Organizing my vanity - with help from Office Depot

A couple of months ago I shared my beautiful vanity that I updated and painted. It's a beauty and I'm enjoying it everyday.

What I'm not enjoying is the lack of organization that has ensued! I've been trying to think of a good way to get this beauty organized and how I could better it's function.

Then, along came Office Depot - and they challenged me to find new ways to use their office products. OK, I LOVE a good organizing challenge - not kidding, I really love it! And I also really love thinking of fun ways to organize with stuff that isn't meant for it's original purpose! So, this is the perfect solution for me!

My first idea - to "organize" with file folders, but not in the conventional way! I used the file folders as drawer liners! What? Yes, as drawer liners. Why file folders? Well, they are thick and strong and can serve well with what I needed. But, instead of just cutting up file folders and throwing them in the bottom of the drawer, I laminated them! Oh, the blessed laminator - I do love that thing!

I took out the drawer, measured the bottom and then cut up the file folder to the appropriate size. I ran them through my laminator and then trimmed each one. The reason I did this is that it will make it super easy to clean. I can just lift it out of the drawer and wipe off. Oh, and I'm AWFUL at lining drawers with contact paper - seriously, awful! It always looks a mess and it winds up stuck to itself. Well, this is WAY easier. WAY easier!

After I got the drawers lined, which took no more time to cut and laminate than if I'd used contact paper, but way less stressful. I used some office products to organize the drawers. 

This is the one that I thought really made sense. It's a Brocade Desk Organizer - pretty, but functional. It's metal, so it was perfect to use to hold my flat iron and curling iron {yes, that curling iron is about 20 years old, don't judge}. My hair dryer folds up perfectly next to the drawer desk organizer AND it's pretty! Score!

Just so you know, I also have an extension cord that I have put in the drawer by threading it through the back and over the drawer. My original idea was to drill a hole in the drawer, but it turns out that I didn't have to as their was a little opening in the back. It opens and closes fine and I can plug all my appliances into this one extension cord.

Sometimes simple organizing is best - like this drawer with my brushes. 

My favorite drawer is this middle drawer. My make up was everywhere, but with such a short and shallow drawer it was hard to figure out how to keep it all contained while organizing. I used a desk drawer organizer!

I love this and it's working well on a daily basis.

The last thing I did was use the Brocade letter sorter as a stand for my Mini-Ipad. I like to have it on there in the morning to listen to music or just check up on stuff and having it sit on my vanity. It's pretty -- you can't buy a stand like this that is so pretty! And, it's functional. I can always move it around the house to use elsewhere, too! 

What do you think? Had you imagined you could organize with office products this way? 

*I was compensated to do this post about Office Depot's fabulous products.

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Welcome, this is Organizing Made Fun's product review blog . If you'd like to find more organizing ideas, go HERE and you will find a bunch!

National Car Rental: Go Like an Organizing Pro

I have teamed up with National Car Rental to help you "Go Like a Pro" and bring you some tips so you can Organize like a Pro on your next business {or pleasure} trip!





I recommend getting a smart charger for your phone. I got one that is awesome! When you are traveling and are losing power between airplanes, airports, and your rental car you need something to charge up your device and this is perfect when you can't get to a power outlet!



Like I said in the video, organizing for the airport is almost as important as the whole trip itself. One of the important parts to getting organized for the airport is having a travel wallet.

This travel wallet can take the place of what you would normally use, since it's for business and you need it for a different purpose. However, this would also be quite useful for any trip, especially an international trip. 

You have your ID ready to pull out and show. Plus your mileage, club cards, and any hotel cards there with it. You can keep your main travel credit card along with this so you aren't having to locate all that in a sea of cards that would be in your other wallet. Having one specified credit card for your travel keeps everything organized when you get the statement and can see all the places you've spent money. This wallet can also hold your passport along with receipts from your trip.

The bag you take with you - your carry-on - is also very important. This particular bag has enough room for my laptop plus a lot more. It holds a ton and can help me keep organized while I'm at the airport. 

These clothing organizers are so great because you can put your folded clothing inside and then grab everything out at once, which is great in the airport if you have just a carry-on so you don't have clothes spilling out everywhere. 

Another great way to keep yourself organized is to use this purse organizer inside the carry-on to hold your other purse-type items. 

Carry your make up in the bag in a nice organized make up bag, as well! If you lose your luggage, replacing your make up will probably be harder than your clothing. But if you have a change of clothes with you, you'll be set!


Being prepared and planning ahead for your trip {whether business or pleasure} is sure to help you be prepared for any bumps that come up!

Free WiFi at airports is HERE. 

*National Car Rental compensated me for this post to help you get organized!

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*There are affiliate links in this post.

Cozi is the way to organize your family!

Have you ever felt like you needed to keep better track of your family's schedule, maybe you have more than one schedule each person? Do you like using your smart phone, tablet, or computer? Well, I'm going to tell you, THIS is the app for you!

Cozi is my favorite digital calendar. I have been using it for YEARS. Imagine how excited I was when they contacted me to tell how they want to offer any NEW sign ups {and their loyal Cozi users} an opportunity to win an Ipad!! 

Well, first, I want to tell you why I like Cozi so much and why I use it. Before my kids were big enough to really have much of a schedule, I used Cozi. They had school, sports, or activities and such and I wanted to keep each one in a place that I could get to but still see it separately.

And let's face it, some times communication between husband and wife isn't 100% there, right? Well, my hubby ACTUALLY uses Cozi. Seriously, if you knew my hubby you'd be shocked! He'll say "did you see the event I put on the Cozi" or "Well, I put it on Cozi". It's his attempt at trying to keep me up to date as to what extra business stuff he's got going on after work or places he'll need to be, and letting me know cause he knows I check Cozi every night to see what is lined up for the next day. Each member of the family can put in their activity and keep up on their own calendar. My son is now a teenager and is starting to need to keep track of some of his own stuff and add things for me to know. So, it's a great way for him to start that. My daughter's schedule is on there, too. Oh, and I just found out that you can link up your other calendars - like Google calendar and Outlook - to Cozi! So, now I've got to get my hubby's work calendar synced up so I can keep better track of things, too!

But, Cozi is more than just a calendar to keep track of schedules. You can use it to make lists. You can use it to keep track of groceries when you're out shopping - think about how many times you've accidentally left your list at home or maybe find yourself with time to stop somewhere but don't know what you need! You can also set up to-do lists - like maybe your spring cleaning list!

Cozi is FREE - yes, people, FREE! I recently upgraded to Cozi GOLD and it's got even more stuff than the FREE, without any advertising. It also includes a birthday tracker - SUPER handy - and a meal planner. I love all the extras cause it just makes it an even better app for doing just about everything you need!

Are you a Cozi user already? Good for you! You can enter the giveaway, too, by sending an email to:

cozipromo@cozi.com

Include “Kindle giveaway” in the subject line

Then, in the body of your email, type in "Organizing Made Fun" somewhere.

If you aren't already a Cozi user, why not? It's FREE and it's going to help you out a bunch - like it does for me! Go HERE and sign up for FREE!! Then you can get the apps for your Iphone, Android, Ipad, Nook, Kindle, or just about any other device!

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I was paid compensation from Cozi to talk about how fabulous their app is!