Kitchen Set Equipment

I am a crazy closet obsessed person.  Something about seeing organized closets makes my heart race like Secretariat.  And then there are those closets that are out of the ordinary awesome.  The ones that turn into an extension of the home.  A room in itself if you will.  Those closets really do something good for the soul.


I have been checking in on Deme's blog, House For Five, for awhile now {I even featured her once before here}.  And the moment I saw this sweet little closet of hers, I just knew I had to share it!  So, I did what I do each week, and asked her some must know questions about her recent closet makeover.


What is the main function of the space?

"We've been slowly changing this 4th bedroom from a guest room into a his/hers shared office space...one that can still accommodate overnight visitors. Upping the functionality of the closet played a huge role in being able to effectively store all our craft and office supplies without them overflowing into the room.  Or onto our guests!"



Any superstar tips for keeping it organized?

"Before we could work on keeping it organized we had to actually get it organized. What lurked behind the closet doors was years of accumulated junk with some really important non-junk buried in the mix.  And I could think of a thousand other things I would rather do than go through it all.  But I somehow found my big girl pants, pulled everything out {including the doors - does it bother anyone else when you can only see half the closet at a time and never really see the middle} and did a cut-throat purge.  We purged, tossed, donated, and consolidated.  Getting rid of the clutter and anything I didn't need or have a specific plan for left me with a much more manageable amount of stuff to organize.

This isn't a huge space, so now that it's finally whipped into shape, it forces me to really be selective about what I bring in and not keep too much excess.  The size also forced us to make the most of every inch of space.  It's important for everything to have a home or it will just end up in a random pile or shoved between things.  In order to do this we had to go vertical with our wall space {wire rack for printer paper storage}, take advantage of the rod {hanging fabric storage}. and use some unconventional real estate {under-the-shelf wrapping paper storage}.  I keep my sewing machine on the floor below the fabrics in a basket I inherited from my Grandmother.  My cutting mat {a large, floppy item} slides perfectly out of sight behind the bookcase.



And of course, the biggest key is trying to make sure we put whatever we take out right back into its designated spot as soon as we're done."


What items did you find were essential in organizing the space, and why?

"The biggest hero to our storage woe's was this 9-cubby bookcase that used to house our kids' toy bins.  It was something we already had, but the right baskets, bins and buckets allowed us to really maximize its functionality.


The largest pile begging for organization was by far my fabrics.  I wanted to store them in a way that I could easily see what I had {without having to dig through a pile}, categorize them by color or genre, and get to them with ease.  I spotted these 5-rung pant hangers while walking through the laundry aisle and knew they were my answer.  The side release makes it super easy to access them without pulling them all down."




What did you do to go the extra mile and "Make it Pretty"?

"I went for the bling!  What's better than a little gold and polka dots?  Since the rest of the room had to appeal to my manly other half, the closet was the perfect place for me to have some girly fun.  This is my creative space and I wanted to be inspired when I opened the doors to all the tools that help me do it.  I went with an easy painted gold dot wall treatment, and loved the tone it set for all the other elements we would bring into the space.  The zigzag baskets, white pails and white strapping cube bins are all from Land of Nod.  Their black and white palette play off of my desk curtains {made from a black and white Nate Berkus duvet}, and the gold, teal, pink and navy elements are also found throughout the rest of the office."




What items did you DIY to stay on a budget?

"Almost all of the labels were either an easy DIY or I used something I already had on hand.  I used some natural stationary paper and clothespins to label the zig zag baskets.  The found labels were gift tags that I flipped over, traced with a pink Sharpie and labeled with Washi tape.  The chalkboard labels were extras from a previous project, and were perfect for the white buckets.


The sneaky wrapping paper storage was another simple DIY using just a few pieces of twine.  And the closet "doors" that hide it all away were a no-sew DIY project made from a white tablecloth {courtesy of Target clearance rack} and trimmed with some playful teal pom pom fringe.  Shopping my house for items that could corral small supplies helped us finish the job without spending extra cash."



How has it impacted your life for the better?

"Not only has this closet taken our room from mammoth clutter zone to organized workspace, it really does make me smile.  I love opening those sweet curtains, seeing all of my supplies and knowing exactly where to find them.  It's amazing how much time it has saved me looking for an anniversary card or birthday card... and how much money it's saved me from just buying a new one because I couldn't find the pile of cards to begin with.  I used to be completely stressed out by this room, which doesn't make for a great place to work... or help to keep those creative juices flowin'.  Now I'm able to be so much more productive and am much more likely to whip out my sewing machine or a craft project knowing everything is easily accessible and has a home.  And I no longer transfer the piles of randomness to our bedroom as my way of "cleaning up" before guests arrive.  Good for everyone."



Are you loving this sweet little WOW factor closet as much as I am!?  So many great little space saving tips to snag!

• I adore that she repurposed the cubbies with new storage containers for her craft supplies.  It's always fun when you can reuse items on hand!
• Those labels are just too darling!  Love the different styles and they are simple yet smart!
• Those wire baskets on the wall!  Seriously smitten.  Loving the use of vertical space and the touch of classic they add to the closet.
• Helloooo! {in my best Clueless voice}  She painted gold polka dots!  So fun and fabulous!
• That fabric hanging solution is genius.  So easy to access yet nice and compact!  She totally found a new use to an everyday object!
• The pom poms add such a sweetness to the space.  And wahoo for using a clearance tablecloth as curtains!  Such a resourceful idea!
• It is neat to see her solution for tucking away and storing her wrapping paper.  It's protected, simple to snag and up and off of the floor.  

Deme really created a darling and hard working little closet nook!  You can find all of her lovely office projects here.  Here is a little sneak peek at the awesomeness!



A huge thank you to Deme for letting us virtually crash her closet!  Anyone else have a crazy obsession for cute closets?


ATTENTION!!  Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition?  Have an awesome organizing story to share?  I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life.  Please submit your story and photos here and I would heart to feature them right here, on the blog!!  Photos should be high resolution and unedited.  Please include a description of the project, including any costs, inspiration, and how it has changed your life and routine for the better!  Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice!  Only love goes on at this blog!

If you are a color loving fanatic like I am, then this week's giveaway is for YOU!  I am excited to introduce you to Emily Ley!


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{ tray / notepad / print / iPhone case / stationary / plate }

Emily shares the same passion as I, and loves to offer bold and beautiful items to help you organize your life, kitchen and home, all while smiling along the way!

{photo credit: Shay Cochrane Photography}

And you know how I fall fast and hard for anything with vibrant patterns and colors, so you can imagine my excitement about partnering up this week to offer one lucky IHeart Organizing reader a $50 credit to EmilyLey.com!


Who is excited?!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


From now through Tuesday, August 6th, Emily Ley is offering IHeart Organizing readers 10% off any order with code IHEARTORG.  Wahooooo!

Good luck my friends and...


IHeart Organizing official giveaway entry rules can always be found here.

Holy banana boats batman!  Boy did I learn oodles while working on our patio.  And I apologize for the information overload I am about to throw your way.  I hope I can keep it short and sweet and keep it more photo heavy {those are the best posts anyway right?}.

Although I didn't blog about every last project we tackled outdoors this last month and a half, we sure did get a lot done!  And it feels awesome!  Here are a few of the things we tackled and crossed off of our list:

• Replace deck boards with maintenance free decking {yep, even if that means working in the rain!}

• Build and stain side tables for seating areas.
• Plant flowers and plants.  Lots and lots of flowers and plants.
• Paint planters and plant some cooking herbs.
• Create serving/grill cart.
• Spray paint storage bench {and organize inside}.
• Spray paint umbrella stand.
• Sand down outdoor table and repaint.

• Pull patio and garden weeds.
• Wash siding.
• Install candelabra.
• Scrub maintenance free railing.
• Recover outdoor stool.

So what all did I learn?

• I realized that working outdoors poses a whole new set of challenges.  We have been extremely restricted by time due to our busy nightly baseball schedule paired with my hubbies work schedule paired with the crazy Wisconsin weather schedule {which is why we didn't get it all done in June}.  Unlike inside, we were unable to work much once the kids were sleeping, as it would get dark out.  Even today, I went out this afternoon to take photos of the finished patio area before our plans to entertain tonight, and once I began editing the photos, I was SO frustrated with the shadows and my battles with the brilliant sun, that I had to re-photograph the entire area at dusk {huge time suck}.
• Speaking of photographing exteriors, it is nuts how different it is from interiors.  With interiors, you have ending points {walls}.  Outside, the space goes on and on and finding good angles is challenging, and photographing specific zones without the crazy clutter of the ongoing background is also difficult.
• Knowing what will withstand our wacky Wisco-weather is all about trial and error.  We have experienced the strangest year weather wise {6 months straight of snow followed up by two months of rain followed up by a fabulously hot month of drought and then back to stocking caps in July}.  You never know what you are going to get, and it is important for us to select finishes that will still look good a few years from now, so we don't get stuck with our yard looking like it did this spring.
• I change my mind.  A lot.  But we already knew that right?  It turns out the colors in my inspiration item and initial plan weren't what I thought {crazy monitor resolution!}, so it was out with the red and in with the pinks and a few returns to Target.  But you know what?  In the end I love it.  I lovity love it.  

Last month when I challenged myself {and my Mr.} to take on our outdoor spaces, I was a bit ambitious with how much I wanted to accomplish.  I had a list for both the front and back of our home... the front porch still gives me a giddy smile when I walk up to our home.


But now let's focus on the back.  Remember the awfulness we started with?


Sorry if that caused you to lose your dinner.  Or breakfast.  Or lunch.... you get the point.

An incredibly rotted deck and boatloads of chipped paint along with a lack of seating and accessories left this the least desirable area of our home.  And although I have huge plans for the inside of our home, we spend SO much time running the kids and working on projects, that we need a place to escape and enjoy summer, without leaving our home.  We love to spend time as a family grilling, roasting, playing yard games, etc... we needed a happy place to do those things.  The interior was going to have to wait.

As I mentioned above, we built a second table for our other seating area.  We have a few cheapo adirondack chairs behind our fire pit and I was hoping to add a nice little table between them for smore assembly and drink setting.


The table holds all of our goodies and provides a place to add candles and mood lighting, and below we stash our wood pile for the evening festivities.


The fire pit is our favorite spot in the whole backyard.  We use it spring, summer and fall.


The long patio also holds our dining table.  The table was one we built a few years ago using Ana White plans and it was chipping and peeling because I used an inexpensive outdoor paint that is not even worthy of mention.  Never skimp on outdoor paint.  Lesson learned.  This time around, I repainted the table with Behr's new premium exterior Marquee paint, and gave it three thin coats, so hopefully it will last a little longer this time.  I also gave the legs a little color splash, because that is how I roll.


The chairs were a super steal from Joss & Main.  I searched high and low for affordable outdoor chairs.  I was crushing on the colorful garden chairs, however, after checking West Elm, World Market and Home Decorators, at over $100 per chair, I began considering super inexpensive Ikea options.  Yes, I almost settled.  And then Joss & Main had a set of two chairs for $109.95 with free shipping and I had some credit accumulated so we jumped all over the gorgeous blue chairs. {pssst!  Target has since started selling a similar style quite inexpensively as well.}


When it came to the table top settings, I found a few clearance napkins at Pier 1 and selected a mixture of colors and patterns.  I also paired them with gold napkin rings and started swooning immediately.  {Tip!  Take a really long time with your outdoor projects like I do and you will be able to snag super end of summer outdoor clearance deals in July!}


I also hung a few Ikea lanterns from our umbrella so we had a mood lighting option should our dinner party go a little long...


Right behind the table is our newly painted and organized storage bench, and some freshly planted greenery.


And at the end of the table, the oh so useful serving cart and grill.


Yes indeed!  We are getting all sorts of use out of the cart!  It has been such a great solution for holding entertaining dishes and items for the grill.