Organization Palooza Day 2: Main Living Area

It is officially Day 2 of Organization Palooza chez Allison! And I am love.ing.it! Feeling empowered already.
But before I jump into my progress, what about you? How goes the battle? Are the spaces around your home becoming more functional for you and yours? I most certainly hope so. Do tell.
And for those of you just stopping by now, it is not too late to jump on the organization train. Just swing back to this, this, and this post to get the full scoop and catch up on the progress thus far. Then read on until the end of todays post - a given I hope. Then all that is left to do is get to work. *A good kind of work though!  _______________________________________
I am sure you are pumped to get {back} to work so I wont keep you long. Just want to share my progress from yesterday. 
Originally I set out to clean the floors on the main level before getting started on organizing the laundry room. Im strange like that - maybe you are strange too - and like to have things clean before I put new organization methods in place. But once I got started in the living room I couldn't help myself from rearranging. And rearranging generally gets me in an organizing mood which snowballed into several mini organization projects throughout. Just like that.
Take a look.

This is what the living room looks like now. 
It has been like this before, maybe once or twice, but I like the sense of togetherness it offers when company is in versus what I just had going on - an 'L' couch arrangement with the coffee table acting as a side table for both. 
The organization details however are quite different.

First off, Finley's toys. 

There were more of them and they were divided between two big bins and this basket. We downsized and took the rest to the basement play zone. We opted to keep his most favourite upstairs so that when we do venture downstairs he is excited to see the others and they will get some play time too. Ah how I am clever.

The location of the toys has also changed. They are behind the couch, as you can see, which separates the living area from the dining area. Because I tend to spend most of my time working at the dining room table or kitchen island, having the toys close by seems to encourage Finley to play on his own much more. *Already this morning he has emptied the basket twice. 

Apparently it is all about location in toy organization just as much as real-estate. How about that.

Speaking of prime real-estate. The rest of the Finn toys - blocks, dinkies, little people, and books - have taken over what was once my lovely coffee station in the kitchen island.

As much as I loved the look and function of the coffee station, having it as a play station is best for my sanity at this point in time. *I can hear the I told you so's already. With Robert away I am actually able to get meals prepared while Finn plays. 

A prime example of organization being a custom job for what works best for you. It can always be tweaked as your needs grow and change.

But all hope is not lost. The coffee station has found a new home on this vintage night stand that Robert and I made over a few years back. Pushed right up against the cabinet end, it works as an extension of the counter space but with a unique look.

Everything is readily available for a quick brew: Coffee selections are in the labelled mason jars. Filters are in the pottery bowl which is cleverly covered with a saucer to prevent random Moe hairs form settling in. The small milk pitcher is ready for when company stops by but typically acts as a holder for the spoons. And the sugar is close by for those who aren't quite sweet enough.

I received the above bin as a Christmas gift from Meema this year all done up with smaller gifts inside. What a great idea huh?! And it has been used all around the house to store many a thing - toys, books, drinks at Finley's Birthday Celebration. Now, it has found yet another purpose as storage for throws in the living room. It fits perfectly beneath the coffee table and is easily accessible from all the seating options.

*Remember those two throws I scored from my cousin Stephanie a while back {pictured here}? Because they don't match my colour scheme anywhere in the house I have been mulling over what I will do with them. After storing the cream ones above in that bin last night, a thought came to me. Instead of using my good throws for camp fires in the summer evenings Ill use those and store them, along with the roasting sticks and s'more supplies, in a basket  in the garage. One stop and we will be all set.

One of our cordless phones lives on the kitchen counter {because that is where we told the electrician we wanted the jack for some strange reason}. There is no drawer in near proximity so we are often running about looking for writing utensils or note paper to take messages.

My solution to this needless problem: a pretty mug and two Dollarstore boxes {left over from when I revamped the Pantry}. Obviously the writing utensils got stored in the mug. One of the boxes holds note paper, post-its, paper clips, and other small everyday office supplies. The second is now home to our phone and iPod charge cords.

Our note station got a tidying. {It was already featured, tidy yet again, in this post along with other organized spaces in our home. Do check it out!}

A few months worth of cards, notes, and appointments were sorted through. And the Welcome banner from Finley's Birthday Bash was added for a little splash of pretty.

And finally, a good Before and After. Clearly, this is the before. 

This dresser has been moved all around this house to play many different roles - classic clothing storage, computer desk, beverage station, thank-you gift station, and entryway catch all. Usually it is kept rather tidy but the past few weeks it has been my hiding place when doing quick clean ups. Today it got a once over.

Look at it now.

The craft supplies was redirected to its proper place. The colouring books and markers from when my nieces where last here where finally taken back to the basement. And the mounds of filing and empty envelopes where sorted and placed in their appropriate places. A job well done.

Instead of just throwing things back in only to get messy again, I thought Id take the organizing one step further and use one of the inspirational ideas from yesterdays post. I did not have a brand new cookie sheet that would fit in the drawers so I opted to use a tin instead. It did the trick. The base is in the left drawer holding the phone book and internet information. The lid is in the right drawer holding the paper work. Separated and labelled into two categories: Bills to Pay and Paperwork to File.

________________________________________

I hope some of my simple solutions and thoughts will help you as you work away at organizing your home. I'd love to hear if you are putting your own twist on some of these ideas. I'd love to hear from you under any circumstance! Fill me in on your goings-on.

Chat soon.