visit ready: reorganize

Showing posts with label reorganize. Show all posts

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Furniture Checklist

I've been trolling the internet and Pinterest looking for a comprehensive furniture checklist. There are lists for baby rooms and first apartments. There are checklists for newlyweds to register for gifts. Isn't there some OCD interior designer who has made an easy to use tool for grown ups?

Then, I stumbled onto inventory software for insurance purposes. You catalog all the things you own in case you have to make an insurance claim.Wouldn't you know it, there is an ap for that. There are mobile versions where you take pictures with your cell phone. There are some free versions (that limit # of photos) and PC packages between $19 -$39. Since we live in Hurricaneville, I will be using one of these pretty soon. But, I needed something more streamlined.

Now, I've run across a printable, sharable, tool that is really thorough. It is a government brochure made by the Texas Department of Insurance. http://www.tdi.texas.gov/pubs/consumer/cb086.pdf Finally our tax dollars at work on something I like. It is my new favorite toy. We are filling it in with Adobe and emailing it. I've already printed it on 3 colors and gone highlighter crazy on another.

at the beach in SC with his oldest of 2 children

My (best buddy from middle school) client, Kennedy is moving into a new house with his beautiful family. He is a firefighter and has worked hard to save up to build the new house and budget for new furniture. I want to help him get the best bang for his buck and in his words "avoid making expensive mistakes."

Problem is, they are in SC and I am in Florida, so I needed a way for he and his Mrs. to inventory what they already have. They can fill in the fields under "purchase date" with measurements of pieces they have. They can note any pieces that need to be repainted, reupholstered or re-purposed. I always try to get homeowners to look at what they have with new eyes.

Now we can evaluate and prioritize the pieces they will need to buy. Budgets can look like a big pile of money till you take a good look at all the pieces you really need to buy. I love this checklist because it includes rugs, lighting and window treatments for each room. It is easy to overspend on a sofa or huge TV if you forget all the little things that make a room feel finished.

In the price column we are starting with a budget for the new items that need to be added. Then with a little slash, we record what we actually spent. When we get a great deal on a Craig's list find coffee table, the extra $ can move to the sofa or huge TV. When I make them custom Roman blinds from Target mini blinds, that savings can go to living room lamps.

We also numbered the whole list. They have photographed the items they have and numbered those photos according to the list when they send them to me. It also keeps it clear when we start to pin pieces in Pinterest. The board allows us both to pin images -- we started with all her old pre-house pins. Ideas for living room chairs will all be #3's. Fabrics for family room curtains will all be tagged with #25.

OK. This is starting to look like inside baseball. You don't have a client, in another state, trying to furnish a new house. But I promise, you want to get one of these lists for yourself.

for insurance: yes, its actual purpose. Fill it in and email it to yourself, so you can access it from any computer. Use the number system to match up pictures and receipts for all the items in your home. Store a copy away from your home (in a safety deposit box, at work, with a relative who lives elsewhere).
for planning your own new purchases
for tracking the budget for your project
for recording the measurements of pieces you already own. Next time you are looking at a big salvaged sign, you'll know the size of your buffet -- it will fit perfectly above it!
for staging: mark off items you can remove from a room or re-purpose around your home.
for moving: plan which items are going first, which ones are going to storage, which ones can go to yardsale or ebay.
if you do have clients, run off one of these sheets (on different color paper) for each one. When you are out shopping it gives you a quick reference on measurements, budgets and overview without lugging around a huge binder.

Maybe one rainy day I will sit down and make this a pretty printable. In the mean time, this little taxpayer subsidized gem is working just fine. Hope it helps you get ready for a new project, a bad storm or just get a little more visit ready.

just bec

linking up this idea at:

hookin up with hoh @ house of hepworths just something i whipped up @ the girl creative 100 ideas under $100 @ beyond the picket fence strut your stuff @ somewhat simple thrifty thursday @ tales from bloggeritaville flaunt it friday @ chic on a shoestring frugal friday @ the shabby nest crafty, scrappy happy me @ crafty, scrappy happy pinspirational thursday @ the artsy girl connection pity party @ 30 handmade days feathered nest friday @ french country cottage freestyle friday @ happy hour projects featured friday free for all @ five days, five ways featured friday @ blissful and domestic anything goes @ bacon time weekend wrap-up @ tatertots and jello mad skills party @ mad in craft sass' sunday salvation show @ sassafrass salvation tip me tuesday @ tip junkie tutorials & tips @ home stories a2z tuesday to do @ the blackberry vine take a look tuesday @ sugar bee crafts one project at a time @ a bowl full of lemons your turn, wild wednesday @ chatty chics show & tell @ blue cricket design

Monday, February 20, 2012

Stage Your Closets

In the South, we say that we are "fixin" to do the next thing. Everyone I know is fixin to get organized. So, show them how organized your house is. That is what staging is all about. Show them the lifestyle they can have in your home. The order will feel as though is is a part of the property, just like the space & light.

People are going to open your closet doors. They are going to look in your kitchen drawers. Use some simple and inexpensive techniques to show them just how much space and storage your closets can offer.

use coordinated, well placed baskets or bins
leave only in-season clothing hanging (about half the volume of your normal wardrobe)
use matching hangers
clear out all extra non-clothing/shoe storage to attic or storage spaces away from the master closet
purge & organize in every linen/storage closets. These are assets for your property. Any avalanche would ruin a showing.

You may not need a major organization intervention, but I did, in my spare bedroom closet. I've set up a craft & Christmas storage system. It needed it, pretty badly. These are the tragic befores:

I had lots of treasures packed in there and lots of wasted space. Years ago on Oprah, I learned the SPACE method of organizing and I've used it ever since. Too many times before, I would buy cute storage solutions that didn't really solve anything. This system helps assess what containers you really need for the items that really belong in the space.

SORT: covered the bed with little post-its and piles of candles, gifts, lights, etc.
PURGE: 2 giant bags of trash, one trip to the garage, one armload for the playroom and 2 boxes to donate to Goodwill
ASSIGN: my retail past ~~haunts~~ helps me here. "like with like" and "most used items at eye level"
CONTAINERIZE: I spent a little on clearance storage bins from Wal-mart that I talked about in this post. I found some perfect little magazine storage boxes at the dollar section in the front of Target -- love that place.
EVALUATE: make sure the system works for your space/ your family.

This ribbon crate was one of the first things I ever pinned on Pinterest. So, I was thrilled to finally get rid of all those old ribbon boxes that I had out grown. They were not cute and did not match, but worse, they had lots of wasted space. I had already bought these bins from Target for the pantry in my last house. Good news, they also stack. BO-NUS.

via Simple Details

I'm a sucker for color coordination in all cases. Miss Pam at Simple Details flung a craving on me with her orange organization system. She used Nike boxes and I just adore this look.

I was also inspired by my latest trip to Goodwill. Sorry I got it upside down in the first picture, but that tag says $2.99. This tissue holder has a brushed nickel finish and it is very heavy, which usually means pricey. Flipping it over I was shocked to find the original Bed Bath & Beyond tag still inside. Somebody was way more worried about their Puff's plus than I am. I sure am glad they redecorated that fancy bathroom and sent this donate item on to me. After Christmas, I found tons of these little keg 'o ribbons marked down 75% - 90% off. Now they are all housed in here and fit nicely on my ribbon shelf.

I used Picnik (moment of silence please) to make these little printable labels on Avery name tag stickers. My blog hero, Thrifty Decor Chick has a great tutorial on making printables there. I could use simple sticker labels for these bins, because I'm really the only one who uses them. Labels in the playroom or kitchen, that get a lot of girlie wear and tear, are made of much more sturdy stuff.

The last hurdle was that "evaluate" piece at the end. I realized that if I positioned this shelf in the middle, I would have to move the whole shelf out at Christmas time to access the large bins of decorations. So, Hunky Husband came to the rescue with furniture movers. I wish I had one of those fancy animation tricks to show you the magic, but you get the idea.

Now, I can slide the shelf to the middle and everything is in reach. By sliding it over, I made room for my wrapping paper duffle bag and over-sized bags to hang - so they don't wrinkle. On the top shelf I have clear tubs and my gift bag collection (in the Target magazine sorters).

I also reuse shopping bags that are marked up with store logos. They hold all the supplies for my on-deck projects. They are the ones with the purple tags on them.You'll be seeing them soon. Whether you are getting ready to move or just getting tired of the clutter, use SPACE to help you make your closets more visit ready.

Linked up:

I'll also be linking this up at Thrifty Decor Chic's -- Show us Your House Link Party. This month is focused on Closets. Check her out every third Monday.

just bec

here's the rest of the show us your house schedule. i'll link to them as they happen so you can check them out. what can i say? i'm a chick groupie from way back. squeezie love!

January: Office/craft spaces

February: Closets

March: Kitchens

April: Dining rooms

May: Nursery/Kids rooms

June: Outdoor spaces

July: Bathrooms

August: Family rooms

September: Basements/rec rooms

October: Bedrooms (guest or master)

November: Foyers

December: We’ll play it by ear ;)

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Organize in February

Everyone knows on New Years Day, you are supposed to go on a diet and organize your whole house. My secret is to wait till the middle of February to organize. I wait till the 5th of never to go on a diet. This has nothing to do with my deep ceded need to procrastinate and self-handicap. It is purely a thrifty strategy, well mostly.

Retailers know we all get the itch to clean out and organize at the beginning of the year. So, they feed our storage solution habit with cubes, boxes, tubs and label makers. Once the feeding frenzy for Sterlite has subsided (and we are all snacking on Valentine's cupcakes), they start marking down. All those color coordinated cubes, boxes and tubs are now 50% - 75% off.

Today I found a three pack of storage cubes for $3.50! Whaaaat!?! Our WalMart had a whole end cap full of them. They still had all the colors available (black, red, purple & blue). I picked up three black packs for my utility room and two red packs for my Christmas closet.

Hampton Design via Pinterest

I used to love these dollar tree bins. I still love my
p-touch lable maker, but it is time for an upgrade

Our utility room is not one of those palatial laundry lounges you see on Pinterest. But, it is the pass through from our fun driveway parties into our kitchen. Back door friends are best. All our friends walk right through it instead of the front door. I think the black bins will do the trick to class it up just enough.

I also bought a few extra packs for staging -- OK, I cleared the entire end cap of all the black ones. When you are staging for a sale, there are lots of places that need a little organization. Bins and baskets (coordinated and well placed) can show off storage spaces. Every buyer wants light, space and storage. I will use these a million times (under cabinets, in closets, in utility rooms, in offices, for teen rooms) over the next few years.

The purple ones were cute, too. I may head back to pick up one pack for Baby Girlie. She is the queen of purple and rarely gets anything of her own that hasn't been passed down through two big sisters.

Now I have to get busy on that swirling ball of chaos and ribbon I call a Christmas closet. Thrifty Decor Chick is showing off whole rooms/spaces on the third Monday of each month at her Show Us Your House link party. February will be highlighting closets. This is a horrible BEFORE. Let's see if I can get an AFTER worked out by 2/20/12. Tackle an avalanche hazard in your house or show off your visit ready closet.

see you there,

just bec

here's the rest of the show us your house schedule. i'll link to them as they happen so you can check them out. what can i say? i'm a chick groupie from way back. squeezie love!