Unconventional Organization

Since I recently graduated college, I moved back home with my family. I arrived a little over a week ago with my car packed to the hilt with clothes and kitchenware and craft supplies and shoes and books and everything else! Unlike the last time I came home, I can't just put all of it in a corner of the garage and label it "for college." This time I actually had to sort through everything, get rid of the things I don't need, and find a place for the stuff I want to keep. Most of the stuff I wanted to keep could be put in the attic for a future home but I also had a lot of craft supplies that I use and need to be able to access easily. The problem is that I share a room with my sister and there is virtually no room for any more stuff. My only other option was to store my stuff in the loft adjacent to my parent's room. The one proviso my parents attached to that deal was that my supplies had to be organized and out of sight- so I got creative.

Here is a vintage train case my mom got me a few years ago for Christmas. At the time, I was traveling pretty often, flying to Boston for weekend trips once every few months. Now I'm not traveling nearly as much and so I decided to use it to store my sewing supplies in. I used tins and jars to micro organize the little spools and bits of ribbon.

Another piece of vintage luggage became the home for some of my other miscellaneous craft supplies including watercolors, inks, feathers, and glitter. The deep lid allows taller items to stand even when it's closed. Here again you'll see jars and boxes are used to keep the smaller things organized.

I've been tucking my oil paints and brushes away in this spare tackle box that my dad gave me for years. It has just the right sized compartments for my tubes of paint, plus the paint boxes they sell at art supply places are way too expensive. This is a great alternative.

I love saving my change and when I was at school I kept it in a starbucks bottle. Now that I'm home, I transferred all my change into a prettier alternative. I got this tin at a thrift store a few years ago. I just love these bright colors.

My brother has been collecting vintage cigar boxes for a while and he likes to store his little treasures in them. This one contains a small collection of matchbox cars. Cigar boxes look neat on shelves and you can find them in many different colors and patterns.

I was helping my grandmom clean out her attic this weekend and I came across a set of old suitcases. When I asked her what was in them she told me that she stored her Christmas ornaments in them. My mom does the same thing. When we go to yard sales she'll pick up neat old suitcases and store ornaments in them. It's a great idea because they're easy to pack up and put away. Here is a mini suitcase with my collection of vintage ornaments tucked inside.

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