Organized

One of the goals I continually set for myself is being more organized. That and keeping a clean house, but I've solved that problem for the time-being. And having a clean house motivates me that much more when it comes to putting away all the junk that we seem to accumulate daily.

A week ago I came across this insanely organized home, and it inspired me instantly. And very quickly I managed to do some of the things that have been on my list all summer. Check it out!

Creative uses for a pool noodle.

This doesn't really have anything to do with organizing, but it's one of those things that needed to get done and finally happened. This kitchen countertop brace has a really sharp edge, and Violet was bound to slam into it any day now. So Matt and I decided to slide on a pool noodle. Success! Plus cheap and easy, my two favorite words.

No more junk drawer!

 Our junk drawer has been getting out of hand lately. Everything ends up in there, from keys to stamps to rubberbands and tape measures. Now we have an easy-to-see over-the-door organizer (originally made to store shoes) in our pantry. Everything has a place, quick to see, and all I have to do is close the door and the junk is out of sight. Eventually I might even get crafty enough to make cute labels for all the pockets!

Jewelry organizer courtesy of the dollar store.

Finally I went and  bought some suction cup hooks from the dollar store and now have all my long necklaces hanging up on the mirror in my bathroom. Now they won't get tangled and I might actually remember to wear them since they're hanging prettily in view and not jammed in my jewelry box. Plus, my mirror is so huge, it's actually nice to have something on it to break up the space. Again, easy and cheap!

So, they're just small things, but I think they'll make a big difference around here. Of course, one of my biggest hurdles remains untackled - a mail organizer. We tend to just bring it in and put it on the counter. Then when it's my turn to cook dinner, the pile gets shoved in a corner and just grows bigger, more disorganized, and dustier. What I covet is this pretty and simple hanging mail organizer. I even found the right files at Target, but they cost 15 bucks each! There is no way I'm making a 45 dollar mail organizer, no matter how pretty it looks! So this project is on hold for a while until I can come up with something cheaper. Any ideas? How do you stay organized?