Organizing Your Craft or Office Closet

After my first undergraduate Physics exam at Columbia, I remember sitting on the stone steps in front of Pupin Hall and crying.  It wouldn’t be the last time an exam brought me to tears.  Hello, Organic Chemistry!

I ended up surviving Physics, and I even retained some information, including the principles implied in the Second Law of Thermodynamics.  This law basically proves the world tends to naturally move from order to disorder, and if you want to maintain order, it takes energy.

I love being organized.  There's something so pleasing about having everything in its place. And, being organized is more efficient!  I don't have to rummage through piles or drawers to find what I need to wrap a present or write a card.  It's a time- and frustration-saver.

I also feel like clearing the clutter clears my mind.  I can't think well if I'm surrounded by chaos. However, organization doesn’t necessarily come easily to me, so I put energy into it.  That’s what I learned from Physics—organization takes energy, and a plan.

When we moved into our home last year, I knew I wanted to turn my cedar-paneled office closet into a craft closet and a place to store my photography props.  Here's how I did it.

The closet was just an empty shell, with a rod for clothing.  To provide more space for storage, I had custom shelves installed in the closet along two of the sides.  Even with the window, the interior was dark, so to lighten the closet, I painted the interior a soft, pale gray.  Choosing one color and style of containers lends a pleasing symmetry, so to hold cards, ribbon, tissue paper and other sundries, I purchased different sizes of charcoal gray boxes.  Tension rods stretched between two walls hold rolls of wrapping paper and spools of ribbon.  With a glance, I can see what I have and what I need.  The rest of the shelves are filled with some of my photography props.

My closet makes me inordinately happy.