National Siblings Day is the perfect time to share my (biased I know but best in the world) sister with you!

I could literally have an “Emily” blog and never run out of amazing content. She’s …

  • Rockstar cool (way cooler than her sister :/)
  • Fun + funny
  • Smart (from current events to common sense stuff)
  • Go-getter (I’ve never seen anyone set intentions on something and make it happen like she does. Check out what she and her husband Reed just bought, below – wow)
  • Beautiful inside and out
  • Generous – she took our family to Paris, but even with day to day stuff she’s beyond gracious
  • Real 
  • Incredible mom (to 3 boys)
  • Stylish – from where she lives to what she does to what she wears

Emily is a stylist at Wilsons on Washington making people look fabulous in Greenville, South Carolina – and beyond.

She’s who I can thank for looking my best in my best photos. (For those of you that see me on a daily basis, yes, that IS me on my website! ;)

And like our parents, she has an incredible ability to transform a home.

In fact, hers was featured not too long ago in Greenville’s Talk Magazine (photographer: Patrick Cox):

While my sister definitely does not need me when it comes to styling her place, she did use my help with what’s going on behind the scenes (i.e., behind closet doors, inside drawers…)

Here are four organizing tips – based on what I did for Emily + Family – that you can use to make things look and function better on the inside:

1:   Use prime real estate wisely:

Place items you love and use most often in an easy to access place.

With Emily’s love for everything art (from painting to making Halloween costumes), we designated the closet in the office (right off of the kitchen) as an art center.

After corralling the art and craft items from around the house, I categorized, contained and then labeled:

 

Now she and the boys can quickly find exactly what they need when feeling creative or working on a school project.

Another benefit:  Cleanup is easy because each item has a specific home to go back to.

And I didn’t forget about Reed! Grill items are located in the drawers conveniently located by the back porch:

2.  Use labels to save (searching AND cleanup) time.

Labeling makes things easier to find for everyone, and – just like with #1 – it makes cleaning up much easier.

3. Free up space in main closets by storing off season items in bins.

4.  Designate a specific (and safe!) home for every item.

Sunglasses can get scratched and passports can get lost – or damaged. (In a future post, maybe Emily will let me share what put a sudden halt on last year’s trip literally minutes before it started:/)

And speaking of BEFORE & AFTER…

Emily and Reed just purchased this beautiful corner building in Clinton, South Carolina, and are planning for their biggest makeover yet.  (photo source: Susan Tallman)

I’ll keep you posted!

xoxo,

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