No Space For A Craft Room? Create A Project Closet!

This project is one that I have been meaning to do for a LONNNNNNNG time...but have managed to keep putting it off. But today, the continued acquisition of materials for the blog finally forced me to get my butt in gear and DO IT.

I was beginning to go bonkers over all the "stuff" piling up on the counters, the table, the phone desk, the computer desk, the floor, the clothes dryer, etc.

Since I don't have an actual ROOM to devote to crafting, sewing, blogging, etc....YET....I had to make due with the closet in our laundry/mudroom.

There are a few inherent problems associated with this space that have contributed to the pretty bad shape it was in.

First of all, it's tucked into a corner of a very small laundry/mudroom. It was hard to even get pictures of it because I could only back up a few feet.

It's also very DARK! There is no lighting in the closet and it gets little to no natural lighting in that corner (that's why the pictures are so grainy!) which makes it a less than desirable place to spend much time working on.

So that is what I had facing me today...but luckily with the help of a few Thrift Store finds, I was ready to go!

In my Simple Pantry Makeover post a few weeks ago...I mentioned that I had picked up several of the baskets I was using at our local Thrift Store. Baskets are a "dime a dozen" at thrift stores. The problem is, most of them have big, awkward handles that render them practically useless.
Well, here's my answer to that....a sturdy pair of wire cutters.  I just snip those babies off and NOW I have something I can actually work with! I also look for square and rectangular baskets....since round ones tend to leave you with a lot of wasted space.

This one was $1.00 and will work perfectly in my "new" Project Closet.

Here are the "AFTER" pictures, for what they are worth. My AMATEUR photographer status really shows in these pictures taken in a cramped, dark space. But you'll get the general idea.

This was as WIDE a shot as I could get. Unfortunately, my Project Closet

still has to share the space with our vacuum cleaner. 

Man! Someone likes their soaps in this house! ;-)

More soap???

The hubster hung one of those cordless lights up high on one wall 

which helped dispel the darkness immensely! 

I think I'll get another one for the other side too.

I use twine and scissors a LOT, so I wanted them handy!

I tried to make use of the side walls as much as possible.

Here I have hung stacks of scrapbook paper on simple nails! 

It's so nice of the paper people to put a hole in the top of those things. :-)

I am still looking for a better solution than this for wrapping paper,

but haven't quite figured it out yet.  This works for now.

(And for those of you seeing the paper towels and thinking I've given up 

on going paperless...that is my stockpile from BEFORE I "threw in the

paper towels", and it's there for emergencies only.) 

And lastly...my handy dandy clipboard I also picked up at the thrift store

that I covered with some scrapbook paper. I am notorious 

for throwing away receipts I need to keep, so I'm hoping this will help.

The thing underneath it, that looks like a briefcase, is actually my 

paper cutter. That thing is such an awkward size and shape

to put ANYWHERE...so I decided hanging it up was the only option.

I actually like it. :-)

It's still a "work in progress"....but the work I HAVE put into it has really paid off. I actually get excited to go put something in or take something out of the Project Closet...just so I can admire my work. ;-)

And the reduced clutter in the REST of the house is DEFINITELY.....