The kitchen is like the mecca in our homes. The place where we gather with family and friends. A place where memories are made and conversations are had. I know our family uses this space a lot. Not only for our meals, or gathering with friends/family, but for work and homework... and everything in between.
For us, with an open floor plan, it's essential that the kitchen doesn't look like a dumping ground. Everything must have a place. And.... who wants to open a cupboard or a drawer to find total disarray? Well, I must confess, up until last Monday the cupboards and drawers in our kitchen were suffering a bit. I can organize like a champ when it comes to helping others and I obviously schedule time to do that. When it comes to scheduling time to organize our own space it often becomes one of those projects for "when I have time..." With kids, their sports, helping Ben with things for his business, my paralegal work, my organization business, house work, etc... the organization in our house can occasionally slip.
That was until I "met" Heidi Nicole/Life Coach and fellow Chic Tribe Ambassador [another woman, like me, chosen as brand ambassador for Rachel Hollis of The Chic Site/Chic Media]. A month or so into our new endeavor, Heidi posted that she was going to be hosting a Make Space/12 Week Organization Challenge and offered it to fellow Chic Ambassadors free of charge. Who doesn't love FREE support and encouragement so I took full advantage. AND...it was just what I needed to make time and focus on the organization that needed to be done in our house.
This past week's challenge was the kitchen and living room. I was super inspired to get things in order. I mean who doesn't love to share a great before & after photo. On Monday, after dropping the kids off at school, I went to Wal-Mart to purchase some organization items for the kitchen (see photo collage below).
[ABOUT THE ITEMS PURCHASED: The Junk Drawer Organizer (top left)... a total must. I use to have a variety of small baskets organizing the drawer, yet it never looked organized. The Bronze Wire Baskets (top right)... another great purchase. You can stack multiple baskets to create more storage space. I used the two I purchased for snacks on the bottom shelf of our pantry cupboard. Lastly, two sets of the Four Piece Willow Baskets (bottom) to organize various things in our cupboards, such as teas; essential oils; medications; rice packets; and more.]
Once home, I set to work purging and organizing our kitchen. I threw out so much stuff we no longer use; donated old mugs, glasses and more; went through our pantry cupboard and purged expired items, emptied boxes of snacks into baskets for easier access and to better utilize the space; organized the awkward little corner cupboard in our island that stores our lunch pals, placements and other miscellaneous items; and then on to the infamous junk drawer (who knew they make organizers specifically for the junk drawer??). Not only was it super rewarding to toss so much junk, it's a great feeling to open the cupboards and see everything in it's place.
Finally, it was on to the counters. Less is more when it comes to storing items on the counter. Too much clutter on the counters can be overwhelming. The end result of organizing our kitchen... a sense of calm. Thanks for the inspiration, Heidi!! {the living room is up next!}
Now... if you're feeling inspired, get to it! The essentials for kitchen organization are:
1. Purge - often you don't need more space or more storage containers, you need less stuff. Take a look through your cupboards, are there items that you no longer use or serve a purpose? Let them go.;
2. Storage - for all those items you DO need in your kitchen, the proper storage and storage containers are essential;
3. Organization - once you've purged and have the proper storage, organize; and last but not least,
4. Maintenance - once the purging is complete, storage items and space are set and you've organized.... the last step is maintenance. Unfortunately organization doesn't happen on it's own. Continue to purge as necessary and keep things neat, orderly and in their space.
Still not there and/or need a little extra help? Contact me via email at orderlybydanica@gmail.com, I would love to chat and find a solution for your needs.
PS: If you would like to learn more about Heidi, you can check her out at www.heidinicole.com and see all that she has to offer.
and... Rachel Hollis of The Chic Site - she's rather amazing, as well. If you're looking for a group of super supportive/inspiring women (a.k.a. The Chic Tribe), check out Rachel's daily live streams via Facebook @ The Chic Site and join in the questions/convo. Looking for a fun book to read? She's an author, too! You can check her out on Amazon and even pre-order her newest book "Girl, Wash Your Face" to be released in February 2018.