A place for everything...

...and everything in its place.


I can't believe how often I heard this growing up. It's something I would love to actually practice, but in reality, things get stacked on top of the desk, on the counter, on the bookshelves. It's a little embarrassing.

Truly, the worst offender has been the art supply box. At one time, it was all neatly organized. That was when there was one child's art supplies. (And it may have actually just been the first day of having the art box.) Take two children (and maybe some of my own), and any illusion of organization was just that.


Number one of my Project 52 list was to organize my closets. This included organizing the art supply area, since technically, it is stuffed into the office closet. I just didn't really know exactly what I wanted.

Until Hubster and I were wandering through Habitat for Humanity ReStore, looking for "treasure." Or as Hubster says, "cheap stuff."

That's when I found it. A red cabinet. The moment I came across it, I instantly saw all of our art supplies neatly stored away in the red and brown drawers. Not only would it be organized, it would be beautiful!

Hubster took next to no convincing.

We brought the beautiful red cabinet home, thoroughly cleaned the dust out of every crevice and corner. Then I spent a very happy afternoon organizing art supplies.

(Old baby wipe tubs - best storage for crayons and colored pencils ever!)

We went from this...

To this...

Now the cabinet stands happily in the office, encouraging the boys to come, take paints, take crayons, take pencils and papers. And just as sweetly, it encourages them to put them neatly away again.

At least that's what I hear it saying.