Works for Me…No Messes

This week’s idea came to me last week during my AWOL Mom cleaning binge when I was cleaning out the cluttered craft closet/ pantry. With two simple ideas, I made my life a lot easier and hope it will make yours easier as well. Here’s a little before and after.

Well, it occurred to me that if I take most of my middle son’s crafts out of their original boxes and put each craft in a plastic bag, they could all fit in a plastic tub. So I did, and now he has all his crafts in one large bin. So when he’s bored all he has to do is go to his craft box and finish what’s already in there. One side note is I’ve now instituted the “finish the craft you’ve started before you start another project.” Helps get those projects done and out of the closet.

While cleaning out the closet, I noticed the largest craft tub was the one we hardly ever used. Can you guess what’s in it? If you said PAINT, then you’re right. My kids love to paint and I hate the mess it makes. So I got this idea from a previous WFMW post I read where someone (sorry, can’t remember who) put all the picnic supplies like plates, napkins, etc. in a rubber maid bin and left them on the back patio. So I thought if it works for paper, it has to work for paint.

The new home of the paint box is out back where the kids can mess up the place and I can hose the table and them off. It will stay out there all summer and fall, until it gets too cold to d crafts outside. One added benefit is there’s more room in the pantry. See the empty space in my after photo. That’s where the paint box went.

It works for me. Try it, it might work for you too! For more great ideas vistit Shannon.