Focus On Another Friday - 31 Days To An Organized Home

Only the praise is my own.  The image and ideas are all property of Kelly at The Complete Guide To Imperfect Homemaking.

Kelly is giving you a 31 day challenge filled with brilliance!

I think my favorite, of all 31 days, is the pantry.

Photo Via Kelly at The Complete Guide To Imperfect Homemaking.

 
I don't know... I think I just have a thing for pantries.  Maybe because I don't have one?

Anyway, the challenge starts here and you won't regret clicking over!

Magazine Rack Or A Lid Holder?

Photo Via http://www.simplebites.net

That is a magazine holder, and I can't find a similar one to link, I'm sorry, mounted inside a cabinet holding lids up and out of the way.

If your kitchen is large enough, you could mount it out in the open as well to show off your brilliance.  Especially if you choose to hang your pots and pans up instead of storing them below, as some people do.

The organization genius behind this leaves me without a joke.

Paper Towel Holder

Oy the paper towel dilemma.  Have to have them.  In reach, but out of the way.

Hello brilliance!

Photo Via http://www.southernliving.com

Yes, that's sexy and you know it!

That is a fake drawer in your kitchen, usually found under the sink, turned into a paper towel holder.

Wash Cloth In Use Solution

I have a 4-year-old.  And a baby who in a few years will be a 4-year-old.

And 4-year-olds are short.  They can't help it.  They just come stocked that way.

And another manufacturer's defect of 4-year-olds is OMG the mess!

The one I'd like to discuss involves their faces.  The simplest, and most economic, clean-up is a washcloth.  But, unless you enjoy endless laundry you want to see them used more than once.

Now, you can leave it in a crumpled heap next to the sink, or hang it up to dry.  Clearly, hang it up, yes?

Well, 4-year-olds are also notoriously independent.  You can add that to the list along side short and messy.

And these


Are at adult level.  Because people installing them are stupid.


So I'm telling you now, unless you want one of these constantly sitting balled up next to your sink, you might as well just by a towel rack of some sort that can be installed within easy reach of your (presumably) favor shorty, and let independence roll!  Also, you can train them to hang up their damn towels young while they are still knowledge sponges.

There is room for both, after all.

Uh, you're welcome!

Label Maker Or DIY On A Budget

This:


Is awesome.  Though mildly expensive if you are OCD on a budget.  Plus, you know, refills.

None the less, I covet label makers.  Oh how I want it in my Christmas stocking with a yearly supply of refills under each tree.

In the meantime?  I'm not going to lie.  I use this:


Yep, that's masking tape.  And you can find it for like a dollar a roll at the dollar store or other such low budget shopping havens. 

And those sharpies you had better own by now or you can just leave this page?  Yep.  They write quite fine on masking tape!

Alright, so it isn't as purdy as the button pushing goodness a fancy label maker can give you.  But it's larger.  It's reasonably priced.  And should you have the compulsion to label every drawer, bin, and shelf in the house (don't give me that look) it's affordable.

And it isn't like many of us can make a mint off being highly, or even slightly, OCD.  So affordable is good.

Saves you money for more bins, baskets and other containers.