SHOE CLUTTER BASKET

You know how you come into your apartment and take your shoes off by the door and the next thing you know there's like a big pile of shoes and you don't even know how they all got there? Welcome to my world! My husband and I have a no shoe policy at home so we take our shoes off as soon as we enter our apartment.  We are pretty good at making sure we don't bring in the outside dirt, but we're not so good on putting our shoes where they should be.  Thus, the pile of shoes by the door.  What to do.. what to do... I came up with the solution of setting up a "shoe basket" by the door. It's not conspicuous enough to be an eye sore and it blends with our home design and serves the function of de-cluttering the entryway.  

MAKE COOKING LESS MESSY

I'm not much of a cook, but when I do cook I tend to be very messy... (spills on the counter, flying chopped garlic, vegetable stalks on the floor, unwashed plates and bowls), I finally figured out a way to  make my life a little bit easier. 

On the Rachel Ray's show, she uses a bowl to put all the "trash" in as she preps her ingredients; instead of using a bowl, I use a plastic bag (you know those clear bags where you put your produce at the grocery store).  When I am all done prepping and cooking, I just throw the bag straight to the garbage.  This makes my clean up time much faster and the counter a little bit less messy (now, if I could just address my inexperienced chopping and slicing abilities).   

MOBILE OFFICE

My husband and I live in a 480 square foot apartment in New York City.  Translation: Space is a precious commodity.  Believe it or not, I am a teacher who does not have a desk at home!  Since our apartment is tiny, having a desk specifically for the function of work was just not an option (like that's not a good reason enough!).  So instead of setting up a desk, I opted for an IKEA Billy bookcase for 2 reasons.  First, it gave me a much needed storage and second, it took less space than a desk would.  I used white IKEA boxes to store all my paraphernalia (scrapbooking materials, lesson plans, supplies) and labeled each box with what's inside it.  The printer is set up in the bookcase low enough that I could connect it to the power supply and to my laptop when I need to print without the need to move it.  I purchased a basket from Container Store to hold my "most used" items like pens, stapler, calculator, post-its, etc. which I could easily move to the dining table when I need them. The beauty of this mobile system is that everything has its own place and it doesn't take so much space than a desk would.

HOW TO ORGANIZE SMALL TOYS

For Christmas, I got my nephew a Snap Circuit Jr.  It is a pretty cool toy that lets the little one conduct electricity based experiments.  It is recommended by The National Parenting Center-Seal of Approval, Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products and Dr. Toy Best Educational Products.  Really amazing toy for only $25.  The thing about this toy is that each piece is labeled and each piece is equally important than the other piece.  Translation: You can't lose a piece. Initially, we put the little pieces in a bin, but that didn't work since it meant picking out each piece manually to see the label and it was a bit much of work.

SEWING KIT ORGANIZER

I love this Dumpling Place in Midtown Manhattan named Rickshaw.  I always eat there whenever I'm in the area.  They have these tiny containers that holds the sauces and I took some home and re-purposed them for my sewing kit. They're perfect in holding buttons, pins and little bits and pieces.

UPHOLSTERED STOOLS

Today, I decided to do a simple DIY project.  I have two of these leather bar stools for my kitchen.  It has a very simple design and it's very modern.  I got it when I moved to my apartment 2 years ago, but now I feel its too hard and cold!