Creative Storage

So, as you probably know, I dragged all the junk out of the shed and made it into a pretty room.  Now I'm wading around in all the junk that's lounging in the yard.  I have a deadline of Friday to get it sorted out because it's supposed to RAIN on Friday.  EEEK!  Rain is not a friend of me and my projects!

Just plain horrific!

I have a pile that's going to the flea market, a pile to donate, a pile of trash, a pile that's going to the garage, a pile that's going to the attic, and a pile of stuff that's just plain homeless. 

Yesterday, I was looking through my photos of the shed and I noticed something:  the inside of the big front doors were BLANK!  And ugly.  Just raw plywood and desperately in need of beautification.  Hmmm...

Blank Door

Later, I was contemplating the four large shutters that used to hange between my kitchen and living room.  (WHY did I never get around to painting them?  Ugh.)

Homeless Shutters

And then the doors came to mind.  And the sizes were compatible.  So I measured and did a little happy dance and then hung the shutters on the doors -- two on each side.

MUCH BETTER!

Then I kicked into resourceful mode and decided that maybe I could take the old peddler's cart approach to the shed and incorpate in as much homeless stuff as possible.  A pair of pale green iron hanging garden planters, that I adore but have never found the right place for, were unearthed from the garage and went up in front of the shutters.  The same phenomenon happened with an old green window frame with the chicken wire.  It, too, went up in front of the shutters.  It's mate will join it soon after I dislodge it from where Emily used it as part of the temporary chicken coop!  Then some stray books found a home in one of the planters.  Now I have managed to find homes for SIX things (plus books) just by hanging them on the doors.




Then my mother's little butcher's block kitchen island (freed of it's legs) slid neatly under the green storage bench.  The legs followed.

Next, I noticed the space above the doors (on the inside) -- perfect spot for a shelf!  And there was that board that I had thrown out into the yard...

Note the skinny board in front of the wider ones leaning against the house.

Guess what? It was within an inch of being the perfect size.  And there were shelf brackets in the garage.  So I built a shelf. 

Now, what to put on the shelf?  I remembered a box of bottles in the garage and lined them up on the shelf in honor of Mark's love of bottles (visible in photo of the doors above).

Then I found a spot for some smaller shutters:

They blend in well with the stairs and block the side view of the storage bins stored underneath the stairs.

I have three extra large plastic bins full of clothes that fit under the day bed.  They've been homeless and taking up most of my dressing area since the day bed left the master bedroom.  Now they will relocate to the shed and go back under the bed. 

I still have the inside of the storage bench, some space in the metal cabinet, and the two empty suitcases on top of the cabinet that can provide housing for more homeless junk.  There's also space under the little side table where I could stash stuff in attractive containers -- baskets or more suitcases, perhaps!  And there's the upstairs and also that corner over in front of the stairs that I haven't even mentioned or shown you yet -- plus all the other places I haven't thought of yet!  I love the possibilities!

I keep saying this but it really IS like a big puzzle.  I am so thrilled by the way the pieces fall into place in ways that I had never even imagined.  And I love ending up with a look that I wouldn't have dreamed up without Invention's mother, Necessity, to help me along in the process!