Archive of ‘Projects’ category

Movie Organizer

Like many of you, years ago I began a dvd hoarding frenzy. Everyone had a wall at home dedicated to the infamous dvd collection. When anyone came over they would immediately check out what movies were in your collection and you would chat about how much you love them.

After a while, that wall of goodies just became a major eye sore. So you (at least I did) decided to stuff them in closets or wherever you can fit them in, but we all know how much room they actually take. The only bad thing about that solution is that you can never find a movie when you want to watch one, and you spend at least 30 minutes trying to decide what to watch…

So I came up with a plan to find the perfect Movie Organizer. I found this bad boy, at Target. It fits well over 150 DVD’s in these cool Atlantic Movie Sleeves I found on Amazon.

The sleeves are a perfect fit and I love that they are clear so you can keep the DVD cover.

I also made these cool genre tabs using washi tape and printed labels. Now when we are in the mood for a comedy, we know exactly where to look.

I just <3 my new movie organizer!! How do you organize your movie collection? Does your family have anxiety over getting rid of the plastic boxes they come in?

 

Family Organization Binder

Happy New Year!! New Year, New Goals. Included in my list of new goals is making my Family Organization Binder a bit more functional. I have tried like many to find a system that works for my family and am open to give new things a try. Last year I shared with you how I had a filing system set up on my desk, however that took up much needed desk space so I decided to add some of those files to my Family Organization Binder and left some of those hanging files for filing use only.

 

Let’s take a look at how I set up this years organization binder:

1. First I put together a list of materials I was going to need to make my binder.

2. I went ahead and used my previous cover sheet from my organized home printable.

3. I put together the list of tabs I was going to need to print on my label maker.

The first thing you see when you open my binder is two slots for my incoming mail. Here I separate my mail as soon as it comes in. The top slot is for all bills due form the 1st thru the 15th and the second slot is for bills due from the 16th to the end of the month.

The second thing you will see as soon as you open my binder is the pen pouch. :) I have a small obsession with pens so I like to keep them handy.

Let’s now go thru the tabs together:

Most Printables are found in my Etsy store and others you will find here for free. For those that are free, you will see they are linked to the pdf.

My Tabs are as follows:

Meal plan - In this tab I have My Free Printable Monthly Calendar, Inventory checklist and weekly meal plan checklist.

You might wonder why I have a whole other monthly calendar apart from my planner in this section. I like to keep my calendar separate for two reasons. 1st It keeps my planner calendar clean or other events I might want to add and two It makes it easier to remove and place on the fridge in a clear paper protector.

Cleaning - In this tab I have my cleaning checklist

Blog - Here you will find my free Printable Blog Weekly Calendar or to do list.

Lists - Auto Maintenance, babysitters notes, gift giving lists.

Budget- The next few tabs are all having to with finances. Here is where the majority of paper builds up in our home, so it’s only obvious that we would have a few more sections to clear out the clutter. The first tab is budget, here you will find our family budget. :)

Checklist - Finance checklist…. What is due, when it’s due and if it’s been paid.

Due 1st - 15th - Here you will hole punch the bill once it’s paid and place in here for future filing. I usually pay all my bills online, so I will mark the stub as paid and place in this section.

Due 16th - 31st - Diddo with the above

Debt and Savings - Here I keep a list of current debts and how much is owed as well as any saving deposits with a current balance to keep in perspective how much savings is being done.

School Info - All school information is stored here. It includes schedules, computer passwords, recommended books, etc.

2013 Printable Planner - My planner has all my families schedule, birthdays, and events for the year.

And that is it!

So what do you think? Is this a project you are looking forward to creating? Leave a comment and let me know! If you are already on the bandwagon what benefits have you found in your binder? What tabs work for you? What printable would you like to see in the future? Do you have a blog with organizational tips? Please do share!

January is a full on Organization month here at Sweet Paper Trail and I would like for you to share your Family Binder success stories. Join in on the fun and blog about your new 2013 management binder (include photos) . At the end of the month we will do a fun post showcasing some of your binders and link up are successes { My First Link Party! }.

 

 

 

Under the Sink Bathroom Storage

Yay the time has come. I am ready to share my first home organizing project with you. Now let me set something straight. My husband and I don’t own our home just yet, and we live in an apartment nestled in beautiful Carmel Valley, San Diego. That go’s to show you that no matter where you live, if you want to get organized in every aspect of your life, you can! Today’s project: Under the sink bathroom storage

So, here it is…

I got a little excited and took everything out without taking a previous picture but this is the way to start in any project.

  1. Start clean - Take everything out. Wipe everything down, that includes bottles, boxes, bags, etc.
  2. Get rid of unnecessary items - Toss any items that are expired, unused, or donate items that are in good condition. If you have items that can be repurposed for something else then set aside to store elsewhere.
  3. Stay on budget - Organizing can get very expensive, so stay within your capabilities. Repurpose boxes by wrapping the with gift wrap paper or use jars from food that have been emptied and cleaned.

I placed all my feminine products in a wicker basket I already owned. Easier to get to when that time of the month comes around and I can also visually keep track of when I am running low.

I bought these clear plastic bags in a dollar store as a set and separated items into traveling products and sun care items so I can easily place in my beach bag. The third bag has all my nail care Items.

The second wicker basket has miscellaneous items from hair care, to scents, to lotions. My brushes are placed in a glass ikea vase also previously owned.

The clear plastic box shown on the left will be the new home to my makeup. It cost me around 15 dollars many year ago, and has remained unused for the majority of the time. It will be perfect. Items used daily I placed in the front.

Now my husband’s side.

His side is a little bit different. To be honest, he does not use to many bath products. The T-P is placed in a very accessible location, out of the bags so it won’t be difficult to grab. We buy a lot of stock items at Costco so we need to keep them orderly. Some bath cleaning items are placed here for storage as well, because we are limited in closet space.

Quick Tip: If you place like items one in front of each other they will look more organized.

I also keep some of my kids bath items here, but they will be moved in a later kids bath project.

Tell me, what is your biggest concern or problem with bathroom storage?