Today: A place for everything.

[tweetmeme source=”elizabethev” only_single=false]…and everything in its place.

When you live in a chic, urban (read: fashionably small) condo with precisely one man and one French bulldog, it’s important to put things where they belong.  Or else, those things will likely fall on you, trip you, and/or annoy you.  Though I don’t always follow the rules, we really do have a place for just about everything.

Gadgets and gizmos a plenty

Chargers, cords, and connector thingies all reside in fabric bins on a shelf, close to their motherships.  In an attempt to prevent these wires from forming their own amoeba, I’ve recently coiled and clipped them into place, using plain ol’ binder clips.  Then I went to town with my label maker.  Because the nerd factor needed to be upped.  Our gizmos are further sorted into three groups:

• Remotes and computer things
• Running, camera and iPhone/iPod things
• Wii and xbox and I don’t know what this thing is things

Every once in a while we use real, live batteries (and then pollute the universe by throwing them out).  Just the other day, in an Irene-induced panic, I bought a whole slew of AA and AAAs.  And then I couldn’t find a single flashlight, so basically: a pointless purchase.  Batteries are ugly, but they look less ugly when stored in a vase.  Kind of.

I love using vases for storage. In college, I kept all my makeup in a low, wide vase and my paintbrushes and art supplies in several tall bud vases.  And then I grew up, and became uncool.

Precious jewels

I don’t wear a ton of jewelry, mostly because I don’t like stuff touching me.  I like to keep my modest collection nice and organized though, so my jewels are at the ready for benefits, balls, and ballin’ out.  I keep bigger items, like that fabulous necklace I recently scored for 50% off (I love an unmarked sale) at Habit, and my giant wonkin’ marathon medal, in my jewelry box.

And smaller, everyday things, like earrings and my race bling, go in this cute little ceramic egg crate.  Originally, I planned to use it to store, um, eggs… but I sort of forgot that we have a built-in egg crate in our fridge.

When I am feeling especially lazy, I drop my bracelets and earrings in the bathroom, on this old hunk of coral, before washing my face and dive bombing into bed.

Bobby pins

Yes, bobby pins get their own header.  To know me is to love me, and to love me is to find a wake of bobby pins in my path.  I can’t live without them.  Truly.  I recently added a few Spin Pins to the collection.  Don’t be turned off by Goody’s weird-o television advertisements.  These little guys really work.  Anyway, it’s not unusual for me to curl into bed, only to be stabbed in the skull by a rogue pin.  I used to chuck them across the room.  Don’t tell.  I now take a more civilized approach and place them in a shallow bowl, in the top drawer of my bedside table.

Toys, collars, and other frogdog things

Clark has amassed quite the toy collection, despite his best efforts to eat each one, limb by piddly limb.  I bought this Martha Stewart toy bin when her line debuted at PetSmart.  Though the hen house, stuffed eggplant, and baby bunny did not survive their first week… this toy bin has stood the test of time.  And chewing.  I like how it’s shaped perfectly for Clark to creep and peep on his toys, leaving room to pull out exactly what he’s looking for.

While people may judge the use of training collars, I personally think– with training– Clark’s collar is one of the best ways we keep him safe, especially living on a busy city street.  He also wears a flat collar with his ID and rabies tags, his City of Boston license, and his Home Away ID.  When I came across this Frenchie hook at Anthropologie, I could not resist.

The hook hangs right beside the front door, so we’re never scrambling to find Clark’s leash or collars when it’s time to hit the road.  There’s also the tiniest bit of space behind the hook, perfect for leaving notes from and payment for our dog-walker.

We keep Clark’s long line, holy sh-t bags, and first aid supplies close to the door.  His bath supplies, including his brush and oatmeal bath, fit neatly inside another one of Martha’s creations, on a shelf in the bathroom.  His gold bars, miniature Porsche and lavish robes are kept in the front hall closet.

Books, books and more books and some computers

It’s no secret that I love to read.  I really need to keep my book collection in check, however.  Even with the bookshelves of my dreams, I fear I am one book away from starring in an episode of Hoarders: Jane Austen Edition.

Our cookbooks, including the one from 1960 that I permanently borrowed from my grandparents’ house, live closer to the kitchen.  I need a step stool to reach them… so usually I just make up my own recipes.  Just kidding.  Sort of.

Our laptops used to float around from sofa to chair to table, and occasionally from the arm of the sofa to the concrete floor.  When a piece of my keyboard shot clear across the living room, I knew I needed to find a more stable environment for our technology.  I found these stands on Amazon; they turned out to be the perfect fit.

Unfortunately, the wine racks I picked up at West Elm were not the perfect fit for our Champagne and prosecco collection (guess I need to drink ’em!), but they do hold our skinnier adult grape juices quite well.  And they match the mantle rather famously.

Food, glorious food

I try to keep our ‘fridge as organized as possible, making it easier to eat the good stuff, and harder to eat the cheese doodles.  We keep fresh herbs, chia seeds, Amazing Grass and hummus in low profile bins, that can be conveniently pulled out and rearranged.

As with most things in life, I try not to take our stuff too seriously.  After all, it’s just stuff.  It’s not that important.  I like to keep wooden spoons and brightly colored straws– things I use most mornings– in a fun Buddha cup (an Etsy find) near its little Buddha friends.  If you’re going to keep something around, it better serve a purpose or make you smile.  If it can do both, well… all the better.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Got my butt kicked at boxing
• Making a monster grocery list
• I found a place to put your plants