Happy Tuesday, people! I’m still catching up from being out of town for 5 days, so pardon me if I just share a quick storage and organizing tip with y’all today. (Whoops! Did I just say “y’all?” I guess a little bit of Nashville snuck home in my vocabulary!)
Several of you’ve requested I share more tips on DIY-ing inexpensive or free storage ideas – so here’s a peek at a few ways I created free storage in my basement work room overhaul.
1. Repurpose Cardboard Boxes
If you have the space to do so, always store a few cardboard boxes. They make great, customizable storage containers! (Remember how I used them to create fabric-covered storage bins in my bedroom?)
After a few swipes of the razor blade, a skinny, rectangular box (similar to a cereal box) was turned into the perfect filing place for all my sheets of sandpaper. You know what else it would work well as? A magazine file! All you’d need to do is cover it with a bit of pretty fabric or paper, and voila!
2. Save Take-Out Containers
I recently used some take-out containers to create simple and functional hat storage on my studio walls. But that’s not all these containers are good for! I stockpile them like crazy, because you never know when they’ll come in handy.
Ryan’s new toolbox provided the perfect landing pad for all sorts of smaller hardware pieces, but I didn’t want to throw them in there to make one big, jumbled mess. I turned to my trusty stash of Chinese (or Thai) food take-out containers, slapped some Dymo labels on those babies, and instantly had grabbable containers for things like electrical tape, curtain hardware, etc. This way, whenever I need something that’s stored in the toolbox, I’ll be able to easily sort and find it. An added bonus? Once I find the items I need, I can easily transport them to the room I’m using them in, without having to lug around the whole tool chest.
And remember – if you want to have containers on hand to work with, then be sure to have a large container for the stash somewhere. I keep mine in a few bins in the basement storage room, and I save everything from the containers pictured above to glass jars to tea tins, and more. Pretty much, if it’s a useful seeming container, and it’s clean [not to mention cute], I save it!
However, don’t turn into a hoarder. Over Christmas I had to go through my stash of cardboard boxes and select some for recycling, because it was getting out of hand.
That’s it for today. I promise to share the awesome nuggets of info I learned at Blissdom later this week – I just need some time to put them all together, but I also didn’t want to go crazy with Blissdom overload on the blog, in case some of you aren’t so interested in it!
In case you missed these last week:
- My Unusual Journey to Blissdom (kids, don’t do this at home!)
- Ryan’s latest blog takeover
- Rental Decorating 101: Tips for Painting a Rental
4 Comments
I never thought of using takeout containers for wires/batteries/cords/etc… It’s funny b/c I won’t let them touch my food again once they have served their purpose — this is a perfect way to re-use!
Good idea with the containers! I never thought about that before.
As I sit here reading this in my cubicle, I have behind me a manila folder box and a printer paper box to drag home. And I’ve made magazine files from cereal boxes. We are peas in a pod.
Yes Yes and Yes!