Making the Most of the Stash-Everything Closet...

So I started in my office with the best intentions for my office redo this weekend and then it turned into a furniture swapping, clutter tackling, deep cleaning kind of weekend for my whole apartment.

One of the areas that needed the most help was my stash-everything hallway closet. In taking on this mammoth, there were a few issues I needed to tackle... 1) I wanted an area where I could easily access fabric, ribbon and paint supplies for projects 2) This closet has a lot of vertical space and depth, but no shelving 3) It's a multi-use area for hanging out of season jackets, laundry, sheets, storage, etc 4) I didn't want to spend a lot of money on shelving or containers 5) There was already a large storage bin in there that I used to store out of season blankets, etc...

Here's a look at the closet before (note: Just imagined junk piled up to the hanging bar)...

Here's the closet after...

This easy-to-assemble shelving unit,  I purchased from Home Depot for ($19.99) fit the space perfectly...

I used white boxes that I already had from Ikea to store quarts of paint, paint supplies, etc. Fabric was folded and stacked neatly on the shelving unit. Ribbons were sorted by color and then contained in plastic boxes I already had from Ikea.

These two fabric Martha Stewart containers were a steal at ($6.87) each from Home Depot. I used them to store packaging samples, notecards, paper and art supplies (markers, fabric glue, etc). They come in a variety of colors...

And that's basically it. For ($33.73) I made quite an impact on this closet. Now if only I can keep it clean...

Friday Obsession- Vintage Tea Cups

For quite a while, every trip to the thrift store, or late night on eBay in usually partly in search of brightly colored tea cups.  I love them because they're so versatile and you don't have to have a complete set. One or two in each pattern is fine, as they look great mixed and matched on a table. I think they'd be perfect for serving ice cream on a warm summer night.

They look lovely with small bouquet on a nightstand or bureau...

Perfect for stashing jewelry in a drawer, I also put them out to hold rings and earrings on a nightstand...

I've also seen them given away as party favors at a wedding. The possibilities are endless...

(images courtesy of Domino Magazine, Martha Stewart, first image unknown)