Utilizing a Small Space for Organization

I am admittedly a pack rat. I hate throwing things away that "could" be used for a craft I haven't thought of yet. I also tend to do projects that require tools that will hardly be used for anything outside of that project. Luckily, what keeps me from moving up to the hoarder level is my need for organization. But when you live in a 960 square foot condo with not much storage space this is difficult.

With that said, tell me, how is a pack rat, DIYer supposed to store all of her tools without a garage? I'll tell you, that question has perplexed me (and cluttered up my place) for the last 5 years, especially as my tool stockpile has increased. Thankfully, I have finally figured it out. The answer is PEGBOARD!

"Pegboard outside of a garage?" Yes.

"I've seen some pegboard set ups in kitchens, but let's be honest, they aren't exactly pretty. Do you have a laundry room or something?" Nope. I have more of a laundry closet with very little room for any sort of pegboard.

"Then, where on earth are you installing this pegboard for your tools?" Great question! I have a small room off my patio that holds my water heater. And within that room is a bare wall. Perfect for an unseen, tool organizing pegboard.

So, without further ado, here is the bare wall (can't you just hear it begging to be used for some organizational purpose?):

And here is the same wall, now much happier (and useful):

Isn't that so much better?! I can't believe I was able to remove all that from my daily living space. Too bad that means I'll probably fill the space vacated by this stuff with other clutter. But that means I'll have another project for another day. :)

What's sad is that once it was complete I couldn't wait to share my win with anyone and everyone. Am I the only one like that?

Grate Earring Holder/Art

I'm sure I'm not the only one that has a problem with earring storage. As of late I put them all in a little Express bag and stuffed it in my drawer. That was all fine and dandy until I was going to wear a pair and it took 5 minutes to just separate out the ones I wanted.

Then I saw this:



beautyriot.com

I love it! But has anyone else noticed that you can only buy really fancy cheese graters these days?! What happened to the $5 piece of crap, all metal cheese graters? They're all $25 for basically the same old grater with an elaborate rubber handle. In the end it's just going to scrape up your knuckles like any other cheese grater! I guess I'll have to stop by a thrift store one of these days and see if I can find an "old fashion" one.

In the meantime, I decided to alter this idea a bit and make mine a piece of wall art.

I got a $5.99 flat grater from Bed, Bath & Beyond and used Rust-Oleum spray paint in Colonial Red (Satin finish). I tied a bow at the top to hide the nail I used to hang it. That's it!

My mouth is oh so happy!

Which would you rather have on your counter or under your sink? A large mouthwash bottle (think Listerine) or a 23 ounce water bottle?

I don't know about you, but when I used the mouthwash cap to measure the necessary amount of stinging, yet tasty bad breath killer I found that the little bit of excess liquid left in the cap would run down the bottle, causing a sticky mess on my counter and on the side of the bottle for my hands the next time I grabbed it. I know it's minor, but because of this I hardly ever used it anymore. But from someone who likes their breath minty fresh, I wanted to use it.

My genius (if I may say so) came when I forgot my water bottle when going to the gym. All they had at the gym was Arrowhead, which isn't my favorite, but I like the Sport Cap when I'm doing my cardio. And then it hit me. This could work for my mouthwash problem. And it did!! I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier.

I know it's so simple, but man, my mouth is minty fresh day and night now. I love it! I don't have to measure anything. Just take a swig. I don't have a mess on my counter. And it's much smaller than the big bottle, which I now keep with my excess product stockpile. I know it won't revolutionize my life, but every time I take a swig a small part of me thinks I may just be able to bring order to my life after all.

Bra Organization

Does anyone else have a problem knowing where to keep all your bras? I know my brother does. Ha! Thank you...my first blog joke. Horrible? Yes. But that means there's nowhere to go but up!

After a few bra shopping sprees at Nordstrom, I found myself with too many bras to logically keep in my sock and underwear drawer. I also usually shower at night, so I ended up finding all my bras on my floor after a while. No, I'm not the cleanest person...but I'm getting better. :)

So, where to keep my bras? After seeing the picture below on Pinterest, it gave me an idea. Why don't I do something similar to this, just for my bras?

So, I went to Home Depot and got a simple 24" towel bar and installed it in my closet. The best place for me was near the door right under the light switch. Similar to the necklace towel bar, I got shower curtain double hooks, so I can hold double the bras. I can also hang my camisoles, which I wear to bed. It's perfect! The finished product looks like this (sorry for the horrible picture):

As you might be able to tell, I'm a big Betsy Johnson bra fan! Not only is this a great bra holder, it's also where I hang my bras to dry after washing. It's brilliant if I might say so myself!