projectSTUDIO | drawer organization

Welcome to the blog series that will slowly reveal my craftSTUDIO.

In this post, I shared a few of the larger pieces I've recently purchased, but I notice now that there are a few more I need to share with you that have proven to be winners. Slowly but surely, we'll get through this reveal.

Before I go any further, though, I want to say that if it were not for the fact that I am a work-from-home small business owner, I would not have two-thirds of the items in my Studio. I love to craft and create and would have happily remained in my little nook in the laundry room if not for the growth and success of I Love It All, my online shop. While all of the furniture and tools I now own and use are nice, I was equally happy using an old dining room table and a 3-drawer Sterlite container for my supplies.

I'll begin today with my tool chest organization and how I organize the drawers. There are three tool chests lined up in a row along a bank of windows in what was once our Sun Room, but is now my gorgeously bright and sunny craftStudio. I had two of them when I was still using Zach's old bedroom for my office, but the move up here allowed me to snag one of the chests Gordon used in the garage.

Three chests times 10 drawers each equals 30 drawers. Just to buy bins and containers for each of those drawers would have been a fortune that I had already spent on my tool chests. Here's where I got smart, I started upcycling and recycling cartons and packaging from food items we consume. You know, those empty mushroom containers, snack pack fruit bowls, cracker and Velveeta cheese boxes. I supplemented those freebies with some dollar store and close-out store finds as well.

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1. using recycled packaging from snack crackers, like those 6 to a pack peanut butter packs, line your drawers to separate adhesives by type.
2. repurpose lids and bottoms from those nice gift boxes, too. the large one came from the iPad cover Gordon bought and the green bins are Clinque gift with purchase freebies.
3. purchased from a dollar store {4 for $1} this drawer is colorful and fun. i punch all my scrap papers into shapes to add into a freebie pack for customers that purchase mini books and journals from my shop. the square green bins are from the Target dollar spot.
4. the blue bin is recycled from the grocery store and once held sliced mushrooms.
5. i'm not too proud to recycle packaging, as you see here again, it allows me to save up for the larger purchases i make. and yes, i still use my decorative scissors sometimes.
6. tired of searching for my chipboard letters, i dismantled them from their packaging and added them to more snack packaging.
7. the large fluted bins are from a closeout store and i liked that they were a bit taller.
8. the small, clear plastic containers are from Jello-O or pudding cups and I use them to store the different colored tabs I punch for my Gratitude Journals.
9. just do it! cut the lids off those shoe boxes and use them to corral larger supplies. sometimes it takes a bit of thought, but you CAN make them fit!
10. my beloved tool chests...lined up three in a row. this photo was taken on a rainy day, but normally this room is bright and beautiful. you can find a similar tool chest here. mine are an older model purchased on clearance and we did not pay nearly this much. 
11. old iPhone boxes, plastic lids from cheese containers, fruit cup containers and shoe boxes. it all works for me!

There are plenty of posts out there with absolutely gorgeous items used for organizing. Clearly, you can see that this is not one of those posts. But when the drawers are closed, no one sees my cast off packaging an I happen to think it's pretty thrifty.

Join me next time when I'll reveal how I store my stamps, but until then take at a recent post sharing how I store my washi tape stash.

Find more projectSTUDIO posts here.