Affordable Organizing: Craft & Office Supplies {Before & After}

I have been on a mission to re-organize (or just plain organize) the cluttered spots of my home. I had bought all of those awesome bins from Dollar Tree and I was ready to start putting them to good use. I decided to start with the cabinet in my kitchen above our desk (and "command center") that, on one shelf, houses my craft supplies and my office supplies.

The items I was storing there had long outgrown the space so I decided it was time to separate the craft things from the office supplies and dedicate the shelf in the cabinet solely to office supplies.

Here is a before look at the cluttered mess of a shelf it was before...

As you can see I was really cramming things in there and it just doesn't make sense to have notepads with glitter with pens with paint with mod podge with binder clips. There was no organization. And I won't even start with that wicker basket overflowing with my crafty odds & ends.

So I took everything off the shelf and put it on my kitchen table. I separated everything into two categories: Craft & Office. Anything labeled Craft would go to another area of my home. Everything labeled Office was going back on the shelf.

Once I could see everything that would be going back on the shelf I picked out my Dollar Tree bins & put my office supplies back on the shelf.

Here's how it turned out!

I love it! Nothing is left sitting out. Nothing is overflowing or falling over. Everything has a place so it is easy to get out AND put away.

In this blue basket (from Dollar Tree) I have a set of stamps I use in my planner and 2 back up rolls of tape (the roll I'm currently using it out on desk in an organizer). This container is by no means full. I can utilize vertical storage if I find something else should be stored in here. However, for now I think this set up is perfect. I can easily see and get to what is in this basket.

This blue basket sits on top of another blue container from Dollar Tree...

This was actually labeled as a food storage container but I liked that it had a locking lid so I decided to use it for storing other things. Currently it houses a bunch of little stickers I ordered from LilBitCountryDesigns on etsy. They are bill pay reminder stickers I use in my planner. At the time I received them I didn't have anything to organize each type of sticker and I didn't want to just put them in small ziploc bags for fear that they might get bent or squished. Instead, I have corralled them all in this container to at least keep them for getting damaged. I'll admit it isn't fun digging through all of the stickers to find the one I want so I'm on the hunt for a better way to store these. In the mean time though, this will do just fine! At least they are all in one place and aren't going to be falling out!

This next container is another one that isn't my ideal set up but does the job so until I find something else this will work just fine.

I am using a tupperware container I already had on hand to hold my unused binder clips and extra magnets. I do use magnets on my fridge to hang up reminders and important things I need to take care of. I don't like having unused magnets scattered across the front though so I took the extras down and placed them in the cabinet so they are out of sight but easy to access when needed.

I have two pen cups on this shelf now. One is for miscellaneous writing utensils: permanent markers, dry erase markers, my husband's pens, extra pencils, etc. I'm also storing our hole punch in this cup. This cup was purchased a year or two ago from Walmart's office section. The cup was black and I used mod podge to cover it with some cute scrapbook paper.

The second cup (which I picked up from Target in their Dollar Section) houses the pens I use specifically for my planner, calendars, and list making.

The last containers are these awesome stacking bins from Dollar Tree that I'm using to store my planner accessories 

The top bin holds my most used accessories. I have a smaller container inside the blue bin to sticky notes, page flags, labels, etc. The smaller container helps to keep those items standing up. Just next to that I have larger notepads. In the space at the end I have stored a glue stick, paper punch, stapler, and extra staples.

This bin is really easy to pull out and set on the desk when it comes time for planning. I love having everything together in one bin!

Here's the bottom bin...

The majority of this space is going towards my overflow washi storage. 

But I'm also storing chalkboard clips & clothespins...

Mini clothespins...

Chalk (for chalkboard labels)

I really like how easy it is to stack these bins on top of each other with the little folding lip on the side.

I love opening this cabinet now!

But I'm not done! Because for some reason my husband didn't want the craft supplies piled on the table ;) so I had to find somewhere to store them...

I settled on a mostly empty Sterilite 3-drawer organizer. I don't have a ton of craft supplies so I was able to organize everything into 2 drawers.

In the front I have my acrylic paint, chalkboard paint, and small paint brushes.

In the red container I have some gift wrap decorations and tags. Off to the side is my glitter and mod podge.

In the red bin I'm utilizing an old gum container to hold my gift tags to keep them from falling all over the place.

In the back container I have different kinds of cords, twine, string, and some extra scraps of lace.

The bottom drawer is pretty empty and random. But I only had a few miscellaneous items left so I tried to lay them out as neatly as possible.

I'm storing some craft sticks, marbles, and cricut cut outs.

I saved a box that came with an order from Sephora a few years ago

I decided to use it to corral the little odds and ends I didn't want rolling around in the drawer.

Old paint brushes, confetti, small bags from online orders, thread, bottle caps, etc.

And the best part is, I got my basket back! I can use this as decor in my house instead of hiding it away in a cluttered cabinet!

It feels so good to finally take care of this space!

xoxo

Dollar Tree Haul! Bins & Containers, stickers, fall decor, cleaner & more!

A Dollar Tree just opened up in my area (the closest one for over an hour) and it is such a dangerous thing! I just can't stay away! :)

Here are some things I picked up on a trip after work one day (retail therapy, a good way to unwind)!

One of my favorite things from Dollar Tree so far has been all of the different organizers!

I know "they" say the smart thing to do is to figure out what you bins you need for a specific project first but I like having bins on hand and then finding places that need organizing. The bins are what inspire me so I like having them available. Someday maybe I will be organized enough to figure out the project first but for now I like the bins! :)

After going nuts in the container section I wandered up and down every single aisle of the store and found a few more things to pick up...

I'm in love with the stickers I found

I'm really in a sticker phase right now so it was exciting to find a bunch of cute stickers for only $1.00 each!

They had just started putting out fall decor when I stopped in. I found these really cute glittery pumpkins!

To be honest I think everything should have a little bit of sparkle to it :)

Another area I was really impressed with was their office supply section! They had great notebooks, calendars, sticky notes & I found some really cute patterned binder clips!

This was totally impulsive because I actually needed binder clips! :) How lucky that they are cute binder clips, huh?

The last thing I picked up was a 2 pack of the Dollar Tree magic erasers. I have heard so many people on YouTube talk about how great these work so I had to give them a shot! I haven't tried them yet but I'll definitely let you know if they work ('cuz $1 for 2 is a heck of a lot better than the name brand price)!

Those are all of the goodies! I'm so excited about what I found.

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo

Cute & Affordable School Supplies from Walmart! {+ a few beauty products}

I made two trips to WalMart recently. The first was to pick up a prescription (which obviously meant I needed to wander through the school supply section) and the second was with my friend to purchase things we didn't need (which resulted in the purchase of a few beauty products).

Take a look...

Covergirl -- Line Exact liquid eyeliner & Lashblast Volume mascara 

(both in color: Very Black)

I had a coupon for $3.00 off any 2 Covergirl products. I decided to purchase an old favorite I was out of and try something new! I have loved lashblast volume for years. It is always my favorite mascara to go back to. The eyeliner however, was a new product for me. 

I've been loyal to the L'Oreal Lineur Intense liquid eyeliner for quite some time but the small packaging is part of what drew me to this CG product. If you've ever seen the L'Oreal liner you know the lid is ridiculously long. Like... doesn't make sense it is so long. I thought perhaps this would be easier to work with. I do love the size but I've been having a hard time getting as thin a line as I would like. I don't know if the felt tip is too thick or what but my liner always turns out too thick when I use this. I also feel like it is a little too dry. I'm having to go over certain spots multiple times to achieve an opaque black. 

To be quite honest, I don't think I'd purchase it again. I have such better luck with the L'Oreal liner I think I'll just stick with that.

Olay Fresh Effects {Everything Off} Deluxe Make-up Removal wet cloths

Whenever I talk about makeup wipes I always say the Simple Cleansing Wipes are my favorites and that I'm always disappointed when I try a different brand. I went to Walmart to pick up a pack of those exact wipes but Walmart was out!!! (People are catching on, they're the best). These caught my eyes on the shelf below. I've seen them talked about on YouTube (I'm pretty sure those people were paid to talk about them though... so I never trusted their opinion) so I decided to check out the package. They are almost a dollar cheaper for the same number of wipes and I figured I would like something called "Deluxe Make-up Removal Wet Cloths". 

I was wrong.

These aren't wet. Not nearly wet enough. And the fragrance in them is so overpowering it makes my eyes burn! The cloths feel thin like they will rip easily. It says on the package that it removes waterproof eye make-up. I can't even get it to remove regular mascara. I would hate to try waterproof.

 Gahh.... I hate them. I'm going to finish the package because I won't waste them. But I want it to be known I hate them. The only thing going for it is its cute packaging. That's all.

Now on to the really fun stuff! The school supplies (or since I'm not really going back to school we will call them really cute office supplies!)

Scotch Magic Tape + bonus roll of Scotch Expressions tape

I bought the 3 rolls of plain ol' tape so I could get the "free" role of freakin' cute patterned tape. I think it stems from my washi addiction. I will say it was only $2.97 for all 4 rolls and I will save the three plain rolls as backups at my desk. So they won't go to waste but yes, I bought it just for that one cute roll. And how cute it is!? I mean, really. I can't wait to start using it!

Post-it Super Sticky Notes

I bought one pad of Post-it notes in a bright coral pink color I didn't already have. I'm somewhat addicted to Post-it notes and couldn't resist the color... It was cheap though. And you can never have enough sticky notes so I felt justified :)

College Ruled 5 subject poly notebook (8.26 x 6.75)

I'm a sucker for cute notebooks. The cute purple cover and the different colored tabs of this notebook are right up my alley. I like that it isn't quite a full size notebook which makes it easy to carry in my purse but is still large enough for substantial lists (I write big lists...). I'm also a fan of the plastic-y tabs. I think it will help them last longer and hold up to wear and tear!

Studio C The Sugarland Collection 5 subject notebook

The print. Did you see the print? I love the print. Gahh this is so cute! And what can I say... I always need notebooks and it is nice to find ones that are both cute AND sturdy. The cardboard cover and tabs are very thick and sturdy. I like having notebooks to corral all of my lists together and one with tabs means I can categorize my lists too!

Studio C The Pattern Play collection folder with pockets

I was so excited to see this folder! I think it will be a great organization tool and its so cute! I'm a full believer that organization and home management can be cute! Aside from the adorable color and pattern these folders feel sort of plastic-y/vinyl (that might be the totally wrong description but I just mean to get across that it isn't paper) so it is going to last! It won't tear or fray like paper does which makes it a great long-term addition to my home management organization system.

Imagination Academic Year weekly/monthly dated planner

You might be thinking "But Brittany, you just bought a planner not too long ago, why do you need another one!?" Well, I was finding that there were so many things I wanted to write in that small planner that I was running out of room. When I saw this adorable planner for $9.00 I knew I had to pick it up. I'm thinking of using it for finances and cleaning. That might seem like a weird combination but the biggest lists I make are cleaning lists and the things I forget most are finances (most of our bills are automatic but I just want to be more aware of when things are going to go through and I think keeping track of it in a space that is less cramped will help me achieve that). Then I can save my small planner for appointments, birthdays, fun plans, etc.

That's everything I picked up! I'm really excited about the new office supplies I picked up. There is something about school supply season in the stores that makes me want to wander every aisle of every store with a "Back to school" section. (& pick up a few cute things, lets be honest)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

xoxo