Hide your ugly things inside pretty things

It's easy to collect stuff and not know how to organize it, store  it, or hide it so that it's easy put away when guests come or to simply clear the clutter.  To do this I hide my ugly things inside pretty things.

I learned this from the Design Camp I went to, hosted by AB Chao last year and have implemented it in my own home. It's easy to do and very handy considering we live in an old farmhouse without a lot of storage.

Wedding Wednesday - Wedding Binder

Welcome to my new series - Wedding Wednesdays!  I'm pretty excited to start this series because I have so many wedding ideas floating around in my head.  This blog series should help me get organized, keep on top of things, and narrow down my choices. :) Plus - I get to share my wedding planning journey and ideas with you all!  Hopefully I can inspire other brides with ideas and brides will share back!

To kick off the very first Wedding Wednesday post, I thought I would share my Wedding Binder with you!  I've been working on this for a few days and have found some great resources that I have meshed together to fit what I am looking for.  I like things to be simple so that was the goal when I put together this binder!

First - let's talk supplies!  I found all of my binder materials at Staples.  I liked the Martha Stewart line so I went with it.  Here is a list of what I bought to organize my binder:  Black Binder | Turquoise Divider Tabs (5 pack) | 3 Hole Zip Pouch | Filler Paper | Sticky Notes | Sheet Protectors (to hold receipts and business cards).  My grand total was: $35.01

The hardest part about putting this binder together was deciding which categories I wanted to label each tab with.  I suppose I could have bought more tabs and created more categories but I wanted to stay simple.  My tabs are: Contacts/Contracts | Ceremony | Reception | Day Of | Misc. I list everything I have (so far) in each section below.

I used the sticky notes to label sub-categories behind each tab.

I used a sheet of the filler paper to make a list to remind me of everything I wanted to store behind that tab.  I'm sure this list will continue to grow...

There are some great printables online to get your wedding planning started. They made me think a little harder about decision I'll need to make.  I have them linked below.

Binder Contents

Wedding Planning Checklist

Tab 1: Contacts / Contracts
Wedding Party Contact Sheet
Vendor Contact List
Vendor contracts

Tab 2: Ceremony
Guest List
Marriage License
Flowers
Programs
Ceremony Planner

Tab 3: Reception
Menu Worksheet
Decor
Cake
Timeline
Venue info/instructions
Open Bar
Snacks

Tab 4: Day Of
Timeline
Hair
Make Up
Day of checklist
Photographer - must have pictures
Attire - Bride
Attire - Groom
Attire - Bridesmaids
Attire - Groomsman
Emergency Kit List
Transportation

Tab 5: Misc
Budget
Bridal Showers
Rehearsal Dinner
Invitations
Bridal Party Gifts
Registry Checklist

Filler Paper
Zipper Pouch
Sheet Protectors

Russell & Hazel & Real Simple have the best wedding Printables and Martha Stewart has some good ones too.

Whew - that's a lot of stuff and I'm sure there will be more. If I make any significant updates, I'll be sure to update this post!  If there is anything significant that I've missed, let me know.  And, if you know of a bride or someone that is planning and could use help getting organized, please pass along this link! :)

By the way... did you notice my Wedding Countdown on the right side bar? Pretty cool huh?! :)

A Pretty Planner {Washi Tape Project}

Welcome to another work week!  In an attempt to get more organized I bought myself this planner at Target.

I like how it is organized with a "to-do" list for each day.  I currently find myself jotting down "to-do's" everywhere.  The only thing I didn't like about this planner was that it was just a little dull.  I quickly fixed that problem with some Washi Tape.

Yep, pretty simple but it offers a little more of a "wow" factor for me!

What are some of your best organization tips and tricks?

Office Space Inspiration

We only have three large projects going on at our house right now!  Thankfully one is winding down (the bathroom) and another, (my new office/craft space) is functional!  The only thing that needs to be done for it to be complete is staining the cabinets that Adam had built for me.  That coupled with some fun and functional decorating will maket this an awesome space!

Here is some of my inspiration for what I consider to be fun and functional office space!

My workspace will be similar to this, spanning along two walls.  Unfortunately I am dealing with shorter ceilings and will lack some of the finish that this space has since we built my space in our old farmhouse basement.  Overall, I like the clean lines and organization.

Via

I am definitely getting one of these large box shelves with plans of incorporating baskets for storage.  This is also going to serve as its true purpose, a bookshelf, to keep my collection of design books and magazines.

Via

I LOVE this bulletin board.  It is a DIY project that you can find on RealSimple.com.  (I actually love the whole space, check out the link under the picture.)  I am definitely incorporating one (or two) of these bulletin boards.  One of the things I like the most is the color that can easily be brought into the space by covering a bulletin board with fabric.

Via

I am am an avid rubber stamp collector!  Making greeting cards and little extras like gift tags, notebooks, etc... is probably one of my very favorite past times.  I like the idea of putting them in a wire basket so I can quickly find what I am looking for.

Via

I think this is an easy and cute idea.  If I can figure out a way to incorporate jars like this, I probably will! :)

Overall, I'm going for a pretty simple design that allows me to stay clean and organized.  I honestly didn't realize how much stuff I had until I had to put it all away... yikes! :)

Baskets Fix Anything!

In our main bathroom we have built-in shelves.  They have the potential to be a great storage space but they end up collecting "stuff" and they are impossible to organize and make look "pretty."  So I gave up on continually trying to make these shelves look neat and organized so I invested in wicker baskets from Target.  They made great storage to hide bathroom essentials like toilet paper and kleenex.  The baskets are also large enough to hold a set of bed sheets.  The best part of using baskets as storage on these shelves is that I could just throw the stuff in them and give up on the organizing completely.  The end result is that the shelves look pretty and I created some much needed storage - take a look below! 



What a Mess!





Much Better !

How do you use baskets to organize your home?  Feel free to leave a comment!