Decluttering and Organizing our home (part 1)

I'm sure I'm not the only one with dreams of having a perfectly clutter-free home. Especially for those with kids, it's such a struggle to keep everything neat and orderly with their endless toys, books, clothes, and shoes everywhere! I mean you've just put back all their toys in the bin and arranged their books on the shelf, and barely 10 minutes have passed and they dump everything on the floor again! Honestly, why do we even bother?!

Anyway, I've been seeing a lot of those professional organizers online these days, hired by celebrities to tidy up their closets. I wish I had the budget for one, but I know I can do it as long as I put my mind to it! Challenge accepted! ;p

Vacuum bags

I've been looking for vacuum bags for the longest time now, and I finally chanced upon an online seller with some affordable products.

The company is called XPLORE and aside from vacuum compressed bags, they also sell stuff like foldable boots, luggage scale, perfume atomizer and other latest travel products.

I emailed them to inquire and got a reply very quickly. The 60x80cm vacuum bags (2pcs/set) were P199 and you get 20% discount if you get at least 4 sets. Free delivery too.

So I got 4 sets for a grand total of P637 (for 8 bags all in all) and they got delivered two days after I deposited the payment. Super fast and efficient service. :)

I've been wanting to store some of my out of season clothes plus those that don't fit me right now (since I'm preggy) as well as some of the kids' stuff, and it's been quite a challenge fitting them all inside orocan boxes. Plus, I've always wanted to use these when we travel to save space in our luggage.

Anyway, the vacuum bags are so easy to use. Just put all your clothes in and close the bag like you would a regular ziplock bag.

Open the valve and use a vacuum cleaner to suck the air out. You can also do it manually by compressing the bag by hand to push the air out.

Close the valve and you're all done! Instant space saver, plus I love how the stuff inside are protected since it's airtight and waterproof. :)

Anyway, for inquiries and orders, you can check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/xploreunli. Or call 09998193543 / 09178227787 / 6246249 or email xploreunli@gmail.com.

Closet Clean-up (stage 1)

Sometimes, I just get that feeling that I have to do something NOW. My closet has been in a state of disarray since forever, plus I've always been meaning to put away clothes that don't fit or I don't use anymore. So one morning, when both kids were still asleep, the urge to fix my closet suddenly came over me and I finally got started on it...

Well, it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. One thing I find hard to do is let go of things especially when there's a particular memory attached to it. I kept thinking "aww hubby bought this for me" or "I wore this when hubby and I went to this place, or during this event, or when we were on vacation...blah blah blah"  Or even if I know I probably won't wear something ever again, or it doesn't even fit me anymore, there's this little voice telling me "what if it goes back in style?" or "what if you need this in the future?" and so on and so forth... You get the idea.

I started with just my shirts and tops first (still have pants, skirts and dresses to do... and also shoes!) and at the end my organizing, I had like a small pile I was sure I didn't like anymore and a HUGE PILE I was on the fence about letting go. So in the end, I just kept that huge pile in the bodega. At least I've freed some closet space for now... Hmmm time to go shopping for new clothes? Hahaha kidding! ;p

Repost: 50 Life Hacks to Simplify your World

I just read this article and it has completely changed my world! Haha! No seriously! According to the article, "Life hacks are little ways to make our lives easier. These low-budget tips and trick can help you organize and de-clutter space; prolong and preserve your products; or teach you something that you simply did not know before."

Here's some of my favorites, which mostly deal with organizing and for doing home improvement stuff. I'm telling you, GENIUS!

Remember how I fixed my internet and phone cords? This is a great alternative without having to buy a cable organizer.

I've been saving my toilet paper rolls for future arts & crafts projects, but nice to know I can also use them to organize stuff.

super smart and CUTE idea!

this is a perfect tip for my hubby, when he drills more of my picture frames on the wall ;p

this I've been doing ever since =)

I also use my hair iron to straighten creased gift wrapping ribbons

Aren't these life hacks fabulous? So simple and yet they make a world of difference. And I love how they make use of normal everyday things you have lying around the house. I am so trying out some of these tips and letting you know how they turn out. =)

To view the whole article, click HERE.

Early Christmas presents

My in-laws finally came home from their US vacation a few weeks ago. And while we, especially the kids, missed them so much, this also meant one thing... PASALUBONG for everyone! ;p

I felt like a giddy kid waking up on Christmas morning all set to open Christmas presents. But this time, I was eagerly awaiting the opening of the balikbayan boxes haha! Although I already knew the stuff I was going to get since I had already searched for these online and even ordered some of it myself. ;p

First up were these fabric cube bins from Target. They come in many colors but I just got the beige ones to blend in with our white shelf (which I got from S&R). They're just perfect for holding stray toys and books in the kids' room.

from Target

now it looks more organized!

stuffed toys in one of the drawers

plus a bonus OWL drawer too, which the kids love wearing on their head!

My daughter Miley is super addicted to Bubble Guppies so I really searched online if they had any toys available in the States. I found these at Amazon.com and I'm so happy they were able to buy all 3 characters! My mother-in-law emailed a picture of the toys when they got it and Miley was so excited already. I even asked her the day before her Mama and Lolo came home: "Miley, are you excited? Mama will be here tomorrow!" And you know what she said: "Then I'll have my Bubble Guppies!" (talagang un ang priority? haha!)

from Amazon.com

And finally, what I was most excited about! If you read my post about my favorite online shop, you know how crazy I am over Urban Outfitters' home stuff! I regularly browse their Apartment Section, especially the SALE items, and these were the things I ended up getting:

from Urban Outfitters

from Urban Outfitters

I wanted to get more bedding stuff but I decided to wait and check the quality first. But it's REALLY GOOD! I totally love the prints and the colors are so vibrant in real life. I am definitely buying more in the future when I have relatives going to the States again so they can bring it home for me.

I also bought this cardboard deer head for Sabe's room. Can't wait to assemble and put it up!

from Urban Outfitters

We also had other pasalubongs like clothes, shoes, and of course sooooo much stuff for the kids! It definitely felt like Christmas in our house! I was telling hubby maybe the kids shouldn't get all the toys at once since they'll be so overwhelmed. But of course, their grandparents were so excited to pamper the little ones after being away for so long. As for me, I'm super happy with my new goodies. Oh, and the best part? That "amoy PX" smell! I could spend all day sniffing our new stuff, feeling ko galing na din akong States hahaha! ;p

Damage-free hanging hooks

You must know that my hubby absolutely hates drilling anything into our walls. He likes the minimalist look so it drives him nuts whenever he sees me buying picture frames or planning a new wall gallery. Even a simple task of drilling a towel bar in one of our bathrooms has been put off for months! I want to do it myself but power tools scare me and I might end up doing further damage than good. So I've taken matters into my own hands. No more nails, screws or anything that requires puncturing a hole in the walls. I've started stocking up on those heavy duty double-sided tapes which I can use to mount my frames (which I did for my new wallart here). While in Handyman, I also saw these 3M adhesive hooks which was perfect for this project I wanted to do for the kids' room. It was a bit pricey at P200 for 2 hooks but the cute, bold colors really sucked me in (there were much cheaper options but in white). On the bright side, it came with a free microfiber wipe cloth. =)

Anyway, I've been wanting to put hooks in the walls to hang some of the kids' stuff like their backpacks. Not only does it make use of wall space, but the stuff you hang sort of acts like a decoration as well. By mounting the hooks at the kids' height, I hope to teach them to be more organized by allowing them to put their own stuff away. =)

What's good about these hooks is only the base is mounted. The actual hook can be taken out so I can even interchange it with another color if I want to. =)

The only problem? Once Sabe noticed this new addition to their room, he instantly wanted to play with the hooks and kept pulling on them! Well, I think it was only because he saw me taking photos. On a regular day when the backpacks are hanging on them, he mostly leaves them alone. =)

So far, the hooks are hanging pretty well despite the pulling and tugging of the kids. I'm definitely planning to put another set at the opposite wall soon. =)

Splurge vs Save: Little Black Dress jewelry organizer

I was doing some online window shopping when I came across this product in Zalora:

zalora.com.ph

At first, I thought there was some kind of mistake with the price but then since the brand was Umbra, I figured it was really that expensive. The reason I did a double take was because I had just bought this very similar (and I guess fake ;p) organizer from Divisoria a few weeks ago. It was being sold for P100 each, but if you bargain (and depends on how many you get), it can go down to as low as P70.

It doesn't come with a hanger, has less hooks and clear pockets, and the shape is less defined than the one from Umbra. But for the price, I'll stick with my Divisoria buy anyday! =)

Neat freak

I've been bitten by the nesting bug. And no I'm not pregnant. It's just than lately, I've been wanting to organize everything, no matter how small, in the house. Seeing clutter really gets me in a bad mood. First things first, these annoying phone and internet cables. I've been hiding them under the table but it's really such a mess to look at. With a little help from a plastic cable organizer, it 's not such a eyesore anymore. =)

I also found the time to organize under the sink. I wasn't able to take a before shot, but trust me, it was a hot mess in there. Especially the bottom shelf where all the bottles were just scattered around. My kids, especially Sabe, love going inside our bathroom to rummage inside this cabinet. Just a few plastic bins to separate the products and it looks so much better now.

Next on my list is our pantry and kitchen cabinets. But first, I need more storage bins! =)

Crazy over storage! (Howards Storage World vs. Daiso Japan Store)

I'm a self-confessed shopaholic. I realized though that the things I go gaga over usually depend on what stage in my life I’m on. I’ve been crazy over clothes ever since, but it skyrocketed when I first started college and finally stopped wearing a uniform. When I started working and had to wear corporate attire, it was an excuse for me to restock my closet with slacks, skirts, collared blouses, and of course, new shoes and bags (hey, I NEEDED them)! When I moved to a new job in an advertising agency where the dress code was pretty much express yourself, I felt that it was unforgivable to wear the same thing twice (yes, with a new job comes a new wardrobe) . When I got pregnant with Miley, I got obsessed with anything baby! It was no surprise that the day before I went into labor, I was at Mothercare during my lunch break, buying stuff for Miley (they were on SALE!).

Of course, when we bought our house, I went crazy thinking about how to decorate our home. Since we just stayed with my mom before, all we owned was whatever was in our room. Everything else, we had to buy (yipeeee!) I’ll do a separate post on my interior decorating adventures, but for now let me tell you about what I am currently obsessed with – STORAGE!

I first read about Howards Storage World in Real Living magazine (my bible on decorating). I decided to check out their website and my heart started racing when I saw their online catalogue. They had everything you could ever need to keep your home organized and clutter free. I made a list of what I wanted and pretty much gave up halfway through, it was easier to make a list of what I DIDN’T want!