Shelf Life

Hi all!

It's time for another edition of "Kevin and Tiffany love to save money". This weekend while waiting for some friends to arrive at dinner, we found ourselves wandering through a nearby TJ Max. We headed straight for the home organization section in search of good deals on products we love, and there it was...

The Expand-a-Shelf

Once again, remember in this post when Kevin and I listed our favorite Container Store kitchen items? The expanding shelf made the top of the list for its ability to give your cabinet items stadium seating. And there it was, marked down to $6.99 (Regularly $14.99 at The Container Store).

I could not wait to try this in our spice cabinet. Here was the before...

What's that behind the ground tumeric? No one knows..

This is the view I typically see of our spices from my meager height.

And look what a difference the Expand-a-Shelf made!

Ah, spices living in peace with one another.

This product is great because I actually feel like it's easier to put things away and keep them with like items. Before I would just place whatever item I recently used in the front of the cabinet and slide farther back whatever was already there. Now everything has its own home within the cabinet. Another feature I love is that the product expands and contracts to fill your entire space. For this project, I decided not to expand it the full length of our cabinet because some of my spices are HUGE (Yay Smart and Final) and wouldn't fit on the top tier, but would block the spices behind them if placed on a lower tier. Instead I chose to leave part of the cabinet uncovered by the Expand-a-Shelf to accommodate for those taller items.

We are amazed what a difference an inexpensive item has made!

New update: Our website is looking fancier these days thanks to Kevin's hard work. Turns out he's a great husband and a wonderful business partner! Be sure to check it out:

graceinteriororganizing.com

Contact us to get started on your space!

-Tiffany Pope
Tiffany@graceinteriororganizing.com

Finish your plate

This weekend, Kevin and I were able to squeeze in about 20 minutes of garage saling. It was more than worth that little time. We found the following items for a total of $7.

A chalkboard with hooks- perfect for writing notes and keeping your keys in one spot!

Three small white shelves. (Not sure where to put these...We'll probably decide after we move- more about that later).

Two cupboard shelves.

Remember how I talked about these cupboard shelves as one of our favorite kitchen products in a previous post? I am so excited we stumbled upon some while we were out. It's an inexpensive, easy to install item that can make a huge difference.

When we came home I got right to work using them to increase the space in our kitchen cabinet where we keep our plates.

This is what it looked like before...

Notice all the wasted space below! And to fit it all in the upper cabinet, our fine china had to be stacked, which is not only precarious, but makes getting to the bottom plates or bowls a major pain!

After!!

Now no grouping of items has to be stacked on top of another type of bowl or plate. Everything has its own spot, so getting to everything (and more importantly, putting everything AWAY) is so much easier. Because so much was able to be moved down, another set of cupboard shelves could enable us to store another shelf-worth of kitchen items!

As always, visit our website and click on the Request a Consultation button to get started!

-Tiffany Pope
Graceinteriororganizing.com

949-735-8811
Tiffany@graceinteriororganizing.com

Before Grace Before & After

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a relaxing weekend. Kevin and I got to take a trip up to our Alma mater (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo) for graduation weekend. It was so nice to be amongst old friends, open space, green grass, and cows (I LOVE cows).

After a wonderful few days, we returned to our tiny one room studio, and I was quickly reminded why there is a need for what we do. Space is tight, especially in LA, and any way we can make it feel as relaxed and spread out as San Luis Obispo is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

Here's a look at a post from our personal blog that I posted when we were just moving in, before Grace was even on our radar.

Hope you enjoy and feel like you know who we are outside of our business a bit more by browsing other posts!

-Tiffany Pope
tiffany@graceinteriororganizing.com
949-735-8811
graceinteriororganzing.com

consider the lillies: Linen Closet: Before and After: I have a lot of clothes. So many, that our decently large closet wasn't quite big enough to house them all, so Kevin and I put the "leftover...

No Skeletons in the Closet

I hope you all had a great Memorial Weekend! Hubby and I were able to relax and tan on the beach, ah, it was so nice!

But I still haven't stopped thinking about our awesome trip to The Container Store recently. Getting to visit this organizing mecca is somewhat rare for us because the closest one is about 35 miles away from our house. But this month, this very month, a brand new Container Store opens in Manhattan Beach, about 6 miles from our home, and less than a mile from my work.

In great celebration of this, here are our favorite Container Store products for transforming your closet!

The closet can be one of the first areas of your home to become disorganized because of that beloved door that hides the problem from our eyes. Out of sight, out of mind. But that mess is still there every time we reopen the door. Most standard closets are not made to really utilize space well. A shelf with a rod under it is going to miss valuable space above and below.

Here are our favorite products to help you reclaim that lost space:

1. 3 Drawer Shoe Cabinet

 I absolutely love this design. This sleek cabinet can hold up to 9 women's shoes and 6 men's shoes. I love that when it is folded up, your shoes are completely concealed, but when you need them easily accessible, the shelves fold down, revealing your shoes exactly where you left them.

2. 12-Pair Shoe Organizer

 I know this is such a simple idea, but I just love how each pair of shoes has its own home, as opposed to traditional shoe shelves where shoes don't have dividers between each pair. If you are getting really serious about your organizing, you can even label what shoe goes in each box so there is no question that everything is in its place as you're cleaning up. (Oh, and picture your shoes rainbow color coordinated- lovely!)

3. Walnut 10-Scarf Hardwood Hanger

 This is such a good idea. Scarves are clothing too, why do they always get treated as if they have to be stuffed in a drawer rather than hung? This scarf hanger prevents wrinkles in scarves and keeps them easily accessible without snagging the fabric.

4. Cedar 40 Peg Tie Hanger

 The Cedar 40 Peg Tie Hanger is very similar to the Walnut 10-Scarf Hardwood Hanger, but I just couldn't decide which one I liked better, so I included them both. With 40 pegs, this tie hanger accommodates many more ties than a traditional hanger ever could. As an added bonus, the cedar helps keep your clothing smelling fresh!

5. Simple Division Closet Rod Organizers

 Department stores usually have these, why can't your closet? Of course it's a good idea to separate your clothes by type, style, season, or size, but its even better to label them and clearly distinguish the boundaries between them. Putting away clean laundry is a breeze when every garment has a clear and specific home.

6. Linen Drop Front Boxes

 I love these boxes. They're easy to stack, and because the front is magnetic, you don't have to pull a box out in order to retrieve the contents- and you can easily see everything inside! These are also great for clothes that you're storing for next season, or that you don't wear often to protect from dust.

7. Little Black Dress Hanging Jewelry Organizer by Umbra®

 What a better place to keep your jewelry than with the clothing they will be accenting? Umbra®'s jewelry organizer contains 39 clear vinyl pockets on one side and 24 hook and loop closures on the other side. It also rotates so you can even hang it on a wall and see both sides.

8. Tall Solid Shelf Dividers

Sometimes that shelf at the top of your closet can seem like a waste of space. Few items can really be stacked or placed vertically there, and then all the space above that shelf gets wasted. These shelf dividers are a great solution to that problem. You can even put a pile of folded clothes within these dividers and they will stay in a neat pile. They're also great for towels, linens, books, and purses.

These are just a few of the wonderful products The Container Store has for the closet. Be sure to check out their website for more ideas.

Happy Monday! And check out our new website too! Click on "Request a Consultation" to get started!
www.graceinteriororganizing.com

-Tiffany Pope
tiffany@graceinteriororganizing.com

(All photos courtesy of thecontainerstore.com)

Featured

We are so honored to be featured on Kevin's sister's blog NatYourAverageGirl! This is a huge honor because Natalie's blog is AMAZING! Be sure to check out her other posts for pics of the cutest baby ever, fashion & home advice, recipes, and inspiration!!

Recycled

You know what I love?

Saving money.

Sometimes it seems that in order to get your house organized, you have to spend a fortune on products, but that isn't necessarily the case. My engineer husband is always finding new purposes for items that I would have totally thrown away. One of my favorite examples of this is how he used to pack his lunch in an empty Carnation Instant Breakfast box. It was the perfect size.

Here are some of my favorite ideas for reusing and recycling materials in your house to get everything in order.

1. Empty bottle = art supply container

Source: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/recycled-milk-jugs-123151

How easy is this? By just removing one corner of an old bottle, kids can easily reach for a colored pencil, crayon, or marker, and easily keep them color coordinated. This is great if you have space to keep the bottles out on a table or counter, as they don't stack or fit vertically in a cabinet. But if you have the room, you've just made a cheap way to display your art supplies.

2. Tuna cans = junk drawer serenity

Source: http://www.hgtv.com/decorating-basics/25-new-ways-to-use-your-old-stuff/pictures/page-8.html

You know all those tiny desk items- paper clips, push pins, rubber bands, beads, etc. When they are all thrown in the same space, they mingle, and it is so much more difficult to get just one of the teeny tiny object you are after. Tuna cans are a great solution because they are cheap, shallow, and usually two to three of them can fit in a row in a typical desk drawer. Just make sure the edge of your can isn't sharp!

3. Creamer container = food dispenser

Source: http://whynotdoityourself.tumblr.com/

This just might be our favorite idea. (That might have something to do with the fact that Kevin likes to drink creamer by itself). Once you clean out a creamer container and take the label off, you have a nearly airtight container for your food, and you can see what is inside each one! Remember how I was so in love with price of the Modula Storage Canisters in this post? Well, this option definitely takes the cheap cake. No, they aren't stackable or varying in size, but they are a great inexpensive option!

4. Unused drawers = under-the-bed storage

Source: http://www.picklee.com/2012/02/29/inspiration-organize-cycled-materials/

Aren't these just cool looking?! If you've got an old dresser or desk that you're considering throwing out, HAULT! Save the drawers! Attach some wheels on the bottom and you have storage that is low enough to fit most beds, and so easy to slide out! (Drawers are also awesome for handing on the wall, so really, seriously, don't throw them out!)

5. Old knobs or faucet handles = wall hooks

Source: http://www.picklee.com/2012/02/29/inspiration-organize-cycled-materials/

We currently have a bag of knobs that we got for free that we cannot wait to try this with! Hats, scarves, sweaters, backpacks, purses, and other last-minute-out-the-door items can have a home with wall hooks! If you don't have any of these lying around, faucet handles can be found at some antique stores and flea markets, and while knobs can be weirdly expensive in stores, garage sales are usually a good bet.

6. Drawer organizer = jewelry storage

Source: http://www.picklee.com/2012/02/29/inspiration-organize-cycled-materials/

If theres one this I really dislike, I hope it's more significant than tangled jewelry, but knotted necklaces still ranks somewhere up there. Using an old drawer organizer can make your jewelry look like it's framed artwork. Necklaces and bracelets easily hang from hooks in the vertical columns and rings/earrings sit nicely in boxes on the horizontal compartment.

Hope this shows you a few simple things you can do without even hitting up the store!

Happy Monday :)

-Tiffany Pope

All images were found on pinterest.com. :)

Contain Yourself

Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day this weekend!

On the way to visit my Mom on Saturday, my husband Kevin and I stopped in at the happiest place on earth- obviously The Container Store. We saw so many amazing products and it made us just want to start overhauling houses (including our own).

Here are a few our favorite products that bring simple solutions to common problems in the kitchen.

1. The Expanding Shelf

 This product is awesome for those cabinets that you fill with jars, spices, and boxes that are easily blocked by the row of food in front of them. This shelf basically gives your canned/jarred/boxed food stadium seating, so you can see everything in the back. Another great feature- it expands and contracts to fit your shelf perfectly. Never forget about those hidden split peas again. :)


2. Turntable

This turntable (or Lazy Susan) is so handy for hard to reach corners of cabinets, and is even really helpful in the fridge! Since we all learned about centrifrugal force in jr. high, we are well aware of the fact that items love to fall off of turntables (and we LOVE to spin them quickly!). To prevent this, many of the turntables have ridged rubber tops on them to secure items. Bonus: You can choose a two-teir product if you have wasted space above your turntable:

 3. Four Sort Dividers

 This is a brilliant idea. Don't you hate it when you've stacked all of your baking sheets, pie tins, cake pans, and pizza stones to realize that the one you need is on the very bottom? To make matters worse, when baking sheets are laid flat down, so much space above them is wasted. This amazingly simple product eliminates that frustration and wasted space. Each baking sheet can slide out of your cabinet individually and the spacing is way more efficient!

4. Undershelf Basket

I love this hanging basket because absolutely no instalation is required to hang in your cabinet. Instead of placing mugs or bowls on top of your plates, making them hard to get to, you can utilize the space above them while still allowing for easy access to what is below.

5. Cupboard Shelf

 This is another product that is so simple and makes a world of difference! I used a similar product today in a client's house while organizing the linen closet, and it actually doubled the space! I love this product because it utilizes the entire space of your cabinet, and again, no installation! (Though I do love powertools).

6. Modula Storage Canisters

Kevin and I have always loved the Square Pop Canisters by OXO, and have many of them in our kitchen. We love that you can see what is inside them and they are easy to stack. However, after our visit to The Container Store, these Modula Storage Canisters are my new favorite. I love them for two reasons. First, they are made with grooves to be stackable, so sliding and falling is less likely. Second, they are way cheaper! We love a good deal!


I just love how simple transforming a space can be. These products aren't expensive, flashy, or hard to install, yet they can add space, save time, and even keep your dishes and mugs in better condition by not needing to stack everything. See how simple organizing can be?

Hope you have a wonderful week!

-Tiffany Pope