Day #18 - Organization Challenge - Refrigerator and Feezer

Hello Organizing Buddies! What's that? My freezer. . .a disorganized freezer that is! LOL! Yup, I decided to work on organizing my freezer and ended up cleaning and organizing the whole refrigerator! I did discover an interesting thing. . . .okay, Thanksgiving is right around the corner and as I was digging through my freezer, I found last year's left over Thanksgiving Prime Rib! OMG! It was cooked and vacuum packed but no matter, it's been in there for almost a whole year. Ewww, that's sort of disgusting. LOL!

I decided to throw away anything that had no date on it or any opened packages of frozen veggies and such. It's best to start fresh. We do have a "food saver" so many of our meats are vacuum packed and we usually write the date on them. We also have a large freezer in the garage but I'll work on that on another day.

I also cleaned out our refrigerator. I had cleaned the refrigerator a few weeks ago . . .and I mean CLEANED it. I took out all the shelves and drawers and wiped them so this time around, it was actually a quick and easy process. I threw away any left overs or anything that were past their due dates or if they just didn't look quite edible anymore and wiped the shelves a little bit! The refrigerator wasn't dirty so I was able to finish it up rather quickly.

So. . .today's challenge is to throw away anything in your refrigerator that are beyond the date that they should be stored. Most items that are in containers have a perishable date. Throw away all meats that you have no idea when you bought them or appears to be freezer burned. When you're done, organize your freezer and refrigerator in categories, such as meats in one section, frozen veggies, dessert, etc. If you have the time, clean the drawers and shelves by wiping them down or taking them out and washing them in the sink.

Here are a few links that will help you determine the perishable date of the food stored in your refrigerator and freezer:

Perishable dates for refrigerated food

Fruits and Vegetables

Iformation on perishable refrigerated foods

Freezing and food safey

More information on refrigerating and freezing food



Here is a photo of my refrigerator. There's a lot of space now. . .just in time for Thanksgiving. I'm pretty positive the refrigerator will be filled up when Thanksgiving comes around but for now, I'll just enjoy the fact that it's clean and organized! LOL!

You can't really see it but my freezer is organized by meats, to the left, frozen veggies at the top, microwavable food to the lower right drawer and desserts atthe top. Yay! I love it!

Anyway, hope you all have a wonderful day organizing your frig! You'll be really happy when you're done!! There's nothing like a clean refrigerator!!

Day #14 Organization Challenge - Crafter's Corner - Clear/Unmounted Stamps

Hello Organizing Buddies!! For those who don't know, I have a crafting blog (Stampin Inspirations). . .which is my primary blog. This organization blog site was inspired by my need to help balance my life. No kidding! I have a tendency to organize and clean up my craft room on a regular basis and sometimes neglect the rest of the house! LOL! Actually, I'll work REALLY quickly on my chores so I can spend more time crafting and after awhile, whatever system of organization I have turns into major chaos.

I've always wondered about those crafters and scrapbookers who have very clean rooms, super organized where everything is in place, with pretty containers and organizing systems. Do they really craft or do they just have a lot of nice stuff? LOL! I'm sorry but I have a feeling they don't craft much! I would have an absolutely beautiful organized craft room too if I were to never step in my room.

Honestly, despite cleaning and re-organizing my craft room on a regular basis, I have way too many stuff to be able to stay on top of things. Unfortunately, crafting is a messy hobby! LOL! I'll come up with a great organizing system but after awhile, I'll be too busy and just sort of throw everything in a container. Well, my unmounted and clear stamps organization have recently went out the window or more like. . .thrown inside a container and I mean "thrown". Yes, when I'm done using the stamps, I'll literally "throw" them in a container that is closest to me. The picture at the top of this post is one of my disorganized and messy container of stamps.

I know that many of you who visit this site are crafters yourselves because I link this blog on my crafting blog so from time to time, I'll post a crafter's organization challenge. . .just for my fellow crafters. Aren't you special?

This morning I worked on organizing my clear/unmounted stamps. It actually did not take very long. . .less than an hour to complete so it's not a difficult task to accomplish. I organized my stamps by brands and size of the packages and put them in a few organizers that I bought recently at JoAnns. They were on the clearance rack. . .they came in sets and they were only $4.98 each. Whoohoo! Unfortunately, there were only two sets.


The rest of my stamps had to be stored in these wicker baskets. Okay. . .just to let you know, I have a bunch of "wood mounted" stamps that I still need to organize and lemme' tell ya, that will be a major task to complete mainly because of the amount of space the stamps take up. Ugggh!

I actually unmounted a lot of stamps a while back and created a folder system which currently occupies 5 large binders. I've been collecting stamps for 5 years and rarely re-sell any of them.

I unmounted all of my Stampin Up Christmas stamp sets a year ago and put them in binders. This was a major task but I'm so glad I did it. They take up so much less space and they are easy to find.

I also use a CD case system for a few of my stamps but they can only fit a few stamps so I don't really like this system as much.


Okay. . .today's challenge is to organize all of your clear or unmounted stamps. You can organize them in any fashion you want. There are a lot of organizing systems that you can buy to help you organize your stamps but why don't you use what you already have? Actually, it really doesn't matter what way you want to do it, the point is to do it!!!

Here are a few storage ideas if you want a better system of organizing your clear/unmounted stamps:

Blockhead Paper Arts and their storing system

CD Case System (I've tried this and they're great for individual stamps but not for large sets)

Clear Boxes by Flourishes

Stamp Box Binders by All That Scraps

There are many types of organizing systems, just google it. . .you'll find something that will fit your needs.

Okay, Buddies. . .let's get our stamps organized. You'll be very happy that you did!! Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!

Day #12 Organization Challenge - Linen Closet - Blankets and Comforters

Hello Organizing Buddies! Ugggh! I'm sorry I didn't post anything for the past two days! I've been feeling a little sick. It started on Monday. I initially thought that I was going through my typical allergy attacks but as the day progressed, I started to feel that it may not be my allergies. I've been too tired to organize anything. I do feel a little better today so I'll try to finish up my linen closet.

I have a little story to share before I discuss today's challenge. Growing up, although we weren't "poor", my grandparents (who adopted me) were very "frugal" and I kid you not!!! Our blankets were handmade and we've never had fitted sheets or pretty beddings. That's just the way life was. Although I appreciate the sewn blankets today and I wish I had a few of them now that my grandmother had passed away, growing up I always wanted a pretty made bed! I guess that's the reason why, now that I'm older and can basically afford them, I love buying them and dressing up my bed. LOL! But. . .how many comforter sets do one need?

Do you see the shelving above. It's actually quite taller than shown in the picture. It's normally stocked with blankets and comforter sets but I did a CRAZY thing. Because they've been sitting in the closet probably collecting dust, I decided to wash them ALL! I have problems with allergies so I thought it was a great idea to wash them. What the heck was I thinking???? It has taken me hours to wash and dry them. I spent 4 days washing and drying them and I have a few more to wash. The huge thick comforters barely fit into our washing machine. Honestly, it would have been smarter if I had thrown them into the drier and filter any dust or lint rather than washing them but I'm happy that I washed them now that I'm almost done. . .:)



Some of the blankets and comforter sets didn't have their original packaging so I used "Space Bags". They are FANTASTIC!! I highly recommend buying a few of them to store your blankets. . .they really save on space by compressing them to a smaller size. Click Here to check them out.

Okay! Let us FINISH our linen closet! Now to today's challenge. . . .if your blankets or beddings have been sitting in the closet for the past year without being used, air them out or throw them into the dryer and filter the dust or lint that has collected on them. When you're done, re-organize them nicely in your linen closet. This challenge should complete the "Linen Closet Challenge".

Hey. . .if you're done organizing your linen closet, take a photo of it and email it to me at cardinspired@gmail.com and I'll post it on the blog. I'll post my organized linen closet when I'm done washing and drying my blankets!! Hope you have a wonderful organizing day!!

Day #9 Organization Challenge - Project Linen Closet

Hi Organizing Buddies! Yesterday the challenge was to wash and dry your towels. Did you have a chance to do it? Well if you did, today we will start the first day of organizing our linen closet. I'm going to cut to the chase today because I still need to work on this challenge myself. LOL! I started off late today so I can't show you my completed task. I'll upload a photo when I'm done.

Today's challenge will be a multi-step challenge. Organizing your linen closet may take a few days so we'll start off with the towels and work our way through the other linens.

Here is today's challenge:

1. Remove every towel and linen from your closet. (Yes, you read it right. . .we want to start off fresh)

2. Pick out all the towels from your linen.

3. Fold all your towel as shown in the video tutorial, including the towels that you washed yesterday.

4. When you've completed folding the towels, organize your towels by color, type, and size.

5. Place your towels on the shelves of your linen closet based on the color, type, and size.

Can you manage that? I have a LOT of towels so it may take me a while but I'll try to get it done today.

Tomorrow we'll work on the next step on organizing our linen closet. I'll cut the chit-chat short today. . .I need to get on the ball so I'll see ya' all tomorrow! Hope you'll play along. Comment this post if you want to join in the challenge!! Happy organizing!!!

Day #7 Organization Challenge - How Many Lotions and Potions Do You Need?

Look at that? What a mess! Actually, I don't think it's too bad. What do you think? Nothing too crazy! What are they? Well, they're stuff I've stored below my bathroom sink. I don't think I've opened this cabinet for over 6 months. LOL! I didn't realize the condition of my cabinet until I opened it this morning!

This is one of my drawers. Okay, now that I look at it. . .it is a bit messy. Honestly, I'm very low maintenance when it comes to pampering myself but I do have a lot of stuff regardless. Although I don't spend a lot of time pampering myself or putting on make-up, I really should take care of my skin better. . .considering I do have a lot of lotions and potions, some of which were quite pricey. There was a time when I did take the time to exfoliate, mask, moisturize, and all that good stuff but ugggh, it takes so much time and effort that I no longer bother with them.

I decided to tackle my bathroom today and not only organize the drawers and cabinets but clean the whole bathroom including the sinks, toilet, shower, bath tub, the floor, and so on.

This is my side of the sink. My husband has his own sink and I also organized his sink, drawers, and cabinets. I want to share a few sites that I came across that provides tips on cleaning your bathroom.

How to Clean Your Bathroom
Bathroom Cleaning Tips

The first thing I did was dump all the contents of the containers on to the floor and sort through all my things. I made separate piles for hair, facial, and other items then threw away old or unwanted items. I then organized the items by the different categories. Rather than buying new containers, I decided to reuse the old containers I already had.



In this photo, I stored all of my hair accessories and brushes in one container and the hair tools such as curling and flat irons in another container. I also stored all my makeup and nail items in bags.



Here are a few sites with helpful tips on organizing your bathroom:

Bathroom Organization Ideas
Vanity and Cabinet Organization Tips


Today's challenge is to clean out your bathroom cabinets and drawers by throwing away old items and organize the items you're keeping. If you are ambitious, why not clean your sink or your whole bathroom if you have the time!!

Okay! Are you up to the challenge? Come on. . .today is a good day to organize your bathroom. Hope you'll play along!! Happy organizing, Friends!!!!

Day #5 - Ogranization Challenge - Junk Mail are Killing our Trees

Dang, so many junk mail!!!! Can you imagine how many trees could be saved if companies would stop sending junk mail! Junk mail is contributing to global warming! Sheesh! We receive at least 10 pieces of junk mail a day. I usually sort through my mail once a week but there was a time when I would just throw all my mail in a box with the intention of shredding them and throwing out the junk mail. Unfortunately, the mail kept piling up and one day, when I had guests over, I decided to gather the boxes from under my desk in the kitchen and throw them in the hallway closet and there they sat for the past 6 months. I know. . .shameful!

You're like. . ."hey, your challenge is posted late"! Yeah, I know but I was busy. . . .organizing and cleaning the house. Later in the afternoon, I decided to work on sorting and shredding our mail and darn, it took me about 3 hours to finish. Gosh, it feels great to rid of the boxes of junk mail that I've been storing in my closet.

Now to today's challenge.. . . the challenge for today (or tomorrow) is to sort through your mail and shred/throw away your junk mail. . . including those that you have under your desk, closet, drawer or where ever else you've been storing them. .:)

This picture shows the bag of junk mail that I threw away today! Isn't it nuts? From this point on, I promise to sort through my mail regularly and throw away the junk mail right away! Just a little tip. . .when shredding your junk mail, rather than shredding the whole content of your junk mail, rip out the section that has your name, address, and other personal information and shred only that section. It actually saves a lot of time.

Okay, Organizing Buddies. . .let's get rid of our junk mail and from now on, don't let them pile up! Comment this post if you're planning to play along!! I would love to hear from you! Tell me your story. . .I love reading them!

Hope you all have a wonderful day organizing your stuff!!!

Day#4 Organization Challenge - Where Are My Socks

Yeah, that is what my daughter and husband are always asking me. . .. "where are my socks?". How the heck would I know??? Actually, I do know. . .it's in that laundry basket! That's where they are and none of them are matched.

You're saying. . ."I thought you were moving on and was going to post a different type of challenge, Maria?" Well, I was going to move on to something else but after my last load of laundry yesterday, I noticed I had a ton of socks that I gathered in the basket and needed to put them away into the drawer. I decided to surf the Internet to find a great organizer to hold all the socks. I did find one but I didn't like the tutorial so guess what! Yup, I created my own tutorial! LOL!

The video below shows how to create this great sock organizer! Whoohoo. Look at all my socks! They are all organized and pretty inside the drawers. Not only that. . .but they're all matched and easily accessible! Boy, I just love it!

What's today's challenge? Well today's organization challenge is to match all your socks and organize them nicely into your sock drawer!

Simple, huh? You can do it while you're organizing your closet. Any of you working on the last 3 challenges? Let me know. . .tell me your progress or. . .non-progress! If you've completed any of the challenges, take a picture and email me with the picture and I'll post it on the blog. My email address is cardinspired@gmail.com!

Hope y'all have a wonderful Friday. . .organizing! LOL! Have a great weekend too. Be sure to stop by tomorrow for a new challenge. To comment this post, the comment link is at the top of this post.

Day #2 Organization Challenge - Yikes, My Washing Machine is my Underwear Drawer

Happy Wednesday, Friends! Remember yesterday's challenge? Well, the challenge was to clear out your laundry room of clean clothing and to put the clothing away in your closet. Did you have the chance to complete the task?

I have a confession to make. What motivates me to do the laundry is when I'm running out of underwear! Seriously!! When I notice I have only a few left, it'll prompt me to do the laundry. Okay, I can handle reusing my jeans or a t-shirt but there is no way I can reuse my underwear. LOL!!!!

Well, I'll do a few loads of clothes and usually, wash my underwear last. . . .. and it sort of stays in the dryer. Why? Because it's easy to find and when there's only one or two underwear left in the dryer, I know it's time to wash the clothes again! Too funny!!

I know. . .it's weird! I do have some sort of system of organization and unfortunately, this is it.


Do you see the drawer? Well, it's my underwear drawer. It's empty, you say. . . . .ugggh, yeah! It's because my underwear are in the dryer. After completing the challenge yesterday, I decided to create a handmade organizer for my underwear. I probably could buy a few plastic containers at the dollar store but who looks in my drawer anyway? I mean, it don't have to be fancy or anything like that.

Today's organization challenge is to fold your underwear nicely and create some sort of organization so your underwear are easily accessible and organized.

Here are my bras. . .I can't believe I'm posting my underwear for all the world to see! LOL! But, hey . . .you want credibility, right? I organized my bra by color and by type. . .you know, strapless, padded, etc.

Here is a tutorial on how to create a super cheap underwear organizer:

Measure you drawer. . .both depth, length and width. Using card boards (use a cereal box or poster board), measure and cut the card board based on your drawer measurement into 4 pieces (3 for the length and 1 for the width).


If the card boards are too short, tape two pieces together



With 3 of the card boards that measures the length of your drawer, cut a notch at the center of the cardboard about 3/4" of the width of the cardboard. Do not cut the cardboard completely in half.

Using the cardboard that measures the width of your drawer, cut 3 notches in equal distance between each notch. Start with cutting a notch at the center of the cardboard then cut one notch to the left and right of the center notch.

Interlock the card boards by inserting the cardboard through the notches. This will create a total of 8 compartments.


Here is the picture of the completed cardboard organizer . . .simple and cheap! Gotta love it!

Okay, gang. . .are you up for today's challenge? If you have any ideas for a great underwear organizer. . .share it with us by commenting this post! I'll do some research and see what I can find to share with all of you. Hope you all have a wonderful day organizing your underwear drawer!!! ***the comment link is at the top of this post***