Reader Space: Rebecca's Inspiring Drawer Redo

Sometimes it's an entire room transformation that leaves us breathless, but other times, it's all about the little things.  Those smaller quick updates that really change how you take on future projects and maintain your completed ones.  The ones that leave you feeling organization proud.  The ones that inspire you to open up that cupboard or drawer or closet again and again to admire what you just accomplished!

Rebecca's story is the perfect example of one of those little projects that make a big difference!

Rebecca wrote:

Hi Jen!

I just started reading your blog recently and I can't tell you how much I adore it.  I love organizing and your blog has a wealth of ideas.

I wanted to share with you a quick little organizational project I took on tonight, inspired by you and your blog.

I was in our local thrift shop today and I snagged a few square crystal dishes. I wasn't 100% sure what I was going to do with them but I knew that since they were square they would nest together nicely in a drawer. Funny how you can go to the dollar store and buy plastic containers or you can go to the thrift store and buy crystal dishes for not much more {the most expensive one I bought was $1.99}.  When I got home I realized that my desk drawer has been bugging me a lot lately so off I went to re-organize it.

As you can see from the before pictures the drawer has became a dumping ground. Underneath all that stuff is an old utensil organizer that I thought was going to be a good idea at the time but obviously it didn't work out. 

I went through and pulled out anything that we don't use regularly. My hubby and I are both engineers so we have a weird attachment to our calculators...but three of them? Seriously?! Two of them even have dead batteries! {Side note: while cleaning out this drawer I discovered that my hubby and I used the same calculator in University. If that isn't nerd destiny then I don't know what is}.  We have an office supply closet so stuff that doesn't get used often can go in there. {Yes, the office supply closet is a dream come true. Sometimes I just open the door and stand there looking in. It's like a company supply closet where you can take stuff for personal use and not be stealing!}

I placed some scrapbooking paper on the bottom to pretty things up. I then tried out a few arrangements of the crystal dishes I bought until I found an arrangement that worked.  I love binder clips and paper clips so I made sure they were easy to access.  In my old drawer they were squirreled away in containers that made it awkward to get at them.

My favourite part of the finished project is what I like to call the "calculator holster".  I found an old business card holder and inspiration hit me. Why store things horizontally when they can take up less room vertically? Now when a calculation is needed STAT when can whip out a calculator and save the day...er I mean crunch the numbers.

I would say this whole project took a half hour tops.  Deciding which scrapbooking paper to use probably took up the longest amount of time!  Now when I open the drawer it makes me smile.

Keep up the awesome work Jen!

Rebecca

What I LOVE about this project?  The fact that her drawer wasn't all that bad to begin with, but she was able to purge it, streamline it and recognize that it wasn't working the way she originally planned.  I also adore that she used decorative dishes and pretty paper to really finish off the project.  The fact that she opens the drawer and SMILES?  Melt my happy heart, that's my favorite feeling when I wrap up a project.  And she absolutely should smile, she did a lovely job!  She can access her most frequently used items easily and loves the overall outcome.  That my friends, is what it is all about!

What have you been covering in pretty paper lately?  What other little projects have you been taking on, that have made a big difference in your day?  And how much fun is it that Rebecca and her man used the same calculators and never knew it.  Anyone else have an fun epiphany like that lately?

ATTENTION!!  Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition?  Have an awesome organizing story to share?  I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life.  Please send your story and photos to iheartorganizing@gmail.com and I would heart to feature them right here, on the blog!!  Photos should be high resolution and unedited.  Please include a description of the project, including any costs, inspiration, and how it has changed your life and routine for the better!  Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice!  Only love goes on at this blog!  More info HERE.