After last week’s blush-worthy drawer makeover, here’s a less intimate organising project.

The top drawer of my dressing table is where I store the rest of my bling that isn’t suitable to hang on my jewellery rack.

As you can see from the top photo, I was already separating some of the jewellery using cheap plastic trays but the headbands, fascinators and other miscellaneous objects (my lifetime supply of my favourite discontinued perfume, for example) were all floating around in the other half of the drawer. The trays worked really well for the chunkier items such as bangles and necklaces but smaller items such as earrings and brooches could easily get lost or damaged.

(For eagle eyes who have spotted my embarrassingly juvenile jewellery box, that will be the subject of another project coming up soon.)

I picked up this tray from Howard’s Storage World which was perfect to organise all the smaller sparkly things. I love the adjustable dividers to customise the spaces and the sliding tray on top to provide extra room.

Meanwhile the existing trays work well for the larger pieces like hair accessories. Boxed pieces and gloves easily fit into the gaps around the edges.

I love that the like-items are all kept together now so it’s really easy to find what I need. Plus the smaller compartments mean no more losing those itty bitty gems.

How do you store your jewellery: hanging out in the open or hidden in drawers?

I can’t believe I’m actually publishing this.

But I know how much you love a good organising before & after so I am putting aside all modesty (sorry Mum) and sharing my newly organised smalls drawer with you. The things we do for blogging!

It’s only a little drawer of my bedside table and it was so overflowing so badly I could barely close it. I chucked out anything that didn’t pass the ambulance test (you know how your mother always told you to wear your good undies just in case…) which immediately gave me more space but it was still a total jumble.

I took out the tights and pantyhose as they kept getting snagged on the wood (I’m bad enough causing runs with my fingernails and jewellery so I don’t need my storage to add to the problem!). They’re now being stored in a spare tote bag but I may think of another more permanent solution.

I then used one of these drawer dividers to easily separate the socks and undies – no more rummaging around to find the pair you’re looking for.

It’s the small things, right?

This post was sponsored by Target.

Yikes. My ’system’ of storing accessories consisted of shoving them in tote bags and piling them in the corner of my closet. Finding the one belt/scarf/hat that I was looking for meant dumping the bags on the bed and rummaging through to locate the one elusive item.

It also meant I wasn’t taking good care of my things: belt buckles and knitted scarves do not mix well.

Enough was enough!

I dumped everything out for one last time and sorted them into piles of like-with-like and then got to organising them with some nifty storage picked up at the Target stocktake sale.

First I tackled the belts. I hardly even wore belts, not because I don’t like to but because it was just too inconvenient to get them out of the closet.

No longer! This $3 belt rack will have me accessorising like a star.

I then moved on to the hats.

I installed this fun arrow hook and hung two bags from it: one for summer hats and the other for winter hats and beanies. Too easy.

Finally, I needed to do something about my scarves. I installed this sweet bird rack on the back of our bedroom door – perfect!

Aaaah. Sanity restored for less than 20 bucks.

What’s the biggest storage problem in your bedroom?

I have wanted a bar cart for the longest time. I was picturing a gorgeous rounded art deco or mid-century piece, but – even if the budget stretched to an antique – we simply would have nowhere to put it.

My brother-in-law’s partner is a keen painter and when we were admiring the latest piece in her studio recently I spotted the cute Ikea Råskog cart she used for her art supplies.

Not long after, I spotted it on the Ikea website for a steal ($49 down from $79) and immediately raced down to snap one up.

It makes a great bar cart for a small space. The middle shelf is adjustable so we could fit the tall bottles on the bottom shelf and glasses on the middle shelf.

We certainly don’t need hard liquor on hand on a daily basis (we’re mainly wine/beer drinkers) but it has freed up almost an entire cupboard in the kitchen. And you know how excited I get about additional storage space!

I’m also happy that the original mid-century anodised ice bucket that I inherited from my late great-auntie now has a suitable place to be displayed out in the open instead of shoved at the back of a cupboard.

I would still love an antique bar cart one day, but I didn’t hesitate about buying this for the same purpose as it’s such as versatile piece I know we’ll always find a use for it. We’ve already discussed an artists’ trolley and a bar cart, but how about a mobile craft station, bedside table, bathroom storage, cleaning supplies storage or perhaps its advertised use: extra kitchen storage?

Til then, I think I can feel a cocktail party coming on…

What do you think about bar carts? Do you have one?

Most organising gurus will tell you that you should pack up your clothes at the end of each season and rotate in the new season’s clothes. It makes sense: why have to sort through a whole bunch of items to find something that’s seasonally appropriate, right?

But what happens when (as occurred last week here in Adelaide) our steadily dropping late-Autumn temperatures suddenly shot back up to the low 30s (celcius)? Me, I simply pulled out my summer jammies and whichever t-shirt or summer dress I felt like wearing from the same place in my closet where they can normally be found.

Not a blip on my day. Whereas it would have been an unnecessary hassle if I had to pull out a few summer outfits from storage.

Here are a few reasons why I prefer not to rotate my clothes:

• Things are always in the same place so you know where you put them and find them.
• Many clothes are versatile (eg. wear tights under your skirts in cooler weather, wear jeans all year round and layer tank tops and cardigans according to the weather).
• You don’t have to have a secondary space for storage.
• You don’t have to dig into your stored items to find clothing for travelling to different climates throughout the year.
• It saves the time of rotating your clothes four times a year.

Of course, we don’t have very extreme seasons here in Adelaide so that could play a part in why it works for me. And there may be reasons why you swear by rotating your wardrobe.

But I know that for me personally, my own experience goes against most of the advice out there so I wanted to share this reminder that it’s all about creating systems that work for you.

How about you, are you a rotater or a year-rounder when it comes to your wardrobe?

This post is sponsored by Target.

Um, yes, so this attractive display is my seen-better-days handbag and its contents in all their glory.

It was a bit of a lucky dip. You might find ten pens/lipsticks/hairties or you might find none! Plus tissues (used? unused? can’t tell), earrings, loose change, shopping lists on scraps of paper, receipts from a year ago…

Yikes, no wonder I couldn’t find anything in there.

I had been wanting to replace a couple of my existing handbags – including the one above – because they were totally worn out (it doesn’t look that bad in the pic but trust me, it was looking very daggy in the flesh leather vinyl).

What I didn’t want was for it to end up in the same mess, so I went and picked up a nifty handbag organiser from the storage department at Target. I also picked out this gorgeous red handbag (totally loving their range of women’s accessories that are on sale right now).

It’s a bit hard to see inside the depths of the black organiser, so here’s what’s in there now:

A few changes I made to keep things neat:

• I switched the loose tissues for a packet (no more scrunched-up questionable looking new tissues).
• I use a notebook to list errands to run / things to buy and tear out the page when I’m done (paper scraps be gone!).
• I’ve since started using this so I only need to carry a tiny stash of emergency lady things (can’t believe I’m sharing this on the internet).
• I’ve been better about taking out receipts (and either discarding them or saving a photo of it to Evernote).

Apart from keeping everything compartmentalised, the other obvious benefit is being able to simply plonk the insert into another handbag. Because I am way too lazy to transfer all of my daily essentials between bags for the sake of fashion.

The bag itself is super roomy; I’ve even thrown my camera in there when I didn’t want to take my whole camera bag. Plus I’ve had heaps of compliments on it which is a bonus!

What are your tips for an organised handbag?

Gift card wrapping idea by So Shelli

I love choosing gifts for loved ones. But it can be tricky if your recipient:

• struggles with clutter
• has expressed desire to unclutter
• lives far away from you
• lives in a small space
• is in a temporary living situation (eg dorm)
• is moving soon or moves frequently
• says they don’t need/want presents
• is a person who ‘has everything’

I’ve had to buy for people in all of these situations (and am in a couple of them myself) so I thought I’d do a roundup of some no-clutter gift ideas to follow up from yesterday’s worst clutter gifts post.

Tickets

Who wouldn’t want to be gifted a special night out?

• Concerts
• Movies
• Theatre
• Art exhibitions

Experiences

Experiences make wonderful and memorable gifts. Great for kids who have more than enough toys!

• Zoo trip
• Golf session
• Travel voucher
• Wine tasting

Classes

A great option but you’ll have to be sure it’s something the recipient is interested in and that they have time for it.

• Art
• Music
• Craft/sewing
• Cooking
• Cake decorating
• Photography
• Writing
• Woodworking
• Surfing

Services

Services can be some of the best uncluttered gifts. Choose from me-time treats or time-saving practical options, depending on what your recipient would appreciate most.

• Hairdressing
• Manicure / pedicure
• Massage
• House cleaning
• Car washing

IOUs

A homemade voucher is an especially good gift for new parents or if you are on a tight budget. I provided some meals to my friend after the birth of her first baby last year and she’s still talking about it as one of the most appreciated gifts.

• Homemade meal
• Babysitting
• House cleaning
• Car washing
• Preparing taxes
• House painting
• Gardening

Consumables

An oldie but a goodie. Make sure they’re nicer than your normal plonk or biccies they would buy for themselves.

• Wine
• Spirits
• Chocolates / sweets
• Chutneys / jams / sauces

Digital media

Books, music and movies used to be some of the worst clutter offenders. Not anymore!

• iTunes voucher
• Spotify / Pandora subscription
• Amazon e-books
• Software

Charitable donation

A particularly good option if your recipient is known for their social conscience, is a bit older and ‘has everything’ or is experiencing a bereavement (as an alternative to flowers). The ones where you can sign up for a particular thing are good – a pair of slippers wouldn’t have meant much to my auntie but she was chuffed knowing that someone had been given the gift of sight in her name. Select a charity that resonates with the interests of your loved one. Here are a few:

• Fred Hollows
• Oxfam
• St Vincent De Paul
• Salvo’s
• RSPCA
• Cancer Council

Gift cards / cash

Obviously they could end up buying something ‘cluttery’ with it but the choice is theirs.

Tangible gifts

If you’re like me and prefer giving tangible gifts, there are still ways to keep it uncluttered.

• To replace something else if you think they would appreciate it (eg a new lamp to replace a broken one, bonus points if it’s a versatile item that can replace more than one thing)
• Something they need and would buy anyway, such as clothes (consider making it better quality than they would buy for themselves so it still feels special)
• Something that will help get them organised (eg labels, scanner, calendar)
• Chip in with others to purchase one more substantial or better quality item (give the newlyweds one kick-arse coffee machine instead of 20 platters)
• Flowers!

So, what do you think? Anything you’d add to the list?

What are your favourite uncluttered gifts to give and receive?

P.S. Happy birthday to The Man!! The last year of our twenties and I’m sure it’ll be a good one. xxoo

So it’s Birthday Month here on Atypical Type A so there’s a lot of talk about beautiful gifts. But what about bad gifts? Specifically, gifts that are merely clutter disguised with a pretty bow.

Some might be perfectly fine gifts but are completely impractical for the recipient due to size or lifestyle. The Man and I actually received a bain marie as a wedding present from a well-meaning relative, the box touting that it was suitable for conference catering. CONFERENCES! There are two of us. In a unit. With limited kitchen storage. And no dishwasher. Any more than six guests and we are ordering pizza.

Others are ridiculously specific unitaskers that simply take up cupboard space to be used once or twice (if that). Take this Cake Pop Dipper (dual, no less!) I spotted on Unclutter for example: I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t just use a microwave, double-boiler even just a bowl over a simmering saucepan, which is how I melt chocolate. Of course, you will also need the Cake Pop Maker itself (regular or deluxe flip-over version, your choice), and possibly a Cake Pop MultiFunction (!!) Decorating Station, just in case you can’t work out how to turn on your oven or put sprinkles in a bowl.

(Sorry, rant over.)

So, generally clutteriffic gifts will fall under one of these categories:

• Something big (does your apartment-dwelling brother have room for a four-burner barbecue?)
• Something they won’t use frequently (sure a paint sprayer might be handy but I would simply borrow my parents’ if we needed it)
• Something that’s not to their taste (how often have you kept something out of guilt?)
• Something they don’t have anywhere to store (cupcake towers might be cute but I literally would not have anywhere to store one)
• Something that doesn’t suit their lifestyle (don’t give your friend with a full-time job and three little kids a slow-food cookbook with four-hour recipes)
• Something that has only one use (unitaskers such as popcorn/muffin/hotdog makers where existing kitchen basics would suffice)

Of course, your sister might really want that ice-cream maker/leaf blower/vase which is great, go ahead! But always keep in mind the home, needs and lifestyle of your loved one before buying a gift.

Tomorrow we’ll be talking about the best uncluttered gifts. Til then, give yourself a laugh by browsing the archives of Unclutterer’s Unitasker Wednesday.

Share in the comments your stories about gifts-turned-clutter.

How are we today, friends? I’m still recovering from my huge weekend at Bowerbird Bazaar – no stamina now since I turned 29 on Saturday

I wanted to tell you about an awesome project I’ve been working on and have just released. Called the Clever Hello Club, it’s a greeting card subscription service where you receive two of my Akimbo cards each month.

Some will be seasonal and others will be for life’s occasions, both big and little. I love having a stash of cards ready to go for any occasion because I hate that last-minute dash to the shops before a party, don’t you?

You can choose from either a 6 or 12 month subscription for yourself or as a gift (ahemmothersdayahem). And because I know you’re spread all over the world, I’m not charging any more for international shipping (you can’t say I don’t look after you!).

I’m currently taking orders for the first shipment which will go out in June. Join us in the Clever Hello Club!

I don’t normally post on the weekend but I just wanted to pop in quickly to tell you something.

If you haven’t already heard, Google Reader is being phased out so if you (like me) use it to keep up with all your fave blogs, you’ll need to find an alternative. I signed up for Feedly this week and am LOVING it. Its beautiful and intuitive interface leaves Reader looking really daggy and clunky. I’ve also heard good things about Bloglovin’.

With that in mind, I thought I’d give you an update on how you can subscribe to Atypical Type A.

Subscribe with Bloglovin‘

Subscribe by RSS

Subscribe by email (or use the sign-up box in the sidebar)

Anything that I’ve forgotten that you’d like me to provide the link for?

What’s your favourite method or app for reading blogs?