Death by Papers!

OK, so my kiddos have been back to school for only two weeks and I am already drowning in paperwork! Picture order forms, letters from teacher, school lunch schedules, the list goes on and on. So I decided that instead of a giant pile of papers in my desk, that I can't keep organized, I would redo my mudroom and make it a bit more practical.

The only purchase I made was for 1 package of cork squares from walmart that cost about $5.00. Other than that I just used what I had on hand, or already in there. As you can see it was quite a mess and not organized at all.

I decided that the cork was not very cute so I pulled out some old valance curtains that I made for our other house and reused it to cover the cork. I just hot glued it on and then nailed the squares to the wall.
Sorry for the out of focus pic, but I was in a hurry before the kiddos came home. I wanted it to be a surprise. (Just a note, the sticky squares that come with cork is useless. I use small brads and nail them up so they are more sturdy.)

Tada! I just added the cork squares and reused my existing decorations for an organized are for school bags, keys, and papers. I even scrubbed the floor and walls for a clean look. I moved the small wood table to the corner to free up walking space. It is so much better!

I decluttered the coat rack be removing coats that were not worn, or were too small. I also updated some of the decorations on the shelf for something cute to look at. There is a hook for each of my three kids, so no one can say they can't find their coat. I also added two white baskets(a set of two for $1.14 at walmart) for odds and ends like sunscreen, tape rollers, etc.

Head on over to Metamorphasis Monday for more inspiring ideas!