We shared some ways to transform your child's reading corner into an organized space in a recent interview with Homes & Gardens.
Take a look at our other interviews with Home & Gardens over the years
2022 Holiday Gift Guides: Organizing Gifts
We had so much fun last year with the first edition of our holiday gift guides. We received such great feedback from everyone.
We created a handful of guides this year from our own picks to stocking stuffers to organizing supplies.
Next up is our favorite organizing gifts!
As we did last year, we’ll be gifting someone a little something from one of the guides. All you have to do is comment below (or better yet, comment on our Instagram or Facebook posts) and tell us what item you have your eyes on this season.
Legacy Box, Digitizing Kit
We are constantly asked how to properly preserve keepsakes like home movies and photos.
We love LegacyBox’s digitizing kits to safeguard irreplaceable memories - there are multiple packages to choose from based on the quantity of memories you’re preserving and options to save your files on a thumb drive, disc or cloud.
Etsy, Glass Spice Jars
It feels like we’ve researched every spice jar that exists and this one is one of our favorites. These airtight glass jars are made with food-grade high quality borosilicate glass. The lids are handmade from eco-friendly sustainably sourced Acacia wood. You can even add a matching acacia spice spoon to compliment your jars. It’s a great gift for the chef in your life and we love these as a housewarming gift too.
p.s. the etsy shop owner is wonderful.
Yamazaki, Jewelry Display
We like the minimalist design of this jewelry organizer which can be used for necklaces, watches and bracelets. The bottom tray can be used to prop a phone or hold loose change, rings, and earrings. The little hooks along the top are perfect for keeping necklaces untangled.
Italian retro goblets
Available in 9 sizes and 25+ colors, these bags are incredibly versatile. We use them grocery shopping, as gift bags, as food storage, in place of baskets in bathrooms, the list keeps going. They are hand washable so you can reuse them over and over again. And when they are not in use, you can store them flat.
Artkive, Children’s Art Publishing Kit
The number one complaint we get from parents….they don’t know what to do with their children’s art work. We always recommend Artkive. Just send them your favorite artwork and they will produce an artbook or framed-mosaic print of the masterpieces. You can either have them return the artwork to you afterwards or you can have them responsibly recycle it (you know our vote)!. Preserve your child’s art in one neat and organized place.
Sendotek, Bamboo Charging Station
We love this 6-in-1 bamboo charging station because we really dislike having cords everywhere.. It charges up to 6 devices (including a watch and airpods) simultaneously and comes with a wall output plug which helps keep your desktop neat and tidy. It also comes with 3 types of charging cables- a lightning cable, a type C, and a USB micro charging cable. The easiest way to keep all your devices in one centralized place whether it be your desk, counter or nightstand.
Poketo, Spectrum Wall Planner
We still use wall calendars and the bigger the better! With this wall planner, we like to display all 12 months because the entire color scheme is fantastic. This calendar comes open-dated so you can use it anytime. Poketo also sells the Acrylic Poster Hanger if you want to hang up one month at a time.
swarovski magnetic ear cuff
We came across this bag while organizing a basement and I think we may have ordered the bag while we were still on-site. We love this bag because you don’t have to worry about it getting messy or dirty because you can simply rinse it off when you’re done using it.
It comes in a dozen fun colors and each bag has two removable clear pouches that clip into the holes on the side of the bag. While this bag is a great beach/sports/pool bag, we actually use it as a supply bag on jobs! It’s perfect for a fall tailgate or a summer day at the beach. Our favorite part is that it’s tip proof!
YouCopia, Storage Drying Rack
You already know how much we love our Stasher bags, so it only makes sense how excited we were to find this. A simple solution for drying and storing reusable food bags of all sizes, the best part is that the prongs keep the bags open to air-dry. It’s easy to clean and made from BPA-free plastic.
Reminder to comment below (or better yet, comment on our Instagram or Facebook posts) and tell us what item you have your eyes on this season. You’ll be entered to win s little something from one of our guides.
disclaimer:
If you purchase from one of our LTK links, we may earn a small commission.
Project Recap: Taming Toys in a Family Room
Tidy Nest was hired to tackle a mountain of toys and books in this household’s family room. As with any house with kids, trying to keep toys stored in their intended spaces can feel like a losing battle. Recently we’ve begun including kids in our process a little more, and explaining to them what we’re doing. By the end of our jobs, more often than not, they’re playing ‘home organizer’ in their own rooms, and helping Mom and Dad without even being asked! See below for our most recent example…
Need: The parents wanted to create a tidier family room. While there is a playroom in the house, this space is used most frequently and by all members of the household. The children’s toys, books and dress-up supplies needed to be easily accessible but also contained so the adults wouldn’t feel like they were relaxing in their children’s space.
Solution: We worked with the family on editing the inventory and relocating infrequently used items to the playroom. Luckily they already had great storage solutions (they just weren’t being used to their full capacity) so we were able to avoid having to buy new products. In addition to repurposing their existing storage solutions, we introduced labels to teach the children that everything has a home!
Pro Tip: Depending on the ages of the children, get them involved in the editing process. Make it fun - have them try to find 10 items in the room that they’d like to share with another friend or someone in need.
Try the KonMari method…”does it spark joy?” “Does it make you happy?”
Take them to the donation center when dropping the items off; it’s a great time to teach them about giving back.
What’s not helpful is asking the children “when was the last time you played with this?” Inevitably, they’ll say” right now” or tell you “all the time.”
Products:
The client had some great storage solutions already in place so we did not have to buy any new products. Here are the products that are pictured:
The Container Store: 3 Sprouts Toy Storage Cube
The Container Store: 3 Sprouts Toy Storage Bin
The Container Store: Bin Clip Labels
Back-to-School Tips
We asked our clients to identify some of their back-to-school organization woes. Below are their answers along with our tips to help reduce back-to-school stress.
Getting Dressed
Getting everyone dressed for school can be a nightmare for some parents. We suggest taking inventory of each child’s clothes - remove the items that no longer fit, are stained, out of style, or that they just won’t wear again.
Make sure you have each type of clothing grouped together (long sleeve shirts, pants, school uniforms, polos, etc.) to avoid digging through the closet for that specific item.
This may be an ambitious ask, but ask your child to pick out his/her own clothes the night before, or help you select their outfits. This way, you avoid morning meltdowns right before it’s time to catch the bus.
Managing the supplies
Homework assignments and projects tend to require extra supplies like posterboard, construction paper, index cards, art supplies, etc. Have the basics on hand before the school year starts.
Keep the supplies in clear, labeled containers, and in one designated area. This will cut down on those late night runs to Target for pipe cleaners and glue sticks..
Keeping everyone on track
With the start of the school year comes the start of after-school activities / sports which invariably brings scheduling headaches. A calendar system is key to making sure everyone is where they need to be. Each household is different so it’s important to figure out what will work for you. A simple google calendar usually works well or a weekly paper calendar on the refrigerator can still get the job done.
Keeping equipment, uniforms, instruments, etc. in designated places will eliminate those frantic searches for the baseball glove. Take some time to create cubbies, a part of a closet or even bins/totes/baskets in the garage to corral the items for each activity.
Managing the paperwork and projects that enter the home
Create an inbox/outbox in a central location like the kitchen, family office or garage where important papers from school can be dropped off and picked up. Coach the household to drop off the important papers as soon as they come home, and pick up important papers as soon as they leave. No more missing permission slips!
Everyone loves to see the artwork and projects the kids work on at school but the quantity can be overwhelming. Create folders or containers for each child and have them drop their favorite artwork and projects in the folder or container throughout the year. At the end of the year, have them edit the collection and file away the keepsakes. Repeat each year.
If you’re a digital household, try Artkive. They will send you a box that you can full up with your kids’ art, you send back to Arkive, they’ll professionally photograph it and turn it into a stunning keepsake book. If you have time to photograph the art yourself, just download the artkive app! Click to learn more the Box or the App!
Organizing the snack cabinets
Creating lunches and packing snacks for after-school activities can be challenging if your cabinets are disorganized. A quick tidying of the cabinets will go a long way. Group like-items together such as breakfast snacks, lunch snacks, post-game snacks, etc.
Don't forget to label!
If your children are old enough, keep the snacks in a spot they can reach so they can serve themselves
Project Recap: Art Cart
BEFORE
Tidy Nest was hired to create a system for the abundance of art supplies in a playroom. Art and office supplies are Shannon’s all time favorite items so she could not have been been more excited to tackle this project (plus it was for her five-year-old niece).
Need: The parents wanted to create a functional system for their children’s growing art supply collection. This system needed to be child-friendly and encourage creativity. There also needed to be a system for the children’s already-created and work-in-progress projects… a typical problem for parents.
Solution: Introduce containment for all supplies using child-friendly organizational products.
Method:
Removed all contents and sorted the supplies (yes, even the loose pom poms and jem stones)
Edited all supplies - duplicates went into back stock, broken or dried out supplies were discarded
Decanted supplies like paint, markers, crayons, etc.
Installed organizing solutions - we selected plastic and acrylic containment for easy cleanup (plus they are lightweight). Shannon wanted to introduce some more color to the already colorful playroom so she chose Jade Y-weave baskets from Target.
Labeled baskets and shelving for easy clean-up! We went with handwritten chalk labels for the playful look!
Collected all art projects both finished and in the works. finished projects were added to a binder with sheet protectors, works-in-progress were corralled in a basket on a bakers rack.
AFTER
Pro Tip: Use Artkive Box or the Artkive App:
Artkive will send you a box that you can fill up with your kids’ art, you send back to Artkive, they'll professionally photograph it and turn it into a stunning, keepsake book. If you have time to photograph the art yourself, just download the Artkive app!
Click to learn more about the Box or the App!
Products (Click The Links Below):
Click through for more project photos
