Reader Space: Simply Organized!

Some peeps just have that organizing gene.  That oh so amazing gene where organizing seems to come so naturally and flawlessly....  I could tell just by checking out Samantha's blog, Simply Organized, that she was blessed with that special gene, and I knew that her ideas were too great not to share!

Samantha wrote:

"Hi Jennifer!

Thank you SOOO much for featuring my organized spaces on your blog. You are so kind!!  If we lived closer to one another, I have a feeling we would get into a lot trouble!

A little about me... I'm a married stay at home mommy to 3 little ones (7, 6, and 2).  For as long as I can remember I have tried to find a way to create order out of clutter.  I can vividly remember doing org projects as a child at home and at school.  Over the years I have shared my projects with friends and family, or I have helped friends and family members find new ways to simplify and organize their own stuff.  For years, though, people encouraged me to start an organization blog.  I was worried to get started because I didn't think I would have enough content to keep readers coming back.  Big surprise... I'm nearing the 1 year blog anniversary mark and I have about 1,000 more organization ideas to share! 

When my kids are a bit older, I'd love to start my own organization business...but until then, I love blogging about what I do here in the house and spend the rest of time enjoying motherhood...

Our family spends a lot of time in our kitchen space. With growing children that seemingly eat all day long, our kitchen, pantry and fridge are set up to be child-friendly. We want our kids to have access to healthy snacks. And if I'm busy changing a diaper, it's nice to know the bigger guys can easily and safely grab their own snacks and drinks. Earlier this year I tore apart the pantry, removed everything, prettied it up with a wall stencil, purchased baskets to contain everything and help create zones. I added a few baskets on the lower shelves for the kids to grab their own dry snacks.

The bottom shelf in the fridge holds plastic containers {not glass} full of fruits, veggies, cheese sticks, and more. 

When it comes to a household, there are always a lot of little things that need to be contained. And with kids in the house along with me and my husband, the little things seem to accumulate rapidly. Conquering the little things is an ongoing, never-ending project in our home. Maybe yours too? But I enjoy the challenge of creating new ways to contain it all.

For example, my scrapbook stickers.  I started by sorting them all down into piles...

Then, placed the categorized stickers into plastic labeled envelopes that fit perfectly into a bin.  {More details here}

When it came to my daughters hair accessories, the ultimate goal was to find a solution that would house ALL of her accessories in one place.Low and behold, I found the perfect solution at Target - of course, right?  {More details here}

When it came time to update our DVD system, it was just a matter of the time it took to sort through our collection, choose the keepers, and move the DVD's and paper inserts to plastic sleeves.  To maximize even more space, whenever possible, I placed two like DVD's together...

Then placed the new plastic sleeves inside new baskets, in alphabetical order.  {More details here}

Family photos are sorted by month. {More details here}

When it comes to those beauty supplies we love to sample, most come in very small packaging, which is perfect for traveling.  However, these small items can easily get lost in the shuffle of your bathroom drawers and cabinets.

I decided I was finally going to tackle this small bathroom issue and was on the hunt for a drawer organizer that might help me out.  Browsing the aisles of Target, I found these small plastic cuties!

Now I can see all of my samples easily and can be assured they will be used!  And it looks pretty! {More details here}

For my couponing, I use a binder.  I have an accordion file section in the front of the binder dedicated to stores I frequent and other general store/restaurant/online coupons.  Inside the individual plastic file pockets, I have store ads and coupons for the stores I shop at most often...

Since I am a visual person, I like to have a clean and organized looking coupon binder.

I don't like to fold the coupons over and stuff them inside an opening that is too small.  I found large coupon protectors at Staples and combined them with Post-It flags.  {More details here}

Buttons are also organized in a binder!

I also love to find new uses for old packaging - if the box looks like a good drawer organizer, I keep it instead of tossing/recycling!"

Samantha has an entire page of her blog dedicated to all her savvy organizing tips, you can find the details to the ones featured here, along with a plethora of others, listed here.

See what I mean?  She has thought of nearly everything yet it all feels so simple and effortless!  And what is not to love?  I adore she stenciled her pantry and keeps healthy snacks easy for the kids to reach, those plastic envelopes for stickers are super slick, pocket organizers are my all time "go to" organizer, she saved sooo much space by condensing those movies into two small baskets, she lined her acrylic drawer dividers {swoon!} and the button binder pages are simply genius!  I could go on and on!

What do you love most?

ATTENTION!!  Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition?  Have an awesome organizing story to share?  I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life.  Please submit your story and photos here and I would heart to feature them right here, on the blog!!  Photos should be high resolution and unedited.  Please include a description of the project, including any costs, inspiration, and how it has changed your life and routine for the better!  Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice!  Only love goes on at this blog!