Why I Love Clever Container

When my husband and I decided for me to quit teaching, I was terrified. I knew the stress was a lot to deal with while pursuing fertility treatments, but I also worried that we would be taking a huge leap of faith letting go of my salary.

But, I DID KNOW something for sure. Whenever we got pregnant, I wanted to be able to stay at home with our child. We had tried so hard and for so long to grow our family and I couldn't bare the thought of then having to leave that child with a sitter or nanny. I know a lot of families take that route and I by no means condemn them for that. You do what is best for your family.

In our situation, Declan arrived 5 months before our 8 year wedding anniversary. Him being our first child, I wasn't ready to go back to work and leave him. It was a long road of trying naturally to get pregnant and failing, trying fertility treatments and failing and finally trying the adoption route--SUCCESS!! We planned for me to stay at home to be with him and it has worked out well.

That being said, we live on a strict budget and I really wanted to help contribute to our income. I did nanny for the first year after I quit teaching up until Declan arrived, but it wasn't feasible for me to continue as nanny when Declan was still so little. Although I do hold a teaching certificate for my state, I really didn't want to go back to teaching as it would not allow me the flexibility of being with our son. So, I decided to do a search of stay at home mom jobs. I discovered Clever Container. I was very excited. I also have a diploma in Residential Planning (I went back to school while teaching to complete my Interior Design training which I had begun in college- Interior Design was my first major). So, Clever Container was a perfect fit. I could sell items to help people organize their spaces as well as designing a beautifully organized space for them. It was perfect.

I absolutely LOVE my Drafting Table from Craigslist.
I use it for EVERYTHING!

With you now knowing what led me to Clever Container, I want to let you know about Clever Container itself. Clever Container is a company that creates and sells products strictly for organizing your home and automobiles. What I really love about the products is that the company is now trying to design and produce EXCLUSIVE products that you would not find other places. The prices are also less expensive on many items than you would find other places--  especially the products that come with 2-6 items in one package for one price. With a little creativity, most of the products can be used in a variety of areas throughout the home. That way, when you purchase something from Clever Container it becomes a versatile item that you can use for one purpose now and another purpose later as your needs change.

In the following 10 Blog Posts, I am going to introduce you to 10 Clever Container products that I really do LOVE.

My top 10 Clever Container products are:
1. Backseat Entertainment and Car Pocket (Auto)
2. Stuff It
3. Drawer Organizers
4. Over the Door Pantry Organizer
5. Fridge Cubes
6. Clever Bucket and Tuff Totes
7. Stow or Go
8. Clever Cache
9. Shoe File, Handbag File and Flip Flop Files
10. Bin Items for Pantry and Refrigerator

**It was very difficult to choose these top 10 because all of the products are wonderful, but these are the ten that I think will appeal to most of you. Check out the next blog for Item #1.

Getting Organized 101

Getting Organized 101 (January 2013 article published in neighborhood newsletter)

Of all of the resolutions that people make each year, there are always a few that stand out above the rest. According to a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology (University of Scranton), the top resolutions included losing weight and getting organized along with spending less money and saving more money. The study also showed the likelihood of resolutions being met each year and continuing past six months is only 45%. But, don’t let those numbers discourage you!

     

According to this study, getting organized is listed as a separate resolution. But, did you know that getting organized can actually help you meet your other resolutions? For example, if your pantry and refrigerator are organized you will spend less money on groceries because you won’t buy duplicates. You will use what you have. You may even be tempted to plan a weekly menu and save money on the occasional drive through meal which will in turn help with the losing weight resolution.

It is important to realize in the beginning of this process that becoming organized does not need to be an added stressor to your life. Tackle only ONE space at a time. If you try to tackle the whole house at once, you will tend to be overwhelmed and give up. In the end, you should have a home that works best for YOU and have more time to do things that matter most like spending time with family or exercising.  

Here are some general guidelines on getting organized and being persistent:

Recognize your trouble spots. This is where you play detective. Ask your family to help with this step. Look around your home and see where the major clutter collecting areas are located. Usually these areas include the entryway, the kitchen counter or dining table, the desk in the office, the closets, and the kids’ areas (we will save the garage for later). Make a list and expected completion date for organizing each space.

Find a place for every item. We have all heard the adage “A Place for Everything and Everything in its place.” This rings very true for getting and staying organized. Each space should be clearly defined for its purpose and only items needed in the space should be stored there. For example, items needed before you leave home such as keys and sunglasses should be stored in your entryway- not backpacks, athletic equipment or piles of junk mail.

Use what you already have to help organize these spaces. Small bowls or trays can be used inside pieces of entryway furniture to separate small items. Dog leashes can be hung on a decorative hook behind the door. A pretty gardening pot may be used to hold umbrellas.

The DIYers may even like to cover heavy duty boxes in pretty fabric or recycle cans to hold small items in drawers or on desks. (As a new mom I can say that diaper boxes and formula cans work great for recycled storage)

Purge. As you organize each area, see what you no longer need to keep. The less you have to store, the more organized you can be. This is especially important in the closet, kitchen and kids’ zones. Just like you can purchase food that is a duplicate, you can also spend money on unnecessary clothing. Also, clear the junk mail as it comes into the home.

Stay on top of things. Spending entire days or weeks cleaning before company comes is not how any of us would like to spend our time. Once your top clutter spots are organized and working for your family, you must put steps in place to keep them that way. Cleaning clutter a little at a time makes this possible.

For younger children, pictures of toys/items can be added on the front of a bucket or other container to help them stay organized (this also helps with the skill of categorizing for younger children). For two story homes, a basket or bag at the end of the stairs can be a great solution. When items are brought down during the day, place them in the container as you are finished with them. Then, at night, carry the container upstairs and replace items all at once.

Create a home binder(s). Pretty home binders and folders are all the rage right now. You can pull up information on creating them with a simple Google or Pinterest search. But, they aren’t just pretty- they actually work. You can have as many binders as you want, but make sure they are labeled and organized. Having too many could be overwhelming. Making them too “pretty” can also take time and money.

The following general categories can be added into one binder or several:

1.      Contact List: Neighbors/friends, family, doctors, dentist, vet, insurance, schools, work, home (gas, electric, etc.) (this can also help keep the fridge clear of business cards)

2.      Weekly Menu: menu for the week, grocery list for the week, recipes for week’s meals, coupons

3.      Cleaning Checklist: You may think this is a little OCD, but this will help you with your daily scheduling and save time and money (repairs from lack of maintenance). Add a category for daily, weekly, monthly and annual lists of items that need to be completed. A Weekly Schedule might include washing linens on Saturday and cleaning the kitchen on Tuesday. A Monthly Schedule might include vacuuming the blinds or cleaning the carpets. This section could also include kids’ chore chart(s).

4.      Home Maintenance: phone numbers or business cards for trusted repair, schedules of routine home maintenance such as air conditioning filter changes, appliance checkups or cleanings, manuals for appliances

5.      Auto Maintenance: Phone numbers, type of oil or other fluids used, maintenance checklist with dates

6.      Kids: (useful for babysitters) medical information, infant and child CPR information, doctor’s information, schedules for school and extracurricular activities, newsletters from school or teachers

7.      Pets: Veterinarian information, pet sitter notes, allergies, medications  

8.      Other categories you might want to add: calendar with birthdays/anniversaries, inventory sheets for pantry/freezer/fridge, gift wish lists (holiday/birthday), natural cleaning tips

Getting organized will take time, but in the end it’s worth it. Staying organized will take effort, but will save you time in the long run. You will also feel less stressed because you will have time to spend on other activities that you enjoy more than cleaning house. If you get organized now and make an effort to stay that way, you will quickly realize that you aren’t as busy with housework and chores as you used to be.

Living Room Space Planning and Unique Storage

Our Living Room has always been a sore spot for me as a designer. Whoever laid out the floor plan for this home made it pretty clear where the furniture was supposed to go. When you walk into the room, the left wall is clear of any obstruction, but houses the cable. The wall you are facing is a short wall and has the entry to the stairs on the left and the fireplace in the center. The right wall is a wall of windows and the other wall is a half wall open to the kitchen.

My DREAM for this space is to make the following changes EVENTUALLY--
1. Move the cable to the right of the fireplace so I will have the largest wall open for furniture

I like the TV in the alcove- not sure how it would work with our fireplace?

2. Add built ins along the half wall on the living room side for books, magazines, toys

Built Ins 

3. Add some better draperies even though I spent forever making these PICTURE COMING SOON (they aren't thick enough and the dark color makes them a magnet for dog hair). Ick!

I like the light color and simplicity of these

4. Add more seating.

Also Love this one from Room and Board

Love these- Target 

As you can see, my style is a little ECLECTIC

Well, on to what my living room looks like at the present. It is a hodge podge of items we have had and moved with us from the beginning, items we have had given to us, items we have moved from other rooms and a few that are new, but not many.

The SOFA is a greenish/brown microsuede with two seat cushions that are removable and four back cushions that are removable. I LOVE this sofa. Not only is is long enough for my husband to lay down on, but when the back pillows are removed it can serve as a single size bed for a guest. It is super easy to keep clean and is very comfortable. It was the first piece of furniture I bought when I began working as a teacher so it has been through a few moves. I bought this one when I was already dating my now husband. The stipulation for the couch was that he could stretch out on it fully and it was cheap at $600.00 which was still a lot of money for me at the time. But, it was well worth it because it has lasted. I HATE furniture up against the wall, but it works where it is now since the TV takes up our one best wall at the moment. Sigh!!

Sofa with throw pillow from Target

The oldest piece in this space I would have to say is the CEDAR Chest we use as a coffee table. It holds additional bedding and blankets that we have no space elsewhere to store. I originally believed this came from my Grandmother's house, but my mom told me recently it wasn't the same one- needless to say I was disappointed. 

Cedar Chest- really too high to serve as a coffee table, but will do for now.

The RECLINER in the corner was a fight from the beginning. It is extremely comfortable and has additional lumbar support so it's great to relax in. But, I never wanted a "fluffy" recliner. They take up a lot of space when reclined, have to fit in a corner so they can recline and in my opinion aren't that stylish. But, sometimes comfort wins over style and sometimes they go together. This chair also "fit" my husband at 6'3". Ha! Those cute chairs with the great patterns were too short for him and would not have worked.

Lazy Boy Recliner with Target throw pillow

I can't remember how much the END TABLE cost, but we got it for a deal because we bought it from a furniture store that was going out of business and it was one of the last ones they had. It has great storage in the drawer on the bottom and the open space in the middle. One downfall for kids is that it does have a glass top and it is rather large and square so it won't fit just anywhere. 

End Table with open storage (the empty basket is waiting to be filled with diaper and wipes for our little one arriving soon)

I have really found myself nesting recently knowing our little one will soon be here (read more at garyandannac.blogspot.com about our adoption journey. After completing the entryway dresser redo, I decided to change the dining room we never use into a fabulous playroom. I haven't had time to design that, but I will be posting my Dream Design Board for that space soon!! So, the newly added piece to this room is what used to be our entry way table which was then a buffet table and is now a place to store kid items. The top drawers are very shallow, but are perfect for coloring books and paper as well as cards and puzzles. The lower shelves will house movies, games, and toys. This may change once our little one begins to crawl. : ) This piece is now beside the fireplace and the dark wood really adds something to the space. 

Pottery Barn Outlet (A little steep at $400.00, but I just had to have it that  day)

Because I knew that having items out in the open was not going to work with crawling kids or toddlers, I began thinking of new ways to store items such as DVDs that we used to have on open shelving. I found these great trunks at Home Goods on discount one day. I bought two- a large one and small one so they could be stacked. The smaller one on top now houses my husbands cords, controllers and all things gaming. The one on the bottom holds our DVDs. These are a great way to use an item created for one purpose for a new purpose. I am sure these trunks would be great holding picture albums, games and puzzles, blankets, knitting supplies- the list is endless and they make a statement.

Trunks from Home Goods 

The TV is a content source of pain for me unless of course I am watching a great movie on the couch in front of a fire with a cup of hot cocoa. We bought this TV as an open box floor special. It has lasted us a long time. At first, I was completely against a TV so large. Why did we need something so large taking up our precious space? It was after all- UGLY and BLACK and  BIG!! But, my husband kept saying I would like it once I watched movies on it. I hate to say he was right, but I still don't like it being the center of attention in our home. And, I worry it is too low to the floor and not study enough. We will see. For now, it stays and it rests on its TV cabinet we bought at Target. I must say it is a nice piece to have come from a retail store. 

TV cabinet

For additional storage, I used pieces I already had. A basket for blankets, a large wooden bowl that belonged to my grandmother for magazines, a shallow bowl we bought in Jamaica and a box I received as a gift that came with lotion and potpourri (I keep everything!!)

Basket for Blankets

Potpourri Box for Remotes

Wooden bowl for magazines

Wooden bowl from Jamaica for remote

I will be posting a full picture of the living room as whole later on. Remember, anything can serve double duty. Keep everything! Always be on the lookout for items in your home that you can use elsewhere. There are many items that can make a space beautiful, but why shouldn't they also serve a purpose. Be creative and think outside the box. Don't get rid of older furniture, re-purpose it or refinish it and use it in a different space. In a future post, I hope to reveal a huge, square coffee table that I am (with the help of my husband and his tools) going to convert into a train/Lego table for our little one once he becomes a toddler. Someone donated it to us for our Fundraising garage sale and no one ever bought it despite us really pushing it on Craigslist as well. It has two large drawers on the bottom, is low to the ground and has open space in the middle. We are going to replace the glass top with plywood and convert the top into a train table or Lego surface. Don't ever underestimate the potential of a nicely put together piece of furniture.