The Work of Art

Today, I am giving my kids’ papers a home! This could relate to any item throughout your home that needs a more permanent home and not temporary storage. My girls spend time each day coloring and practicing their writing and so this paper seemed to be cluttering our dining room hutch day after day. I knew I needed to find a space for it, similar to our incoming mail. 

We do art while at the dining table because it is a perfect spot for them to work and for me to supervise them while I’m working in the kitchen. I made a rookie mom mistake and tried moving all of their art supplies into their room to create their own little workspace. I learned the hard (and messy way) that they are too young to work on their own! Don’t ask….

When creating a space for whatever projects matter to your family, it’s important to make sure your space makes sense to you. If it works for you, it’s totally okay to have a project in an unconventional area. If your dining room table becomes bill paying central or craft corner just as often as your family has dinner there that’s great if it works for you! You just want to be sure to set up your system so that it’s organized and you have space for what matters most to you.

Originally the 3 drawers pictured contained craft supplies and gift wrapping and it should be easy enough for us to put any stray papers in the top drawer, however it just wasn’t happening. The papers were usually quickly piled while rushing to get dinner on the table and they never made it inside the drawers. Also, even though there was space in the top drawer, I didn’t want to pile their in progress art papers on top of the unused paper in the top drawer.

Clutter Problem

In progress art and writing papers need a home.

The Solution

2 magazine file boxes, one for each. I labeled the boxes with their names and placed their own special notebooks and coloring pages inside. This solution could easily be used for homework if you have older children.

What I love…

is the independence it promotes since they get their own box when they want to color and can easily put items back in their box when cleaning up.

What in your home is causing clutter? Could these items simply need a container to define its own space? Shoes, keys, backpacks, beauty supplies? A basket is a very simple and easy fix to corral the pile of magazines by your bed or a tray could become the home for everyday beauty supplies. The important thing about organization is that it fits your needs. Set your timer for 10 minutes and repurpose empty containers from other areas in your home. Don’t let worry or stress about not having the perfect container stop you from uncluttering your home!

Have you tried one of the 10 minute Tuesday projects? How did it work for you? Do you have before and after pictures you’d like to have featured here or a question or organizing problem that’s got you feeling stuck? We’d love to help!