The little bits and pieces of life.

The little things seem to be the trickiest to store and keep track of and possibly get in the biggest mess!  I have just been sorting cottons, bobbins, sewing machine needles, safety pins....

And the other day I was asked how do I store nail varnishes by a lovely girl who has a big collection stored in a plastic bag. So this got me thinking of things I could suggest.

Well, the nail varnishes were easy. This is how I store mine. A $4 op shop spice rack. 

Sometimes I see these full of little jars which would be wonderful for buttons, safety pins and bits and pieces in the craft room. But really perfect for nail varnishes. A great present for a teenage girl. If all else fails you could actually use for spices!

Another great one is the hang on the door plastic shoe compartments. In our last house I had one inside my pantry door. It housed all the little jars and packets of soup mix and those kind of things. It totally de cluttered the pantry and I could see everything at a glance. But also they can be used to house anything, dolls, toys, bathroom products, pantyhose, cleaning products etc.

A similar thing is a hanging/foldable jewellery holder. They make a different version for makeup. Just rows of little pockets. This would work for nail varnish too, just fill and roll or hang up. Add files, cotton pads and polish remover and you have a kit.

Also for jewellery, makeup... how about Barbies shoes, handbags and accessories! How cute would that be! Or little toys. Or for a boy in red or blue full of little cars to travel with. Just so many things!

I use cake stands, as you have seen before, for things I want to see and lay my hands on. Perfume, skin care, nail varnish, anything you want to organise and use.

While working on my craft room I am using jars for sewing notions, bobbins, threads, needles etc all those bits and pieces. I love that you can see what you have at a glance. Jars are brilliant for so many things.

I really love the see through drawers my makeup is in. I would happily have a few more sets of those for stationary, for one. Rubbers, pens, pencils, sharpeners and so on. Goodness, so many things. The little bits and pieces can be tricky!

I also love purses and little bags. I have little handbags I would never use as actual handbags (too small) but they are fabulous for other things. One has all my hankies in it. Another larger one is my travelling kit for my hairdryer and brushes. Another becomes my writing and notebook carrier when we travel. I look at handbags I don't use as cosmetic bags too. Mostly they look much nicer than the plastic ones from the chemist shop. A larger tote bag might make a great knitting bag. The possibilities are endless. If you don't use something think of what else it might be great for. One of my best ones is a glo mesh cigarette case that holds my camera just perfectly. It looks fabulous and protects my camera. Another is a glo mesh glasses holder that I have used for so many things. I had a crowd of teenagers gather around me admiring my camera holder and several wanting to buy it lol Sometimes the old stuff is the best!

Snap lock bags come in every shape and size. I really love them for so many things. What a help.

It is so nice to be able to find things, see what we have, and make them easy to access. Life is easier when we are organised!