The easiest way to get organized

 Being organized makes me feel better.  I think most of us agree that when house

clutter is reduced, there is a calming influence.  Life is just better if you are organized.

That being said, it is easier said than done in real life, at least around our house.

This post is all about the easy way to get organized, and that is by using baskets.

When you have closets, shelves and open bookcases you can group like objects and stash

in a basket for  immediate results. We have very little storage space in our home, so the closets

are not always able to hold all of our items.  For a hallway opposite our main coat closet I decided to fit in some extra storage, disguised as a pretty moment.  Enter a narrow bench and two large baskets that fit just perfectly underneath.  The baskets are large enough so you can really fill them up, as well as tall enough so you can't look inside them when they are underneath the bench.  I don't really want to see a pile of shoes inside a basket. But I LOVE the look of the woven basket and the rustic white washed bench, all from HomeGoods.  The bench is also a handy place to sit down and lace up, or toss my handbag when I come in the door.  Get creative with storage and rethink the way you have used these under utilized areas in your own home.

The other place I needed to organize was our laundry room.  After washing and drying

clothes they often get folded on top of the dryer and become a large pile.  Since this

is also the first floor "powder room", it has to do double duty as a utilitarian space as well

as looking neat when guests are invited.  It struck me that I didn't need or want a big laundry

basket on top of the washer. Instead, a series of mid sized wire baskets with fabric liners are

the perfect answer for filling up manageable piles for the folks who live with me (lol).  I can hand off

a basket of socks and undies to my son, and off he goes to stash them in his dresser.  A pile of t-shirts for hubs and maybe some jeans.  Some bedding all neatly washed and folded waits for this photo 

session to conclude and then off I went upstairs to make our bed.  I added a shelf above the washer

and dryer long ago to hold decorative accents.  Now I realize it holds these wire baskets until they 

are needed, and they look great just sitting there.  Baskets are the best organizers a family can have.

I have been a fan for many years, and the selection at HomeGoods keeps getting better all the time.

They have a complete Storage and Organization area in their stores now, making it easy to 

get organized with more than just baskets.  

 Of course I use baskets for just about everything, including on our front door.

A large basket from HomeGoods tucked under a table offers plenty of storage for overflow
blankets and pillows and even stacks of magazines. Hidden storage is so great!

We were away for the Fourth of July holiday and now that we are back home, 

it makes me want to get everything all put away and cleaned up.  And do house projects

like completely paint rooms and change out furniture.  But I will start by getting organized.

Hope you are having a nice beginning to summer, its been fantastic weather

in New England.  Looking forward to the rest of the month, with a few more

little trips and events planned with hubs and the kids.  Anyway, I am feeling good

about my organization kick, and these baskets set it all in motion.  Give it a try.

You will feel good almost instantly!

Note: This post is sponsored by HomeGoods as part of my participation in their designer program on Pinterest, Happy by Design.