31 Reader Space: A Hard Working Closet!

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to "raid" a reader's home.  However, she is more than just a reader, she is a local friend.  And I didn't exactly "raid" her home.  It was far more casual than it sounds and basically consisted of a lot of chatting, major admiring, some picture taking and more chatting {does it surprise you that I like to chat?}.

While I was visiting Jillian, she let me know she had one more project she was working on, and that she would submit it to me later as a followup to the raid.  And boy am I glad she did!  Just as she had done with the rest of her super lovely and incredibly organized abode, she has put yet another great system in place!

Jillian wrote:

Hi Jen,

It's me again! I have completed one of the last big projects on my list and I am very happy with the results. We have a front entry closet which is fairly small, but I have managed to maximize its potential and wanted to share the results with you and your readers.

{before}

First let me explain that we do not keep coats in this closet because during colder weather we use our basement door where we have tons of room for coats, boots, hats, etc. I also have a pantry where I store the broom, mop, etc. Therefore, this closet is strictly for the shoes we wear the most and now for some organizing baskets!

Here is the photo which inspired me during this make-over. It is labeled boxes, but I found these bins at Target and they were perfect! They have handles so I can grab the one I need and go! I now have bins for:

• Cabin:  Here I keep towels, toilet paper, or whatever else needs to be brought there on our next trip
• Lake:  Towels, first aid kit, sanitizer, etc. Also, I will add snacks to this on lake days
• Returns:  I can grab this bin and throw it in my truck when I have a shopping trip
• Donate:  Outgrown clothes go in here and when it's full, I drop it off
• Deliver:  Items I borrowed from family/friends such as books, DVD's, and tupperware
• Library Books:  So we don't keep losing them

Before I added the storage items, I painted and installed adjustable shelving. One more thing to note. I hung a shoe organizer over the door to hold sunscreen, bug spray, batteries, small tools, tape, and everything else you can imagine. I call this our giant junk drawer.

For now, I have attached the bin labels using hot glue because I was so excited to get it done. I don't think this will last long term. Any great ideas on affixing the labels to plastic bins?

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this!
Jillian

Let's take another peek at the great closet before & after!

It is photos like these in which I let out a huge sigh of relief.  I can feel through the powers of the pictures and the Internet, their lives becoming so much simpler with the new closet.  Easy to pull out baskets that are sized perfectly for different common occasions!  Brilliant.  Even just installing new shelving and removing the plastic drawers completely expanded her storage and closet functionality!  And look at all the storage gained just by adding an inexpensive over the door pocket organizer!  Simply wonderful.

I let Jillian know to give Velcro a try with her labels on the plastic bins.  I have had really good luck using a heavy duty Velcro for long lasting stick {hot glue + plastic = temporary}.

Who is feeling inspired?  Isn't the Donate, Return, Deliver system amazing?  Thank you again and again to Jillian for sharing your awesome projects!

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!