Random Thoughts on Organizing

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

Do you go into organizing mode in January?

I don't go into a major frenzy or anything, but I have been doing some here and there - drawers, cabinets, etc.

I don't have a big organizing plan, and don't consider myself to be an expert on the topic. I think the thing that helps me the most is that I find having a lot of "stuff" slightly overwhelming, so I've never collected a lot. For the most part, if I don't think I'll use it I don't buy it, and if I haven't used it after a period of time I get rid of it. (ok. my office may be exempt from this - yikes! :-) )

Midwest Living



Even if you don't have too much stuff, sometimes there's still just not enough room to keep it all easily organized and accessible. One thing that can help with that is multi-functional furniture and hidden storage.

myhomeideas.com Photo Grey Crawford

Storage ottomans/tables/trunks, baskets/bins, skirted tables, shelves/curtained bookshelves... Look at the pieces that you already have to see if they can be used in a different way (or in a different room) - maybe modified to provide storage in a way you hadn't thought of?  

BHG has some great suggestions in their Table It - Sneaky Storage Solutions slideshow...

Are there spots that you can slide a basket, a bin, a rolling drawer underneath (a coffee table, a skirted sofa or chair, a bed...).  We talked here about nesting tables - could you "nest" a storage ottoman or another storage piece underneath a side table for additional storage?

AJC Homefinder

Who doesn't love a good basket? I have two large baskets on the shelf of my coffee table that hold all my decorating magazines (in addition to my office, this is another thing I do collect). The baskets make great in-plain-sight storage but I also like the additional texture they, and the magazines, add to the room. Check out BHG's Storage Solutions Using Baskets slideshow for basket ideas. (anyone recognize the rug?)

I also love this idea from BHG.com for adding extra storage to an armoire with roller drawers.

BHG.com

In the category of thinking outside the box, this "bookshelf" was created with stools stacked on one another.  Directions here:

Hope you're having a great weekend!

DIY Decorating - Blogger Projects

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

Urban Nest did a wonderful job painting a graphic statement wall in her foyer...

After the Before but Before the After decided to expand on the idea and created this dramatic focal wall in her family room!

As we all know, there are a LOT of creative bloggers out there! I never cease to be amazed at the creativity and motivation. Today I'm spotlighting some of the creative ideas/projects that I've saved. Clicking on the links provided will take you to the complete post for each project.

Jamie at Something To Do turned an unused closet under the stairs into an awesome storage room...

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AFTER

You know I love the idea of updating chandeliers with drum shades. This DIY shade was made by Living in the 513 using campaign signs and fabric! Creative or what?

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AFTER

And many of you may have already seen this on YHL, but I had to share The Keylors drum shade that they made with hoops, plexiglass and burlap!

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AFTER

Did you know that you could dye leather? Tatertots & Jello featured Kaysi from Keeping It Simple's leather chair transformation using dye. Complete tutorial here.

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Using this Pottery Barn image as inspiration,

Lakeitha from Home To Three Duncan Boys created this fun bedroom for her son. I like the way she mixed it up a bit from the inspiration photo by, for example, painting blue and white stripes in the closet versus using the striped duvet. Two other favorites in the room are the pallet headboard and the DIY light fixture. Click here for more room photos, and here for a source list.

Erika at Blu Label Bungalow designed this fabulous boy's room. My favorites are the stripes and the wall grouping!

Her design also included this clever book sling. She has an excellent tutorial so that you can make your own HERE.

Chic Coles takes these chairs (a score on Craig's List) from boring black to fabulous turquoise! Love it!

Candace at Crafty Sisters took an old dresser from this

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to this. Yes, she built the hutch herself! If you like the cute metal signs, she made those too and shows you how here.

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Have an awesome day!

Cork and Message Boards

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

allyou.com

Janell at Isabella & Max Rooms just made some message boards for her home and also did a Message Center Ideabook on Houzz (the chalk board fireplace below was my favorite), so I thought today would be a good day to share those links with you and also include a few other ideas/images that I had in my files.

home design

We’ve all seen the message/cork boards made with the ribbon design. This LOOKS like one, but the design you see is actually a window insert purchased at the hardware store. Find out how they made it at BHG.com

A message center made from a cookie sheet! Find the complete "how-to" HERE.


A cork board. Literally. From Simply Em via Young House Love...


Southern Living shows you how to make this family command center:

Both this corkboard and chalkboard are hung on a mechanism that allows them to slide so that they cover the fuse box but also allow access to it as needed. Clever!

myhomeideas.com

If you've got a little more room, you could do something like this 7-Day Cork Board at Apartment Therapy...

I posted about this in August of 2009 when I had a lot fewer followers/subscribers so I thought it wouldn't hurt to include it again. If it's too large, you could always scale it down to one section. Woman's Day has complete instructions on how to make it.

This isn't exactly a message board, but besides the fact that I just generally like this image, I did also notice that the lamp appears to be cork? Convenient to pin a little reminder to of what you need to remember in the morning? or not... I know. It's a stretch. :-) Great image though, isn't it?

myhomeideas.com Photo Roger Davies

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Craft Closet Shelves and Undermount Bins Tutorial

I've decide to just link to tutorials when I do them rather than putting the entire thing in a post. The tutorial today is showing how we we made the shelves and mounted the undermount bins shown above for the Craft Closet.

Click HERE for complete tutorial.

And The Winner Is...

The winner of the Inglenook Decor giveaway is Kelly from Design Ties! Kelly - please e-mail me your choice as well as your address and Maureen will get it out to you!

If you have a space in your home for it, this family bulletin board idea from Womans Day, with a separate section for each family member, is a fun one. If you have a larger family you could always divide it up differently and, if your space isn't this large, you could make a smaller scale version. For complete instructions on how to make it, CLICK HERE.

Have a great weekend!