February 28th, 2009 by ClutterBunny

My biggest challenge has been trying to find the right solution to store jewelry. I find that if I don’t see it, I don’t wear it. Yet I worry that the jewelry boxes are easily stolen. I feel like the clear plastic storage pieces look cheap. After much searching there are the solutions that I am satisfied with.

1. The jewelry mirror/frame
2. Stackable boxes
3. Wall mounted closets

Wow enjoy!

February 25th, 2009 by ClutterBunny

You have to love open storage that looks classy - but takes everything into account. this one is awesome for small apartments or larger homes, office storage even kids rooms. The tiers ad dimension where normal furniture would fall flat. New Port Cube Collection - White We always ask our guests and kids to remove their shoes, giving them a place to sit and stash their shoes shoes a thoughtful host/hostess.

I love this item for the kids room.  It makes it fell like a little botique

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I adore this bench w/ baskets.  It not only allows for a place to remove shoes, but a place for backpacks and anything else kids throw of their bodies when they get home from school.

Black Entryway Bench with Storage Baskets & Cushions

So by now it is clear that I love the foldable boxes, here they are placed perfectly into “grown up furniture”  Yes! Even the price is reasonable.

Winsome Wood 94291 Verona 2-Section W Storage Shelf with 6 Foldable Black Fabric BasketsWinsome Wood 94281 Verona 3-Section M Storage Shelf with 6 Foldable Black Color Fabric Baskets

Everyone loves Ottomans for storage, but these colors really pop.  My recommendation is to buy 4 or more and use them as if they were one ottoman.  the repeating shape and various colors makes the room flow beautifully together.

Storage Ottoman - Lifting Lid - Green (Green) (19.5″H x 18″W x 18″D)

February 23rd, 2009 by ClutterBunny

Hid that kitty litter box with style - your cat will appreciate the privacy too.

Pet Studio Cat Litter Box Cabinet Mahogany Storage Furniture

Doggies and owners favorite.  My little Maltese had several collars.  A sailor collar, his black collar, his green collar and various outfits that included sweaters, parkas, costumes, bows, bandannas.  All this is adorable on the dog, but can make for clutter.  This organizer is perfect, with a place for the little pup to sleep.  It is the all-in-one pampered pooch center.

Pet Studio Sleep ‘N Store Pet Bed & Pet Storage Cabinet

Not every pet is fond of company and often wants a kennel to retreat to and call his own.  However, trying to incorporate the crates into the clean decor of home can be difficult.  The wonderful piece of furniture meets everyone’s needs.

Wooden Dog Crate (Red Chestnut) - Medium

Everyone love aquariums, but not all homes have room to spare.  Here is the perfect fit.  Buy 4 and hang on wall as a large repeating work of art Gorgeous!

AquaVista 500 with Rama Background and Black Frame

February 21st, 2009 by ClutterBunny

This year one of the most common new year resolutions was to be better with personal finances and to get out of debt.  Usually after January discouragement sets in and we all resort to our old habits.  Consider this blog you pep talk on what to do next.  It can be discouraging after a few months of tackling finances, this is a way to organize and get on the next step.

Step 1:  Get a calendar that displays one month at a time.  Write in all the regular due dates for utilities as well rent/mortgage, pay days, cell phones, daycare.  This will allow you to easily avoid any late fees or know if you are getting close to overages based on bills that are due.  Making payments on time will improve your credit score too.

Here are my favorite calendars for this:

Action Planner Monthly Planner/Calendar

Monthly Wall Calendar, with Hanger, 1PPM, 12″x17″-RECYCLED (AAGPM22809DTOP).

IMPORTANT WARNING: Do NOT use a wipe off calendar each month.  You want to be able to see how much you pay month to month and the progress you have made, wipe off calendars cannot accomplish this for you.

Step 2:  Know your budget.  Often times budgets are established on estimates.  Honestly - what is the point- if the estimation thing was working then we wouldn’t need the budget in the first place.  Get a program like Quicken to enter in every check an credit card purchase that you make.  I recommend going back and entering in statement for the last two months with appropriate categories.  Print a report and use this to determine the goal amounts you would like to spend and enter your budget into the program.  Quicken will allow you to run a report to show if you met your budget and the areas you were over or under each month.

Quicken Home & Business 2009

Step 3:  Organize the darn bills as they come in.  Having a pile of bills that you throw in a drawer is hardly taking on the challenge.

Bill Organizer

Deluxe Wood Bill Organizer with Drawer in Oak

Step 4:  Do your homework.  Once all the items are organized and you know when and how to pay what bills.  Take the time to study up on how to turn the money you have into more and to know the ropes of dealing with creditor, loans, expenses.

I have read many finance books, these are my favorites.

The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness

The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom With Suze Orman

Debt-Free by 30: Practical Advice for the Young, Broke, and Upwardly Mobile

Also one thing I have learned for the discouraged financial organizer.  I have never met a successful self sustained individual who did not learn to manage their finances by trial and error first.  So making a mistake is the first step.  Getting organized is step two.

February 19th, 2009 by ClutterBunny

I have a box for each one of my kids works of art. My oldest makes this box overflow on a daily basis. There are pictures everywhere. Throwing them away makes him so sad. It makes me sad too. His first comic strip, his family portrait, Star Wars and pets. The longer I keep them the more wrinkled and ripped they get. I tried storing them in a binder only to find that there were not enough binders on the planet.

Solution: Scanner and digital photos of him and his favorite pieces of work. Now I can also show how old he was when he made each creation. Then I move all of these over to a wonderful digital photo frame for everyone to see. Slip it into slide show mode and place it on the mantel and it is a true modern piece of art. For a real display I place three digital frames, one for each child and let the displays begin. These also come with a calendar and a remote so it can be changed from a distance.

Sony DPF-D70 7-inch Digital Photo Frame

For more pride and fun I grab a little key chain digital photo frame and I can show all the relatives and co-workers my kids funny and sentimental displays.

Coby 1.5-Inch Digital Photo Keychain (White)

Handy Mini Key Chain 1.5″ LCD Digital Picture Photo Stainless Steel Frame Album Viewer - White

February 19th, 2009 by ClutterBunny

Parents want to make sure they have all the need for their little ones.  Lets face it we all end up at one time or another trying to gently pin a wiggling toddler to the floor while trying to remove a dirty diaper only to discover that the wipes are MIA and the odds of winning the battle to keep the area sanitary fairly bleak.

Solution:  Diaper basket.  There are a few options.  You can purchase a lovely cloth lined basket, but I prefer something with handles or a lid, and something you don’t mind looking at.  My favorite is this craft organizer, it is cloth lined, has zippered pouches that can be used for sample rash packets.  Pockets for wipes, diapers, pacifiers, those strange nose sucker plungers, and all for a very low price.  The pockets are big enough for diapers and wipes and in a pinch they travel very well in any vehicle.  Many moms have back up diaper bags, but this works better since you can see what is inside before you leave.   I also recommend one of these baskets for each level of a home. 

Mackinac Moon Open Top Craft Tote

Look it comes in Pink or Blue

Mackinac Moon Open Top Craft Tote

Mackinac Moon Large Deluxe Organizer

To keep things truly organized and to provide the perfect baby basket is as a gift here is what I recommend filling it with.

Classy Kid Keep Me Tidy Biodegradable Diaper Sack - Pack of 75Huggies Natural Care Baby Wipes Fragrance Free - 16 ea

Summer Infant Complete Nursery Care Kit - Blue

Little Giraffe - Newborn Baby Boys/Girls, Short Sleeved Onsie, Mint (Spare onsie under $5.00)

Kiddopotamus & Co. Organic SwaddleMe - Natural (L) These are amazing they take the mystery out of swaddling.

Sassy Earth Brights Wooden Baby’s Loved Ones Toy Under $6 dollars, babies love to look at the pictures of Mommy and Daddy and family members.

Huggies Ultratrim Unisex Diapers, Size 1 Fits 8-14 lbs, 40 ct

I recommend giving size one diapers, often newborn grow out of the smaller size within just a week or two.

Baby Magic Petroleum Jelly - Soft Baby Scent: 2.5 OZ Tube (For boys a necessity for the first little while (Under $3)

Lansinoh Disposable Nursing Pads, 36ct These are an absolute must for a nursing mom, keeping them in the diaper bag will save many a day.

Lansinoh Lanolin - 2 oz Hygienic Tube.  This is a necessity for nursing moms, and a great item to keep in a near by diaper bag.

I love these baskets they are a life saver, and a fully stocked one rivals the success of even the most adorable diaper cake at a shower.

February 17th, 2009 by ClutterBunny

I love my ipod.  It can be a complex job ordering your music and chosing a way to catagorize it, but here are a few simple steps to get you started.

First - Make sure all songs are labeled correctly with Artist and Title and Album  You don’t need to have Brittney Spears and Britney Spears.

Check the Genre - Country, Rap, even sound track.

Playlists:  This is your area to shine and allow your creativity to come out.

Examples:  For work (not sexually explicit) for the office,  With the children (no awkward explanations of sexual or langauge contentent), Romantic, Songs I want people to know I like, Songs I use to annoy people, songs that are overplayed, sing loud, cry, geeky, math based, time lapsed, regret (as in can’t admit these are actually on your ipod), traffic, work out, and WTF (as in what the fluffy bunnies)

Now that you songs are in order here are some of my favorite products to keep it near and fully enjoyed.

Keep those cords tied up nicely and near by

DLO Jam Jacket with Cord Management for the 80/120 GB iPod classic 6G (Black)

Carry it all in one small case

Speck Zipper-Puck Carrying Case for iPod shuffle 2G (Pink)

Nothing says I have it all together more than a mirrored electronic

Durable Mirror Reusable LCD Screen Protector for Apple 2nd Generation Iphone 3G Smartphone

February 16th, 2009 by ClutterBunny

I have dreams for my kids rooms.  Great themes that run through my mind as I carry them for 9 months.  I drift through decor magazines and try to envision the perfect enviornment to stimulate their mind, put them at ease and give them a dream childhood.

Then reality sets in.

First Reality:  There are more toys in my children’s world than necessary (at least in my mind).  In their world every scrap of paper, box and stuffed animal is golden.

Second Reality:  I may have picked a theme, they may enjoy the theme, but there will always be a well-cherished toy to clash with the entire scenario.

Third Reality:  My idea of clean is not their idea of clean.  I think animals put away and everything well organized is perfection.  They think perfection is every toy positioned as if it were on diplay speaking with them as they go through their day.

Solution:  I must remind myself that my goal is to teach them how to organize their own world so they will be comfortable in their space and so it is safe and comfortable for others, too.  It is not okay to shove everything under the bed, leave things all over the floor and have choking hazards cluttering all the in and outs of their space.  I must remember that their childhood is theirs.  If they want Spiderman pillows in a jungle theme room with with a basketball hoop prominently displayed, my removing these items only teaches that what they like is not “good enough for mommy.”

Together we decorated the room:  The theme: Jungle.  We found an amazing wallpaper mural at an amazing price.  Jungle Wall Mural - 8′3″x13′8″.  (Under $100) Then we hung plastic vines from the ceiling.  Found stuffed monkeys for a whimsical touch to hang from the vines.Plush Monkey with Velcro

Then I suggest you take all the pictures… quickly… because it won’t stay that way. Thats’ right: planets from the ceiling, fish clocks, superhero pillows.  It is their personal space now.  All I can do is give them the tools and teach them the practical reasons they need to keep things organized and hope that some of it sticks.

Step 1:  Make designated containers that can hold specific toys, clear works best for the younger ones so they can visually tell where to put things.

Step 2:  Make piles of things to put away and have them learn to sort and store correctly.

Step 3:  Clean together… then transfer the cleaning to them.

Step 4:  Repremand when necessary - shoving under the bed is not a time saver.

Step 5:  Grow to love your children’s ideas of decor.  Their home made pictures, inventions and tools are priceless even in an expensive well organized room.

Photos 1 and 2 - Do you think it might be time to pick up?

Needs help

Where is the comforter any way?

Then after some prompting and age appropriate pick up.

Higher shelves for the oldest so little siblings can't break toys

It may look clutter to the untrained eye - but to a 5 year old all the important friends are within reach

February 15th, 2009 by ClutterBunny

Today is Valentines Day and that means…it is time to organize the cabinets.  Okay and Mr. Bunny helped me to do it.  That is real true love!   So for this I have posted some before and after pictures.

In my household the intended pantry is under the stairs.  Now when I was a wee little bunny I wanted a play room under the stairs. Alas, I lived in a one story home.  So my designated pantry is actually a play room.  So the cupboard I use for food have to be kept exta organized.

Here are the before pictures.  Please note the effort made, but failure at keeping items organized.

Lots of yummy clutter

Above is my cupboard before - Please note the Toblerone disappears by the after photo.  A bunny has to eat.

Clutter but yummy

Tools:  Label maker, glass containers, wire cupboard organizers, plastic containers.

Tips:  If you decide to label where items go on the shelf keep your sense of humor.  You will notice one of my canned good lables reads “WTF?”  This stands for What the Fluffy Bunnies.  It is for the misc.  Be realistic about the space you will need, so even after a large grocery run the space can be adapted.

AFTER: Ready to cook

The shelf was moved up to allow more storage for box dinners, and shelving was added not only to the door, but to the underside of the shelf.  It is important to utilize the vertical storage space.   Please note the shelves are neatly labeled as well as the sugar, Splenda, and flour containers.   No sense organizing items just to make a birthday cake wit salt instead of sugar.

AFTER: Easy to find items

We buy cerial in bulk bags, but move it over to a plastic tub for easier storage.  Keeping canned items in the bottom shelf also prevents those injuries of falling cans.

4-pc. Square Canister Set

Libbey 80410 Square-Shaped Glass Jars with Tight-Sealing Glass Lids, Set of 4

It is best to spend a little more money on the glass storage canisters.  Tighter fitting seals keep freshness in.  Also the square canisters store better in cupboards than round ones that are more common.

Linus Packet Place by InterDesign

It is important to keep things that use use frequently in easy view.  If you don’t believe me go through your seasoning packet drawer and explain why you have 7 different types of Ranch Salad Dressing.

FTS - UNDER SHELF Organizing T ray - 106-210-19

Stacking Organizer Bin - Large

White Extra Large Pantry Shelf

Even in the smallest of places, never overlook the importance of using vertical space.

Metro 14 Piece Jumbo Round Container Set

Varying sizes allow you to swap out containers as contents quantities shift. Buying in sets will allow items to match and look even more organized

February 12th, 2009 by ClutterBunny

Organizing kids rooms is not a simple thing.  It is an in depth science.  Kids can only keep their room clean if it is organized age appropriate.  A 12 year old can handle and enjoy itemization with lots of small storage boxes.  Where as a 2 year old will only clean if everything is easy to put in one place.

It is best to start small and simple.  Clutter bunny is a direct result of my son’s ability  as a muse.  You see we have a stuffed bunny….excuse me a family member…named Carnivorous Bunny.  Carnivorous is a lop-eared character that is adorable and is carnivorous because she only eats meat.  No veggies, ever…then she wouldn’t be carnivorous.  Out of the mouth of a 3 year old, this was precious and adorable.

Carnivorous has a million stuffed friends.  Now 5 years old, my son believes the best way to organize toys is to set them all out as if they are having a party or performing a play.  Enter 2 year old brother willing to crash party and distibute all stuffies down the stairs, in the bathrooms, under tables.  Finally toddle in - 9 month old sister willing to eat the choking hazards (I mean noses and eyes) off of any non age appropriate stuffy.

Solution:  For my situation the handy stuffy hammock.  Hung high in a corner, all stuffies are fully viewable, yet not easily distributed and mauled by the younger siblings.

Be prepared to install this correctly.  You will want to use the studs on your wall or drywall hooks to be certain that as your little bunnies toss up toys, the net is secure.

Deluxe Pet Net - Stuffed Animal & Toy Organizer -Best Seller!

For a situation with older children I recommend the toy box solution.  Normally I have a large disdain for toy boxes.  I don’t like having to dig through them to find pieces of waffle or surprise old bottles mixed in with toys.  I also know that my children will inevitably have pinched fingers no matter the type of hindge. Sassy has come up with a genius soft sided toy chest. The front folds down into a play space for little ones and it has a take along pocket with handles to for on the go toys.  It is a throw it all in one place organizer, with pockets and sections to teach the little one’s future organization steps.

Sassy Large Soft Sided Toy Organizer

It also comes in a interior/decorative sensitive version that I find very pretty.

Sassy Soft Sided Toy Organizer, Blue Mod

What are your experiences with these items?  Please comment and let me know.