An Organized Entryway Drawer

Add this project to the quick and easy and under 15 minute list.  Those are the best right?

You are about to see proof that even though I heart organizing, we are far from perfect over here....

Yikes right?  That is the top drawer of our entry shoe storage unit.

And it once looked like this inside....

But, over the past few years, it has become a quick place to toss random items in a hurry.  I knew the main reason was laziness, the second reason was the lack of drawer dividers for all the itty bits that we like to keep in the drawer.  I have always believed that drawer dividers keep drawers cleaner, since you have less of a choice to just "stuff" something somewhere.  They make you stop and think, "Does this really belong in here?"

So, I emptied the drawer to start from scratch, put everything back where it really should have gone and selected the items that made the most sense for our entry drawer.

See those great pink little buckets?  Found those at Target in the dollar section - two for $1 baby!

They would be my new drawer dividers!  Cheap and cute!  And my way of bringing pink into the house in any way that I can....

I could have just filled the tubs with the contents waiting for their new home, however, I wanted to go the extra mile and add some labels to the insides, just so there is never any question in the future what belongs and what doesn't.

To keep the organizers from sliding around inside of the drawer, I just snipped a small bit of a rug pad to put down under the bins.

Visions like this make me week in the knees....

And here they are all filled up with their goodies.

My sunglasses, batteries, spare keys, hand sanitizer, and a tape measure {since we are always grabbing for one}.  Daily essentials.

To make room for the rest of the belongings, I just slid the organizers to the back of the drawer, and placed in the larger items that I like to stash in there as well. 

Sooooo much better!  And so easy!  Fingers crossed it sticks this time!

This project came out of nowhere just because I couldn't take it any longer.  A couple of minutes while watching Sunday football and I was left grinning ear to ear.

Anyone take on a last minute project this weekend also?  Or find an amazing storage solution in the dollar section or at the dollar store?

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Back To School: Our Organized Entry

This week we have been focusing on heading back to school, since my kiddos officially start next week.  Back to school time is a really great time to organize, since schedules change and family needs change.

I mentioned back in May, that one of our top projects this year, was to implement some sort of a designated cubby system for the boys.  We were looking to create a zone in which each boy could place their school belongings and daily gear.  Up until now, they have put their boots and shoes by the entry, coats in the coat closet, and backpacks, school gear, etc... in piles.  It wasn't the most effective setup, and we have been brainstorming ways to manage it for years.  And when I say years, that is no exaggeration.

My original intention was to replicate some of the beautiful and lovely cubby systems, that I often see on Pinterest and BHG.

{source}

We have been dreaming of a similar setup for as long as I can remember, it was just going to be a matter of time and money.

And earlier this summer, my hubs gave me the thumbs up.  He was finally ready and eager to build me my long awaited cubbies.

But as we started talking, project planning, creating a cubby wishlist, etc... we realized our only solution was to place them in the garage.  There is absolutely no other wall in our home, without a major renovation, that would be suitable candidates for the cubbies.  Really wanting to move forward with the project in the garage, in the end, it just didn't make sense.  We live in the Midwest where for about 7-8 months out of the year, we experience cold temps, some extreme.  We get massive amounts of snow and freezing temps.  So boots and gear in the garage in the winter wouldn't be very nice to the kids.  Time to think up a new plan.

Then, the BHG photo shoot happened and I decided that if I wanted to have a cubby system before school, that I might just have to purchase something that would solve our problems, vs. taking on another DIY build project.  I already had my hubs working on finishing doors and trim in the lower level and installing new wood stairs, while also installing some other DIY features to my studio {which I will share in an upcoming post}.  There are times where I just need to pick my battles, and buy something instead of build it; so that is what we did.

When it came time to finding the perfect solution, it didn't take long.  I often roam the display floor at IKEA looking for ideas and at all of their furniture options, and often would stop and admire their BESTA line.  In fact, when readers ask me for awesome toy storage solutions, I often revert to the BESTA line, since it is much more deep and sturdy than typical bookcases.  You can mix and match finishes and features to achieve your desired outcome, I was looking to create something similar to this:

Three separate spaces to keep everything kid related.  Nice and concealed.  I knew I would need room for baskets, backpacks, lunchboxes, their study boxes and boots.  After measuring, we took several pieces home {two units - this one and this one, doors and legs} and assembled it {I will spare you those boring details}.

So, our entry went from this...

To this:

The larger unit absolutely filled up the hip wall space far better than the previous falling apart console table did and provided me with all the concealed storage I was hoping for.  I am beyond in love and smitten for this huge update!

And when I say it packs a lot of storage punch, that is no joke.  Each "cubby" or cabinet is set up exactly the same.  One for each boy.

So what are all of those goodies?  Let's chat about each.

The top blue box is their "study box".  A box that contains everything they need to do their homework each night.  A notebook, writing utensils, erasers, etc...  Each night they can bring their individual boxes to the kitchen table to do their work, and when they are done, the boxes tuck neatly back in their cubby.

The smaller blue basket is for the boys to keep any portable devices.  We do not allow the boys to be on these unless they are traveling, so we installed a cord to each basket to allow for the devices to charge in-between rides.

The lower green basket holds their boots.  Since our entry shoe storage cabinet doesn't accommodate the large, wet, cold footwear, I thought a simple plastic basket would do the trick.

The baskets were from Target a few months back, I scooped them up at the same time I was working on the kids playroom.

Their backpacks and lunchboxes tuck nicely into the remaining area of the cubby.

The clipboards started out as cheapo plain Target clipboards, that I dressed up with some pretty contact paper {found here}.  Updating the clipboards was was super simple, just trace the clipboard, cut and attach the contact paper.  Easy to clean, easy to change!

The reason I wanted to attach the clipboards to the door, is because I wanted an easier way to corral all of the kids current "action" documents for school.  We were keeping them inside of folders in their study box, and my thoughts were that the clipboards would keep things in site and easier to grab in a jif.  After our recent school open house night, we accumulated quite a few papers and I put them to the test.

They hold a great amount of weight/papers and are mounted on the cabinet door with simple Command Hooks.

Soooooo in love!

We are feeling nice and prepared the new school year now!  I am beyond thrilled that the kids have their own designated areas for their belongings in our entry and it is all nicely tucked away and concealed, no one would ever know all of the awesomeness happening behind those doors, which is my favorite part!

As we made the decision to say farewell to the large, built in cubby dream, I was a little disappointed and sad inside, but I insisted on using the ideas and practicalities of the inspiration photos to create something equally as amazing with what items made sense for our home and family.  Although not necessarily a traditional "mudroom" or "entry", it is working well for us.  Smiles all around!

Of course, no project is ever done.  I still have more up my sleeves.  Like finding a creative way to dress up those cabinet fronts, maybe add individual labels or photos... only time will tell!

I am looking forward to checking out all of the great ways you all have been preparing for back to school by scouring through the link party this weekend!  If you haven't linked up your posts yet, you still have a few more days before the party closes.

I also wanted to take a moment to say thank you for all of your kind comments after I revealed my brother's apartment update.  I know I have a few questions to answer, and I will be sure to make time to do that this weekend as well.  You all made my heart fill with warmth and I adore you to pieces!

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

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My Boot Storage "Ah Ha" Moment

One of the very best reasons to live in the tundra, is to acquire tundra gear.  You know, hats, mittens, snow pants, bulky jackets and boots.  It's awesome.  Sensing my sarcasm?

Anyone who has to deal with the cold weather gear, knows what I am talking about.  And storing it all in a pretty way isn't the easiest thing to do.  Sure, we use our coat closet for the coats and snow pants.  But our coat closet is in our kitchen.  And because it's placed above our stairs to the lower level, it's only a half closet with zero room for boots.

So boots would be placed in piles by our front entry... {sorry, these first couple of pictures were actually taken in the summer months so the mess that our winter gear created is not present, I am sure your imaginations are spot on}

When we put up our tree, we moved the white table out for awhile.  Once the tree came down and we brought the table back in, I had a moment.  One of those fabulous "Ah Ha!" moments.  The kind where you can't focus on anything else until you test out your idea.

We had an old leather storage bench in our guest bedroom that we used to stash away linens {you can see that here}.

I knew that the leather bench would fit under the white table perfectly, since it lived there once before long ago.  But what I was really hoping was that our large boot tray that was living in the garage {it was too big for our entry once our shoe cabinet came in}, would actually conveniently fit inside the bench.  Yes, yes it did!

So I spent $2 at Home Depot on some River Stone...

Popped that fantastic tray inside the bench:

Dumped in the rocks {the rocks keep the boots up off of the tray so the snow can melt down}:

And placed our boots inside!  {My kids were at school while this was taking place, with their winter boots on, so I used mine with a couple other pairs, just to share the example}.

The tray itself actually perfectly holds my boots along with my three boy's winter boots {for a total of four pairs}.  My hubs giant boots live on a shelf in the garage, since he really only uses them for shoveling.

Then, the best part, shutting the lid, keeping those boots concealed and sliding it under the table!

Who you have know that the bench was full of boots?  Me either!  That's the best part!

The kid's don't mind this either as it's better than previous options.  We used to keep the green tray in the garage and tried keeping the boots out there too but that meant the kids taking them through the whole house and then the boots would freeze overnight, so that didn't last long.   Sometimes being tidy and organized comes with the discipline of putting things away.  I like the fact that the clutter is now concealed since our area is so small and it's also open to our living room/dining room/kitchen.

Update: Some readers have questioned the wet combined with lack of air issue.  Although the bench is not airtight, I am still planning on popping a box of baking soda inside and cracking the lid overnight. 

Wanna see how absolutely TINY our entryway is?

No coat closet.  Barely any entry.  It's been a challenge to troubleshoot through the small space, but now that we have the shoe cabinet and concealed boot storage, I am content!

The basket on the wall is currently being used for hats and mittens:

It's not the prettiest display, but in the warmer months, we will use it to keep track of other things, like our library books or magazines, so it always has a purpose.  It was just too easy to keep hats and mittens there in for the colder months.  And because it's not lined, it's easy to find what we are looking for, and allows better air flow for drying.

How about a before and after of the switcharoo?

It seems like every year when I pack up the holiday decor, I am given a fresh perspective on a space.  I love that.  And I was so excited when my brain pieced together a boot tray with a storage bench.  And that it actually worked!!

Have you recently had a design or storage epiphany that left you grinning big?  What about winter gear storage.  It's a pretty common question I receive, so what ways are you keeping all of that bulky business organized and concealed?

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Reader Spaces: Laundry, Mudroom, Entry and Bath Extravaganza

It's the final day of my blogcation and the rockin' Reader Space week is wrapping up today!

Today is a doozy.  In the greatest of ways.  So many incredible laundry {mudroom and entries too} and bathroom organizing ideas! 

I am totally digging how you all are painting out your laundry closets and maximizing the storage with shelving and baskets!  So so pretty!

Latoya added a super sweet circle border in her laundry closet:

While Anna decided to let all of the white cabinets pop against the pretty blue walls!

So much storage for concealing all of those laundry essentials!

Rachel used a slim shelving unit to maximize the storage in her closet laundry space!

Check out the organization in this mudroom closet.  I am giddy about the shelving setup combined with the labeled baskets:

Cindy created the most divine coat closet by mixing paint, wooden hangers and storage boxes!

You also proved that you have great tips for organizing linen closets and bathroom supplies! 

Rocky Mountain Mama used oodles of inexpensive baskets to whip her bathroom into shape!

Anna purged and organized all her meds!

And Jenn created the most adorable "Boo Boo Box"!

Abbey used boatloads of berry boxes to organize her toiletries, then added lovely labels to ensure it remains organized for the long haul!

Brandi took her linen closet to the next level with paint, wallpaper and baskets.  Now, it looks like it's own gorgeous room!

Just like everything Erin organizes, her linen closet leaves me breathless!

Aren't those labels just fantastic?! 

Let's get chatty and share your absolute favorite tip for staying organized in the hardworking entry, laundry and bath zones!

Mine tip is to only separate out your whites and delicates.  Then, each day make rounds and toss everyone's dirty clothes straight into the washer vs. allowing multiple laundry hampers and sorters to fill up.  Doing a load a day keeps the laundry at bay!

Your turn now!  Ready?  Set?  Go!!

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