Okay, here is a weird one. This storage idea has been working great for the last eight months and I have to say that I was surprised how well it has worked out. The main problem was that my 11 year old crafty girl has a lot of great ideas, plenty of supplies, and not quite enough organizational motivation to manage it all. So her room was quite a disaster most of the time and when it was time to clean it up she was devastated and I was always frustrated. So I finally just emptied her room, sorted all her stuff, and devised a “library style” system of checking things out. Each craft type is stored in it’s own big paper grocery bag with handles (Trader Joe’s style) and hung on a hook in the laundry room.

When she wants to do something crafty, she comes and “checks out” one of the bags with her stuff. She then has to put it away before she can get something else out so that she will always still have room on her floor to throw her clothes! I have been really surprised by how well this library system has worked. I have also been pretty surprised that the paper bags have actually held up and not fallen apart. At this point I am figuring that I will have to replace a few bags in another six months and probably add a few as she has picked up a variety of new media to work with. The best part is that it’s free!

Wow, actually I can’t believe it. We went to Chicago for a four day weekend last week to spend some time with family and I am still trying to get back into a routine. I missed my normal chance to run errands without kids over the weekend, so I still have that feeling like I am trying to catch up. Although, thrifting with Carol was much more fun than being here doing my grocery shopping! Here is one of the things I am currently working on. I need a few more supplies, but the fabric store is so much more fun without the kids. I am sure you will see a lot more pictures of this in the coming weeks.

I also have more storage ideas to post. I just need to run around and take a few more pictures. If you want more inspiring photos check out my sister-in-law’s photos on flickr. Being at her house is always so inspiring for me, I am sure you will see why!

It is time to reveal a big secret. I am actually quite embarrassed about this. But here it goes…

Yes, I use empty tissue boxes to organize my socks and other unmentionables. I am not sure whether I am more embarrassed about the fact that I save empty tissue boxes, the fact that I can hardly bring myself to buy tissue unless the box is aesthetically pleasing to me, or that I compulsively sort things by shape and color. But really, this comes in very handy. It’s free, unless you never buy tissue and have to start. And, I never have to rummage around looking for something just to find out that I have run out. I always know when I am running low.

I also wanted to make sure no one missed any of the great ideas in the comments. Mirre sent links to the pocket tidies she made last year. They remind me of the wall pockets I keep seeing all over blog land, but hers are much more colorful! Definitely, more my style! And they can be tied to the back of a chair or on a changing table, or wherever you need extra storage. Lauri mentioned using empty Crystal Light containers to hold pens, pencils, paintbrushes… you name it! Decorate these babies up with paper and ribbon and your in business. And she also says they make an easy kids craft if your looking for a gift the kids can make for someone special in their lives. Perry suggested using old test tubes (cleaned of course), man I would be in heaven if I could get my hands on something like that. Actually, I discovered after a quick internet search that you can buy them at pretty reasonable prices… hmmm… my beads might need a new home! And everyone loves mason jars! All the great ideas are making me feel like I should dig a few more out of the basement.

Living in an old family house has some special perks. One of them is that you find all kinds of neat and useful stuff just tucked into corners of the garage and basement. I have been thinking about trying to can some vegetables and making my own jam, and feel so lucky that I have all the supplies I need without having to make a big investment (just to find out I might never want to do it again.) But since I haven’t gotten around to doing it yet, I will put all these wonderful canning jars to good use. They are currently holding my button collection.

One of the other useful thing in this old house is the great shelves these are on. They look like grocery store shelves that even have the strip along the bottom of the shelf to put prices. Well, I am not selling anything, but I like that the shelf heights are adjustable and that the shelves are not very deep. It doesn’t take up too much space and you never lose stuff at the back of the shelves. It has really come in handy as I am moving most of my supplies out of my studio and turning the laundry room into a “store” room. More on what led to that decision later…

After posting my peanut butter jars in their new costumes, I thought maybe I should do a series on all the crazy stuff I use for storage around here. I like storage boxes of all shapes and sizes, but don’t like spending money on stuff like that if I can figure out a way to use what I have.

These are cardboard boxes the hubster brought home from work. They are all the same size and are even the perfect size for holding sewing patterns, although I also have them holding tape, glue, string, and fabric paint. I covered the fronts of the boxes with some art nouveau papers that I try to keep on hand for stuff like this. I did spend some money on paper that I like, but it is easy to make a little go along way on projects like this.

So, now I am wondering if any of you have storage ideas that you have posted that I haven’t seen yet… send me links!

I hope you’re staying warm where ever you might be!