organising

As you can imagine something has to give when on top of a busy life I added in studying for a degree too!  I hate to say it but housework was shafted to a degree. Not the hoovering/ dusting/ mopping/ laundry that gets done every week, but those bigger less frequent jobs.

We moved into our flat 5 years ago and at the start everything was pretty organised and had a place, but as time goes on we have acquired more stuff, the children have aquired a lot more toys and things haven't been kept up as they should have done.

We have 2 big cupboards in our hallway, one is the "bike cupboard".  It has my husband's bike, spares, tools etc in there.  He is a one man workshop!  The other we have organised by using medium and large plastic boxes with lids from Matalan and Asda.  They are all stacked on top of each other. Or on the shelves in the cupbroard.  Each box is for a different thing eg gardening/ light bulbs/ paint & painting tools/ xmas decs and so on.  Plus our drill/ tool kit etc.  We don't have a garden shed or a loft/ attic/ basement to store any of this stuff in so we have to find a space in the flat.  The hoover is also in there!  We have put some hooks on the back wall to hang bags with our welly boots and walking boots in.  Plus an over the door hook for more bags of wellies and the Ocado shopping bags for online food shopping. 

The kitchen is another story, and hasn't had the same attention to detail of late.  I shuld have taken a before photo but I was just too ashamed!  I only have 3 drawers in my kitech (screams NOT ENOUGH!).  The top one is for our cutlery and a few other bits and bobs.  The bottom two are pretty deep so all kinds of stuff has been dumped in them.  Sometimes because there is nowhere else for the item or out of laziness.

On the weekend I finally tackled these two drawers and a big awkward corner cupboard.  I got rid of old, no longer fit for purpose kitchen linens.  Moved items to their rightful homes around the flat. In doing this relatively quick job I've made a ton of space!  The bottom drawer has the kitchen towels and teatowels folded nicely and ready to use.  Plus I utilised an old icecream tub for the bits and bobs that I DO WANT in the drawer.  It's not perfect, and I'll see if I can find something a bit bigger for the job.

The middle drawer has utensils in it now, I'll probably get some kind of divided container for them to stop them moving around so much.  What frustrates me is how much DEAD space is above this drawer.  I would really like some removable tray to sit on top that I could store some things in.  If anyone knows of such a thing please point me in the right direction.

It's small steps and I still have to do our larder cupboard which is full of CRAP!  The door is organised as husband fitted a load of handy hooks on it for the broom, dustpan and brush etc But inside it's just not working.  See?  NOT PRETTY!  The wheely rack (which used to be our veg rack in a previous home is just wasting space) and I have too many plastic bags that are not really needed.  This is my next task, along with the upper corner cupboard which is a disgrace too!!

Having had an inspirational look on Pinterest I came across this brilliant blog The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking and a series called 31 Days to an organised house.  I love this series, loads of great, cheap ideas to sort your home out with.

I will be tidying, sorting, binning, recycling as necessary and I haven't even mentioned by bedroom wardrobes!!!!  That's a whole other post!

getting organised

My handbag has become a bit of a mess, with my essentials fighting to be found with everything else. I have been very generous, and purchased a few new items to sort my life out. First up is a new purse, as my old one (5 years hard service) is falling apart. I spent more than I normally would, but decided it's used daily and is something that I want to look nice. It's a Radley trifold purse, with plenty of room for everything.

The next item I bought was a card holder for all those reward cards that I have ruining my current purse. Nothing more frustrating when I don't have my reward card on me.

Next up were some zip bags from zpm to keep hold of my pens, hair brush and nail file and other female items that I don't want the world to know about!

I feel all smug now with my new found order!

corners of my home

We have been looking for new bedding for well over a year now. I have the (good) problem of having a husband who is interested in design and by that has a say in what we buy. Although by and large we sing from the same hymn sheet so we have never had an argument over our choices. It can be tricky choosing some things such as bedding. I wanted something bright and cheery but it had to appeal to both of us. He doesn't want anything overly feminine or flowery and I don't want anything that is too sharp, graphically speaking.

But sometimes the wait just gets a bit too long. You know what I mean? And our old duvet cover had seen better days, so I binned it. Then we took over the guest bed linen. So I had to replace that!

photo from KAS website

I had a look in the Xmas sales and saw this set by an Australian brand called KAS and their range called Cruz. What I liked about it was all the colours, the design, slightly tribal, and the fact it would match the curtains (a plain silk effect plum/ aubergine colour). I showed the husband, and he said "buy it" so the deal was done!

Of course I could have gone cushion mad, as per their very pretty set up, but budget and so on has stopped me doing that!

This is our more simple set up.

I need to buy some coordinating fitted sheets and pillow cases, and then we are good to go! Apart from new light shade, a rug, side lights, painting the room, art on walls etc. It really is never ending.