$125 to Make Some Sense of the Mess - Organization

[pampered_mom]

My creative space has become the household dumping grounds.  As much as I'd love to create a studio with fancy lights and floors and grand ideas I have to be honest enough with myself and put that far off in the future.

Instead...I have $125 to spend on organizing my space.  I'm thinking post-Christmas organization sales will be a boon to my limited budget.  So...what have you done or would you do?  Shelving unit?  Storage boxes?  Bookcases?  Standard storage bins from a company like Sterlite or Rubbermaid?  Something more art/craft specific like the storage cases from ArtBin?

I know I'll want a variety of sizes from big things for fabric and smaller bins or boxes for things like thread or other notions.  I'm also figuring I'll go with something like a magazine file for my different subscriptions.

Oh, and pictures!  If you have pictures of your own space please do share!  :0)

[AAK]

My place is a work in progress--

However, I really like a few things.  The first are shelves that we built into our closet.  These are very inexpensive because we made them ourselves.  We have done several closets and storage areas now.  Our simplest version is as follows:  Take a sheet of plywood and cut across for shelves.  (Or you can buy closet shelving pressboard that has a rounded edge but it isn't as strong as plywood).  We use 18 inch deep shelves in our art/craft area--but figure out what would work best for you.  So, the plywood is 4ft across.  We made shelves that are 4 ft x 18 in.  Some areas in our house have 15 inch shelves, some 24 inch.  Then, we take a two by four.  We cut "legs" out of this.  I measured my bins and made sure that the legs were tall enough for my bins to slide in/out.  You need 2 legs for each shelf if you only have a back wall.  You can use 2/shelf or 1/shelf if you also have a side wall.  If you want different shelf heights, just adjust the size of your legs.  Then, we also cut some lengths of 1x4 (I think--but you could use 2x4 or 1x2) that will support the back of the shelf.  So, we made them just a bit shorter than our shelf length (4 ft).  If you are going with the 1 leg option, you will also cut lengths for the side supports.  Now for assembly:  Start with bottom shelf and (using a level) screw or nail the shelf support(s) into the studs of the wall.  Now, put your shelf on and set leg underneath.  Attach shelf to leg with nail or screw.  I also tack the shelf to the support bars with a nail as well.  Measure up from shelf and start again.  The assembly part works better if you have a helper, but can be done by yourself.  

My second thing I really liked is something I purchased.  It was at costco, but I am sure you can get them at many places.  It was a bin style storage unit meant for a garage I think.  It has bins of three different sizes.  This is handy for so many things, but not everything.  It is useless for paper and fabric.  I also love my 12 inch paper storage drawers from sterlite ($10 at target).  I also like having hooks on my walls.  These were already there from when the room was a bedroom, but they are very handy for quilting hoops, bags, etc.  My table is a folding table and under the window we have some rain gutter shelves.  

ETA:  I plan on buying a wall thing for thread--I hate my thread being in boxes.  

Amy