Get Out of My Closet!

It is officially Spring! Happy First Day of Spring! You know what that means... it's time for some Spring Cleaning! It's funny how a random area in my house will all of a sudden start to drive me crazy. Seriously, every time I walked by this closet, it was like nails on a chalkboard inside my head, and here's why:

At first glance, it's not SO bad...

Then you step a little closer, and the claustrophobia sets in.

Does this closet have a floor? I don't think so!

So finally, I had had enough. I'm in full blown party planning mode since Will's 2nd birthday party is this Sunday (eek! That snuck up on me!), but it didn't even matter. I couldn't think straight with this closet cluttering up the back of my mind. Not to mention, I needed some space to store party supplies for the next week or so.

Will and I made a quick stop at Home Depot on our errand run that morning. I had measured how much space I had on the wall next to the rod in the closet, and knew the maximum amount of space I could take up. Always, ALWAYS measure! Even if it's a space you aren't thinking of tackling right away, measure it anyway, and keep a little note in your wallet, or in your phone, with these magic dimensions. You never know when you might find that perfect piece you needed for that funky space on clearance. Being prepared is like a nod to the Sale Gods in your direction!

After our busy morning, and car full of crap supplies, I unloaded the sleeping tot, first. Hallelujah! I can probably tackle most of this closet project during nap time. Woot! Here's what I got:

$24.92 on this plastic, grey shelf. I just wanted something clean, simple and inexpensive. It's a closet. No need to get fancy.

Martha's Fabric Drawers - $6.87 each. They come in a bunch of colors, great color combinations, and you know how we swoon over all things Martha, so these were a no brainer.

Then it was time to get to work. The shelf unit was a tool-less construction. Great for a nap time task because that means it's nice and quiet!

Step One - Check!

Step Two - empty out the closet. The contents of this 4' x 5' closet filled my entire living room! I emptied the closet into categories: household/bulk items, party supplies, toys to be cycled back into playtime, baby toys going into garage storage, Rock Band/Guitar Hero gear, and crap that's going buh-bye. This made it easier to see how much space I had for each type of item.

---The $38.66 Reveal---

Is that floor space I see?!

All of my Costco bulk items have a home all their own now! And even better, no one needs to ask me if we have any more apple juice, or tissue, or soda. Go look in the closet!

Look at all that floor space!

The added bonus was the toys that got re-cycled back into Will's toy box. I thinned out some of his older toys after Christmas because he had gotten so many new things.

Wow Mom! This sings the ABCs to me, and I kind of know a few of them now! He got this for his birthday last year and it's like it got a second life in our house now that he's starting to get the A-B-C-D down of the alphabet.

The classic Fisher Price Farm. He also got this for his birthday last year, and it's still a big hit. It's fun to see how his interest in the same toy changes because he knows how different pieces work now. He played with this for at least 20 minutes straight. That just doesn't happen in our house!

Now that spring has sprung, what are you going to tackle? Maybe there's a DIY project that's been sitting in your garage that you're finally going to make time for. We'd love to hear about it!

We're linking up with Metamorphasis Mondays over at Between Naps on the Porch!