Organizing Archives - Satori Design for Living

Everyday Made Easy {Household Chore Tips}

Mar

2013

Last week I posed a few questions regarding household chores, and I wasn’t too surprised when so many of you chimed in. I often go in waves when it comes to the day-to-day tasks of managing a household. Some weeks laundry really gets on my nerves and I want to go on a cooking strike, and other weeks I’m inspired to try new recipes and I find cleaning somewhat therapeutic. Whatever mood I’m in on any particular day, the thought of making any household chore easier is very appealing. That’s why I asked a few other bloggers to share some of their best tips to make the everyday tasks a little easier.

New Kitchen Storage and Mabel’s Labels Giveaway!

Feb

2013

31 Comments

Since mid-January, I’ve been going through closets, cabinets, drawers, and our pantry to weed out anything we don’t use, give everything a thorough cleaning, and re-organize as necessary. It’s always a big job, but I love how fresh and airy everything feels when it’s done.

Although our pantry was fairly well organized, I was tired of food in bags and boxes falling over and going stale when they weren’t properly closed (not pointing any fingers!). The same thing was happening in the fridge, and I needed to come up with a better food storage solution.

Coincidence or not, around the same time I was reorganizing our pantry, Mabel’s Labels contacted me and asked if I’d like to try their new household labels. Being the organizing enthusiast I am, I immediately jumped at the chance since I love to label everything! These labels are not only stylish, but they’re also dishwasher, microwave, and UV safe. I’m on board with anything that’s low maintenance and makes life a little easier.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Contests & Giveaways, Fab Finds, Organizing Tagged With: Kitchen, Organizing 101, Pantry, Storage Solutions

Organizing Tips on Living Savvy

Feb

2013

0 Comments

Hey everyone! Today I’m soaking up the sun with my family (Hallelujah!), but I wanted to pop in to let you know my friend Tiffany is hosting Organizing Month once again. As you may recall, I participated in last year’s and I’m back again to share some of my best ideas and tips for organized living. This time I’m focusing on how to stay organized after you’ve gone through all the effort to get there.

While you’re at Living Savvy, also be sure to check out Tiffany’s tutorials including paint, sewing, and craft projects. She’s definitely a talented gal!

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Organizing Tagged With: Guest Post, Home Organization Process, Living Savvy, Organizing 101

Small Laundry Room Ideas {Reader Question}

Jan

2013

3 Comments

It’s time for another reader question from Satori’s Facebook page, and this time it’s all about laundry room organization. I admit Heather’s subject line “Please Help My Laundry Room!” immediately caught my attention. It’s one of my favorite rooms to organize and make pretty, and needless to say, I jumped at this chance.

Please Help My Laundry Room!

Hello Shauna, I hope this question is getting to you on time. I have a fairly small laundry room in our basement that is quite dark and not very welcoming. I sort clothes in piles on the floor when I’m doing the laundry, but they get all mixed up and I often have to redo it. I don’t have room for several laundry baskets on the floor and I’m not sure what else to do. The other problem I have is lack of storage for laundry supplies and I don’t have anywhere to fold clothes. We recently purchased a front load washer and dryer, but that’s as far as we got. Any suggestions to make our laundry room function and look better would be awesome!

Thank you, Heather

To give you an idea of Heather’s laundry room, it has a single bulb in the center of the ceiling as the only source of light (except for one small basement window), there are no storage cabinets or shelving, and the current paint color is a medium-toned tan. The flooring is beige linoleum that is in good condition, but looks dated (she doesn’t want to replace it at this time). These are the gorgeous LG washer and dryer they recently splurged on.

LG Washer and Dryer

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Decorating, Organizing Tagged With: Laundry Room, Reader Question, Storage Solutions

Handmade Gift Planning + Upcoming Link Parties

Nov

2012

1 Comment

On this week’s Holiday Countdown list, I encouraged you to make some gifts for Christmas instead of buying everything. Handmade gifts are not only budget-friendly, but they add a personal touch and really show someone you care. In my experience, what usually stands in the way of getting around to handcrafting gifts rather than purchasing them is careful planning. That’s why I always start no later than mid-November.

If you’re stumped about what to make grandparents, neighbors, friends or anyone else on your gift list, start by looking through magazines or websites for ideas. Some of my favorite sources are Style at Home, Chatelaine, Pinterest, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart, and other design blogs. Once you’ve found some possibilities, bookmark them or pin them to a board on Pinterest.

{Left to Right: Teacup Candle, Cowgirl Cookie Mix, Christmas in a Jar

After I’ve found some handmade gift possibilities (or at least some inspiration), I think about who the gift would be perfect for. For instance, my husband’s aunt loves sweets, so I always try to bake something to go along with her main gift. Some of my friends are avid readers, so I make something to complement a book. You get the picture…

Storage Rooms + Why I Need to Put Thrifting On Hold

Sep

2012

6 Comments

Is it just me or did this week seem to fly by? Now that I’ve put my outdoor projects to rest for a while, I thought I’d turn my focus to organizing our basement storage rooms. I thought it seemed like the perfect opportunity before our media room gets filled with new furniture and I’m left with little room to pull everything out, get rid of the drywall dust from our basement renovation, and put it all back a little more organized than it was in the first place. If you’ve lived through a renovation, you know that dust and debris gets everywhere. Although I covered as much stuff as possible with plastic, the mess that was left when the dust finally settled (sorry, couldn’t resist), was a just a little overwhelming.

Although we still have a full day of work before our storage rooms are complete, I wanted to show you some of the progress we’ve made. Remember those double shaker style doors we installed for ease of moving items in and out of the side room (predominantly the treadmill)? It’s one of the best decisions we made.

It works really well to swing the doors wide open and easily retrieve storage tubs or whatever else we’re needing at the time. It also prevents the narrow room from feeling too tight.

Workspaces That Inspire {Nostalgic Summer}

Sep

2012

7 Comments

I was looking for the perfect gift to give to one of my girlfriends back at Christmas and I remembered these cute vintage necklaces made by Renee of Nostalgic Summer. Some of you may recall the Etsy Feature and giveaway I hosted back in November. While gathering info for that particular post, Renee made a real impression on me and I knew she was someone I wanted to keep in touch with. What stood out to me was her kindness, the care and detail she puts into her craft, her love of integrating old and new, and the story she has for each of her unique jewelry pieces.

While I was on summer break, I started thinking about new topics to write about for the blog. I began making a list of all the things that inspire me and I remembered some photos I kept of Renee’s workspace for creating her jewelry. One that stood out in particular to me was her inspiration board. My intention was to eventually share this photo along with other interesting boards I’ve gathered over the months. Instead, the thought went a bit further and led to the idea of starting a new series: Workspaces That Inspire. I think it’s only fitting that Renee’s space is the first I’m sharing with you.

Everyday Made Easy {Back to School}

Aug

2012

1 Comment

It’s that time of year again when the kiddos are heading back to school. My son is in grade 12, so he’s pretty self-sufficient. Over the years, I’ve stepped back more and more, allowing him to share a bigger portion of the day-to-day responsibilities that come along with getting to and from school and everything else in between. Basically, if I keep the fridge and pantry stocked with healthy food, he’s good to go!

Although we’re at the far end of the spectrum in our house, I realize that many of you have younger kids and school days can be complicated. While I was reading a few blogs and magazines this past week, I came across a variety of smart ideas that may work for you to get things running a little smoother at your house.

Jen over at IHeart Organizing has gone over and above to make sure getting her three small kids off to school is undemanding. I love how clothes are planned out for the week on Sundays and lunch and snack baskets are kept in the fridge for easy grabbing. Very clever!