26 Reader Space: A Thoughtful & Organized Place!

My girl Courtney run's the most fantastic blog called, A Thoughtful Place, and it's another one of those stop by for a quick peak and find yourself leaving three days later after every last post is read kind of blogs!

I pop by her blog pretty frequently and have been astounded by some of her organizing ideas and how she not only organizes, but beautifies as well!  A D O R E!  And she totally makes all of her ideas budget friendly and do-able, which is really what really matters!

So let's get started shall we?

When you typically enter a home, where do you begin?  You have an entry, or "mud room" or coat closet.  So that's where we will start with Courtney's home.

She was blessed with a small closet by her back entry, that once looked like this:

She went through a couple of phases to get it to the awesomeness that it is today, a mini-mudroom!  Here is an after:

How cute is that?  Seriously?  It's the perfect place for her littles to store their paperwork, shoes, sweaters and totes!  Pitter Patter!

She started out by painting some incredible stripes and adding a bench and some Dollar Tree baskets below for shoe storage!

Yeah, that back panel is actually a magnetic board!  So fun!

She also installed the sweetest hooks for their jackets, sweaters and bags:

And anyone looking for ideas on how to stash all that incoming school paperwork until you can file it away, or art projects for those kiddos home all day and working on a gazillion things at once... Courtney's solution is so smart!

She found the plastic snap paper holder from The Container Store for around $10 and printed out monograms for the faces to identify each slot!  Totally great right?

And to REALLY maximize the space, she went with an over the door shoe organizer to hold all those little pesky items that have no where to live!

When she fills a pocket, she has an easy to update label system!

I know she made this fantastic zone for her kiddos, but I might just want to come and chill out in there with them.  It's pretty incredible, but if I did, I would miss out on the rest of her lovely home... so let's keep going!

Next up we are going to crash her master bedroom closet which she also turned into a streamlined and organized haven!  But it wasn't always like that, here is what she started out with:

She emptied out the closet and purged purged purged.  She invested in wooden hangers which only cost about $60 for the entire closet and from what I can see, it was the biggest most streamlined impact!  She added a nice dresser to replace all the plastic storage bins and found storage boxes for the top shelves from Target for $8 for two!

WOW right?  Here is what this shows so well.  Sticking with a common color theme within your closet just as you would in any room in your house, makes all the difference in the world.

The reason why I always encourage a little beautification with the organization is because when we are proud of our spaces, we are more driven and disciplined about keeping them that way!

I love the white vase and tray for accessory storage.  And those boxes from Target up above are super smart for keeping less used items concealed yet at an arms reach when necessary.

Back to those hangers!  Look at the difference they made in the space!

And shoe organizers are rarely used for shoes.  They are just too perfect for anything small that needs to be wrangled.  Like more accessories, such as belts and scarves!

She even has a hook to set out her planned outfit for the following day!  Good thinking girl!

Oh, but there is MORE!  So many things for our eyes to feast upon!  Here is something many of us mommy's can relate too.  A toy cabinet....

Courtney wanted to make it an area that was easier to maintain not just for her, but for those kiddos of hers.  I think she did just swimmingly! 

Her and I are totally on the same page when it comes to storing puzzles!  Ziploc baggies and a bin.  Such a space saving idea!

Clear bins are a great way to store toys, then kid's are able to visually see the contents!

And how fantastic and creative are these trays?  Cookie sheets with fun paper!  Great for those magnetic letters or as a writing tray in the car on long trips!

On the way out of the tour, I am going to take a peak at her garage.  That always seems to be one of the hardest spaces for individuals to get excited about organizing...  Until you see this INSPIRATION!!

I have never seen curtains used in a garage but I absolutely am SMITTEN over this smart idea!  Garage contents can be so hard on the eyes visually, that this is a great solution to concealing them!

Some of the things she did here were add curtain rods to the fronts of her shelves, painted out the door entering into the home and added a pretty decal and ensured they had easy access to all of their shoes on the way out!

Organized and inviting!  Win win!

I could stay all day... have you seen her dining room?

How about the kitchen?

You guessed it, the living room is gorgeous too!

So pop on over to A Thoughtful Place and make yourself at home!  You will enjoy every second you are there!

Let's chat about all the ideas seen here today!  Anything stick with you that you can't wait to implement in your own space?  What do you love?  Leave Courtney some props and love for a job beyond well done!

ATTENTION!!  Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition?  Have an awesome organizing story to share?  I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life.  Please send your story and photos to iheartorganizing@gmail.com and I would heart to feature them right here, on the blog!!  Photos should be high resolution and un-editted.  Please include a description of the project, including any costs, inspiration, and how it has changed your life and routine for the better!  Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice!  Only love goes on at this blog!  More Info HERE.