Visit the Etsy shop Uncorked for an updated look on the old traditional cork board. I am not usually a huge fan of the cork board but this one I would hang. I especially love the attached glass test tube to hold the unused push pins!
A few months back I shared an idea I found for sprucing up notebooks. Recently, I came across Debi's blog showing how she used the idea to label her sewing notebooks. She used a picture from a calendar she liked and printed out labels for each notebook.
Looks great Debi, thanks for stopping by!
For the past couple of months I have had the pleasure of trying out the Hecht of an Organizer. I waited to review this one because I wanted to give it a good test run to see how well it has worked for us.
First let me give you a proper introduction. The Hecht of an Organizer was created to be a portable office that could go with you. The organizer consists of two polyester covers that slide over all sides of a cardboard box. You do not see the box at all, it is completely covered. The cover is sturdy, water resistant and machine washable. The cover has 18 pockets to store all of those loose items like pens, scissors, tape, keys, etc. The organizer comes assembled with the box, you do nothing but start using it.
For portability there are two carrying handles with Velcro tabs that you can unfasten when not in use.
Personally, I did not use it for it's office on the go capabilities. I found a need for it at my house and it has worked wonders. I use it as sort of a command central. I have a file tote with hanging file folders for each family member. When the mail comes in, it gets separated into each person's file folder. (after the junk is tossed of course!) When my oldest son gets home from school we go through his papers and he "downloads" all of the keepers into his file folder.
I keep all of my son's homework needs in the organizer so he can easily find them all in one place. Right now we have paper, pencils, crayons, glue, pencil sharpener, calculator, and post-its stored in the pockets. Oh, and daughter's hair bow clipped to a pocket. The pockets are great to keep everything organized and in its place for easy access. He does not have to rummage around to find what he needs to complete his homework. We keep the organizer on our kitchen counter and when guests come over all we have to do is tuck it in a cabinet below to clear off the space.
I had intended to also try the organizer as a car caddy for the kids and their toys, books, ect. My daughter leaned on the organizer one day and I saw the box start to buckle under her. I really don't think it would have held up to my little ruffians in the car. But the good news is that if you register your organizer replacement boxes are available "for years to come."
Extra bonus here! If you are all about helping the environment, and who's not, Linda Hecht the creator of the Hecht of an Organizer received the Green Award at this years LA Organizing Awards ceremony for Most-Eco Friendly Organizing Product. Way to go Linda! Not only was the organizer designed to be super durable and very portable, it was also designed to "help support the environment by facilitating the use of recycled cardboard boxes, and the use of new boxes made from renewable material."
For $35.00 this organizer is top notch and I would definitely give it two thumbs up!
Last week's stair storage ideas reminded me of another common under used "potentially fabulous" space in the home. Knee walls! In our next home we would really like to have all of the bedrooms downstairs and have one room upstairs for an office. All of the houses we looked at have the "bonus room" with the knee walls.
This space is a lot like the staircase in that you could build in storage and have it recessed into the wall, much like this home office.
If you are lacking closet space which most of these types of rooms do, you can build in cabinets and drawers to use as a wardrobe.
In this kid's room kitchen cabinets are repurposed and built into the wall. This is beautiful and provides plenty of storage. By using glass drawer fronts you can see the contents and add a little color to the space. Hanging clothes in them wouldn't work for long but for babies and toddlers, not a bad idea. What a great idea for a home office as well.
If we do end up with an office that has knee walls I would probably line our two desks along one wall and use the other wall for storage. I could fit a couple of bookshelves along the wall but I just love the "built in" look. The only con to a built in is that it is a more permanent option.
Do you have a knee wall in your room(s)? I would love to see how you use this space in your home or office. Feel free to send links in the comment sections or email me pictures of your spaces and I will feature them here. Thanks so much for all of your ideas!
[photos from top to bottom: 1,2) Taunton Home's New Built-Ins Idea Book 3,4) Better Homes & Gardens
Kari & Kijsa wrote a post asking their readers to share what they do with that "potentially fabulous" space under the stairway.
All to often that space under the stairs is wasted or at least half of it ends up as a coat closet like ours. Our home builder also thought it was the perfect place for a thermostat and a huge air vent. In our next home I am hoping we will have a space under the stairs that we can actually use. I personally think it is prime real estate. There are so many options and here are a few I have been collecting.
Built in shelving under the stairs with a pull down work table.
Shelving with baskets to hold table linens, magazines, and toys. Or what about using this area as a recycling center and line the baskets with plastic so they do not get ruined. The large baskets on the bottom shelf would be perfect for newspapers.
Pull out shelves used in a basement for storage. However, I would love having a pull out drawer like this near the entryway for shoes.
A built in office space with drawers next to it for supplies. Maybe even build in a file cabinet. Wouldn't that be lovely?
And let's not forget about Benita's lovely closet space under the stairs.
What other ideas can you come up with? Great topic Kari & Kijsa!
[photos from top to bottom: 1) Better Homes & Gardens 2) Better Homes & Grdens magazine January 2008 3) Storage Projects You Can Build, 1977 4,5) Taunton Home's New Built-Ins Idea Book]
With two kids running around during the day it is hard to find time to tackle some of the business tasks I need to take care of during "normal" working hours.
I have an art table set up in my office for the kids to work at. If I need 30 minutes to myself I give them free time to make whatever they want. They love experimenting with new designs and textures and of course, who can make the biggest mess. But they have so much fun!
Right this very second my daughter is sleeping and my son is gluing away! I haven't heard a peep out of him for 10 minutes now. Works for me! Now, time to get back to work!
Related Posts: Kid Craft
I just love the sound of that. "Industrial Strength" In other words in will last a really long time and will be nearly indestructible when my kids get their hands on it.
You may have seen these baskets in hotels being used for carting around laundry. Now you can get some of your very own from Industrial House. At Apartment Therapy they show three being used for sorting laundry. Industrial House also suggests using them for toys and sports equipment. I can see using one of the smaller baskets for gardening supplies as well.
I remember going to a friends house when I was a kid and they had a few in their garage. We would get in them and have someone push us around. So you don't even have to technically store anything in them, just add a couple of kids and take a little spin!
Although it is not exactly the same, I love my laundry sorter on wheels. Same idea but it has three sorting sections on one steel frame. Our sorter gets used quite a bit and I have never had a problem with it, even when my kids "help" me do laundry. I keep one in the master closet and one in the laundry room.
I also highly recommend this heavy-duty steel shelving for use in the home or garage if you are looking for industrial strength storage yet still wanting something aesthetically pleasing. I use the 3-tier shelf for shoes in our laundry room.
I love this idea from the Happy Living Blog. Notebook spines were made by taking an inspiring magazine ad page and cutting it into four pieces to match the size of the spine. A very beautiful and inexpensive way to spruce up any space!
Why not try this with a poster if you have more notebooks and want the same look.
Sometimes all it takes is a little inspiration to give an organizing project it's initial kick start. I thumb through magazines and a picture will strike a chord with me and my heart sings out to tackle the next project. A picture is worth a thousand words. When you see a product used a certain way or a bookshelf turned into a visual masterpiece using colors and containers it can cause you to have an Ah Hah! moment. Suddenly it all becomes clear... you have found the solution to your organizing problem.
If you are looking for a little inspiration your in luck. This week I will be featuring a new Flickr group each day that deals with organizing. I will post pictures form each group that I find are the most inspirational. I came across the Flickr groups while visiting Making it Lovely. Today we will start with the group Nicole started......
Spring has sprung at Chez Larsson. I love this home office. You can find many more pictures like this of her "less than 800 square foot home." She has made great use of the space she has and how beautiful it all is.
Lovely pink containers from The Domestic Diva. Check out the Sewing Room Organization Challenge held at her site for tons of useful tips, products and of course inspirational photos. (It almost wants me to take up sewing)
Wow. I'm speechless. If I had this many purses I would certainly have cubbies for them all. Becky even has a Flickr Photo of the Week feature at her blog on Design Public and this week it just so happens that it is an organizing photo.
Last but not least, the photo that started Organization is for Squares. Nicole's squared away studio where she stores all of the lovely products she carries at her online store, Pink Loves Brown.
There are so many other great photos but only so much time. Check them out and maybe add some of your own. I noticed a couple of others in the group that I have actually blogged about before here and here. I just love the ideas and inspiration these photos bring.
I'll be back tomorrow with another group and more beautiful photos.
I thought I would share a handy little product with you. When organizing we are always looking for more space right? Well you might not have an abundance of space but most of you do have doors. An over door shoe organizer is a great product to help you get a quick organizing fix. Get creative in the uses you can find for them.
Obviously the transparent would be the best choice if you need to see the contents but these shoe organizers do come in different colors and in canvas or cotton. You can get artistic with labels if you can't see what is in the pockets.
With little ones at home I am always finding new uses for the shoe organizers. I have never actually used them for shoes. Here we have one hanging in our coat closet for hats and gloves. For our family of five this works great. The kids can easily find their gloves and PUT THEM BACK. No lost gloves or hats.
My daughter is now old enough to get into any drawer in the house. I learned with my son that this is not a good combination in the bathroom. (I once found him sucking on a tube of toothpaste. Don't worry I asked the doctor how much is too much and he didn't have enough to do harm.) Now, I keep most of the toiletries in a shoe organizer on the linen closet door. I keep my things in the top pockets and I leave a few pockets open on the bottom for her toys. She stays busy putting things in and taking them out while Mommy gets ready. Another sanity saver!
Design Mom posted about inexpensive ways to organize your wrapping paper, an article that was featured in Organize Magazine. Another great use for a shoe organizer.
The possibilities are endless. You can use them for storing small toys in the playroom, spices in the kitchen or even office supplies in a small office. Get creative with the organizing products you already may have at home. Try new things and make sure you come back and tell me what works for you.
While browsing Decor8 I came across this card catalog from bitsandbobbins. I'm always on the lookout for a card catalog such as this and I think it would make a great addition to any craft room or office (especially mine).
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