OO: Desk Organization. Tips & Tricks, Part 1

It is time to clean your desk. Put your organizing clothes on, pump up the volume and let's get to work.

Why don't we take a look at some desk-spiration (anyone following me here? desk + inspiration = desk-spiration). I bet that term is about to catch on like fruit flies!

I have read a lot of organizational books and organizing principles run wild in me. I just have not implemented them all very well. I will take the best tips and tricks I have for you about desk organizing and intersperse them with awesome photos! I tend to go a bit overboard with these things so I have broken this down into two posts so it doesn't take you 2 weeks to read it!

This desk set-up is fantastic. It has personality, plenty of things at arm's reach, and great organization. You could even DIY a desk like that with a couple of file cabinets and a big piece of wood. The only thing I don't like about it is that there isn't much workable space. 

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Tip #1: Create zones in your desk space. This will save you time when you are trying to find things or are putting things away. 

Check out the cool magnetic spice containers! You could hold your staples, paper clips, etc in there!

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Tip#2: Have something near your desk that makes your happy! For me, a nice organized desk would do it. A couple photos of some lovely smiley faces of my peeps would work too; even a photocopy of an illustration from my favorite kid's book or a swatch of my favorite fabric would do the trick. I like to keep happy reminders all over my house- especially where I spend a lot of time.

Here is the cover of a kid's book that I love. Looking at it gives me a case of the warm and fuzzy smiles. Even if I just taped this to the wall near my office it would make me happier.

These people know how to make an office cheery!

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Tip #3: Keep your cords under control! Check my post from last week for some suggestions on how to do it.

Tip #4: Do you think you don't have room for an office? Look around your room and locate an unused corner. You don't need much space to turn it into your own personal desk paradise! Check out how efficient the space below is and follow their lead!

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If you are still trying to think of a way to bring happy things into your space why not do it with your desk organizers. 

You can buy a cool pen city like this one:

Or get some of these super awesome animal organizers:

If you aren't looking for quite that much personality, you could go with the old tiered-tin-can approach:

 If you want to keep it organized while being a bit innovative, put your old spice rack to work!

You know how I like to divide things up into a couple sections for you! So, you can look forward to another edition of OO: Desk Organization. Tips & Tricks coming soon! Until then, why don't you answer this lovely WYR and then tell me about what you have been organizing (or not organizing) these days.

Wednesday's Weekly Would You Rather Question:

WYR: 

swim in a cage surrounded by sharks for 30 minutes

or 

go skydiving?

This one is my pal, Sandra Dee's question and it is WAYYYYY better than anything I was thinking of.

OO: 6 Ways To Control Your Cord Clutter!

The desks around my household tend to get pile-filed. We do not have the best desk systems in the world working here. The next three Organization Overhaul posts are going to be dedicated to decluttering and organizing your desk! Let's start with that crazy crazy mess you have hiding behind your desk.

It is time to CLEAN YOUR CORDS!

Let's get this party started. It is time to break it down!

Hook a little caddy under your desk to corral your cords.

You can buy this grassy fella on Amazon for $21 buckaroos. He's the classiest charging station I've ever seen. 

What a great idea for all of those USBs that are always floating around! 

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Reuse those bread clips so you can tell which cord is which.

Here's a sneaky one... get yourself a pretty book; chop that book up and remove the insides. And thennnnnnnnnnnnn you get to hide whatever kind of cord mayhem you have going on! In the photo below, a wireless router is hiding its ugly face under the lovely book.

The double whammy! This one has labeled cords and a fancy little cord caddy! What more could you possibly want out of uncluttered cords and cables? 

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One more cord holder for you

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Before and Afters are the best!

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Did I hear you say you wanted another before and after?

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Uh oh... it is Wednesday! And, you know what that means, it is time for:

Wednesday's Weekly Rather Question:

WYR...

eat two watermelons

or

three quarts of ice cream of your choice?

This was a Scott WYR, but I had to pull it out of him.

It is time for a one day early birthday shout out to Mrs. "Yup, it's a bag" herself!

How to Compose a Good WYR

Wooo Ho Hooooo what is this???? It isn't even Wednesday and there is Would You Rather (WYR) talk?

Aunt Kelly is here visiting and she happens to be notoriously bad at making up Would You Rather questions, so she sat down for a coaching session with the WYR World Champion, Scott. Unfortunately, Scott was an unwilling and uncooperative participant in this coaching session, but we still got some good advice out of him.

Here's Kelly's rough draft:
WYR...

every time you trip you have to sprint 50 meters

or 

every third meal you have to eat off of the dishes in Cora's picnic basket (which are baby sized)?

Scott was not impressed with this WYR and he launched into a vehement critique. After we got him to calm down a little, he said "first you've got to pick something good." That advice didn't help much, since Kelly thought hers WAS good, so we asked Scott to elaborate. He argued that no one wants to eat off of tiny plates, and he doesn't trip very often, so the choice was too easy--of course you're going to pick tripping since it hardly ever happens. Plus, how are you even going to spring 50 meters? Do you have to go outside? 

After working very hard to get more feedback from him we finally got two more pieces of advice:

Get ready all of your WYR wanna-be question askers- you may have just struck gold.

First, you've got to pick something good. (Yes, he went with the same advice again... since we heard it twice we knew it must be important).

Second, the choices either have to be very detailed or composed in a way that you can't have too many questions about each choice.

I hope that helps. Next time he seems to be in better WYR spirit I will see what other tips I can give you to improve your own WYR skills.

Here are the WYRs that he kindly shared with me:

1. WYR...

that your name be Toxifina 

or 

Flabberina?

2. WYR...

have to drink 10 ounces of Worcestershire sauce in one hour

or

have to drink 30 ounces of apple cider vinegar in one hour?

3. WYR...

once every 10 days you woke up and you look like Tina Turner (without the notoriety of looking like Tina Turner)

or

you have these sweet tattoos on both arms every day?

4. WYR...

eat 1 tree air freshener (your choice of flavor)
or
3 cups of dried dog food (you choose the brand and flavor)?

5. WYR...
have to drink 32 ounces of eggnog every day
or
have to put lip balm on every 15 minutes all day (except while you're sleeping) and it makes your lips super shiny?

Here is Scott's revision of Kelly's WYR:
6. WYR...
every time you trip you have to do 20 somersaults wherever you are
or
every 3rd meal you have to eat off of tiny Cora-sized plates?


Happy Sunday to you all!
And, sorry to be late on this one...
HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY (yesterday)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good job, mama! That guy clearly wants you to take a photo with that cake!

OO: More Closets

A couple weeks ago, I showed you the before and after of my master bedroom closet organization. Then, I introduced you to my husband's underwear drawer. It was weird, but it happened. Let's move on.

Today, we are going to check out some beautiful organized closet love and one of my Organization Overhauled closets.

Ahhhhh! Just add a lovely color to the background and it instantly becomes beautiful!

It certainly doesn't hurt that it is super organized and has some adorable dresses.

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Here are a couple of kids closets with fancy paint and wonderful organization.

blue closet, pink closet

It is time to take a look at a very well organized walk-in. I did a little detective work and I find it a bit hard to believe that the owners of this closet only need to hang up 12 items, but have at least 15 pairs of shoes.

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Don't you worry, this one appears to have the appropriate ratio of hanging items to shoes.

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And one more kids closet. Very fancy!

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Now, for your viewing pleasure, here are 3 closet tools that I'm into:

Dividers for things like underwear and socks.

ps this is not my underwear drawer.

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Put tension rods up in hidden spaces in your closet for things like scarves and belts. 

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Another drawer divider.

One more tip: roll t-shirts so you can see more of the front, so they don't wrinkle and so they fit better.

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Are you ready for some before and after action?

I took the cards I use the most and put them in a very accessible spot. They are in fruit baskets that my sister brought me from Michigan because she knew I would be able to use them for something. Good thinking, Kelly!

It has been a couple of days since Cora was on the NL scene and I have to keep the grandparents happy. So, here's my little apple-eater.

Ahh! It isn't over yet. Make sure you answer...

Wednesday's Weekly Would You Rather Question:

WYR...
have terrible nightmares every single time you sleep, but wake up feeling refreshed
or
wake up feeling tired, but you had wonderful dreams?

Entertaining Herself... 16 Month Old BabyToddler, Part 2

Last week, I dazzled your minds with a few of the ways Cora has been keeping herself busy. I am always interested in hearing what other babytoddlers are up to so I can find new things Cora can try. So, in case anyone else is doing the same searching (or, more likely, any granparents want to see photos of their granddaughter), let's take a look at part 2.

Here is what has been keeping Cora occupied recently:

• In our living room we have a huge stash of musical instruments. Cora loves going through them and playing the harmonica or shaking the tamborine. Scott got her a wooden piano for Christmas. Banging the keys on that bad boy is her new hobby.

• Dancing. Usually there has to be music on or someone has to say, "dance, Cora." But sometimes I find her stomping her feet and droppin' it like it's hot out of nowhere.

• Pulling everything out of its place. Books, tupperware, pots, toys. She could keep herself busy with this one until the end of time. We are working on the idea of cleaning up. But we aren't quite there yet. 

• As you just learned, Cora likes a mess! If your name was Cora you would think piling things on top of other things is where it's at! Cora loves to take books and toys out of one area and pile them on top of chairs or put them under seat cushions. If she can find a bag to sort her items into that is the best!

• Talk about Dora! Cora has never seen Dora on TV. But, a few months ago she commandeered a Dora doll from my in-laws' house. She calls her "Durr Durr" and won't let her out of her sight. The girl can spot a Dora in public too. It is amazing. We were walking top-speed down a street the other day and all of the sudden Cora started screaming "Durr Durr." We told her that Dora was at home. But she insisted Dora was around. So, Scott took a few steps backwards and, sure enough, there was a tiny Durr Durr on an apron in a store window that I could barely even see. 

She also wraps Dora in blankets.

• Letters. Cora was given Fridge Phonics for her birthday and she loves it! She knows a few of her letters pretty well and is constantly running around holding them and showing you what she has. Her favorite thing to do is find the letter D and say "Dad Dad Dad Dad Dad." If you don't like hearing things repeated you should probably not hang around at our house.

• That little babytoddler of mine has a mini magnadoodle that she thinks is the bee's knees. It is pretty tiny so she can't do much drawing on it. She really likes it when you write a letter on it so she can run around screaming "dad" or "mom" or whatever the letter might represent to her.
  
  
  
  
  

• Trying to put clothes on. Cora does not like getting dressed. She does try to help by sticking her arms through the holes and handing off objects that might get in the way. But she hates it! So, I am always surprised when I see her pick up an article of clothing and spend at least 15 minutes trying to put it on and take it off.

• Pushing things around the room. If you like to hear the scratching noise of furniture being pushed around on tile then come on over! Because you will certainly find this little lady rearranging the house all around.

This baby does wear some random outfits, but this one isn't as random as it looks. Cora is not, in fact, Amish. She is just wearing a sweatshirt over a jumper because she saw her favorite dog shirt and really wanted to put it on. So, I obliged.

• Get in things. Boxes, ottomans... if she thinks there is any chance she can fit in it she will give it a whirl.

Grandparents and Aunt Kelly, I hope that satisfies you for a while! Now, to encourage more Cora-filled more posts go ahead and answer the weekly WYR!

Wednesday's Weekly Would You Rather Question:

WYR...
have the ability to become invisible whenever you want
or
be able to magically teleport yourself anywhere you wanted?