storage

New Storage Products

Written on February 11, 2010 at 9:04 am, by Order in the House (Pamela Porter)

I’m just back from the New York International Gift Fair where I spied these must-haves for organization lovers. Check out company websites for pricing details and retail locations near you!

1 .This non-shedding stoneware pup by Johathan Adler will keep your favorite reads in order. If you can’t swing the $150 price tag, check out the designer’s resin version for $40 at Barnes & Noble.

2. As a decoupage lover, I’ve always been a fan of Margaret Josephs’ cheery company The MacBeth Collection. This spring, she offers all new patterns in which to dress her wide range of metal containers.

3. Resource International uses 100% post-consumer material for these sturdy fiberboard Cargo collection of boxes, bins, and cases.

4. Because my on-the-run lunches too often consist of handfulls of M&Ms, Thorsten Van Elten won me over with this glazed earthenware dish. Ah, M&M heaven!

5. This bamboo Tuck storage box from Umbra swivels into a compact 5-inch cube. I’m also hooked on their new magnetic and beak clip bird hook.

6. Danica Studio caught my eye with their fabric-covered office accessories. Hmmm….I think an office makeover is in my near future.

7. I couldn’t resist this blue ceramic bird container from Lazy Susan. Perhaps another home for my stash of M&Ms?

8. If you love lacquer (and who doesn’t) let these accessories from Pacific Connections help you stay organized.

Here’s to Order in the House….both yours and mine! Have fun containing your clutter with these and other storage-savvy products. If you find a storage solution you can’t live without, share it with us at DIY’s page on Facebook.

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Team DIY Month of Storage: Tip of the Day

Written on January 26, 2010 at 10:18 am, by Team DIY

Before you recycle glass jars, consider using them as under-cabinet office storage for little things like rubber bands, thumbtacks, and paperclips. Use glue or screws to affix the jar lid to the underside of your cabinet. Now you’re ready to screw the glass jar onto the lid for easy-access storage.

This idea also works in the pantry, or, here, in our armoire-turned-pantry.

Any other fabulous storage uses for old jars? Share them here!

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Team DIY Month of Storage: Tip of the Day

Written on January 20, 2010 at 9:58 am, by Team DIY

We can’t get enough of new online tools designed to help us conquer clutter in the most frustrating spaces. These digital tools offer awesome customization options. So you can map out a storage strategy for that weird space under the stairs. Or a bizarrely shaped pantry in your 1900s-era house. Or figure out a way to fit your not-so-teeny wardrobe into a teeny apartment closet. Here are a couple of our favorite tools. Hope you find them as helpful as we do!

Closetmaid’s Visual Storage Planner

Use it to customize and tackle your garage, kitchen, closet, or pretty much any other space. This tool is incredibly simple to use and it makes organizing, well, kind of fun.

 

EasyClosets.com

Easy Closets allow you to design your own closet solution or get a free closet design from a professional. Plus, measuring tips and product suggestions.

 

ClosetOrganizersUSA.com

If you’re a right-brainer, you’ll dig Closet Organizer’s online design tool. You can pick colors for shelving, even hardware styles (are you polished chrome or oil-rubbed bronze?). Bonus: The tool is really easy to use.

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Team DIY Month of Storage: Tip of the Day

Written on January 14, 2010 at 7:33 am, by Team DIY

This may seem like a tiny fix-up, but you won’t believe the style it will bring to your office or craft space. And it costs zip, zilch, nada, zero!

Find your favorite scraps of wallpaper, fabric, or scrapbook paper. Pull a clean tin can out of your recycle bin. Make sure it doesn’t have any sharp edges. Cut your paper or fabric to size, then wrap it around the can. Use double-stick tape or crafts glue to attach.

Try this on a larger scale with thoroughly cleaned paint cans or coffee tins. Then, affix them to your fabulous pegboard.

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Team DIY Month of Storage: Tip of the Day

Written on January 13, 2010 at 1:32 pm, by Girl's Eye View (Bethany Kohoutek)

Until some of the creative project designers buzzing around DIY HQ opened my eyes to pegboard’s possibilities, I had dismissed it as the stuff of ugly brown basements and stinky garages. Yuck.

Today I stand before you  a changed woman. I’m in the process of mapping out a new craft room, and I can assure you it will involve pegboard. Lots of pegboard.

Check out the cool ways our crafty peeps have used pegboard not only for its awesome storage and organization capabilities, but also because it’s, well, pretty!

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Team DIY Month of Storage: Tip of the Day

Written on January 12, 2010 at 6:29 pm, by Team DIY

If you can’t spare an entire room to set up a workspace, consider converting an under-used closet to a hardworking mini-office area. Find (or make) a desk made especially for small spaces — thin legs, shallow surface area. Utilize wall space for storage: Corkboards wrapped in fabric make awesome bulletin boards! A hanging pendant lamp takes up zero floor and desk space.

See another closet-to-office conversion here.

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Make It Monday Guest Blog: Magazine Storage from Postal Boxes

Written on January 11, 2010 at 7:36 pm, by Girl's Eye View (Bethany Kohoutek)

Our perennially creative gal pal Christy, of Beachbrights fame, has impressed us yet again with a storage solution we adore. We mentioned last week how much we like projects that reuse, recycle, or repurpose stuff we already have. In this case, Christy shows us how to rescue something destined for the trash, and remake it into savvy storage. Check it out, then hop on over to her blog to check out her other DIY adventures. – Team DIY

 

Supplies Needed

• Ruler
• Straightedge
• Fabric or thick paper (don’t use wrapping paper like I did – FAIL)
• Mailing box glue

This is a super-easy way to organize books and magazines. I used a USPS Priority mailing box. I highly recommend using a thick paper — or, even better, fabric — for this project. You need a durable material that withstands moving on and off shelves and one that will not wrinkle with glued.

Step 1: On your box, measure 6” on one side and 12” on the opposite side. Make sure these measurements will yield a box that will fit on your shelf. Draw a straight line from the 6” measurement to the 12” measurement and cut out.

Step 2: Measure your covering material (paper or fabric) and wrap the box like a present, gluing at all critical areas.

Ta-da! Recycled organization for all your notebooks, magazines, and books!  If you attempt this project, I’d love to see your creativity. Please go to DIY’s page on Facebook  and upload your finished product images. I can’t wait to see the creative variations some of you talented peeps come up with. Inspire me!!

XOXO- Beachbrights

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Awesome Storage Finds on Etsy

Written on January 8, 2010 at 12:03 pm, by Team DIY

Here at DIY headquarters, we’ve got storage on the brain. It could be because the hectic holidays are over and we’re packing up our Christmas decor or maybe the arctic temps have us itching for spring—even if it does come with a little cleaning. Whatever the cause, Team DIY is ready to get orderly and organized. And we’re turning to some unexpected friends for help.
Artists.

They’re the last people you’d probably turn to for help cutting the clutter in your home. Until now. We’ve discovered a few new friends over at Etsy who are catering to our craving storage products that are actually stylish.

We’re in love with this hand-printed canister ($32) from Acero Studio. It would be perfect for storing sugar, flour, coffee, tea, or even pastas in the kitchen. Plus, it’s dishwasher safe for easy cleaning.

No two of these ultra-mod bookcases ($150) built by Furniture From Red are ever the same. We love the asymmetrical angles of the shelves and the fun colors they come in

Create streamlined style on your shelves with the help of baskets or bins like these sweet little things ($38.99) from Sewing Momma. Check out the whimsical detail in the fabric rosettes, wool trees, and hand-stitched stems and tree trunks.

Take it from Team DIY project designer Debra Wittrup, labeling makes life easy. That’s why we love Bradens Grave Wall Art. Apply these removable, repositionable, and erasable chalkboard labels ($10 for a set of 12) to any smooth surface for instant organization

We can think of about a million ways to use these felted nesting bowls ($144 for a set of three) from Papaver Vert for storage around the house. Set them on your bedside table for spare change. Keep them on your dresser to hold jewelry. Create a key corral on your entry table. We could do this all day.

Vintage glass or apothecary jars like these etched beauties ($35) from la Vintage Maison are perfect for storage in the bathroom. Fill them up with bath salts, soaps, and shampoos and pitch those plastic bottles into the trash.

Organize your mail in your entry or office with a little help from
Uncommon Things for the Home. The “O” stands for out, the “I” for in, and the “R” for random on their awesome organizer ($28). Did we mention it comes in a number of bright, happy colors? It does.

After ooohing and aaahing over Mod Mom Furniture’s eco-friendly Owyn Toy Box ($350), we’ve decided this piece isn’t just for the tots. Of course, it would be perfect for stashing away toys. But we think it could make for a great bench in the living room or bedroom with added storage for extra blankets or pillows.

Do you know of any other Etsy finds that make for great storage? Post the links here!

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Team DIY Storage Challenge 2010!

Written on January 7, 2010 at 11:48 am, by Order in the House (Pamela Porter)

January is Get Organized month for all of us at DIYideas.com, and we’re on assignment to tidy up at least one space at home or work that’s cluttered, unsightly, or otherwise not acceptable. Editor Beth Eslinger will tackle her basement, associate editor Bethany Kohoutek has her eye on her work space at the office, and designer Katie Laporte plans to create a storage-packed craft/studio haven (go Katie!).

What about you? What will you organize this month? DIY challenges you to join the Get Organized party by sharing with us your best organizational endeavor. We’ll chose one reader’s space to feature here, on Team DIY Blog, and DIYIdeas.com!

Here’s the skinny:

1. By January 15 (that’s next Friday!) identify your trouble spot (a room, a drawer, a closet, piles of paperwork), snap a digital photo, and upload it here.

2. Whip that space into shape. Use baskets, bins, labels, shelves, or other storage-savvy tricks to gain control of the mess. In the meantime, visit the gallery to view and comment on other readers’ storage headaches.

3. By January 31, upload a photo of your now picture-perfect space.

Here are some inspiring “after” photos to get your ideas rolling.

We can’t wait to see your pictures! And speaking of pictures, my own personal organizing challenge this month is to organize nearly seven years of digital family photos, which currently eat oodles of space in my iPhoto library.

In my next post, I’ll share my solutions for printing (or not printing), organizing, storing, and backing up digital photos. I welcome your input. E-mail me directly at pamela@porterstudios.com to tell me what works or doesn’t work for you.

In looking ahead, I hope you’ll join me in committing to organize one space a month in 2010! In February I’ll somehow corral all my “chargables” such as phones, iPods, and cameras. Perhaps I’ll invest in a lovely charging station like this one from Kangaroom or maybe I’ll put my DIY skills to work and make one myself.

I’ll sort out the linen closet in March, and I have my heart set on these beautiful baskets from Organize.com.

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Team DIY Month of Storage: Tip of the Day

Written on January 6, 2010 at 3:13 pm, by Team DIY

Here at Team DIY, we love items that can be repurposed, reimagined, and reconfigured. Today’s storage tip: Use hanging sweater storage bags to sort and separate scrapbooking papers and cardstock. Pick up a few inexpensive plastic paper storage containers that fit snugly into the canvas shelves; they’ll help you keep colors, patterns, or projects separate. No more dinged paper edges or messy piles. How do you organize your scrapbooking and papercrafts supplies?

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