These boxes are LIFESAVERS, and I definitely went back and ordered more of these too. 😂 I was surprised at how much they held, and while they didn't hold EVERYTHING - they were a great size to force me to get rid of some of the less-awesome memorabilia. I originally purchased 4, and as you see below they fit perfectly for Newborn - 4th Grade (the year I moved to Florida) | 5th - 8th Grade | High School | College. At the top of each box is a "marker" for what time frame is in the box (as pictured above).
With the extras I ordered I plan on storing memorabilia from my late 20s and 30s, along with other items I am sure I have hiding in boxes yet to be unpacked.
I could see these being great for folks with tiny humans, although I also love the idea of digitalizing their artwork (while keeping a few of your favorite originals) and making yearbooks.
Yearbooks are something I started the year Sean and I started dating (2012) and have for our photos and larger life moments -- there's one for our engagement, obviously our wedding, and a few for larger trips we took.
In both creating yearbooks, and organizing these storage boxes -- I try to be very strategic on what is kept/featured. And, yes, somethings have to go. Arguably, I probably should've paired it down even further, but - as someone who has lost a sister and now others too, I can tell you how it feels to find their signature tucked into a box years later - so, on that front, I'm cautious not to go ditch crazy.
In keeping with that mindset, these storage bins were AMAZING at helping me keep it all to a healthy, consistent level. They're now tucked in one corner of my office closet, instead of in 4 different sized boxes in 4 different places, and it makes me feel so much better than I know what is in each box.
The un-affiliated links above, from Michaels craft store, are these exact boxes. They're currently on sale now too!
I also have a Storage/Organizer list on Amazon (affiliate links, linked throughout) for other storage items we've used, to include similar boxes. You will also find storage items in my Home/Decor and Kitchen list.
Happy Organizing!