My Office Transformation

My office transformation has been a year in the making,

and today I'm finally ready to share it with you.....

My "before" desk was almost 20 years old (yes, it was my husband's when he was in college!), so I have desperately been wanting to replace it. But it took me some time to find exactly what I was looking for.

I found this beauty (and the chair!) on Overstock.com if anyone is wondering :) Plus, I was determined to get the printer off the desk, so I purchased an old filing cabinet and moved the printer on top. Add some desk organizers, a cute bulletin board, custom mouse pad off of Etsy.com and a lamp, and I was in business!

Next up, the drawers were in need of some TLC! I lined my new desk drawers with contact paper, and then purchased some simple acrylic drawer organizers from Target. (Plus, it helps that the new drawer is much wider!)

 Again, another acrylic divider with some contact paper, as well as Velcro straps to keep those pesky cords organized.

 The old bookcase help my scrapbooks, plus my kids' craft supplies. Well, we added a second bookcase to accommodate some of my work materials, and the kids ever-expanding craft stuff.

 The bookcase on the left holds my things, and the one on the right is for the kids. Most of the white containers are from the Dollar Store (!), the baskets are from TJ Maxx, and the thin black art boxes up top are from the Container Store. They hold my kids' XL art projects from school, etc.

 

The kids' stuff is divided into boxes/buckets for:

-paint

-stamps

-stickers

-sewing

-creations

-loose paper

-beads

-rainbow loom

-miscellaneous supplies

 

Yes, we like to "craft" in my house!!

I hope you like my office transformation! Please comment below if you have a question on a certain product & where I purchased it. Or, if you need any ideas on how to organize your office & craft supplies!

Peek Inside: A Professional Organizer's House....{Nate's Room}

It's the last day of the month, and you know what that means....."Peek Inside" time! And since we've been talking about boys' bedrooms all month, today we'll get to look at my son Nate's room.

 Zone 1: Desk & Lego corner. My son is in first grade, and does not have a tremendous amount of homework. (He can knock it out in about 10 minutes, so we just use the kitchen table downstairs.)

So, the main purpose of his desk right now is to:

1). Serve as a work area for building Lego creations and

2). Display his creations.

 He has one tiny drawer in his desk and I've allowed him to keep whatever he wants in there! I hate to call it a "junk drawer," because it's not junk to him. (But it is to me, ha!) I just threw a few drawer organizers in there from the Dollar Tree. I make him go through the drawer every few months when it's getting too cluttered & full.

I did a post earlier this month on storing Legos; click here to view that post. But basically, Nate likes his Legos sorted by BOTH color & set. These plastic drawer systems came from Target & have done the trick so far. As well as more drawer dividers from none other than Dollar Tree.

 Zone 2: Bookshelves. I absolutely adore the built-in bookshelves Nate has in his room. (They came with the house when we moved in 3 years ago; we got really lucky!) And since my son is an avid reader & Lego builder, these shelves provide plenty of storage for both of his passions. Look at the below picture for each corresponding number:

1. All of the book series he has read.
2. Coin collection
3. Bin of action figures & bin of binders with all of his Pokémon cards
4. More Lego display
5. His "nightstand" - a tray corrals the current books he's reading, a booklight, and Kleenex
6. More Lego storage; see second picture down for more detail.

 

Nate's Lego cabinet, where we store larger sets

 

Close-up of the Left side bookshelf

Close-up of the Right side bookshelf

Zone 3: Closet. Nate's closet is the smallest in the house, so we had to get creative on some of his storage.

1. Sleeping bag

2. Basket of quilts

3. Bin for all his cards/mementos

4. Short-sleeve polos

5. Long-sleeve polos & sweaters (aka "church clothes")

6. Bin with extra sheets

7. Bin with Holiday Books (My mom is a retired teacher, so we have 10+ books for every holiday from Valentine's Day to July 4th to Christmas!)

8. Bin with Summer stuff (mostly bathing suits)

9. Bin for clothes that are "Too Small"

10. Play clothes - long-sleeve & sweatshirts

11. Play clothes - pants

12. School uniforms

It's essential to have clothes where your child can reach them easily! (So you don't have to hear "Mooooom! Where's my ______?!") On Nate's lower hanging rack, I have his school uniforms to make mornings go more smoothly, and then he can easily change into play clothes when he comes home.

Close-up of closet bins; I just made a simple label with my labelmaker

 Zone 4: Taekwondo Gear. Nate takes TKD two days a week, so I wanted a place where he can easily find his uniform, as well as keep it wrinkle-free. (They are strict at TKD!)

So there you have it! :)

Let me know your favorite part of Nate's room, as well as a favorite spot in your own son's room!

Organizing Your Teen's Desk: 11 Must-Haves

Do you have a teenage son with an unruly desk in his bedroom? Is it being overrun by Legos, clutter, puzzles, books, papers, or even dirty laundry?!

 

If so, it's time to clean that sucker off & start fresh....clear the clutter, and implement some new storage systems that will help your son to stay organized. It's important for your son to have a designated spot for homework, and if it's organized, I bet he'll be more willing to sit there and do it :) So, without further ado, here are 11 of my "must-haves" for organizing your teenage son's desk area:

 

 

1. Charging Station. Since every teenager these days has multiple devices, it's nice to have one place to corral them (and charge them at the same time). I love how this one conceals

all the cables with an easy lift-off lid.

 

2. Shelves. It's always best to maximize vertical space if possible, and a system of shelves (or even just one shelf) is the perfect solution over your son's desk. It's the perfect place for storage boxes, books, and even knick knacks. Just make sure the shelf or shelves are deep

 enough to hold the pieces you want!

 

3. File Box. Pop some hanging folders inside, and a file box is the ideal place to store important documents, notebook paper, and extra paperwork from school.

 

4. Metal Locker Bin. Concealed storage is key when dealing with clutter, and I love how this bin resembles an old-school metal locker.

 

5. Lamp. If your son's room doesn't have the best lighting, it's important to have a lamp to provide it. You know, just in case they're up late, burning the midnight oil & doing homework :)

 

6. Magazine File. My son is only 7 but already has two magazine subscriptions! I love these magazine files as a place to store their favorite issues.

 

7. Pencil Cup. You can never have enough pencils when it comes to homework...

 

8. Wall Organizing System. Whether it be a corkboard, dry-erase calendar, chalkboard, or memo board, it is essential to have some type of wall organizing system for your son. It's a good place to pin up weekly assignments & important reminders from school, or even just favorite pictures, mementos, or awards to personalize the space.

 

9. Storage Boxes. In my opinion, storage boxes are my #1 favorite organizing product. They are great for storing extra cords or miscellaneous items not used often.

 

10. Desktop Storage. In case your son's desk does not have a drawer, I adore this option for storing extra homework supplies. (Think: markers, scissors, ruler, and colored pencils.)

 

11. Drawer Organizers. Because ideally, the desk does have a drawer or two

to store homework supplies :)

 

 

*Just in case you need a little more inspiration on organizing your son's desk area, here ya go!*

{1 / 2 / 3 / 4}

And one more thing: I would advise having your son involved in both the de-cluttering & organizing process. Find out what his ideas are, his needs & wants, and what you can do to make it his new favorite place to be productive. Good luck!