Tidy Tuesday Tips

This Tuesday is all about transforming the entrance to your home! Let's get started!

The entrance or foyer of your home is the first area seen upon arrival and the last area encountered upon departure. It is important to set the tone for the rest of the home with an organized and inviting entrance. Here are a few tips to declutter your foyer and develop an entrance that exudes calm and positive energy.

1. Invest in a small shoe rack

Place a small shoe rack by the door, preferably inside the coat closet, if one exists. This allows the family and guests to store a limited number of shoes by the door. What doesn't fit on the rack must be placed in the bedroom closet.


2. If you do not have a coat closet, consider using a coat rack

This is a great storage solution for rain and winter coats, or for storing umbrellas.


3. Consider installing a peg rack for coats, umbrellas, and keys

4. If space allows, place a decorative storage bench in the foyer

The storage bench is great for blankets, newspapers, etc. Depending on the depth of the bench, you could potentially store shoes inside, as well.


5. Invest in a decorative mirror with hanging hooks for keys or umbrellas

This option allows you to add a nice decorative touch with a mirror, while providing a place to hang keys and umbrellas.


6. Revisit the foyer entrance before bed.

Before you retreat to bed, walk through the entrance and take all items that should be stored elsewhere, and put them away in their respective locations. (i.e. mail, excess shoes, etc.)


Until We Blog Again....


CEO, Organize N Refine

Get Rid of the Book Collection Blues

How many of you have books scattered throughout your home: in drawers, cluttered into shelves, ontop of tables, or in the car? Literature is designed to educate, enhance, and stimulate our minds. You should find solace and relaxation in sitting down with a good book. A disorganized book collection takes away from the relaxing literary experience. Also, how many times have you needed a reference tool for a certain topic and couldn't get answers, because you had no clue where the book was amongst the clutter? Today, is a new day and we are going to revamp our book collections together! If you don't think you have a collection, it's because your books are probably not organized collectively in one common place. Follow the list of instructions below and get your books in order. Are you ready?

1. Pull all books off the shelves, tables, out of the car, etc.

This allows you to physically see exaclty how many books you really own and how much shelving space is necessary to store them properly.


2. Quickly flip through each book. Remove items, such as bookmarks, money, sticky notes, etc.

You would be surprised how much money and how many lost documents are found inside of books, used as a bookmark. I'd hate to bust any bubbles, but your 2009 W-4 is not the best idea for a bookmark. :) Anything that was not attached to the book when it was purchased should be removed.

To make things more interesting, all money found, if any must be donated to a charity of your choice. Those funds could be better allocated,  if they were simply a "place holder" in a book you haven't read in years.

3. Seperate wanted books from unwanted books.

Books from your personal collection are a great, inexpensive gift idea for a loved one. Sort through your collection and DONATE or GIFT all books you no longer need. Place these books neatly in a box and drop them off or ship them to a great literary organization

Here are a few national programs dedicated to increasing literacy through donated books:

   - http://www.housingworks.org/
   - http://www.booksthroughbars.org/
   - http://www.booksforafrica.org/
   - http://www.craigslist.org/
   - http://www.justgive.org/
   - http://www.bookcrossing.com/


4. Write down titles and authors of all damaged books. Then, recycle them.

All books that are damaged or torn to the point of being illegible must go! There is no point of holding onto items with no purpose or use. If the book is worth having, jot down the author and title, visit your local bookstore, and repurchase.


5. Thoroughly clean the shelves with furniture polish or all-purpose cleaner.

If you do not have a shelving system in your home or do not own bookshelves, there are several inexpensive shelving options. Visit your local Target, Walmart, Container Store, Big Lots, or even http://www.craigslist.com/ for great shelving solutions.


6. Organize your collection onto the shelf.

Decide how you would like to organize your collection. There is no set way to categorize your books, because everyone's collection is different. Choose a system that is individually unique and stick with it.
Here are a few cateegory ideas:

   - by title
   - by genre
   - by size
   - by author
   - by subject

Be sure to keep it simple. Overcomplicating this process is a sure way to end up disorganized in a matter of weeks. Personally, I organize my books by genre and size. For example: Self-help (genre), tallest book starting from the left of the shelf, decreasing in book size to the right.


7. Consider labeling the shelves based on your previously selected categories.
Use a hand-held label maker and neatly label each part of the shelf that represents a new category (i.e.  Authors A - C, Titles D - G, Horror, Romance, Kids, Reference)


Get rid of your book collection blues and follow these steps! Please, comment below on your progress or tweet me @organizenrefine on how this worked for you. Enjoy your day friends!


Until We Blog Again....

CEO, Organize N Refine

Tidy Tuesday Tips

Good afternoon friends!

Today's Tidy Tuesday will focus on tips to create and maintain an organized living room for everyone to enjoy. Let's get started!

1. Create Stations or Zones

Yes, the living room is a zone within the house, as a whole, but create space within that area for specified activities. A few stations, include: entertainment, games, reading, arts and crafts.


2. Keep the Living Room Common

The living room is a common area for everyone to come together and enjoy family activities, whether it be watching TV, playing a board game, or reading. With this in mind, there is no place for other items, such as shoes, toys, and other personal belongings that do not have a specific zone in the living room.

If you have childrem and enjoy playing with them in the living room, create an organized play station for a few toys and make sure they put them away before they move on to another part of the house. However, the majority of the toys should remain in the children's room or gameroom, if one exists.


Photo Retrieved from Target.com

 3. Utilize Storage Baskets

Storage baskets are great for storing newspapers and magazines. What doesn't fit in the basket must be recycled. If you are an avid magazine reader, be sure to keep your magazines up-to-date with new issues. There is no need to keep magazines and newspapers from 2 years ago. If there is and article that stood out to you in an old issue, invest in a photo album or scrap book and begin to save them in a less cluttered fashion.


4. Invest in Furniture With Storage Capability

Furniture, such as benches, ottomans, coffee tables with shelving, or even an entertainment center with plenty of shelving and drawers gives you greater flexibility in displaying and storing items throughout the living room. Placing a decorative storage bench underneat the window is great for additional seating and storage for blankets, board games, and photo albums. Entertainment centers, similar to the photo presented below from The Room Store are great for displaying family photos, a few collectibles, and storage for movies and music.

Photo Retrieved from RoomStore.com

I hope these ideas helped your organizational wheels to turn and create a more functional living room for the entire family. Stay tuned for next Tuesday's tips! I have much more to share with you!

Until We Blog Again...

CEO, Organize N Refine

Valentine's Day Donation

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

I hope you are spending it with people you love and who love you. I spent the majority of the day decluttering and making a few trips to Goodwill. I donated several complete bedding sets and attempted to donate about 6 like-new pillows, but learned that Goodwill does not accept pillows. Once I thought about their potential reason for not taking donated pillows, it made sense. Perhaps, there is a concern for bed bugs and sanitation. Now, I am racking my brain and searching for suggestions on getting rid of pillows. I refuse to trash them and I'm not super handy with needle and thread, therefore making throw pillows isn't an option.

Overall, I feel extremely accomplished. I set out with an agenda this morning and completed all tasks. There's nothing like being productive and feeling that sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. Now, it's time to relax with my good friend Godiva (yummy) and a movie.

Until We Blog Again....

CEO, Organize N Refine

Inspirational Quote - Be Grateful

"Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need."

- Sarah Ban Breathnach


I want each of you to know how blessed and loved you are. We have been given so much and it is important to remain grateful for that which we have. Continue to maintain the glass-half-full mentality and watch your life take miraculous turns. From my home to yours, I wish you progress and peace in your positive lifestyle changes.


Until We Blog Again...



CEO, Organize N Refine

Tips To Make Moving Easier

How many of you have jumped head first into the process of moving, to land butt first in a pool of stress? Moving can be exciting, overwhelming, and stressful all at the same time, but I am here to share with you a few tips to help you keep your cool.

1. The first step is to PLAN. Without a plan, there is no progress and without progression, there is no move. I encourage you all to PLAN, PLAN, PLAN! Oh yeah, and plan some more.


The planning process consists of things like:

- Selecting a move-out/move-in date

- Scheduling movers for a specific date/time (mark calendar)

- Sort through all belongings and label each item: Keep, throw away, donate, or sell. Remember: If you did not use it in the old house,there is no need to move it to the new house.

- Label all boxes. (i.e. cutlery, artwork, bathroom ensemble, etc.) Also, make it easy to unpack by labeling which room the items in boxes belong. (i.e. kitchen, master bedroom, pantry)

- If you are moving to another state, collect all information necessary to obtain a new driver's license, change of address, vehicle registration, and other important matters

2. Decide how you will decorate the new space in advance. This will help with the initial sorting process at the old place. If it doesn't meet the criteria or decorating scheme for your new space, it must go.

3. Notify friends & family via email blast of your new move, moving date, and new address. This will inform those who matter of your move and address change.

4. Look in each room and make sure all items are removed.

5. Other tips to consider:
- Secure a babysitter on moving day
- Secure a petsitter, such as a friend, neighbor, or relative
- Don't spend tons of money on buying boxes. Become a box hustler and gather them from local grocery stores or office buildings
- Stop all papers and subscriptions 2 weeks prior to the move
- Change address information listed under online accounts: Amazon.com,
credit card sites, banking sites, etc.
- Consider selling on Craigslist. Be flexible in pricing, as the idea
is to sell to create space, not get rich!

Moving does not have to be a dreaded headache. All it takes is a little planning and preparation. I hope these tips were of assistance. Feel free to comment with more tips and ideas you have picked up throughout your moving journeys!

Until We Blog Again....



CEO, Organize N Refine

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Centralize & Simplify

Hello there!

February is here and today's blog post will give you more insight on how centralizing your activities and information in the home and/or office will keep you on the track of staying organized.

General Centralization

Often times, we have documents, tools, and generic stuff scattered throughout our environment. An important key in maintaining a functional space is to centralize these things. For instance, if you love photos and scrapbooking like I do, invest in a storage box or basket to keep all loose photos, film, and scrapbooking materials in one area. Also, consider creating a photo workspace in your home with a small desk and storage drawers for all items pertaining to that hobby. Another example of centralizing your information is to keep all files in a single location. Tax documents shouldn't be in one space and car insurance documents in another. Yes, these items should be filed seperately, but all files should be in one primary location. This keeps filing simple and easily accessible. How many times have your forgotten where you filed something, simply beacuse it was not located with your other files? Eliminate confusion and centralize your documents.

Family Centralization

This idea becomes extremely important when running a household effectively. Create a family calendar and clip it to the fridge or an area in the living room (central place). This way you, as the parent, and the children are able to see what activities are taking place within the family that month (i.e. soccer games, church, volunteer functions, choir rehearsal, gymnastics, etc.)

Set up a paper tray in a common area where the kids can place all forms, field trip information, waivers, and report cards. This eliminates you from forgetting to sign or review imporant school documents and keeps the children from saying "I put it on the bed for you to see it" or "I gave it to you. Remember?"

Keep things centralized and simple. Remember, there is a place for everything and everything in it's place.

Until We Blog Again....



CEO, Organize N Refine