Office Organizing - Colors can make your office Great!

Colors are important to most of us. They can affect how you feel, how you think. You want your office to be fun to go into. Make you feel productive and happy. What colors make you feel good? What ones do you love?
If you notice in my office I have bright colors...but I didn't paint the walls, I didn't add expensive curtains or carpet. I got cubbies in the colors I liked and made my own "Ikea" tower with the cubby units from Target. (Love cubbies!!)
I also added pails that I found at a garage sale and the little ones from Target. I have a hot pink magnetic board on my desk (an upcoming review and giveaway by the way).
If I go into another color mode..I can change it up real easy.
But when I walk into my office it just makes me feel happy!

Mini Office - You don't have to have a whole room

If you have a home or small apartment that is "office challenged" then you can find a place to call your own. Here are some ideas

1)If you have a chair you sit in routinely in the living/family room, you can set one up there. You just need a side table where you can set up your sorter like in the picture above.

This shows the whole thing. I got two of the cubby units from Target and hooked them together for my table. I have 4 compartments to use. Two on the front side that I use a cubby basket for my trash can, then the other 3 are for books. (The other 2 slots are on the back side)
I have a portable file (Hecht of an Organizer) that I use for my business files. If we have company over I can pick it up and move it out of site.

I then have this over the arm organizer that holds pens/calculator, plugs for my camera and phone, chargers and a flat top surface that I usually have my Blogging notebook sitting on.

2) Closet not being used. Take off the door (it can be left on, you will probably just have to move your chair out to close the door) and hanger rod. You can paint the inside to make it look cute. You can build in a shelf for your desk. You can add some more shelves above it on the wall for storage of your items. On the right and left hand walls you can put up a magnetic board, bulletin board or more shelves. (I am picturing a single door coat closet when I talk about it)

3) An old wall unit or armour not being used can be used for an office.

4) Under the stairs storage area. Paint it, put in a light and desk. There is storage on the steps above (make shelves there) and on the side walls.

Be creative...think outside the box. A corner of your family room maybe that you can put a small table or corner desk may work.
If you have a kitchen counter top that you can steal a corner of.
Let me know what creative office space you may already have or take pictures to let me see what you have created!!

A Home with a 250 sq.ft Family Organizing center? See it at BIA Parade of Homes!

Come to the BIA Parade of Homes in Dublin Ohio! It is being held in Tartan Ridge subdivision.
This is a house you have to see if you happen to be in the Central Ohio area in the next couple of weeks. Romanelli and Hughes built this home and their head designer Sarah Schnulo designed this area. She told me that they had this 250 sq ft. area to work with and she and another designer with a total of 7 children between the two of them designed it. There is a secondary washer and dryer (main one is on the 2nd floor) to wash sports uniforms when the kids come in from their games. They have a hamper to throw them in. There is a seat to take off shoes, shoe cubbies, hooks for coats and book bags and a walk through pantry!!

The garage is outfitted by Premier Garage as only an organizer might fully appreciate...well..I bet many husbands would too.

The children's bedrooms have a built in desk rather than a window seat. I think this is a much more efficient use of this space.
The house is designed in zones. There is a children's zone with their own back staircase that leads from their bedroom area down to the basement kids game room.

They even use the space under the staircase with built in shelves.

Ok...I am going to mop up the drool now. I love this house!! There are features everywhere that just make it an awesome house that any Professional organizer would just die to own.
I also went through another home by M/I Homes that has one heck of a woman's closet!!
Go to my Review blog to read more on it and have a chance to win tickets to see it and several other wonderful homes at the BIA Parade of Homes in Dublin Ohio.

Office Organizing Can Be Fun! ?..well it can!

This is my office. I share it with my husband, his desk is just to the right of mine. The office is small...but I am still happy we do have it.
If you do not have an office or anywhere you can call your office but want to make one you need to consider a few things.

1) Usability/Accessibility - if it is in the back of the basement, will you actually use it? It needs to be some place you will use it.
2) Heating and cooling (if you are thinking of a basement, extra room or so forth).
3) Convenience - Does it work for you and your family?

You may consider these areas -
1) Kitchen - Is there a section of counter in the kitchen that you could call your own and set up a mini office?
2) Family room - Could you set up a mini office by your chair. (post on Thursday will show pictures of my mini office)
3) Corner of a room that you could put a small table or corner desk?

Zones
If you have an office, or an area in the family room that you do your paperwork, or a table in your bedroom....you need to make "Zones". Zones break down the office into what you need the most and use daily (Zone A) to items you don't use very often and can store elsewhere in the room. (Zone C)

Ok...so artist I am not! But this gives you the idea of what I am talking about.
You are in the center (of course....isn't it always about us?...LOL, sorry..goofy mood) and the circle closest to you is your Zone A.

Zone A - Things you use daily and need close at hand. You don't have to move to get these items.
1) In box for papers
2) Pencils/pens
3) Tape
4) Phone
5) Stapler/Scissors
6) Letter opener
7) Sticky notes
8) Paper
9) Trash can
10) Calculator
11) Computer

Zone B - Items that you may have to roll your chair around to, but are still close and accessible. You do not have to get up out of your chair.
1) File cabinet
2) Printer/copier/fax
3) Shredder

Zone C - In the office, but you have to get up and walk to.
1) Office supplies
2) Extra file cabinet - maybe files you don't access as often
3) Book shelf with reference books.

This gives you an idea of how I break it down. But you want to be efficient when you sit down to work in your office. You don't need to jumping up and down or you may not get anything accomplished.

More to come on Office organizing Thursday and Friday of this week. Stay tuned!

Office - Is yours a Mess?

The dreaded "before" pictures of an office.

Then looking the other direction in this room you finally see the desk.

This client is a home builder and his business took off so fast several years ago that when he took over a bedroom in their home, they did not have time to clean it out first. Things just kept accumulating. He brought in pieces from a home (2 pantries and kitchen counter unit) thinking it would help him...but there was no organization in their use.

The AFTER Pictures:

This is the same space as in the very top photo. We took out all the kitchen counters and pantries. He still was going to frame the photos of the houses he built, he just put them up for an idea.
They painted the room once we got it cleared out. Looks wonderful.

This client built the table that sides up to his desk. He needed something to lay out house plans and be able to bring clients up to the other side to go over them with him. He had to use his dining room table before because he wouldn't take anyone up to his office.

He wanted something for his house plans. He wanted to be able to lay out the house plans and not have them rolled up for the ones he was working on presently. This was kind of an unconventional use of these cubby units, but the actual house plan units were very expensive. I gave him the options and he loves this plan.

We also used the closet for storage. He needed house plans archived. We came up with the inexpensive idea to stack these boxes on top of one another to make up an economical solution to that problem.

Would love to see your "before" and "after" pictures of your offices.
Having problems with it? I am doing my live show tonight on office organization.
Just tune in at 8:30 est to Mom TV and join me.

Share my Recipe Sunday - Sugar Free Peach Crisp

Kristen from Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker has earned my Gem of the Week again. She has given us a recipe that diabetics can enjoy! My father is a diabetic and loves good desserts...and is thrilled when we can find a good recipe that is sugar free.
Join our Share my Recipe Sunday and add your recipe to the Mr. Linky. Feel free to pick up any recipes to use in your kitchen!

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There are a lot of diabetics in my family. It runs in the family. Therefore, I try to make desserts once in a while that everyone can enjoy without as much guilt as usual ;-). This dish isn't terribly sweet and lets the flavor of the peaches shine through. If you choose to use fresh, you may have to alter the time a bit.

1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup crystaline fructose
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 cups sliced frozen peaches
2 tsp minute tapioca
Place peaches in the bottom of a 9 X 9 pan. Sprinkle with tapioca and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Combine oats, flour, fructose, butter and remaining cinnamon in a bowl and combine with a pastry blender until nice and crumbly. Sprinkle over the peaches. Bake uncovered 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with sugar free vanilla ice cream if desired.
Kristen