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by Angela on March 29, 2012
I had so much fun at the NAPO 2012 Conference meeting vendors and learning about all sorts of new products. But one of the funniest and most unlikely stories is how I met Clare Kumar the owner and creator of Pliio folding management system. We met at a reception the night after the conference was officially over, we started talking and I ended up in her room where she introduced me to Pliio.
Above is a picture of Clare and I showing off her Pliio system. Look how tired poor Clare and I look. We were exhausted it was about 10:30 at night when this picture was taken.
So what is Pliio? Pliio is a way to easily fold and store you clothing so that all the clothing is the same size and will fit easily into a drawer or on shelves. Here’s how it works. Above you can see a picture of a dress with the pliio lying flat on the dress. This is step #1.
Step #2 is folding the sides of the clothes over (in this case the right and left hand side of the dress). See picture above.
Step #3 is folding over the top and bottom of the dress. When you have finished this step you clothes should be about the same side of the Pliio folding board.
Step #4 you simply fold the two short ends of the Pliio with your clothes on it inward like a little book. And you’re done! Just like the picture above.
Repeat and you will have your own beautiful box of folded clothes! I think the Pliio is so easy my kids can even us it!
When I walked in her room the first thing I saw was her suitcase pictured above. Yes, that really is her suitcase with the Pliio system fully being utilized!
Currently, the Pliio is only available from the Home Shopping Network (HSN). STAY tuned Clare gave me a set of the Pliio system to give away to one lucky blog reader. Watch for the official announcement coming in the next few days!
So what do you think about the Pliio? How would you use it? For travel, for your kids, your husband, yourself?
by Angela on March 3, 2012
<Pictured above Chalkboard Box from CB2>
Projects! Just when you finish one another one or two or three seem to pop up. This is one of the biggest areas I see people struggle with. One of the biggest challenges with projects is that they are not one size fits all. So what do you do with the books and literature you are reading and researching on your child’s education, parenting, food and meal planning? What about those big bulky things like a craft projects, school projects, and holiday projects? Let’s look at some ideas. Pictured above is a really GREAT container that would be perfect for holding projects. You could use this to hold one big project like a craft project while you are not working on it or add file folders to hold literature for multiple projects you are working on.
The picture above from BHG is one of my favorite office set ups. There are just so many great things going on this this office. As for projects the wire baskets on the top shelf are perfect for current projects. The baskets behind the top of the chair and at the foot of the chair would also be perfect for holding current projects. One of the keys is to keep them really close at hand so it's easy to get them when you need them while giving them a place to keep all the pieces and components together.
I found the picture above on The Story of Home blog. In the photo there are some great storage containers but what I want to point out for projects is the magazine holders. In Part 4 of this series Literature Storage I showed you some examples of great magazine holders. Magazine holders are perfect for projects because they are small and hold a ton of paper and magazines and can easily sit on your desk or counter. This will keep you from having piles everywhere and you can grab the box and tote it around from room to room if needed.
This bookshelf desk in a craft room from This Is Me Inspired is showing another way that even a crafter can be organized. I love the containers on the side. These are perfect for holding all the scraps and pieces from any current projects. Love it.
There you have it, go find some great containers or make some great containers for your own "projects".
by Angela on February 28, 2012
Happy Tuesday! As a special treat to keep you going through the week this week we will have two Dream Closets. The closet pictured above is Dream Closet #1 and we will also have our normal Dream Closet post on Friday. As always my intention with this blog is to equip you with TONS of tips and ideas you can use in your own home. You will probably find that you take bits and pieces from one closet or one post and that’s perfect. Everyone’s organizing styles are different and what works for one person may not work for another. But when you see something that inspires you, RUN with it!
This closet was just so fun I had to share it with you! This is yet another fabulously fun closet I saw in the Rev-A-Shelf booth at the Closet Conference and Expo.
As you can see the closet had high gloss white door fronts and the interior was painted an eye catching, jaw dropping PINK! It was so stunning I can’t even tell you! What a great idea to bring in the some visual punch with such a bright color.
The corner piece pictured above is called the “Lazy Shoe-Zen” and has five tiers and I believe each tier holds five pairs of shoes. Are the wheels in your head spinning with ideas yet?
In the photo above you can see a handbag collection displayed on glass lit shelves. Isn’t it dreamy? Remember there are several ways to add lighting to your shelves, closets, or cabinets…hmmm…..I think that might inspire a future blog post.
The photo above is showing a pull down closet rod. I love these, if I could use these in in my daughter’s room I would, but their closet does not have the clearance to pull down the rod. This is a great way to maximize every inch of space in your closet. The beauty is that by pulling the rod you bring the clothes down to a level you can reach without having to go back and forth with a ladder.
Last but not least I had to share with you how they matched the paint color to the cloth lined jewelry drawers. It’s all about the details. You could get a similar look in your closet by choosing your own bright and bold color scheme.
What was your favorite part of this closet? Do you like the bold color choice? Leave a comment below and let me know.
by Angela on February 23, 2012
<Pictured above Mudroom Built-ins>
What a fun week I had last week, I was a speaker at the Closet & Home Organization Conference and had a chance to check out the vendors at the expo. So today and over the next few days I’m going to show you a few of the fun things I saw at the expo!
One booth that I had a lot of fun looking at was the Rev-A-Shelf booth. I was like a kid in a candy store! This series of pictures is from a mudroom built in they had set up. In case you are not familiar with Rev-A-Shelf they make TONS of internal pull out shelves, hooks, baskets, Lazy Susan’s, closet organizers and MORE! The picture above is the inside of the center of the mudroom built-ins. In the top picture, where you see the jackets hanging, that is actually the double doors of a hidden cabinet. Then viola, this picture reveals what’s behind the hidden doors!
The picture above is from the upper left hand side cabinet (just behind the chalk board where you see the sun shine). I love the lighting in these cabinets! What a difference that makes! You can actually see everything! They show some divided shelving at the top, you could use that to store books or children’s school work. The baskets beneath the shelf could be personalized for each child.
This is a close up of the drawer that is set up as a charging station for cell phones etc. Or for any of those husbands who come home and dump their change and business cards out onto a counter, this would serve as a nice place to catch those things.
Last but not least, when you open the door behind the chalkboard on the right hand side of the top photo this is what is revealed. A slide out basket at the bottom for balls and sports equipment is at the bottom of the cabinet. The top has pullout belt organizers that are being used to hold hats, gloves, ear muffs, an umbrella, keys, and a leash. To hold the bat and the pink umbrella they used (this is so funny) an Under Cabinet Wine Bottle Holder. Obviously they spread the two pieces further apart than you would for a bottle of wine. What a smart idea!
There is also some under cabinet storage and bins that I did not take detailed pictures of but they could hold backpacks, more shoes, more sports equipment etc. I really like this piece because it really seems to have a TON of storage! It’s giving me hope and ideas for how I can redo our coat closet, I would love to turn it into something like this!
Did these pictures give you some inspiration? Leave me a comment below.
by Angela on February 10, 2012
In this week’s Dream Closet we are looking behind the closet door of author and Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi. I’m going to dish up (pun intended) my thought on her closet with The Good, The Bad, and The Reality. I’m also going to toss in one of my favorite closet must have tips. Let’s get cooking! (okay, I’ll stop with the cooking puns now!)
The Good
Purses. I really like how they stored her big purses along the top of the closet. This is a great use of space and the purses are easy to see and grab quickly.
Hangers. Of course I must say I love that all the hangers are matching AND I love that they are wood. I still think the wooden hanger always delivers a beautiful, clean, and sophisticated look. A+!
Jewelry. What a fun and gorgeous way to display jewelry and accessories! I have several posts on jewelry (click here to see one of the recent posts) but I like how in this closet they use a beautiful glass display case to house both jewelry and accessories. I love when you can display your items like a store would, then it feels like you are shopping in your closet all the time. Brilliant!
The Bad.
As usual we simply are not seeing enough of the closet! Surely she doesn’t only own nine pairs of shoes! Where is her storage for long hanging items like the dress we see? I would love to see more drawers too.
The Reality
I like how they show a dress displayed hanging from some other hangers. That’s so funny because so many people do that! A few years ago I discovered valet rods and they are a must have in the closet (see photo below).
You can get them from custom closet companies or from a Rev-A-Shelf Dealer. They come as a fixed rod that you simply attach to a shelf in your closet or in a pull out style. The pull out style can be pushed back and out of the way when not in use. I have the pull out style in my closet and purchased it from More Space Place. They are fairly inexpensive, but SO useful!
I also like the how they stored some of the small purses below the hanging items on the right hand side of the picture. Again, so many people do this because if you have a small closet you might not have a choice. By keeping these small purses uniform in color and size they don’t look like a jumbled mess.
Overall, I like how this closet is something just about anyone can have. Pieces like the beautiful wooden hangers and the lovely display case make this closet an inspiration.
What little changes can you make in your closet this weekend?
by Angela on February 7, 2012
It's the season for coats, mittens, hats, and scarves. So as I was looking around trying to find some ideas for a hanging rack for my girls Playroom Makeover I ran across a ton of cool coat racks on Etsy. If you are feeling the winter coat blues, take a look at some of these inspiring coat racks. Pictured above is the from Catilever and Press, which doesn't appear to be for sale, but this could be a great DIY project if you're handy, or have a handy husband!
This is probably my favorite. It's called Modern Key Hat Minimalist and it is from ModBox. Not only would this be perfect for coats but it would also be great in a bathroom for teen or college age boys to hang towels.
This is just too cool! The above coat rack is from Wuda (Will Ullman Design + Art) out of Portland. His Etsy shop has some really beautiful and unique pieces. This coat rack would work best if you had a nice empty wall to work with like a large hall, the end of a hall, or again, this could work in a bathroom to hang towels. This also comes in different smaller configurations.
