Organize Your Kitchen Part Two: Tupperware, Baking, and more

So, now that we went through how the layout of the kitchen is we can move on. I decided that I would finish up the right side of the kitchen in this post. Just remember, its still a work in progress!

The number 2 cabinet is fairly smaller than the other cabinets and it never really served a functional purpose. We previously stored lunchboxes, coolers, and similar items inside. Needless to say it really didn't get used and was a wasted space. I decided to move the tupperware and food storage items to this location. They were previously on the top self in cabinet 1. There are two shelves and I placed the food storage items in like sets on the shelf. Here is a basic idea.

The next place I decided to change was drawer number 3. This was always the "catch all" or "junk drawer". We really don't need a junk drawer! This just gives people more reason to cram unneeded items inside! I thought it would be better to hold our food prep or easy storage items, such as: cling wrap, ziplock bags, etc. I moved those from the left side of the kitchen! We will get to that side soon!
Here is a basic idea for that drawer!

These last few cabinets on the right are still a work in progress. This is a basic idea of how I plan to leave things. I do have more dishes than what I have in the diagram, but that is just to help visualize.

Again, each of the cabinets has three shelves and are divided in the middle.

1) I put pyrex type bows and dishes for baking.
2) I have all my mixing bowls and some serving bowls.
3) Pyrex cake pans, and casserole dishes.
4) More pyrex and baking
5) Colanders and large measuring bowl.
6) Metal cake pans and baking items.

Drawer 5 and Cabinet 6 will probably stay basically the same. There are two drawers that I labeled 5 because they are both primarily for kitchen tool storage.  The cabinet is for much larger items like roasting dishes, large pots, appliances that don't get used on a regular basis, etc.

Stay posted for the rest of the kitchen and an actual walk through of how I did mine! I hope this may help with some storage ideas!

Love and Hugs!

Getting into Organizing: Starting with the KonMari Method

We have been working on our house over the last several months. Progress definitely took time due to life's circumstances, but we are back on track. While we did some updating most of our things went into boxes, and unpacking those boxes was definitely not something I was excited to do. You don't realize how much stuff you have until you try to box, pack, or move it!

We still have a ridiculous amount of boxes to move home and unpack. I don't even want to think about that task! I will say that things have gone much more smoothly than I expected. I mentioned before that I have never really had an issue throwing things away, but the KonMari method helped further the progress! Things that I may have saved thinking "maybe" or "I may use this one day" got donated or trashed, and it felt good! To be totally honest the less clutter I see the less anxiety I feel, and that is a good thing!

We have been working on an entire home overhaul. There will be several things that will still take time to update, but the main rooms are finished, thank goodness! I have plans to update both bathrooms (new counters, fixtures, showers, etc. but that takes time). We are also planning on converting the garage into two additional rooms which will include a living space/game room and a laundry room. We will also be adding a sun-room and deck plans in the backyard.

With this being said I am going to go step by step through the updates and do an entire organization series. I will be including the KonMari method of decluttering because, lets face it, it is much easier to organize when you don't have piles of unneeded stuff! I will also include storage items I used, pins I have come across, and tips and tricks I have found helpful.

First things first! If you are ready to get organized then lets get to it! As I mentioned, you need to go through items by category! Start with whatever seems easiest to you! If you are ready to tackle clothes then go for it! Just make sure you go through EVERYTHING in that category! So if you pick clothes then empty your closet, dresser, grab the laundry....all of it! Pick up each piece (yes, each single piece), hold the item, and ask yourself if it brings you joy. Do you feel happy about this item? Do you like how it fits? Do you wear it often? If you doubt that you will wear it, haven't worn it in a long time, the item has defects, etc., then toss it!

Some of your items are going to be stained, torn, or may have seen better days, so go ahead and trash them. Other items may be great for donating. To start just make a keep pile and a discard pile. If you are up for it after you decide what you are keeping then go through and decide what to donate. The goal is to declutter, not cause more stress for yourself! I managed to rid my closet of 102 pieces of clothes! I am estimating 90 went to donations and the remainder went in the trash. 

Again, if you don't want the stress of deciding to donate or junk it then just donate (or trash) all of your discard pile! I know for some people it causes more worry and you definitely don't want to have bags of "donations" sitting around your house for weeks. If you aren't planning to immediately take your items to donate them, then junk them all! The goal is to get them out of your living space as quickly as possible. 

I want to reccomend picking up a copy of Marie Kondos book! You can find it online or at most bookstores. I picked up my copy at Target for under $12.00. So grab your copy and get started. We will start the process soon! Stay posted for my latest videos and more posts to start our organizing series!

Love and Hugs!

Getting Organized Series

I told you in my last post about my love for organization and planning. If you missed it you can read that here. I have been working on several projects and decided that it may be fun (and hopefully beneficial) to start a series on organization! I love finding new ideas and options for organizing my home, work space, makeup, planners, and everything else!

Below are a few pins and ideas I found via Pinterest. Some of these I currently use and others are just fun options. I will be doing room by room posts for this series in addition to other fun tips and tricks. Check out my pinterest for more ideas!

Fun Ideas!

 

1) Makeup

I'm sure you could guess that I would start here! I love to have my makeup sorted and organized because its much easier to find what I am looking for! I currently use clear acrylic storage from muji and a few other brands I have found along the way. The Muji drawers are my favorite! You can find those on their website here! There are other options available, and you can also find acrylic style storage at your local  Marshalls and Ross!

 

In addition to regular makeup storage I keep my brushes stored in clear glass containers with colorfill (they are almost bead like) that I picked up at either Michaels or AC Moore. Mine are similar to the one pictured (I just have several containers lol). This will give you an idea!

 

(The brushes are not mine, the storage picture is mine. This is before I rearranged and finished everything. Stay posted for that tour!)

 

2) Closet

 

 

 

 

Ever since I was young I liked to keep my clothes organized by color. Not only does it look pretty and clean, but it is much easier to find what you are looking for! If you know you want to wear a specific pink top then you go to the area that is pink and there it is! I use the retail color method (roygbiv). You can do this for books displayed on shelves too. 

 

 

 

3) Drawers

Drawers sometimes tend to get cluttered. We all have that one junk drawer, but not all drawers need to look like the one containing every random and unused item . There are some great drawer organizers, or you can be crafty and use shoe boxes for storage! Here are a few ideas! I also like the idea of folding t-shirts like the picture below! This makes it easier to find what you are looking for compared to traditional folding and stacking.

 

4) Bathroom Storage

 

There are so many ways to organize a bathroom! I'm not going to go into full detail here because we are currently remodeling our bathroom, but here are a few ideas from pinterest! It is really all about the storage in my opinion! Stay updated for a full post.

 

 

5) Kitchen

This is another room we just recently renovated. The organization part is still not quite finished. There are several ideas we are still working on. I did do a "café" theme similar to the one pictured. I didn't display the coffee cups like this, but it is a great idea! Here are a few fun storage and organization ideas.

 

 

6) Laundry

The laundry room is another room we need to attack! This area in our house is the worst currently. We have been going room by room and this area will be last. We have an older house, so there isn't a specific room designated as a laundry room. Our laundry area is in the garage by the kitchen door. I am still debating doing a mud room style area, but shelves and storage are a must! Here are a few cute laundry room ideas. I love the use of several similar baskets for sorting. That makes laundry loads much easier!

 

 

The Rest of the House

Since I decided to start a series on organizing I will be going room by room. This will include bedrooms, closets, the kitchen, kitchen drawers, linen closets, etc. We have a lot of work to do! Stay tuned for these posts and all the other ones I have planned!

 

Love and Hugs!

 

 

On My Christmas List

I usually don't make a Christmas list, but lately I haven't done much shopping for myself. I also tend to feel guilty for making "selfish" purchases...meaning ones I don't really need! This year I decided that a few things that have been on my shopping list would be great to transfer to my "Christmas List".  Here are a few of the items and a description below!

shopping by flairbybrandi featuring Muji

1) Muji large 2 drawer acrylic makeup storage
2) Muju 5 drawer acrylic makeup storage
3) acrylic lipstick organizer
4) Makeup Geek shadow
5) Storage cubes (I am getting the 9 cube and then adding a customized shoe storage at the bottom)
6) Anastasia dip bow
7) Anastasia contour kit
8) a Z palette (in leopard)

What is on your Christmas list? Beauty items, storage solutions, or other fun stuff? Let me know!

Love and hugs!

 

Organizing my makeup...or at least making an attempt!

I have literally spent several hours throwing away old makeup and trying to get everything somewhat organized. Let me just say that is no easy task! I have tossed everything I no longer use and tried to organize what I do use in a way that suits me best! When you organize your makeup and cosmetics products it is all about what you need and how you prefer things to be! Its about making life (or at least makeup application) easier!

Here is what I did...

This is a storage drawer set that I put beside my makeup vanity for extra storage space. I put cotton balls, q-tips, makeup remover, baby wipes, etc. in the top drawer. This keeps all of these ready to go and easy to get to!  The second drawer has extra shadows, shadow quads, singles, and lashes. These are products I use, but not as frequently as I do other items.

I grabbed this cute little mirrored organizer a few weeks ago and decided to put some of my favorites or daily products in this. I also threw in some sample sizes, etc. I keep my favorite brushes in two little vases on top. (The other brushes are stored somewhere else!) The first drawer I put my daily foundation and favorite primers.. Some of these are sample or trial sizes and I'm trying to decide which is my favorite and what I plan to repurchase! That will be another post! The second drawer has my favorite eye shadow primers, liners, mascara, etc. These are only my favorites right now! Lastly the bottom drawer has my favorite blush, contour powder, and pressed powder. Again these are daily favorites.

 

To me this picture looks like a giant mess, but actually looking at it in person really isn't bad. I totally don't know why that is, but just to make things less complicated I sectioned this off in three pictures to show you what is what!

 

                                                                              

  Ok so this little area I keep my MAC pigments and  a few other misc items I use on a regular basis.

 

The next section I have my regular use eye pencils, liners, etc. I also have blushes, highlighters, etc. These I do use on a regular basis. I just happened to put my favorites in the mirrored storage on top!

 

The section to the side has a couple of my palettes that I use regularly if not daily! I really love these!

 

 

                                                                                  
I totally think this looks like a hot mess too in the picture but again it definitely isn't bad in person! I did the same thing and broke it down for you!

First I have my favorite lip pencils, balms, stains, and gloss in these two little containers.

Next I have my favorite lipsticks that I use on a regular basis and an extra powder.

Last I have extra foundations, BB creams, etc.

I am still working on the extra brushes, pencils, liners, lipsticks, gloss, etc! Those will have to wait! I'm planning a trip to Ulta and Sephora soon, so I'm going to be updating this post! That is one of the reasons I threw so much away! I needed to make room! Out with the old and in with the new right? Haha! So here is my little makeup area. The lighting isn't so great because it is dark outside and that happens to be a window behind my vanity. This was the vintage vanity I redid in a previous post! It does have a huge mirror that opens out from the middle, but I prefer the mirror sitting on top! I also have a huge mirror to the side of this area by my dresser!

 

 

 

I hope you are all having a fabulous week! I will definitely update you once I reorganize with my new products! That will be sometime next month because I'm not sure how much organizing time I'm going to have with Christmas around the corner! Love and Hugs!!

 

 

Cleaning Out and Making Room...

closet pic via polyvore
 

I have too many clothes! What can I say, I love to shop! This is probably true for most of us! I am a huge fan of bargain shopping, so I won't sit here and tell you I paid a fortune for my massive wardrobe!

Since I've been working from home I haven't been getting all dolled up like I used to. I won't lie, sometimes I really miss it! I could still get really "dressed" if I wanted, but I don't really see the point. Why am I going to go all out with the clothes, accessories, makeup, and hair if I am working here at home? Half the time the only ones who see me are my family!

I do miss it...the feeling of looking your best I mean. I do get kind of bummed out sitting here in yoga shorts and a tank at times. I thought to myself today while I was organizing this massive mess I call my closet that I need to make a change! Who cares who sees me? I might not have to get completely fixed up, but looking good for myself is important! If being "put together" helps you feel good about yourself then do it. I still say there is no reason to be dressed to the nines, but a little effort can't hurt!

I am also one of those people who don't really have a problem getting rid of things. My mother, however, seems to be on the opposite side of this. She keeps everything. She has clothes that she hasn't worn in twenty plus years! I tend to get rid of things if I haven't worn them in about six months to a year at the most.

I will be doing a post on cleaning out your closet or the "Closet Cleanse" soon! There will be some great tips in the post along with great ways to get organized and possibly make some money while  you are at it!

I also just opened a Copious account that I will be adding listings to over the next week or as soon as time permits! You can follow me and check out my items up for sale HERE! Everything will be very reasonably priced and will range in a large variety of sizes! Remember, I still have tons of items leftover from my Consignment Boutique!

If you are looking for anything in particular let me know via comment, fb, twitter, or email.

Getting Organized : A Few Tips

I always try to keep things organized, but sometimes when life throws you a curve ball things get a bit out of sorts. I will admit that I am not as organized as I was (I hope that will change). I do still maintain several of my organizational traits even though things aren't quite what I would like them to be. Here are a few



1) My Closet

I keep my closet color organized and style organized. By this I mean I have all my tops in sections from long sleeved, short sleeved, dressy, casual, etc. My jeans also go from light to dark. It may seem a bit over the top, but this makes things easier for me! I can look in my closet and see what I have rather than have to rummage around looking for something to wear. It may take a little while to first organize it they way you like, but once its done it is so easy to keep it that way. When the laundry is done put it back where it belongs. It's no harder to put a shirt with a matching color than it is to just shove it in the closet. In the long run it saves so much time


2) Lists

I have lists for everything. I have always done this, and I do mean always! I keeps lists to make sure I know what I need to do, and to make sure I don't forget anything! My mom always laughed at me for this when I was little. She said she would find my lists all over the house. Making a list also helps you stay on track and can help save time. Look at grocery shopping for example. If you have a list when you get to the store you can easily grab the items you need rather than go up and down every isle wondering if you forgot something. If you aren't big on writing lists use your phone, i-pad, or other service to keep track.




3) Calendar/Day Runner/Planner

 I don't know how people live without using a calendar. I must look at mine ten times a day. Along with my lists I have short and simple notes (usually one or two words) on the calendar as reminders for other tasks. This helps keep track of future things that need to get done, birthdays, appointments, etc. This is better than just writing something down on a loose piece of paper and losing it. At least if it is on the calendar you will know where to find it!



4) Post It Notes

Like I said before, I love my lists! I use post it notes on my inspirational board to keep track of ideas, plans, projects, etc. I do this when I don't have a day or time I need to do them. When I finish a project I take down the note. I also do this to remind myself to ask my kids or husband questions, or to remind myself to do something.



These are just a few things I do to keep some parts of my life organized! Now if I could get everyone else in the house to clean up and change a few things our house wouldn't look like a tornado hit it! We will work on that one step at a time! I plan to get the family more involved in the organizing and cleaning process! I want to do an overhaul on our house! We will see how things go!