living small + my new favorite organization tip…

gil and i live in a townhouse and it’s pretty much the cutest thing ever. but let’s face it… it’s SMALL. we LOVE it and have decided we’re going to live here for as long as we possibly can… even if it means we have multiple kids here AND we re-model the kitchen AND we put in hardwood floors AND we build the french garden i’ve always wanted AND we paint all the rooms AGAIN for the 348,495,756th time. we know that sacrificing a bigger, fancier house means we’ll get to save up for new cars, splurge on a trip to Greece as soon as we have enough miles {we’re close!} and save for the future gatch clan we’d like to have… but it also means we have to stay organized. there is only so much space around here! we don’t have a technical linen closet OR a pantry but we’ve found ways to make our own and it’s working out just fine… i’m always trying to find new ways to organize things, create more space and get rid of things we really don’t need. i’m actually excited about the idea of seeing how long we can “live small.” people in new york city, people on apartment therapy and people in London do it right!? so why not us?

home sweet home...

i’ve been a human tornado around here the last few days and i thought i’d start blogging about the favorite ways i’m finding to make our house a more organized and happy home…

first: add shelves! in manhattan the air space is actually a hot commodity… you can’t build out, but you can build UP. where do you have space that you can go up? even if it means having to get a ladder to reach it…. you can fill the space with things you don’t use very often. just today i added a wire shelf in our laundry room {all by myself!} and it feels like a completely new space!!! {even the husband thought so!} now we have room to spare and i’ve been able to pull things from places like under our bed to put it this much better location.

second: use only clear containers! tupperware, zip-lock bags, whatever! if you can’t SEE what’s inside, you lose quality time searching multiple places trying to find what you’re looking for. also, add labels. {i just hand-wrote these on colored paper with a sharpie and then double stick taped them} this will help sweet husbands and curious kids find things when you ask for them! happy clear containers=happy family!

third: this is a new favorite!!! a fabulous mama {nickie} told me about this tip at church on sunday… instead of folding blankets {because seriously, they take up SO much space, always fall over and fit NOWHERE} you roll them up and tie them with ribbon. {use grosgrain because it won’t come untied} genius!!! she said she loves this because her 2 kiddies can untie them and tie them back up in their tv room… but it also saves a TON of space. these blankets were taking up so much space under our bed. {the pink one is a king size down comforter!} now they barely take up the tiny corner in our laundry room because you can keep stacking them up! {thanks nickie!! this made my whole day!}

these three fancy tips should get you started on at least one fun new project… let me know if they help and how they’re working in your home! be curious… hg