Mudroom

Awhile back I shared with you my "secret" to appearing to have a super clean and organized home.

There is more.  As embarrassing as it is.

Our mudroom looked pretty innocent.

Until you opened the doors....

No matter how hard I tried, we could not keep this closet clean and organized.

One of the main problems was the shoe situation.  Shoes were stored where they landed after we kicked them off. 

Unacceptable.

I found this shoe organizer at Lowe's for $12. 

It was supposed to be easy to assemble. 

Obviously 8 years of college did me no good in shoe storage assembly because this thing almost made me cry. 

They forget to mention in the directions that there are "right (painted)" and "wrong (unpainted)" sides that are important to pay attention to when assembling so you don't end up with a nasty looking finished project. 

(Yes, common sense would be handy here but not all of us are blessed with such skills.)

After about 45 minutes (for a project that should have take 15 minutes...max), I had a nice storage solution.

I then moved on to cleaning out the closet.  This included taking everying out and moving items to their appropriate home.  I threw a few things away.  I then wiped the area down, moved everything back in the closet, and wah-lah.....

It makes me smile. 

Well, it did until Nate told me that the shoe shelf was too hard to use because he can't just kick his shoes off.  A girl can't win.

Have I inspired you to clean out a closet?  Or does Nate's comment make you realize it's probably not worth the effort?

Pantry Organization

Overall, we are neat and organized people.
I'm border line OCD.  It's a serious medical condition.  Nothing to joke about.

I HATE clutter on counters....so I throw it in drawers and closets.
Wah-lah. Clutter gone!  Everyone thinks you are a neat freak!

Until you need to find something....

I'm now on a mission.

The pantry was my first victim.

I'm a little embarrassed to post this picture but it is what it is.

Surprisingly, I didn't throw very much away. I just straightened, organized, and consolidated. 
(The Target bags will be returned to Target for recycling.  I just learned they did this! 
Way to go Target....add that to my list of reasons why I love you so.)

I didn't buy anything new...I just organized.

After about 20 minutes, the pantry looked like this....

It will probably stay like this until...Friday.  At least there is now proof that it was clean and organized.

And yes, I eat like a 6 year old. Don't judge.

How do you keep your pantry/food cupboard in order? Or do you?  Any fun storage containers? 
Are you one of those weirdos that has to alphabetize the stuff on there shelves? Weigh in!

Under-the-Stairs Storage

This is what the area under our staircase in our basement storage room looked like.  GIANT disaster. Disgusting.

After Nate got frustrated when trying to locate a specific paint color, he got clever and figured out an inexpensive shelving system.

Here's what he used:

• 6 shelving brackets
• 8 foot piece of 1x12"
• 1 hour of time

He hung the brackets (making sure they were level, of course).  He cut the 1x12" to the appropriate lengths and then set them on top of the brackets.  He then screwed the board to the bracket and Wah-Lah...

Inexpensive storage.  Not super pretty but it is now organized and more functional!  And that's all the really matters, right?

If only I wasn't such a messy painter....