Peek Inside: A Professional Organizer's House {The Playroom}

It's that time again!!

{Translation: if you're nosy, this is your favorite post of the month.....because you get to PEEK INSIDE my house!}

 

Believe it or not, this is one of my favorite posts to do each month too. I know how much I enjoy looking at how other people have organized (& decorated) their homes, so it makes me happy to give you a glimpse of mine, a room at a time.

 

This month - and last month, too - we have been talking about organizing all things in the dreaded playroom....artwork, DVDs, games, toys, and electronics. It can be a bit overwhelming, I know. Hopefully you've found some good organizing solutions this month on the blog though!

 

And without further ado, I present.....My playroom.....

 

This room is the heart of our home. It serves not only as the playroom, but the family room. It houses the bigger of our 2 TV's (the other - smaller - one is upstairs in the master). We gather in here to watch "America's Funniest Home Videos" on Sunday nights (yes, that is still on!), we play board games in here, and it's where we congregate when family is in town. It's not a huge room, but it has oodles of storage space. Surprisingly, I haven't figured out a way to use it all yet! (Good problem to have, I know.)

 

I adore the plantation shutters and the built-in bookcases flanking the windows. Let's start on the left side bookcase....

 I have a few pieces of my kids' artwork stored here, and since they are held on with clips, I can change them out easily. I am not a huge DIY gal, but these frames were a small project I tackled. I removed the glass from each frame, and then covered each backing with burlap. Then I just hot-glued a clip to the burlap!

 Down below in the cabinet, we store our card games & puzzles. Like I said, still have some empty storage space to be utilized down the line....

 My kids LOVE to play card games - Uno, Go Fish, and Old Maid are their current favorites - but they are pretty rough on the boxes. So I have put each card game into a baggie, and put a label on the front with the game name. And if there are any instructions, those go in the baggie too.

 Moving the right side bookcase....

 In the gray basket on the bottom shelf, we store the kids' electronics. This consists of a DS, Leap Pad, and 2 Kindles. I like to keep all the chargers in this basket as well, so the kids always know where they can find them. (THEY are in charge of charging their devices, not Mommy!)

 I corral the chargers with a simple twist tie, and made a label with washi tape.

 In the below cabinet, we keep cds - my husband refuses to part with them!! - as well as a case full of batteries and a stack of DS games.

 

Here is a close-up of our battery storage. This is just one of those craft/bead organizers from Michael's, and they're great because the dividers are easy to rearrange and I love all the compartments. Larger batteries, as well as a screwdriver, are stored in the wicker basket atop the battery case. (If you think it's random that we have batteries in the playroom, you must not have many toys. Somehow from day one, our kids' toys have always required a lot of batteries!)

 Moving onto the entertainment system.

 

I have seen this DVD storage system over & over on Pinterest, and I think it's great. But, truth be told, I prefer to keep it simple. The top shelf holds my son's movies, the middle shelf holds my daughter's movies, and the bottom shelf holds my husband's movies & a few Christmas ones. There is a little bit of overlap between my son & daughter tastes, but for the most part, they keep it organized this way. And I think it's easier to identify the movie if it's still in its case.

Now onto perhaps the best part of the playroom. Two closets - with doors so you can close them if you don't want to see all the toys! - flank the entrance to the room.

 The closet on the left holds:

1. 2 bins of adult games - Scrabble, Boggle, Balderdash, etc.

2. Kids' games

3. Bins with hanging chalkboard labels for: Cars, Horses, Wrestling Figures, Abby, Nate, Building Boards. (The "Abby" and "Nate" bins are my favorite because they hold all the miscellaneous junk my kids love - the stuff they get in Happy meals, at parties, etc. All the stuff they claim to not be able to live without!)

4. 2 large tubs that hold Weapons and Miscellaneous large toys.

I went with a simple gray & white theme, and all of the white bins are from the Dollar Store. The gray ones are from Target & TJ Maxx.

 The right side toy closet holds the following:

1. Workout mat & Outdoor stuff

2. Balls, Tea Set, Pokémon, Instruments, TMNT

3. Gears, Magnetix, Barbies, My Little Ponies, Princesses, Guns

4. Stroller, Pom-Poms, blue gymnastic mats, jumbo piano (like in the movie "Big!"), and a Nerf machine gun.

 Again, the bins came from Dollar Tree, Target, and TJ Maxx. I love the hanging chalkboard labels, because they are easy to change as your kids' toys change. I have found that sorting toys into categories really helps three things:

 

1. Kids can see their options.

2. Kids can find what they are looking for more easily.

3. Kids don't  have the excuse of saying "I don't know where it goes!" when it's clean-up time

 

(#3 is my favorite reason!)

One more little gem for you....since we don't have a huge or flat coffee table in the playroom, I keep an old bulletin board under the couch. We slide it out when we need a flat surface to play a game, do a puzzle, or build a creation. And then when we're done, just slide it back under the couch & out of sight!

This concludes the tour of our playroom. I hope you picked up some good tips! Leave a comment below with your favorite way you organize your playroom. (Or what you need help with!)

 

 

 

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!

Peek Inside: A Professional Organizer's House....{Nate's Room}

It's the last day of the month, and you know what that means....."Peek Inside" time! And since we've been talking about boys' bedrooms all month, today we'll get to look at my son Nate's room.

 Zone 1: Desk & Lego corner. My son is in first grade, and does not have a tremendous amount of homework. (He can knock it out in about 10 minutes, so we just use the kitchen table downstairs.)

So, the main purpose of his desk right now is to:

1). Serve as a work area for building Lego creations and

2). Display his creations.

 He has one tiny drawer in his desk and I've allowed him to keep whatever he wants in there! I hate to call it a "junk drawer," because it's not junk to him. (But it is to me, ha!) I just threw a few drawer organizers in there from the Dollar Tree. I make him go through the drawer every few months when it's getting too cluttered & full.

I did a post earlier this month on storing Legos; click here to view that post. But basically, Nate likes his Legos sorted by BOTH color & set. These plastic drawer systems came from Target & have done the trick so far. As well as more drawer dividers from none other than Dollar Tree.

 Zone 2: Bookshelves. I absolutely adore the built-in bookshelves Nate has in his room. (They came with the house when we moved in 3 years ago; we got really lucky!) And since my son is an avid reader & Lego builder, these shelves provide plenty of storage for both of his passions. Look at the below picture for each corresponding number:

1. All of the book series he has read.
2. Coin collection
3. Bin of action figures & bin of binders with all of his Pokémon cards
4. More Lego display
5. His "nightstand" - a tray corrals the current books he's reading, a booklight, and Kleenex
6. More Lego storage; see second picture down for more detail.

 

Nate's Lego cabinet, where we store larger sets

 

Close-up of the Left side bookshelf

Close-up of the Right side bookshelf

Zone 3: Closet. Nate's closet is the smallest in the house, so we had to get creative on some of his storage.

1. Sleeping bag

2. Basket of quilts

3. Bin for all his cards/mementos

4. Short-sleeve polos

5. Long-sleeve polos & sweaters (aka "church clothes")

6. Bin with extra sheets

7. Bin with Holiday Books (My mom is a retired teacher, so we have 10+ books for every holiday from Valentine's Day to July 4th to Christmas!)

8. Bin with Summer stuff (mostly bathing suits)

9. Bin for clothes that are "Too Small"

10. Play clothes - long-sleeve & sweatshirts

11. Play clothes - pants

12. School uniforms

It's essential to have clothes where your child can reach them easily! (So you don't have to hear "Mooooom! Where's my ______?!") On Nate's lower hanging rack, I have his school uniforms to make mornings go more smoothly, and then he can easily change into play clothes when he comes home.

Close-up of closet bins; I just made a simple label with my labelmaker

 Zone 4: Taekwondo Gear. Nate takes TKD two days a week, so I wanted a place where he can easily find his uniform, as well as keep it wrinkle-free. (They are strict at TKD!)

So there you have it! :)

Let me know your favorite part of Nate's room, as well as a favorite spot in your own son's room!