Thank you to Scotties Tissues for partnering with me on this post!

How-To Get Organized For Back To School

By now school is back in session and routines have replaced lazy summer days.  Our calendars are full and with it come empty stomachs.  With two growing little girls who have busy schedules, I have become passionate about organizing their lives and in turn simplifying mine.  In my past life in North Carolina, I was guilty of stopping at the grocery store on the way to school to get Isabella’s lunch.  This was always stressful and was a result of poor planning on my part.  To be honest, I just didn’t know any better.  Now, I have an organized system and we are all much happier because of it.

After having dinner with The Home Edit I became interested, like most, in their organizational tactics.  Mind you this was three years ago,  (before they were organizing Reece Witherspoon’s closet) and I didn’t have the ability to put their plan into place in our old home.   When they spoke about their passion/obsession with organizing it didn’t fully make sense to me.  However, once we moved back to NY, and I was finally able to implement their tactics into my own life I knew there would be no going back.

Organized But Not Sterile

Over the past year I have slowly conquered one closet at a time and finally, I feel like our kitchen is complete.  My governing rule was that everything has a home.  The only problem I came to find with this strategy is that your kitchen can start to look bare.  Growing up I loved the way our home was often accented with seasonal decor.  So I tried to do the same by incorporating a few small touches without crowding the space.  Flowers, Scotties Tissues and candles are always a must in the kitchen.  And of course the seasonal decor that arrives in September are pumpkins – loving these glass ones!  Now, not only does my kitchen feel tranquil but it also feels like a home.  So here are my tips on how you can achieve this too!

Leopard Sweatshirt // White Skinny Jeans // Birdies Slippers

Tips On How-To Organize Your Cabinets

1. Everything has a home.  Creating a home for everything at once can seem overwhelming so start small with current storage options you already own.  Find out what type of storage solution you like and build on it.  I prefer labeled white baskets for cabinets and clear storage in the fridge.
2. Consistency is key.  TRY and invest in similar storage options.  These baskets are all inexpensive and can be found at Target.
3. Measure your space and plan accordingly.  Measuring things makes me nuts but not planning for your space correctly will cost you time and money.  As a true creative, numbers can sometimes feel overwhelming to me.  But after spending many afternoon trips exchanging things at Target, I finally gave up and embraced the inner businesswoman in me.
4. Allow for blank space.  No this is not a Taylor Swift song, but instead, think of it as a reminder on how to keep it looking clean and not crammed.  When there is no blank space, aka space not being used, in between items things will start look squished and messy.  Additionally, it will be hard to maneuver and access items.  So rule of thumb, declutter and keep it clean.
5. Eliminate the boxes and unnecessary wrappers.  This isn’t necessary but it helps so much in so many ways.  Once you have your containers that you can say pour cereal into you will never want to rummage through a cereal box again, trust me.
6. Rule of Threes.  Once I had all of the necessary supplies I started to organize the space in a more aesthetically pleasing yet functional way.  Our eye responds well to groupings of three.  If you don’t believe look at other examples online and you will see that often decor specialists use this rule.
7. Develop Your Own System.  I initially tried to model our pantry strategy after The Home Edit but their famous color coding tactics were just not realistic for our lives.  Even though Khole Kardashian was super proud of the oreo stacking we could only go as far as getting them out of their plastic container and into an OXO container.
8. Have Fun With It!  If it stressed you out then it might not be for you.  But there is something about cleaning out your closets that will give you a serious sense of accomplishment.  So pour yourself a big glass of wine, tell Alexa to turn on your favorite song and get started!My little snackers raiding the well-organized pantryScotties Tissues, seasonal decor and fresh flowers all on display in our home.Scotties Tissues are a must in our kitchen which is the hub of our house.  They help keep noses dry and wipe away tears.

And For The Drumroll… The Organized Fridge

Just as I was diving into my fridge organization, my husband requested that I put a halt on my OXO Pop Container ordering, in case you aren’t familiar they are a little pricey.  However, his request turned out to be a good one because I realized that I didn’t need all of the overpriced storage containers to achieve an organized space.  I had this inexpensive fridge starter kit and did research on the best tupperware.  Now that I am well-trained in the organized eye, mismatched tupperware drives me nuts.  So I purchased these glass containers and I’m so pleased I did because not only is there consistency in the fridge but they also keep food fresh longer!

There is actually a sense of pride on my face in this picture.

Thank you to Scotties Tissues for partnering with me on this post!