Tuesday, September 4, 2012

728 An Organized Sports Station & a Closetmaid GIVEAWAY!

One of my favorite job benefits, is meeting, collaborating and building relationships with other bloggers.  The blog world has such an overwhelming sense of togetherness and I have had the opportunity to meet so many amazing gals because of it.  One that I have gotten to know well over the past couple of months, is Steph, from Modern Parents Messy Kids.  She is an organizing guru and has a love for all things kids, so we instantly realized we have oodles in common.

We got to chatting awhile back and decided since our readers tend to love similar ideas and products, that it would be fun to partner up on a couple of organizing posts and giveaways!  Totally fantabulous right?!

We started off with our first one, which was the FLOR giveaway, and today, we are teaming up again to giveaway another set of fabulous prizes courtesy of Closetmaid!    I have used many, many Closetmaid products in the past, almost every closet of ours boasts some sort of Closetmaid storage and even our garage has benefited, so when the opportunity came up to work with them, I couldn't wait!  They offer so many versatile organizing designs, I personally love to customize items with their mix and match stackable pieces, since they are often inexpensive and provide a customized storage solution based on needs.  For today's project, I was able to play with items from their Cube Storage line to enhance our garage storage, and the best part is I get to give you the same goodies to use as well!



As I mentioned in my recent entryway blog post, I had been dreaming up locker/cubby storage for the garage.  I also mentioned that when it comes to kid's school and winter gear, it didn't make the most sense for us.  It gets cold here and I don't want the boys hats, mittens, coats and boots to freeze overnight just to have them try and use them again in the morning.  So, those items now live indoors for good.  However, we also have three active boys that love to play sports.  Where do those items go?  How should they be stored?  Given the limited storage space in our home, we decided sports gear has no other option than to be placed in our garage.  And since the kids don't play outdoor winter sports, there is no worry about items being frozen then used, the garage is the perfect solution.

We made plans this spring to tackle the garage this year.  We haven't gotten very far, and most likely won't be done until next year, however, it is nice to be able to cross the sport storage item off of the list!

I had a glorious vision of using the Closetmaid bench with a designated sports cubby for each kiddo, and the cubicals above for extra sports gear, while also adding in some hooks for hanging storage.  I decided to purchase some wire baskets from Target for the bench, since I didn't want to use the fabric bins in our garage due to dust and the inability to toss them in the washing machine.


The bench was easy peasy to put together and I love that the cushion velcros down, and also has a removable weather resistant cover.

When it came time to assemble the cube system to go above the bench, I read some not so magical words in the assembly booklet, "Do not hang this unit on the wall. The product structure is not designed for wall hanging."  Whomp whomp right?  Now what was I going to do?  This was the only place that I really wanted to use the cubbies since it was a great way to utilize our vertical wall space and save on precious garage floor space.

Being the avid resourceful DIYers we are, my Mr. said he would make it suitable for the wall.  Whew.  Have I mentioned how much I adore him?

Knowing that the original item wasn't intended for the wall, we optioned to make it much more structurally sound and fastened it to the wall in a few different ways.  That baby isn't going anywhere now.

We started by using a piece of wood and creating a triangle piece for each corner of the cube system, which we fastened with multiple nails on each side using our brad nailer.


Next we used more wood to create a ledge for the cube system to sit on and last but not least, we added four steel mounting brackets to the underside and top side of the unit to secure it above and below.


We both placed excessive force and weight on the shelves to be 100% sure that the unit was securely fastened to the wall, since we have a safety first motto.

After all the supports were added, we were left with an almost finished version of my original vision.  I was excited again and started to putty all of the screw holes!


The numbers on the baskets are house numbers dressed up with some spray paint and attached with a small piece of wire.



The lower baskets are assigned to each boy.  It holds their personal gear, such as their baseball gloves, cleats, extra playing balls, etc... 




I sprayed a couple of wire baskets with red, to add some fun color to the upper shelves.


I really loooove how they turned out!


The top cubbies are intended for the items we all use as a family.  Kid's items on the lower three shelves and grown up belongings on the upper cubbies.


When we travel for ball, my son uses his baseball bag to bring all of his belongings, and we bring our "ball bag".  That is where the hooks come in nice and handy.  They were installed right into the supporting ledge.



I keep the ball bag pre-packed with a few basics, so we can just grab it, toss in our water bottles and go when it is time to travel for a game.


The items that always live in the bag: first aid kit {band-aids, ointment, etc..}, bug spray, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, rain ponchos {which we luckily haven't needed yet}, and wipes for dirty hands and cheeks.

We also bring a "ball blanket", which we use for the bleachers.


When all was finished up, we now had the perfect sports gear storage system that we all are completely smitten with!



Now, if only the rest of the garage could look this good!

As I mentioned earlier, Closetmaid is hooking up one of you fine friends with the same storage pieces I was able to organize with!  Steph also used Closetmaid to organize, so you can also hop over to Modern Parents Messy Kids to check out her project and enter to win her products as well!  That is twice the chance to win super fantastic items!






Thanks everyone and good luck!!



Pssst!  I wasn't paid or swayed to write this post, I was just offered a few Closetmaid items to provide an open and honest review and giveaway!

728 comments:

  1. i like those white cabinets- they would be perfect for our bedroom

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  2. I have been eyeing that bench for some time now! I would adore winning it!

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  3. I love all of the "Cubeicals". I could really use a bunch of these!

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  4. I love the 3-cube bench! your storage system looks amazing. love!

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  5. I like the Activity Table cubicals-that looks so neat!

    kellybrown28021@gmail.com

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  6. We love the 6 cubby organizer and have quite a few of those in our home, paired with the pink, blue and green bins for our three munchkins!

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  7. I am really loving the 3 cube bench

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  8. I like the looks of the cube storage and I also like the wire storage for a laundry room!

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  9. I LOVE it all...I need more organization in my life :)

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  10. I love any of the shelving.

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  11. I have the 9 Cube in my daughter's nursery and have been eying the 6 cube for a new play area downstairs. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  12. Cubeicals! Wire storage! EVERYTHING!!!

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  13. the bench is great!

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  14. I love all of the closet accessories...mine need help for sure!

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  15. I actually really need the closet organizing systems. I am moving in a few weeks and will not have a linen closet so I will need something to organize the hall closet to be used for linens and other storage.

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  16. My favorite is the 3 cube bench (lucky me that's the giveaway!) but I also really like the storage locker!

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  17. Love that activity table!

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  18. I love the Impressions closet line - lovely!

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  19. I like the mini offset organizer. It is handy and visually interesting.

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  20. The soft storage trays would be perfect for organizing our folded clothes on our bedroom closet shelves!

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  21. I heart the 3 cube bench, it is exactly what I have been looking fo rin my entry way. Thanks!!

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  22. I like the storage locker and the cube storage units!

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  23. I want the exact same thing you installed in your garage! Beautiful!

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  24. I want exactly what you did, too, in the entry from our garage! I love that 3 cube bench - it's the perfect size!

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  25. Where is that rug from? It really helps complete the whole area!

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  26. I love the Multi-Purpose Cabinets!

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  27. i love the belt and shoe organizers!

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  28. I love the cube systems! So simple & versatile!

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  29. I love the shoe organizers the most! The shoe monster has been in my closet.

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  30. I love the 3 cube bench!! So amazing!

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  31. I love the 8 Cube Organizer for a closet! Or the 3 cube bench for a window seat! Both are sooo cute and would be perfect in our new nursery!

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  32. Can you post a source for the little black hooks? I've been looking for something similar and only seen them in pre-finished systems. Thanks!

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  33. I love the cubeicals! So versatile easy to assemble.

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  34. Seriously that bench is the stuff of my dreams. NEED ONE!!!

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  35. The SuperSlide shelving system is pretty cool. I like that you can change it around easily!

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  36. I love the ClosetMaid bench!!! totally have a spot for it right now!!!! Looks like awesome stuff!!

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  37. I love the bench! I would use that in my bedroom under our window!

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  38. I love the Bench! I need something for my kids room too ... i just don't know what yet.

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  39. Oh my gosh, that 3 cube bench would go perfect in my sons "big boy" room we are re doing! We have twins on the way and we are looking for all the organization we can get!!!

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  40. I really want to do this for our entry way. A nice place for Tot to put her shoes on in the morning? Yes please!

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  41. I would love the activity table for my daughter!

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  42. I love the bench. I have the 8 cube and 6 cube organizers and they are so handy!

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  43. I love all the cube organizers. Such an easy way to organize ANYTHING that looks very neat and decorative at the same time!

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  44. I love the cube storage, but I think my favorites are some of the awesome wire shelving and add-ons for inside closets. Those drawers are awesome!

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  45. I really like the 9 cube organizer! I am redoing my walk in closet. Half of it is going to be my crafting space, this would be GREAT for storage and organization!

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  46. Two of those three-cube benches would fit perfectly in my son's room!!

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  47. I love the 9 cube organizer so much - I already have one, in fact! I'd love the bench... - Patty Heine

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  48. I love their closet wire systems! We have tiny closets and have utilized their products in almost every room!

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  49. I would use the cube storage in my laundry/mudroom.

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  50. I love the bench you used in your garage, but I also love Closetmaid's activity table with little cubbies, too! What a dream!

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  51. The ClosetMaid Activity Table Organizer is adorable.

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  52. I too love the garage bench idea. I love all the cubbies and can think of numerous places in my home that could use some closetmaid love!

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  53. We love ClosetMaid in our house. We have the six cube cubbies in the play room and just redid our son's closet with their shelving systems. So easy! Would love the bench for our front entry!!

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  54. cubicles, bench, table! i love all things organization!

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  55. I love the activity table... it is exactly what we need in our living room right now.

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  56. The three cube bench is amazing.

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  57. I love the closet organizing systems. We are hopefully buying a new house that will need lots of storage solutions!

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  58. I just love the cubicles...so many storage options!

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  59. We love the cubes and the activity table!

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  60. i have the cubicals in our playroom and i love them!

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  61. I would love three of the 9 cube units to use as a base for a cutting/work table in my craft room.

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  62. I really like the Pantry Cabinet for many different storage uses!

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  63. I love the activity table, it would be great for my kiddos.

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  64. I really love that bench. It appears from the dimensions that it would exactly fit in between my daughters' beds to be a cute little window seat/ reading nook. Great idea!

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  65. I love the activity table! And the bench is a close second :) But quite frankly I have a couple different ones (9 cube and 3 cube) in my house already, so cubical anything is fine by me! :)

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  66. really love the bench & the 8 cube organizer

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  67. Love the wood colored 8 cubed organizer

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  68. I LOVE Closetmaid's bench! I have been wanting something exactly like that for our mudroom for 2 years (but we just can't afford any other furniture!). :-)

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  69. I love all the wire shelving for the garage!

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  70. The bench... for sure. Im tired of stepping on legos ;)

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  71. ClosetMaid Activity Table Organizer is my favorite.

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  72. the 8 cube organizer and I know exactly where I need it!

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  73. I love the activity storage table! it would be perfect for my son's room!

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  74. I love the activity storage table! I love much more than that, but it is top of my list! :)

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  75. I also love the Activity storage Table.

    Thanks
    Lisa Z.

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  76. I love the wire baskets and the 3 cube bench!

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  77. I really love their new Arrangements Collection - we've been debating on which combination to use in our dining room to serve as a buffet/sideboard

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  78. I Love the 3 Cube Bench, there's a place for your shoes and somewhere were you can sit on and put them on.

    nancy
    lokieluv@gmail.com

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  79. I am in LOVE with that bench! We're moving to NC soon and it snows! Lol so we could def. use some storage solutions for wet boots and jackets! I also checked out closetmaid

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  80. I want a storage cube so bad!!!
    Nikki
    dmdalzell at gmail dot com

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  81. Love, love, love the storage cubes! I just bought two for my apartment and am thinking of buying a third!

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  82. Love the Kitchen Helper Shelves to make the existing shelves double in storage size.

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  83. Was actually just looking at Closetmaid stuff yesterday... need one of the closet solutions for SURE for our guest room!

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  84. I like the adjustable spice rack!

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  85. Drawer organizers - so versatile and many many uses outside of drawers!

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  86. We have several of the cubeicals and I would love a couple more:-)

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  87. I would love the cubicles and the bench!

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  88. I would love to have the storage cube set and the bench!

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  89. The 3 cube bench is exactly what I have been looking for our front entryway. It would be perfect for shoes or hats/gloves, etc. Plus it is a space to put on your shoes before you head out the door!

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  90. I definitely need the benches for toy storage. I also love the activity table.

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  91. I love the cubicals!! Thanks for the opportunity!

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  92. I am loving the kitchen storage specifically the spice racks, my pantry could definitely use some organization :)

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  93. I am in desperate need to re organize our closets! However, our first priority is our children's room. I think that the cube storage will be such an easy and cute way to keep my boys organized!

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  94. i always like the cube storage! Could use some for my office makeover-to-be.

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  95. anything for closet storage!

    courtney.allisunfair (at) yahoo (dot) com

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  96. I love that three cube bench you have used plus I would really love a bunch of helper shelves for my old, not so well spaced out pantry shelves. The kitchen cabinet organizers would also be helpful.

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  97. Loving that bench storage! We need something for our entryway that provides seating and shoe storage!

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  98. I love the cubeicals!

    eamoose@hotmail.com

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  99. I love the pantry organizer ideas!

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  100. I really want those cubbies so I can use them as a side table in my baby girl's nursery! It would keep me from cluttering up the top with "stuff" and be great extra storage in there too!!

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  101. I love the wire rack storage systems. They would be great for my closet. The cubbies would also be a nice addition to our home for the kiddos stuff.

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  102. You are kidding me! I have been looking at these very items for the past couple weeks to use as storage / organization for our homeschooling materials, but I can't squeeze it from the budget. I am crossing all fingers and toes in hopes that I'm the winner this time lol.

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  103. I love the cubeicals and could totally use that in our family room!

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  104. I love the grid storage with the fabric drawers!

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    1. With three small kids under 9 my favorite would definately be the storage cubes. I need some so bad. Thanks for the chance.

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  105. I <3 the bench, I've got the perfect spot for it.

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  106. I love the cubicals we use them through out the house from the office to the boys rooms!

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  107. LOVE the bench! Am addicted to anything storage! Cubicles are awesome and can be used anywhere. Love the new storage area in your garage!

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  108. I absolutely love the storage locker! There are so many ways you could use this, in the entry way, garage or even in your kids room. Put more than one together and each member of the house could have there OWN space.... Love all the storage options.

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  109. Max Load 6.5 In. Deep Hook I wonder if this would work to hang my son's guitar? Great give away!

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  110. I love my 8 cube system. I use it in our office closet as additional storage.

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  111. I am a huge Expedit fan (like the rest of the world) so I love the cube storage Closetmaid offers!

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  112. I like the cubicals. We use them all around our house!

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  113. The activity table is just what my little man needs for his room!

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  114. I love all the closet organization shelves. especially the 7 shelf.

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  115. Love the storage furniture! Great, clean look!

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  116. I love the cube storage! A perfect way to organize!

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  117. i love the cube storage! would be perfect for my classroom of special needs students who thrive on organization. maybe one day i'll actually win one of these giveaways! :)

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  118. I heart the activity table. Perfect for the little ones.

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  119. I love any and all cube storage... great when you have kids and you need to keep everyone organized!!! Great giveaway!! :)

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  120. I love their cube storage! My girls have them in their closet to keep things organized!

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  121. I love the fabric cubes! Thanks for the giveaway!

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  122. I want the bench! Thanks for sharing with us!

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  123. We love the 6 cube organizer in our daughter's room.

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  125. I seriously can't decide what I love from the ClosetMaid site!

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  126. I love the bench! I've been on the hunt for a way to store all of my sons sports equipment! Even if I don't win I think a trip to the store is in my near future! You are awesome JEN!

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  127. I love the 6 cube organizer. Would be ideal for books in my daughter's bedroom.

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  128. I love the three cube bench with cushion!

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  129. I'd love a bench for organizing all the little shoes that accumulate with two little girls!

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  130. My kids (and mostly I) would LOVE the activity organizing table.

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  131. This is fantastic!!! I love the 6 cube organizer - would be amazing in my new home office !!!

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  132. I LOVE the hanging cubes & storage bench! We have a small house, so we can use all the storage we can get! Besides, I get giddy over organizational stuff!

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  133. I love the storage bench for my garage.

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  134. I love their fabric cubes. They are so flexible.

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  135. I love the versatility of the Cubicals. There are so many places in my house where I could put those to use!

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  136. We just moved to a new house and all of our bedroom closets need to be redone. I love the Closetmaid closets and their website was pretty cool for planning.

    katherine
    katferr1(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  137. I like the utility cabinets. We just moved into our first townhouse.

    lwmacdougall@gmail.com

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  138. I love the Closet Maid Activity Table - too cute!

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  139. I love the activity table! So cute!

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  140. LOVE the pantry storage ideas!!!!!

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  141. Love, love, love the 3 cube bench!

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  142. Love that I can go to the website and pick what I want to work with and they have everything. Love the tables, closets, baskets, cubicles, everything. :)

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