Looking back at January and ahead to February

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Wow... January usually drags, but it seems to have flown by!  Wasn't it just last week we were ringing in the new year and setting goals for 2013?

But, January did actually have all 31 days that it's supposed to have :)  And plenty happened on this here blog so let's take a look.


Most Read Post:

The most read post in January was Command Centre:  Wall Files for Papers.  I linked it up on several popular link parties and the views skyrocketed.  {So fun when that happens!}  I'm obviously not the only one who struggles to stay on top of all the paperwork that makes its way into our homes on a daily basis!  This system has really helped me and I hope it helps lots of other people too :)


Most Commented On Post:

This title goes to I'm Co-hosting the Let's Get Social Sunday Party!   I loved getting to know so many new bloggers this month and co-hosting this party was a big part of that.  January saw an increase in blog comments and I love each and every one of them!  


My Favourite Post:

Two-parter this month!  Organizing my Linen Closet and Organizing My Linen Closet Part 2:  The Full Reveal were both favourites.  I LOVE how organized my linen closet is now.  The baskets and the over-the-door organizer have really helped it stay organized.


Other Posts From This Month:

Here are the other posts from this month in case you missed any of them.

1.  Organizing Resource:  Pulling Yourself Together and Organizing Resource:  Project Organize Your Entire Life  If you need a little help keeping your organizing resolutions, these are both great resources!

2.  I'll group all the Organizing Ideas For the Weekend posts together here:

• Organizing Ideas For The Weekend #8 (organizing tips for putting away Christmas), 
• Organizing Ideas For The Weekend #9 (several links for home management binder printables), 
• Organizing Ideas For The Weekend #10 (decluttering - using Peter Walsh's 31Days2GetOrganized series), and 
• Organizing Ideas For The Weekend #11 (ideas for using the backs of doors to organize)

I like doing this series and giving ideas that can help you get organized on the weekend.  More to come in February!

3.  I Love Freecycle - Free Gifts!  Another post in this series and this time I shared some items I received on Freecycle that I was able to give away as gifts.  I also showed you how I used an item I got earlier.  I've got some more great finds coming up as well as pictures of some of the items I've Freecycled to others.


Previous Months' Posts That Were Popular This Month:

1.  Reflecting Back on 2012  I had fun looking back on my first partial year of blogging and sharing the top 5 posts of last year.

2.  My Daughter's Closet is Finally HER Closet  All of my top 5 posts from 2012 were popular again in January but I linked this one up to the New Year's Organizing Revolution so it was viewed more than the others.  Lots of closet organizing going on in January :)

3.  31 Days of Organizing Tips (Introduction)  Several posts from this series were popular this month, but this one is the launching pad to all of them so it tends to get the most views.  If you're looking for organizing tips, this post is a great place to start.


Highlights This Month:

1.  I loved sharing Peter Walsh's 31Days2GetOrganized posts and videos on Facebook this month.  So many people get overwhelmed just thinking about all the areas of their house that need to be de-cluttered but Peter's tips make it very manageable.  Just 10 minutes a day.  If you missed them, you can find all the days on Peter's Facebook page.  

2.  This month we hit over 75,000 pageviews on the blog.  In fact, we're over 80,000 now but those multiples of 25 are kind of fun mile markers to celebrate.  I never imagined so many people would enjoy my blog when I started it and it is so humbling and exciting to see it grow.  Thank you so much for being part of this journey!

3.  With the growth of the blog, I'm starting to branch out {slightly} into earning income through it.  I've had Adsense almost since the beginning and have started to see a little bit more earnings through it {as in, I may get to my first $100 payment by my 1-year blogiversary!}. And this month I became an affiliate for a few sites.  All together, it's really not a lot of money but every little bit helps and then I can re-invest a little money back into the blog so I can keep posting organizing tips for all of you :)

Goals From Last Month:

I actually didn't include specific goals for January in last month's post since it was looking back at the whole year and looking forward to the whole year, rather than just a month.  But, I always set a goal to write posts more consistently, and I think I did pretty well with that this month, especially since I've been working quite a bit outside the home and taking care of my kids more since my hubby's been working more too.  It was great to get back to sharing more of my organizing projects too.

Goals For Next Month:

1.  Reply back to comments more consistently.  It means so much to me that you take the time to leave a comment on a post and I am so sorry I have not replied to all of you.  I did do a little better this month so that's progress at least.

2.  Write the rest of the posts in my command centre series.  I can't wait to show you all the ways it has helped keep our family organized!

3.  Complete more organizing projects around the house so I can share them with you too.  {I've got lots of partially completed projects that I need to wrap up and tie a bow on!}

4.  Introduce a de-cluttering challenge that you can all join in on.

5.  Continue to spend time getting to know new people on Pinterest, Facebook, and Google+.



So that's my look back on the month of January and look ahead to February. 

Once again, I am so grateful that you have taken the time to join me on this journey from overwhelmed to organized!

How did you do with your January goals?  Have you kept up with your organizing resolutions?  Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you out!



Happy organizing!





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I Love Freecycle - Free Gifts!

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It's been quite awhile since I've written a post in the "I Love Freecycle!" series and I want to share with you some of my latest finds.   You can see my previous posts in this series here for more on how Freecycle works and why I love it so much.

I saw a posting on Freecycle a little before Christmas for two new Christmas books.  New!  And free!  Did I mention that I love Freecycle?

Here's the first book.  It has a CD in the back too.

Isn't it great?  And this is the second one.

I was so excited when I picked these up!  The books were in perfect condition.  I gave both of them as Christmas gifts - one to my mom and one to my mother-in-law.  {Sorry moms, the cat's out of the bag but I think you both actually appreciate that kind of thriftiness!}

Free gifts!  Can't beat that in December :)

And now for an update on an item I received last fall.  Do you remember all the baskets I received from Freecycle?

This was one of the sets.

In that bunch was this little gem.

I mentioned in that "I Love Freecycle" post that it would be great for a gift basket.  And it was!  I gave a basket of bath products to my brother's girlfriend for Christmas.  

Here's a different angle so you can see the basket better.

I love being able to use something free as part of a gift.  As long as the item is in good condition of course :)  And as long as the recipient would not be offended if they knew it was free.

More Freecycle finds coming soon!  And I'll share some of the things that I've given away on Freecycle too.

What's the best thing you've ever found on Freecycle (or a thrift store/garage sale)?  Let me know and maybe I'll feature you in a future post in the series!


Happy organizing!





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Command Centre: Wall Files for Papers

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Do you have piles of paper on your kitchen counter, dining room table, or in your entryway?

You know the papers I mean?  Those things that come in your house every. single. day.  Like bills, invitations, and flyers.  Or school work, newsletters, and permission forms.  Or receipts and coupons.

All those things you need to do something with.  At some point.  But not right away.  So you put them in a pile to deal with later.

And the pile gets moved a few times because you need the space for something else.  Like cooking or eating :)

Then when you need something, you can't find it and have to scramble around as you're running out the door.  Or you have to pay late fees because you forgot to pay a bill.  Or you can't return something because you can't find the receipt.

Does any of this sound familiar?  Even for those of us who like organizing, the daily accumulation of paper is a huge challenge.  It just keeps on entering our homes!

If you don't have a solution for dealing with those daily papers, you'll  easily be overwhelmed by it.

I'm embarrassed to show this, but here was where some of our paperwork ended up.

Not pretty I tell ya!  And I don't have a picture of the piles of papers on our kitchen table or living room table or on the floor near our front door, but trust me, they were frequently in any or all of those places.

So how can you turn an overwhelming mess of paper into something organized?

There are lots of ways to deal with paper.  A few months ago I'd had enough of the mess.  I decided to set up a command centre to help me deal with our daily papers.

I am amazed at the difference it's made in our home!

As part of the 31 Days of Organizing Tips series, I showed you several great examples of command centres.  I've also got lots of inspirational photos on my Entryways, Drop Zones & Command Centres board on Pinterest.

Based on what I'd seen for inspiration, and on what kinds of papers were causing me to feel most overwhelmed, I put together our command centre.

Over the next few weeks I'll be showing you details about all the bits and pieces of my Command Centre.  Today I'm showing you the piece that has made the most difference:  my hanging file holders.

Isn't that a thing of beauty?  It definitely is to me... at least compared to those piles of papers :)

I originally wanted to use these double file pockets from Martha Stewart's collection.

Source

They're so pretty!  But I knew I needed several of them and they would have taken up too much wall space for the area I had.

So I bought clear plastic holders instead.  They were on sale and I returned some items that I decided not to use, so they actually didn't cost me anything!

Source

They hold a lot of papers in a relatively small amount of wall space, which is important since I didn't have a lot to work with {more on that in a later post}.

I decided on 6 categories of folders.  I actually just used Post-It notes for labels for a month or two until I decided exactly what I wanted.  That way I could adjust things as we used it and easily add or remove or change categories {which I did!}.

Here's what I ended up with:

• School - This folder contains any paperwork related to the kids' school including this year's handbook, the most recent newsletter, the current month's calendar, information about field trips or upcoming events, notices that I need to refer to, etc.  I originally had one school folder for each of my kids but since they currently go to the same school I found one folder worked better.

• Activities and Special Events - My kids aren't involved in a lot of activities right now but I needed a place for invitations, notices about sports, or registration forms for other activities.  As they get older I'm sure we'll use this folder more and maybe even add separate folders for each kid or each activity.

• Receipts - This folder is really a way to help keep my hubby's credit card receipts "hidden" from sight.  SO much better than the messy piles they used to cause!  {Remember them from that earlier picture?!}  I have envelopes inside this folder for each of our credit cards and I shred them once a month after I compare them to the bill (except for any that we need to keep for returns or warranty purposes which I file away).

• Coupons - We're not huge couponers but we do like to save a bit here and there.  Again, these were usually stored haphazardly on that messy shelf.  But sometimes they expired because we forgot we had them.  Now they all have a home in this folder and I've clipped them together by month that they expire.  We can still use any of them whenever we want but at the beginning of the month I'll pull out the ones that expire that month so we can make sure we use them up.  It's not as complex as some coupon systems out there but it works for us!

• Loyalty cards - We don't have a ton of these either but we didn't really have a good place to keep them so they were in various places around the house {including that messy shelf!}.  Sometimes we couldn't find them when we wanted them.  But now they have a home.  And we use them more often, which is why we signed up for them in the first place :)

• Tickets and gift cards - Again, these were scattered in several places of our kitchen before but now they are all together.  I started a list inside the folder with the balances on each gift card so I don't have to look it up.  I also keep tickets or vouchers from sites like Groupon so we know where they are when we want to use them.  

So that's my new paper storage system!  I can't believe I didn't do something like this earlier.  It's so much less cluttered and I know where everything is.  And because I go through these folders at least monthly I remind myself of what's in them.  

Here's another look at this part of my command centre.  It just makes me smile :)

You can see bits of the kids' routine lists beside it, our calendar above it, and the kids' backpacks below it.  Stay tuned for more on these and other elements of our command centre!

If you have lots of papers without "homes", then spend some time figuring out how you can group them and store them in a way that will help you keep track of them without adding clutter to your home.

How do you organize the papers that enter your home daily?  

Happy organizing!





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Organizing Resource: Project Organize Your Entire Life

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I mentioned a few weeks ago that from time to time I will be sharing great resources to help you get organized.

I recently read a brand new e-book called Project Organize Your Entire Life:  The Quick Start Guide.  I loved it and I think you will too!

What I loved about this book is that it really helps people who are overwhelmed to take small steps to get organized.

Here's a bit of background on Project Organize Your Life:

Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life (POYEL) is a viral movement that started in early 2012.  Since then the series has been read, and pinned, by over half a million people and it’s popularity continues to grow.

The new eBook is the culmination of everything we’ve learned through the series, as well as the answer to the often asked question, “Where Do I Start?”.

It’s a quick 50 page guide that will help anyone interested in simplifying their life easily get started.

Here's what you get in this e-book:

• Step-by-Step action plans for conquering some of the biggest obstacles to living the simplified life: decluttering, cleaning, organizing, meal planning and more.

• Customizable strategies for it all. We’re of the belief that one size does NOT fit all. Which is why the quick start guide is full of resources for a variety of lifestyles, schedules, and personalities.

• A built-in support network.  Yeah, we know, a support system for organizing? Sounds a little over the top – but you’d be surprised how motivating a facebook group of over 4,000 fellow simplifiers can be.

• No unattainable goals, only real-life expectations.  If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that simplifying and organizing is a journey, not a destination.  So we’ve set up our quick start guide accordingly.  By offering lots of different strategies for tackling a problem, we’re arming you with the tools you need to be successful when life changes on you.

• Bonus Material: We’re also teamed up with our favorite meal planning service to offer everyone who buys the eBook an exclusive 20% discount code – it’ll make dinner prep a snap!

I love that this e-book allows you to organize in a way that works for you.  That increases the chances of you staying organized because you're not just trying to copy what worked for someone else.

I've been part of the POYEL Facebook group for awhile and it's great.  So many great ideas and TONS of support and encouragement.

So, if you're looking for a resource to help you get started on your journey from overwhelmed to organized, or, if you need to change your current organizational systems in any areas of your life (since life is always changing and our organizing needs to change too!), then I encourage you to buy this e-book.  {Just click either of the pictures or any of the links to get to the page to buy it.}

*This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small fee when you purchase this book through the links in this post.  Thanks for helping support this blog so I can continue to bring you organizing tips and ideas.


What area of your life to you need to organize most?

Happy organizing!





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Organizing Ideas for the Weekend #11

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Happy Friday!  Time for another organizing idea for your weekend :)

Many of you have been excited about the over-the-door shoe organizer that I used in my linen closet.  I am too!  Just thinking about how I was able to use all that otherwise wasted vertical space makes me giddy.

I know... I'm a little crazy that way.  But it doesn't seem like I'm the only one :)

So I thought today I'd show you some other ways you can use the back of a door to organize in your home.

I can hear some of you saying, "But Hilda, I have sliding doors (or folding doors or pocket doors).  I can't use the back of them!"

Even if you have some of those kinds of doors, I'm sure you can find a cupboard door under your bathroom sink or kitchen sink or leading to the garage or the basement, or somewhere that isn't being used to its full capacity.

Don't believe me?  Here's a list of ways you can use the back of your doors to organize:

1. Cleaning supplies (spray bottles, wipes, rags, iron/ironing board, etc.)  - using pocket organizers, shelves, racks, or hooks in a broom closet, laundry room, garage, or basement, or under the kitchen or bathroom sink
2. Hats, mitts, gloves, scarves, umbrellas or sunscreen - in pocket organizers in the entry or hall closet
3. Jackets, coats, purses, or backpacks - on hooks in the hall closet or on the front door
4. Snacks, spices, small packages - in pocket organizers, baskets, or small shelves in the pantry or a kitchen cupboard
5. Lids, measuring cups, cutting boards, or spices - using towel bars, hooks, or racks in kitchen cupboards
6. Menu plans or grocery lists - using chalk board on the back of kitchen cabinets
7. Command centres, calendars, mail, bills to pay, or important numbers - using mail organizers or cork board on kitchen or office doors
8. Office, craft, homeschooling, or scrapbooking supplies - using pocket organizers on the back of closet or room doors
9. Gift wrap, ribbon, bows, or tags - using baskets on the back of closet doors
10. Towels or bathrobes - on hooks or rods on bathroom or bedroom doors
11. Toiletries, cosmetics, hair dryers, and curling irons - in pocket organizers, baskets, or hooks on bathroom cupboard doors, linen closets, or bathroom doors
12. Jewelry, hair accessories, scarves or ties - on rods or in pocket organizers on bedroom doors or closet doors
13. Paper towel holders, garbage cans, recycling bins, plastic bags, or rags - on rods, hooks, or other attachments to kitchen cupboard doors
14. Small toys such as stuffed animals, Barbies, or Hot Wheels cars - using pocket organizers on kids' bedroom doors or closet doors
15. And of course, you can always use over the door shoe organizers for... yes... SHOES!

If you want some visual inspiration, Pinterest is full of great ideas!  I've been pinning a ton of them on my "Organize Using The Backs of Doors" board.  {You can click below and browse the pictures on my board even if you don't have a Pinterest account}





Here are a few of my favourite pictures.

http://www.icanteachmychild.com/2011/08/our-new-schoolcraft-supply-organization/

Source: bhg.com via From Overwhelmed To Organized on Pinterest

Source: mysweetsavannah.blogspot.ca via From Overwhelmed To Organized on Pinterest

Source: iheartorganizing.blogspot.ca via From Overwhelmed To Organized on Pinterest

Source: con-tain-it.typepad.com via From Overwhelmed To Organized on Pinterest

So where can you use the back of a door better in your home?  Take a look around to see where you can make better use of vertical space.

This weekend, decide on a door and figure out what you want to use it for.  Then make it happen!  You'll be so glad you did.

What door in your home are you going to use to help you get more organized?  If you already use the back of your doors to keep you organized, please share your ideas!

Happy organizing and have a great weekend!





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I'm co-hosting the Let's Get Social Sunday party!

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Welcome to everyone visiting for the first time!

I'd love to get to know you so please leave a comment introducing yourself and I will follow you back.

I hope you find some helpful organizing ideas here! If you'd like organizing tips on anything in particular, please comment below or email me at organizerhilda (at) gmail (dot) com.

I look forward to helping you go from overwhelmed to organized!

I'm so happy to be co-hosting this party this week! I've linked up every week since it started a few weeks ago and I've met some great bloggers.

If you haven't linked up before, then join in this week!  You'll get to meet some great people too!

Welcome to Let's Get Social Sunday!

This party is for bloggers who wish to make new friends and gain new followers. It is also an opportunity to link up all your social media sites to gain more followers for blogging opportunities and it increases traffic to all your sites.

There are no "rules", but all that we request is that you:

(1) Follow your hosts and co-host in as many ways as possible

Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes

and

Evelyn @ My Turn for us

and

Hilda @ From Overwhelmed To Organized

and

Claudia @ Images by CW


(the first three to four links links in each category)

(2) Grab our button and share it on your blog if ya like



(3) Let us know if you followed in the comments, so we can return the follows!


(4) Find some new blogs to follow and let 'em know you found them from the Let's Get Social Sunday party. 


Just a note - If you would like to co-host, we are accepting spots in the future for co-hosts. Please, email Evelyn or Jamie and we will send you the information on scheduling. :)

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Organizing Ideas For The Weekend #10

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Happy Friday!  Time for another organizing idea for your weekend :)

January is a great time to get organized.  It's a fresh start.  A new beginning.  A time when people look back on what worked and what didn't work in the past year and then choose some things to work on that will help make the coming year better.

Lots of people list "get organized" or something similar on their list of new year's resolutions.  I think it's so common because we're constantly bringing new things into our home which means it can get cluttered quickly (even for the most organized people!).

You know how people get frustrated that some household chores are never-ending?  Things like laundry and dishes.  I never feel like I've "finished" these tasks because as soon as I put away a load of laundry, there are dirty clothes in the hamper.  Or as soon as I wash dishes, another meal rolls around and there are more dirty dishes in my sink.  And don't even get me started on dusting and vacuuming and sweeping the floors and cleaning the bathroom.

As frustrating as this is at times, we all kind of accept it as a fact of life and find our own ways to deal with it so we stay sane.  Hopefully anyway :)

I've recently started to think of decluttering as one of those never-ending tasks.

I don't say that to discourage you.  For me it was actually kind of liberating to realize this.  It was one of those eye-opening, mind-blowing, paradigm shifting experiences.

Previously, I kept thinking I would "finish" decluttering my house {I know I'm a bit of a dreamer sometimes!}.  But I often got frustrated and overwhelmed because as soon as I finished purging in one room I saw clutter in another room.  Or 2 or 3 or 10 rooms :)

Decluttering not really a project that I can cross of my to-do list.  It's something I need to do regularly and consistently.  Because clutter is always entering my house.

Do any of these items sound familiar?

• New toys for birthdays, holidays, rewards, treats, and special occasions.  
• Little do-dads from loot bags or kids' meals.  
• School work, art projects, and crafts.  
• Newspapers, flyers, bills, notices, letters, and statements.

I could go on.  And on.  And on.  And that's just been the last few weeks!

With this constant stream of "stuff" flowing into our home, I need an equally constant river going out of it!

I will never "finish" decluttering because I will never have a year or a season or a month or a week or even a day without things coming into my home.  Mind-blowing but true.

So I've accepted that decluttering is a constant task.  I've made the mental shift.

And changing how I think about decluttering has actually made me feel less overwhelmed.  It's just part of my daily routine and everyday life.  It's not something I will ever "complete".  And I'm OK with that now.

Obviously some days or weeks will involve more decluttering than others.  And I'm still working my way through all the spaces in my house, doing a thorough purge and setting up organizational systems.  So I'll still cross projects off my to-do list.  I love my lists!  And crossing things off :)

But on a daily basis, I look around and just declutter whenever I see something that we don't need, use, or love.  Or I try to anyway :)  I'm just looking at everything differently than I used to.  And it's very freeing.

I'll be telling you soon about a decluttering challenge I'm going to launch this year.  And you can all be part of it!  Stay tuned for details.

In the meantime, let's get on with this weekend's organizing tip!  If you haven't guessed yet, your mission this weekend is to spend 10 minutes decluttering.

Choose an area that is bothering you the most and jump in.  You'll be amazed at what you can do in 10 minutes.  Just 10 minutes!  That's not overwhelming.  After that you can either stop and enjoy your decluttered space, or you can do another 10 minutes.

If you'd like ideas or inspiration, this month I've been sharing Peter Walsh's #31Days2GetOrganized challenges on Facebook.  Each day this month he has been giving a 10-minute decluttering task.  Sometimes he even has a short video (1-2 minutes) outlining the task and giving us motivation to do it.

For example, here's yesterday's task.




Big fan of that man :)

If you've already been following along with Peter's challenges, then just continue on this weekend.

If you haven't, then this weekend you can start! You can just jump in and start now.  If you have more than 10 minutes, you can go back and complete some of the challenges that he's already given.

All his challenges are on his Facebook page.  You can like his page to get the challenges directly every day or you can follow From Overwhelmed To Organized on Facebook and I'll share them there.

{Note:  Be sure to add pages you like to interest lists so you don't miss any posts because Facebook only shows you a small percentage of the things those pages share.  If you don't know what I'm talking about let me know and I'll share links to some more detailed explanations and tutorials.}

Are you ready to declutter this weekend?  You'll love the results!  And you'll feel less overwhelmed in your home. 10 minutes. You can do it!

How do you deal with the never-ending nature of clutter?  What are you going to declutter this weekend?

Happy organizing and have a great weekend!





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Organizing My Linen Closet Part 2: The Full Reveal!

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Yesterday I showed you how I organized the linens part of my linen closet.  If you didn't see that post, here's a look at what my linen closet looked like before I organized it.

Not too pretty.  And very chaotic!  I showed you yesterday how I organized the top two shelves that contain any linens that are not stored in bedrooms.

Today I'm going to show you how I organized the rest of the closet.  Here's a look at some more before pictures.

This is the toiletries shelf.  What a mess!!  I don't have a lot of space in our bathroom and all 4 of us share it, so extra bathroom items {things that aren't used regularly} get stored in this closet.

This shelf has definitely seen more organized days.  I usually go through this shelf every 6 months or so and I group the shampoos together, body wash bottles together, etc.  But it doesn't take long for things to just get tossed in anywhere.  It's become overwhelming again and I really need a better system to keep it organized.

I also keep a few cleaning supplies in this closet so I can do a quick clean as needed without having to go downstairs to get the rest of the supplies.  Gotta love that beautiful shower-cleaning-puff-on-a-stick thing in the closet too.  There's really nowhere else to store it upstairs so this closet is its home :)

Here's a look at the next shelf down.

This shelf is kind of an overflow area.  There are some off-season things like sunscreen as well as our "stockpile" for things we found great deals on.

There are some more cleaning supplies too.  And a fan.  Oh, and some old photo albums and pictures.  Of course.  Because a linen closet is a normal place to keep those isn't it?  :)  Sometimes things get put somewhere when you have space and then they just stay.  They kind of become part of the scenery and it doesn't even seem strange until you stop sometime and think about it {or take pictures of it!}.

Speaking of things that don't normally belong in a linen closet, on the floor of our closet is a bunch of my hubby's old sports card collection.  Why is it stored in our linen closet you ask?  Well, I'm not really sure, except that we don't really have any place else for it.  And it's really heavy stuff so the floor of this closet is a good place to keep it all without causing shelf to sag.

My hubby's hoping our son will get into sports cards soon so he can share his collection with him.  If not, he'll probably sell or give away some of it.  He sorted through it about a year ago and purged some of it then, so I just left it as it is right now. {I did move the Always pads and hair cutting supplies though!}

I mentioned yesterday that I took everything out of the closet so I could look at each item with fresh eyes and only put back what I really wanted to store in this closet.

Here's my relocate pile:

Definitely not items that need to be here!  I also moved 1 blanket into each of the kids' closets before I took this picture. And yep, that's me in that picture.  Wasn't I a cute kid? :)

This is my giveaway pile:

I purged a few toiletries I knew we wouldn't use.  And a bunch of sheets and some non-matching towels.  I'll be donating a few of these things but most items I gave away on Freecycle.  If you're looking for places to donate linens, there are also lots of shelters that can really use them.  

So are you ready to see what the rest of the closet looks like now that it's organized?  Here we go!

So simple looking compared to all that chaos before!  I really like having these items grouped in little baskets.  I used plastic baskets in case anything leaks.  Not quite as classy as the baskets I used for the other two shelves but more practical :)

The shelves are deep so there's space at the back for other items if needed.  But, the thing I love about this system is that if I do store anything back there, it will be easy to access because I can just pull the baskets forward.  No more bottles falling over when I reach for something at the back of the shelf!

Here's the shelf that used to be our overflow shelf.

I say "used to be" because it's practically empty now!  These 3 things can even fit behind those baskets on the shelf above.  I just put them here since the shelf was completely empty.

So where did all the toiletries go that used to be on these two shelves?  That's my secret weapon that I mentioned at the end of yesterday's post :)

Check it out!

Look at how many toiletry items I fit into these pockets!

Those of you who follow From Overwhelmed To Organized on Facebook know that I was searching earlier this week for an over-the-door shoe organizer.

I really wanted to make use of the vertical space on the back of the door.  Every other closet in our house has sliding doors which means I can't use this kind of organizer.  So I was even more determined to put one to use here.

When I couldn't find one I vented on Facebook :)  I'm so glad I did because several of you shared great ideas for where I could look.  And thanks to one lovely reader I was able to get one at Canadian Tire the next day.  It was the last one!  Thanks everyone :)

I'm so excited about all the space it freed up on the shelves!  That was one of my goals for this project.  Check!

I also wanted to have a system for this closet that would help us keep it organized rather than seeing the chaos return in a few weeks or months as things are added or removed from the shelves.  Another check!  The pockets and baskets will definitely help keep everything organized.

And I printed labels for all the baskets so everyone else in the family can put things back where they belong.  I didn't label the clear pockets since we can see what's inside anyway.  Plus this way we can move things around as our needs change.

It's hard to get a good picture of the whole closet because of where it is in our hallway.  Here's a view from the other angle.

I've walked by this closet several times in the last few days and just smiled.  I didn't even have to open the door... I just pictured how organized it was inside and did a little happy dance :)

If you've got a linen closet or bathroom closet that's in need of some organization, I highly recommend shoe organizers and baskets!

What are your tips for keeping your linen closet organized?  Where is the best place you've used an over-the-door organizer?

Happy organizing!





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