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42 Comments

  1. Barbara C says:

    Your organization tips are my favorite posts. Thank you for sharing!

  2. Cecilia from Georgia says:

    Love the canisters! I’m looking forward to your pantry organizing tips. I have a walk-in pantry and it needs serious cleaning and organizing. I hate tackling something so big and will benefit from your guidance and motivation. Take care. XOXO

    1. Thanks, Cecilia! I actually started the pantry a few weeks ago and cleaned it out, but before I had a chance get the containers I wanted to keep it that way, the holidays came and people “helping me” put things away, un-did everything I had worked on, so back to the drawing board. I will get to it soon, though… 😉

  3. Kedra Sugg says:

    All is lovely – I too have that type of bread box and am thankful everyday for it! Just a little concern about the silver and oils on the stove – that someone – even me- might happen to turn on a burner –

    Now about those e-mails, …aargh! I don’t think there’s any hope for me – tho I’ve finally dealt with my issue of never throwing out any paper with print on it – does that mean there might be hope for the e-mails?

    1. Thank you and no need to be concerned! I put them there for the photo because it was lighter than on the counter under the cabinets, but I usually keep them next to the stove… 🙂

  4. Oh, Lori — like minds, etc. I keep my cooking utensils in a silver pitcher next to the cooktop and have a trio of McCoy planters to corral keys, gym passes & spare glasses. The latter sits in one of the cubbies beside back door). I keep olive oil, kosher salt, a brass pepper grinder from France, etc. in a simple shaker tray. I love finding ways to make organization useful and pretty. I look forward to your pantry.

    1. Oooh, sounds like you’ve got some pretty ideas there! Yep, pantry coming soon. See reply to Cecilia above… 😉

  5. Allison Wade says:

    TINS…TINS…AND MORE TINS! ENGLISH TINS..FRENCH TINS…COPPER, BRASS, SILVER TINS! I LOVE TINWARE AND ALL ITS USES, THE MORE FLORAL THE BETTER. I JUST HAVEN’T FOUND THE TIN I STASHED SOMEWHERE WITH MY EXTRA TIME IN IT! I’M ALWAYS RUNNING OUT OF TIME AND CAN’T SEEM TO LOCATE THAT TIN! =) Happy to know others also stash the “not want to be seen” items in beautiful containers, even if they are repurposed for a different use (ie. champagne buckets for utensils) and can also be multipurposed for its original or other uses as well. Love the post today! Blessings, Allison

  6. Ruth Ledyard says:

    I think I might be your older sister from another mother. I have most of these items in use in my kitchen because I can’t stand clutter everywhere. My husband says that I always spend my time organizing to be organized. It is probably true. I want everything to have a place. I also don’t use my canister set for what they are supposed to be used for, but I know what is in each one. Downsizing to a new home I will have to be super organized. You have given me a couple of new ideas. Can’t wait for your pantry ideas. I will be going from a very large walk in to a narrow much smaller one and am concerned because I love to cook and have a lot of special pans etc.

    1. Ah, yes, the pans! That’s a whole other issue, which for me is in my cabinets, but I’ll be getting to those too. First I need to clean up all the papers, photos and memorabilia sitting in my living room that I brought over from my parents’ house. Then the pantry is next… 😉 Stay tuned!

  7. I love your ideas. I hate clutter also!

  8. Elizabeth Roderick says:

    Thank you for this great post. I’m going through boxes that have been in storage too long. I also have things that belonged to my parents. I can’t handle things on the counter either. My sweet hubby likes things where they can be reached, although I must add he is other wise very neat. You can tell whose bath sink is whose. I have a crystal tray with two perfumes where he had his shaving mirror, shaving cream, deodorant hairspray, soap, several towels on cabinets, and more. After sharing this counter with me a while he started putting things away. I never said a word..it can happen.

    1. Omg, I completely understand!! Same thing here! Hubby is relatively neat compared to other people, but he, too, likes to keep certain things out. I just don’t get it. It often seems arbitrary. Like he loves to put his baseball cap on my garden cherub by the front entry. But the closet is *right there*! He also keeps his keys on the table, an inch from the little decorative box I bought for exactly that purpose. It drives me nuts and I always put them back in the box… lol.

  9. What an inspiring post! Thank you for just the right encouragement.

  10. vicki delsignore says:

    This is the exact post that makes my counter top corner tier so impressive. I am able to keep my butter, salt, pepper and cinnamon sugar close at hand and organized. I also have one on my coffee bar for cups, sugar and creamers. If you would like to share I can be found at TheCornerTier on Etsy. My husband built what I wanted after I was unable to find a space saving design that would work for me.

  11. Be still my heart! This is absolutely my favorite type of post! Being organized makes my heart happy. Before retiring, I was a freshman academic advisor at Clemson University. 18 y.o’s are very needy and love to email. Hundreds of emails would appear overnight, usually followed up with “why haven’t you answered yet?”. UMMm…you emailed me at 2 AM! Read, answer, delete is the way to go.

  12. I love this post. I consider myself fairly organized, BUUUUUT, I had my email so organized with folders for each client…when I was working. Now retired, my email program doesn’t allow for efficient division of subjects. I need to hold onto a lot of business emails, but can’t do it. I’m even willing to change email programs; I’m that desperate.

  13. I notice that you use a lot of silver and it always looks polished and beautiful. I have a lot of silver and would love to use it that way, but where I live on the coast, my silver tarnishes very quickly. How do you keep yours looking so nice?

    1. Thank you! I think by keeping it out and using it, it tarnishes less. Or maybe I just see it more often and so clean it frequently. But also, I actually like a bit of tarnish in the recesses. As long as the rest is clean and shiny, I like some dark bits in the crevices.

  14. I really love this post! You have such unique ideas on using these items that make for a great look! A real inspiration! Thank you

  15. Lovely ideas! However, I feel sorry for your mother in law when you visit her home.Judgemental. Maybe Sometimes people enjoy seeing their stuff out. It maybe comforting to them. Not everyone can be typeA or finicky housekeepers. Unfortunately, not everyone is a neat freak, nevertheless people do try. No one wants people to visit their home and hear people complaining, especially when you’re not the one that has to live there and pay the mortgage and other bills. People do try. Speaking for the clutter underdogs. Enjoy people’s company (feeling). We are not on this earth forever.😉

    1. I think you’re reading something into this that wasn’t said. I very clearly stated, “This from a woman whose home is otherwise spotless.” I’m talking about a small pile in the corner of the counter that is in distinct contrast to the rest of the house. Hardly a judgement of my mother-in-law but rather an observation of a curious anomaly in her home. I also clearly stated that the same space could be used to house a container to hold the items. I’ve never visited her home and complained to her.

      The post was about clear counters. I used this as an illustration. It would be pointless to say go ahead and keep all your clutter on the counters. The given is that people are entitled to do that. But if they prefer that, then they don’t need to read my post about organizing your counters.

  16. We must be twins on design ideas! I too love the plastic clear bins and the baskets. My unsolved problem is how to store the big bags of popcorn and potato chips, which invariably end up on my desk thanks to my husband. Your creative management of the grocery bags may work for the chips and popcorn as well. Thanks.

    1. My solution to the chips dilemma is to buy very few and keep them in a rattan basket at the top of the pantry closet (in fact, right next to the grocery bags… ;-)). We do always have the flat pretzels and those I keep in one of the Oxo pop top containers.

  17. I just love all your ideas! You have such a beautiful eye for decorating. I am always inspired after seeing your posts & hope that someday I’ll be better organized -Lord knows I need your posts. I love them all! Thank you so very much for sharing.

  18. I would love to be able to keep my counters totally free, except for a vase of flowers! However, we have a very small kitchen, so many appliances, etc. have to be on the counters. I have opted to make a couple of bookcases in the next room (“dining room”) as storage for other appliances, etc. with their respective extras. Also my various baking pans, and oversize metal mixing bowls on some shelves. 1 bookcase has doors in the middle that hide 2 shelves. On the top shelf and top of bookcase I have decorated as it’s seen plainly. I have 2 lower shelves that I hide with a tension rod and “curtain”. The other bookcase top shelf and top of case are decorated. The rest of the shelves are again, covered with a “curtain” on tension rod. The bottom shelf is sturdy, so holds my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, and my cast iron pans. I had a great toss out of expired foods, enough to clear 3 shelves in a bookcase in my office, and have organized the food in the cabinets where I can see what I have, to avoid buying so many duplicates. YOU have inspired me to do all of this, as well as organize under my kitchen sink. Next I want to tackle my bathroom cabinets and hall closet. This is an old condo with built in wood shelving unfortunately… The final hurdle will be discarding old unwanted photographs and negatives. Those are in a BIG box on our closet floor… Thank you for all your organizational posts, they are very helpful. 🙂

    1. Sounds like you’ve been very creative and resourceful with your solutions! I’m so glad my posts have inspired you. It feels so good to be organized, doesn’t it?

  19. Sheila Rasmussen says:

    Love your footed pedestal compote bowl which you display often. Can you tell me where I can find it?

    1. Thank you! I bought it from Tina at The Enchanted Home, but I don’t think she carries it anymore. I have similar vintage ones linked in the post, but I’ve never seen other new ones.

  20. I like this post. I have an extremely small kitchen(small house overall) so I know the difficulty of counter real estate-any ideas for vitamin/supplement bottles, etc.? In our house it is out of sight-out of mind-so I would love to figure something out with that. (If I missed that info somewhere-sorry!)

    1. Thanks! And yes, absolutely. I keep vitamin bottles in a small vintage french canister (the smallest one that comes in the set if you only take one vitamin), so it’s out on the counter, but not actually “seen”. You can keep the lid off the canister until you get used to knowing what’s in there, so it will remind you to take the vitamins, without having them sitting there for everyone to see. If you take more than one, you can use several small canisters on a lazy susan.