Saving Space

I am always looking for creative space saving ideas. With limited drawer space in the bathroom, I decided to try to utilize some wall space and create a more usable drawer. Previously, I kept my daughter's barrettes in little bowls in the drawer. I tried to keep them separated and organized, but despite my best efforts, they always ended up taking over and we could never find what we were looking for. I had seen lots of cute barrette holders, and started out with grand plans for crafting something extravagant. The problem with extravagance combined with 4-year-olds, is that you end up spending way too much time on something that may or may not be well received. So I made this instead. I secured a piece of fabric around the glass of an empty picture frame then secured two pieces of ribbon to the back, allowing them to hang in front. I put the "glass" back in the frame. The ribbon pieces inside the frame are loose enough to manipulate and there is plenty of hanging ribbon to accommodate our barrette collection. I added a little string to the top so it could hang on a nail or hook. Hollin and I put the barrettes on the ribbons together. So far I like it. I was afraid it would look too cluttered on the wall, but it does not feel that way at all. The best thing about it is that she wants to put her barrettes back when she is finished with them and the drawer is now home to a little box of headbands, a comb and some detangler---ahhhhh.

I was having a similar problem with earrings. I have always kept them all in a pretty little box (gift from a good friend for being a part of her wedding). The box was just getting too crowded. So when my sister recently shared the idea of using a crocheted doilie on an embroidery hoop as an earring holder--I stole the idea right away:) The pretty little box is still home to my non- dangly earrings and is much less cluttered. Embroidery hoops are super cheap, probably less than a dollar new, cheaper at thrift shops (where there are always an abundance of them!). I picked up the doilie at a craft store for $.99.

I even found free labor to arrange the earrings.