DGOTA: Closet

My most recent "Dude, Get On That Already" challenge may seem small, but small projects add up! And, honestly, it's HUGE in a small kinda way. Okay, that makes zero sense, but I've got a serious case of Pregnancy Brain, so it's a miracle that I can speak in complete sentences. ;-)

Anyhoo, I started this "project" a little while ago by taking a rather large haul of unused or unwanted goodies to Goodwill, including some purses and lots o' shoes. I went from two totes (which were both housed in "my" closet, now the nursery closet) down to one. A single tote housing all of my purses/handbags/shoes...given how little of a "girlie girl" I am, I'm surprised how much I'm impressed by that.

From here, it took me awhile to finally clear out the rest of the closet, but consider it DONE! If my hubby could reduce his space usage by one closet and one dresser (down to one of each), the least I could do is FINALLY get off my tuckus and shift (and edit) some stuff. Sure, I'm leaving a couple of large, important items (um...y'know...my wedding dress) way in the back of the nursery closet, alongside the big ol' bin of accessories, but there will still be plenty of room for the baby's stuff.

Pay no attention to the scarves hanging on the closet door (and the messy bookshelf to the left).
Every amateur actress needs a feather boa, right? ;-)

 The "rest" of the closet...where my wedding dress and other sundries live.

Winston had to remind me that our "big" luggage also will be housed,
atop the bin that holds my accessories

And the closet's still not quite done! I know, "dude, get on that already"...I know. It's just lovely to have an empty space that we know will be filled with baby storage solutions and cute things. We already have a large board that we'll be painting white and retrofitting to create a shelf above the closet pole. Er, rod. Whatever that thing is. Either way, I already expect it to be a bit of a challenge, since we did the same in Dave's closet space and it. Was. A. Bear. I'm wishing for a pleasant surprise, especially now that the belly's getting in the way more and more everyday.

What other storage solutions are we thinking of for the baby? Other than the closet (which is LOTS of space, considering the size of the rest of the house!), we've got a couple of empty drawers from a previous DGOTA challenge, which is miraculous in our house -- or anyone's house, it seems!

'Tis a thing of beauty. This free space is mere feet away in our hallway, so it's quite convenient. A little closer by, I'm stocking up (or will be) on baskets and bins that will help organize on shelves and other surfaces. Some items don't have a job yet, but I've got a couple of possible ideas for them - such as a white, seriously-made-of-plastic-but-doesn't-look-it "basket" that will be ideal for laundry OR diapers (or a still TBD use).

I'm also already indebted to a dear friend who lives *swoon* near an Ikea who will be picking up some hanging shelves for us (aaaaand possibly one for the office...shhh, she doesn't know it yet ;-)), once I can determine exactly where they'll go and what size we'll need. Thanks to Pinterest and other ideas I've gleaned, I've got some...erm..."creative" ways to display and house some of the other goodies. Wait 'n see.

Oh, and one of the most important storage factors involves a free dresser that will be getting a low-VOC paint job and new jewelry (hardware) to play a very important, not-just-for-storage role as a changing table. Now, let's all hope it's an okay size for this job!

Then there's everyone's favorite: "sneaky" storage. You know the kind. We've got this all over the house - from the two ottomans in our living room to the old "treasure chest" in our front room. In this case, I've got a mini-, faux leather ottoman ($7.49?! Sign me up!) and will be looking for a lidded basket or two (possibly the "soft" kind), especially for toys 'n blankets. Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention a possible toy chest that my hubby's rather fond of. I only wish I could paint it, but it's got that "rustic" (read: orange wood that would look quite at home in a family camp) vibe that he seems to like going on. Hmm. Maybe that look will come back someday. One can only hope.

So, there's obviously lots left to do in this space. But, like I said, every little project brings us closer to having a nursery where, once, there was a guest room-slash-dressing room. Purdy exciting! Now, on to that shelf!