How Annie Organizes Her Nightstand

This week's 'How I Organize' guest is new pal and professional organizer, Annie of Live Simply. She gives us a look at how she beautifully organizes her nightstand:

My nightstand is small, meaning that I have to keep it really streamlined. I do most of my reading and note-taking in my bed, so for me its important to keep pens, highlighters and sticky notes on hand. Since I always sleep with my hair tied back, my nightstand also has hair ties or a clip. There is nothing worse than being on the verge of sleep, only to realize that you have to get up to get a hair elastic! I also apply hand moisturizer and chapstick right before I go to sleep, so having those two things within arms reach is a must.

I like to keep a cup of water next to my bed as well. For a long time this meant that I would end up with a collection of cups on my nightstand and none in the kitchen. I finally solved that problem by purchasing a special cup meant only for my bedside. I don’t bring cups from the kitchen upstairs because I know that cup is there, and I since I only use it for water (and it’s only me using it) I feel fine about simply washing it in the bathroom sink with soap and water.

I keep a small stack of books by my bedside, but make sure that they are only the ones I am currently reading. If it’s completed or neglected, then back to the shelf it goes!

How Maggie Organizes Her Bathroom Cabinet

The How I Organize series, which gives us a peek at how others organize their homes, is back! I've got some fabulous participants lined up. First up is my friend and Seattle-based interior decorator, Maggie of Maggie Rose Interiors (who just launched a new e-book!).  She shares with us today how she organizes her bathroom cabinet:

Our apartment has no under-sink storage, but it came with a generously sized cupboard in the corner near the door. It's not the prettiest thing to look at, but it holds a LOT of stuff! It's nice to have everything at eye-level instead of getting down on your knees on the bathroom floor to dig stuff out from under the sink. 

The top shelf (out of my reach!) holds infrequently used items like beach towels, a small tub for soaking, and back-up bulk kleenex. The next shelf holds back-up toilet paper (we keep 3 rolls in a glass vase near the toilet so guests don't have to scrounge), once-in-a-while beauty and health products, travel supplies in a shoebox, and our first aid kit (blue bin on the right). The third shelf from the top holds towels (holds up to four plus our two in rotation), hand towels, cleaner, and the heavy kitty litter box - I wish there was a better place to stash that, but the litter box is in the bathroom, so it makes sense. The bottom shelf is the most frequently used and easiest to reach. I have a basket for everyday items (hairdryer, etc), occasional items (feminine products, curling iron), and the basket on the right holds all the washcloths. It's not uber-glamorous but it IS uber-functional and I can find everything quickly. Maybe someday I'll get around to painting or wall-papering the inside, but for now, it does its job!