Organization Inspiration: Quote

(Nan Lawson)

"Declutter the mess in your home and your heart. Don't let your past crowd out your future."

What a beautiful quote from Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis. And I couldn't agree more.  When you move out physical clutter from your life, you're also clearing out psychological and emotional clutter as well.  When you've relieved yourself of the extra baggage, your 'weight' is lighter and forward moving rather than heavy and stuck in the past.

Tell me, Appleshiners, how have you cleared out old clutter to make room for your future?

Organization Inspiration

Hi friends!  Did you have a good weekend?  I hope so.  I had a busy, busy schedule- most of it was prepping for my half-marathon on Sunday morning.  And now that's done, whew!  My legs are little sore but I'm quite pleased with it all.  After some rest (and a very cold ice bath), I wrapped up the weekend with a lovely concert and dinner with friends.  Remember my talented friend, Emily?  Her yummy dinner party inspired this post on organization and etiquette.

So when looking for inspiration for today's post, I went back through images of Appleshined bookshelves; they make this organizer a happy girl.

Holy moly, after working with my client, they organized this bookshelf all on their own!  I love the color-grouping with the books.  And the wall shelves are from CB2.

Remember this bookshelf from the Art Studio?  It houses all her instructional/copy books.  And I love the creative accents on top.

This dollhouse-shaped bookshelf was so cute in the girls' playroom.  And the wicker baskets made it more functional.

This is one of my favorite, whimsical shelving sets.  Staging the little things in your apartment or office with personal accents gives a more meaning to your space.

Again, I used wicker baskets to maximize the shelving space for more than just books in this playroom.  It's a great way to house smaller toys and clunky objects.

Tell me, Appleshiners, what's your favorite inspiration for an organized bookshelf?

Architectural Digest Home Design Show

Recently, I visited the Architectural Digest Home Design Show, not just to look around but also to support my very talented friend, Dwayne, and his gorgeous interior design firm, RDYC.  He was selected by DIFFA for their Dining by Design exhibit- congrats!

It was fun afternoon (especially since it was particularly cold and rainy outside) and I wandered about, finding plenty of organization inspiration and snapping a few photos along the way.

Of course California Closets had an enviable closet display.  I really like the natural, wooden shelving with glass shelving and cabinets- it's so light and airy.  I could totally see myself getting ready in that closet.

I like these little stools.  The soft colors are so pretty and they could double for an end table or extra seating.  Multi-tasking furniture is key for small space organization.

How gorgeous is this shelving unit?!  My taste usually doesn't go towards earthy elements but the simple beauty of this piece is stunning.  And the height allows for more shelves = more organizing solutions.

Shadow box shelving units are all over the place but I've never seen them assembled like this before!  They made the most of a corner space, taking storage vertical and maximizing wall space.

Remember my post on using a frame to hold sunglasses?  This company has a streamlined version of that concept.  Board by Design makes an iWear Rack so compact and attractive, you could place it right by your front door and never forget your sunglasses again.

I had a lot of fun with this little weekend activity.  

Tell me, Appleshiners, what are you up to this weekend?

Organization Inspiration

(A Creative Mint)

Springtime brings beautiful flowers that just demand to be gathered in bouquets and displayed in vases.  But what do you do when the vases are empty?

Here are a few inspirational ideas for storing, displaying and organizing your flower-less vases:

(Antonis Achileos via Real Simple)

You could paint them all different shades of the same color.

(via Talia Events)

Or only paint half of each vase in cool, complimentary shades.

(Lisa Hubbard via Martha Stewart)

Maybe use elements of nature to create a unifying effect with mismatched vases.


Tell me, Appleshiners, how do you organize your vases?

PS- look at a few ways to stay organized using your old Mason jars!

Organization Inspiration

Remember this post about using organization as artwork?  One of the concepts stuck with me: picture rails serving as shoe racks.  Here are some similar images:

(House to Home)

(House to Home)

(Living in a Nutshell)

I like the idea of treating your shoes like artwork.  Putting your belongings out in the open reminds you what you have; things won't get lost in the back of a closet if they're on display instead.


Tell me, Appleshiners, would you use picture rails to hang your shoes?


I hope everyone has a great weekend!  Maybe you'll get some errands done.

If you're going to a dinner party, here are great ways to carry your food with you.

This before/after of a home office will inspire you to do a little pick-up around your home!

Organization Inspiration

Being from the South, I have a deep rooted love of glass jars.  My grandma used to can veggies and preserves from her garden and I remember the endless shelves of Mason jars in her basement.  Nowadays, in an effort to repurpose old materials, glass jars can reinvent themselves into useful ways to stay organized.  Take a look:

A salad in a jar! Pour in the dressing and shake...so easy.  You can use the jars for other kinds of snacks, too.  It's great for a picnic or packing a lunch.

Create more storage space by clearing off your counter top.  Mount a magnetic strip underneath your cabinets to hold smaller, matching jars for your spices.

Glass jars shouldn't be limited to just your spices (or canned preserves).  This Appleshine client used glass jars for all her pantry staples.

Oooh, look-y here, crafters!  Keep your yarn bottled up and manageable by poking a hole in the tops of the jars.  This could work for wrapping ribbons, twine or other spools of materials.

Use chalkboard labels to keep your desk, playroom or kitchen closet organized and all the items in their place.

Haha!  These photo frames made me smile.  You could also stand the jar upright and fill it with olive oil to give your picture a sepia effect like this.

Oh, so many ways for glass jars to help organize your lifestyle.  And if those weren't enough, check out these other fun ideas, too.

Tell me, Appleshiners, how do you repurpose old jars for new organization?

Scarf Storage

Hi friends!  How was your weekend?  I had such a lovely time enjoying our first warm-weathered weekend of the season.  I had dinner with an out-of-town bestie on Friday night, spent St. Patty's Day at the beer garden and enjoyed a museum, a movie and some shopping on Sunday.  Hel-lo springtime!

I even brought out my summertime scarves (well, I did end up wearing my brother's new scarf for most of Saturday).  I usually keep all my scarves in a bin on my closet shelf but I was thinking- maybe it's time for  a new scarf solution.  So I found a few options to consider:

I have these Ikea racks in my kitchen but using them for accessories is a cute idea.

If I had the right wall space, I could use a few tension rods to create some scarf art.

 

Oooh, I like this!  With a little string and a few clothespins, I could display all my scarves.  I'd probably do an ombre colored theme.  Or maybe I have enough for a rainbow.

I'm not positive that wall art is the way to go, though.  Keeping my scarves inside my closet might be best and this hanger gives a better visual than the bins I'm using now.

Tell me, Appleshiners, which style storage do you prefer?

PS- If you're having a little scarf-love right now, too, check out this blog dedicated entirely to scarves!

Organization Inspiration

When space is limited, it helps to be creative with your storage.  The fabulous designers at CasaSugar have some great ideas on how to decorate your living space when your closets are full.

And if you're overwhelmed with the kid's artwork, take a cue from this gallery wall from Apartment Therapy.  They used a curtain rod and clips to display the colorful creations.

Tell me, Appleshiners, how do you turn your storage into art?