Organizing Solution for My Messy Stereo Unit

Hello, my name is Linda and I’m a clutter-bug, a disorganized and easily distracted Messie. Those of you who know me well are not surprised by this statement. For my new readers, don’t be shocked. I want to keep things real here at Apron Strings & other things. It’s a life-long struggle and I’ll probably be working on this as long as there’s life in me.

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I’ve been trying to tackle this in a more head-on fashion in the last year and a half or so, choosing one area or one task at a time. My family has helped me do some clean out and organizing and we are making progress. Not long ago we focused on the spot where we keep the stereo and cd’s. It’s also the place where all good dust bunnies go to hide, or die, or multiply, or whatever it is they do.

This is our feeble attempt at organizing. But there’s no room for all the cd sets and covers and odds and ends. And yes, we still listen to a few cassette tapes!

How is it that all that dust and cobweb-by yuckiness collects around the electronics? And if there is even a tiny space under the stand or cabinet or behind the unit it becomes a magnet for, well, you know! I also had to address the problem of keeping things tidy when there’s nowhere to put everything.

I came up with a solution for the taming of the dustbunnies AND keeping our stereo and supplies organized and lovely to look at. I presented the idea to my amazingly talented husband and he agreed to custom-build for me the perfect little cubbie-cabinet to meet all our needs.

It’s beautiful! and everything fits, with room to spare. Now I just need baskets or bins to keep it all contained.

After showing him the shelving units I had my eye on (something similar to THIS) my sweet husband got busy in his workshop. He created not just a cabinet, but a beautiful piece of furniture. Everything now was up at a more user-friendly level.

We shopped around for baskets or bins for containing the cd’s and other stereo accoutrement. I found the perfect baskets online at IKEA. They are discontinued now, but THESE
are very similar. So, after a cry for help our dear daughter-in-law and 2 adorable grandchildren trekked out to their nearby IKEA store and filled their cart with not 1, not 3, but 9 wicker bins, just to make Grandma happy. YAY! They fit perfectly!

And now, the finished product, all cleaned up and organized, looking beautiful and stylish. Isn’t it beautiful? Love it! I’m so happy! I’m so blessed to have a handy hubby who’s willing to work at making my dreams come true.

On a side note, I must brag just a bit. Not only do I have a talented and handy husband, but our sons have learned much from him. See the cd tower on the left? That was a Christmas gift to me last year, made by our son Luke. I’m spoiled, I admit it.

Here is one last look – a before and after shot – so you can see how far we’ve come.

Nony at A Slob Comes Clean and Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie. Nony has written an ebook that gets right to the heart of the matter when it comes to getting a handle on keeping up with everyday household tasks called 28 Days to Hope for Your Home (I’m reading through it myself and following along with this book this month). I have followed Laura’s PROCESS for several areas we’ve cleaned out and organized, She’s helped me understand the importance of purging and containerizing.

With the beginning of a new school year looming ahead, we are doing a lot of clean out, spruce up, organizing type projects this month. What areas in your home are the hardest for you to keep organized? What are your favorite organizing tools? Please share – I need all the help I can get!