DINING ROOM BEFORE:
Looks like something that should be on the TV show "Hoarders." With a stack at both ends of the table, it made for some interesting dining experiences.LIQUOR CABINET BEFORE:
All of the stuff on the liquor cabinet is overflow from the dining room table. As I was standing taking this picture, the dining room table is behind me, so that means there is a narrow walkway between the two. I got tired of feeling crowded by stuff.BEDROOM OFFICE SPACE BEFORE:
When I moved into the apartment, it was obvious that this little bookcase wasn't going to hold all my books, so I bought a bigger bookcase which is to the left of my bed. I decided to use this little one as an office center, but with no organizational plan in place, it quickly became a catch-all corner. This is one of the first things I see when I wake up in the morning and having to look at the chaos one more day was too much.
I started in the bedroom with the bookcase and went from top to bottom. First, the jewelry box. I purged old pieces and realized I had an earring problem. Too many pieces, no organization, so I grouped them according to color--gold, silver, etc. I also got rid of the pieces of cardboard the earrings come on from the store which were cluttering the top of the bookcase. The new space also allows me to display some of my favorite knick-knacks, 3 of which are from my beloved Nana. Next, the first shelf. I decided to put my office supplies here so they'll be within easy reach. On the far left I have a "Real Simple" desktop organizer that holds my mailing supplies: stamps, address labels, envelopes, checkbook, as well as some extra pens, tape, and hole puncher. Then I have my Virginia Tech cup filled with pens, markers, and highlighters. Next to that I have a Ball glass charge for my change that I empty here from my purse. On the far right side I have a battery-operated pencil sharpener, a plastic apple filled with paperclips, push pins, and staples. The pencil sharpener is sitting on top of a notecard file box and the apple is sitting on top of my old and new check boxes.
Moving along to the next shelf--papers and files! On the far left is a notebook, blank notebooks (I ripped out the old pages--talk about therapeutic!) as well as some notebooks that I use for some of my church work. My pride and joy on this shelf is the filebox for all my papers. I wrote about this box earlier on this blog and it's something I take great pride in organizing. Next I have brown basket that used to hold my incoming mail. I might put that back out on my dining room table, but for right now it's sitting EMPTY on this shelf. Below that I took the extra empty box from my bathroom organization and put my leftover office supplies such as post-its, calculator, printer ink cartridges, and tape.
Last shelf is my least used, but still important stuff. While I was working on this space, I ended up with an empty basket but it was perfect for extra paper, blank journals, and...phone books. I realize that we live in the Information Age and phone books are somewhat obsolete, but I'm old-school so it's nice to have them around--just in case! Next I have an empty caboodle. Do you remember caboodles from the 90s? Yep, I still have mine after all these years. I've used it for various things over time, but for now it's just sitting on the bottom shelf, waiting for its next organizational transformation.
It only took a few hours, but in the end, I had emptied 2 boxes full of stuff, filled a trash bag, and gained 3 organized and beautiful spaces:DINING ROOM TABLE AFTER
LIQUOR CABINET AFTER
BEDROOM OFFICE SPACE AFTER
