Baskets, baskets, baskets.  There are shelves full of them at every dollar store and thrift store in which I’ve ever set foot, and a giant box full of them at most yard sales (likely located somewhere near the table full of flower vases and coffee mugs).  What can you do with all of those baskets?  Haeley from Design Improvised took a bit of yarn and turned a few plain ol’ baskets into beautiful and functional decor pieces.  Heck, even if you don’t have a place to use these to hold various odds and ends, you could make a few to hang up on the wall as art!  [how to decorate baskets with yarn]

Project estimate:

• Baskets, on hand or $1
• Yarn, on hand or $1 and up
• Tapestry needle, on hand

Total:  Free and up!

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If I had to pick the one thing about my house that is the most problematic, if would be the lack of storage space. There are a couple of oddly-sized closets around the house, but in some areas there just isn't a good place to put all of the necessities. The place this is most evident is in the bathroom, a very small room with only a medicine cabinet for storage. To add a place for things like towels and extra bottles of shampoo, we found a tall, skinny set of shelves that fits perfectly behind the door. It's been a great solution, but it still has its problems. So when Dollar General asked me to come up with a spring cleaning project, I knew that it would be the perfect area to tackle.

Project estimate:

• Baskets, $1 and up
• Lace or other trim, on hand or $1 and up
• Hot glue, on hand

Total: $1 and up

These shelves are an issue for a couple of reasons. First, no matter how well I attempt to organize them, they always look cluttered. I mean, even if you perfectly align a dozen bottles of shampoo, you're still looking at a cluttered shelf. And who wants to look at piles of toothbrushes and razors and deodorant? The other problem I have is that my three curious cats like to explore the shelves, and they are prone to knocking things down. Have you ever been woken up at 3 AM by the THUD of a value-size jug of hand soap hitting the floor from 5 feet up? Trust me, that's a mess you don't want to deal with at all, let alone that many hours before your first cup of coffee. My solution for both problems? Baskets!

I've been wanting baskets for these shelves for a long time now, carrying around a piece of paper with the shelf measurements in my wallet for several years in hopes that I would find the right baskets at the right price. If you've ever shopped for baskets, you know that those are some pretty high hopes. Over the years I have priced many, many baskets, and even found several that I absolutely loved, but the prices always made my jaw drop, especially for larger baskets. So when I walked into Dollar General recently and saw their selection of baskets, a little bell started going off in my head. Ding-ding-ding, jackpot!

They had baskets I liked in two different colors; a lighter shade and a darker shade of brown. I opted for the darker baskets because I wanted them to match my shelves as closely as possible. The prices ranged from $1 for the smallest baskets up to $8 for the largest; I walked away with a total of 9 baskets in various sizes for about $30. That's less that I could have spent on just one of those fancy, expensive baskets! This, my friends, is an excellent deal. By the time I carried the mountain of baskets through my front door I was already patting myself on the back.

Reorganizing all of the clutter into baskets made an immediate difference. Not only was it more visually pleasing, it also made it easier to see at a glance what was on the shelf (no more spending 5 minutes hunting down a bottle of lotion that is hiding amongst the body washes), and the baskets actually made it so that I could fit more items on the shelves. After putting the existing clutter into baskets, I was able to go around the house and gather up a few other random things that were laying around and find them a home. Plus, the baskets block the cats' access to the shelves, keeping them out of trouble. (Well, at least keeping them out of that particular trouble.)

But… They still needed something. Unlike most of the fancy baskets I'd previously considered for the space, these were fairly plain. To give them a little bit of extra detail and a lot more character, I decided to glue lace trim around the top edge of each basket. I couldn't decide which lace I liked best on the baskets, so I ended up using four different kinds of lace; each shelf features a different pattern. Adding the trim is super simple – just snip the lace to the proper length and use a little bit of hot glue to attach it around the edge of each basket. Of course, you can use all the same lace if you prefer, or use a different lace for each basket, or leave it off altogether, or replace it with a different kind of trim – it just depends on your aesthetic.

I'm so much happier with how my bathroom shelves look now, and ecstatic that I managed to tame the mess without having to earmark a huge budget. Who's got two thumbs and is totally winning at decluttering? This gal!

The post Reorganize Problem Clutter Areas with Baskets at Dollar General appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

We were excited to see that Aunt Peaches was one of our randomly chosen secret stashbusters because she’s got an uber-quirky style we can’t help but adore.  True to form, her first project is as funky as can be:  The Pee Wee’s Playhouse Lamp, or if you prefer, the Hebrew Dinosaur Explosion.  Kaboom!  She made it using one of the most commonly stashed craft supplies, craft foam.  It’s a bright and colorful idea that could be adapted to fit many different themes, and looks great with or without a lamp kit.  [how to make a Pee Wee’s Playhouse inspired pendant lamp]

Project estimate:

• Plastic baskets, on hand or $1 and up
• Craft foam, on hand or $1
• Foam stickers, on hand or $1
• Pipe cleaners, on hand or $1
• Plastic drinking straws, on hand or $1
• Hole punch, on hand
• Hanging lamp kit (optional), about $4

Total:  Free and up

The post Secret Stashbuster Project: Make a Pee Wee’s Playhouse Inspired Pendant Lamp appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I have a question for Heather and DSC readers! Moving to a new apartment – yay! – and contemplating kitchen storage/decor. There are a decent amount of cabinets, and also two or three open shelves. I’ve never really had open shelves in a kitchen. What do I put there? How do I keep it from looking messy? Any tips or pix are very much appreciated. -Amy G

It’s been awhile since we had a reader question! Time for all you brilliant dollar store organizers to weigh in. This question was found at the Dollar Store Crafts Facebook page, and we already got some good advice there:

Chris B.: There are a ton of baskets at my Dollar Tree in all shapes, colors and sizes. Mix baskets with knick knacks, art and utensils. Use the baskets for smaller items like flatware or measuring cups. You can also spray paint them if you can’t find them in colors you like.

Amy G: Any tricks to spray-painting the wicker kind?

Chris B.: Use lots of light coats of paint letting them dry for 15 minutes between coats. Also spray from every direction so you make sure it is completely covered.

Carrie H.: You could also glue small chalkboards to the front of the baskets and write on them so you would know what is in them.

Heather’s Ideas:

I have always wanted to paint the back wall of some open display shelving a contrasting color, so that’s my idea for a fun detail in a kitchen like yours. Use the open shelving to display dishes or other kitchen items you really like, or go outside the box and display other items you love but might not be natives to the kitchen (such as books, oversized letters, or vintage toys).

How about you? What would you do with Amy’s new kitchen, and how would you keep the open shelving from looking too messy?

p.s. I just started making a custom newsletter every week, so if you want to get the week’s dollar store crafting news plus other fun, exclusive content, you can sign up here.

*Image by Hannah at Made With Love By Hannah; kitchen rug project

The post Ideas for Kitchen Organization appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Rubber Banded Basket

This impromptu basket by Sewing in the Suburbs is a quick and cute way to store pretty much any small items. You can sew your own fabric square to make one, or if you dollar store-it, use a placemat. Secure corners with rubber bands. Get the tutorial here.

Playroom Bin Labels

Jess from mad in crafts made these cute labels with stuff from her dollar store. Find out the technique she used here.

Hanging Baskets

Lorie at Be Different Act Normal strung three baskets together to make a hanging basket fixture in her bathroom. Great idea! Hanging baskets here. [via]

Ruffly Storage Bin

Dress up some of those basic plastic storage bins with a pretty fabric ruffle with Grammar of Life. Check out the simple process she used to make this pretty storage bin.

Additional Organizing Resources:

• Fabric Bins Roundup at How About Orange
• The Red Chair Blog urges us not to settle for “guaranteed ugly” – wow! This post is so true!!

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