Organization Inspiration

Remember my post about making storage into artwork?  Here's another take on that notion: old picture frames that create a unique visual aesthetic from otherwise typical storage solutions.

I'm a big supporter of mounting a key holder by the front door to hold all your keys in the same place.

A cute way to add more storage in the kitchen.

Read more about Sandy and what else she did with her small Brooklyn apartment.

A good DIY for creating your own sunglasses holder. 

A pegboard frame could work for any type of tools: garage, crafting, wrapping station, home office or even a mail organizer.

Tell me, Appleshiners, which storage idea do you like the most?

PS- This weekend, I'm going to my dear friend's baby shower.  She's been creating her baby's nursery from scratch.  Follow her design development in her nursery series and you might notice some Appleshine tips, too ;)

Appleshine: Nashville Pantry

Most southern kitchens have the luxury of cabinets, drawers and closets- all hard to come by in a small NYC apartment (like mine!)  True to it's intention, this Nashville pantry should only hold food and drink items (with the occasional servingware exception).

First, I removed materials that were meant to live outside the pantry (charcoal to the garage, deep fryer in the cabinet, etc).  Then I took all the items off the shelves and grouped them into categories.  When putting them back up, keep like items together (condiments, dressing+marinades, canned goods, baking supplies and so on).  Place the categories according to frequency of use.  Your everyday goods like canned veggies and soups should be at eye-level while larger, less-frequently used items like flour and sugar should be down low.  Save the higher shelves for special occasion items and servingware.

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


PS- A great cheat sheet on how to keep your pantry clean and functional for your family.

A list of 10 must-have pantry staples.

Know the life of a spice.

Pantry art- I love this one (but not this one because I hate, hate, hate pickles!  I'd write 'cherry pie' instead.)

An Organizer's Dream: Crafts Room

I was the little girl who went on playdates and cleaned up my friends' rooms for fun.  And I'd mentally configure every small space I encountered into a one-room home.  The bed would flip out over the kitchen sink, which was above the stove and next to the closet, all on one wall.  That left me 3 other walls to construct.  Yup, that's when I knew that lifestyle organization would be my thing.

Decades later, I still play pretend with an imaginary space.

This image from Better Homes and Gardens is such an awesome inspiration for a crafts room.  There's ample storage yet everything's close at hand.  Letting your space ramble gives way to disorganization.

You can get the shelves here, the storage unit here and the baskets here.  These are a alternative type of wall shelves, if you'd prefer.  And here's a desk similar to the one pictured.

The designer let the storage space continue up to the ceiling with covered baskets, great for small items.  They even used these magazine holders for the shelves.  The flow of the room allows for lots of crafty materials to be contained in a small space.

And the best part about the design is the colors.  The soft gray walls, white and natural units, with only a dramatic pop of blue print keeps the space creative but not overpowering.  Ah...I love a good day dream.


Tell me, Appleshiners, how would you organize your 'dream' crafts room?

Appleshine Anatomy: Dressing a Bed

As I was day dreaming about bed linens from Serena & Lily, I happened across their ingenious design tool that lets you compile all the pieces of a grand bed set.  You can mix and match their crisp white linens and bold print duvets to your liking.  Kinda gives a new meaning to 'sweet dreams'.

I love how they offer complimenting designs for everything from euro shams to duvet covers and accent pillows to headboards.  Creating a comfy oasis for sleeping, dreaming, reading or just lounging is one of my favorite decorating daydreams.  

Tell me, Appleshiners, how do you like to dress your bed?

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?

Recipe Boxes

As soon as I'm done Appleshining for the day, I'm scootin' home for a dinner date.  The weather's still cozy enough for lasagna and I found a great recipe from Southern Living last month.  (You can take the girl out of the South but you can't take her SL mag away.)

I like tearing out recipes from magazines or finding them online.  Once I've prepared the dish and determined if it's a keeper, I'll write it by hand to put in my recipe box.  There's something so comforting about handwritten recipes.  I remember watching my mom and grandma pull out their recipe boxes every holiday; kinda makes me feel like I'm passing along an heirloom.

There are a few different ways to categorize your recipes.  When in book form, it's best to sort by course.  Although, with loose recipes, I like to sort them alphabetically by the title/main ingredient (put chicken dishes together, lasagna recipes under 'L', etc.)  This helps avoid confusion when searching for recipes. 

If you're looking to get a new recipe box, here are a few to pick from:

A bamboo twist on the classic wooden version that I grew up with.

Cutesy saying on a marigold colored box.  (Wonder if it says, 'good lookin' on the backside?)

A vintage tin box from eBay.

Look at all the bright, preppy colors the Jack and Lulu boxes come in.  I like the yellow honeycomb print.

Tell me, Appleshiners, how do you sort your recipes?

PS- Here are some gorgeous letterpress recipe cards and dividers!

Appleshine: Filing Cabinet

Remember yesterday's post, when my client accused her office of being a 'dumping ground'?  Well, I think she meant her filing system.  Or lack thereof.

Yes, sorting through paper clutter takes a loooong time.  But it needs to be done.  If you're going to tackle it on your own, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1) Reading paper files, over and over again, will be tiring.  So don't overwhelm yourself.  Take breaks or work in 30 minute intervals over several days to complete the task.

2) If you have paper to be shredded, put it aside.  It takes too much time to shred as you go.  Instead, finish the filing and then you can multi-task shredding while watching TV.

3) Let your papers decide how to divide your files.  Start with the basic categories:

     Home                             Credit Cards

     Car                                  Paychecks

     Medical                         Cell Phone

     Kids                                Utilities

   Then come up with the sub-categories as you go.  You might not need a whole file dedicated to your root canal surgery.

4) Try to eliminate as much paper clutter as possible by transferring to online e-files. Most bill services offer online banking and many companies will email you a receipt rather than a printed hardcopy.  It's an easy switch that will save space and stress in the long run.

Tell me, Appleshiners, how do you arrange your files?

PS- Remember my new favorite store, C-Wonder?  A reader just sent me this great new addition to their online store: check out their trendy iPod Speaker.  Thanks for the update!!