Coat Corner

It's amazing how things tend to pile up in badly organized spaces.  A couple of years ago we put in a wall of cabinets.  We didn't take it all the way to the end, since I wanted some space between the window and the cabinets.  It also created a great place to add in some pegs to hang my jackets, coat and purses on.  It was also great to have all my purses upstairs by the door, so I can grab the purse that matches my outfit.  All of the things that go in my purse are compartmentalized in smaller bags/holders so I can just grab the things I need.  Will I need extra lipstick--sometimes yes, sometimes no.  Is it sunny out and I might need my sunglasses?  What about my checkbook and pass along cards.  These are things that I don't always need.  I also have "project" bags.  In one I have my needlework.  In another garden catalogs.  A third contains everything I need when I go to workout. 

As I assessed the situation I realized I needed a shelf to store these things on, as well as more hooks--both for the purses, project bags, and coats and jackets.  So here is the before picture.  Yuck!  What a headache in a corner.

One of the things I loved about Becky Beck's blog "Dirt"y Little Secrets was that she always photographed the tools she used along with a touch of yellow.  I prefer red, so here are my tools with a touch of red!

Pretty basic--drill, metal corners and screws.

Now, about the shelf.  I bought a shelf that was ok from Hobby Lobby, but it wasn't quite right.  So in my quest for a shelf, I definitely had a tithing blessing.  I went to a antique store called Gilgen's and found the perfect shelf--and I mean perfect.  I couldn't have built it to better spec's than what it was.  It fits perfectly, has two shelves and it is in oak, which my kitchen is full of.

Here is the picture of it below.

So as far as the project went, I cleared the area, unscrewed my white hooks and moved them down about a foot.  To make sure the top shelf was sturdy I attached it to the wall. . .

and can you see the metal bracket I added into a stud on the top shelf.  Now, I'm not going to put too much weight on it, but I did want it to hold and not come off the wall.  I put everything back and it was still horrible.  Sorry, no picture of this part.  I realized that I needed to have 2 sets of hooks.  One for my jackets and one for my project bags.  So off to Hobby Lobby again.  I found this adorable metal hook with birds for my jackets.  Doesn't it look great with the wood shelf above?  The white hooks below are neither here nor there, since they are covered with jackets.

I filled in the holes from moving my hooks as well as painted them.  I have a little plastic bottle of paint, which is SO handy for touch-ups.  I also made sure that at least one screw went into a stud.  The baseboard hadn't been in place for a while either.  So it is nice to have that back with a more finished look.

Here is a closer picture of the hooks. 

Now this is the corner that we keep our broom, so I needed a place for that.  See that nice blank cupboard side above?

Here it is with these other bird hooks that I bought from Hobby Lobby as well.

Here is a closeup of the hooks.  I love them.

Here it is all finished.  I was going to hang up the broom and dustpan here too, but it is just SO HANDY for my bigger purses, that they will be relocated to another spot.  It is nice having everything that I need for an outing or errands right there and in an orderly manner.

Happy Organzing!
~Deborah