This cleaning out and reorganizing job was much bigger than planned and it requires 2 posts. Cleaning usually leads to getting rid of things but sometimes it also leads to reorganizing other unplanned areas.
In this case, I don’t mind it because it made my guest room/office not only more organized but more importantly, more functional.
As I started going through the closet, I realized that I wanted to do more than just clean out the closet. I also wanted to get items out of all of the areas around the room. Again, the results aren’t Pinterest/Instagram worthy, but now I have access to the items I want and need and like items are together.
Needless to say, I am pleased with the results.
Home Decor
I had a lot of home decor items to deal with. I pulled them out of all the places I had them spread out so I could get a sense of how much I was dealing with. For the most part, it all went into the office closet but photo boxes and stands went into the hall closet.
Dresser
In addition to cleaning off the top of the dresser, I also cleaned out the insides. My only regret is that I forgot to take BEFORE photos of all of the drawers. Believe me when I say that the drawers were packed full. So full that when I started pulling items out, I was surprised at what I found!
This first drawer houses some craft projects.
Drawer two has some holiday craft projects and material. Again, more crafty stuff.
This drawer got pared down quite a bit. This one houses frames.
Drawer four has wood projects and other sign making type products. It also houses some display stands.
This last drawer has items for heat transfer or fabric painting.
Plastic Bin
This bin sits next to the dresser (as it always has). It was so full of stuff that I didn’t know what was in there. It used to house small florals and floral supplies, hot glue sticks with a hot glue gun, a heavy duty stapler and some wrapping supplies. There are other areas in my home where these types of items are housed so I moved them to their new homes and used this bin to get items that were outside of the closet, inside of the closet. (Got it?)??
This bin now houses packing/shipping materials and camera equipment including lenses, SD cards, lights for my lighting kit, and manuals.
Unplanned organization
Clearing out the dresser and bins led to me tackling the 4-drawer file cabinet in my office. You would think that a file cabinet would house paper work and to be honest, the top drawer does. However, the other 3 drawers contained craft projects, paint supplies and paints.
When I cleaned out the dresser, I was able to move the craft projects into the dresser and then I thinned out the paints and supplies. One of the drawers in the dresser housed some tools and other painting supplies. I was able to move all of the craft projects into the dresser and all of the tools and paints into the file cabinet.
The other drawer has general tools. These are my go-to tools that I use for my general home DIY’s and repairs-screwdrivers, hammer, gloves, crow bar (I don’t use this a lot), picture hanging stuff and nails and screws. Most importantly, my knee pads!! Those things save my life during DIY projects and cleaning!!
A small plastic drawer container that I originally had on top of the dresser housed my race medals and bibs and playbills from the many musicals and plays that I’ve seen over the years.
I put the playbills in a binder that I bought YEARS ago and the displayed the medals in the closet and on a metal (medal) display that I also bought YEARS ago.
Seeing my medals makes me smile!
Playbill Binder
I’m not sure why it took me so long to put the playbills in the binder! I love it so much that I have flipped through it twice already!
And finally, the picture that makes me smile most of all……..
THE EMPTY BINS!!!
I am thrilled to be done with this project and also thrilled with how it turned out. It’s nice to be able to go to one place to find the tool I need or the decor item I may want to use.
