Organizing baby clothes that no longer fit can be challenging. If you are planning on putting clothes away for future or plan on giving away be sure to keep the seasons and sizes in mind. Note newborn, baby and toddler sizes and include the months worn. For instance 3, 6, 9 months summer, winter or fall. Some consignment shops will only take clothes by season so you will want to be sure and separate. Some brands run big, small, shrink or stretch out. Be sure to write notes about the clothes when packing away so its easy to restock in the future.
Some labels include the weight. This is helpful when trying to figure out when they will be able to wear. If your clothes do not include weight, check the store tag or go online for the company's sizing chart.

Do your kids have too many stuffed animals? Does organizing these little lovies get harder and harder because the they continue to multiply over the years? A great way to solve the overcrowding of toys is to purge and give them away to other kids who would be thrilled to have a new friend. If your kids have a favorite toy take a picture of the two of them together and then say goodbye. Classic Kids Photography in Chicago is having a special event where they will take a photo of your favorite toy then donate the toy to The Primo Center for Women and Children

Thinking about redesigning your closet with custom shelving? Be sure to follow a few of these organizing tips before finalizing the measurements. Go through all of your clothes, shoes and accessories and decide what you want to keep. Purge anything you no longer need or love. Next, count your long hanging clothing, short hanging clothing, shoes and accessories. Measure the amount of space they will need. If you switch out your seasonal clothing be sure to customize your closet for all seasons. Look over your clothing and make sure you plan for everything that will be stored here and additions. If you have more shoes in the summer and tall boots for winter be sure you plan enough space for all footwear. Continue taking stock of other items such as sweaters, jackets and anything else that changes in your wardrobe through the seasons.

Storage bins are an a professional organizers #1 tool next to the label maker. They come in all shapes, sizes, textures with or without lids. I like to use storage bins with lids because they can stack on top of each other. Perfect for storing out of season clothes or shoes in the top of your closet. One thing to think about when using this type of organizing solution is if you use the items on a regular basis. And will this work for you when accessing items? Sometimes drawers are a better solution because they are easy to open close.

My absolute favorite organizing tool is the clear storage bin. Clear storage bins can be used in almost any area. They come in many shapes and sizes and are so very useful in organizing because they are clear and you can see the contents! We usually add a label to the clear bin and often use in areas behind closed doors. We can store everything from shoes, boots, sweaters, office supplies, crafts, to bulkier items like blankets and use for under bed storage. They are very durable and the best part is they are great for stacking.

Any space that holds things can be organized. Here's a few of my favorite my favorite tools for keeping your closet organized.

Belt Hanger

The belt hanger is great for hanging belts and it doesn't take up a lot of space. If you have a lot of belts you can keep them organized by separating on either side by color, size or texture.

Tie Organizer

Men get a lot of ties and can be hard to keep organized. A tie hanger is an easy addition to the closet. The ties hang from the hanger, don't get wrinkled and they are easy to see. You can also use it to store necklaces. They won’t get tangled up like they do in a jewelry drawer.

Scarf Organizer - Scarves are tricky because of their fabric, shape and size. Often when you

fold scarves you cant see them all, they get creases or they slip all over. This scarf hanger fits

easily on the closet rod and its easy to see and access all of your scarves. You can organize

by color, style and sometimes brand.

My sister was doing a great job organizing her super fabulous closets. She pulled out her prized cashmere sweater collection and put into bags. She continued to switch over to her winter wardrobe. As she went through her closet she began to also purge items she did not want and put those items into bags. Soon she would make a trip to the Salvation Army for donation. I got a call from her later saying "I dropped off my entire cashmere sweater collection the the Salvation Army"!
It is no fun when this happens. Thats why you have to keep track of what you are keeping and what is trash or donation. I recommend 2 colors of bags when you are organizing. White trash bags for donation and black trash bags for garbage. If you need to label the white bags with a sharpie its a cinch! Write donation, friends, family whatever label you need. Just be sure to label bags when you cant see whats inside!

After helping your house guests get settled be sure to give them a tour of your home so they know where to find things like extra blankets and towels. Find their favorite T.V programs and show them how to navigate your TV remote controls. Finally give your guests a coffee maker demonstration and show them where you keep the coffee, cream, sugar and cups. This is extremely helpful if they wake before you or you are not home and it will make your guest feel more at home.

Double Duty Bedrooms

Many people have guest bedrooms that double as home offices. Here are some tips to keep the office part functional, while maintaining the bedroom comfort for guests.

1. Flat screen LCD monitors can do double duty as a computer monitor and a television. Many offer a switch so that you can plug the cable and monitor cord into the screen and switch between them. Or tv cards are available for many computers that not only allow you to feed the tv signal through your computer, but also allows you to split the screen so you can watch tv while you work. In addition, most tv cards come with a program that works like TIVO, allowing you to record your favorite shows right to your computer hard drive.

2. Daybeds are a nice way to to provide sleeping space and a comfortable place to read. But dont underestimate Murphy beds or sleeper sofas. Advances in technology and manufacturing have eliminated that uncomfortable bar that we all identify sofa beds with, and Murphy beds have made a big come back by using advanced materials such as carbon fiber. These new materials make them lighter and increase the design possibilities.

3. Opt for shelving units that close up so when guests stay you can hide your work behind closed doors.

I hope these simple tips help you arrange your guest bedroom/office so that you can create a productive and comfortable space.

Take care.