Closet Conversion

I am still here, believe it or not.  I haven’t really been feeling great in the last week (pregnancy I guess), and I don’t feel like anything “blog worthy” has happened.  Ben is still working.  Elaine is still growing.  I am still pregnant.  New York City is still snowy.  So…I haven’t been blogging.

I have come across a  couple of new blogs lately the I absolutely {love}!  The first is I Heart Organizing.  Jen is an organizational sensation, I think.  She has several free downloads, great tutorials (I am going to label my house using this tutorial), and and amazing ideas.

The other blog is called I’m an Organizing Junkie.  Laura has written a book on organization, and she is doing a special feature every Friday in 2011 – that’s 52 organizational projects.  Wow!

So, needless to say, I was inspired.  I have discovered that one of the downfalls to living in New York City is that closet space is non-existent.  Did people use to live out of steamer trunks?  I don’t know.  I have a fairly large closet in the dining room (the “master closet”), a coat closet in an unlit hallway, and a teeny tiny closet in Elaine’s room.  There are also some shelves underneath the roof access ladder, but it doesn’t really count as a closet.

Since we moved in I have been organizing, shuffling, eliminating, and trying to find just the right “niche” for everything in these closets.  It’s a challenge!  I think we finally hit the jackpot this weekend.  Ben was my handy assistant, and he made everything possible.

This is what I did…you might find the details boring, but my life seems much more organized now!

The Hall/Coat Closet

I actually did this a couple of weeks ago.  It’s hard to capture in a picture.  Basically, I got rid of the storage boxes that were cramming the floor.  This allowed my coats to hang normally.  I also added a crate to organize the extra pantry items and foil containers that we use for church luncheons every week.  My broom has a place now, and the reusable shopping bags are hung over the bar.  It’s still difficult to get in and out of, and the hall is unlit making it worse.  But it is 100 times better than before!

The Master Closet

Previously, my crafting and scrapbooking supplies were crammed in Elaine’s closet.  So….if I felt like getting crafty during naptime, I had to drag everything out beforehand.  I almost always forgot something.  The 3-drawer cart that houses most of my supplies had to turn sideways to fit in the closet, so I had to remove everything else in order to get the drawers open.  Talk about frustration.

My master closet has a little bit of everything – the suitcases, pics & negatives from growing up, flannel graph filing crate, Bumbo (awaiting the next baby), crocheting, etc.  Again, it was a mess.

This closet came with two shelves in it.  I was able to fit two of the suitcases on the highest shelf, but one suitcase was still in the floor.  Ben solved the problem by adding another shelf on the side.  Now the suitcases (and everything in them…camping gear, air mattress, etc.) is off the floor!

Ben scored MAJOR kudos on this project!

I made space under the bed and was able to get a few thigns out of the closet.  I sorted and pared down my scrapbooking and stamping supplies (sad sigh…but they weren’t getting used) and now everything fits into the drawers and one box.  A little rearranging the hanging clothes and everything fits neatly…emphasize neatly in the closet.  I’m loving it!

This is the best picture I could get – it’s hard to understand.  There is another crafting box to the left of the shoes, in the space where the suitcase used to be.

The Nursery Closet

With the removal of the scrapbooking supplies came some space to work with in Elaine’s closet.  I had recently bought this over the door organizer for her shoes, tights, and hair bows.  Yes – she already fills all of the boxes.  I know, I know.

I was able to fit the Bumbo on the closet shelf, so now all of the baby items are in the nursery!  The bottom of the closet is the shipping center for Doable Diapers.  Now I can access everything easily!

I also spruced up the “tool closet”.  One shelf was full from the homeowner – paint for our level, etc.  I didn’t touch that.  I mostly sorted and organized the nails, screws, and electrical supplies.  We had a lot of odds & ends that got chucked. 

And I finally made use of this organizer inside the door – baby proofing items, extension cords, and spray glue!

Ben is thinking about taking his power tools and chisels and such to work so they get used.  That would free up the floor and make things look neater.  There is a lot in this tiny space, but we know where everything is at, even if it isn’t in pretty storage containers.

My next project is labeling everything – I can’t wait to start.  I have gone through all of the drawers and containers in my house and tried to make sure it made sense where everything is being stored.