Organize your small space

As I have already said, we live in a small place.  One of the main issues with a small space is storage.  We don't have a lot of stuff, but we do have items we like to have around.  Now before I go on, you need to know I do have a rented storage space.  It is a small one and it holds things we want to keep but don't have room for.  I have our holiday items, a table and chair set part of my dresser (I'll explain more on that later!)  as well as dishes etc..  We did keep these items because we have teenagers who will be living the next in the next few years and we wanted to be able to have these items for them. 

Fortunantly we have a small dining area but very little cabinet space.  Our cabinets are home to our food, dishes, pots and pans, bakewear and nice dishes.  Here is a a picture of our dinning area.

As you can see, it is not a large space.  In just our dining area we have our table and chairs, dog food and water, trash can as well as shelving for our baking supplies.  It is a well used space. 

We went to Sam's and found our great little corner shelf for about $89.  I honestly didn't think I would like it, but I love it.  Robert was the one to pick it out.  To make room in our cabinets all the baking products were moved to this shelving unit.

I have a tendancy to like things closed up, so I had to adjust to having my goodies just all out in the open and exposed! LOL  Of course you already know my love for baskets, so I do have several baskets on the shelf holding things such as our cloth napkins as well as wooden spoons and scrapers.  The space ended up being quite cheery with all the different colors on there. 

Another problem we had was cooking spoon storage.  We had a special container for them, but it sat in the way of the electric plug.  We were always moving it back and forth and then, spoons would fall out and onto the floor.  I hate that!  So with Mr. Looks Good in Wrangler's help, we set up a new way to store them.  I love this for several reasons.  1)  I can count and be sure all items have been put away correctly (the dishwashers at my home sometimes are not successful in this endevor)  2) I can move them and reach the plug without dropping them onto the floor.  3) It just looks great!!

To get the look we bought a towel rack and installed it.  The hooks are actually shower curtain hooks.  We bought our supplies at Target but you can get them anywhere! 

In a spall space you will have to go verticle in order to maximize your space!  This little thing only costs a few dollers and freeded up counter space (or if you have them in a drawer) and it provides interest to your home.  Just think of it as art work!!  I call this space, "The Spoon Rest"  okay so I'm kidding!  But you get the picture. 

Another word of wisdom about small spaces, if you can keep your counters cleaned off your home will look much cleaner and less cluttered.  And trust me, in a small space, every bit helps!! 

Totally unrelated, but yes I did decorate the dog's feeding area.  Our dog is very protective of the area and if I take items down and move them, he will sit and watch.  I bought the pillow which says, "I don't do leftovers" from the Cracker Barrell for $1.50.  His little dog print was $1 at a thrift store and the dog bone art was for $6 at Ross.  Whimsy is always good in a home, and for us, decorating this little area makes us smile.