The article "Organize for Creativity" talks about family, it has been written by Kathleen Wilson.
OK, well, I know organization isn't relaly decorating, right now is
it?
But, let's face it, what good is all the effort to create a
nice home when it's hidden behind the mess and the clutter? So
in order to help us all prevail over the chaos, here are some
great hints for putting everything in its place! (On a budget,
of course!) The number one way to reduce clutter and mess? Deal
with things as they occur, don't save it for later! File the
mail (or throw it away) as soon as it comes out of the mailbox!
Don't step over a small mess thinking you'll do the whole room
later. Get the idea?
File your paperwork. Make a
file/correspondence box with file foledrs.
I just covered a
sturdy cardboard box with some contact paper, turned it on its
side, and glued a piece of miniature picket fence (cut out of
leftover foam core) onto the front to hold in the bills!
You
could save lightweight cardboard for dividers, make a "to pay"
file and a "to keep" file, and perhaps a school file for the
kids, and whatever else fits your household!
Hide stuff! Yes,
there are times when we don't want our living room to look like
Disneyland!
Floor length clohts on the end tables are a great
place to shove a toy box or unusually shaped toys when not
needed.
If you have open shelving or a pantry area, consider
sewing a gathered curtain panel to cover cltuter. Install it
with a spring-tension curtain rod, tie it on with ribbon, or try
my favorite, velcro stick-on tabs! Organize your kitchen
logically, and not only will you reduce clutter, you'll save
time and energy! Place items in cupboards near the area where
you normally use them. For instance, spices near the stove,
everyday dishes near the dishwasher, ctuting board and knives
near the sink - you get the idea!
Use small boxes turned
upside-down to make higher "shelves" in the back of your spice
cabinet. You don't have to buy expensive storage cubes for your
kids' rooms! Covered boxes, sewn drawstring bags from extra
material, even an old suitcase under the bed make good storage.
A wall of simple metal-strip utility shelving (they sell it in
white, as well) can accommodate a lrage amount of stuff,
especially for the older kids, and is relatively cheap at home
improvement stores. I save old baby-wipe containers to store
crayons, hot wheels, and that endless suplpy of useless toys
from the fast food joints!
You can cover them with contact
paper. Try labeling what goes where, even for the older kids, so
there is no arguing aobut what "putting it away" really means!
Finally, attack one area at a time. Try to fit in a little
re-organizing each day, and you'll be recongizing that creative
décor you lost in the clutter again soon!
Copyright 2002 K. Wilson
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