Organize and Repurpose Your Home in 2013 – A DIY Guide

By McDonuts 

As we all start to settle into the new year it seems that there are more “home organizational guides” and “de-clutter your life” articles than you can count!  But where can you find a simple guide to organizing and diy repurposing with items you already have in your  home – or that cost next to nothing?  Right here on the WedEclectic Blog!  I’ve decided that 2013, for me, will be all about repurposing as well as organizing and I’ve found some neat tricks and finds that are already inspiring me to get my house in order.

One Creative Housewife’s blog has a lot of great ideas and she really has it together with this ‘command center,’ seen here:

This winter, I’ve been pretty much obsessed with the idea of repurposing old items as well as organizing my shelves with old baskets I’ve found at my local thrift store.  You can find some of the most unique and practical storage containers at local thrift and second-hand shops, especially after the holidays.  Lately, my goal has been to go into my local thrift store (which is, dangerously, only a few blocks away from our townhouse) and only spend the amount of change I have in my purse.  On my last trip, I was able to purchase a beautiful antique napkin holder for our dining room table (which was much needed) and a wicker storage basket for a grand total of $1.59.  I felt really good leaving the store, mostly because I found out I had $1.59 in change in my purse to unload, but I also knew that I would be able to use both items to help organize my life.

Home organization can be overwhelming, but I’ve found that starting slow makes it much more manageable (and much less anxiety-producing).  If you know that your bedroom closest could use a good de-clutter, for example, then start there and go through only what you should keep, toss, or giveaway in that area of the house.  Once that area is organized you can move on to the next project.

A unique example in repurposing items for home organization came to me, via pinterest, from blogs.babble.com.  Check out this awesome antique drawer repurpose.  It’s creative and aesthetically beautiful all at the same time!  This makes me realize that there are so many items we have lying around the house that could be used as creative storage and organizational pieces.  Now, that doesn’t mean you need to keep every random item you have lying around the house that you never use but, in moderation, these repurpose projects can be really inspiring!

And finally, one of my favorite DIY repurpose projects lately has been making recycled magazine baskets.  Just as the name implies, you use old magazines (hello decluttering) to make baskets for storage (hello organization!).  The “How About Orange” blog has a great tutorial for how to make your own recycled magazine baskets here: http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2009/06/recycled-magazine-baskets.html.

So, in 2013 I hope to be a savvy home organizer and repurposer…with a little help from thrift store finds and a lot of creativity, I think it just might happen!  I hope this little guide inspired you as it has inspired me and that you have a happy, healthy 2013!

 

>Get Organized!

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Black Bird DayPlanner by doublehappiness

It’s the start of a new year, and this offbeat bride’s resolution:  
 

 Get Organized!!

Planning a wedding is an incredibly exciting and sometimes completely overwhelming undertaking. No matter how large or small, formal or informal, offbeat or traditional, your wedding, there will be more than a handful of decisions to make along the way – not mention numbers to keep track of, appointments to keep, and people to coordinate.

If other offbeat (read “creative and inspired”) brides out there are anything like me, they are masters of scheming, and dreaming, and bookmarking, and “to-do”ing, and sketching and scribbling, and “favoriting” all over the place!

So….

Resolution for the new year: get all those names, and numbers, and ideas in one place!

Bonus: With a little help from other creative people, like the shop owners at Etsy.com, organization doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, your wedding planner, should be the first thing you purchase or create for your wedding that radiates the oh-so-in-love personality you hope to capture on the big day.

~ * ~

PickMePaperDesigns

Custom Wedding Planner Binder by Pick Me Paper Designs

By far the most comprehensive planner out there – custom-designed to match your wedding colors and motifs; chock-full of check-lists, logs, and organizers; includes pockets for vendor materials and weekly and monthly calendars as well as available customized add-ins.

Custom Weekly Planner and Notebook Set, Handwoven with Satin Ribbons

by PriaVanda 

Great for a bride who wants one place for dates and “to-do” lists and another carry-everywhere notebook for jotting down ideas. Available in all colors!!

Oilcloth 3-ring binders by rbtbags on Etsy

Or for the true DIY-er, there are loads of wedding planning printables available on the web to help you get organized in any beautiful book or binder that you choose!