Makeover Monday::Playful Organizing

by Filed Under: Art & Design, Home, Organize, Organizing Projects, Systems & Techniques 1 Comment

This year I had the pleasure of working with a family household (parents, 2 kids under 5 and a dog:) who wanted more general order all around. They were not in a horrible situation, just looking to improve upon organizing systems and create some where none existed. With busy families I often find that things fall apart because there are only partial systems in place or none.

This house has a great family room, open to the kitchen which allowed for family time and meal prep to all be in one space. With two little boys though, the play area got messy quickly and mom and dad’s kitchen space was often overtaken by toys and their own daily “landing pad” stuff (mail, purse, laptop, kids art etc). We decided upon our first session the kids play area would be priority number one with the kitchen to follow. Following the SPACE system (created by Organizer and Author Julie Morgenstern) we Sorted, Purged, Assigned, Containerized and Equalized the kids play area.

Kids Play Area-Before

The kids play area off the kitchen had ample storage for a reasonable amount of toys in this space but it was awkward, narrow, hard to reach, overflowing and partially unusable. Our first step was to modify the cabinets (done by a professional) by changing the configuration and height of shelves, installing additional shelves and removing the door from the area under the stairs to create a “garage” for the boys cars and trucks. With the toys purged and sorted and the cabinet modifications in place we measured and ordered specific containers based on the types of toys needing to be stored in the space. These included clear “shoe boxes” for smaller toys, an alligator bin for larger toys under the stairs, translucent totes for inside cabinet shelves and oval ‘chalkboard’ labels for everything. Books and musical instruments were moved to additional cabinets nearby but separate from the rest of the toys.

Kids Play Area-After

This whole project could have been done with existing storage containers but because this area is so widely used by both the family and for entertaining, it made sense to invest in specific storage containers and create a system that was easy to use, clean up and maintain. The finished space is beautiful, functional and FUN! In the new year, during GO-Month (Get Organized-January!) I’ll be sharing the kitchen makeover from this home.

My Big Inspiration Wall

by Filed Under: Art & Design, Home, In the Studio, Inspiration & Education, Organize, Organizing Projects, Systems & Techniques

I am blessed with a spectacular studio that overlooks the marsh with windows on 3 sides…lots of natural light, palm trees, Spanish moss and resurrection ferns dripping and hanging from live oak branches.

I’m not short on inspiration but what I am short on is wall space (because of said windows). This has been a challenge for me since we moved in and the one wall I do have is brick which is difficult to attach anything to. After researching several options, I finally made a request of my handy husband to help me solve this challenge.

Design wall’s that quilters use involve a lot of fleece and I’m not a quilter (although I dabble in quilting techniques) so I felt the expense and effort of all that were un-necessary. I also considered cork, again, a resource I didn’t want to waste especially since I planned to paint the wall to blend in…Finally I settled on inexpensive Fiberboard after realizing this is what is used in many schools (my studio at SCAD included) and it would be just the thing to help me go vertical…Here my handyman Mr. B puts the finishing touches on the painted fiberboard before handing it over for me to “play” with.

This piece of fiber board is 4′ x 6′ (cut down from 4′ x 8′) and was only $9. It sucks up paint like crazy so you might want to use a primer-sealer (like Kilz) so you don’t have to apply a million coats). We attached it to the wall with Washers (painted) and screws (into the morter-this brick was so hard it destroyed 2 of my husbands masonry bits).

What a delight it is to have a space to hang both design pieces I’m working on and inspiration for future work! Above and below are details of what’s now currently hanging on my wall. I’ve got quilt blocks I’m kind of stuck on (not knowing what to use them for or if I need to make more), indigo shibori, yarns, mixed media, photography and other bits of inspiration and work in various stages of finished/unfinished.

I’m by no means a minimalist but I don’t love it when my space is too visually cluttered. With this new wall hung I can corrall all sorts of things that have been floating around my studio into one space to feed my inspiration and allow me to step back and see the pieces that I’m stuck on from a different perspective. Do you have the luxury of a inspiration or design wall in your art or office space?

Trend Tuesday::Organizing the closets

by Filed Under: Closets, Home, Inspiration & Education, Organize

I’ve noticed a couple trends for design and organization of clothing closets lately that I think are fun, functional, stylish and maybe a little over the top for some of you. Just for fun let’s take a peek into some of these closets that are more like Boudoirs of the old days than any closet I have the space for! Below I’ll hilight the trends and takeaways I think are helpful from each of these examples.

Monochromatic::Using colors that are “signature” such as this palette of purple, grey and neutral makes the whole look less distracting and easier on the eye. Great idea for incorporating clothing into an “open closet” wall of a room.

Above and below::Jewelry displayed in the closet. Actually, whether it’s in the closet or on a wall in your room this trend is a lovely way to better see what you have to wear and decorate some empty wall space!

Above and Below::Fun, funky and stylish furniture in the closet. I love how both of these pieces are being used for functional storage but also bring a real sense of style and sophistication to these spaces. The closet becomes stylistically a part of the larger spaces.

Below:: Most of us probably don’t have this many jeans and yes this photo and trend were probably taken from a shop display but I think using S-Hooks in all sort of unconventional ways is a brilliant idea for the closet!

Give some of these fun closet trends a try in your own space and let me know if you find any other fun ideas! If you want to see more Inspiring Organization check out my Pinterest Board here where you will also find links to all the photo’s above (hover over images for credits).

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Fun DIY Organizing

by Filed Under: Handmade, Home, Inspiration & Education, Organizing Projects, Tips & Resources

This week’s FUN DIY Organizing project that may (or may not) help you stay organized.

Recycled Handlebar Bike Rack! Instructions HERE.

These may not always be the most practical projects but that’s not the point here, this is about FUN folks, it’s FRIDAY!

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A Wellness Practice of Creating Space Within

by Filed Under: Home, Inspiration & Education, Organize, Systems & Techniques, Wellness & Mindset

To be driven by our appetites alone is slavery, while to obey a law that we have imposed on ourselves is freedom.– Jean-Jacques Rosseau

Last week I began a simple practice of fasting for one day of the week inspired by a conversation I had with a girlfriend I was visiting in Maine-who is an amazing cook and we had the best time cooking together! I’ve read several opinions on this subject and decided I’m simply doing this because it feels right and good for my body.

We are often a slave to our appetites so fasting one day a week is about creating a Practice to allow space for me to fill my life with other meaningful things.

Since I was away on vacation in Maine for the early part of October I did as many of you might, I over-indulged in wonderful foods, a bit too much alcohol and although I loved every nourishing, delicious bite and sip on my return flight last Tuesday night I felt full. I don’t just mean the normal fullness of a meal but so full of all the experiences, interactions, stimulus and indulgences that I wanted a day of emptiness to process everything. So I began my one day fast last week and this week it continues. I may cheat and have an apple, or some tea or coffee and it’s not about a strict detox for health purposes (that’s another subject and you can read about it here).

For me this one day a week fast is more about not being a slave to my appetite. Allowing space within so that I can process everything and digest it in a slower, more mindful manner.

One of our Feasts in Maine-Softshell Lobster, Raw oysters, fresh green beans, delicious garlic bread and a bit of southern indulgence-Squash Casserole

Do you fast or have a practice of internal-physical clearing? If so what space have you discovered or created both internally and externally?

Maybe you have noticed that I recently changed my tag line to “Cultivating Creative Space”, this is because I believe we all need to practice the art of cultivating space in our lives. This can be done in so many ways and over the course of the next year or so I plan to explore this more in depth, in my own life, with my clients and in the content I share with you here (and newsletters soon to come!).