home organization

Back to School Tips: Organizing the Entryway

August 25, 2021 By Lena 18 Comments

With the new school year just around the corner, I decided it was time to reorganize our home’s entryway. I know it’s not typically associated with back to school preparations, but the foyer actually sees the most traffic and chaos: masks are thrown, shoes are kicked off and lunch bags stay nestled in backpacks (often with leftover food inside – my biggest pet peeve)!

To set up my kids for success, I stopped by Kitchen Stuff Plus and grabbed stylish, affordable accessories to help organize the space. I can’t believe such small changes made such a big impact! Here are my top tips and product recos:

1. Start with large, high quality indoor mat. Especially over the winter months when slush finds its way in the home, you’ll want to ensure that kids know to keep their shoes and boots planted firmly on the doormat. I found this sleek, Harman Textaline ‘Trace’ Vinyl Indoor-Outdoor Mat. Available in an array of designs and sizes, its non-slip backing prevents shifting and skidding, and the mat cleans easily by simply wiping with a damp cloth.
2. Keep it simple: use a coat rack. We have a gorgeous, spacious, mirrored closet adjacent to our foyer… but somehow, my kids haven’t mastered the trick of opening the closet and hanging their coats. (Okay, they’re just lazy. We know this.) After years of nagging I finally decided to simply their lives (and mine) by purchasing this gorgeous, sleek KSP Spoke Metal Coat Rack. A simple and modern design helps tidy up outerwear, and I love that it suits any décor! A wide metal base keeps the coat rack secure. …

Staples Home Office Makeover: The Big Reveal!

April 22, 2013 By Lena

It’s going down in history as one of the WORST office chairs EVER.

Readers were horrified – and sympathetic – when I recently revealed the state of my home office. The ripped and tattered chair; the disorganization and disarray; the potential fire hazard. Okay, multiple fire hazards. And that’s just what you could see in the first photo.

Well, something had to be done. Thankfully Staples Canada swooped in to save the day; seeing that I (obviously) needed an intervention, they allowed me to pick out a brand new home office – on three conditions:

1) I purchase the goods from Staples (done!)
2) I ditch my old chair. Seriously, it had to be on my curb (done!)
3) I take the oath to De-Clutter and Prosper

Did you know: A recent survey commissioned by Staples Canada and AIR MILES revealed that an overwhelming 83% of Canadians agree that a cluttered or disorganized workspace negatively affects levels of productivity. Despite this fact, 26% of Canadians describe their own desk as cluttered. I, Lena Almeida, pledge to never let clutter or disorganization rule my workspace again! (done!)

And so… it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for…. my big reveal. Brace yourselves; it doesn’t look like the same room, but I promise, it is!…

Staples: “Clear the Clutter” #Giveaway

March 16, 2013 By Lena

Note: The following giveaway is open to Canadians only.

If you took a peek at my recent home office pictures – or what I like to call “The Before” – you’ll know that I’m in desperate need of a makeover. And while you all agree that I need a new chair (thanks for the horrified comments, ha!), I also drastically need to cut down on the clutter and disorganization. This weekend, I’m doing my best to De-Clutter and Prosper!

Click here to view my Staples De-Clutter and Prosper Home Office – BEFORE.

Of course, you know I’d never undertake such a feat without spreading the love to my readers. So, while you all wait with baited breath for my big reveal (note: please do not wait with baited breath), I have the following giveaway to share!

Here’s the scoop: In addition to sponsoring my home office makeover, Staples Canada has been busy – they’ve joined the AIR MILES Reward Program as a national Sponsor. Now shoppers can earn AIR MILES reward miles on all their Staples purchases! To help cluttered Canadians spring clean their workspace, Staples and AIR MILES are offering my readers a chance to win a “Clear the Clutter” prize pack. Filled with items to organize your desk, it’s a prize valued at more than $500!

One lucky winner will receive:

$100 Staples Gift Card • 100 AIR MILES Bonus Miles • Assortment of Patterned Martha Stewart File Folders • Stack+Fit Martha Stewart Desk Accessories: Shagreen Drawer with Inbox and Organizer • Martha Stewart Large Shagreen Double File Pocket • Case File – Accordion File with Handle • Martha Stewart Home Office With Avery Dry-Erase Weekly Planner, Red and Grey • Belkin Conserve Valet – Smart USB Charging Station • Fellowes SmartSuites Monitor Riser Plus • Fellowes Powershred 69Cb 10-Sheet Cross-Cut Shredder

To enter, simply fill the form below with your qualifying entries. And, stay tuned for my pictures of my new home office!…

Staples Says: De-Clutter and Prosper!

March 11, 2013 By Lena

Ever wonder where the inspiration for my blog begins? If you’ve pictured my workspace as a clean, zen-like area which helps to get my creative juices flowing, I’m about to out myself. Specifically, I’m about to out my home office.

It’s a dump.

The room is nice enough; a 10 x 10-feet fourth bedroom that we use as a study for obvious reasons (er, we only have two children). But it’s also a place where I hoard useless papers and junk mail; random blogging artifacts that I meant to review six months ago; a pile of coffee cups that is normally cleared by my husband once a day, and a plethora of arts and crafts paraphernalia from my scrapbooking addiction circa 2008.

Not. Very. Inspiring.

And now… I can’t believe I’m doing this… here’s a picture of the shambles that I work in. (Sorry, Mom – it’s true, I haven’t dusted my desk in oh, never.) Yes, there’s clutter everywhere – especially in places that should have been cleaned weeks ago. On the bright side – I just found the USB cable I was looking for – apparently, it was under my desk and by my feet the whole time.

Okay, time for a closer inspection. Now you can tell that my office chair has seen better days, but truth be told, my faithful “executive” chair held up pretty well until last year, when it took a turn for the worse. My husband has been after me for months to find a replacement, but since I always believed that a ratty chair did not impact my ability to produce blog posts, I’ve always rebuked him. However, I could be wrong – A recent survey commissioned by Staples Canada and AIR MILES revealed that an overwhelming 83% of Canadians agree that a cluttered or disorganized workspace negatively affects levels of productivity. Despite this fact, 26% of Canadians describe their own desk as cluttered. Is your workspace a dump too? Join the club!…