Last July 4, 2018, I launched a contest on my Instagram account. A friendly competition of organizing wits and style within the Neatropolis. It was actually the second time I ran the same contest, but this time, it came with a twist! A good friend of mine, Mikaela Martinez (@mikaelamartinez), helped out and was our guest judge for this #NeatContest of #NeatProjects. We called it #NeatmeetsStyle. It was really exciting!
Mika was so gracious that she even helped me launch it on her Instagram account as well… and as for the prize? Remember this one below? When I put this up in my IG Stories, dozens of people messaged me asking where I saw it. It’s a Threshold 8-cube Organizer which I got from Landers. I saw the same in Target.com priced at $69.99, but in Landers Superstore in Manila, it was only P799.75 or $15!!! And it wasn’t even on sale! I bought 12 units of it and apparently, all stocks in all Landers branches were sold out the day after I posted this on my Instagram, whew! And to give back to all the support of everyone in Neatropolis – I was to give one to the winner of this #NeatmeetsStyle #NeatContest!
Sunday, July 8 was the deadline to submit the #NeatProject entries. I was overwhelmed when I woke up Monday to see all the entries. A lot joined!!! It got me really excited and kilig as I imagine those who joined planning their weekend and surprising everyone at home with their very own #NeatProjects.
Honestly, I was worried at first thinking that only a few people will join. I already told everyone that we will select the top 6… what if only 4 joined? Oh my… It would have been a disaster. I just felt so good knowing that there are so many people who support this Neat revolution.
What followed was the hardest part – choosing the top 6! Coincidentally, I was booked for a project with Mika that Monday. We really spent a lot of time thinking of who the top 6 finalists were. It was really hard, knowing that everyone gave a lot of effort into making sure they show their best work. Different attributes were considered but in the end, we were very happy with our chosen finalists. Here are the top 6 entries:
A Little Boy’s Room by @eydiayenji
We like the use of space and use of labels which are easy to read by any kid playing and staying in this room. How the colors were arranged is also really impressive. Lok at the stack of blocks, so pretty!
A Stylish Bar by @loragfo
Here’s what Lora Fonacier (@loragfo) have to say about this entry
I promise our house is not a giant Gymboree (coz only the kiddie areas are most visible on my accounts) 😂 While I am teacher-slash-yaya-slash-alalay of the boys 95% of the time, I also thoroughly enjoy entertaining. There is something so exciting about planning themes, styling tablescapes, and whipping up favorite dishes and drinks for people I love. The ultimate dream is to have room for my own butler’s pantry (yours truly being the butler, of course 😂) to corral all my entertaining essentials, but until then I have found #NeatMeetsStylesolutions that work extremely well for our household. The bar cabinet is actually a mirrored armoire, but don’t you think it works perfectly for its current function? Other than pretty drinkware, it also holds my cheese boards and knives, linens and accessories like napkin rings and place holders. It’s a storage dream, but no one will be able to tell it’s filled to the rafters when its doors are shut because it’s still essentially a chic piece of furniture. Function + Aesthetics at its best! This is why I favor storage furniture over built ins for certain rooms of the home—the flexibility and option to change up the look of the room are major pluses to consider when working on your own #NeatProject 👍🏻 Disclaimer: my cabinet is not always stocked with drinks 24/7 😂 this is only when get togethers are in the horizon (hi @plin3r 😉). Will always stock enough for a couple of G&Ts though. For friends (Or myself after a long day of organizing)😆 #titamonicagellerofmanila #organizing#organizingtips #organizinginspiration#octips #ochits”
This is such a beauty. Aside from the beautiful bar cabinet, the impressive part of this #NeatProject is how Lora managed to put together all shapes and sizes in groups without breaking a pattern. The beautiful hue of elegant colors matches this piece of furniture which helps you wonder how in the world a person can drink without staring at this beautiful organization…
A Home Pantry by @simplyarmie
Here’s what @simplyarmie have to say about this entry:
I know that this is not an instragram worthy picture or view but this represents a simple neat obsession from a simple home and a Nanay who’s trying her very best with all her means and ability. Hindi man ito kasing ganda ng mga nakikita ko sa pinterest or IG’s ng mga artista, pero super proud ako na ipakita kung ano ang meron sa loob ng pangkaraniwang tahanan ng pamilyang Pilipino. Gusto ko lang ipakita na kahit limitado lang ang budget ng isang tahanan, pwede pa din tayong maging organize sa ating pamamahay. 😊
#Neatproject #NeatmeetsStyle
This is what Neat Obsessions is all about. She said it pretty well actually… But to me it’s far from just simple. The thought she had to put in in arranging this pantry, from having the heavy and bulky appliance at the bottom to having the smaller loose items on top for the easier taking, and the great use of containers to keep similar items in place without compromising its freshness. Good job @simplyarmie!
A Clean Closet by @vivreyes
Have you ever stayed in your closet for so long you felt like you wanted to live there? That’s what I would have felt if this is my own closet. I like how I can see everything in one glance, that even the cabinets are translucent enough to have an idea what’s inside without making it look messy. Look at how the clothes are folded. I don’t even have the patience to make sure all our clothes in the closet are perfectly aligned (Special thanks to my husband who doesn’t care about his clothes and would just pull a shirt out as if it will magically not affect all the other shirts because of how fast he pulls it!)
@vivreyes described this as “OCT – Obsessive Compulsive Talent.” A real talent indeed! I can look at this all day, how about you?
Make Shift Art Containers by @closet_saleph
There’s something about containers which makes me feel really happy. The resourcefulness and ingenuity this #NeatProejct has is really newsworthy. The most challenging part of this #NeatProject is the size of the items to organize. I can just imagine that this took hours to do… Kudos to you!!!
Here’s what @closet_saleph have to say about this entry:
Been designing & making some fashion accessories for quite sometime now. Because of that have accumulated so much little and tiny things that i use for my craft.Today, because of the #NeatProject & #neatmeetsstyle challenge i have decided to organize my cabinet. Yep! I only have this one cabinet that my husband made to store ALL the beads, findings and other materials that i also use for packaging. So today, i started with my two shelves. I challenged myself to try to think of ways to recycle and reuse containers or boxes that i see around the house. So first, the white organizers are from truevalue. I placed here all the charms (arranged per color, per type & size). these containers contain thousands of charms & i labeled each of them with codes for easy reference.
For my seed beads that i buy per 1/4 kilo, i found out that peanut butter glass jars with gold lid will be a perfect container for them. Good thing we really have a lot of these jars because my husband loves peanut butter! So i just washed the jars and ripped off all the labels so i can easily see what’s inside. Of course, i arranged the jars per color and size ☺️ For the special beads, i made use of the stackable round pill containers from truevalue. Each stack has 5 containers and again, placed the beads per color. One stack for each color or same color tone.Since i want to maximize the space and do not have risers at home, i made use of old yarn boxes as trays so i now have two level storage! ☺️ Next shelf, i placed all the “findings”. These are small metal components that i use such as pins, end caps, crimps, locks etc. I used drawer type of organizer that i got from truevalue also.The other two on the left were my mom’s old medicine/pill cabinet that she is no longer using. I also placed here are the boards and papers i use for the packaging.
Lastly, i want to share with you what i also think is a perfect storage for small components. These are “tic-tac” & “doublemint” plastic containers. They have small opening which is perfect for keeping tiny pieces. Did not spend any for that and was able to reuse trash. 👍🏻 just have to collect more. ❤️ @neatobsessions@mikaelamartinez
A Bathroom Makeover by @akosiwee
Bathrooms are next to closets in terms of my favorite places to organize. A clean and organized bathroom is always a pleasure to be in. This is the first place you go to as you wake up in the morning and probably the last place you will be in before you sleep. So why not make it as bright and as pleasant as this one? I like how she did not overcrowd all her products, aligned for easier viewing. Also a great use of matching bins, and look at those small clear containers, so perfect for its use! It’s like being in a theme park, you can see everything and want to do so many things, ending up staying for hours, if not days…
There you go, all entries were in and voting started the first minute of July 9, Monday. From the beginning, Finalist 4 (@vivreyes) and 6 (@akosiwee) were neck and neck, to the point that I had to ask for my husband’s help to check if it is really possible that they have exactly the same likes, from the same 59 to 71 likes, then 128 to 312, both entries have the same likes! What are the odds of this happening? My husband was rooting for @loragfo entry. I guess he just loves his drinks that much. But I have to campaign for everyone because I know how much effort everyone had to put into this.
Days have passed and the gap between finalist 4 and 6 seems to not matter at all. In fact, if one would just ask 20 people on the street randomly to like whichever entry, then it would be a tie again! (Not sure if they didn’t actually do that though, hahaha) Then Wednesday came and the winner is…
It was really an exciting contest. People have been visiting the account every day, the engagement reached more than 20k every day until the final minutes of the contest.
I want to thank everyone who has joined and it was such a pleasure seeing everyone’s #NeatProjects!
Until the next #NeatContest Neatropolis! I leave you with all the other entries that did not make the final 6, but needless to say – are also fantastic #NeatProjects. Stay Neat, everyone!
NEAT OBSESSIONS 