Basket Archives - Graceful Order

Can you handle one more linen closet? It’s my third post on linen closets and I probably won’t be doing one for a while. I will define “while” at a later date.

I really love to look at organized linen closets. You can find the other two posts on linen closets {here} and {here} if you missed them.

Remember a while back I shared with you all that I was working on organizing a beautiful home and will be working on that home for quite a while. I also will have to define “while” at a later date. This home is huge! Probably 3 times the size of mine so I will be working on it for a long time.

Well, I already shared with you the finished pantry at this home. You can find it {here} if you missed it. Last week I worked on a narrow but very tall linen closet that is adjacent to their laundry room.

Here is the before picture. Actually, I had already removed many things before I realized I didn’t take a picture.

I used two types of baskets to organize this closet. This is one of the baskets. It is from the Threshold brand at Target and I love almost everything that brand puts on the shelf! These baskets come in different sizes. Aren’t they beautiful?

The other baskets are the BENTO boxes which you know I use quite a bit in my home as well. They are great for corralling smaller items.

In the baskets without dividers I placed light bulbs.

Surge protectors, flashlights and extra outlets.

In the baskets with the built-in dividers I placed batteries.

Medicines. One for children’s and one for adults.

In the very top I put the largest size baskets. One is full of rain coats and the other travel gear for the kids.

Here are all the smaller baskets back in the closet.

And the rest of the other boxes that hold band-aids and sunscreen.

Here is the after shot!

Side to side for drama. I’m all about the drama!

I like sharing different ideas of items that you can store inside linen closets besides the obvious.

As always, I look forward to hearing from you so please share your ideas as well!

Happy Organizing!

Maria

My 9-year olds bookshelf. He uses it for books but I also use the bottom shelves for toy storage. I don’t know if you can identify but no matter how many times I fix this bookshelf it ends up looking like this:

He has had those orange and brown baskets for years and they started to show it. When he was smaller they served their purpose but now he needed stronger baskets. I had to find baskets that wouldn’t warp and could handle being pulled out by kids who are not always the most gentle on their toys. I also needed larger baskets to house the countless cards that my son collects.

Target saved the day. Again. I found these bins with the basket weave design which are VERY sturdy and I chose the putty color. I also purchased some white ones that I will use for some bathroom storage. I will post on that later. They had the bins in white, putty and brown. The baskets also nest but that wasn’t my intention with these.

I used one of the small baskets to hold magformers. I love that toy! They are like legos with magnets and kids (and adults) don’t seem to outgrow them. I purchased them like 4 years ago on QVC.com

Next, I used this sandwich container to hold one of his little card games and its pieces. That’s the thing with kids toys…ALL THE SMALL PIECES! They end up scattered everywhere especially when they don’t have a home.

This container was $1. and not the best quality for lunch but perfect for this little game.

There were cards that he only had a small set of. I used small bags to put those in and I added a label. I placed the bags inside one of the tins seen in the pictures below.

The second small bin is only for card games. It holds tins that are full of cards and the sandwich container.

The large bin was a good size to organize all the miscellaneous small toys. I used boxes on the inside to keep them in place. If I used a separate small basket for each type of toy I would have a wall of baskets and bins. Not an option. This bin was large enough to fit the smaller items and his DS perfectly.

The finished product.

The bins fit nicely in the shelves.

Notice the labels on the shelves. My son did that on his own with my label maker. Should I be proud or scared that he is doing this? At least it’s not color-coordinated. Now I am giving myself ideas. 🙂

Of course we all know that this much order wont last in a kids room but creating systems for everything makes the clean-up easier. If it’s easier, then the kids are more likely to do it. If not, at least it’s easier for mom.

Maria

Narrow Linen Closet Organization

Organizing Kids Bookshelves