Organizing for Lazy People

I apologize for my blog being down the past few days... Trust me I was working hard to get it back online! Thanks for coming back!

I have this credenza in my dining room that serves as a sort of faux-buffet. If I had a lot of serveware or party supplies I would put them in there but I don't, so I use it for craft stuff. It looks decent on the outside (especially for something I got at IKEA's clearance section for $40). 

But it was not so nice on the inside. 

My Mission: To organize it enough that stuff doesn't fall out every time I open the doors. Nothing more, nothing less.

Let me be clear, I'm not trying to attempt this:

(source)

Because let's be honest that looks like it took a lot of work and money.

So, here are my personal steps for organizing stuff to make it look less bad:

1) Take it all out: That's right, empty that sucker out. Don't try shuffling things around because it won't work you have to start with a blank slate.

2) Put like with like. Separate everything into piles. For this project my piles were: fabric, stickers, ribbon, paint, and I also had one pile which I English-ly called 'bits and bobs' because you are going to have a pile of random stuff that just doesn't fit in a pile.

3) Once everything is in a pile you can decide what containers will fit what stuff. Be creative! You don't have to go out and buy matching storage containers. Here are some of the uncommon things I used to help me get organized:

 Zippered mattress pouch

 Shoe boxes

This used to hold bullion cubes, but you could use any of the food tubs that you are done using. Think parmesan cheese, margarine, or spices. They all come in nice plastic (or even glass) containers that after you take the sticker off and wash the container they are perfectly reusable. 

4) Label it, but don't feel like it has to be fancy. I have this funny old Label Buddy from about 10 years ago (yes, I was the 17 year old that asked for a label maker). It does these little punched labels that are silly, but they serve their purpose. The white label stickers you can print or write on work just as well.

That's it! You gotta love the fast version of organizing  The long version involves deciding whether you need to keep all this crap but for this project my mission was simple.

Not a major improvement but when you set your goal low it's easy to be happy with the outcome!