Organized Chaos?

I have always said that I live in organized chaos. There is a system to the piles of stuff that I have lying around and I can usually find what I am looking for. Yet, the older I get the more I realize that this probably  not the most effective way to live. Actually, I probably save time and effort by having things organized and actually putting things back where the belong. (Mom, if you are reading this please stop thinking "I told you so"). And it is nice to come home to a clean apartment.

In an attempt keep my place clutter and mess free, I have been working on a few ideas to help me in this process of staying organized. A few days ago I posted about a thrift shop find to get my makeup up off the counter. The vases/dishes can be seen here.

I also use a small box for my the rest of the make up I use frequently as well as a drawer filled with stuff.

Over the next few days, I started thinking about what else I could do to organize my vanity.

I already have a couple of awesome things for my jewelry: an umbrella earring stand, a cute little rack I got in Paris years ago perfect for necklaces I wear frequently, a soap dish that matches my soap dispenser and toothbrush holder and a pocketed jewelry holder I picked up at Michaels.

Jewelry Holder From Michaels

Jewelry and makeup were organized. That only left my hair supplies, more specifically my hair brushes/combs hair ties, blow dryer, curling iron, and flat iron. I don't have a lot of space on vanity counter so I needed something on the wall.

So back to the thrift store. I found three metal mesh pencil cups
from Office Max and small black metal basket. To spice them up a bit and make them a little more me I tied a sparkly ribbon around them. I hung the three pencil cups to the wall. This was a little tricky because I wasn't actually sure how to hang them. the first cup I screwed to the wall just using the head of my screw driver but this took forever. For the other cups I attached several pieces of wire to the them and then hung the wire from the nail. You have to make sure the wire is taught between the cup and the nail, otherwise the cup will move.

For my hair ties, I rinsed out an empty bottle of wine (Mirassou Merlot incase you are wondering) and put the a hair ties around them. I'd like to come up with something clever for the rest of my hair accessories (bows, headbands, clips, etc) but I don't really have the space now. Guess they will just have to live in a drawer for now :(

Finally,  I placed three wash clothes in the small metal basket so they are much easier to access than hidden under the sink.

Overall, I am very happy with how my vanity is now. Getting ready is much more convenient and hopefully it will be easier to keep clean and organized.