Wednesday, November 14, 2012

31 Reader Space: A Hard Working Closet!

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to "raid" a reader's home.  However, she is more than just a reader, she is a local friend.  And I didn't exactly "raid" her home.  It was far more casual than it sounds and basically consisted of a lot of chatting, major admiring, some picture taking and more chatting {does it surprise you that I like to chat?}.

While I was visiting Jillian, she let me know she had one more project she was working on, and that she would submit it to me later as a followup to the raid.  And boy am I glad she did!  Just as she had done with the rest of her super lovely and incredibly organized abode, she has put yet another great system in place!


Jillian wrote:

Hi Jen,

It's me again! I have completed one of the last big projects on my list and I am very happy with the results. We have a front entry closet which is fairly small, but I have managed to maximize its potential and wanted to share the results with you and your readers.

{before}

First let me explain that we do not keep coats in this closet because during colder weather we use our basement door where we have tons of room for coats, boots, hats, etc. I also have a pantry where I store the broom, mop, etc. Therefore, this closet is strictly for the shoes we wear the most and now for some organizing baskets!


Here is the photo which inspired me during this make-over. It is labeled boxes, but I found these bins at Target and they were perfect! They have handles so I can grab the one I need and go! I now have bins for:
  • Cabin:  Here I keep towels, toilet paper, or whatever else needs to be brought there on our next trip
  • Lake:  Towels, first aid kit, sanitizer, etc. Also, I will add snacks to this on lake days
  • Returns:  I can grab this bin and throw it in my truck when I have a shopping trip
  • Donate:  Outgrown clothes go in here and when it's full, I drop it off
  • Deliver:  Items I borrowed from family/friends such as books, DVD's, and tupperware
  • Library Books:  So we don't keep losing them


Before I added the storage items, I painted and installed adjustable shelving. One more thing to note. I hung a shoe organizer over the door to hold sunscreen, bug spray, batteries, small tools, tape, and everything else you can imagine. I call this our giant junk drawer.


For now, I have attached the bin labels using hot glue because I was so excited to get it done. I don't think this will last long term. Any great ideas on affixing the labels to plastic bins?

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this!
Jillian

Let's take another peek at the great closet before & after!


It is photos like these in which I let out a huge sigh of relief.  I can feel through the powers of the pictures and the Internet, their lives becoming so much simpler with the new closet.  Easy to pull out baskets that are sized perfectly for different common occasions!  Brilliant.  Even just installing new shelving and removing the plastic drawers completely expanded her storage and closet functionality!  And look at all the storage gained just by adding an inexpensive over the door pocket organizer!  Simply wonderful.

I let Jillian know to give Velcro a try with her labels on the plastic bins.  I have had really good luck using a heavy duty Velcro for long lasting stick {hot glue + plastic = temporary}.

Who is feeling inspired?  Isn't the Donate, Return, Deliver system amazing?  Thank you again and again to Jillian for sharing your awesome projects!



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 submit your story and photos here and I would heart to feature them right here, on the blog!!  Photos should be high resolution and unedited.  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!

31 comments:

  1. I am headed out to Target to buy a shoe hanger right now - seriously, the best storage ever.

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  2. The 'deliver' box is a great idea. I always have crap piled all over that isn't ours and I don't have a place for: a DVD to return to someone, a platter from my mother-in-law, the sunglasses my sister ALWAYS manages to leave at our house...

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  3. i totally love it especially as i currently have a bag in my bedroom full of the boys outgrown clothes! so a dedicated space to house stuff like that is perfect!

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  4. I also love organizing and can see myself using this tip..

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  5. Brilliant. LOVE it. Thanks for sharing!!

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  6. That looks great! And the bins she's created seem very functional (I think I need a library bin and a lake bin, haha). Definitely keep in mind for entry redo
    xx

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  7. I love her ideas. We have a coat closet by our front door that could use some serious making over. I love her systems of library, delivery and donate boxes. A stroke of genius! I might need a bigger basket for deliveries though with my business.

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  8. This is such a crafty and creative organizational skill. It would keep the house real neat and help people remember where they placed something. This is a great tip for organizing and also a great blog!

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  9. This is amazing. Thanks so much for sharing! I would never have thought of having a returns and donate box as part of my built-in organization. I always have stuff to return and donate, though. I can't wait to implement this. I just reorganized my coat closet last weekend and ended up with some extra space, so this will be the PERFECT use for it. The shoe organizer will clean out an entire cupboard that has become the "junk cupboard" in my kitchen. Hooray for more space there!

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  10. I can't get the Pinterest pin button to work. Is anyone else having this problem?

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    Replies
    1. Karyn, I just did it and it worked okay. Might have been a momentary glitch.

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  11. Love the bright colors and how organized it all is. Those door pouches really add a lot of storage to an otherwise small closet- great job!

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  12. The "deliver" box is brilliant! Thanks for the good ideas.

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  13. Try glue dots for adhering labels to bins. They stick anything to anything!

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  14. I love the green baskets - can anyone tell me where I can find them?

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    1. Those are from Target....called the Y-weave basket, they come in all sizes

      http://www.target.com/p/room-essentials-yweave-set-of-4-xl-square-storage-baskets/-/A-13946299#prodSlot=medium_1_1&term=y%20weave

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  15. I love this whole idea of donate, deliver, and return! So smart!

    MJ
    Papersidewalks.blogspot.com

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  16. Deliver, donate and library boxes (bags) coming up! Brilliant!

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  17. Those over the door shoe racks have been a life saver for me. I have three of them in my home that I use for everything but shoes!

    istaistaista.blogspot.com

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  18. Where is the shelving from?! I have THREE closets in my apartment that are totally wasted space because I need shelving. This shelving is perfect, and I NEED to know where to find it :) (looked on Amazon...no luck!)

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  19. Oh dear I am ashamed to say I have a press like that, not the latter mind you....lol
    J
    http://lifelovesand.blogspot.ie/

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  20. What a great idea on the basket labels. I'm currently organizing my mudroom and will definitely incorporate these bins.
    paigeshannon - those green baskets are a room essentials brand from Target. I have the same ones in a larger size and love them.
    I like the glue dot idea, I have had great luck with glue dots.

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  21. Where are the blue bins from? Also Target?

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  22. What a creative use for hanging shoe caddies! Thanks for sharing.

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  23. I love this! Thank you for sharing! I use the self adhesive velcro for most of my labeling! It works great and you can change out the labels easily :)

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  24. I absolutely love the bins and categories! deliver and return such a great idea I can't wait to implement this into my future home.

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  25. I absolutely love the bins and categories! deliver and return such a great idea I can't wait to implement this into my future home.

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  26. just saw this post.... what a great idea!!! i just redid my upstairs closet, but now i'm trying to figure out a way to incorporate a few of these bin ideas. i have a nasty habit of just throwing all of the "passing through" items in my office, where they end up sitting for months and months.....

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  27. I've had great success using small wire ties to attach labels. I've used primarily basket-ey things, so a hole wasn't required. On these particular bins (which I also own) you can attach to the handle.

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