Make a monthly calendar that is as changeable as your schedule. Instead of crossing out plans as dates shift, just move the notes and stack them up on busy days. Start with a 26 1/2-inch square sheet of Masonite fiberboard. Spray-paint it white, and let dry. Then use tape (we suggest easy-to-reposition washi tape) to create a seven-by-seven grid of three-inch squares.
Organization and a few helpful tricks can make your move more manageable, ensuring your belongings will travel safely and easily from one home to the next.
Download and print our exclusive moving to-do list for quick reference.
Print our moving box labels on self-adhesive paper to keep all of your packed belongings in order.
Eliminate stray notes and pieces of paper by writing important to-do tasks on an erasable board near the door. Adding a painted wooden picture frame upgrades the standard message board; below it, a "hot box" -- a mesh bin set off by a colorful painted square -- helps you remember cameras, cell phones, and any other small equipment you may need to take with you.
Personalize your desk with a free-form stone-shaped blotter; it's a great way to protect the surface or to designate a writing area. Plus it takes just minutes to make: Outline the shape you want on the back of the leather, and cut it out with heavy-duty scissors.
Setting up a bin in the entryway for each member of the household is a good way to keep this busy space tidy. And with umbrellas, hats, and sunglasses near the door, leaving the house will no longer require last-minute searches. Use an existing wall-mounted coatrack to make this custom organizer. To start, drill a hole in the end of each of two 1-by-4-inch wooden rails to fit the coatrack pegs. Paint rails to match rack; let dry. Hang rails from pegs. Attach evenly spaced wire baskets using screw hooks.
Metal mailboxes offer a stylish way to organize a front hall or a mudroom. The magazine hooks provide a perfect perch for raincoats, scarves, and umbrellas; hats, gloves, and mittens fit nicely inside the box. Available inexpensively through online auction sites, these boxes get a crisp look when spray-painted white. A bonus: They're magnetic, so you can easily adhere favorite images and notes to them.
