Thursday, July 24, 2014

26 UHeart Organizing: Simple Desk Solutions for Children

Most often organizing is all about those simple pleasures.  Finding a storage solution that is versatile and simple and makes life easier time and time again.  For example, adhesive bookplates.  I like them a lot {in my best Jim Carrey voice}.  I use them time and time again and they make me happy with every new bin or binder or shelf that is labeled.

Courtney, my dear friend who blogs over at A Thoughtful Place, discovered her simple organizing pleasure which has allowed her daughter to keep an organized and tidy workspace.  I am thinking I need to implement her trick for myself as well!  Here she is now to share more details.



Hi, everyone!  While most of us are in full summer mode, I am always trying to figure out how the upcoming school year can run more smoothly.  I have a daughter who loves to work at her desk and she is constantly creating.  But that often translates to a huge mess.  And while a desk is fantastic, desk drawers can spell trouble.  Sometimes they end up being the black hole of the room.  I finally figured out a system that has helped us immensely.  I am now all about removable drawer organization.  Take a look.


A while back we transformed our daughter’s closet {half of it} into a desk space.  She has plenty of room on the other side for clothing and we really thought a work space would be great.  The metal pails have always worked well for the markers.


But honestly, the drawers have been a disaster.  I realized the drawers had to have something that could be removed and used elsewhere.


I stumbled upon these pouches at Staples.  They were inexpensive and you could even monogram them with a stencil.  I love that they already had a splash of color to match her room.  I love that she can keep her supplies in them but also take them out and use them down on the kitchen table with me or anywhere in the house.  If she feels like working on the floor she can grab her pouches and move there.


This was a little tray I picked up at Target a while back.  I personalized it and had a piece of acrylic cut to fit the inside.  More about that here.  It is a perfect fit for her drawer and she can take it out and use the supplies easily.  I can also ask her to take it out and clean it if it gets messy!  That has been dreamy.  And I have made her a deal.  I let her know I will check and see when supplies are low as long as she checks and makes sure things are tidy and in their place.



The bins above the desk space are from Ikea and are great for storage that will show. They have clean lines and I know these are a favorite of Jen, too!


Like mother, like daughter. Although I have a desk from which to blog, I do most of my work sitting on me bed.  So does my daughter!  So these pouches are perfect to grab from the drawer or toss in her bag if she wants to take something to work on while we are on the go.


I am always on the lookout for really simple solutions. I often find that the little changes make a big difference in how tidy and efficient we can be around the house.  Fingers cross that this new system takes us well into the school year.  What about you?  Do you have a quick and simple fix for keeping kiddos organized when it comes to their work spaces?



"Do you believe in love at first sight? I sure do because when I first stumbled upon I Heart Organizing I immediately fell in love with Jen's mad organizational skills. I think we all long for a calm, organized, well styled life. I am the author of A Thoughtful Place blog where I dish on all things related to decorating, organizing, entertaining, and of course DIY-ing! To be quite honest, working on making my house a home is my happy place. It fulfills my need to be creative and I love sharing ideas {both big and small} with my readers. Along with my blog, I am a contributing writer to House of Fifty and have recently started my own decorating firm, Casey Grace Design, LLC, with my talented sister. I call Orange County, California home where I live with amazing husband and two children. At the end of a busy day, I love to enjoy an ice cold beer on the front porch with my hubby while we watch our children ride their bikes or run around. Life is sweet and I am thrilled to be a part of the IHeart Organizing Team."

26 comments:

  1. Love the simplicity of this as my kids are at the age they are needing a work space.

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    1. Thanks, Alicia. I find it changes as the grow but keeping it simple is always better.

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  2. Courtney never disappoints, and I can look at her spaces over and over and never tire of them.

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    1. You are the sweetest. Thanks for always bringing a smile to my face!

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  3. lovely! i was wondering where the cream rug in the last photo is from??
    thanks

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    1. Hi Becca. . . that is so old. I think we picked that up at Costco years ago and it has made its way through different rooms in the house. I know Rugs USA carries similar ones.

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    2. We have that same rug in our den (which has also migrated around different rooms in our house). We got ours from Lowe's about 4 years ago, although I did still see it there recently. It has held up extremely well.

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  4. What a great idea! I actually just did a post about organizing our desk. We had a huge mess, and I finally took the time to straighten everything out. It's so hard to keep up with paper clutter. BTW, your daughter's bedroom is so cute!

    http://happinessinacircularmotion.blogspot.com/2014/07/organizing-desk.html

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    1. Hi Leslie. Thank you. Yes. . .paper clutter is the worst. It does take time, but so worth it once it is done.

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  5. That desk area is gorgeous! My daughter needs a space like this in her room!

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    1. Thank you! Keep an eye out at your local HomeGoods if you have one. Desk was a steal. Ikea is a good place, too.

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  6. Hi, where is the bedspread from, its beautiful! X

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  7. Forget kids - this is totally adorable for adults! I just love it - so sweet. Those little bags would be good in my purse (you could paint the colored stripe on easily). Thanks for the great ideas!!

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    1. I agree, Beth. Good idea to have them for our purses. Now you have me wanting to buy more!

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  8. So cute! Love the pouches!!! Where does she store her paper - unused AND used? My daughter is almost eight and every creation is a treasure. ;)

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    1. Ha! The paper trail is long and unending! She keeps paper in a stack downstairs by our table and also in a paper holder to the side of her desk. BUT the used paper is a constant issue. We go through it all the time and purge. I have a system that I chat about on the blog.

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  9. This bedroom is so so cute. The pink and orange is precious...I want it in my room!

    And I'm all about removable drawer organizers. It's totally not just a kids' concept. I do the same thing in the drawers of my dorm desk! I study art, so I put all my paints pastels etc in pouches that I can take out and bring with me to class if I need to. Unfortunately, the art supply mess just grows as the artist gets older...sorry Mom!

    Love, Gigi
    Dolce and Gabriella

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    1. How cute. I wish I had some artistic skills. It sure is nice to be able to take everything out and take it with you.

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  10. This is a great post! My oldest daughter, 8, has been asking for a desk, but I keep putting her off because I'm afraid of how messy and disorganized it will get! Now maybe I will take the plunge and make her happy...

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    1. You can do it!!! It just takes some upkeep and my advice is to purge often! Keep it simple.

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  11. Such a cute work space. I love how you customized the tray with the monogram. Great storage tips.

    -Sayeh, The Office Stylist
    http://theofficestylist.com/

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  12. Can I move in? Holy moly that looks like a comfy room!

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    1. LOL! She does like spending time in there. But it's been a slow process getting her room to this point. Slow and steady over here!

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  13. I love this! As a teacher I always stress to my parents that home organization is so important to school success! My students would love doing homework on this desk!

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