Last week, I left off showing you the embarrassing basement. Not very organized and not the kind of place I was enjoying. Here are a few pix of the mess after I rearranged. You see, the way I organize...it's going to get REAL messy before it starts to look better. When I'm organizing, purging is a must. Therefore, while I was doing this project, there was a large trash bin and a box for a garage sale, at the ready.
It took me over a month from start to finish on this project, mostly because of lack of motivation and time. I'm pretty happy with the results, but am tweaking the placement of items here and there to fit my needs. Here are the after photos:
Isn't it lovely? It may not seem like a huge change, but it really is!!! My personal favorite? The first photo with my tennis shoes on the treadmill...isn't it cute how that single photo makes it look like I actually exercise (this was a New Years resolution - to exercise more...I've done it twice - YAY ME!!!)!?!? But seriously, I like the new layout of the room. I purposely sectioned off the back portion of the room to give me my own "office" type area. Of course I have ideas to make this space my "dream space", but all in due time.
I'm going to break down the shelving unit since this is what took me so long to organize and it is the home to all things crafty! This top shelf has two bins from Target ($6.99 each) that has keepsakes that the Hubby and I want to keep. Next to that is a bin full of cards, ranging from Birthday, thank you's and blank cards...all purchased from the dollar bins at Target. I tend to grab one or two when they have them because we use them a lot! The three white containers are from IKEA (I love that place but don't have one near me so I enlisted my two wonderful Aunts to pick me up a grocery list of items from there over Thanksgiving...thanks again AJ and AT!!!). These are actually plant pots. But, I'm using them to keep my writing utensils warm and cozy. They are very inexpensive (I believe $3/pot) and I'm sure will be used for a multitude of things over time. Behind that I have my tray of paint, glue adhesives and brushes (more on that Thursday).
Here is my sewing shelf. I am just now getting into sewing and I'm TERRIBLE at it but I love it!!! This shelf was kind of blah so I decided to put my vast (haha) collection of fabrics (organized by color, duh) into a little polka dot tray that I had purchased at Menards last summer for $5, all to bring in a little color. And another FYI, if you're looking to do a little sewing project, the remnant bins at Hancock Fabrics are the best!!! I hit the JACKPOT there a couple weeks ago when looking for some fleece. I have plans to do some other sewing organization...but that's on my list of "Someday...which means a long time from now-day". There are a couple of baskets (one with thread and the other with some craft supplies), and there is a Snap-tight container that has three tiers and has all my scissors, needles, and such in it). And yes, those are two empty facial tissue boxes - I craft with those ALL the time...no, not really, I was saving them as Valentine's boxes.
These bins hold toys. I purchased all of these at Target. The fabric squares were $5.99 each and the buckets were $6.99 each. I purchased these years ago and they are built to last! Behind the fabric bins are some of the kids' books and my collection of books as well (Harry Potter, Twilight, Percy Jackson..yes, I'm serious and that's how I roll).
This top shelf is where my photo boxes are (categorized by photos of the kids, Hubs and Me over the years, friends, family and large prints). There are also the scrapbooks I made years ago as well as some photo albums. The pretty containers hold some binder clips, and all the labels I've made that I've messed up on (either size or font wasn't right), you never know when you may need them!!! And the kids love sticking them on this and that - good way to keep them distracted when I'm trying to do something else. And the clear bin there has all my Washi tape in it (I will post on this on Thursday).
This shelf has my label makers (they each earned their own "rooms" in a metal bucket), my scrap booking paper, adhesives, paper remnants, stickers, and a few other this-and-that items as well. I also got two accordion file's from Target's dollar bin...one is the chevron print the other is a floral.
And these two bottom shelves are our games (kids games are on the main level of the house since we spend more time there) and more toys.
For the organizing supplies, I used a combination of items we already had and a few new items as well. I know that organizing supplies (tubs, totes, baskets, containers) can be expensive, but you can also make due with what you've already got or hit up places like the Dollar Store or Target's dollar bins (the metal buckets in the shelving unit are from Target dollar bins, they were $2.50 each so I spent a total of $10 on all 4). I tend to move organizing items around the house when re-organizing happens, sometimes a bucket or a bin will just work better somewhere else.
The file cabinet that I had been using for all my crafting supplies and our filing, has now been emptied and is used for office supplies and filing. All my crafting items are now within the lovely shelves that you see here. So far, I'm loving how accessible everything is and I'm back to enjoying my little nook in the basement!
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