Okay, I’ll admit it—I’m a pack rat. There. It’s out there. Done.
So in the spirit of “spring cleaning” and “getting organized” for the season, I thought it a good time to ‘fess up to that little tidbit. I also thought it might be a good time to INSPIRE you (and maybe, just maybe, motivate myself) to get things organized at home– whether you’re a pack rat like me or not.
We’re currently trying to organize our unfinished basement, which has become a disaster of a storage area over the last few years. (I’ll spare you any photos—if I had any, they’d be gruesome.)
But here’s one that’s close to what ours looked like last week (found on this site)…
Actually, this screen shot is a little extreme… even for me. I tend to be more of a disorganized packrat behind the scenes. So in other words, things look all tidy and nice on the surface… but, oh, what lies beneath! (Hmmm… they say you ARE your surroundings.) But I digress…
I think it’s the same “they” that doles out that kind of advice who also says that when you’re trying to organize your home, you need to start in small bites or chunks. That means don’t set aside a whole weekend for organizing your entire home. It ain’t gonna happen. And if, by some miracle, you DO get your entire home organized in a weekend, then it wasn’t that disorganized to begin with… and/or you pulled a string of back-to-back all-nighters and are heading to the office or to the school PTA meeting on Monday morning with a de-cluttering nightmare of a hangover. Not good.
So be kind to yourself. Start with a pantry. Or a closet. Say to yourself, “I’m going to turn my pantry into a place I’d LIKE to go on Saturday afternoon.” Then get to steppin’.
Here’s a pretty good example of a “before-and-after” pantry. The “after” is a definite improvement with the wicker baskets. Especially if you have wire shelving. (If you do, you KNOW how those small boxes and bottles tend to constantly fall over. ) But there is still too much of a mish-mash of non-related bottles and jars on that lower shelf for my taste. (I may be a packrat, but I’m still pretty persnickety…)
Now here’s MY kind of pantry, photo courtesy of HGTV.com… (not that mine looks anything like this, of course!) See the sliding baskets and drawers? Not to mention the WOODEN shelves. Everything is grouped together so, *SIGH*, neatly… A slice of organizational heaven!
And here’s a before-and-after on a closet that shows what a little time and a couple of extra shelves will do (a company called Clutterbusters was the organizer)…
There are, of course, a myriad number of ways to organize. I personally like the “4-pile” approach. So when removing all of the junk from these closets and other spaces, sort it all into separate piles as follows:
- Treasure (keep)
- Trash (self-explanatory, no?)
- Donate/sell
- ? (This is your “not-sure-what-to-do-with-this” pile… so you don’t get hung up making the decision!)
Back to pictures of organizational mayhem. Here’s a split-screen shot of a closet in a kid’s room. Rather tidy “after.” Looks like all that was needed here was an additional hanging rod and some clear plastic crates…
(By the way, for a quick look at closet organizing AND ideas for closet systems, watch this video.)
Anyway, you get the point. Start with the smaller areas. Do one of those for a couple of hours each day. THEN move onto the bigger stuff… like the dreaded kitchen…
There’s a lot going on in the “before” above, as posted on HGTV.com. (Hint: Store things within cabinets—not outside of them.) Much cleaner “after” look below. (Yes, it is the same kitchen.)
So “piles” aside, it’s pretty clear that a huge part of getting organized comes down to adding or changing your storage resources. Meaning that shelving and bins and baskets can do wonders, as seen in this garage organizational system cobbled together with great Container Store finds:
And here’s a nifty solution to organize an entryway or mudroom (LOVE that blue beaded-board wall). Here you’ve got keys, a calendar, notes, tickets…and, of course, assorted notebooks, toys and other must-haves for the busy family. Add a shoe bench and a unique umbrella stand underneath and you’re in business…
So circling back to where we started– that disorganized basement… I just had to share this “re-run” of a fantastic finished basement, originally found on this blog– complete with pristine workout room and uber-organized play area for the kids. (Dare to dream!)
Ready to get going? I can tell you– I’m on it. Ready to roll. No more Mrs. Pack Rat. (My husband is just laughing and laughing right now cuz he’s not buying it…)
Of course, if organizing your home seems like a miserable, tedious chore (it’s because it is!)—AND you want to keep your weekends free—there are plenty of organizational pros that you can find right here on Kudzu. Be sure to check them out. (And if a deep Spring cleaning is more up your alley, find a housecleaning service while you’re at it.)
“Inspiration can come from anywhere.” Those words are the backbone of Kudzu’s latest TV commercials. (If you haven’t seen these spots, by the way, here’s one you can check out…)
When it comes to what we do here at Kudzu, “inspiration” can mean actually (finally!) getting those pesky little household tasks on your to-do list done…
OR it can mean installing a new pond in your backyard after being so in awe of the “Water Lilies” painting at last weekend’s Monet exhibit…
Or, like the cool Oxford-shirt-wearing mom in Kudzu’s aforementioned TV spot, it can mean desperately wanting new countertops after seeing the cover of your child’s astronomy book. (Actually, “desperate” is probably not the right word for her. Pensive. Daydreaming. Wishful. Those might work.) No, desperate is really on ME—I actually want those new countertops (desperately!), but not because of my son OR his book. (He’s 8 and doesn’t even take astronomy yet.)
I want new countertops because mine are 15 years old and NOT granite (or Silestone, slate, recycled glass, quartz or any other jazzy kind). Mine are 15 years old and white. Oh, and did I mention they’re LAMINATE? Sturdy, yes. Affordable—sure. But elegant? Eye-catching? (Stain-resistant?) Uh, not so much. Not my 15-year old stuff, anyway. But laminate has come a long way, baby.
But getting back to other types of countertops– if you’re thinking about new ones (as I clearly have been), what follows is a little “inspiration” for your kitchen’s soul…
Glass. A-MAY-zing. That’s all I have to say about these. Made from recycled glass—what’s not to like? These are from Thinkglass. They’re certainly gorgeous, but you couldn’t pair these with white cabinets (like mine) without making your kitchen look a bit… well, sterile. But they’re so beautiful and “peaceful-looking”– like having an ocean in your kitchen! Not to mention the fact that they’re eco-friendly. (Wait, wasn’t “A-MAY-zing” all I was going to say on the subject? Oops.)
Here’s a soapstone countertop with oiled finish, courtesy of Dorado Soapstone. Sleek. Elegant. Nice.
This is also soapstone with a more natural finish. Reminds me of a slate hearth. Good touch for a kitchen that leans more rustic…
Next up: Concrete countertops— one of the strongest materials around. However, keep in mind that concrete isn’t stain-resistant because it’s so porous. Keep it sealed, though, and it can last for 20 years or more.
Red quartz. How snazzy is this? (This beauty was made by Caesarstone and installed in HGTV’s Green Home in 2010.)
Paperstone. That’s right—made from a composite material… basically recycled paper! This example’s from Paperstone Products.
Copper countertops. Be careful with copper—it’s extremely vulnerable to scratches. So as long as you don’t use your countertop as a cutting board (like we do at our house– tsk, tsk), you should be okay. You have to admit– copper’s unique. (We like unique.)
Wood. Yes – plain ol’ WOOD. These are NOT your mama’s butcher block countertops from the ‘70s. Stunning. Great for a kitchen island, if not your entire kitchen.
Of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout-out to world-famous Corian—still popular in many homes today, thanks to its durability and low maintenance…
And here’s another recycled countertop– this one’s by Cosentino. 75% of it is made from a variety of recycled materials such as broken mirrors, windshield glass, ceramics and more. It’s also non-porous and resistant to scratches and stains.
Finally, this post wouldn’t be complete without a look at some granite options. Granite’s still wildly popular in most areas of the country, despite the many, MANY other materials that are desperate to compete with it. (There’s that word again.)
While we’re on the topic of granite, here’s my beloved Uba Tuba—what my husband and I have been leaning towards for our renovation this spring. Our inspiration? Seeing this same countertop choice displayed in the home of our good friends. (Sometimes that’s all it takes.) See the subtle flecks of silver and copper and gold embedded in the black stone? Little flecks of heaven…
Uba tuba aside, I will say I’ve fallen a little bit in love with some of the recyclables out there (like that A-MAY-zing glass). Hmmm…
* It’s very early in the morning, on the last day of the year. I’m up before the chickens (which I don’t have–double whammy of city and HOA rules) so that I could have a quiet moment with you before the family wakes up (let’s give one more shout-out to the pajama chicken). It’s the last week of Kudzu’s Must-Do 52 enewsletter. It tells me to check my washer, stock up on the firewood pile, and “winterize” my outdoor plants and shrubs (although our unseasonably warm weather this year has turned “brrrr” into bounty in my winter vegetable garden). But really, there is only one thing I truly need to do today, and that is to say goodbye to you. This year-old daily blog is ending, and I am moving on. You can follow me on my personal blogs, FoodShed Planet and Sustainable Pattie, or on twitter @pattiebaker. Small biz owners–you may find some of the 101 Marketing Ideas with Pattie Baker helpful (that was a business-to-business blog I wrote for Kudzu prior to this one). Thank you to Kudzu and Cox Enterprises (Kudzu’s parent company) for this opportunity, and to all of you who have shared this journey with me. A very special thanks, of course, to my family, who have literally “lived” this blog.
* Gosh, remember when we started? I was a different person then (or at least my house was). Faucet leaks. Wood rot. No ceiling fans and no screen door. Things have changed. Repairs have been made (well, not the doorbell yet–sorry to my friend who stood out there for ages with his famous white chocolate mousse holiday gift recently). Items have been knocked off my to-do list. And most importantly, I’ve finally accepted the blatantly obvious fact that yes, indeed, I am now a grown-up and it is time to stop being in denial about things like regular home maintenance and repair. I’ve also figured out that I actually do have my own personal style tastes, which run toward some freaky combo of “reclaimed barn” and “ultra-modern” (with lots and lots of color), and that perhaps my dream home would actually be a restored carriage house down a cobble-stoned lane in New York City (I started following Brooklyn Heights open house alerts and subscribed to Edible Brooklyn somewhere around July, even though I live in metro Atlanta) or the HGTV Green Home 2012 in nearby Serenbe–it is being billed as a “farmhouse with a modern twist.” (Sign me up!)
* I tried to showcase a wide range of lifestyles, from “traditional families” to the sandwich generation to empty nestersto those coming up with their own solutions to a tough economy and changing needs. I threw in the “dream stuff”–the gourmet kitchens, home spas and theaters, and enviable basements and backyards–with even a celebrity stop or two: see Oprah’s house here, and Things Are Looking Rosie (Plus How to Find Real Star Power Right Where You Live). But I also stressed how much a can of paint can transform a room, how clearing out clutter and loving what you have can change a point of view, or how hanging a simple hammock can make you feel suddenly rich.
* My favorite post of the last 12 months on this blog, however, was this one: A Lesson from Steve Jobs. I received the new book about Steve Jobs as a gift this holiday season, and I am finding his story to be particularly inspiring as I set off on a new phase of my own journey.
* Maybe one day I’ll have solar panels on my south-facing roof, or reclaimed wood floors on the old linoleum in the kitchen, or packed boxes ready to go to Brooklyn after the girls are grown and gone. But for now, we live here. We live here. In all its mess and imperfection. In all its need of repair and renovation. In all its glory, which became clear to me just this week when we returned home from a stay at a log cabin in the mountains (pictured) and smiles broke across all our faces as we rounded the corner and we saw what we had left behind just a few days earlier. Home.
And so, I will keep tapping into Kudzu for local service pros who can help me get my to-do list done and get on with my life (after working at a computer all day as a professional writer, I like to get outside and garden, as pictured here at a nearby park), and who can help me keep dollars circulating in my local economy (now, that’s sustainability). And now, a new year dawns.
* Bang the drum–we made it! When I started this special 12 Days of Christmas series here on Hot Off the Vine, 12 Drummers Drumming seemed very, very far away, and now, here it is. On Day One, you know, the partridge day, I whispered to you that my younger daughter was getting a set of drums as a gift from the grandparents, and I can now report back on what’s happened. First of all, opening the box filled me with dread because, yes, “assembly required” loomed like a “there-goes-the-entire-day” albatross around our necks. But, lo and behold, my daughter did most of the assembly herself and had a great time doing it. The other big news–the drums are electronic and come with headphones and they are practically silent! I actually went to sleep while she was still drumming and didn’t hear a peep. Oh, and finally, they are very compact and don’t take up much room. In short, this is possibly a brilliant gift that fits into our home perfectly. It’s wise to think through things like noise and space (which we didn’t really do this time) when you make purchase decisions for your home (let us remember that it is I who wrote a post named My Kingdom for a Moment of Silence). It looks like we got lucky on this one.
* Speaking of drums, it looks like I have somehow managed to miss the The Muppet Movie! This is shocking news, as The Muppet Show was my very favorite show for years when I was at that impressionable, oh, let’s say, college age. After growing up in a household where my father worked for an insurance company, that show swung my eyes open to the fact that people could have jobs in creative fields, and actually had an impact on some of the work decisions I made since then. Having a home office and spending my days writing? It definitely had something to do with Animal, who was the passionate drummer in the Muppets gang. Now, as for not seeing the movie (even though, somehow, miraculously, the rest of my family has seen it), I guess I’ll catch it on DVD in our “home theater,” which is pretty much simply our little living room repurposed with a couple of recliners and my husband’s terrific surround-sound. You don’t have to go whole-hog (like this home theater) to enjoy Miss Piggy!
* Atlanta’s mild weather this week gives me one last chance to make my home “tight as a drum,” to increase our energy efficiency (and stop throwing money out the window–literally). This requires one thing and one thing only–weatherstripping (here are some tips). Well, if you want to get fancy, you can also get some outlet covers. (You know that breeze you feel by the exterior-wall outlets? You shouldn’t feel that.) Okay, between you and me, here’s the problem with weatherstripping–it’s that word (weatherstripping–ugh, sounds like such a chore–it needs a marketing overhaul) and the fact that almost every type I’ve used over the years eventually falls down. (I have yet to be the Playful Parent this year, by the way.) Quick note–if you do achieve the “tight as a drum” goal, be sure to open a window or door (hurray for my screen door!) every day or two to air out the place as indoor air is typically about 90% more polluted than outdoor air. Lovely, huh? Go toxin-free in your home as much as possible in 2012 and you will most likely feel a difference.
* And finally, I’d like to close off this series with one home trend you can feel free to ignore–muted wall colors. Unless you truly love muted colors (does beige seriously give you goose bumps?), please don’t feel like you need to stick with them in order to please future home buyers. Chances are you are going to do a fresh coat of paint when it is time to sell anyway, so why not live with what you love? It’s just paint. Go bold, go big, go with low or no-VOCs (now in bright colors–thank you, Benjamin Moore), and go where the beat of your own drum takes you. Try it on one wall in one room (most kids love bright colors in their rooms–go for it like this mom did) and tell me you don’t feel a bit more like Animal (in a good way–not the anger-management-problems part). And in this world of rules and regulations, where 60 million of us live in neighborhoods with homeowners associations where we have to choose from an approved color palette for our home exteriors, doesn’t beating your own drum every now and again simply feel great? (Quick aside–if your homeowners association hasn’t updated its architectural standards with our changing times and environmental issues, it may be worth a chat–see Permeable Pavement, Recycled Milk Jug Fences, Clothes Lines, and Updating Your HOA’s Rules for some conversation starters.)
As Henry David Thoreau said ever so eloquently: “If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away.” May I add that if a mom hears a different drummer, and has drummed up something spectacular for her home (a music room, a home theater, some brightly-colored walls), let her search for service pros on Kudzu who can help her never miss a beat.
* “11 Pipers Piping” is believed to refer to the bagpipes predominant during the Tudor and Stuart periods in the history of England. This stirs up visions of tartan plaid (one of my favorite patterns, by the way, after the wool blankets at a cabin in the Adirondack Mountains where my family used to vacation one week a year while I was growing up). Adding a little dash or a great, big splash of plaid to your home (see “decorating with plaid” ideas here) could evoke the feeling of merry old England (or catching frogs with your brother at the lake).
* If a little time off for the holidays is music to your ears, perhaps you’re a music-minded person (like my husband and daughters). Music fills our house all the time, between my husband’s hobby of collecting (and blasting) film score recordings, and my daughters’ dabblings in the keyboard and guitars. Since I am such a terrible singer, some smart music teacher way back when pegged me as perfect for the flute (keeps me from joining in on the lyrics, no matter how strong the temptation), and one of my most beloved gifts in recent years was a Native American flute (that I still haven’t really learned how to play, I must admit), and somewhere along the line, a few instruments from my favorite shop for gifts, Ten Thousand Villages, joined our family orchestra pit (Chilean rainstick, anyone?). Yes, it would be nice to have a separate music room where all these instruments could live happily and neatly, but “all over the place” works, too.
*Are you prone to pipe dreams (which, by the way, are “unrealistic hopes or fantasies,” originally fueled by opium)? Ideas run the gamut from saunas to stand-alone offices (that post has one of my favorite home offices ever), tree houses to espaliered fruit trees (I am so close to doing that), or even half-pipe skateboard ramps, if you have someone in your household so inclined (such as this 41-year-old dad). Well, guess what? People actually do add these elements to their homes (so let’s just stop calling them unrealistic), and they don’t always cost a fortune. Maybe 2012 is the year to make your dream come true. What’s one small step you can take to move your dream forward? Start there.
* And now, the flip side of pipe dreams–pipe nightmares, and frankly, almost all homeowners have one at least once in their lives (although, may I remind you that Kudzu’s Must-Do 52 weekly enewsletter told us to insulate the pipes months ago). Granted, it’s been spring-warm here in Atlanta (so warm, in fact, that dandelions are growing, right now in December), but one look at the USA TODAY weather map makes it clear that most of the United States is, well, freezing. Let’s hope you’re curling up by the fireplace with some warm, fresh-baked cookies right about now, and not taking part in a twist on 11 Pipers Piping and fixing frozen pipes! If you do need to thaw frozen pipes, however, take these tips. Too late for the thaw because water is all over the floor? (That line actually rhymes if you’re a native new Yorker, as I am.) I’m afraid it’s time to, shall we say, “pay the piper” and it’s on to the flood restoration experts for you. (Speaking of “paying the piper,” if you were going to “pay” for all the gifts in the 12 Days of Christmas song this year, it’s up to $101,000, according to this recent article in the New York Times).
Need help remodeling, making your pipe dreams come true, or fixing your pipes (or the damage they’ve causes)? Find service pros you can trust on Kudzu. And don’t forget to “pipe up” about companies whose services you’ve used and leave helpful reviews so others can make informed choices, too.
