A Master Bathroom Makeover!

Y'all....it's official! I have finally found my dream master bathroom!

Seriously, it is the most beautiful thing and bigger than my bedroom. If I had a master bathroom like this, I think I'd take baths all day in the claw foot tub, and spend hours sitting at the pretty vanity getting ready.

Needless to say, I had SO much fun helping a recent client de-clutter her bathroom....

The focal point right when you walk in is this beautiful open shelving & cabinet system. It was pretty much functioning as a medicine cabinet, so we decided to move those items

elsewhere and make it "pretty!"

Much better, right?!

 We created "Daily" and "Nightly" drawers for both husband & wife.

(Of course, the wife has a *few* more items in hers!)

We used simple bins from the Dollar Tree and acrylic dividers from Target.

Some of my faves!

Under one of the sinks, there was a little bit of everything. We created a Sun Care bin and a Travel bin, which holds all those travel-sized toiletries (and freebies you get from hotels)! My client travels often for work, so we left her large Ziplock bag ready made with travel toiletries for her next trip on top of the Travel bin.

 On the other side of the bathroom sits this amazing vanity!!! As you can see, it just was a little bit cluttered and didn't have a rhyme or reason to it. We transformed this spot by dedicating these shelves & drawers to all things "beauty".....hair tools & products, nail care, make-up, lotions, etc.

And the best part is - now she has empty shelves & room to grow!

Close-up on the shelving on the right

Close-up of shelving on the left

We just needed an acrylic organizer to hold all of her pretty make-up!

 Last but not least, there was a medicine cabinet over the toilet that was not being utilized properly. (I apologize - no "before" picture.) It was holding SOME of the family's medicine, but it was also spread out in 3 other locations in the house. We corralled it all, and I organized it into a few categories: Pain Relief, Stomach Relief, Medicine, and Prescriptions.

Now there is one central spot for medicine, and it's out of their children's reach.

Win-win!

Who would have thought that organizing a bathroom could be so much fun!?

(Well, my client may not have thought it was fun, but I did!)

Preparing for Holiday Visitors

Whether you have visitors coming into town for Thanksgiving or Christmas,
now is the ideal time to start your preparations.....

 

 

1. The first place you need to evaluate (and probably de-clutter!) is your guest room. If you don't have a designated guest room, then decide where your guests will be staying....in one of the kids' rooms, on a pull-out couch, etc. It's important that there is a place set aside for guests; a place to call their own and feel "at home" during their visit.

 

If your guest room is like mine, then that closet has been deemed the "catch-all" space of the house. Tidy that up (or completely pull everything out & de-clutter if it's bad enough). Make sure to have a few spare hangers at your guests' disposal as well.

 

Other essentials for the guest room:

-clean linens (!)

-extra blankets & pillows in plain view

-clock

-Kleenex

-small trash can

-magazines

-fan

 

2. The next spot to think about when preparing for holiday visitors is the guest bathroom. My son's bathroom becomes the guest bathroom when we have visitors, so I relocate all of his toiletries from the shower & vanity to our bathroom. Plus, his bath towel & washcloth! This allows ample space for your guests to hang up their towels, as well as spread out their toiletries, cosmetics, and hair tools. Clear off a nearby shelf or drawer if need be.

 

It's always nice to have a few extra toiletries on hand (and in their bathroom) in case guests forget an item at home. We keep an extra toothbrush & toothpaste, as well as shampoo, soap, toilet paper, q-tips, cotton balls handy.

 

3. Another thing to think about when you are preparing for guests is food!

What are their likes & dislikes? Do they have any allergies?

What is their favorite kind of coffee, alcohol, breakfast food, snack, etc?

 

4. Lastly, make a list of a few activities in town your guests might be interested in.....parks, museums, local restaurants, etc. Check the forecast and see if their visit will be conducive to outdoor activities.

 

**If all this seems a bit over the top or too overwhelming, feel free to contact me. I would be happy to assist you with all of your organizing needs!*

Peek Inside: A Professional Organizer's House {More Bathrooms}

Part two of my Bathroom Reveal...

 

1. Our one & only bathroom on the main floor. Luckily, it's a full bath in case we have a ton of overnight guests, or if one of the kids comes inside & is super muddy :)

 

 The top two drawers of the storage tower are empty, in case an overnight guest needs to stash some of their toiletries. And, as you can see, the other drawers are as follows:

-extra hand towel & washcloths

-spare hairdryer

-extra toilet paper & kleenex

 2. Upstairs, my son Nate has his own bathroom. Well, that is until overnight guests arrive. This is the closest bathroom to the guest room, so it does double duty then. (So, he doesn't mind the chandelier for now, but he might when he's older!)

 The storage tower holds many of the same things as the downstairs one - extra toilet paper, soap, and Kleenex.

 

The linen closet is located behind the bathroom door, and was super hard to get things in & out of. So, we removed the door and I lined each shelf with contact paper. I covered two diaper boxes with wrapping power, and they now hold all of our guest towels.

I love these boxes from TJ Maxx; they are super durable and the perfect size to hold medicine, first aid items, and miscellaneous items. I used my absolute favorite labels, these hanging chalkboards. I cut off the loop at the top, and attached the chalkboard with Velcro.

 

The bucket on the far right (well, actually, it's a flower pot from IKEA!) holds extra toothbrushes & toothpastes. I just used a simple chalkboard label on the front.

And can we talk about this darling little mirrored tray!? I fixed this up recently, so our guests will feel welcomed, and have a spot all their own when they come to visit.

 

 3. My daughter Abby lucked out and got her own bathroom attached to her room. As a 5 year old, she doesn't appreciate this. But when she's 16 and spending countless hours in there primping, I think the whole family will be happy about this decision! :)

 I refurbished this old cabinet by painting it, removing the glass panes & adding chicken wire, and attaching new hardware. Each little basket holds my daughter's nail polish, headbands, hair elastics, combs, barrettes, and some smaller clip bows.

 The storage chest in between the toilet & sink holds all of Abby's larger toiletry items, as well as her travel case, extra toilet paper, and hair dryer.

Her bedroom is decorated in a "bird" theme, and I just
wanted to show you her adorable bird shower curtain!

 That concludes the thrilling tour of my house's 4 bathrooms. I hope you picked up a few organizing tips; let me know if so!

Peek Inside: A Professional Organizer's House {Master Bath}

Hard to believe it's already the LAST day of April!! But you know what that means...."Peek Inside" day :) I have gotten such great feedback from you guys on this segment, and it's one I look forward to doing every month.

 

Without further ado, I present to you.....my master bath.....

One of the reasons I love doing the "Peek Inside" segments, is because it gives me a space to focus on all month long. I get to tweak it, add some more décor, and de-clutter along the way. Which makes for some pretty great Before & After shots.

 

Our house is 60+ years old, so I guess they didn't get the memo back then that it's nice to have a double vanity. Oh well. So, you're been warned....our master bath is teeny tiny!

 

One area I focused on this month was the our vanity countertop - it was too cluttered! So, I found a new home for a few items, and added a basket over the toilet. (Which now holds/hides extra toilet paper & Kleenex.)

 In addition to clearing the countertop clutter, I wanted to add some storage for my make-up & beauty products. Enter: this shelf and two glass jars from (the dollar section) of Target. And voila! Much-needed extra storage for me.



I love this shelf! And the wooden tags on the jars :)

 Underneath the sink, it was time for a major purge. Even though we kind of had a His/Hers side before, I still needed to de-clutter and then find new homes for some items (ex. cleaning supplies). I also purchased this awesome 2-tiered bath organizer from the Container Store. My husband loves how easy the baskets pull out. (And I love how everything is better categorized & contained now!) I also recovered the top of my old jewelry box with contact paper, to give it a fresh look.

 Another great addition this month was the command hook on the inside of the cabinet door, which now holds my straightener (and gets it off the counter)! And here is a close-up of the bulk items we store on my hubbie's side of the cabinet. See how nicely those drawers pull out?!

 Next up, the 3 vanity drawers. Each one was a bit of a disaster. Let's start with the top drawer, which holds my everyday items. I (you guessed it!) de-cluttered a bit and then purchased 2 simple mesh drawer organizers.

 My husband's drawer:

 The bottom drawer used to hold my make-up bag and a few travel items, but both of those were relocated. (My make-up moved to a basket on my new shelf, and the travel items moved to the large brown basket under the sink.) Now, this deep shelf holds all of our eye care necessities. Cleaning solutions, glasses, extra contacts etc. I love having it all in one spot! (Whereas before, some was on countertop, some was in my drawer, and some was in my husband's drawer.)

 Moving on....behind the door is where I hang my towel & robe, as well as store my jewelry (just earrings and watches).

Right outside our bathroom is a tiny closet, which I think was supposed to be a linen closet. Well...I changed it into a linen / medicine / hair care / socks & undergarments closet. I covered the shelves with contact paper, and used my favorite - chalk labels - on most of the bins.

 

Top shelf: a basket holds our spare towels

(If you're wondering, our spare sheets are in our nightstand drawer)

Middle shelf: medicine & sunscreens

 

 Bottom shelf: my hair products, lotions, and nail care supplies

(I highly recommend a small plastic 3-drawer organizer for all your little items)

Wire basket: my socks

Side view: necklaces hang by command hooks

 Lastly, I store my pajamas & workout clothes in a 2 drawer pull-out system that I have had forever. Like, since high school I think!! (If it ain't broke....)

That concludes the tour of my master bath. (Super exciting, I know!) Please feel free to comment with any questions you may have, or if you wonder where I purchased a certain item.

 

I will be doing a SECOND "Peek Inside" segment tomorrow, on the remaining 3 bathrooms in our house. So....stay tuned!

Tuesday Tip: How to Organize Kids' Toiletries

I couldn't decide which of these simple ideas to store kid's toiletries was my favorite, so for today's Tuesday Tip, you're getting both!

 

1. Simply purchase a utensil organizer and use it to separate toothbrushes for each child. Slip it in the vanity drawer to keep away from bathroom germs floating around. Easy peasy!

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2. Or if your vanity doesn't have a drawer, consider purchasing a small, 3 drawer storage compartment like this one:

 

 Store this in your bathroom cabinet, and designate a drawer for each child. Use their drawer to store toothpaste, toothbrush, dental floss, and any other supplies they made need.

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What is your favorite way to store your kids' toiletries?!

Beauty Organization Ideas

Anyone who sees me on a regular basis knows that I'm not a huge make-up girl!!

 

But luckily, I have had a few clients who have had beauty products out the wazoo, and it's actually one of my favorite things to organize! I've compiled a list of 9 awesome ideas, but be sure to click on the "Source" for each picture because a few link back to even more beauty organization ideas.

 

 1. Store beauty products in a bead organizer (which can be found at any craft store). It's nice to be able to move the dividers around until you have the perfect little compartments for all of your make-up goodies.

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 2. Store your brushes in a vase with tiny silica-type floral vase filler. (According to this blogger, you should *not* use coffee beans - which is all over Pinterest - because they can mold. Good to know!)

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 3. Repurpose a plastic cookie tray into a lipstick display.

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 4. Use small baskets from the Dollar Store to categorize all of your beauty products.

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 5. Paint a few mason jars gold to add a little sparkle to your bathroom.

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 6. Use these stick-on pods from The Container Store if there is not a lot of storage in your bathroom. Best places to stick the pods? Back of a cabinet door or even a medicine cabinet door.

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 7. Use a hanging jewelry organizer to store small beauty products like blush & eye shadows.

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 8. Magazine files are a great idea to get hair tools out of the way.

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 9. Repurpose a spice rack for a perfume display. How pretty!!

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As always, the first step to organizing your beauty products is to de-clutter them! Make sure to look at expiration dates (if they have them), and sort items into categories.

 

Happy Organizing!