Reader Space: Eat, Sleep, Decorate & ORGANIZE

Today I am excited to welcome Amy, author of Eat. Sleep. Decorate.  Although her blog title doesn't include organizing, I added it, because I think she is a pro.  Not only a pro at organizing, but at making it oh so pretty! 

Two common themes that come up frequently here on the blog, are lack of a laundry room and organizing media.  Since Amy was such a rock star at handling both of those situations, I asked her to stop by and share some of her tips and tricks.

Laundry closets seem to be a bit of a popular feature in most homes.  Although it is not a "room", it still must function as one.  Some of my favorite makeovers take place in small closets, since I am always so impressed at how much function such a bite sized area can pack.

Here is what Amy started with:

"Who likes doing laundry?  Not me! I decided to do something about it since I will be doing laundry all the days of my life!  I wanted a space where I could enjoy doing laundry even if it wasn't my favorite chore.  I saw all of those pretty laundry rooms on Pinterest and the web and decided that I could also make my small laundry closet a pretty place to work.

 

 

My first step was to take EVERYTHING off the shelves!

   

 

I got a lot of my inspiration from Target.  And my go to place for finding budget friendly containers and organizing items is TJMaxx-HomeGoods.  I try to look there first before spending a little more money somewhere else. {Side tip: If you go on Wednesdays they start stocking their new items for the week! That is when they get their large shipments of new items!}

 

I also remembered pinning where to find Free Label Printables and decided to be even more OCD organized by making labels for all of the bins and baskets.

 

Adding the bird prints and WASH letters really added that special touch. It makes the space feel more like a room than a closet, which makes me smile even more when I open those doors.

 

 

I am totally in love with my closet! I love how everything has a space and isn't just thrown up on the shelves. I can't say that I really enjoy doing laundry now, but it does make it a little easier to open those doors and start the laundry process!"

 

Doesn't it look like a cozy little room now?  I love how clean and refreshing it feels.  Absolutely a space to be proud of!

 

Now, let's chat media.  Isn't it amazing how much room all of those movie and DVD cases can take up?  They are serious space killers.

 

 

"I needed some sort of organization for our DVD's. It was driving me nuts every time I opened the hallway bench. I could never quite find the movie I was looking for.  That is when I knew I needed a change. 

 

I saw a post on IHeart Organizing a while back where someone had organized their DVDs into a smaller container using a filing system. I instantly flashed back to that post and got to work {you can find the media solutions here and here}.

 

I found the small fabric bin on sale at Target. The colorful DVD/CD holders added that extra punch of color I was looking for. 

 

 

Using some leftover scrap book paper and stickers I was able to save a little money on the labeling. 

 

 

 

 Now it is so easy to locate the movie we want to watch!"

• Broken record alert, but seriously, aren't both projects just so darn cuuute?  She took the time to make them special to her, and now they blend seamlessly with her fabulous home.
• The bins and baskets she used in her laundry nook are not clear, so labels will help her forever find what she is looking for, without digging and wondering.
• Every great organizing project starts by removing everything and giving yourself a fresh perspective and a blank slate.  It always looks worse before it looks better.
• Amy didn't just stop at the decorative bins.  She took the time to add additional touches to the closet to make it feel more like a room.  The artwork and the wall letters both bring the project to the next level.
• Streamlining belongings inside of the baskets reduces visual clutter and makes my stomach do happy somersaults.  
• As I mentioned earlier, media is a space hog.  DVD cases take up so much valuable real estate and can also create so much visual clutter on shelves.  Reducing the cases down to single sleeves is a win each and every time.
• I love the hand-made DVD dividers.  The scalloped edges and sticker labels are simply lovely to look at!
• The colorful DVD sleeves just make me smile.  I am a color happy gal!

A special THANK YOU goes out to Amy for sharing her awesomeness with us today!  You can read more about her projects here and here.

ATTENTION!!  Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition?  Have an awesome organizing story to share?  I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life.  Please submit your story and photos here and I would heart to feature them right here, on the blog!!  Photos should be high resolution and unedited.  Please include a description of the project, including any costs, inspiration, and how it has changed your life and routine for the better!  Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice!  Only love goes on at this blog!