We are rounding up the entryways today!
Are all you cow-girls (boys?) ready to rope in your entryways into the Mr. Linky below? (sorry, totally couldn’t resist :) )
Don’t be shy, we can’t wait to see what you’ve done. So whether you’ve made a big change or a little change, it’s all good. If something is working a little bit easier for you with some changes you were able to incorporate then let us celebrate that with you. Please link up below to a post on your site that shows us both your before and after pictures and remember to use the direct link to your round-up post and not to your homepage. That’s helpful for those of us who might not get a chance to take a peek at your post until later. * Also, as a courtesy, if you are going to participate please be kind and link back to this post within your post. I noticed quite a few blogs that didn’t do this last time. *
I want to give a big shout-out to our August/September sponsor, The Organize It Mom! If you haven’t had a chance to check out her products then you really must. I wrote a review over on my review site which you can read here. Laurieann will be giving away a $60.00 prize package to one of the round up participants who enters in either Aug or Sept. Entering in both gives you two chances to win! Need more time? Not a problem, you have until 3:00 pm PST on Sunday.
For more info on Org Junkie’s Monthly Round-Up and to visit previous round up entries go here. Interested in being a future sponsor? E-mail me!
Thanks all! Next month we are moving on to our home offices. Yikes!
Back to School with a Backpack Station
You know the thing I love so much about organizing is there is no right or wrong answer. What works for one family may or may not work for another but that’s what makes it so exciting. Today I’ve compiled six different backpack stations that are each amazing despite being so different from one another. Perhaps seeing how other people manage an area of their home will give you some ideas for yours. It’s like mixing and matching for house accessories. Have fun!!
Thanks to all these organized ladies for letting us peek into their homes!
First up Debbie from Virtually Organized shows us her closet backpack station. I really love those fabric bins that really do hold a lot of stuff.
Next we have Amy from Mom’s Toolbox (great blog design by the way!). Below you’ll see that they did away with the closet doors in order to add some built in shelving to create plenty of shoe storage underneath the bench as well as in the cubbies above all the hooks. Amy just recently reorganized this space and you can see her before photo here.
Next Jen of Our Daily Big Top shows us her backpack station. I’m betting this makes her mornings run so much smoother!
One of my readers, who doesn’t blog, sent me these next two pictures of her entryway area. Julie dressed her backpack station up by adding some big name letters to avoid any fighting over the hooks. Great idea!
Here is the other side that includes a side table to house some trays for paper (one for each member of the family) as well as a magazine holder for all the magazines that come in and are waiting to be read. Love the mirror/bulletin board with the hooks as well.
Next Lori of She of 3 Angels shares her fantastic backpack station complete with shoe cubbies. Easy and inexpensive. Above the hooks she also has a terrific idea for keeping on top of the kid’s schedules. She goes into detail about that on this post. Check it out!
Finally, Jennifer of This Is My Munchkinland was kind enough to share these next two pictures of her entryway hooks and cubbies. I really do love how functional these cubbies are. You can purchase them at most department stores for reasonable prices and they really do provide you with a lot more space. Most excellent!
Happy Friday everyone!
My Entryway Closet revisited
Hey gals, so today I’ll show you the rest of my entrance way and how I keep it organized. Just for interest sake though let’s go back and take a look at a picture from last year:
And here it is today:
Okay so not that much different but it amuses me to see the basket shuffle in action :) Who doesn’t love a good basket shuffle? It’s fun to try new configurations to see what can be improved on. I’ve been able to add some pretty wicker baskets this time (they became available from my son’s room when we took down his change table). Of course I’d love it if all the baskets in this closet were decorative ones because the doors are left open so often but that will have to be something that comes gradually over time. Believe me, a good wicker basket on sale is worth the wait! Finding them at the thrift store is even more sweet.
Let’s take a peak inside one of those baskets now. This is where I store entryway essentials like chapstick, hairspray for last minute touch-ups, tissues, change jar, etc..
The other wicker basket holds my purse.
The very top long shelf of the closet organizer holds our extra bags like our carry-ons for when we travel, that kind of thing. Things we don’t use too often. The top white basket in the first cubby holds all my hubbie’s ball caps, the next cubby basket is what I call my entrance way junk drawer (can we say catch all!) and the clear container under that holds all our sunglasses.
We try and leave the hanging space on the right free for our guest’s coats when they visit.
Here’s a better view of the entire entryway:
I got the little hat tree by the door through some mail order catalogue ages ago and it makes it so easy for the kids to throw their hats on when they come in the door. No more picking them up off the floor!
So that’s it folks, doors closed.
I hope you enjoyed your peek into my entrance way today. Now I’m off to see if any more of my baskets want to dance with me :)
Organizing your mudroom
Today I’d like to welcome guest blogger, Beverly Coggins from 1-2-3..Get Organized. Beverly is a Professional Organizer in Ohio and you might even remember her from the review I did not too long ago of her fabulous organizing mini books. Welcome Bev!
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I love mudrooms! They corral clutter before it enters your home! If you don’t have a mudroom, you can even create one in your garage.
Whether your mudroom is inside your house or in the garage, the idea is the same – you want to have a dumping ground as your family enters the house. Start with pegs or hooks to hang backpacks, briefcases, coats, scarves, etc. Add a bench with storage to sit on while taking off shoes. A chair will suffice, too.
The bench can house sports equipment if you have athletes in the house. Or choose another receptacle for sports equipment. And finally, shoe storage – a shoe rack, shelves, etc. A rug from the bench or chair to the door is a nice touch, if your mudroom is in your garage. If the members of your family are slipper wearers, they could keep them in the mudroom and slip into them after removing their shoes.
By creating such a mudroom, your house doesn’t look like it has exploded when family members come home. It takes a little training to get everyone to put things on hooks or in the shoe or athletic storage, but it is worth the effort! Every few days, have a shoe exchange where everyone picks up an armload of their shoes and takes them to their closets.
Whoever invented mudrooms was ingenious!
photo courtesy of dennace
Let’s bust a move on our entryways….
Well here we are into August already and moving on to getting our entryways and/or mudrooms organized. Before I jump into that though I have some unfinished business to clear up from the previous two months…the prize of course! Thank you to everyone who entered in either June (playroom) and/or July (bathroom), it was a great success. I have gone ahead and selected one lucky winner (via random.org) to win the prize package from Organize Magazine. That person is:
Congratulations Thea!
Alrighty then, now we are moving on. Those that participate in either August (entryway) or September (office) will be eligible to win a most awesome prize package from The Organize It Mom! valued at $60.00. If you’ve not heard of The Organize It Mom! products be sure to read my review here. Very cool!
The entryway is the first room you see when you come into your home and whether you have a big one or one on the smaller side you are sending a message to everyone who enters (including yourself) about the nature of your home. When you walk in your front door does it say welcome to those who enter? Do you see a chaotic scene with shoes and coats thrown about? Do you find yourself tensing up as you maneuver your way around obstacles dropped at the door? Do you find yourself wanting to turn around and leave again?
What would you rather it say?
Having an organized entryway is important to me as it is to my husband. Because I know this I always try to make an effort to tidy up the entrance way before my hubby comes home from work even if the rest of my house is in chaos around me at the time. I want him to walk in and at least have that first impression of peacefulness and serenity. I want to set the right tone to welcome him home. That goes for my friends as well.
Having said all that I know that these front entrance ways are rarely big enough for all they need to encompass. Gosh we need room for the backpacks, the hats and mitts, the coats, the keys, the sunglasses, the shoes, the boots, the purses, an I’m Outta Here Shelf, the umbrellas, the wallets, etc. The list goes on and on. Let’s take it one step at a time. Start with your plan. Make a list of everything you need to house in this area and then set about finding designated areas for them. If you have a small space this may require some thinking outside of the box, a little more firmness in the purging and a little more creativity but it can definitely be done. There is a system that will work for your family.
Do you want to get tackling the shoes that seem to multiply overnight? I did a post some time ago on shoe storage solutions for small spaces that you might find helpful.
And of course many of you will remember my absolute favorite mudroom found over at Lisa’s of Take 90 West. Love, love, love it!!
I’ve also got one reader who has already completed her front entryway with a simple shoe solution and it looks great. Check out her site, Roots & Wings, for some inspiration!
Got a burning entryway question? Fire away in the comments. Have fun!!
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