File Systems

I've been working on getting my little cupboard into order now that I'm done with school. Generally, I'm a pretty tidy person, but I have a tendency to save bits of paper, receipts, bills, old drafts of stories ... pretty much anything I think I might need at some point in the future. This is all fine and good, except that it clogs up the flow of activity here in my impossibly tiny dwelling, so that, instead of having a Museum Cupboard, what I have is a coffin crowded with things I will not need in the afterlife. Did I mention I'm claustrophobic?

Scouring Etsy is always a fun activity, but especially when I have a mission. I like to consider alternate uses for things {a la Leigh, most recently, who I mention over here}, and some Etsy sellers make that really easy by showcasing their goods in not-so-obvious ways.

This fabulous file system is actually, I think, an organizer for records ... specifically LPs. But it's pretty perfect for bills and correspondence and, sitting on the kitchen table, can be easily lifted and moved to another room when company arrives.

This charming box is, obviously, a great storage solution for school papers -- financial information, student healthcare paperwork, essays, and transcripts. In a tiny cupboard, you wouldn't even need to hide this {like I do my plastic tubs of important stuff}. It's a great display piece for the tops of cabinets or under a TV table.

A simple, handmade wooden tray, like this, is slender enough to slide into a drawer, but lovely enough to leave out and use as a stage for a rotating display of porcelain doll heads {!} or antique spoons or heart-shaped rocks.

This brushed steel organizer promises to be a trough of creativity. How easy it would be to store all manner of paintbrushes, gel pens, glitter sticks, and rubber stamps in each of the bins, and then stow the whole thing inside a cabinet. Or leave it out! After all, it is handsome ...

To me, this collapsible metal organizer is screaming, "Don't make me go back to the office!" I'm pretty sure he'd be much happier holding outdoor dining utensils {forks, knives, and spoons each get a tray}, the most current issues of favorite magazines, or crafting supplies.

Lastly, this happy chocolate-colored ceramic toast rack does not discriminate: toast or papers marked with shopping lists, craft ideas, and phone numbers? Either! Both!

To those of you signing off for the weekend, enjoy the next couple of days. And to you others, sticking around, see you in just a little bit.


{All photos from sellers. In order of items listed, sellers are: Yellow Dog Vintage, I'm Wishful Thinking, silocurb, Extra Virgin Home, Modish Vintage, and Sparker!}