Utilizing Wall Space

As I have alluded to in other posts, I really like being organized. :) There is something about seeing a group of items neatly organized that warms my soul. Plus, being organized makes it a lot easier for me to be clean. How is this not a win-win?

Recently I organized some stuff around the house that gave me more space and a cleaner home. I was particularly thrilled that I was able to get these done because I've noticed them for a long time and have been putting them off. They were really easy to do, I just was too busy and full of excuses to get them done.

The first organization project was in my closet. I have accumulated a collection of purses and needed to me able to find a way to more beautifully store them in my closet. What? Women and purses? That's never and issue is it? I hate it when I'm so stereotypical...

Before they were just sort of crammed up in the top of the closet and as I took some out and put them back it just steadily became more and more of a disaster. Britney, my fabulous roomie, had a purse organizer that she was no longer utilizing. I traded some pj's I never wore for her organizer and now my purses hang beautifully in my closet. I'm mostly pleased that this little "nook" in my closet is being better utilized.


Cute little bags, all in a row.

The next little project was one in the garage. Since buying a home I have accumulated some things that all needed a place. The garage already had an organization strip attached to the brick, but I hadn't put all my odds and ends up on it yet. So one day after work, I didn't pull in the garage so that I could have the space to organize it. I was satisfied to get all of my useful tools up where I can easily see them, but to be able to have them out of the way.


My parents stopped by and were jealous of how clean and organized my garage was :)

For the record, I have been making A LOT of progress at the house! This project wasn't really part of the renovation, but I have gotten my butt in gear and completed some projects that I have really needed to get taken care of. So hopefully the posts to follow will be enjoyable as well.

To the peace that a clean house can give a soul,

Boomba

Not so simple after all

I have like a bazillion little projects around the house that I've been needing to get to. So my next few posts will likely be of these "small victories". So while they aren't terribly exciting... Just be proud of me anyway ;)

One small project I've been needing to get to is finishing the vanity. The middle section still needed the drawer and the door attached to it. No... I didn't finish it, but I took a step in the right direction! I got the faceplate of the drawer back in. I didn't just want a to put the faceplate back on though; I wanted a tip out drawer. You know the ones that are kind of like a secret organization spot? Yeah, we know how I feel about organization :)

So I got this tip out kit from Lowe's and proceeded to install it back onto the faceplate for the vanity. What should have been a twenty minute project took me like two hours. It was ridiculous! The faceplate actually was the front of a drawer so the grooves that it had were of course in the exact spot that needed to have the screws. So then the screws weren't long enough and I had to find more... Luckily I have a bunch of odds and ends on hand. After I finished installing it the first time, it wasn't tall enough, so then I had to do the whole thing over.

But I prevailed!


Now it's closed, but then it...


OPENS!

Now it is a little hidden location that I store my make-up. So I just sit in front of the vanity, tip out my secret drawer, and get going in the morning! It's pretty nice.

To not sweating the small stuff,

Boomba

... And everything in it's place

Redoing the office has been like fixing a car: it only ever looks worse before it is actually gets better. The office was a disaster to begin with, but as I started going through boxes, files, and paper it became a <insert work here that is much worse than a disaster>! I literally had to take three or four days to go through all of it and throw it out and organize it. The end result is much peace and satisfaction that occurs after a good cleanse :)

I had to start with the bookshelf because it was actually the key to cleaning up the entire room. The vast majority of junk I had on the desk (see previous blog) just needed a place to be. The previous bookshelf I actually am quite fond of. It folds up really nice and has always looked really good. The bookshelf is made of rubberwood and I don't know if that will paint well. Rubberwood has a tendency to warp when it dries. I may have to sell it or I may try to repaint it eventually, it would still be quite functional in either the office or the living room.

The before picture of the bookcase is in my previous blog, but I'll just put another one up because it's easy to do.



Not a bad piece, but (1) it was too small to fit all of my books and (2) I needed to change the color. If the size was right and the color was wrong, I would have just repainted it, but I really did need something larger. The bookcase I replaced it with was a purchase off of KSL classified. I do love that website and usually check it daily. Bookcases are quite common, but they were either particle board and the wrong color (I refuse to repaint particle board if at all possible) or real wood and the wrong size and really quite expensive. Eventually I stumbled on a bookcase that wasn't real wood, but it was already black. Plus that price tag was just right, it was only $20 and had five shelves. Had it been real wood, it would have been EXACTLY what I was looking for. Here is the after shot!






















An organized piece of art in my eyes! Now all of my books fit on here perfectly and all the random junk I had is organized in these great IKEA boxes which are also super cheap. I got twelve boxes for $30 and even though you have to assemble them, it's really easy. These are probably the best investment I have made towards home organization ever. I'm very pleased not to have shenanigans everywhere now!

Financial Breakdown
Bookcase: $20
Boxes: $30

Total Project Cost: $50

Now this may be half of what I spent doing multiple projects in the living room, but this project alone cleaned up the entire office. So it's impact on the overall room was HUGE. I can actually see the floor again :)

To having a place for everything...

Boomba