Happy Monday to You! Over the weekend, I visited a friend at her house to discuss how I could help her get her home organized and running more efficiently. She has a two year-old son and a baby due in two weeks, and needs some help with a few areas in her house, specifically, the bathroom, closets, and mudroom. Our mutual friend actually retained me to help her organize these spaces because she knows I have a (not-so-secret-anymore) desire to become a professional organizer! I am excited to announce that I am now offering my organization services to clients in the Houston area. If you live in the area and would like to discuss your specific situation and organizational needs, email me at: honeywerehomeblog@gmail.com *********** Today I’m ready to dive into more brilliant and creative organizing solutions for you. Our guest post comes from Londen of Sixty-Fifth Avenue. I found her blog while browsing the links from Centsational Girl’s “Where I Blog” party and when I saw photos of Londen’s home, I was instantly smitten. She brings a relaxed charm to her home that I really love. If you’re new to Sixty-Fifth Avenue, I recommend starting HERE, which showcases some of the spaces in Londen’s home. 
********** Hello everyone! I am thrilled to be here today! Megan’s blog is one of my daily reads; I am always inspired by her. When our daughter was a baby, all of her toys fit into a small basket in the living room. As she grew, so did her basket of toys. Before I knew it one large basket was not enough to contain them all. That is when we decided to give up our rarely used guest room and turn it into a playroom. The toys still come out and get scattered all over, but now they have a place to go at the end of the day and clean up is a snap. If you don’t have the space for a dedicated toy room, you can still use these ideas to keep the clutter…I mean toys in their place. Designate a place for everything. If something doesn’t have a home it won’t get put away. Bookshelves and baskets are the main organizing tool in our house. 
I love using labels. These simple chalkboard labels are inexpensive and so easy to make. 
I found my wooden labels at Hobby Lobby for less than fifty cents each. I drilled two holes and painted them with chalkboard paint. 
A chalkboard pen works great because it doesn’t smear easily. 
Little pails are perfect for keeping all the tiny pieces together. I found mine in the dollar section at Target. 
You can find these canvas totes to match any decor. If storage is pretty, you don’t have to hide it away. Rotating toys keeps kids interested and makes them easier to manage. We store our rotated toys in a toy box that we keep in the little ones closet. With a smaller number of toys to manage, children’s organization skills can easily be developed by establishing cleaning rituals. Plan a time of the day to have the floor picked up. If things get out of control, we do a midday clean up; otherwise we wait until the end of the day. Waking up to a clean house gives us a fresh start. Thanks for having me Megan! 
********** Thank you Londen! And can you believe that her husband hand-painted those trees and birds on the wall free hand?! Go HERE to see the room’s transformation. 
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Your playroom is such a pretty and organized place for your daughter to play! We are dealing with the same situation here since James' toys are getting bigger and bigger and seem to be taking over the living room!
Sometimes I feel like we live in a preschool. But I vow that 2011 is the year I will change all of that. Thank you so much for the much needed inspiration. Such a beautiful space that everyone can enjoy.
YES! I spent the whole day organizing my kids' rooms! I JUST posted about it! I love those low bookshelves!
This is the year that I vow not to store any toys in the living room…at all!!! Wish me luck 🙂
I remember her playroom! I loved the mural on the wall and those beautiful bookcases. I have to agree: bins are the way to go. My girls know exactly where they are supposed to put things…not that they always do it, but at least they know. :s
Congratulations Megan on your new venture! I only wish I lived in the Houston area 🙂 My biggest fear is having toys take over, we're not there yet but I'm going to bookmark this page for the future!
Just beautiful! I love the mural!
Visiting you from http://www.pembrokelane.blogspot.com
Megan – you will be great as a professional organizer. Many congrats to you!
Good luck with your new venture Megan! You will be a smashing success. Love Londen and her home!!
This post is brilliant! Thanks for the inspiration! My daughter's room is the only room in the house that is in desperate need.
Really nice looking organization of any kind makes me salivate. I LOVE being organized, and I could seriously look at people's organized closets/toy shelves/cupboards/pantries all day long… Awesome.
Cute room! Love the chalkboard tags, great idea : ) Thanks for sharing with us!!!!!!!!!!
Paula
Oh wow that mural is beautiful!
Love hearing all the organistational ideas and also love the chalkboard tags!
Megan – that is so exciting you are now offering your services hun – good luck and hope you get lots of bookings!
Rachie xo
What a great room. Love the trees and birds! Thanks for sharing. liz
Beautiful room and such great storage ideas. -We have some storage baskets and we also refinished a wooden toy box that my Hubby's grandfather made him for when he was little… so we passed it down to our little guy 🙂
That mural is gorgeous!!
Megan, I am so excited for you! It would be so fun to have you come over and work your magic on a couple of my rooms! Thanks again for having me over today!
Londen
I just love this playroom…its so inspiring. I need to get our toys in order!
I found your blog through Centsational and was excited to find out you also live in the Houston area. This was the perfect blog post for me today for I am in the process of trying to figure out how to organize the little one's toys and play area. IT IS A MESS! and I need some organization. I had debated between a toy box or baskets and I think I'm leaning towards the labeled baskets. Thank you!
Good for you Megan, that would be an amazing career and I don't know anyone who would be better at it.
I wish we could have a designated space that looked that good for all the toys around here!
oh how i wish you lived closer! organization is the one thing i lack at. really. we could trade my furniture for your help organizing my home! 🙂
and by the way, i am a huge fan of londens- love the colorful playroom! i just want to move in there! the storage is fab, the paint is fab, and it is all just a huge does of fabulosity!
Hi – I found you through Emily! I'm so glad I did!
Love your home! I'm working hard at the moment trying to get my own house "organized"- it's not one of my best qualities 😉
xo- Carmel
Love that you made keeping it organized also very decorative. The colors are fun and I love the labels. I have declared 2011 my year of "The Purge"
I am also having a $75 container store giveaway on my blog, today is the last day to sign up!! Come on by if you have a chance, Kathysue
http://goodlifeofdesign.blogspot.com/
What a fantastic playroom! I love the way everything is organized, and I also love the design! What a fun place to play.
Hi Londen & Megan, I love organization and the chalkboard idea is a great one! Can't wait to try it out!
Lovely room!!! Ours starts off that way but doesn't stay that way for too long!!!
Here's a post I did recently on playrooms… if you're interested in more playroom inspiration! 🙂
http://www.desiretodecorate.com/search/label/Playrooms
great post!!!!! Love the playroom. I agree with "rotating" toys. Since I have 2 kids it seems we have a lot of "big" toys that can't be easily put into baskets/bins etc..I put them in our storage in our basement and will bring them when they get bored of their new toys. They didn't even notice they were missing! Ha!
Hello! I am new here and am already in love with your blog.
Wonderful inspiration. Thank you!
Am your newest follower.
x Charlotta
What a great playroom! And CONGRATS on your new business! How very exciting!
Love the labels and the playroom looks great!
That playroom still takes me breath away…it is right out of a PB catalog. Congrats on the new adventure Megan….let me know when you are in the Louisville area. 🙂
Cheers~
e
Megan, thank you for featuring Londen, whom we all love & follow! As I was reading her post, I was thinking this would also be ideal for dog toys, as we have dog toys and kid toys, except of course the pups don't read and have difficulty putting their toys away :0 but it would help us keep things slightly more organized!
Megan are you sure you don't want to come to Ohio to help me with my organization skills? Following your blog is a second best I suppose!
I love to organize too. It makes me so happy:)
Londen, this space is so fantastic. I just love it. It has remained one of my favorite spaces. What a happy and joyful place to play.
Congratulations on starting your own organizing business! I do wish you lived closer to me! I would enlist your services. You're fabulous at it. I love Londen's playroom. She and her husband have done a terrific job with it. It's so organized, colorful and whimsical. I love the handpainting mural on the wall and the apple green baskets with chalkboard labels. A fun play to play!
Beautiful room! I love how everything is so organized and by the way you are teaching your daughter to be organized by labeling everything! Take it from a teacher….great skill to have!
Great tips londen! I didn't even think to rotate toys…..
Megan, congrats on your new venture!!!
Love this!! We just made a play room too. It is so nice having a space for everything…makes clean-up very fast and easy!
http://www.cupcakemonkey.com/2011/01/play-timefinally.html
Love the walls! So adorable! Thanks for sharing.
Cristina from ohmyohme.com
I so love to see all of these organized spaces. Inspiring.