Blogger’s Share Their Best Organizing Tip(s) – Part II

Happy Friday everyone! I have a few more organizing ideas for you today courtesy of some fab blogger/designer peeps. They are sharing some ideas on how to organize a home office and how to create the look of built-ins without the price.

1) Jen from Rambling Renovators:

Thanks for having me over Vanessa to share my organizing tips! When it comes to organizing solutions, I like to keep things easy and fast. I find it’s easier to keep organized when you have (a) a home for everything, and (b) keep like with like. Here’s how I’ve organized things in my home office:

Magazines are stored by season in magazine holders…

Stationery items are kept together, making it easy to send a quick Thank You note or find a postage stamp…

Fabric goes into metal bins where I can see and access it easily…

Paint chips have their own spot too….

As do all our tech gear – cameras, battery chargers, video cameras, cords. These are kept in a high cabinet, far away from my curious 2-year-old’s fingers!

With designated homes for all our stuff, it makes it easier to find things and put them away.

2) Sharalee from Escapade:

When Vanessa first approached me about contributing to this series, I had a momentary flash of fear – I glanced around my office space, surveying the chaos and realized that my current ‘system’ could only be called organized by the same theory that recognizes randomness as a pattern in mathematics. There is a place for everything – and everything soon-to-be in place… at some point, hopefully soon… I have to admit the busyness of the holiday season has left me in a bit of disarray. With a chocker-block full schedule and very few spare minutes, my home office has been left bursting with bits of beautiful inspirations and good intentions. Enter my new organizational best friend – Evernote. A must have for all of you busy bloggers, mums, designers and style savvy women out there who do it all. It’s perfect for people like me who far too often think in pictures and have a dozen projects on the go at any given moment. You can use this handy app to create reminders and to-do lists, store photos, create folders for different categories and create moodboards. What’s better, it seamlessly syncs your phone and laptop so your inspiration is available wherever you are. Suddenly my desk full of tear sheets and computer screen filled with images have become clear, calm and under control. I couldn’t be more delighted.

3) Michael from Michael Penney Style:

Love the look of built-ins but can’t stand the price? Do what I did in my old apartment and use three ordinary Billy Bookcases from Ikea side by side. Then head to Home Depot for some MDF, pre-primed flat stock which you have cut to size at the store. Just get two horizontal pieces to tie the three bookcases together and four vertical pieces to trim out the edges of the book cases and cover your seams where two butt together. Simply predrill tiny holes and use small finishing nails to attach the MDF to the bookcases and hold everything together. Then counter sink and fill holes with putty. After sanding, I used Benjamin Moore’s Cloud White (CC 40) paint in a semigloss finish to paint out the MDF. And there you have it – DIY and super affordable built ins!

Thank you all for participating – what wonderful ideas! I may just borrow a few. I will post Part III next Tuesday. Stay tuned for some small space storage solutions and some closet makeovers!

Have a happy weekend!

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8 Comments

Sarah Berry Design
January 13, 2012

Great post, honoured to be part of it and alongside such great designers!

Beatrice @ becado.blogspot.com
January 13, 2012

Great ideas. Awesome idea with the built-in diy project.

Jen @ RamblingRenovators
January 14, 2012

Great tips. I’ve tried Evernote before but maybe I need to have a second look at it. Thanks for including me Vanessa!

escapade
January 15, 2012

Somehow I’m not at all surprised to see Jen’s immaculate organization, or Michael’s clever DIY fix – you two always inspire me! + Sarah – love the idea of seeing the whole year at a glance so you’re never surprised with what’s ahead.
Thank you for including me Vanessa – great series!
xo

Tim
January 16, 2012

love the organization ideas! will have to take note on these storage solutions and love how Michael’s creation with IKEA pieces!

Kelly @ JAX does design
January 16, 2012

Lots of great ideas here 🙂 I’m in the process of cleaning out a room in the basement that I’m going to turn into a craft room, and it just so happens I have a Billy bookcase to put in it. I want to do something to it to make it a bit more interesting, so Michael’s tips are particularly handy 🙂 Love Jen’s office – it’s so colourful and organized! Sarah’s year planner is a great idea – much easier to know what you’re doing when the whole year is right there in front of you 🙂 And if I had an iPhone (waaahhhhh!), I’d definitely use Evernote. Hmmmm, wonder if it works with an iPad….

Pam @ Cherish Toronto
January 16, 2012

As a Virgo, I THOUGHT I was organized, but it turns out that my methods pale in comparison to most of these ideas. I’ll have to step it up!!

Marcus Design
January 17, 2012

Ooh, I love all of these ideas. Fantastic! Boy do I have a lot of cleaning and clearing to do and this post gives me a bit of a kick to get in gear! And I drool over that Madeline Weinrib pillow in Michael’s room.

Nancy xo