Monday, June 27, 2011

57 IHeart: An Organized Art Caddy!

Should I be nervous that one of the first projects I decided to tackle in the boy's bedroom "Control the Clutter Challenge" didn't go exactly as planned?


Um.... let me think.... NO!  It went BETTER than planned!  And it often happens that I have a great idea and implementing get's switched up due to resources and availability and sometimes practicality. 

I originally thought when making the boy's their art caddy for their bedroom, that I would use a combination of pails and a wooden cutlery caddy.  But before I even got there, I found a utensil caddy at Target for $11.99 {which was my back-up plan anyway}, and I knew it was by far the best solution and would be moved to my main plan!

Target had a plethora of utensil caddy's in their summer seasonal section, and the caddy's were a GREAT size to be used as a caddy for far more than just utensils!


Uh oh.  You see that painters drop cloth under it?  What could that possibly mean?


I have to use up all that extra chalk board paint some how!  One little project at a time!  This one really couldn't be more perfect for chalk board paint though, I mean it's a kid's art caddy after all!!



Talk about an easy peasy project!  Painting was fun, but more fun ensued when it was time to fill it up with all the kiddos randomly placed art supplies!


The divided portions of the caddy are great for keeping markers, crayons and color pencils in their respective sections!



I snagged some small canning jars for the other odd shaped crafting items:


And tucked those inside the other side of the caddy:


Along with scissors, paint, glue and wiggly eyes!  You can't have an art caddy without wiggly eyes!!


The end result is something that I can tuck up on a shelf in the boys room, and they can easily snag it and carry it to the kitchen table or floor to work on their creative crafty projects!  Score, 1 point MOM!


OK, time to spill a secret.  I picked up two more of those utensil caddy's for two more organizing projects that I can't wait to share!  Any guesses as to what they might be?

What other ways have you been whipping up fantastic art storage for your little artists? 



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57 comments:

  1. Hmmm... I'm going to guess one for the kitchen and one for bathroom beauty products? =) Love how the chalkboard paint glams up the caddy! It looks perfect! <3

    xoXOxo
    Jenn @ Peas & Crayons

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  2. Those caddies have soooo many uses. I am using mine for actual utensils (plastic cutlery and napkins for outdoor BBQs). I love the chalkboard paint on the outside - might do that to mine too!
    Here's a link to my kids' art supply storage. We have a separate cabinet with more crafty supplies - stickers, glitter, etc. - but this works for the main stuff. Crayons continue to be an issue because they get too small for the slots but we just deal with it!
    http://houseography.blogspot.com/2010/08/support-your-budding-artist-kids-art.html

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  3. I need this. I am going to go grab a couple at Target for my daughter.

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  4. I love this idea!! perfect use for those little items.

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  5. I picked up two similar caddies at Wal-mart clearanced to $2 apiece. One now contains our cleaning supplies and the other has gardening supplies. So handy to have these things neatly stored all in one place and easy to carry to wherever needed.

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  6. LOVE it Jen! I did something similar with all of my Project Life supplies. Oh your blog always just makes my day! :)

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  7. I love this idea. Unfortunately, my mother has a Crayola crayon addiction along with an art supply addiction... which means my daughter has too much and won't part with any of it. I guess it's a good problem to have! lol

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  8. I really like this idea. Personally I would like for the caddy to not have compartments so that I could use it as a recycle box. Currently we have a cardboard box! Tacky I know. I've thought about at least covering with a nice paper but I haven't a clue how to go about that and am not a good at crafting.

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  9. LOVE this caddy and your idea of using chalk paint on the outside. Terrific outcome!

    Oksana from www.ordermatters.com/blog

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  10. Great find. Love chalkboard paint on just about anything. I'm sure your boys are crafting away!

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  11. LOVE this idea!!! Thanks for sharing:)
    Meredith

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  12. Absolutely love how this project came out Jen!!! IHeart the touch of chalkboard paint used too. This is why I love Target. I always find something I need or could use. ;)

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  13. I swear, chaulk paint makes everything wonderful!

    www.whatyoumakeit-coley.blogspot.com

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  14. This is such a great idea! I love it!

    New follower!

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  15. Great idea! Right now ours are all in a jumble in a box...will have to check it out!

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  16. Oh my gosh! How cute and organized! I love it. You rock!

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  17. Cute! I need to get some googly eyes!

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  18. Found your blog a week or so ago. LOVE IT. I too love organization. I find it to be my best stress reliever. Just to have everything in its place makes the heart beat a little slower. You've provided so much inspiration for me. I began redoing my spare bedroom/office this past weekend. It's a complete and utter mess at the moment, but I'll get there and it will be great!

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  19. Wow, you inspire me so much! I'm trying to organize my house and your ideas are great. It's a pitty I live in Brazil, we don't have Target here...

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  20. This is such a great idea for the little tykes!!

    adventuresofoldandnew.blogspot.com

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  21. Awesome! I love that idea and can't wait to steal, er - borrow! - it for all of the art supplies Molly's getting for her birthday. Thanks for sharing. :)

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  22. I LOVE THIS!! I can't wait to see what you might do with the others.

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  23. I don't know....but I can't wait to see! I'm always amazed at your creativeness!

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  24. This is fantastic. I love that they can carry it. I have the little target tins on a tray . . .but this is so much better. Mind if I share on my take five tuesdays? Can't wait to see your other projects with those. Happy Monday, Jen!

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  25. Such a great idea! You come up with the best!!

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  26. I'm going to be picking up a couple at Target now, thanks to you! And I'll be patiently waiting to see what other ideas you have for them. :)

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  27. So, so, cute! I have to copy this for my "grands!"

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  28. Love this! The two things I never said no to when my daughter's asked growing up were books and art supplies!!

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  29. I got a bucket jockey and a bucket from home depot for my sons art supplies (but it's a christmas present...ssshhh!) I'm still working on getting it stocked up with supples to put under the tree this december. here's where i got the idea: http://mykotori.com/blog/2009/08/27/how-to-organize-your-art-supplies/

    Kyla
    theqfarm.blogspot.com

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  30. So creative and organized! Love it!

    Becky B.
    www.organizingmadefun.com
    Organizing Made Fun

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  31. I am looking for something to organize under our bathroom cabinets. Our house is for sale and I am trying think of things we can take with us. Do you think these would work for that?

    At the moment for our art supplies we are using a sterlite bin.

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  32. So smart! I love solutions that make use of something that was originally intended for a completely different purpose like this. So creative.

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  33. Love this! This will be perfect to keep on their little art table.

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  34. Love this idea! I have a caddy like this in my fridge with condiments that we use regularly, so that we can just take it out and not have to search for the ketchup and soya sauce every night. I will definitely be picking up another for this purpose... but first I have to wait to hear what your other uses are, just in case...

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  35. LOVE IT!!! So cute and yet so practical! What kind of chalkboard paint do you use?

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  36. Creative and well-organized! Thanks for the idea! I loved it!

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  37. I am so on the hunt for a caddy at least similar to this now! TOO cute, and would make a great birthday present for a child as well. Fill it up and tie on a bow!

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  38. That is so funny! I saw the same thing at Target and did almost the same thing with it! Only I make a custom art journal and we use them as gifts for friend birthdays (my boys have one for themselves as well of course)! http://scraplifters.blogspot.com/2011/06/art-kits.html
    Love the idea of chalkboard paint. May have to go buy some extras next time I head to Target. Which is about every other day. :) Thanks for sharing!

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  39. Jen: did you have to prime it first? I have brush on paint and am afraid it will slide right off.

    TIA!

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  40. @Jenn, GREAT question! I actually used a really small craft paint brush to get along the edges, and it all did slide some, so the first coat acted somewhat as the primer and the second coat went on wonderfully! :)

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  41. Your idea saved my sanity! I finally was able to get rid of our huge ugly "art box." I did tweak it a little so we could also store paper and coloring books too. Check it out if you get a chance!

    http://reallifehomelife.blogspot.com/2011/07/when-i-posted-about-my-bathroom-closet.html

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  42. Hi,
    I've been unable to find these at any Target stores now.. have you seen something similar somewhere else?
    Thanks!

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  43. @Cecilia, Amazon has a version that could work wonderful: http://www.amazon.com/Silverware-Holder-Utensil-Flatware-Picnic/dp/B0039O6AB2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318299325&sr=8-1

    Otherwise, just do a google shopping search for "utensil caddy" and endless amounts of options will pop up for you.

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  44. Just love this idea. I’ve added it to NZ Ecochick’s homemade kiddies gifts ideas. I can’t wait to make one of these. Please check out this post on: http://www.nzecochick.com/2011/11/homemade-kiddies-gifts.html

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  45. I love this idea. BTW, do you want to be a guest on my blog? I do Sweetly Organize It on Mondays and need some other fun blogger ideas. Please let me know. Thanks.

    emileenreynolds@yahoo.com

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  46. These are back in Target again as of May 26th 2012...grab them while they're available! They are a seasonal item meant for outdoor parties, so they won't be there long!

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    1. I can't wait til we have Target here

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  47. Do you think this caddy would work for legos? We have mountains of them! I am wondering if they would be better in a shallower container, but I do like the looks of this one. I prefer metal and wood over plastic. Any thoughts?

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  48. My initial reaction is that it just may be too deep, even for little hands. I would stick with something a bit more shallow so it isn't so challenging to search for pieces. :).

    Love your thinking though!

    xo,
    Jen

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  49. In an organising frenzy while Daddy takes the girls to the zoo, I opened 10 browser pages of craft storage ideas. Read yours first and then shut down all other pages. I need browse no further. You are an organiser after my own heart! This page and your snapware ottoman idea have me sorted. Thank you!!! Imogen

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  50. Just found something like this at Home Goods for my daughter's wedding... yes that's right. It turns out wedding venues- especially in contemporary art galleries don't always come with super terrific bathrooms, (too stark) so they need to be fixed up a bit. The caddies look super modern and come in a variety of colors. I expect to fill with paper hand towels, lotion, soap, etc... Its really hard to search for them on the internet though. Home Goods had several styles and sizes to choose from.

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  51. I attempted something similar! Of course your rendition is way better, but it's all about what works as stated in your posts. I'm trying to seek out my next organization project using your blog for inspiration. Your site is amazing!

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  52. I am working on this idea now!

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  53. I love the idea but i have too many things of Arts and crafts at home . so my husband brought a metal filling drawers for me , and still need to organize and put division inside as the filing drawers is too deep.

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