Organization Archive - Tidy Tangle

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Free Printables and Family Organizers

Written by Rachel
Aug 31, 2011 | Organization, rbt Bags | Tags: coupon organizers, day timer, day timer refills, family organizers, free printables, menu planners, oilcloth binders

Some of my oilcloth binders and binder covers available on Etsy

After my post on how to use my oilcloth mini binders (8 1/2 in x 5 1/2 in) to create your own recipe collections and weekly planners, I figured I’d be remiss not to do a post on how to use my normal size (8 1/2 in x 11 in) oilcloth three-ring binder for organizational benefits as well. I’ve seen some great downloadable planner pages on Pinterest lately (yes, I’m the latest victim of yet another social networking time warp, but I do love it) and thought I’d share them here.

Download some of these freebies and use page protectors to organize them inside one of my oilcloth three-ring binders to create your own family organizers, menu planners, calendars and more. Of course, you don’t have to use one of my binders, but it would make organizing a little more bright and cheery. (: Also, many of these pages could make great Christmas gifts for loved ones this year organized neatly inside a binder!

Here are a few free downloads I found:

Weekly Planners

Check out mommytracked.com for many free downloadable pages, such as weekly planners, party planning worksheets and to-do pages.

A weekly planner page available at mommytracked.com

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DIY Recipe Books and Day Planners

Written by Rachel
Aug 24, 2011 | Food, Organization, rbt Bags, Topics | Tags: day timer, day timer refills, diy, food, half sheet binders, organizers, organizing recipes, planner refills, planners, rbt Bags, recipe, recipe book refills

Mini Binder Recipe Books and Planners

I have a new product this fall: the Mini Binder. If you’ve never seen this size binder before (8 1/2 in x 5 1/2 in) and don’t know what’s it’s good for, do not despair! I am here to show you a couple ways to make productive use of this cute little binder and maybe even come up with a few gift ideas for you in the process. (Don’t freak out, but Christmas is closer than you may think…).

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Recipe Disaster

Written by Rachel
Aug 10, 2011 | Everything Else, Organization, Topics | Tags: oilcloth binders, organization, organizing recipes

My Messy Recipe Collection

You’d think that as someone who makes binder covers and markets them for organizing recipes, I’d do better than this organizing my recipes. Maybe I need to practice what I preach and put one of my own recipe binders in use around my kitchen. (:

DIY Message Center

Written by Laura
Jun 16, 2011 | Organization, Saving Money, Thrifty Thursday | Tags: diy, message center, saving money

I used plexiglass for the writing surface

I used scrapbooking supplies to embellish

Magnetic clips hold the center together

For a while, I looked for a message center that had all the things I wanted. I had my eye on a Pottery Barn one, but found it WAY too expensive for my budget. We had a piece of plexiglass sitting around and I thought, hmmm, that would make a nice message center. So I assembled my supplies and got to work. (more…)

Organizing a Desk Area

Written by Laura
Jun 10, 2011 | Free-for-all Friday, Organization | Tags: desk, organization

Hanging shelf holds my backup drives

Milk crates hold important files and coupon inserts

Fabric bins hold various items I don't need in my desk

Despite being an organization freak, my desk always looked more “tangled” than “tidy”. I really wish I had a before photo to share with you because I’m sure some of you can’t believe it. For the most part, my desk was very “tangled” because I lacked a good organizational system for my desk. Just having a few drawers wasn’t enough for me. So piles of coupon inserts, magazines and bills would sit on my desk. I’d find a bill a few days before it was due by the grace of God. Not a good system. So I decided to change that. (more…)

Backpacks and Breakfast Counters

Written by Rachel
Apr 19, 2011 | Organization, Tips and Tricks, Topics | Tags: backpacks, homeschooling, organization

Problem: backpacks under your feet and nowhere to hang them

Solution: hooks under your breakfast counters

In case you haven’t noticed yet, I don’t believe in underutilized space. A blank wall in my house is likely to end up with a coat hook eventually.

The latest victim of my coat hook obsession: the walls underneath our breakfast counters. Our breakfast counters are generally reserved as homework stations, so what could be more fitting than the boys hanging their backpacks right where they need them…and out from under my feet.

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Turn diaper boxes into storage

Written by Laura
Mar 17, 2011 | Crafts, Organization, Thrifty Thursday | Tags: crafts, diy, no sew projects, organization, repurpose, reuse, saving money, storage, thrifty design

I absolutely LOVE this idea. Diaper boxes are so sturdy and have great dimensions for holding all sorts of things.

Here’s the blog post on how to turn diaper boxes into storage: http://www.positivelysplendid.com/2011/02/lets-make-something-together-lined.html

How to organize a child’s closet cheaply

Written by Laura
Mar 3, 2011 | Organization, Thrifty Thursday | Tags: closets, left-brain, organization, saving money

Hanging PVC pipe creates tiered hanging space

I love our house, but I don’t like the closet space. Most people complain about their closet space. I do have ample closet space, but it’s located in the wrong places. I’m learning that less is more when it comes to clothes – I said, learning, but I definitely haven’t arrived. So when I saw the space in my daughter’s closet and the amount of clothes we’ve gathered for her, I knew I had to come up with a solution. (more…)

Controlling the Sock Chaos

Written by Rachel
Mar 1, 2011 | Organization, Parenting, Saving Money, Tips and Tricks | Tags: closets, motherhood, organization, repurpose, right-brain, space saving

At the risk of overwhelming you with closet organization tips (my sister has another one coming later on this week) I thought I’d share this little system that we use for organizing underwear and socks in my boys’ room.

All five of my boys share one room and I quickly learned that the key to maintaining my sanity was to create clear, defined spaces in their room for even the small things. (Of course, of equal importance to maintaining my sanity has been to train them to use those spaces, but that’s a whole other topic entirely!) I (more…)

Closet organization – shoe organizer

Written by Laura
Feb 17, 2011 | Organization, Thrifty Thursday | Tags: closets, organization, saving money

Target has a great price on shoe organizers

Works great for a large closet with tools

My favorite trick for organizing my closets cheaply is to buy a clear, plastic shoe organizer. At just $7.99 at Target, I can stuff those pockets full of little items that get lost in a large closet (and the clear pockets allow me to see exactly what I’ve stuffed in there). I use them for scarves, socks, belts, jewelry, ties, toiletries, tools, and even shoes, occasionally. Since it utilizes unused space on the back of a door, it makes me even happier!