6/21/15

Some Much-Needed Organization

Hey everyone!  During breaks when I was editing and posting our European trip, I was doing some re-organizing around our home.  One place that really needed my attention, is my decor cabinet.  Fortunately I did this before our temps soared into the 110+ range.  And just an FYI, when we AZ desert dwellers say, "It's a dry heat," it is true....two days ago our relative humidity was 3%!  Yes, you read that right!  Okay, back on track.  I am so pleased with how my storage turned out, and I just have to share.

First you have to see some befores!
                 

Believe me, I am so grateful that we have all of this storage in our garage, but.......
it's not the best for storing my chotskies.  That being said, it's what I've got, and I am making 
the best of it.



ONE HOT MESS!

Anytime I wanted something from the top shelf, I had to get the ladder or risk knocking something else off the shelf & having it crash to the floor......1st hand knowledge!  The shelves are 23" deep, which is great, but also awkward.

Things were just getting shoved into whatever space was available.


Hmmm.....those shelf labels don't seem to be working.

SUPER HOT MESS!

Well, as with any project I have, I need to start with a plan or a sketch, so that's what I did for this cabinet.  I cleaned and purged everything & emptied the cabinet.  Then I measured the space, and I measured all of the available storage containers that I had.  I recycle storage bins & boxes all the time and never throw them away.  For this project, I really did not want to buy anything.

Ready for the after?

I love this!  I didn't want to close it up and put the car back in the garage!

I did have to buy one dishpan at the Dollar Store....already had the others.  

I had to get very creative in how & where everything would fit.  Oops, I see a label fell off!

The "OCD-Me" really wanted all of these plastic shoe boxes to be the same, but I tamed that beast and used what I already had!

Some of these things had been residing in my craft room, but I did a re-organization of that space, too, and decided to send them to the decor cabinet.

I'm okay with some boxes not being closed.

I know this isn't the ideal way to store some of these items.  Would I love it if I had a bunch of shallow shelves for my decorative pieces?  Oh, absolutely!  

But this is working well for the space I do have.

The white bins are drawers from a storage stack that fell apart, but the drawers were still good.

I labeled everything so the labels make sense to me.


For some bulkier or less often accessed pieces, I used the space behind the other 
storage containers.  I also added labels on the doors identifying what items were in 
the far back.


I had several of these IKEA storage boxes which were perfect for some of the bigger or
more awkward items.

These are some of my larger apothecary jars and hurricanes in a box on the bottom shelf.  This box is heavy, so I don't have to move it very much to get to these things.  The glass vases and candle holders that I use quite frequently, are stored in the laundry room.  That sounds like another post!

The extra space on each shelf was perfect for some vertical storage. 

This is the top shelf, & I used one of those large magazine files to hold some decorative plates so 
they wouldn't fall over.

I used an old tie rack to hold some floral stems.....this may or may not remain here.

On the other door is where I placed labels pertaining to items located behind 
other storage.

Just so you know, I did not do all of this re-organization by myself.  Abby was right there offering assistance where ever she was needed.  You just never know when these plastic bins might just float away, so she's holding them down for me.  She takes her duties very seriously!

Not bad for about four hours of labor and total expenditure of $1!

Wow, it was really fun to do an organization post, it's been awhile.  I may just have a few more to share in the not too distant future.  Hope y'all have a wonderful week!

I often party with these lovely bloggers:

Sunday
Dee at Meatloaf and Melodrama for Snickerdoodle Sunday

Monday
Cindy at Dwellings--The Heart of Your Home for Amaze Me Monday
Karen at Karen's Up on the Hill for Something to Talk About
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Kathryn at The Dedicated House for Make It Pretty Mondays



Tuesday
Maria Elena at Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays at Our Home
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life  for Inspire Me Tuesday
Leslie at House on the Way for Twirl & Take a Bow
Mary Beth at Cupcakes and Crinoline for Project Inspired

Wednesday
Suzy at Worthing Court for The Scoop
Karin at The Style Sisters for Centerpiece Wednesday
Kathryn at The Dedicated House for Before and After Wednesday

Thursday
Kelly at Live Laugh Rowe for Live Laugh Linky Party
Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home
Pamela at From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday

Friday
Kathryn at The Dedicated House for Anything Blue Friday
Jody & Stan at Rooted in Thyme for Simple and Sweet Fridays 

17 comments:

  1. Well, I'm certainly glad Miss Abby was there to hold down those containers for you! Lol! I had to chuckle when I saw the labels "fruit" and "eggs" because I totally could have an entire container for just those things! I have no idea how I accumulated so much faux fruit and eggs! You're rockin' those organizational skills!

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  2. Wow -- I am so impressed, both by the garage cabinets and the amazing job you did! My organizational skills are horrible, so anytime you have nothing to do, feel free to come on over! ;) Your assistant is adorable too!

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  3. Nice organizing! I need to do this in my pantry. I love the way you grouped your like boxes together. Even if they are not exactly the same they look really nice! Great job. If you want you can get out of the dry heat and head to Iowa to help me. Not so dry here! UGH.

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  4. Your kitty is ridiculous, not to be left out of the fun, huh? Your cabinet looks great, care to pop by my way and do that to mine? It's only 85 here but we have 75% humidity. I don't know which is worse!

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  5. I have to admit this makes me feel better about things at my house. I honestly thought every spot of your house was perfectly organized! Do you ever have any problems with the heat ruining any of the things you have stored in the cabinet in the garage? We have a huge attic but I'm always nervous about storing certain things there because of how hot it gets.

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  6. Hello, I'm visiting from Make It Pretty Monday! What a transformation! I did this awhile back with my closets--I don't have a garage--and it sure felt good to have it done. You did a great job! Blessings, Cecilia

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  7. I have the same type of cabinets in my garage. I'm in the process of redoing mine as well, but it is a slow process since it is soooo Hot!!! You did a really nice job and I'm sure it makes your life much easier when you want to pick something out! Enjoy the week and stay cool! Oh, btw: dry heat or not, It Is Hot!!! Blessings, Cindy xoxo

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  8. Wow!!! This cupboard looks great and I'm such a label addict. It is so nice to have a cupboard like this where everything can be stored. Right now, my stuff is stored all through the house. I'm inspired to go sort through my stuff now! Jamie | anderson + grant

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  9. Wow!! Great organization. Now, if I only had the space.

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  10. Heehee that Abby is fantastic! Love your organizational skills.
    I wanted to invite you to stop by the Decor To Adore blog as I am currently hosting a giveaway for my treasured readers.

    Have a beautiful day!

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  11. Wow you did good...everything in it's place! Abbey is ADORABLE!
    Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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  12. O M Geeeee.... Carol can you trip-it down to Georgia and organize my , my, my EVERYTHING!.. this looks outrageously awesome.

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  13. OHMYGOSH...this is so amazing and you are so smart. I LOVE that you used what you had...the dishpans are perfect for storage...and when you go to Georgia to help JO ANN MAY, stop here in Texas to help MOI....you've inspired me to rearrange some of my storage closets. THANKS !

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  14. Abby is so cute! LOL Love your closet and how you organized everything. Great ideas and lots of inspiration to get us going into organizing our spaces. Great post, Carol!

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  15. Your Kitty Cat is so adorable! Doesn't it feel so good to organize! We just moved and I will tell you that all of that cleansing and organizing (even though it was forced) was a wonderful thing!

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  16. Carol, you have been quite the busy bee! Thanks for sharing. You are one of the fan favorites at the Sunday Showcase from the Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. Here is the link so you can check it out. http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/2015/06/the-sunday-showcase-from-make-it-pretty_27.html Hope to see you tonight at Make it Pretty Monday! Have a great day! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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I truly love to hear from you and try to respond to each and everyone. If you have "no reply blogger," I will respond in my comments section and then visit your blog as soon as I can.

Make this a great day!
Carol

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