Home Decorating - Creative Storage Ideas for Everything

Professional organizers expound the virtues of finding a place for everything. It seems that the clutter that takes over our lives is caused by items that really don't belong somewhere. Hence, they are simply left anywhere.

So when you're attempting to find suitable storage for belongings, your first step will be to get organized. Begin by purging yourself of the things you don't need or don't want. Although many people won't place things they don't want on display in their home many will tuck these very same items into drawers or closets, just in case. However, since storage space in many apartments is limited its important to stay focused and store away only items you know you will need at some point.

In addition, there are many things we must hold onto, even though wed rather not. Receipts, tax returns, and other personal papers are examples. You may not need these items often, but you will probably need them sooner or later. But not all items that require storage are seldom used. There are many often-used things in our homes that need a place to "live" so when we need them we know just where to look.

Here are some creative ways to find a home for many of the things that make their way into our homes:

Magazines:

Cut the top off of old cereal boxes and cover the rest of the box with Con-Tact paper, wallpaper, or other decorative surface.

Store magazines in a tin bucket for a look that is great with Country, Traditional, or even Contemporary interiors.

Personal Papers:

Expandable, multipocket file folders are inexpensive, compact, easy to find, and keep papers neatly organized by the categories of your choosing.

Create a personal notebook by purchasing a large binder and pocket folder dividers. Use it to store phone lists, invitations, prescription and medical information, warranties, stamps, stationery, and any papers you need to access on a regular basis. (But remember to clean it out now and then.)

Cover old shoeboxes (including the lid) with decorative paper, write the contents on the end of the box, and then stack them on a closet shelf.

Photo albums, memory albums, and photo boxes are all great choices for storing photos. For photos you'd like to share more often, place them in a ceramic or wooden bowl and make them part of a tabletop grouping in your living room.

Bills and Correspondence:

Create a portable correspondence center by using a wine box or wooden crate with containers of various sizes placed inside. A wooden "toolbox" from a crafts store also works great and already has built-in dividers so you won't need extra containers.

Purchase an inexpensive expanding file folder with at least five or six sections. Label each section to correspond with a week of the month, like this: "First Week of Month," "Second Week of Month," and so forth. When a bill arrives, slip it into the section for the week you plan to pay it. At the beginning of each week, check the folder and see what's due.

Books:

Purchase square or rectangular wicker, wire, metal, or wooden containers to hold smaller books. This will help keep them conveniently together, and the container looks orderly when placed on exposed shelving.

If you have many large books, stack them on the floor to create a small night table next to your bed.

Clothing and Linens:

Store linens neatly folded in laundry baskets or hampers.

Roll up towels, sheets, or blankets, and store them in baskets under tables.

Place them in a trunk that's being used as a coffee table, at the foot of a bed, as a side table, or as benchlike seating.

Kitchen Storage:

Place cooking utensils in porcelain or ceramic bowls, vases, pitchers, and mugs.

Hang (or nail) a piece of lattice on the wall and add hooks for hanging things like pots, pans, pot holders, towels, and even large cooking utensils. It's inexpensive and removable and stops these items from scratching up your kitchen wall. (And you'll free up drawer and cabinet space.)

Keep spices in matching, simple glass containers (like Ball jars), and they'll be so attractive you can leave them right out on the counter. (For smaller quantities, baby food jars work great, too.)

A related article you might like is: "Space Saving Decorating Ideas for Small Homes and Apartments"

2007, Kathy Burns-Millyard. Would you like to see more excellent Misc Home Decorating Tips, Ideas and Photos? Visit the Do It Yourself Home Decorating Network (http://www.diyhomedecorating.com/), and be sure to check out our free Home Decorating Tips Letter Too!

How To Use Video Marketing To Boost Your Sales

Most savvy Internet marketers didn't need YouTube or the cover of Time magazine to tell them video is the next big thing. Most web marketers were already using and benefiting from online videos long before Time and other pundits declared video and self generated content to be having a profound impact on our daily lives.

Many online marketers have been using videos for years to promote and sell their products. Mainly because the use of video as a marketing tool is cost-effective and a very simple way to market. It is one marketing trend no online marketer can ignore. It is already playing a major role in online marketing and will play an even greater role in the future.

Just look at how video is being used by Brock Felt and Buck Rizvi to roll out their PipeLine Profits venture. These relatively unknown marketers are using video from the recent StomperNet event to introduce and gather buzz for their PipeLine (Co-Registration) Profits (www.pipelineprofits.com). You should also note how effectively blogs and podcasts are being used in this marketing product roll-out.

More and more well known Internet marketers are using videos to create buzz, to promote and sell their products. From John Reese promotional video, standing at the Great Wall of China announcing his upcoming 'online training courses' (www.income.com) to Joel Comm plugging his latest Adsense Templates package on Google Video to Michael Cheney's tongue-in-cheek CMN Cheney's Marketing News. (www.cheneysmarketingnews.com) Note how Cheney is offering these videos for placement on any site around the web, building links and brand recognition in the process.

Online marketers are exploiting the immediate connection and effectiveness of using video in their marketing. Videos are used to inform potential customers on different products, services or promotions offered by the marketer. These seasoned marketers know building a solid relationship with your clients is a main key to boosting your sales. The use of video is an effective, and simple way to make this connection.

Most marketers also use blogs to update and connect with potential clients. Blogs and RSS feeds are perhaps the more important marketing tools which actually give videos their unlimited potential. The real power behind the throne. With the advent of the next RSS empowered Windows (Vista), one would expect Blogs and RSS to play an even greater role in the Internet marketing arena. Video has truly arrived in the online marketing world.

Basically, what we will see is every website on the net becoming its own broadcasting system. Its own television channel catering to a specific niche or a broad topic depending on the subject matter covered by the site. A billion channel Internet powered by RSS and video. One only has to look at how a prominent site like WebProNews.com is using videos to see how this scenario will play out.

But what is truly revolutionary, you don't have to be a major player to get in this marketing game, even the smallest marketer can use and benefit from implementing their own videos. A simple video or digital camera can produce an informational video within minutes. These can range from the so-called 'poor man' Camtasia videos, to elaborate infomercials and commercials. You can then upload these videos to your blog or site and distribute them around the web within seconds. Those concerned with bandwidth costs can always upload their videos to YouTube or Google Video. This simple video marketing system is available to everyone.

Current savvy online marketers are using these videos as effective marketing tools. No reason why you can't follow their lead and use videos to:

1. Introduce yourself or your product
2. Create buzz during a product launch
3. Build your list by offering free videos
4. Create video content to enrich your site
5. Build a more personal relationship with subscribers
6. Keep in contact with your clients
7. Create a video sales letter/pitch to sell your product or service

Nothing beats the personal and direct connection video or TV makes with your potential customers and follow-up leads. It's the infomercial personalized for the web. Soon marketers will be using video software that automatically inserts their subscriber's name in their videos for a more personal touch. Similar to what we see done now with AutoResponders with the field {first_name) personalizing all correspondence with our subscribers. Expect this personalized video marketing to be a big trend in the coming years.

Your own name is still the sweetest word on the planet. Most savvy marketers will take advantage of this fact by personalizing their messages and building a genuine relationship with their clients. Personalized videos will help cement this relationship and make it stronger -- all contributing to more sales for the marketer, of course!

From a marketing viewpoint: videos, podcasts, broadcatching, webcasting and video casting are all phrases for the same thing: they are all ways to get your message in front of your customers. Obviously video will help you reach more customers. Video will make it easier for you to promote your products or services.

Perhaps, more importantly, videos will make it easier for you to sell your products and services. It is one more tool every online marketer should have in their marketing arsenal. Video is already the future of online marketing, you should be taking full advantage of it right now.

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The author is a full-time online marketer who has numerous niche websites, including two sites on Internet marketing. For the latest and most effective web marketing tools try: Internet Marketing Tools For the latest Internet Marketing Strategies go here:Internet Marketing Strategies Copyright 2006 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.