Winter Organizing Tips

 

Sewing Kit in a Binder

Take advantage of all of that extra time spent indoors this season -- winter is a perfect time to tackle larger organizing projects. Clearing the clutter and bringing order to every room will reap benefits for the entire year.

Where's an extra button when you need one? Find sewing supplies fast in this three-ring-binder repair kit. Add zipper pouches and a felt needle holder (use spray starch to make felt sturdier).

Create a Smart Calendar for the Year

 

 Make a monthly calendar that is as changeable as your schedule. Instead of crossing out plans as dates shift, write appointments and events on movable sticky notes.

Collect for Charity

 This is the season for giving. And since it's cold outside, why not host your own drive for coats, sweaters, and other warm clothes? Set out a labeled collection basket and ask friends and relatives to bring an item to donate when they visit. Check that the clothes are clean and in good condition, then give them to a shelter or other charity.

 

 

Organize Your Medicine Cabinet

 

Organize Your Medicine Cabinet

 Discard expired cosmetics and prescription medicines. Then, affix a sheet of precut galvanized steel to the interior of your medicine cabinet with construction adhesive. Magnetic hooks can hold scissors and a mirror, and small plastic cups with magnetic bottoms corral small necessities, such as rubber bands and hair clips.

 

 

Organize Kitchen Drawers

 Clever ideas, practical storage, unusual solutions -- Martha shares her secrets for creating a kitchen that works.

 

Bring Order to the Hall Closet

 Take storage to new levels with shelves below a row of jackets. Install shelves near the base of your closet, and you'll no longer have to rifle through items strewn across the floor. Here, each family member has his or her own bin for hats and scarves.

The lower shelf is lined with shoes, and boxes tucked underneath hold dog toys, tennis balls, and the like. Leave a foot of space between shelves and the door frame, and you'll have room for boots and a metal bucket for umbrellas. Long hooks keep handbags neat.

 

 

Upgrade Your Shelves

 Add a splash of personality to a lackluster work space by covering plain floating bookshelves with wallpaper. Measure the shelf, and cut the wallpaper slightly longer and wide enough to wrap around it with an overlap. Use wallpaper paste to affix the wallpaper to the shelf, pasting one side at a time. Cut slits into excess paper at ends, forming flaps; fold down, and affix with paste. Let dry completely, and hang shelves as usual.

 

 

Organize Your Shoes

 Normally used in kitchens, a pull-out pantry becomes a shoe closet when the shelves are installed at an angle; professional assistance is recommended for this project. Nonskid shelf liners prevent pairs from sliding when the unit moves.