Organizing Your Kitchen: A Visit to The Container Store

I have never had a ton of space to work with as far as living arrangements go.

As a kid, I shared a small bedroom with my little sister. My next stop was a college apartment, which I shared with three other {fabulous} girls.

When I moved back to my hometown after I graduated to start my teaching career, I rented an itty-bitty apartment above someone's garage. It was steps from the ocean {so cool!}, but it didn't even have a kitchen {not so cool.} I literally had to wash my dishes in the bathtub.

I moved out of that space into a similar one... this one had a {tiny} kitchen. When I say tiny, I mean I could touch both sides of the kitchen at the same time by extending my arms out to my sides. But at least I had a sink for washing dirty dishes.

After that, my {now} husband and I moved in together. Since then, we've lived in three different apartments. Rentals = small kitchens & minimal storage.

My point is... I've had to learn a lot about organization. It's sort of a survival skill when you live in places with limited space.

With a little trial and error and a lot of organizational tools, I've gotten our cabinets, pantry, and closets down to a science. Or so I thought.

I was recently invited to preview a brand new The Container Store in Boca Raton. And let me tell you, I was giddy. I heart containers -- baskets, boxes, bins... if it hides a mess and looks pretty, it's for me.

Um. I think I fell in love at The Container Store.

Over.

Polka dots!

And Over.

A rainbow of storage containers.

And over again.

Chic desk organization!

Pure obsessive-compulsive love.

Color coordinated hanger bliss.

I could have set up shop right there in the middle of the canning jar aisle. Brought in a cot. Called the hubby and told him to bring the dog because I just found our next home.

It's a canning jar wonderland!

But that might have been kinda weird. And maybe made the customers a little uneasy.

Instead, I just took a lot of pictures.

So cute.

I oooohed and ahhhhhed over stuff like Elfa and Urbio and other really awesome and useful products. I marveled at the knowledge of our wonderful "tour guide". I made mental notes of must-haves.

Oh, hi. I need this garage. Thanks.

And then I remembered that the whole point of my visit was to bring back things to share with you!

So, I decided to gather some tips for you straight from the expert.

The expert, with a true look of organizational excitement on her face.

I asked, "What are the top 3 products or tips you'd give to someone trying to organize their kitchen?"  And here's what she said:

1. Line your shelves.

These shelves aren't lined, but how cool are these containers?

I have a confession: I've never lined my shelves. Shelf paper makes me think of my grandma. Quite frankly, I just never understood the whole shelf lining thing.

Well... grandma knows best. Shelf lining is the foundation of a well-organized cabinet or pantry. It protects your actual shelves from damage and warping, and keeps plates and other items safe, too. {Plus, it creates a nice layer between questionable shelving and the things you eat off of, renters.} Non-slip liners can also keep things from shifting and prevent cabinet landslides. It's also easy to clean in case of spills. {Have you ever spilled honey?? ugh.}

2. Be your own designer.

What are the odds your kitchen has drawers that fit everything you own perfectly? Slim to none, I'd say. Unstructured drawers are often the catalyst for out of control "junk drawers".

There's no gamble when you get to customize your own drawers to suit your specific needs. Enter: Lifestyle Systems Drawer Dividers.

Easy to customize. Relatively inexpensive. Removable if the need arises. Perfection.

3. Make every last inch of space work for you.

The Container Store is all about visibility and accessibility. Because when you can see and access all of your stuff, you're way more likely to use it! {Smart, aren't they?}

How many of you have nearly lost a limb pulling pots, pans, trays, etc. out of your overstuffed cabinets? It's like a game of Jenga that nobody wins.

Luckily, you can easily create custom solutions to fit your space so that your kitchen wares come to you instead of you digging for them. They've got tons of cool cabinet and pantry organizing tools that keep your kitchen stuff within easy reach, which in turn, keeps you from throwing in the towel and hightailing it to the nearest restaurant.

Chrome Roll-Out Cabinet Drawers.

And best of all, they try to keep their genius solutions{like these Chrome Roll-Out Cabinet Drawers or these Elfa Pantry solutions} easy to install. And for those of us who don't have one handy bone in our body... they offer installation services. Score.

I could go on and on about how wonderful The Container Store is, but it's really one of those things you have to see for yourself. Warning: You will be overcome by the need to organize every room in your house.

Fear not! It'll all fall into place... one piece at a time. :)

A huge thanks to my friends at The Container Store Boca Raton for the fantastic tour!

Disclosure: I was invited to attend a blogger preview for this The Container Store location and was provided with a complimentary lunch and free organizational items for personal use. As always, the opinions you see here are all my own!

Food Blog Forum Orlando Recap {Part 4}

{Click here for Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of my FBF Orlando Recap!}

As if we had not been completely pampered the entire weekend with oodles of food and fun and gifts, we were invited to an evening dessert reception complete with a VIP viewing of Hollywood Studios' Fantasmic.

They escorted our group through a special entrance and this is where we ended up:

A large, elevated deck set up with glow-in-the-dark tables, a hot chocolate/coffee/liqueur bar, and some very creative {and mouthwatering} desserts.

Chefs making s'mores spheres.

More Mickey-shaped goodies & Rice Krispie pops.

Oh, we fancy, huh?

The two "show stoppers" were the Chocolate Risotto & the S'mores Spheres. I wish I could have gotten a better picture but there was a lot of weird lighting with the color-changing tables & stations. The S'mores dessert was a delicious little brownie, marshmallows, and graham cracker dust encased in a spherical chocolate shell. {It was dipped in a vat of liquid nitrogen and topped with warm chocolate sauce to help "crack" it open.}

The chocolate risotto was equally as delightful... and I think I may have to try to recreate it at home.

Yes, there is chocolate risotto underneath that mound of vanilla ice cream.

I was in such a tizzy over all the food, and so busy chatting with Vijay from NoshOn.It and Jen from Balancing Beauty & Bedlam that I hardly even noticed this was going on:

Mickey fighting off the dragon.

Just kidding. It was kind of hard to ignore.

After the reception, Sloane convinced me to go on the Hollywood Tower of Terror ride... one I had never been on in my many previous visits to the park. Lucky for her, it wasn't as bad as I thought. ;)

Exhausted {and on a sugar high}, we headed back to the hotel for a nightcap at the Grand Floridian's lounge and called it a night. We had more eating and mingling to do in the morning!

.....................................................................

For our final Food Blog Forum event, Whole Foods Orlando hosted a beautiful Sunday brunch at their store's outdoor patio for the attendees and their families.

Though it is hard to outdo a weekend spent surrounded by Disney magic, Whole Foods totally stole the show with their menu. 

I'm not even kidding. I was super impressed -- the presentation, flavor, and creativity was on point. {Confession: If pressed, I'd have to admit that the food I ate at Whole Foods was the tastiest I had all weekend.}

Just look at this cuteness.

Perhaps they knew that gelato is the way to this girl's heart. 

Hey look! That's Christine from Cook the Story! And my tasty Bananas Foster Gelato. Mmm.

It obviously doesn't take much to weasel your way into my affections. ;)

We ate, chatted, and listened to final words from our organizers. I made my way around to each table to make sure I got one last chance to meet some of the bloggers I still hadn't spoken with throughout the weekend... there's just not enough time when your mouth is chewing for 90% of your visit!

I got to thank Scott and Jaden {I totally pulled a fan-geek and told her about how she linked to one of my recipes a while back and sent me into a swoon-fest. :::blushing:::}, and had an impromptu career counseling pep talk from Jeff Houck {The guy is a hoot. Read his stuff!}. 

And then, just as quickly as it began... it was over. 

I felt a little bit like kids do on the last day of summer camp. I didn't want the fun to end.

Since it was still early in the day, Sloane, our new blogger buddy Heather {from Heather Likes Food} and I went to the Animal Kingdom park to squeeze the last bit of Disney fun out of our weekend. We were pretty efficient and got to ride a few of the key attractions including this:

Expedition Everest.

When it started pouring rain, we knew it was our cue to head home.

I can't put into words how wonderful the weekend was for me. It was my very first food blogging conference and I think all others will have a hard time living up to its greatness. It's so refreshing to feel like you finally found your true passion, and equally as incredible to connect with people who feel the same way you do.

The whole FBF Orlando crew.

If you are a food blogger, I highly recommend looking into attending Food Blog Forum next year... it will be held in Asheville, North Carolina, so start making plans. ;)  I hope to be able to have this magnificent experience all over again!