Organize Gardening Supplies

The daffodils are lining our yards and there is no snow on the ground. It must be springtime-time to spruce up the outside of the house (if you can find the tools to do it). The shovel may be handy from clearing the walkway from the snow we had until about a month ago. But what about the rest of the tools you need?

Make it easy on your self and organize the lawn and garden equipment. There are a host of products for organizing the smallest hand tools to the largest energy powered models. There are also many hooks and holders not designed specifically for garden tools that work well for both stationary and portable storage.

For stationary storage, mount a section of pegboard and select the hooks that fit your tool collection. Alligator Board has a section of metal pegboard on wheels that would serve very well as a garden tool storage center. Hooks designed to hold mops and brooms work well for light tools. For heavier tools like shovels take a look at the host of storage solutions at www.gemplers.com. They range from straight bar storage to specialty storage systems for weed trimmers and leaf blowers. There is also a hanging tool organizer at www.gardeningwithkids.org that measures five feet by five feet and has pockets for both long-handled and short-handled tools. This site, sponsored by the National gardening Association, also has a nice variety of accessories for potting and displaying plants.

Portable storage for smaller items that you tote out to the garden should either be light enough for you to carry without strain or be on wheels. A simple solution is a five-gallon bucket with a bucket cover to hold the tools. You can find these at the local hardware store. You can even make the cover yourself with a pattern available at www.bucketsgonewild.com. You can find a garden seat on wheels with storage for supplies underneath it at www.solutions.com. John Deere makes a portable garden cart on wheels that is available at most garden centers and a variety of garden tool totes are available at hardware and department stores.

When you have selected a storage system for your gardening tools, organize them by frequency of use. Place the ones you use everyday at the easiest place to reach, or store in a portable organizer for the duration of the gardening season.

For inspiration on more storage solutions check out the following websites:
www.gardeners.com
www.target.com
www.cedarcreek.com
www.carolwrightgifts.com
www.shopgetorganized.com
www.gemplers.com
www.gardeningwithkids.com
www.solutions.com

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

Organize Sports Balls

Baseballs, soccer balls, footballs, volleyballs and just plain bouncy balls give hours of pleasure to children of all ages. They can also be a problem to store where they are easily accessible and do not pose a safety hazard to folks trying to walk through the garage, the playroom or wherever they are kept. Large plastic storage tubs and colorful trash cans will serve to corral the balls, but a more organized approach is to store the balls with other equipment necessary to play the game. Here are a few alternatives that may offer some inspiration for getting your sport balls in order.

The Rubbermaid Sportsgear Organizer measures 36”x38”x18” and can hold a variety of balls, mitts, gloves and shoes. The International Sports Organizer with Bench is 36” long, has a sturdy wire bottom that allows ventilation and a cushioned bench on top that allows the athlete to sit and adjust equipment. It is made just like a toy chest, so it accommodates a lot of items and works for kids who just throw everything into a pile.

One of my favorite products is the Ball Claw, available at Target’s. It is an adjustable plastic claw that will hold footballs, basketballs, volleyballs and soccer balls. It comes in a wall-mountable style or with a strap so that it can be attached to a hook system or sport tote. This works well if you use a duffel bag to hold equipment for each sport your family members play. A particularly good organizing bag for baseball and bats is the Mizano Organizing bag with wheels. Specialty storage items for most sports can be found at http://www.ssw.com/.

If you would like to try your hand at building a sports ball and equipment storage center yourself, an excellent example can be found at http://www.diynetwork.com/.

Even if all your ball games do not end in victory, may you have fun playing them.

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

Organizing the Man Cave

Three guys showed me their man caves this week. One was in a finished room over the garage, one was in the garage and one was in the corner of an airplane hanger. These were three really different spaces that served very different purposes and each reflected the personality of its owner.

Two of the guys actually wanted some advice on how to better utilize the space and make room for their favorite past times. Even a man cave needs a sense of order and the tools to support having fun however the man cave dweller defines it.

One of my friends shared with me his belief that every man cave should start with used furniture and state of the art equipment. He does not want to be worried about putting his feet up on the coffee table or getting stains on the furniture. He does want cold drinks and snacks nearby as he watches sports with his friends on a wide screen television. His wife likes the idea that his friends are not cluttering up the family living space but she deplores the shabby and slovenly appearance of the room. Here is how we solved their differences and came up with a space that both of them love.

First, we took a good hard look at the dimensions of the room measuring twelve feet by fourteen feet with a garage door opening. Next we wrote down the activities the dweller planned for the room. Then we divided the space into zones that included media center, workbench and tools, cards and games, food and drink preparation and miscellaneous storage.

As we placed the contents of the room into these areas, we created storage space on the walls with the use of hangers and shelves. They bought inexpensive storage boxes and ottomans that double as extra seating and covered the mismatched furniture with stain-resistant coordinating slipcovers in masculine colors. Trashcans were placed in the food preparation area, the media area and the game area, and the workbench area. A plastic tub was included in the food prep area to place used dishes that need to be hauled to the kitchen. They even put a patio rug on the floor. The cave dweller promised to take it outside and hose it down occasionally.

The room looked so good the cave dweller warned his mate not to try to hold her book club in his space.

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

ORGANIZE YOUR GARDEN TOOLS

Gardening is a pleasure for many people. Whether you enjoy the beauty of a flower garden or the practicality of a vegetable garden, the right tools ease the effort of growing your crop. Organizing those tools so they are ready when you need them is well worthwhile. There are a host of products for organizing the smallest hand tools to the largest energy powered models. There are also many hooks and holders not designed specifically for garden tools that work well for both stationary and portable storage.

For stationary storage, mount a section of pegboard and select the hooks that fit your tool collection. Alligator Board has just come out with a section of metal pegboard on wheels that would serve very well as a garden tool storage center. Hooks designed to hold mops and brooms work well for light tools. For heavier tools like shovels take a look at the host of storage solutions at www.gemplers.com. They range from straight bar storage to specialty storage systems for weed trimmers and leaf blowers.

Portable storage for smaller items that you tote out to the garden should either be light enough for you to carry without strain or be on wheels. A simple solution is a five gallon bucket with a bucket cover to hold the tools. You can even make the cover yourself with a pattern available at www.bucketsgonewild.com. John Deere makes a portable garden cart on wheels that is available at most garden centers and a variety of garden tool totes are available at hardware and department stores.

When you have selected a storage system for your gardening tools, organize them by frequency of use. Place the ones you use everyday at the easiest place to reach, or store in a portable organizer for the duration of the gardening season.

For inspiration on more storage solutions check out the following websites:
www.gardeners.com
www.target.com
www.cedarcreek.com
www.carolwrightgifts.com
www.shopgetorganized.com
www.gemplers.com


Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

ORGANIZE YOUR YARD SALE DISPLAY

We visited a few yard sales this week and we just could not turn off the organizer within us. We kept noticing that some folks did not make the best use of their space. Maybe they just wanted a little fresh air and sunshine and selling the unwanted items didn’t matter much. That is the impression they projected with the jumble of items that littered their lawns.

We are serious about yard sales we organize for ourselves and for our clients. We want to make money, maintain safety, use our time well and have fun, so we have a few guiding principles that we abide by when it comes to space utilization and display.

Provide prices for everything. It is not necessary to put a price on every item if you are willing to accept a single price for a category. Examples are:
Men’s T-shirts $2.00
Paperback books $0.25
For items priced by category, keep a list next to the cashier space.
If time is running short or you have a bunch of miscellany that defies description, allow customers to fill a bag you provide for a set price that is posted on the bin of items

Be clear about what is included in the price. Keep multi-piece sets together with pins, rubber bands or plastic zip bags. Make special note on price tag about features or pieces missing.

Maintain safety. Allow adequate space between display sites for two people to walk side-by-side. This allows for two-way traffic, parents with children, and handicap access.

Make sure that sharp objects do not protrude into walk space and that heavy objects are not precariously balanced on shelves. Also remove any broken pieces or loose small pieces from open access and put in plastic bags and tape to the item if they are part of the sale. Do not place green tarps on green grass. Some shoppers may have difficulty seeing where the boundary is and stumble over the items on the tarp. Make sure display tables and other devices are sturdy and able to support the weight of items displayed on them.

Put like things together. Some categories to consider are toys, children’s clothing, tools, small appliances, exercise equipment, jewelry, home decor. Books are a tricky item and some advice columns say they do not sell well. That has not been our experience. Think about putting some of your books with categories that are directed to customer segments: children’s books with toys, how-to books with tools, recipe books with kitchen items. It just might tempt your customers to peruse the book stacks for others that might interest them. Put things next to each other that appeal to market segments: toys next to children’s clothing, garden equipment next to tools, jewelry next to women’s clothing.

Capture passers-by with visible merchandise. Set tempting items close to the curb. If possible, include items that will draw in various population segments. A piece of furniture, a toy, a fertilizer spreader and a piece of exercise equipment will attract very different buyers and more buyers equal more sales.

Have fun. Yard sales are a way to rid yourself of unwanted items, meet new people and make a little cash. While doing that you get to enjoy fresh air and sunshine and your choice of refreshing beverage. We call that a good day!

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

AVOID GARAGE CLUTTER

Do you keep your car in your garage? The U. S. Department of Energy reports that 25% of people with two car garages don’t park any cars in there and that 32% parked only one car, although they had at least two cars in the household. The National Association of Professional Organizers reports that 50% of homeowners rate the garage as the most disorganized space in the house. The report also states that the garage is a place the whole family uses regularly, a fact that adds to the challenge of keeping the space free of clutter.

The garage becomes the storage place for all the stuff that won’t fit in the house and all the stuff that is designated for outside use. It is a convenient place to drop off items that you need to haul elsewhere sometime in the future and messy projects that would create cleaning problems in the main living space. It is the place the kids drop of skateboards and bicycles and surfboards. So what can you do to reclaim the space for your car or at least bring some order to what you really use the garage for.

Here are a few simple tips for keeping garage clutter at bay.

1. Sort the garage contents into categories. Some examples are: sports equipment, wood working, yard maintenance, holiday storage. While sorting, discard any equipment that is broken or obsolete.

2. Create a zone for items in each category. Estimate the space you need for storage of each category and plan how to accommodate it in the space available. Consider systems that hang equipment on walls and overhead storage platforms. Shelves and cubbies can store cleaning products and instruction manuals as well as miscellaneous items. Also consider storage sheds and all-weather storage bins for storage of some items outside the garage.


3. When storing items used by children, make sure they are within reach of the users. Also review with the children and other family members the expectation that things are put back in designated spaces.

4. Create a drop off center at the point of entry to the garage from the house. Do not allow the number of items in that space to overflow before you deal with them.

5. Do a “garage check” once a month to make sure things are where they belong. Make it part of the regular housekeeping schedule.

6. Make sure the members of the household know the rules for maintaining the space and participate in the clean-ups when the clutter begins to pile up.

With a little planning and upkeep you will be able to open the garage bay without embarrassment when the neighbors are looking and maybe even park your car in there.


Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

Keys to Successful Organizing

Have you tried to organize and just couldn’t complete the job? Or have you organized a space only to have it return to the same muddle it was in originally? That has happened to most of us. And when it happens we blame it on lack of time, lack of energy, lack of discipline. It is definitely true that staying organized takes a little time, a little energy and a little discipline, but most often the reason for failure is the wrong motivation and/or the wrong system.

The best reason to get organized is that doing it gives us something we want.

Each of us is different and we want different things from the life. We may want time to achieve business goals or time to spend with family, or, in the case of young parents, time to sleep and bathe. It helps to frame our goal for organization in terms of what we want to achieve. It might be:

• “I will organize my paperwork so that I can have information at my fingertips to impress my clients,” or
• “ I will organize my kitchen so we can have family meals together in a pleasant environment,” or
• “I will organize the bathroom so I can take a shower and get dressed in less than ten minutes”, or
• “I will organize my garage so I can park my car there and avoid going outside in bad weather”

If we consciously formulate the goal with what we want to achieve for ourselves, it is easier to stick with it. We get a return on our investment of time and energy.

Once the goal is formulated, it is time to pick the system for achieving it. The system needs to suit how we intuitively deal with storing and sorting. Those of us who find joy in color-coded, uniform rows should chose a different system from those of us who consider it organized if clutter is out of sight and we can find what we are looking for in less than five minutes. The point is to find something that works for you and achieves your goal. Getting organized should help you save energy and find time. If your system requires more time than you can manage, it is time to find a new system.

I have two friends (actually I have more than two, but I only need a pair for this illustration.) Both of them manage to pay their bills on time and deal with appointments and invitations, but they have very different methods for handling mail. One of them sorts her mail everyday and puts it in a mail organizer according to the date she needs to respond with an action. The other dumps his mail in a basket and sorts it twice a week and handles responses. They both feel good about their ability to manage their mail. It doesn’t pile up and what needs to happen happens. They each have an organization system that works for them.

So when you organize, do it to benefit yourself and do it in a way that suits your personal style.

Good luck organizing your world!


Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

Organizing Garden Tools

With summer here, we are spending more time outdoors. Not all of the time is spent playing or lolling in the sun. Home maintenance chores and hobbies, growing flowers, plants and vegetables require the use of tools that have seen little use during the winter months. Organizing tools and supplies is easier than ever with nifty products on the market.

If you have four hundred dollars to spend, Brookstone sells a prefabricated storage shed that stands 64” high. Deck storage boxes also proved convenient weather-proof storage. Some of them are configured as benches with a storage compartment under the seat.

Some storage boxes have matching containers for a garden hose. These boxes allow the hose to be fed to the outdoor spigot through a hole in the container.

There are many less expensive alternatives for storing garden tools and hoses. Hose storage alternatives range from a $7 hook that hangs over the spigot to decorative bronze and wrought iron holders that are works of art. Get Organized offers a sturdy wire garden tool organizer that has a hose hook attached. The same company also distributes a rolling garden tool cart with slots for large tools and six side pockets for smaller items. A sheet of pegboard can be used with hooks and clamps to organize equipment. Over door hanging baskets are good choices for gloves, seed packets and smaller items. Mulitbin organizers also provide a convenient way to store items within view.

Alternatives to storing garden tools can be found at the following websites:
http://www.brookstone.com/
http://www.countrydoor.com/
http://www.shopgetorganized.com/
http://www.grandinroad.com/
http://www.harrietcarter.com/
http://www.frontgate.com/

Beverly and Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net