DIY Life

Yearning for more closet space, but you have no space for a closet? A row of hooks can work just as well, and this one, from Apartment Therapy, is not only stylish and efficient, but also eco-friendly.

The rails are salvaged wood, the hooks are old doorknobs, and the shelf above is a metal stud, folded in at either end. The entire project cost its designer US $17, and a little time.

If you don't have a box of old doorknobs rattling around your basement -- though we can't imagine why not -- you can try thrift stores or garage sales, or, as the article suggests, use garden faucets from your local hardware store instead.

For more instructions on creating your own salvaged wood shelf, follow the link!

A set of ten boxes, nested one within the other. The largest is perhaps two feet square and a foot deep (60 cm x 60 cm x 30 cm), the smallest half those dimensions.

You can purchase the yummy unit shown at right through Seletti, or -- using instructions provided by those generous folk at Seletti -- you could make your own very personal unit, and save yourself a significant bundle of cash!

You'll need a collection of sturdy wooden boxes in various sizes, decorating materials, and two sections of heavy-duty strapping.

Pam Garrison is a relatively well-known artist and craft blogger: you may have seen her work in the Somerset family of magazines, or over at her blog.

Recently, Pam wrote about a decorating project she'd done in her own home: she made over the closet in her art room by papering its interior and adding shelves.

There's nothing so unusual in that, but the paper is entirely vintage (and vintage-style) wallpaper scraps, put up in a patchwork style. The effect is a cheerful and pretty collage. She credits the inspiration for the project to Alicia Paulson of the popular blog Posie Gets Cozy, who has done a closet door in a similar style.

Read more about how Pam did it, along with some further suggestions of my own, after the break.

I recently adopted a 10-year-old boy. Despite his having a big room with a big closet, a big dresser, and a big bookshelf, his stuff has slowly spilled out to the rest of the house in a big, big way. I've reassigned drawers and shelves all over the house for his belongings, but still we've had trouble keeping any semblance of organization.

I don't know about your kids, but for my son, anything that requires too much effort is useless. The over-the-door rack I bought for his baseball caps? It's completely empty. The case I bought for his Hot Wheels cars? It doesn't even house one measly little vehicle.

But there are kid-friendly storage solutions. What I've learned is that when it comes to kids and storage, easier is better. I'll discuss what I did after the break.

I was in desperate need of shelving to display my goods at upcoming craft fairs. I did quite a bit of searching on the good old internet, looking at what other people were using. I really needed to take price into account: I'm always one to pinch pennies where I can.

I noticed that in a lot of people's display pictures, they were using basic plastic shelving. I had seen that type of shelving for sale at stores like Wal-mart and Target, where it mostly comes in drab plain old white. I did see a few sets in black, but I really want my items to pop off the shelves, and with the black shelving, my items would just sort of meld into the background.

For a moment I considered trying to find something else, but then something clicked inside my head. I'd recently made over my plastic patio furniture using Krylon Fusion spray paint, so why not just paint the shelving whatever color I want?

I was going to go for gray, but when I saw the Krylon Fusion For Plasic Fusion Hammered in silver, I couldn't resist. And the painting was easy: full coverage in only two coats. It took about two cans for a set of four shelves, so the price is nice.

I've since decided to use this shelving in my craft area when not vending at craft fairs. It looks too good to just store away!

There was a time when I had such a huge collection of empty beer bottles, I didn't know what to do with them all. I was too lazy to recycle them and get the deposit, so they just keep kept sitting there, mocking me. And it's not a cool collection, you know? My brother-in-law has all sorts of unique beer bottles from all over the world, many unopened (but most of them empty, of course). He displays them proudly, and I feel jealous. Not an intense, burning jealousy, but more of a mild, passive-aggressive jealousy. But this isn't about him and his cool bottles, it's about me and my regular ones. Well, I guess it's about anyone that has beer bottles, but please stop interrupting and let me finish my story.

Okay!

So back in the day I had lots of beer bottles, and didn't know what to do with them.

That day was yesterday.

But today I have a mission! I turns out that you can make some pretty cool shelves out of beer bottles. Don't believe me? Have a look at Hacknmod's gallery of beer bottle shelves, suggested to us by a reader, Joe.

The ones like those pictured here that have holes drilled out for the necks of the bottles look like they would be more stable, but they also look like a lot more work. My shelving unit is going to rely on gravity and balance. And epoxy. Lots of epoxy.

My kids and I are voracious readers and we seem to accumulate books at the speed of light. Basic build-it-yourself bookshelves are fairly inexpensive but, let's be honest, they're also really boring. The other day, I went looking for some new and interesting ways to store books and came across the neatest idea at FamilyFun.com: rain gutter shelves.

Here's the plan: measure the walls where you want the shelving to hang, then run down to the nearest home improvement store. Gutters are typically sold in ten-foot lengths, but ask to have them cut shorter if you need to. Then grab a handful of brackets to attach the gutters to the wall, some decorative end caps, and head home.

Hammer the brackets to the wall (use a level to make sure your shelving will be straight), then insert the gutters and place the end caps. There you have it, instant bookshelves!

Shake up your living room! Bookcases don't have to be boring. Have you noticed that the big home decor stores have quietly introduced bookcases sporting more unusual styling? Like this one from Crate and Barrel, for instance. Yet this is something the DIY'er might like to try his or her own hand at. Need ideas? I found this wonderful example from Lowes sister site, LowesCreativeIdeas: it's a "Zen" shelving unit -- "inspired by the clean lines of Asian design." Visit the site to check out their photo of what the finished project will look like. Isn't it just gorgeous?

A rundown of materials needed and instructions are on the site, along with diagrams and the finished-work pic. However, you can download a pdf of full instructions from the site, too. Nice. The Lowes elves estimate the total cost to be around $120, which is substantially less than it would cost you to buy ready-made. On the down side, this looks like it would be fairly time-consuming for a beginner woodworker like myself. (Read: completion date estimated sometime in 2010.)

Here's a thought: "fake it, don't make it." I wonder if you could cut corners by using pre-made storage cubbies, like this one of mine pictured above. You could attach them within A) a frame of your own design or B) an unwanted bookcase with the shelves removed. Once painted to match and installed, no one would notice they are not all one unit.

All of us at one time or another have had too much clutter. Our closets and our cabinets can become virtually overrun with clothing, bedding, or food that we just throw in because we don't have time to properly put it in its spot, or we are just to lazy to do so.

If you're running out of room to store all your clothing or food, and are having a difficult time cramming any more items into your closets and your cabinets, then check out this article I found on Gomestic.com. Ruby Hawk tells us 10 ways to organize those messy closets and cabinets.

From over the door pantry racks, multi-tiered can dispensers, hooks and utility racks to under the bed storage boxes on wheels, the article has it all. If your closets and cabinets are so cluttered that you dread the idea of even tackling them, maybe it's time to donate to charity or your local food bank. Gather up some boxes and start tossing in what you can live without. You'll be amazed at how much space you end up with!

I see you standing in front of your linen closet in your home, wondering how it became overcrowded and ready to burst at the seams. Oh gee, I think I am talking about myself! Well,now that Autumn is here, it's time to take back your closet space. With the kids in school, you really have no more excuses, do ya?

IcyCucky on Gomestic has written some excellent tips on organizing your closet space. She suggests taking everything out, deciding what you really need to keep, and donating whatever you haven't used in the last six months. All seasonal items, such as comforters, flannel sheets, extra pillows, and blankets should be kept on the top shelves. I suggest keeping the original packaging they came in, so that you can easily store them dust free. Use eye level shelves to store items you use everyday, such as toothpaste, hairspray, and personal hygiene products. On the lower shelves, keep all the bedding you currently use, and stack them in piles according to the needs of each family member. Bottom shelves should get all the cleaning products.

Of course, this is not how my linen closet looks right now. I will surely do as IcyCucky suggests though, because when I have a killer migraine, I really don't need to be blindly searching for my Tylenol, and when that certain time of the month comes very unexpectedly, I don't need to be tearing the closet apart looking for something I need right now, or screaming at my husband to run to the store for me. I should have these things organized and at my fingertips. This will be on my to do list for Friday when my littlest one goes to daycare. What about you?

I love to read. Books are a way for me to escape the hassles of life for awhile, but I don't feel like I get to stick my nose in a book nearly enough. I read for a bit when my littlest one takes her nap, and for about 1 hour at night before I go to bed. Nope, not nearly enough.

I have amassed quite a few books, and have found that my bookshelves are overcrowded and boring. All books, just books, and gasp, books. It was time for me to add a little life into those boring bookshelves and although it took me the better part of 4 days to come up with happiness over how I finally arranged them, I want to share my results with you.