So, since upgrading to the bigger TV and the new Hemnes tv stand, a lot of time has been spent with this view lately…
As wonderful as these changes have been, it’s meant that the coffee table has become an even bigger mess than normal. Couple this detail with the fact that the desk has been buried with those last few things I just cant bring myself to unpack, and the coffee table has become the office too.
So this is the solution we came up with…
The two-tiered coffee table system we have is all glass, which is classy looking but also means there is NOWHERE to hide clutter. So we picked up these…
Two file boxes, one black and the other the raw craft paper color. Plus a seasonally-cheery orange tray.
The tray is a Target STEEL. It was marked down to just $2 because it was a bit beat up. But a little paint fixed it right up! The tray does a great job of keeping the black file box plus a favorite candle and vase together visually and neatly.
Within the black box are the majority of the office-like fixings including a notebook I keep clipped coupons together in, a graph notebook I use to sketch out new DIY plans with Bill, and a pack of Thank-you notes, because you never know when you’ll need to thank someone!
OH and of course post-it notes. SUPER STICKY post it notes specifically. Because, you know, they’re the best kind. But also for things like marking in a magazine, or leaving a note for Bill.
On the other side of the table is the craft paper box. Of course there’s still some character involved as we kept the cool skeleton keys picked up in a shop in OBX.
A favorite ampersand paper weight and an old yankee candle jar that’s been re-purposed to store my wasi-tape stash are stowed ontop of the box. But inside the box…
In the top I keep my 10 in 10 books, a program through Highmark Blue Cross that’s designed to help you take charge of your life and get healthy, and drop 10% of your body weight in 10 weeks. …I’ve read it over. 😉
…beneath the books I keep the resistance band and measuring tape that go along with the 10 in 10 program. Though I may have joked above about glancing through, there are some useful exercises in there, and having these things handy to prime tv-watching position means I have zero excuse but to get up and do a few reps during commercials.
In addition to the 10 in 10 tools, I also stow an extra iphone cord and my external hard drive, making it easy to grab it for a quick back-up of blog photos.
And with those two boxes, all the usual tools you might need are within reach – but not within sight.
What do you do to keep your life usefully-organized?
~ Beth
B & B Build A Life 