Organizing Ideas For The Weekend: Organized Entry Areas & Mudrooms

Happy Friday!  Time for another organizing idea for your weekend!

I've been working again on my entry area this week and I shared my new key holder and tips for organizing reusable shopping bags.  I thought today I'd share some more ideas for organizing your entry so you can organize yours this weekend!

Organizing Ideas for the Weekend: Keys

Happy Friday!  Time for another organizing idea for your weekend!

I've been working on my entry area this week and looking for a new key holder since I decluttered the heck out of my old one.  Along the way I saw some pretty great ideas for organizing keys so I thought I'd share them with you today. 

Organizing Ideas for the Weekend: Decluttering Clothes

Happy Friday!  Time for another organizing idea for your weekend!

I've been helping clients declutter their clothing and I thought I'd share some tips to help you declutter your clothing this weekend!

It's the perfect time to do it because you're probably switching your seasonal wardrobe around now anyway.  Don't store clothing for the next 6-8 months that you didn't wear this season.  Or that you have extras of.  Purge now!  You can even purge some of the clothing for the coming season that you don't like or that doesn't fit or that you have extras of.  

Organizing Ideas for the Weekend: Moving Tips

Happy Friday!  Time for another organizing idea for your weekend!

I haven't been keeping up with my twice a week blog schedule the last two weeks.  Last week's only post was Why I Gave Away My Wedding Gown and it was very popular.   And today's post is the only one this week.  I'm hoping you've been so busy enjoying your summer that you haven't noticed :)

I'd like to say that I've been doing the same, but I've been working... a LOT.  Much more than I'd planned.  I'm working with several clients, but one of them in particular, because she's preparing to list her home in a couple of weeks.  I'm helping her declutter her whole home and we're doing some preliminary packing so there's less stuff around when potential buyers are picturing themselves living there.

Over the last few months I've done the same with another client and with my parents.  So I've kind of got moving on the brain :)

Summer is a popular time for moving so I wanted to share some tips I've found online to help you if you've got a move in your future.  Even if you don't, you probably know someone who is moving soon so you can pass on these tips to help make it a much smoother process!

Organizing Ideas for the Weekend: Packing for Day Trips

Happy Friday!  Time for another organizing idea for your weekend!

This weekend marks the official start of summer!  And that means day trips to amusement parks, pools, beaches, and parks.  Sometimes day trips are planned in advance and sometimes they are spontaneous.  Either way, it's good to be prepared ahead of time, so you're not rushing around gathering everything you need (and risking forgetting something!).

In today's post I'm sharing some great ways to get organized for summer day trips.  I hope they help you have a fabulous time!

Organizing Ideas for the Weekend: Summer Organizing Ideas

Happy Friday!  Time for another organizing idea for your weekend!

Summer has unofficially started!  My kids are in school until the end of June, but I know many of you are already in full summer mode with your kids home for the summer.  Either way, it's good to be thinking about what you'll be doing this summer.

So, this weekend's organizing idea is to start planning your summer!  Here are a few ideas to get you going :)

But before that, I wanted to announce the winner of the Blogiversary Giveaway!  Congratulations to Dara G on winning the $25 Target gift card and the 2 organizing ebooks!  Thanks to everyone who helped me celebrate 2 great years on the blog :)

OK, back to the post!

Blogiversary Week: 5th Flashback Post {And Giveaway Extended!}

Last week marked my second anniversary of blogging here on From Overwhelmed To Organized!  It's been an exciting year!

All week I shared last year's favourite and popular posts.  And to thank you for your support all year, I'm giving away 2 great organizing ebooks and a $25 gift card to Target (for US or Canada only).  Make sure you enter in the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post!

If you missed the other posts this week here they are:

Happy Blogiversary to me and a Giveaway for You!
Blogiversary Week:  2nd Flashback Post
Blogiversary Week:  3rd Flashback Post
Blogiversary Week:  4th Flashback Post

If you read the last post on Thursday, you saw my confession... how I'd planned to finish all these posts before I left for vacation and schedule them to publish while I was away... which didn't happen.  And at the time I published that post (nearly a day late) I said the next one was coming right away... and that didn't happen either.

Friday was a whirlwind of getting every last memory made that we could while we were at Disney World, packing all our stuff, loading up the van, and beginning the long drive back home (through the night!).  I don't know when I thought I was going to publish the 5th Flashback post in there, but obviously I didn't get it done.  We arrived back late on Saturday, exhausted, and fell right into bed after unpacking the van and a few necessities.  {Is it possible I'm getting too old for all-nighters?!}  Yesterday was filled with more unpacking, several family gatherings, and another early bedtime.  So here we are... with the 5th Flashback post... on Monday!

The good news for you is that I'm going to extend the giveaway!  Instead of having it finish tonight, I'm going to extend it to Thursday night, so more of you can enter.

OK, so here's today's flashback post.

Organizing Ideas For The Weekend: Road Trip Tips

Happy Friday!  Time for another organizing idea for your weekend!

Continuing on with my vacation, travel, and packing, packing, and more packing theme, today I want to share some tips for a great family road trip!  Road trips are great memory makers.  Memories that last a lifetime.  I still remember some road trips I took with my family when I was growing up.  And I've passed that love of road trips on to my kids. 

We nearly always take road trips for our family vacations.  Our kids don't actually know any other way of traveling because they've been taking road trips them since they were weeks old (actually even before they were born - the only time I remember being carsick - but that's another story).  I know they'd love to fly somewhere, but it's much more economical for us to drive at this point in our lives.  And saving money by taking road trips means we can go on vacations more often :)

We're road tripping to Florida soon, and when we get back I'll be sharing some of my own road trip tips, but in the meantime, here are some great ones I've found online, in case you're planning a road trip soon!  Or if you've never taken one because you've got too many concerns, hopefully these tips will help you overcome those! 

Organizing Ideas For The Weekend: Packing Tips

Happy Friday!  Time for another organizing idea for your weekend!

Continuing on with my vacation, travel, and packing theme, today I want to share some great packing tips with you!

I've started packing for our upcoming vacation and I'll be sharing some of my own tips with you on Monday.  But in the meantime, here are some other tips I've found online.

Organizing Ideas For The Weekend: Planning Your Vacation

Happy Friday!  Time for another organizing idea for your weekend!

It's barely spring in some areas (like here in Southern Ontario!), but many of us are starting to think about summer vacations.

In our family, we aren't able to take time off during the summer because my hubby is pretty low on the seniority list at Canada Post.  So we're going to be pulling the kids out of school for a couple of weeks in May to get away as a family (more on that in upcoming posts). 

And just before that my hubby is traveling on a Holy Lands cruise for 10 days with his sister (it was a trip she won and she invited him to go with her). 

So we've got traveling on the brain around here :) 

Whether you've got a trip booked or you're just starting to think about a summer vacation, now is the perfect time to start planning your next trip.  And to help you out, here are some links with great tools and tips!

Organizing Ideas for the Weekend: Furniture for Kitchen Storage

Happy Friday!  Time for another organizing idea for your weekend!

Earlier this week I shared how I used an old microwave stand for extra storage in my kitchen.  It got me thinking about other pieces of furniture that could be used in a kitchen.

Here are a few creative ways to re-purpose furniture from other rooms in your home to give you extra storage in your kitchen!

Organizing Ideas For The Weekend: Spring Cleaning Checklists

Happy Friday!  Time for another organizing idea for your weekend!

It's finally feeling like spring here!  I still hear we're about a month behind "normal", which may explain why I only just got out the spring jackets today and threw the snowpants in the laundry.

I know lots of you have probably already been experiencing spring-like weather for weeks, so maybe you're finished all your spring cleaning.  Or maybe you're organized enough to have a cleaning schedule that allows you to get all those "extra" cleaning tasks done throughout the year.

But if you've been procrastinating enjoying the spring weather, these cleaning checklists will help you get your spring cleaning done!

Organizing Ideas for the Weekend: Under the Kitchen Sink

Happy Friday!  Time for another organizing idea for your weekend!

A few weeks ago I showed you how I organized under my kitchen sink, but there are so many more creative ways to make the best use of this space.  So today I'm sharing some of my favourite organizing ideas for under the kitchen sink.

Organizing Ideas For The Weekend: More Awkward Kitchen Cabinet Ideas!

Happy Friday!  Time for another organizing idea for your weekend!

Earlier this week I shared some tips for organizing awkward or hard-to-reach cabinets in your kitchen.  But since my kitchen may not have the same awkward cabinets as yours, I wanted to show you some more ideas I found on Pinterest.

Hopefully these ideas will help for any "challenging" spots in your kitchen that may not have been covered yet in my kitchen organizing tips series!

Organizing Ideas For The Weekend: School Lunch Containers

Happy Friday!  Time for another organizing idea for your weekend!

Is making school lunches one of your least favourite chores?  Maybe you started out all gung ho in September, but as the year progresses it's becoming more tedious to get those lunches packed every day.

For many people, it's hard to come up with creative and nutritional food ideas that your kids will actually eat.  Well, I'm not a food blog, so I'm not going to share ideas for what to pack in your kids' lunches. 

But, one way you can simplify the process of packing lunches is to have all your lunch containers organized.  It will save you time and ease your frustration so you can focus on the actual meal you're sending with your kids!

Organizing Ideas For The Weekend: Hot Beverage Zones

Happy Friday!  Time for another organizing idea for your weekend!

Earlier this week I showed you my new hot beverages zone and I shared tips to help you create one too.  I love my hot beverages zone because it is organized and practical, but I didn't do much to make it pretty.

Since I know many of you have more of a decorating or crafty bone than I do, I thought I'd share some really cute hot beverage stations to inspire you.  This way you can combine my organizing tips and these creative ideas to make your own awesome hot beverage zone this weekend!

Organizing Ideas for the Weekend: Decluttering Tips

Happy Friday!  Ready for another organizing idea for your weekend?

Today I'm sharing some ideas to help you declutter this weekend. I'm so inspired by all the decluttering happening in the 365 Items in 365 Days Challenge and I want to encourage more of you to take some time to declutter your homes. 

Even if you don't think you've got a clutter problem, if you want to organize your home in 2014, or take on any organizing projects this weekend, it's important to declutter first.  No sense organizing stuff you don't need, use, or love!  And it will make organizing so much easier :)

Check out these great decluttering ideas!

Organizing Ideas for the Weekend: Avoiding Christmas Card Clutter

Happy Friday!  Ready for another organizing idea for your weekend?

Today I'm sharing ways to display your Christmas greeting cards.  You've probably been receiving some in the mail already, and if you're like a lot of people, you look at them and then pile them up on a table or counter somewhere, causing clutter.

Nobody needs clutter during the holidays... even Christmas clutter!  So find a creative way to show off those lovely cards and eliminate the pile at the same time.

I chose easy ideas because I know with less than two weeks to the big day you're probably not interested in adding another project to your to-do list. 

Check them out!

Organizing Ideas for the Weekend: Clutter Free Christmas Gifts

Happy Friday!  Ready for another organizing idea for your weekend?

Today I'm sharing some great clutter free gift ideas.  Many of us struggle with clutter all year, but are most overwhelmed after Christmas when we need to find places for all the influx of "stuff" in our homes.  And in our consumer-driven society, we worry what messages we're sending our children.

I've been reading a lot about this lately and want to share some great insights from other bloggers on clutter-free gift giving.

Note: this post is not intended to offend those of you who love shopping and giving gifts.  It's simply something I'm learning about and wanted to share with you!  And for those of you, like me, who have already finished your shopping for this Christmas, you can keep these ideas in mind for next year.

Organizing Ideas for the Weekend: Planning for Christmas

Happy Friday!  Ready for another organizing idea for your weekend?

Christmas is just over a month away!  Does that make you excited or stressed?  Maybe a bit of both.  Most of us want to be able to enjoy ourselves during this special season.  But we often have so many tasks on our to-do list and so many events on our calendars that we end up being overwhelmed and tired throughout the month.

In order to experience more peace and joy, it's important to plan ahead and simplify as much as possible.  I'll be sharing lots of ideas in the next few weeks about this, and I'm going to kick things off today by sharing some Christmas planners and printables to help you get organized.