Cambrey: The Linen Closet

*Disclaimer: I have a horrible head cold and can't take anything for it so if my words are jumbled blame the cold season.*
Ok.  So thankfully my linen closet wasn't that bad (probably because most of it is on the floor in my bedroom waiting to be folded), so it didn't take me long at all.  I did however notice that I had a lot of 1/2 sets of sheets, sets that I thought I had already sent to the DI....hmmmm someone has been messing with my donate piles during previous purges...oh, well they are gone now.  My hardest thing was sticking to the simplicity and trying not to justify keeping stuff I don't need.  For example the towels that don't get used unless the laundry isn't done....well, I soon came to the realization that the less stuff I had the less laundry could accumulate (this came to me as I was loading the washing machine).  Well this may have saved me time, but it may also save me $$$$ since I had considered spending my tax return on a new washer and dryer (I may still do this one day since my washer shakes the entire house (and the neighbors house) when ever the spin cycle starts).

Anyway, I have a little more to put away when laundry is done, and a few refolds on the fitted sheets (I hate those)...but for now here it is. 

Day 4: The Linen Closet

Here's the challenge

1. Take your before picture!

2. Yank EVERYTHING out of there... I mean everything.

3. Now, sweep or vaccuum the floor & wipe down the shelving.

4. Get all of your boxes (keep, toss, donate) & start sorting.  

5. If you have baskets and bins, this is a great place to use them. Place your bins/baskets on the shelving and start organizing. 

6. Categorize everything. ie. Twin, full, queen, king, pillowcases, handtowels, washcloths, etc... Remember to only keep what you USE!  I only kept 2 sets of sheets for each bed.

7. Is your donation box getting full yet?? Remember at the end of this week we will take all donations to goodwill or store them for your spring garage sale.

8. Your finished!!  Now take your after picture and get your tush back here to show us your pretty linen closet.

Summer. Day 3, The Tupperware Drawer.

Hey there! I've been behind on picture taking but I'm still chugging along. This wasn't a difficult one for me at all. I don't have that much tupperware because, 1) This family isn't very big on eating left-overs. 2) Every time we have a family party my siblings always take food home in them and don't bring them back.


BEFORE



....soooo this project took me all of 2 minutes or less. Here are the simple before and after.


AFTER







Day Three: The Tupperware Cupboard.

Here's the challenge... (As Taken From A Bowl Full of Lemons)

1.  Take a picture of the chaos!

2.  Empty it out (onto the floor or counter). Grab your favorite cleaner and wipe out the dust and grime.

3.  Stand back and look at all you have accumilated and kiss A LOT of it goodbye, because...

4.  YOU DONT USE HALF OF IT!  So,  start purging into the donation station or trash.

5. Once you have gone through and separated, now you can start categorizing... like items with like items.

6.  Organizing bins or baskets are a great tool in this cabinet to keep the chaos under control. Keep that in mind, so go find some.

7. Now you can put everything back. I'm so proud of you! Look how "neat" it looks.

8. Your finished.  Take a picture and hurry back to show us your beautiful cabinets!

remember if your space is already clean...take a picture and post it, but by all means pick something else to clean today (and post that too.)

Cambrey's computer desk

Cleaning the TOP of the computer desk was not hard at all (now cleaning the top of my craft desk will take us well into the next new year).  And since my desk is soooo tiny I chose to clean the drawers too. Don't you just love being productive?  Anyway, it is really nice to have the desk cleaned off, now I can use it without having to move things around first.  I need to hand that little file thing still, but I need to wait to do that til I can get my IKEA shelf hung (which I need to wait to do since they didn't have it in stock.)

So now the only thing under the desk is the smaller garbage can (which is only there until I make more space in my disaster of a craft room.)  And yes I LOVE my MAC  :)

Happy cleaning to everyone today...I just hope that my sinus' play nice and let me breath.

Summer. Day 2, The computer Desk

This one took me a bit. Not because of the mess, but because of where to store things so that it stays clean. I think that's more what this is about than just cleaning up. So here we go with the BEFORE photos.

This file cabinet is from our old desk. It's there because we don't know where else to put it.



This is where Kumon, and homework and all the other busy work is done.



The printer is functional but those four cubes certainly aren't being put to good use.

Part of the wrap around desk that is just used as a paper graveyard. Look! ...More pencils and crayons. Ugh.

And the last part of the desk that is not used for it's full potential.

 As you can see, I had my work cut out for me. Although we have a VERY large desk space I constructed while The Husband was away for a business trip, it's not being used for the "write" type of  things. A few days before this challenge, Brandon and I hung a couple of shelves from IKEA and were planning on doing the third but it didn't have the hardware with it so we had to wait. So after a trip back to the beloved store I was able to complete this room. Here are the AFTER photos.

Even Brandon got into the cleaning mood and made my heart flutter by hiding all the dangling cords under the desk. ♥

Here's the beautiful clean corner wrap around. Remember we're a house of 7 when you count 4 chairs and 3 computers in here.

Isn't it lovely???? Storage galore!!!



And look at my mini cubby system for the Kumon packets. Matching boxes for paper and photos. And did you notice now we have a place to hang the kumon bags??? YES!!!



Here's the over-all room. Isn't it wonderful?! The kids did great doing their homework in a clean environment last night and it's our family's new favorite hang-out now. I can't wait for our entire home to be clean and organized so we can fall in love with our home all over again. ♥♥♥

Pulled from a bowl full of lemons........Day 2: The Computer Desk

Today my challenge is for you to clear off, clean up, and organize the top of your computer desk... or whatever desk you have. If your computer isn't on a desk, than clear off the area where it lives. If your desk is already cleaned & organized... find another surface.  No matter what, keep organizing.  It takes 21 days to form a habit. Im training you to become an organized person!  ;)

1.  Take a picture of the area.

2. Completely remove everything from the surface. (This challenge is only for the top of the desk).

3.. Now, get your cleaners or polish (of course, I recommend Shaklee) and start scrubbing or dusting it off. I want it to shine!

4. Get your three bins (keep, toss, and donate) & start separating.  This task may seem daunting to those who love the paper clutter! I want you to go through every piece of paper.  If you don't need it, toss it! You dont need to keep utility bills that you paid 6 months ago or 6 weeks ago! Bye bye clutter.

5. You finally have everything separated. Now you can put it all where it goes. If it doesnt go on the desk, please don't put it there.  Remember we are only concentrating on the desk top today. Once your desk is cleared of the clutter, you will feel so much better while you are there. Try your best to keep this area clean.  You spend a lot of time here (if you're a blogger).

6.  If you have them, use as many organizing tools as you can. I purchased some drawers to put all of my office supplies in.  And, use your labeler. Its so easy to find what I need.

7.  Your finished!  Now, get the camera and take a picture of your hard work & come back here to this post and share. Way to go!

http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/2011/01/day-2-getting-organized-challenge.html