Maybe it’s because I heard Christmas songs the other day.

Maybe it’s because the twins and I were talking about cookies and baking and parties and cookie swaps.

Maybe it’s because it’s cold outside right now.

BUT I AM SO EXCITED FOR THE UPCOMING HOLIDAY SEASON.

Fall.

Thanksgiving.

Christmas.

National Cotton Candy Day.

I am here for ALL OF THEM.

And to make sure the house is ready for cookie swaps and parties and company and visitors I’m going through and organizing all the spaces. So today I want to share 16 tips (some obvious, some not so much) to get your house organized for the holidays.

Let’s go holidays.

Let’s GO.

1. organize your craft room

You can see all the details on how I organized this space here.

I just took a closet and added a few cabinets to keep all my craft supplies in one place.

I also keep all my sewing supplies here too.

My sewing machine (the one my mother gave me all those years ago) still works and I keep it in the top cabinet along with all my sewing supplies).

Fabric is stacked in the bins up above.

Also, I’m about to add all my gift wrap for the holiday to the closet, too.

2. organize your day

My friend Leslie came up with this idea and I love it.

I have a giant polycrylic calendar in the closet and stacks of post-it notes.

Every category has a different color.

At first, I was just doing it for the blog and projects, but now I’m adding in major events to help keep everything in perspective.

I have other calendars, but being able to see everything at a glance is so helpful.

3. how to organize your linen closet

There are a zillion ways to fold towels.

I get it. 

This is just my favorite way because the towels look so cute lined up in the linen closet.

They are literally one step away from an overnight stay at a Holiday Inn.

Here’s how I fold them and a few tips for organizing your linen closet.

4. change out your duvet covers

Almost every bed in our house has a duvet cover.

They are just so cozy.

I love everything about them until I wash them and remember why I don’t really like them that much.

Here’s my very best tip for putting on a duvet cover.

It made my life SO MUCH EASIER.

5. how to organize extra seating

This is one of my favorite new tips.

I found these vintage chairs at a store downtown and hung them on the wall.

I used these giant hooks to hang the chair on the wall and keep them out of the way until I need them.

Organizing that decorates is the best time.

6. how to organize your desk drawer

If you have a drawer that looks like this, can we please be friends forever?

This is what the junk drawer looked like in our house.

Until.

Until I came up with a simple way to organize it.

You can see my best drawer organizing tips here.

7. how to keep your couch neat and tidy

Do you have an unorganized couch?

One that looks like it needs to get its life in order?

It’s probably because your couch cushions are slumpy.

Here’s the before and after of these sagging couch cushions that I revitalized with one simple tip.

You can see it here.

8. use baskets for storage

This falls in the obvious category, but it needs to be added to the list because this is one of my most used tips.

I use these giant rolling baskets to store extra fabric and extra pillows for the space.

This large basket also stores extra craft supplies that are too bulky for the closet.

9. how to hide your trash can

Here’s how we stopped Buddy from getting into the trash.

And made the entire trash can experience so much cuter.

This is one of the most popular projects on the blog (and one of the most commented on when people stop by for a visit with something to throw away).

You can see the project here.

10. how to organize the glass front cabinets

Do you have open shelving or glass-front cabinets in your home?

There’s no place for clutter to hide.

If you don’t know where to start, I have the best ideas for you.

Here’s how to style and organize glass front cabinets.

11. how to organize tags

I LOVE my vintage tag holder.

I found it at a yard sale and I think it used to hold seeds once upon a time.

Now?

I added tags to each of the metal dividers. If you saw it at Christmas time it was FULL of tags, but I’ve used most of them. It’s about to be full again.

12. how to organize your laundry room

This is one of my favorite rooms in the house.

Truly.

I love doing laundry and I love keeping the room organized.

Here are some of my best laundry room organization tips.

13. how to organize craft supplies

Here are some vintage pieces I use to organize my craft supplies.

I found this flower holder at a yard sale and I use it to store scissors and pens.

The peg board in the back of the closet holds this vintage bike basket that I use for my post-it notes.

14. simple decluttering tips

Here’s my best collection of decluttering tips.

Clutter is just a decision that hasn’t been made yet.

It’s like we leave stuff on the counter because we don’t know where it goes.

These tips will help you to find a place for everything and put everything in its place.

15. how to organize extra table space

I got this table at a thrift store and we cut it down to fit inside the bookcase.

When I’m not using it, it folds flat in the space and almost disappears. You can see it folded up in the first picture.

Then, when I need extra table space for crafts, I pull out the drop leg and an extra table appears.

16. five simple tips to destress your morning

A long time ago in a land far away I used to sleep until noon.

Until.

Until I had a job.

And children.

And dogs and cats and assorted individuals who depended on me to get out of bed and put my feet on the floor and drink loads of coffee to wipe the bleariness from my eyes and face each day earlier than I ever imagined possible.  Understandably, it took me a while to adjust.  It took me a while to figure out that the sun was my friend and chirping birds are just nature’s way of telling you the day has started and that hitting the snooze button can be a little overrated.

Here are my best tips to get started in the morning.

(total aside: I know it’s not exactly organizing—but it was too good not to share.)

Even if you read all these tips and decide today is not your day to be organized, I want you to leave today with this before the holidays show up:

Organization doesn’t have to be fancy.

Organization doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

Organization can be done a little at a time and a minute at a time.

Just pick your minute and begin.

Rome wasn’t organized in a day….

….and your house doesn’t have to be either. 🙂

Want to know how to decorate your home for free?
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