One of my main goals is to be ultra-organized. Who can blame me with a houseful of people? But trying to create a place for everything and putting everything in its place is an ongoing challenge.
A problem area in my house is where to keep all of the small outdoor accessories for the kids…. gloves, hats and scarves in the winter, sunglasses and hats in the summer. The very small coat closet is already filled to capacity and offers no room for extra storage. I thought I had solved the problem with hanging baskets on the wall opposite the coat closet. And while I still think this is the solution, I need to fine tune some of the details.
My first suggestion: DO NOT BUY CHEAP BASKETS! I purchased eight baskets from Michael’s when they were on sale for 40% off. The final price of each basket was a little over $4, perfect for a low-budget project. But the handles break very easily, and I have replaced each one at least once already. So what started out as inexpensive has already doubled in price. Oh, it wasn’t just the kids who broke the handles either! Better to buy a quality basket so it withstands the constant use (and abuse).
My second suggestion: try to place them in a low-traffic area. This isn’t always possible because you need to have them close to the coat closet or they will never be used. But if you have a wall near the closet that won’t be bumped into, hit with a wayward ball that shouldn’t have been in the house in the first place, or less likely to be the scene of a slam dunk with the mittens, defiitely pick that wall.
My third suggestion: make the wall fun! This is one thing I did do right. I had each of my kids make crazy faces and took their picture, framing each one in a 3″ x 5″ burgundy frame. Their pictures are black and white so the area looks cohesive. And the cost? The pictures are from Walmart at $.09 each, and the frames were $3 each from A.C. Moore.
This week I am on a quest to find the perfect baskets, but I think I’ll buy just 1 or 2 before committing to 9. And I need to reconfigure the wall to fit 9 baskets, and some new pictures! I’ll let you know what I find!