14 UHeart Organizing: One Utility Cart Used Six Ways!

As our family has grown and evolved over the years, I have noticed that our organizational needs and systems have changed and evolved with right along with us. That is why "versatility" is typically one of my primary requirements when I am looking to purchase any new storage. For example, while looking for the ideal playroom baskets, I considered how those baskets could continue to be beneficial once the boys outgrew the space (and they are now being used in a few new zones in our home years later). Whether linen closet bins or an entire piece of furniture, it is smart to think about future uses and stretch that storage dollar.

A few years ago IKEA released a small rolling cart and I am pretty sure it rocked the organizational world. It was a viral piece of storage because it was also a very versatile one. Just how versatile? That is where my gal pal Cassie comes in. She recently picked up one of these darling little workhorses and decided to show all of us a variety of ways it can act as a handy household helper.

Hello lovely iHeart readers! I'm thrilled to be back chatting all things organized and pretty with you. Today I'm sharing one of hardest-working things in my house... the rolling utility cart! Yep, you read that right. This simple, inexpensive cart can be so useful in countless spots around the house. It's like a portable tray, corralling all the misplaced or leftover things in a room. But also, handy for entertaining and practical decor.

I intended to share just a few of our favorite uses, but once I got going, I just couldn't stop!! #bloggerobsessed #iHeartthiscart Allow me to demonstrate!


BATHROOM

Stock the cart with bath time essentials like candles, soap and magazines, or store extra towels and toilet paper... then roll it out of sight when not in use. My daughter keeps all of her hair stuff and playtime makeup in one... and of course I keep it stocked with toilet paper to cut down on the, 'Moooooooommmmmmm, can you bring me a roll of toilet paper pleeeeeeeeeeeaaaase?!' #amothersworkisneverdone ;)

Sugarplum Tip: Use a large shell to hold bars of soap and poufs. Not only does it keep your counter clean, but it looks pretty.

BAR CART

We love to have friends over, and will usually set up a little drink station in the kitchen for guests to help themselves (see our kitchen here). Oftentimes though, the party is on the porch or in the backyard (see that here & here), so I just load up my trusty cart and let it follow us around. We have big plans to make this a rolling cocoa cart this winter (like this).

Sugarplum Tip: Stock the cart with everything you might need so you don't have to spend a lot of time running back-and-forth inside the house.

 Find more Bar Cart Styling Tips here

PANTRY

We lucked out with a generous pantry (see it here), but a utility cart is perfect for storing the overflow items like paper goods, snacks, and dishtowels. You could even stock it with all your oils and spices and keep it near the stove.

Sugarplum Tip: Fill the cart with mom-approved snacks and treats, or lunch-packing items, so the kids have a spot they can raid without supervision.

LAUNDRY ROOM

We're in the process of overhauling our laundry room (see the latest progress here), but until then I love having all my essentials within arm's reach. I load the cart with detergents, ironing supplies, and laundry bags, and when I need the extra room, I just roll the cart in the corner.

Sugarplum Tip: Having everyday items in plain sight makes it easier to know when they need replacing, so it cuts down on over-buying.

CRAFT/HOMEWORK STATION

This is probably my favorite use of the handy cart! We recently gave our Little Miss a new creative/homework station (see it here), but the problem is, she only spends about half her time there. She likes to rotate between the kitchen bar, breakfast room table, and my office. Even the coffee table. Now, we've got all her essentials in one portable spot, so she can take them wherever she's feeling inspired!

 See our Organized Craft Closet here

Sugarplum Tip: Corral art and homework supplies in one portable tray or cart so they don't end up spread out across your entire house. 

LIBRARY

And finally, tuck a few of your kid's books and a cozy throw in the cart, and encourage them to find quiet or secret spots around the house to read. My daughter is much more likely to read when she can see her favorite book, and the cart feels like she's going on an adventure. #whateverworks #amIright

 Tutorial for DIY Pom Pom Throw here

Sugarplum Tip: Add crayons and coloring books, or blocks and toy cars, for a traveling play area for smaller kids.

I could keep going and going with all the useful options for a little rolling utility cart! I have this one from Ikea, but you could also DIY one like this. What other ideas do you have for this multi-purpose cart?

Oh, and if you're a fan of the One Room Challenge, we just kicked-off the new round last week, so check it out here! Happy organizing, love bugs!

______________________

Hi, I'm Cassie, a DIY and design-obsessed Texas girl, and lover of travel, fashion, sarcasm and Mexican food. When I'm not hanging with my sweet and funny family, you can find me kicking the '80s out of our home, one budget project at a time, on my blog Hi Sugarplum!

13 DIY Buffalo Check Cork Bulletin Board

Buffalo check is finding a place in many homes, and I don't see the darling trend fading away anytime soon. Even if it does, I plan to continue to utilize the pattern on the regular because I just love the simplistic yet bold pattern and how it seems to pair well in every room in our home. I love it on pillows, throws, hand towels, clothing and now our son's new bulletin board!

I have so many other areas of the house I could be focusing on, but there is just something so enjoyable about working on kid zones; I just can't seem to pull myself away! Plus, it has been crazy amazing to partner with my little lad (who just celebrated a birthday this week!). He has an endless amount of creative ideas for his room, so I have been busy trying to weed through them all and still give him a space that is 100% Parker.

Parker likes just about everything; color, art, drama, monkeys, friends, photography, reading, running, Minecraft, Legos, games, telling jokes... his personality is large and fantastic. He had a bare corner in his new bedroom, so I thought it would be fun to give him an oversized bulletin board where he can display anything that he wishes. It would be a great way to add a boatload of color and texture, and create an interactive nook in his room that he can continuously customize. The buffalo check pattern was the icing on the cool cake.

Ironically, Parker must have been on the same page. I received a joke filled text message from him and his father while I was traveling out of town last week... "What do you call a sleeping bull? A 'bull'dozer! Where do bulls get their messages? On a 'bull'etin board!" #funnyguy

To get started, I picked up the following supplies (to create a 4 ft x 3 ft bulletin board):

• 4-Pack of 12" x 12" cork tiles (x3) - I found mine at Walmart for under $5/pack, but the price has since increased by double for the same tiles online. That's what I call frustrated incorporated. Amazon has them reasonably priced (for now).
• Mini rollers
• Three paint testers from Home Depot (in Behr Ultra) - I pulled three shades from our son's wall color swatch card; his wall color is the darkest on the swatch so I selected the three colors above.
• 4x4 sheet of plywood
• 1" x 2" oak board (15 ft)
• Wood braces
• Construction adhesive/strong glue

I found a buffalo check pattern on a nearby pillow, and selected a portion of 4 x 3 squares with a shade pattern I thought would look best on Parker's dark walls (lighter squares on the outer edge, darker in the middle). Looking at the pattern, I determined I would need 6 squares to be the medium tone, 4 squares to be the lightest tone and 2 squares to be the darkest tone.

I then rolled each cork square accordingly. I pressed relatively hard so that the paint would absorb all the way into the cork tile, and each tile ultimately needed two good coats. I am certain it helped that this particular paint had primer included, and the tester just barely covered all six squares of the medium tone; not a single drop remained.

Once the paint was dry, it was time to glue the tiles to the plywood board (which was cut down to 4' x 3' to accommodate the tile pattern). It is really important to be sure your tiles are 100% dry before affixing them to the board, as they will shrink slightly while drying (I learned this the hard way the following morning).

I also learned that the cork tiles wanted to curl a little bit at the corners as they dried, so don't be scared to glue as close to the edges as you can. I just used a general construction adhesive we had on hand, and it seemed to do the job well. The cork tiles did come with mounting squares, but after attempting to use them for a single tile, it felt bubbly and un-level. And not a good bubbly that you raise your glass with for a celebratory cheers either.

After all of the tiles were glued to the plywood, I measured the perimeter and used our miter box to cut down the oak boards for the frame accordingly.

The freshly cut boards received a good sanding, especially the rough ends...

And two coats of English Chestnut wood stain applied with an old rag.

Pretty much the only help I needed with this project was a pair of hands to help hold the boards in placed while I pre-drilled and screwed together the frame. And also to help hold the oversized piece while I attached the backing.

I picked up some strong braces at our local hardware store, and also some smaller sized screws for the portion that was going to be used for the thin plywood backing (the screws that came with the braces were fine going into the thicker frame, but were too long to go through the plywood without poking through the cork).

Above you can see how I used the braces around the outer edges to attach the plywood to the frame. These ensured the final piece was sturdy and prevented any sides from bowing or sagging once installed on the wall. I also attached a few picture hanging pieces to either side of the frame (these particular pieces of hardware are known as keyhole hangers).

It's so fan-freakin-tastic that the piece alone could act as a giant piece of art!

But we had to give it a little Parker pizazz, so we added a variety of his favorite drawings, pages from old books, art, handmade items, photos, etc... anything that he was drawn to was game.

I have a feeling it won't stay this way for long. I helped him get it started but it's all his to mess around with from here on out. I am excited to see how it evolves.

I was worried that the cork would look blotchy once painted, but it turned out to have a really nice and smooth finish.

And the cork is thinner than the actual depth of standard push pins, but they stop (and can't go through) at the plywood.

I went in circles trying to figure out the best way to frame the board, but I ultimately landed on something a little more dimensional due to the depth of the trim. It has been a nice little place for Parker to line up his smaller toy figures.

I think Parker has us convinced to build him a new "bunk house" bed in the future, so for now we are just playing with what we have in the rest of the space. The easel and nightstand swapped sides to create better balance.

This project was wonderfully easy and turned out better than I could have imagined. Have you hopped aboard the buffalo check train yet?