We have lived in our house for about 3 years and I have always lacked a work space for myself. Usually I'd grab my computer and work at the dining room table. The problem with that is I don't like putting my work away in the middle of a project so I would just leave it (and the clutter it created) out on the table...in a "neat" pile of course. But as the boys got older leaving an open laptop around just wasn't an option.
I really do love to organize but I need a place to put things. If I don't have a place for everything, I won't put it away and it'll just stare at me as I walk by and I'd think, "I need to find a place for that"...and keep on walking. My husband doesn't understand that way of thinking. My husband-has the same routine every night and puts his keys and wallet in the same place every night-is very predictable. So you can imagine how he felt when we first got married and I'd put my purse in a different spot every time I came home. Oh the growing pains marriage causes. Thankfully we both survived!
A few months ago, I'd had enough and decided it was time for me to invest in my space. Now, you know how I do projects, as on little a budget as possible. When buying diapers every month it's hard to justify spending money on other things...diapers are apparently necessary. I don't have any before pictures but I have some pretty awesome after pictures which is all that matters. If you want to know what it looked like before, picture nothing but a table, laptop and a pile of papers before. Oh and a huge lamp.
Let's start with these boxes. Cute, right? I have a thing for gold right now. My husband can't believe I like gold so much, I hated it when we first got married. But I have evolved.
This is Ikea Hack #1.
I spent hours looking for just the right storage boxes at both the Container Store and Ikea. Although I'd love a beautiful set from Container Store, Ikea was more in my budget. I saw these boxes displayed like this on an end cap and really like the look of them together but I wasn't digging any of the colors. They had a few boxes that they had jazzed up with washi tape but I didn't like the tape they had! So as I'm walking aimlessly from aisle to aisle while my husband is entertaining two toddlers inside a mega store, a light bulb went off. Spray paint!
I wanted polka dots on a few boxes so I used little garage sale stickers and covered the boxes then spray painted the boxes. So. Darn. Cute. The camera photo holders came from Target. My shelves came from Home Depot.
The white storage boxes on the left are also from Ikea and are currently empty but will be filled soon! The black box contains CDs and CD sleeves I use for various projects. I lucked out and found the gold and white striped frame on clearance at Target after Mother's Day. Three cheers for Target clearance! The random mason is one of my first Pinterest projects I just can't seem to get rid of. I put a photo of my husband and I in a mason jar then filled with oil. I know, sounds weird but it's actually really cool.
In my last post, I told you I would talk about these super cute jars. They are Ikea Hack #2. I bought a set of 4 spice jars for just a few bucks and spray painted the lids the same color as the boxes. I wouldn't suggest spray painting the lids if you're planning on using them for food items. Paint and food don't go together.
The "cool, cool car" (as my toddler says) is not included.
Target is probably my favorite place to go. In fact I have another Target date (second one today) when I finish this post. There is always something that needs to be bought. This bulletin was actually my inspiration for my space. I really like the collection it's apart of. I haven't bought gold scissors or stapler though...gotta draw the line somewhere!
This monitor stand in the same collection as the bulletin board. I use two monitors so it's really convenient to set my second monitor on top of. Not to mention it has a drawer of it's own. Now hopefully I won't forget what's in the drawer.
Let's talk about this planner! As mentioned in my previous post about
Weekly Planning, I use a cookbook stand to keep my planner open to the month view. For the longest time, I was coming home and keeping my planner closed, which makes it easy to forget. I'm tired of forgetting things. This solution has made a big difference for me! Hopefully it will for you too!
Guess where this is from?!!! TARGET!!! It was originally a light brown but I paint it white and sprayed the accents in gold. The hooks are so convenient and my supply jars fit perfectly.
To be honest, it's not always this clean. In fact I threw a bunch of stuff in my monitor stand drawer to hide for pictures. When we see pictures and ideas like this online everything is clean and perfectly placed. That's because it's a photoshoot, and in photoshoots, items are staged. So don't stress and think you're not living up to standard. No one lives in a photoshoot.
I hope you were inspired by some of these organization tips and tricks!
