The guest bedroom..

if you are fortunate enough to have a spare room for guests it can sometimes become the dumping ground for the other stuff that you are not sure where to put so you put it there for now until you figure out what to do with it all.  But then you have guests visit and all of a sudden you have to migrate those items somewhere else and oh my goodness now what?

For those of you that have that problem, me too, it can easily be solved you just need to have patience.  If you do not have a spare room then hey no problems at all right?

We decided when we developed the basement that we wanted a spare room to be devoted only to our guests, as both our families live back in Alberta and obviously when they visit they need a place to stay. Although sometimes not having the space could be a blessing in disquise, especially if they can outstay their welcome.  But I am sure you have never had that problem, nor have I of course (hee hee) but it could happen right?

Okay, the spare room...you need a bed, a night stand with a light and possibly a clock and perhaps a dresser. Not much else really, unless it is also your place to perhaps keep your office or your craft room or even the toy room.  Unless you have guests consistently you can repurpose that "guest bedroom" into something you can use on a regular basis.
My spare room has a queen size bed with 2 night tables and a dresser PLUS my scrapbooking items.  As a side note, I orginally had my main floor office as my scrapping space but I felt like it always had to be neat and tidy and if  you are a scrapbooker you know that is not always possible.  So I moved it downstairs to the extra room/weight room as I finally convinced my husband to sell his weight contraption as he never uses it. Tahdah, my own scrapbooking room...but then we decided to take in an international student so therefore I lost my scrapbooking room. Hence why it is now stored in the guest bedroom.

Back to the guest bedroom, as you do not really need a lot in that room it should be relatively easy to keep organized. I like to have the bed made and towels washed and ready for whenever family arrives. It saves the anxiety of having to do it when you find out family is coming to visit and you are busy with other things to get it done. This way if it is done already no problems.

In my guest bedroom, I also have quite a large closet which is great for storing extra items not needed on an everyday basis like my wedding dress and my husband's motorcycle gear.  Right now it is also storing my scrapbook shelf, that room seems to always be a work in progress and since my husband does not like the way it is set up right now it is still in progress.

So what do you use your guest bedroom for, besides guest?  A home office is a great idea, maybe not a bed but a pull-out couch or futon which allows for room to work. The closet could be outfitted with a shelving unit to store your office supplies and your guests clothes.  If you have room for a dresser it too can be mulitpurposed, if your guests stay only a short while a dresser devoted to them is not entirely necessary as it probably remains empty when they are not there. However, you can store your towels and extra sheets and pillows in the dresser. Perhaps you create a small "welcome to our home" basket with a few essential items they may need.
However you use the spare room is up to you, but keeping it neat and organized is a great way to create a relaxed feel to the room and creates a space your guests can enjoy.

The storage closet...

or as I like to call it "my junk room/freezer room".  I attacked that room and boy do I like to collect things, I complain that my parents are pack rats but deep down I am too BUT I am okay with that as long as I can keep it under control.
Are you lucky enough to have a storage room/closet to keep those items you just can't give away or the place you store gift bags and bows? Luckily when my husband developed our basement I specifically asked for a small room to keep the freezer and extra pantry items,  and intially all our christmas supplies ( I will tell you all about my place for those items later)

Freezer... check
Extra pantry items... check
Gift bags and bows...um yes check

Now I wish that was the extent of it but no it is not, much to my darling husbands delight (insert sarcastic tone).  I have 2 children who have taken numerous art classes and completed wonderful works of art in school and home, so what do I do with all this fabulous stuff?  I have 2 boxes, one for each of them which holds the many items received and collected. But I cannot keep every piece of art and every sculpture and every bit of creativity in my home, it would literally fill my house up, so I have to purge. 

Yes I do purge my children's art work and you should too.  But here is the genius of it all, take a picture. Quite honestly it will last longer than the art work itself, especially if you are a scrapbooker like myself. Hey devote an entire album to your children's art work if you like, takes up less space than the boxes of art you will collect over the years.

Now I am not saying to garbage all their art and just have pictures, although the thought of it sounds kind of nice. But what I am saying is you do not have to keep it all, hold dear the ones that are extra special and pass on the rest to grandparents and aunts and uncles.  What a great gift for the grandma who has everything but a framed copy of your daughter's lovely flower she painted. Or the clay caterpillar your son made at art class, wouldn't it look great on his uncle's shelf next to his picture? Great idea as my brother has a birthday coming up soon.

Take a photo of some of the precious items and place them in an album or frame, keep some things but toss the rest.  No you do not need to keep your daughter's math work from grade 3, maybe the odd workbook, but will you look at it in 10 years and fondly remember fractions? Probably not.

What else do you use a storage closet for?  That depends on your needs, I like my storage room as a place for those extra Costco items on sale or when Safeway has their toilet paper on sale or whatever. It is a place for my gift bags and the bin with extra toys and gifts for the unexpected occasion.
But remember, just because you have a storage room does not mean it is a junk room. It too can be a neat and orderly part of your home.

My favorite place to visit...

is closer than you think.
Better Homes and Gardens on the web www.bhg.com is a wonderful place filled with so many ideas for storage and decorating (both inside and outside). Check them out.

Where do I start?

A question everyone asks, where do I start? Well I personally believe that depends on what area or areas you are wanting to focus on...bedroom, living room, kitchen, home office, playroom. For instance, this past weekend my husband and I decided that the kids have way too many toys and games and books that basically are just sitting downstairs gathering dust. I am sure many of you can totally relate to this! So where did I start?

ONE BIN AT A TIME

....I cannot stress this more, start doing too many things at one time and you just get overwhelmed, trust me I do it all the time.
I had a garbage bag for well garbage. I had a box for donations and I had another box for garage sale. We went through each cupboard and shelf and toy box one at a time and decided where that broken toy or hot toy of the month went, with a little help from the kids. They were busy playing x-box to notice too much but we kept them in the loop, at least a little bit.

Now listen to this as this is important, do not pass go and take those donations to wherever you donate. I personally either donate to the local Cythera house ( located at #140-22255 Dewdney Trunk Road) or to Bibles for Missions ( located at 22535 Lougheed Hwy) Not to mention they have fabulous finds for a great price, not that you want clutter after you have just de-cluttered but I have found some great items for organization and decoration.

A side note on garage sales, most people love a good garage sale as you can find any number of items you need for a much better price than buying retail (buyer beware of car seats and children's furniture). They are a lot of work but if for instance your daughter is saving up for lets say a new DSi XL, they are a great way to earn money towards that item. If you can have a garage sale with neighbors and/or friends you can advertise as a mulit-family and I have found in the past you get more interest. Use your local newspaper to advertise ( Maple Ridge News and Maple Ridge Times) plus post signs around town. But please remember to take down your signs after the garage sale.

Once you have purged the toys, books and games take a look at how you store these items. Do you need bins for the small items like cars and lego? Are the books arranged in a way that the kids can find what they are looking for? and most important I think, can this be cleaned up quickly by the kids?
In my basement I have a large storage unit from Ikea ( www.ikea.ca )that holds all the books and toys and games plus my scrapbook albums and a place for decorative items as well. In each cubby there is either a bin with toys or the games are stacked or books lined up all available for the kids to see and enjoy.
And can I tell you, it felt so good to go through those forgotten bins and purge the unused items and find toys that were long forgotten. I have a couple of large size bins which holds my "sentimental" toys that are stored under the stairs, but I know what is in them and where they are when I need them.

Phew! toyroom check