Friday's Organizing Item

Today's Agenda:  Seeing if this Friday's Organizing Item is a "win" in a client project -- hoping so!

This galvanized metal floor storage has always caught my eye.

Perfect for a small bathroom for extra storage, next to your office desk for organizing bills, or in the kitchen for spices and oils that you reach for often. 

I'm pairing it with classic white bath fixtures and a beautiful plum/wine color paint and a chic black and white curtain.  We'll see if functionally it works and adds the right amount of additional storage!

Friday's Organizing Item

Today's Agenda:  Sitting at my desk and getting s*?! done!   Can we say "tax prep"?? Let's hope so.

Last week I ran across this little gadget from The Conran Shop. 

I usually just go around dreaming about what I could buy at The Conran Shop and thinking how lovely everything looks.  Well, just looking is no more.  They have a new line of well-priced, well-designed items in their "Well Considered" line. 

This lovely red Compact Dishrack is well-priced at $36, especially for something that looks so nice, is the perfect size and can be used for more than just dishes.  It would look great next to the sink, ready to load with plates from dinner.  (To deal with that pesky water issue, just put one of these mats that come in aesthetically pleasing colors underneath while you are doing the dishes.  It dries quickly and is easy to store once done.)

Or, how about on your desk, perfect for bills.

Or, as a place for photographs or postcards from recent trips.   (Oh, how I want to go back to printing photos out!)

Or, as a file station.  With these pretty file folders.  That would definitely make be do my taxes faster :)

They have lots of other great pieces in their Well Considered line -- check it out! 

Friday's Organizing Item

Today's Agenda:  Brainstorming ideas for a new project!  So many possibilities...

This morning I started thumbing through the latest issue of House Beautiful.  My system for reading magazines is to scan through the entire magazine in one sitting.  Then go back a day later and start poring over every page, tabbing things and photocopying ideas I like and putting them in client files for inspiration. 

Well, I haven't got past page 22 -- had to check out these colorful bins!

 (much better photo on the Conran UK site!)

They are small -- only 12 inches tall but so cute!  How cute on a white bookshelf in a kids room with a few of each color (red, blue, yellow, green) for toys and books.  Even in a closet to organize socks and shoes.  Or a laundry room to organize kids dirty clothes?  

Friday's Organizing Item

Today's Agenda:  Celebrating my little sister's 30th birthday with my family!!  I can't believe she's 30!!

I had a really fun week working with another amazing client (have I mentioned how I've been REALLY lucky to have such great clients!!)!  The room came together quickly thanks to some of my finds from the warehouse sale in Raleigh a couple weeks back.  Some shopping in the attic (there were rolls of vintage grass cloth wallpaper!!), Homegoods and TJMaxx and Pottery Barn and the room is pretty much complete!  Just need the perfect fabric for a couple pillows and a new TV...

We were cleaning out the bookshelves they have and there were a couple large mailing boxes of old photos.  Boxes are a great way to store things but for a little bit more a nice rattan box really does the trick.  It then acts as both storage and decoration and you are actually more inclined to take a minute and go through the box instead of just tucking it behind things or under things to hide them.  We had about 15 deep shelves to fill -- they are those deep shelves built for box TVs so books and DVDs can end up looking lost and little -- so I had to think big, think reasonably priced and think classy.  All in a couple of days :)

A few of these filled out two of the shelves and stored the photos they have...with room to add more!  I bought 3 of the middle one -- it's a little richer color in person.  You could get a few of each color or 2 of each to really add texture and color to shelves.  Pictures to come next week of the room!

Have a great weekend!  This is my favorite time of year so I'm psyched for cooler weather, tights and boots and cooking up a storm with family next week!

Friday's Organizing Item

Today's Agenda:  Tidying up my office in between work tasks -- I'm THIS close to perfection :)  This time it's game on office.  I am tackling you once and for all. 

I'm a big believer in Elfa if it is done right.  It's high quality, you can move the shelves so easily to accommodate different items or purposes for a closet, it looks nice.  I could go on.  But a lot of times, they can push unnecessary Elfa accessories on you.  For example, I really don't need to line EVERY single shelf or need that many extra pieces of hardware.  So I usually end up returning some odds and ends pieces after installation and by now have a sense to at least ask what is necessary and start with that.

This piece -- the Ventilated Shelf Divider -- is one of those pieces.

I have had 5 of them sitting at the bottom of my closet for 3 years.  They are supposed to be used as dividers on your shelf in between sweaters or purses.  But my sweaters don't really move that much on their own (or shouldn't at least) and then the divider just ends up taking precious space!  (I've used just about every nook and cranny in my closet -- when we moved from our Manhattan apartment the movers had to go back for a bigger truck and more boxes because they underestimated what I had in my closet!!  It was an amazing, walk in closet...memories...) Anyway...I felt like they would maybe be good for something down the line and didn't return them...

That day finally came and I love how they work as...dividers for trays in my dish closet! 

They work really well since they are so secure and you can space them as close to each other as you want.  Finally, a solution for stacking all of the trays and having to take them all out one at a time to get to the one I really wanted...all the way at the bottom of the pile :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!  If you are planning a trip to the Container Store anytime soon, and planning on spending $100, if you do so by 11/28, they will give you a $15 gift card to be used 12/4 - 12/23!  Not a bad deal if you are already going to be there :) 

Friday's Organizing Item

It's been awhile since I have done my Friday's Organizing Item piece!  Between recovering from my surgery and helping husband out since he was sentenced to 6-7 weeks of crutches + air cast + no weight on his right foot, I haven't been in much of a routine and just trying to juggle it all (which I do feel pretty good about).  Now that I back into my routine a bit more, things like Friday's Organizing Item are back on!

So, this week's Friday's Organizing Item is...

This basket!  I know, another basket.  BUT this one is IT.  It's sturdy.  Doesn't have any weird rounded edges so that the stuff that supposed to go IN the basket ends up spilling out of it.  Is fun because it has a chalkboard label thing on it.  And is less than $30 for a really strong basket that can be used anywhere.  Great for kids toys!!  But also newspapers, catalogs, even pots and pans that you don't use often especially if you had an open kitchen and could tuck them under the counter so you wouldn't totally forget about them but they'd be more out of sight than out of mind.  I bought two for a project I'm currently working on so you may see them in all their glory in the after photos...stay tuned!

Friday's Organizing Item

Today's Agenda:  Toilets + Tubs.  That's all I have to say really.  The options aren't glamorous, but decisions must be made. 

I have been working with a new client on pulling together her and her husband's home in North Carolina.  The centerpiece of the home is this beautiful cherry wood floor.  We are designing around the floor -- which is really fun, actually.  Instead of usually trying to hide the floor, we are layering neutrals and textures into this open floor plan with the floor being that bold statement every room needs.  We are also moving some pieces in their home around to showcase some amazing photographs and art they have. 

One of the pieces we are looking to move is their Waterford crystal.  Waterford crystal has the possibility to take on a staid, dated look.  It's just true. 

But organized differently, I think it can take on a whole new life.  And look classic and modern at the same time.  I mean, why can't you use Waterford crystal for your morning glass of orange juice? 

Crystal organized in a modern but classic piece like this pharmacy cabinet would really make it more functional and modern.  And moving this piece from the formal dining room to the breakfast nook will encourage use of what are very beautiful pieces when organized, moved around a bit and showcased to their full potential. 

Best thing about this type of cabinet is that you can use it elsewhere later on.  In a bathroom for towels, guest bedroom for blankets, even a walk-in closet for all of those pairs of jeans...

Friday's Organizing Item

Today's Agenda:  Appreciating my life!

I love keeping a date book.  It's great for staying organized.  Both to keep track of what I have done and to plot what I need/want to do over the next few days.  But nowadays my date book has migrated to Google Calendar so my husband and I can keep track of what's going on in both of our lives and to reduce our chance of "doublebooking". 

But I still love the look and feel of a date book {I remember a beautiful orange leather one I had in 2006 and deep navy leather one from the early '00s.}  And I especially love looking back at date books from 10 years ago and see what I was up to.  Unfortunately while Google Calendar is great at keeping me organized on a daily basis, it doesn't do a great job of organizing my memories so that with a quick glance I can envision that day as if it were yesterday.

Well, I ran across this book the other day at a local boutique, Serendipity.  {Note:  The store itself is much better than the website and it has some really nicely priced tables, lamps and artwork.}.  Each page is for one day with 5 sections on each page for each year.  Within each section/year there are 6 lines to jot down memories from that day.  It's not an organizer for your to dos or appointments but an organizer of your memories! 

This book is perfect for keeping track of memories and the best part is that it's five years of memories in one, small, Carolina blue book!  The past couple of days have been filled with great memories and I know that I will be happy to remember them next year when I fill in new memories on those dates.

This is what my day is looking like today.

 

How do I put this into words? 

Friday's Organizing Items

Today's Agenda:  Still thinking about bathroom design -- specifically tile!  Basically there are a lot of great options out there and a lot of, well, not so great options out there.  And some place in between is the tile that will be the right look AND budgeted for this project.  I have some ones picked out at a local tile place that I actually really like and hope will work!

While searching for tile I have also been searching retailer's sites for bathroom storage.  Pottery Barn's website has a ton more than it used to for the bath.  Stuff that is actually helpful and not crazy expensive! I know, imagine that! 

Basically every room needs the same set of storage items -- (1) over the door, (2) on wheels or feet, (3) upright or on floor and (4) in baskets/containers.  Then you have to decide what size of each you need based on the room and what color/style you are looking for. 

Pottery Barn has actually hit these 4 types right on the head -- and I can also imagine using them in different rooms so if you hate to commit to buying these types of items since you might not be where you are forever then these may just be the right pieces for you.  Even if you are in a place for a short time, it's so much more enjoyable to be organized and it may even make you realize you don't need to move so soon!

Here's our "four key storage pieces every room should have" as designed for the bath by Pottery Barn --

(1)  over-the-door storage {can imagine this in a baby's room too behind the door for diapers and lotions or in an art studio with old button downs hanging on the hooks to use as smocks}

(2)  storage on wheels {like the way they have styled this; again useful in other rooms just in case you move!  could even be a bar or side table in a living room}

(3) hamper storage {could use in an entryway for sneakers too; interesting underneath the vanity}

 

(4) storage in baskets {oh, these could be used just about anywhere and 10" deep is a nice size to fit on most shelves}

Friday's Organizing Item

Today's Agenda:  My dad is coming up to visit on Sunday so am getting ready for that and planning out lots of fun trips to places like Ikea, Leesburg Outlets, Lucketts, Costco with Dad...I know he's especially excited about the Ikea trip :)

I ran across this while I was going through my weekly stack of catalogs.  I just liked it so tore it out and put it in my stack of tear sheets to go through and think about more closely and see if any of the items could be used in current projects.

 

As some of you know, I'm working on a nursery project for my friend Dina right now (it's always fun to collaborate with her on projects!!) so I'm trying to think about ways to make stylish items practical (and vice versa!).  So when I looked at this again today I thought -- what about using this for a drying rack for baby bottles?  A little Parisian touch to baby paraphernalia?  They have the perfect kitchen for it with a large, beautiful island and this would be a great way to keep their sense of style as they add their new addition to their life and home!

Other uses:


*Hanging spools of ribbon in a craft room
*Hanging your collection of lucite bangles
*Of course, a drying rack for your favorite mugs

Friday's Organizing Item

Today's Agenda:   I am recovering from some surgery on my leg that I had this week.  It's the first real surgery I've had where I was under general anesthesia and all.  While it wasn't fun and definitely not fun being off of my feet, I am actually enjoying this time to catch up on design magazines, overhaul our filing system from the living room floor and I love being able to spend the time researching so many internet sites and blogs for current design projects.  I'm very very thankful for my new job right now in that I can take the time to heal while working from home in my comfy clothes with my laptop and endless supply of HGTV, Ellen and The Bonnie Hunt Show to keep me company.  While there is no great time for surgery, this couldn't have happened at a better time and I'm making the most of the time to catch up on some things, including getting back on track with Friday's Organizing Item!  I'm hoping for a quick recovery so I can be back on my feet soon!

I have been helping a friend find a vanity and some other fixtures for her bathroom renovation.  This has made me think about how we use the vanity and the best use of space for storage in a bathroom.  Basically, I do not like the big old vanity where you can fit thirty rolls of toilet paper and thirty boxes of kleenex under or need to buy ten plastic drawers to (hopefully) keep everything organized.  I would love to install some combination of the Ikea Godmorgon series in our bathrooms.  The drawer system seems to make a lot more sense. 

But, since it's not the right time to renovate our bathrooms, I have found another solution to make the big old vanity more user friendly.  This.  

Now, I haven't gotten rid of the nice plastic drawers and containers under my sink but I do feel much better because I or a guest or my husband can easily get to the extra roll of toilet paper that I'm now storing in this ottoman without going behind a hair dryer, hair iron, extra shampoo bottles and a cadre of makeup bags to get to it, we know when we are out of toilet paper and I have all of my extra stuff easily stored in there -- qtips, cotton pads, razors, etc.  Easy to grab for me or a guest that forgot something.  See...

It a nice, neutral linen and takes up little space.  Would be nice to have two in a larger bathroom but one fits easily in ours.  And it's a nice place for husband to sit and drink coffee and talk to me while I'm getting ready.  If I ask really really nicely :). 

Friday's Organizing Item

Today's Agenda:  Plan for a fun, productive week next week!  Hopefully on the agenda is finishing up decorating an apartment in NYC, wrapping up place cards and ceremony programs, creating these and attending two weddings!  Good thing I have something to look forward to given that the Olympics will be over...

I have been working on an apartment in Manhattan where it is essentially a "soup to nuts" project -- everything from purchasing appliances, dishes, etc. to organizing closets to finding the perfect pillows for the couch.  A couple weekends ago I went up and among other things worked on organizing the closets.

I'm not sure what we did before The Container Store {maybe we were just unorganized??!} but there is nothing like strolling the aisles there and looking at all the products they have and thinking how could that wall mounted whatever revolutionize my life {in my corporate law life in Manhattan I used to roam the aisles and enjoy the peace and organization of The Container Store!! Not joking...}.  In this specific case shelf organizers and shoe bins revolutionized this closet.

Here is the before.

Not too bad.  We had already tossed out a ton of those dry cleaning hangers and replaced them with wood hangers and the clothes had already been edited so we didn't need to go through that step.  What we did need to do was to create a functional closet.  Where if one shirt was taken out of the pile, the whole pile didn't come with it.  And where you could easily find the mate to your favorite black heels as you are running out the door to work.

After a trip to the Container Store and Bed Bath and Beyond and purchasing the following:

Shelf Organizers

Shoe Bins

Flocked Hangers

Friction Trouser Hanger

Friction Skirt Hanger

Here is the after!

 

Much better!  I first took clothes out of the closet by groups -- sweaters, then dresses, etc. -- and rehung everything on the appropriate hangers -- ones that fit in the space and the clothes didn't fall off of.  Then I grouped the folded clothes by category -- beach tank tops, going out shirts, cool graphic Ts, long sleeve plain Ts, etc.  And then went to town on the shoes -- these bins are fantastic since they fit the space just perfectly and are clear so don't clutter or distract from the clothes.  There are no lids on these boxes so no need to pull a box out of a massive stack and then have to put it all back together -- you just grab the shoes you want and go.

Just like it makes a huge difference to have the right black shoes to wear with that black dress {okay black shoes are okay with that black dress, but not "it"}, I think it makes a huge difference to have the right accouterments to outfit your closet in a way that makes it easy to use.  While some closets  really may require a whole Elfa installation others just need a cohesive set of hangers and a way to divide the clothes in a usable way.  

Friday's Organizing Item

Today's Agenda:  Clean up the kitchen before the weekend gets here!  We try to clean up a bit on Friday so when Saturday morning comes we can enjoy the paper with some coffee and not have to do so many chores.  And, to be honest I don't mind cleaning up the kitchen so much today because of my new find!

I had been on the hunt for a french three tier basket for awhile.  It had to be interesting, not too large, with not too much metal or wire, not too modern, not too rustic, sturdy and sweet.  Okay, I was going for perfect.  But I felt like perfection was an okay thing to strive for with a fruit basket.  And it was more of a challenge than anything.

I had been tempted by a few $19.99 ones at Marshalls and Homegoods but I knew they weren't quite "it".  And then one day I was wistfully perusing items at Wisteria.com and ran across this.

It met all my requirements!  The size was great, the wooden birds were a sweet, rustic touch, the metal and size of the mesh baskets was perfect.  Here are some uses shown online {Wisteria.com is great about showing the items in rooms, alone and for different uses.}

I love having it on our long countertop {I think it's a great bridge too from post-holiday decorations which can be a real let down and make your space feel not so interesting anymore!} and it's great for keeping our fruit, bread and other foods we are using organized.  Nothing gets lost in a corner on our other countertops and I feel like we will go through the fruit faster with it all in sight.  You could use it in an office too for fabric swatches or office supplies, in a closet for stockings and tights, in a dining room or storage area for napkins and placemats. 

{I was going to take the bread and cookies in the plastic bag out of the basket but you know what, that's actually how I use it and how we live so wanted to show that it could still look neat and organized when used for how you live.}

{Update:  I took the bread and cookies out...I couldn't help it.  Here are some other views!}

I really find Wisteria's site very charming and easy to use.  Some items are pretty well priced as well and then there are, well, some "reach" items.  Which you need to be able to dream...right??? 

And for those of you in the Dallas area there is an outlet -- with a sale going on now!  Call me if you go and I'll get online to shop virtually with you :)

I am in love with this wire basket too.

 

But no room in our house for it.  Would be perfect in a bathroom for towels, in a walk in closet for shoes, in an office/craft room for fabric or rolls of wallpaper and/or wrapping paper, in a child's room for toys.  Here are some other uses shown on Wisteria.com...

 

 

Finally...Friday's Organizing Item!

Today's Agenda:   Trying to get back to normal a little bit each day.  After my last post {which seems like ages ago!!}, I trucked up to NYC {okay, I bused up there...love the Bolt bus -- wifi!} and worked on a new project helping a client/friend put together a New York 1 bedroom apartment from soup to nuts.   We sat on every sleeper sofa couch in the city {if you need recommendations let me know!} and the West Elm Chelsea folks became our fast friends -- it was a ton of fun and we got a lot done in a few days.  Unfortunately, when I got back I ended up going to the hospital to treat cellulitis that I had been dealing with for awhile.  A trip to urgent care, the ER and my first ever hospital stay were the high points of last week.  I have been staying off my feet {which is hard for me to do} and trying to rest since then.  This little episode definitely made me thankful that I have been so healthy my whole life.  I'm feeling a little better, definitely sleeping better and getting back into the groove of the life I love...

I've been dying to show you a couple projects I finished last year {isn't it still funny to think it is 2010??} but I still need to get myself organized and edit the pictures and pull the sources.  I did show you a preview of my DIY project in my last post -- the ribbon organizer and that is today's Friday's Organizing Item!

A home office client had a beautiful collection of ribbons from various wedding projects she has worked on.  The ribbons are gorgeous colors and fabrics but as those things go they are also odd sizes and didn't fit in those "handy dandy ribbon organizers" which, maybe it's just me, but I feel like they never really work.  You know the ones -- with the holes that you daintily leave the ends of ribbons hanging out of.  I just end up lifting the box and grabbing the ribbon I want, cutting it and put it back.  Basically, it's an expensive box.  Anyway, I thought about those wood shelves with pegs on them and I liked the idea of the peg -- you could put two or three spools on them and they would be uncomplicated and easy to get at.  After looking at a couple of stores {kid stores/sections are good for this kind of stuff} I didn't really find anything.  So, off to Home Depot. 

One peg board, 20 dowels, 1 can of spray paint, 1 thing of Gorilla wood glue, 2 handy peg board baskets, and 1 black picture frame later I was off to construct my ribbon organizer... 

...and, here is the final product!

It was pretty easy to do.  Here are the steps I took.

1.   Have dowels and peg board cut to the size you need.  {Note if Home Depot doesn't do this or have a self-help area where you can do this or you don't have an area at home to do this, try Lowe's.  My wonderful husband/unpaid intern actually did this step for me and it was a huge help!!}

2.  Spray paint peg board and dowels.  {I used a high gloss black which looks great.}  Be sure to lay them on a plastic surface or large piece of cardboard.  Towels or any surfaces where leaves or dirt can blow in are bad.

3.  Let dry overnight {or at least a few hours -- some spray paints have a faster drying time than others}.

4.  Attach peg board to open frame.  I went to the picture framing section of Michael's and bought 1/8" fasteners that you just screw on to the sides of the frame.  It's not a tight fit but for this project worked well.  You could also go to a framer and ask them to insert the framing staples to secure the peg board.  Just depends on where you are hanging it {I was just going to lean it against a wall on the floor} and how much time you have.

5.  Lay peg board/frame down and begin to fill in each hole with wood glue and insert a dowel in each hole.   {Note that you can't put too much weight on each dowel but for other projects you can find a hook that fits in the size peg board you have purchased.}  The Gorilla glue expands to fill the hole which let to some dripping -- you could spray paint over that or by laying it down flat avoid that.

6.  Let dry overnight. 

7.  Go to town organizing!!!

It also has me thinking of how else I can use peg board, especially with a high gloss spray paint and a fantastic frame {love some flea market or Marshalls finds!} -- you could do so much! {I also want to know what else can I spray paint -- the spray paint available now is amazing! Lamps, vases, chairs, desks, etc.!}

* What about a silver ornate frame with a fresh aqua paint in a bedroom -- for necklaces and bracelets!

* Or a white simple frame with a high gloss white in the kitchen-- for colorful spoons and tongs, etc. in the kitchen!  Ooh, maybe tangerine colored utensils...against a light gray wall...

* Or gold frame with high gloss red or emerald green in a dressing area -- for your black bags or fun evening bags!!

* Or a cute little frame and peg board in a high gloss yellow for your keys -- a cheery way to start the day!

Friday's Organizing Item(s)

Baskets are hard. 

They can be useful.  But many times they can just end up being a nuisance (i.e., odd-shaped, dust collector, generally annoying). 

I think you just have to think about how to best use them, exactly what you need them for and at some point be willing to move on. 

I couldn't quite move on from these while I was perusing the Crate & Barrel outlet site...they would be great organizing items!

Let's start with this petite one...

Great for:
*Cotton balls
*Little girls' hairbands
*Binder clips
*Randomness

Or these "picnic baskets".  I suppose you could use them as a picnic basket -- a bottle of red wine, baquette, cheese and thermos of soup would fit perfectly.  But I'm thinking more for:

*Stationery
*Toilet paper
*Cards from your dear friends
*Cards to send to your dear friends

{and they look really precious stacked nicely! // spray paint them any color too! (yes, I feel like I may become addicted to spray painting things -- watch out!)}

Or these modern, streamlined beauties.  Perfect to set five or six of them along a very long white lacquer shelf.  Place your favorite magazines in, stack some vintage teacups and saucers in, or, do I dare say it, just leave empty.  

Friday's Organizing Item {and a Before and After!}

I have a secret.  My personal items (you know...em, undergarments) for much of the time we have been in our home have been stored in the drawers in the living room.  Don't ask. I just never found the right storage for them in our bedroom.  Until now!

Basically, I have had a mental block re dressers for years.  Either too big, too clunky, too chintzy.  But I finally came around and decided that I was okay with getting a dresser.  And I thought of it as a potential DIY project.  I had certain parameters for the dresser though -- no more than $200, smaller/antiquey, and a dark, gunmetal gray -- and if I didn't find one within those parameters it just wasn't meant to be.  I searched Craigslist for some used items.  Scoured local Homegoods for a good find.  And, then, just when I was close to giving up, I found the one at Ikea!  Met all criteria.

Here's the before and after part of the post:

Meet Edland, before. {I wasn't crazy about the drawer pulls...}

Now, meet Edland, after, dressed up a bit.

 

Thanks to knobs from Anthropologie!  I had bought about 10 of these the week before when I saw them on sale for $2.95 each instead of $12.00 each.  I knew I would be able to use them somewhere in the house or in a client's project.  I just loved them. And I love the dresser -- perfect amount of storage but still petite and doesn't overwhelm the space.  It can also be used just about anywhere else in the house -- a bathroom for towels, a dining room for linens or dishes, a hallway or spare bedroom.

And the little guys under the dresser are these, before.

And now these, after...

 

I just added some wrapping paper behind the clear opening and dressed them up a bit.  They also match the paper that I framed and hung over the bed (see photo below). 

Add jewelry to the top of the dresser, a couple lamps and some books and vases and I now have a dressing area I love! 

Here are some more details of what's above the dresser:

 

 

I also really like how the dresser, the drawer pulls and the paper in the storage boxes compliment the other patterns and textures in the room. 

Like the paper in a frame above the bed.  The pillows.  And the duvet cover.

The curtains.

The lampshade.

 

And my favorite chair, silk pillow and comfy blanket.

Now, the organizing part of this post:

So, now that I had a dresser I had to work on getting the contents of the drawers in the living room into the dresser in an organized fashion. 

I had these in the drawers in the living room:

And they worked really well.  But now I was going to try to get my tights/hosiery and belts all in one drawer.  Ambitious, I know.  And which required getting a couple more storage items that have 8 cute compartments.  {And throwing away a bunch of old, worn out tights -- why did I hang onto these?? Anyway...}

See?  Each pair of tights and each belt has a nice little nook.  Some of them fit a couple belts too, which is a little more realistic...

And, with the goal of creating marital bliss, I shared the dresser and husband now has a well-organized spot for his socks.

 

Bonus:  The tools we use downstairs now have a new organized home in the living room!