. an organized closet .

our house was built in 1955 and apparently they didn't believe in storage back then.  really, i have no clue, but this house has zero storage.  but thanks to a 3rd bathroom that had no purpose, no plugs, and no ventilation, we emptied it, added shelves, and called it a closet.  so other than our bedroom closets, which are big enough for our clothes, we have no other storage available.  this closet has to house everything!  and the before picture is U-GLY (and sideways b/c i can't get it to turn).  just trust me, it wasn't pretty!

as when i organize any space, i completely emptied it.  i wish this time that i had the extra time to take all the shelves down and paint the wall a fun color, but it wasn't possible right now.  i did clean everything though.  wiped down the shelves, mopped the floor, scrubbed the baseboards.  then, i took a day off b/c i was tired from cleaning!  and, as when i organize any space, another room has to get crazy for one to get clean.  there was stuff all over my kitchen and dining room.  i had to keep it all out of reach of little fingers! 

once the organizing began, it went pretty quick.  i used tubs i already had first, then had to buy some more.  i love using the $1.00 shoe tubs from wal-mart.  then, i purchased a few of a bigger size.  everything else was what i had on hand.  i have lots of small stuff, craft things, crayons, etc.  i also had to use this to organize our office supplies and files, as well as utility things, such as cords, batteries, and light bulbs. 

here are the after pictures ...

lots and lots of tubs and labels.  that's what i like.

i made all the labels in publisher, printed them, laminated them, and used double sided tape to attach them to the tubs.  i debated on color coding each shelf, but didn't feel like it.

everything now has it's place.  i now can find what i need.  and my husband now knows where to put things as well.  it was always a guessing game and his guess was different than mine, which lead to many days of searching for things we needed.  it was a nightmare!!

i'm not too fond of the pink tubs.  they are ones i had some of the girls toys in that i relocated, but they were ones i already had on hand, which meant less money i had to spend, so i made them work.

these long tubs are for the girls things.  papers.  artwork.  baby dedication things.  memories.  i keep everything in these tubs.  karsyn's is about to overflow though and i'm not sure what i'll do after that.  for now, they work perfect for me.

and, one of my favorite things in here ... my own tool box.  i was constantly going back and forth to the shed to find a tool i needed, then stomping back to the shed for another tool i forgot to grab.  this solved everything!  it has anything i might need to hang a picture or any other household projects i may attempt to do myself.

i also have to use this closet to store decorations that i'm not currently using.  i have separate tubs in the attic for seasonal decorations, but this is just simple household things.  i switch things out often, so they needed to be at hand.

we have a rolling cart in here for paper.  printer paper.  drawing paper.  and construction paper.  and our file cabinet for files and envelopes.  everything is neatly labeled.  my heart (and brain) are smiling!! 

hopefully this gets you motivated to organize something!