Best Storage & Organization Products at The Container Store...

Courtesy of Laura James

Hi Friends,

With expandable drawer organizers, makeup storage solutions, packing cubes and more, shop these problem-solvers and go into the season with decluttered, organized spaces.

Keep in mind: Price and stock could change after publish date, and we may make money from these links.

It may feel like summer, but it's technically still spring, so if you haven't gotten around to spring cleaning and decluttering - it's not too late! If you're looking for a little motivation to tackle the clutter zones in your home or get organized before taking a vacation, The Container Store has a varity of storage solution that might just give you the push you need. Save on everything from bath storage to luggage organizers.

Maximize your storage under sinks, organize your makeup, corral clutter in drawers and start your days with clean, clutter-free bathrooms. These drawer organizers, stackable bins and more will help solve your storage and organization problems in bathrooms and beyond.

InterDesign Linus Section Trays

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Expandable Drawer Organizer

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Umbra Grey Flex Shower Caddy

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Clear Stackable Plastic Storage Bins

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Stackable Makeup System

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Flint Retractable Lint Roller

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Whether for business or pleasure, get ready and organized for summer travel with discounts on products like a wet bag for swimsuits after days at the beach or a game-changing lint roller for easy on-the-go touch-ups on business trips (or just everyday life with pets).

Travel Happens Cactus Wet Bag

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Eagle Creek Spector Pack-It Compression Set

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Two-Handed Luggage Scale

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Samsonite 22-Inch Black Four-Wheeled Luggage

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12-Drawer Storage Chest

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Corral loose papers in your work space or get organized for tackling a summer sewing or craft project with rolling drawer storage, desk organizers and more.

ArtBin Double Deep Satchel

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Like-It Paper Storage Solution

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Opaque Modular Stackable Drawers

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Stackable Craft Organizer Drawers

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Live well,
Yvonne

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Photo Compliments of Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Hi Friends,

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech on Wednesday, August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington, DC. Words that resound in our history today, however, most publications only reveal a portion of the speech and we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share the speech in it's entirety.

I HAVE A DREAM
By Martin Luther King, Jr.
Wednesday, August 28, 1963

"I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.

But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

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Live well,
Yvonne

Tips for Maintaining an Organized Living Room...

Courtesy of HGTV

Hi Friends,

These simple tips for organizing your main gathering space will put the family back in your family room.

1. Welcome the Wastebasket

Design by Jennifer Jones

If trash tends to accumulate in the family room, adding a wastebasket might cut down on clutter. Few family rooms actually have a wastebasket in them; they're not attractive and they can smell. Counteract this by choosing a can that fits your room's decor. If you know food will be thrown away here, get one with a lid and some deodorizing trash bags.

2. Keep Flat Surfaces Clutter-free
Papers, books, brochures and magazines tend to accumulate on flat surfaces all around the house, and the family room is no different. "You need a household information center, and the family room may be where that happens," says Julie Morgenstern, author of Organizing from the Inside Out. In fact, the family room is often more cluttered because it's a central gathering place in the house. A two drawer lateral file is Morgenstern's ideal recommendation - on average she says that's really how much paper it takes to run a home. If you don't have the floor space, a stackable file cart will do.

Make a quick sweep of all flat surfaces by piling papers in a bin, then sorting and purging as necessary. Take a vow, and get your family to follow it, to put papers in files rather than on the coffee table.

3. Control Out-of-Control Cords
Until the world goes wireless, we'll forever be stuck with tangled cables behind our entertainment centers. Fortunately, there are several options for taming cords in the family room. The most attractive is the slim Cableyoyo. It neatly coils up to six feet of cord and comes with an adhesive backing that sticks onto nearly any surface. A cable caddy usually sticks onto a desktop (or behind the TV console) and has a space for several cables to clamp into. Your cords will still dangle freely, however, so a cable zipper, which encloses all the cables in a tube, might be the best bet.

Design by Fernandez and True Interiors; Photo by Sherwood Cox

4. Create a Play Zone
If toys are taking over your family room, it's time to put them in timeout. Unused corners of a family room transform into great play areas because the walls serve to block encroaching clutter. Corners are also good areas to put a small bookcase or children's table. Add rolling bins for toy storage so your child doesn't have to feel confined, but is encouraged to pick up after he or she is done playing.

5. Coffee Table Functionality
If you have a coffee table (or forgot you had one due to the clutter) it's time to reassess its organizational capacity. Coffee tables that look great but don't have any storage for magazines, remote controls or even drink coasters, are probably making life more difficult. If you don't have the budget for a new one, consider adding low storage cubes, rolling baskets or bins to stick under the table.

6. Designate a Game Area

Carlos Domenech
Design by Deborah Wecselman

For a family that likes to play together, a game cabinet for board games and cards is both functional and fun. Games usually end up in a TV armoire, but it's helpful to designate a separate space for them, whether in another shelving unit, a bookcase or in plastic containers below the sofa (if the sofa has a skirt). Creating a single game space will free up other areas of the room for storage. If a computer is part of your gaming area, Julie Morgenstern recommends against a computer armoire. She's rarely seen them work well and recommends instead a desk that has a separate work surface, paper storage and a surface for the monitor.

7. Creatively Display Photos
If you have a lot of small, photo frames that tend to clutter your family room it's time to take control by displaying them in new ways. Photo albums and collage frames are great options for storing lots of photos at once, and a digital photo frame is especially handy for those who don't use film. Don't just use the mantel or side tables; use vertical space on the wall. Organizing your photos by date or occasion in photo boxes is especially helpful for scrapbookers, who can keep these in one central location on a bookshelf.

8. Take Advantage of Space Behind the Sofa
Organize extra blankets, pillows, candles in an accessible place - behind the sofa. It's a great place to put a trunk, cabinet or low bookcase. Plus, it gives you another surface to put a lamp or show off some treasured objects.

9. Sort Your Movie Collection

This modern living room is sleek and organized with the wall length bookshelf containing a large collection of books. The gray draper sofa sits adjacent to a single white chair. The elegance of the organized living room is accentuated by the pop art portrait of Jackie O.

Multimedia like DVDs, videotapes and CDs are staples of the family room. Take 30 minutes to begin sorting your entire collection, making two piles: one for keeping and one for selling back or donating. If you no longer listen to the music or haven't seen the movie in ages (and don't plan on seeing it again), it's time to let go. There are plenty of options for storing your sorted collection: DVD towers, in a bookcase, ottoman or the drawers of a coffee table. Find a system that works for you.

10. Grow Your Houseplants
It can be a jungle in the family room if you have a green thumb. Organize your plants with a cute plant stand or several decorative pots. The type of houseplants you have will determine where you'll place them in the room, so keep that in mind when looking for a stand. Stands typically come in corner, pedestal and tiered configurations and some even have drawers so you can keep your fertilizer and watering can nearby.

11. Curb Your Collectible Enthusiasm
Collections, if you're not careful, can take over valuable storage space in a family room and can be even harder to organize. Large collections display best when bits and pieces are shown at a time (think shadow boxes) and rotated to keep the decor fresh. Cut your displayed collection in half by putting half of the pieces into an appropriately sized container and storing it in a hall closet. For added value, personal or otherwise, keep an inventory of each piece (date acquired, date of piece, description/significance) in the storage bin.

Julie Morgenstern
Website: juliemorgenstern.com

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Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!

Live well,
Yvonne

An 8-Step Game Plan for the Reluctant Minimalist...

Courtesy of Erica Reitman

Hi Friends,

I'm guessing you've heard the "ditch everything in your home that doesn't bring you joy" advice before? I'm also guessing that you may have rolled your eyes when you heard it. If you're interested in exploring the concept of minimalism but you're not quite ready to purge everything, you might be a reluctant minimalist. This means you're not quite ready to commit to the life-changing magic of, well, anything, but you do want to make sure that your home is organized, purposeful and not overrun with crap.

I've put together a step-by-step game plan for all of you wannabe minimalists who still might be skeptical of this whole minimalism thing.

1: Time to Purge (But Not Everything)

Look, I can't really tackle this minimalism thing without doing a bit of purging. But don't worry — I'm not going to make you get rid of everything in your closet. And if you happen to have a collection of 54 rolls of wrapping paper that you can't give up, that's cool, too. However, I want you to look at your space and do an honest assessment of anything that really is ready to go.

A good place to start is in your closet. But this shouldn't feel like a scary assignment; you're really just taking a look at anything you don't wear anymore and making room for new stuff. ThredUp is an online vintage clothing site that will send you a "Clean Out" envelope. Basically, you put all of your unwanted clothes in there, then put your pre-paid package back in the mail. They take care of everything else. They'll look through your clothing, see what they might be able to resell and donate anything they can't. It's simple.

Amazon also just started a program that makes it easy to donate clothing, accessories or household goods you don't need anymore. Simply take an Amazon box from any of your recent deliveries, fill it with items you'd like to donate, then print a shipping label from givebackbox.com. Once they receive your items, they'll donate them to local charity organizations for you.

2: Whatever You Keep Needs a Home

Alex Deringer and Courtney Cox; 2 Ivy Lane

Once you've done your mini-purge, you need to assess everything that's staying. Your rule should be: If it stays, it must have a home. So that means: If you want to keep your 54 rolls of wrapping paper, you need some place to put them all. (And in a plastic bag behind the couch doesn't count.)

If you're keeping items that don't have a home right now, no problem — you just need to find one for them. This might mean buying a few bins for your shelves or cleaning out a closet to make more room for your craft supplies. Just make sure that if something is staying, it has a place to go.

3: Organize Spaces You've Ignored

Marian Parsons, Mustard Seed Interiors

While you're in organizing mode, now is a good time to also tackle those forgotten spots in your house. For most of us, this might mean junk drawers, linen closets, attics, basements or even the garage.

If this feels like an overwhelming task, commit to tackling one of them one day a month until you feel like the space is organized.

4: Develop Systems

Melissa George, Polished Habitat

Developing systems for dealing with your stuff will help ensure that your home doesn't get to an out-of-control state again. Each family has different needs, but you can develop systems based on all of your own habits.

This might include developing a system for dealing with receipts (set up a catchall bin in your office), managing the mounds of laundry in your home (adding pretty hampers to each room) or even a system for handling the groceries when you come back from the store. Once you have your systems in place, practice sticking with them. It might take a while, but eventually, they'll become habits.

5: Take a Deep Dive Into Each Room

Now is also a good time to take a good, hard look at each room in your house to ensure it's functioning the way you need it to. For example, if your daughter's room is always a mess, figure out a way to keep things more orderly by adding a chest so you can quickly get toys and books out of the way or by pulling in some baskets that can slide under the bed to store messy items.

6: Bring Less Into Your House

Another great way to ensure that you keep your space feeling clutter-free is to bring fewer things in. If you're sick of piles of mail all over the place, keep a recycling bin in your garage so you can ditch any unwanted letters or catalogs before bringing them into the house. Try setting up a designated space to store extra shopping bags so you can hide them away as soon as you're done unloading your groceries. If you're feeling a bit overloaded with kids' art, create an area in your mudroom or garage to file away each child's creations.

7: Get Your Family Involved

Julie Soefer Photography

Another great way to get on the minimalism train (and make sure you stay there) is to get your family involved. Teach your kids about giving by donating things they're no longer using. Set up one day per month where you and your kids go through their toys and clothes and pick out anything they might be willing to donate. You can set a goal of three items per month so it doesn't feel overwhelming. Call it "Giving Day," and put a note on your calendar so you don't forget.

8: Give Yourself a Break

James Angus and Jamie Bolton, The Cavender Diary

This is, perhaps, the most important rule for the reluctant minimalist — remember to give yourself a break. There's no one perfect way to go minimal in your home. The fact that you're even thinking about minimalism and making small efforts is a really big deal. So don't worry if you're not ready to tackle everything on this list. Maybe just pick one and start from there. Baby steps are totally A-OK.

Check back for more great ideas from your friends at Interior Design!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!

Live well,
Yvonne

Happy New Year!

Hi Friends,

May the New Year bring you joy, prosperity and good fortune...

Happy New Year from your friends at Interior Design!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!

Live well,
Yvonne