Home Organization Tip: Hideaway Drawer Storage

Wait! Halt! Stop right there! Don't throw away that old dresser!

Instead... reduce, reuse, recycle and get rid of that awful clutter in the meantime.

Dresser drawers make excellent storage components that slide neatly and nicely under so many convenient pieces of furniture in your home.

For example, I have a large drawer to hold all of Adrianne's baby blankets in a neat space under her crib.

When I'm all done getting out the blanket I need or putting away a few things from the laundry, it simply slides back under and the bed skirt hides it from view. That way Adrianne won't get into it and start throwing blankets all over the house.

See? Good as new!

The best part is, you can put whatever you want in the drawer and you aren't limited to just cribs and beds. If you can find a small enough drawer, you could probably even fit it under a couch or chair. Be imaginative and cater to your own organizational needs.

Typically, a drawer can slide easily enough along a carpet or rug, but if you have hard floors you want to use a drawer on, you probably don't want it scratching up the surface. No problem! Use some strips of carpet samples or an old doormat rug and attach them carpet side down to the underside of the drawer to help it slide. Another alternative is to get your hands on some simple wheels for the corners of the drawer. This will make the drawer a little taller though, so do whatever works best for your home!

Good luck!

Slipcover Help

So, just recently I purchased a simple slipcover to bring some new life into my living room. The couch we have is old, torn in a few places, dirty, abused. So I figured, until a new couch can fit into our budget, why not slipcover it?

Now, if you have ever used a slipcover, I'm sure you have encountered a few problems with tucking and re-tucking...over and over and over...

After a little bit of research and some trial and error, I have discovered the answer to your slipcover prayers! With just a few simple tools, you will have no more re-tucking nightmares. Here's what to do:

YOU WILL NEED:

1. A flat spoon. It doesn't matter if it is wooden or plastic, but this bad boy will help you to tuck into places you never thought you could. AND! He won't pull the fabric back out unintentionally like you hand does.
2. Pipe insulation. This stuff is the best. I bought this pack of four for about 3 bucks and it has been a slipcoverer's lifesaver. You can cut it with scissors and it is very anti-slippage.



STEP ONE:

Once you have the slipcover in place and fitted to the couch arms, use that spoon to shove the excess fabric into the creases of the couch. The spoon will be able to tuck much deeper and the best part is that it slides out nice and smoothly.
What I've found with tucking the slipcover by hand is that I can't get the fabric in very well and even if I do, my hand will end up un-tucking as I pull it out of the creases. So frustrating! The spoon doesn't have these problems. Just make sure that it's flat! Even spatulas are angled slightly. I'm sure you could use a spatula or other type of spoon if you really couldn't get your hands on a flat spoon, but if you don't have one you should get one! They're handy and great for their true purpose: cooking!


STEP TWO:

When your slipcover is all tucked and looking perfect, (if you have experience with slipcovers) that sinking feeling may set in saying "Don't sit on it, it will just un-tuck itself..."
Never fear! Cut that pipe insulation to size with a pair of scissors or, in a pinch, a sharp knife. Then shove it down into those creases. It has a rubbery feel so it will eliminate any possible sliding around that you may get if you used, say, a rolled up magazine instead. This baby won't be moving, and as a result, no excess slipcover fabric will be able to get past it. You can sit without fear!

YOU'RE DONE!

Now toss over your pillows and throw blankets and admire your seemingly new piece of furniture that you will (hopefully) never have to re-tuck again!