Creating a “Home Organizer”

This past weekend as I was enjoying the sun and catching up on my catalogues, I got a phone call from my sister. It seems my darling nephew had somehow scratched their newly faux-finished entry wall with his drivable mini Range Rover. I thumbed through the new Pottery Barn as I listened to my sister panic because she couldn’t remember what paint we had selected for that wall. After briefly throwing around strange (and somewhat amusing) combinations of paint names, we realized we had no idea what colors we had used.

It was this dilemma that prompted my Monday morning search into the world of the “Home Organizer”. Some call it the “Home Bible”, some the “Home Notebook”, but they are all pretty much the same version of this wonderful invention. Of all the organization websites I visited, the basic idea was the same. A three ring binder or notebook is used for room by room home record keeping. This can include (but is not limited to) storage for information on paint, flooring, tile, window treatments, appliances and more. The binder or notebook usually comes with dividers, but might also include pockets, business card holders, or photo sleeves that can be used to compile and store vendor info. For those of you DIY-ers out there, compiling your own Home Organizer can be a simple weekend project with all supplies purchased at your local office supply store. If a pre-made version is easier for you, my two favorites are http://zingpress.com/pages/Ultimate.aspx & http://www.brightworkshome.com/index.html

This week I plan on compiling a Home Organizer not only for my sister and her child-filled household, but for my single best friend as well. She just bought her first home, and I plan to give it to her as a housewarming gift. Staying organized during those critical times can ultimately simplify the design process, and make finding those paint chips a breeze the next time your little one decides to use the entry as a race track.