Organizing Links and Tips for Mid November

I wanted to share some organizing and decluttering links I’ve found useful this month!

Eileen Benthal writes about “The Enlightenment of Letting Go.” She reminds us that November is National Family Caregivers Month.

Brides Magazine gives suggestions for decluttering after your wedding.

Adrienne Lord suggests 5 Simple Ways to Get Rid of Clutter Once and For All.

Do you like to listen to podcasts during your commute? You might enjoy this collection of the Best Decluttering Podcasts.

The Eat, Pray, Budget blog recently wrote about how to Declutter Your Home and Sell Items for Cash.

I’m enjoying this post on Clutter-Free Gift Ideas for a Simple Holiday Season.

The Becoming Un-Busy blog offers 5 Minimalist Mindsets for Living a Happy Clutter-Free Life. Do any of them especially speak to you? I like the “One in, one out” rule, myself.

Hope you enjoy exploring these decluttering articles.

And remember, if you are feeling overwhelmed this holiday season, you can always contact me to set up an appointment to help you declutter and organize!

-Angie

Organizing Your Books and Home Library for a Long Rainy Autumn and Winter

Logan Bookcase with Drawers, from Pottery Barn

I recently helped a client in Redmond organize and inventory her enormous antique children’s book collection. She was only able to bring herself to part with a few, so we came up with some new storage and book organizing solutions.

Next, she picked out a couple of new bookcases and decided which rooms of her home to display some of her antique children’s books in.

I was able to pick up, assemble and install new bookcases for her in her guest bedrooms. Her beloved collection is now arranged on the new shelves and the books are more easily accessible when she wants to revisit them.

Now that the rainy season is here, many of us spend more time indoors reading and enjoying our books. Why not get them organized so we can easily find an old favorite to re-read, or prioritize reading a book we were excited about but forgot to read before now?

Here are some of my recommended links and tips on organizing your books and magazines:

Apartment Therapy suggests 9 ways to organize your books, depending on your personal style.

Slate Magazine says “Organizing your books by color is not a moral failure.”

And York Avenue dares you to organize your books by color as well.

For some alternative choices, here’s 7 Ways to Organize Your Books Other Than Alphabetically.

We mustn’t miss Real Simple’s guide to 22 Ways to Arrange Your Shelves!

Stylecaster has some clever ideas on Organizing and Storing Books.

Abby from Just a Girl and Her Blog shared what happened when she applied the KonMari method to book sorting in her home.

Speaking of the KonMari method, here’s Melville House’s article on “The Life-Changing Magic of Organizing Your Book Collection.”

Read it Forward suggests How to Organize Your Books Your Way.

HGTV offers a checklist of questions to ask yourself about your home library and the books within it.

Little Green Notebook suggests organizing books by color and by genre.

Stone Gable has hints on what to do with all those books and magazines.

Bustle shares 10 Hacks for Organizing Books and Making Your Reading Space Instagram-Worthy.

Need help organizing your book collection, bookshelves and magazines? Need to add another bookcase or some shelving to your home?

Contact me to set up an appointment!

-Angie

Time to Organize Our Coat Closets and Mudrooms for the Rainy Season!

Home Decorators Collection coat closet/hall tree, from Home Depot

The rainy season is here! Time to get out our rain boots, umbrellas (though most Seattleites don’t carry them!) hats, gloves, and scarves. We also might get out warmer, heavier weight coats as December approaches, and switch to more sensible footwear for the time being.

Can you find what you’re looking for in your coat closet in the morning? If guests come over on the weekend or in the evening, is there a place to hang their coats? Do you find yourself rummaging around looking for things?

Or are you making do with an overhung, coat-cluttered coat rack by your front door?

Schedule an appointment with me if you need help organizing your coat closet, coat rack, mudroom, entryway storage furniture and entryway shoe racks! I can help you find the perfect coat rack, hall tree, storage system or entryway furniture, and even assemble and install it for you.

Won’t it be nice to instantly find your keys, gloves, scarf, mittens, umbrella, coat, Kleenex packet and other must-have items when you leave in the morning?

Visit the Contact Me page to set up an appointment!

 

 

Preparing Your Kitchen for Fall and the Autumn Holidays

Though we’ve enjoyed some warm sunny weather this week here in the Seattle area, autumn is approaching soon! Time to get our kitchens ready for the busy fall baking, cooking and holiday season. Especially for those of you who cook, bake and entertain frequently!

Here are some of my favorite tips for getting our kitchens ready for autumn:

Cooking Light recommends a fall shopping list; the perfect autumn fridge contents; and then presents several fall recipes.

Food52 suggests 11 steps to take to prepare your kitchen for autumn. (I think the most important one is the first – sort through your pantry and get rid of expired items!)

Speaking of the pantry, here’s Real Simple’s article called “Purge your Pantry.”

There are also some helpful kitchen preparation tips at The Culinary Exchange.

Lovely Living has a four post series on preparing your kitchen for Fall: Part 1 – Overall, Part 2 – Refrigerator and Cupboards; Part 3 – Pantry, and Part 4 – Kitchen Appliances.

Lastly, 10 Steps to an Organized Kitchen isn’t specific to autumn, but are good ideas to keep in mind.

Need help getting your kitchen ready for the busy autumn season? Contact me to schedule an appointment!

-Angie

Late September’s Organizing Links Roundup

“Decluttering What Matters” is a thought-provoking article on organizing your papers, documents and files, especially in case an emergency happens to you.

Loving this article with decluttering tips from Australian organizing expert Anita Burges: “Items You Should Never Have in Your House at Each Age.”

For example, in your thirties, “Don’t have a futon in your home anymore – you need to look after your bones and you need to be supporting your body with good furniture.”

Huffington Post includes a cluttered home in their list of 5 Stupidly Simple Things That Are Messing With Your Mental Health.

This interesting article from Bulbul Mankani in India suggests six decluttering tips.

The Gauntlet helps college students learn to destress by decluttering their space.

Lisa Woodruff offers 5 Tips for Getting Organized When Depressed.

The personal finance section of The Globe and Mail offers a few tips on downsizing for older couples.

This won’t apply to everyone, but I got a kick out of reading How to Organize Your Geeky Stuff and Make Your Home Feel More “Grown-Up.”

And finally, CafeMom offers 7 Stylish & Functional Ways to Declutter Your Entryway. (My favorite tip is to “go vertical.”)