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Celebrate Your Kitchen & Pantry

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Take time to celebrate the big and little things!

We love everything about our kitchen now! We spend more time there than anywhere else. I’m so glad we took the time to do it right!

B.P.

You deserve to celebrate!

This year of 2020 we are helping you transform all areas of your life and space. This month we have focused on clutter clearing, organizing and beautifying your kitchen! We hope this month has been fun and transformative. If you want all the juicy blogs and more – read here. And remember you can use the one page Kitchen Guide we designed just for you.

Here are some fun ideas for celebrating.

  • Host a PARTY! Invite your friends, cook a great meal and have a blast.
  • Share your story – Take pictures and please share them on Social Media. We want to celebrate with you. Use #CSOrganizeKitchen.
  • Deep Clean – Hire someone to come do a deep clean for you? Oh yes!!
  • Paint – Get a fresh paint job in a color you love!
  • Beauty – Add fresh flowers or fruit to the center of your countertop! 
  • Containers – Take your kitchen to the ultimate level by getting the most practical and beautiful containers. Check out some of our favorites below:

 

 

Clear & Simple, SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT., Organize Your Kitchen, Organize Your Pantry, Container Store, elfa

The elfa System, by The Container Store, is our favorite for the pantry (and other storage areas). You can customize where you want your shelves, add different sizes of drawers, add freestanding units under shelves, and other smart functions. All elfa components are adjustable, so the solution is completely flexible! Note: remember to use the back of the pantry door.

Clear & Simple, SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT., Organize Your Kitchen, Organize Your Pantry, Container Store, elfa

Talk about handy! For use on a cabinet shelf or beneath a sink, these handled storage baskets make it easy to store like items together and then grab them all at one time. They are ideal for storing sauce packets, spices, nuts and snacks, or baking supplies in upper and lower cabinets. The comfortable handle at the front of the basket allows you to pull the basket out to gain full access to the contents.

Clear & Simple, SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT., Organize Your Kitchen, Organize Your Pantry, Container Store, elfa

Remember the inside of your drawers. Rather than throwing all the stuff inside and opening to a distaster every time, pick out containers that work. By choosing the material, color and function that works for your drawers, you will be happy every time you open them. You can have wood, clear, or colored containers. Have fun!

Click here for The Container Store’s full array of drawer organizers.

Clear & Simple, SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT., Organize Your Kitchen, Organize Your Pantry, Container Store, Bamboo Drawer Organizer

Your Guides, Marla Dee and Kate Fehr.

We love teaching the Clear & Simple Way to live free of clutter and get organized at last.

Organize Your Pantry

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An organized pantry means a happy, healthy family!

Cleaning is my favorite way to relax. I clear things out and get rid of the stuff I don’t need. When the food pantry and the refrigerator are organized, I feel less stressed. 

Jennifer Morrison

Take a look inside your pantry just for fun! Can you find what you want and put away the groceries? It seems the food just builds up and before you know it there are years worth of expired food, random stuff shoved onto shelves and no space for the new to come in. Let’s use See it. Map it. Do it. to transform your pantry. When it is organized:

  • You will spend less money
  • Eating healthy is easier
  • Cooking is more enjoyable

Get Your Kitchen Steps GUIDE 

SEE IT – Take a look at where you are now. Have each person answer the questions below. When you are done, take time to share with each other.

  • What’s working? You can be specific or general.
  • What do you love about the look, feel and function?
  • Are there things you know you want to change?
  • What isn’t working? What don’t you like?
  • Do you have easy access to everything? Are shelves labeled?
  • Are there things in your pantry that don’t belong there?
  • Are you storing items besides food, like servings dishes, and appliances?

MAP IT – Make a written plan for what you want. Go after what you really desire. The energy in your pantry contributes to how you eat and how you feel about yourself, your body and your health.

  • How do you want your pantry to look, feel and function?
  • Create an online board of images that inspire you.
  • Create a mind map showing all the elements you want.
  • Do you to store items such as serving dishes, and small appliances?
  • Do you have a system for rotating new food purchases and using the older items first, like FIFO (first in, first out)?

DO IT – Take the steps to make it happen. Look on your calendar and set up time for the transformation! You are going to love this.

  • Choose which area you want to start with. We suggest starting small and building up from there. For example, you could clear out expired food and then do different categories such as canned goods, snacks, etc.
  • Go through the S.T.A.C.K.S.© System for the area (Sort, Toss, Assign, Contain, Keep it up, Simplify). By following S.T.A.C.K.S.© the project will be easier and you will save money. Go to www.clearsimple.com/systems.
  • Shop for the shelving and containers you really want and need.

Once you complete each part of the project, take time to celebrate. We are certain you will feel empowered around food choices and enjoy cooking for yourself and loved ones.

Download the Kitchen Steps Guide

Clear & Simple, SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT., Organize Your Pantry
Clear & Simple, SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT., Organize Your Kitchen, Organize Your Pantry, Container Store, elfa

Your Guide, Marla Dee.

I love teaching the Clear & Simple Way to live free of clutter and get organized at last.

Organize Your Kitchen

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An organized kitchen is a happy kitchen!

It’s in the kitchen where the warmth of shared memories, 

laughter and life create a recipe that spans generations.

 – Yuvraj Kakodiya

The kitchen is the gathering place for family and friends. It is the place we go to nurture our bodies and connections. Because so much lands and happens in the kitchen it can get chaotic quickly. How often have you cleared the kitchen counter only to have it be cluttered up the next day?

SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT.© is the 3-step organizing system that works for all the areas of your space and life. Let’s use it to transform your kitchen. Remember you can start small with one area and then move to others.

 

SEE IT – Take a look at where you are now. Have each person answer the questions below for the whole kitchen and then other areas such as the pantry. When you are done, take time to share with each other.

  • What’s working? You can be specific or general.
  • What do you love about the look, feel and function?
  • Are there things you know you want to change?
  • What isn’t working? What don’t you like?
  • Is there stuff that doesn’t belong here, like paper piles on the counter?
  • Are you doing things other than cooking and eating in your kitchen?

MAP IT – Make a written plan for what you want. Go after what you really desire. The kitchen is often a central gathering and connecting place.

  • How do you want your kitchen to look, feel and function?
  • Create an online board of images that inspire you.
  • Create a mind map showing all the elements you want.
  • Do you prefer completely clear countertops or to have some items out? 
  • What colors would make you happy? What kind of decor?
  • What do you want to add to your kitchen, like new dishes or containers?

DO IT – Take the steps to make it happen. Look on your calendar and set up time for the transformation!

  • Choose an area to start with. We suggest starting small and building up from there. For example, you could start with the countertops and junk drawer, then go to other drawers, cupboards, refrigerator and end with the pantry.
  • Go through the S.T.A.C.K.S.© System for the area (Sort, Toss, Assign, Contain, Keep it up, Simplify). By following S.T.A.C.K.S.© the project will be easier and you will save money. Go to www.clearsimple.com/systems.
  • Enjoy shopping for the containers you want and need.
  • Once you complete each area, take time to celebrate. We know you will enjoy cooking and being in your kitchen. How fun would it be to schedule a family date night in your happy space?

 

Get the Kitchen Steps Guide

 

Clear & Simple, SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT., Organize Your Kitchen
Clear & Simple, SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT., Organize Your Kitchen

Your Guide, Marla Dee.

I love teaching the Clear & Simple Way to live free of clutter and get organized at last.

Clutter Clear Your Kitchen

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Here are 3 simple ways that can be done in under an hour!

What is hiding inside your kitchen drawers?

Has your kitchen counter become a dumping ground?.

How many years of old, expired foods are hanging out in your pantry?

Marla Dee

The kitchen is the heart of the home. Yet, sadly it has become the dumping ground for paper piles and homeless stuff. And so often there isn’t room on the counter to cook or room on the table to eat. We want your kitchen to be a happy place for family and friends to gather daily. 

We will start the transformation with some clutter clearing. Here are three simple options that can be done in an hour or two. This will get you started and keep you from getting lost in the details. Keep in mind we will take you through SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT.© for the kitchen and pantry next. Choose one of the following ideas, schedule the time, turn on music and dive in. Have boxes and bags on hand for what is leaving.

DO THE DRAWERS

This can be fun! Open your drawers and pull out all the obvious clutter. You can start with the kitchen catch all junk drawer or the cooking utensils drawer. These tend to be the worse. Dump the contents out and enjoy getting rid of the stuff you know you don’t need or that doesn’t belong there. You might be surprised at how many items you never use. Then have fun putting the drawer back together and organized. Tip: You can go the extra mile by  getting the right containers in the drawers! Get the ones you need and deserve. 

CLEAR THE COUNTER 

It is amazing how much stuff lands on the kitchen counter that doesn’t belong there – papers, books, toys, tools and more. Take this time to move the stuff back to where it belongs. Now look at the things you are storing on the counter. Is there anything you don’t use very often that could be placed in a cupboard or drawer? When you are done, we suggest placing a plant, flowers or fresh fruit on the countertop to add the look and feel you desire. This will also help prevent the clutter from coming back. 

EXPUNGE THE EXPIRED 

This is another surprising area to clear. You can make it fun by involving your children. Set your timer and do one category of food at a time. For example, we like starting with the canned goods, or the cereal, or baking items. Pull everything from each category off the shelf, sort, check dates and toss the expired food. You get the idea. Then enjoy putting the good food back in place. This is another area where getting the right shelving and containers can make a difference.

When you are done, take some deep breaths and take in how different your kitchen feels. Celebrate what you have done. It can be fun to take pictures of all the stuff leaving. *Keep in mind that many food banks will take food up to a year past the expired date.

FIND MORE KITCHEN FUN HERE

Your Guide Marla Dee.

I love teaching the Clear & Simple Way to live free of clutter and get organized at last.