DIY Mail Organizer + Broom Closet Organization

You know how it goes.  You get the mail, it sits in your car for 3 days.  It sits on a random table for 4 more days after that.  You move it around a few times.  Your kids draw some awesome pictures on the envelopes.  You then realize the cell phone bill is due tomorrow.  No?  Just me?

We've been over this, but our house is small for 4.5 people.  When we moved back here in July of last year, we decided to give the kids their own rooms.  I honestly can't remember the reasoning at the time, but there you have it.  So we no longer had an office space.

So we moved our filing cabinet and mail organization to the garage, right next to the door entering the kitchen.  Suuuuuper classy around here, I know.  Clearly, that doesn't work as a long-term solution.  When we finally add on that big room, it will either include a separate office space or a big ol' built-in desk area.

But I know me, and I know that the likelihood of carrying the mail from the car/mudroom/kitchen to the office area is about zero.  I needed some sort of holding area for that stuff that was convenient.  But not ugly.  And preferably not hanging out in plain sight.

Then, thanks to the devilish combination of Ana White + Pinterest, I found a plan to build one.  Holler. Nic wasn't totally on board {never stopped me before}, so I waited until he was out of town and then had my talented mother-in-law help me with her jigsaw.

I followed the basic plan, but altered it to use a frame I had laying around {originally from Ikea}.  It was so so easy, and I painted it to match the cabinets.  I used some fun label paper I had on hand {a good friend works at Avery and gives me some random samples} and made some labels for each slot.  Then I added some cork board at the top.

So much better than stuffing our mail in the garage!

As for the rest of the broom closet organization, I put some cork board inside another frame and use that for the extra keys we have.  Our plastic bags hand in there, as well as brooms and mops.  At the bottom are two baskets that hold outdoor things {sunscreen, bug spray, hats, kids' sunglasses} and trash bags/paper bags.

This was another one of those thoughtful updates that make staying on top of things a little easier.

Tip-Out Trash and Recycling

One thing that we're really trying hard to do is install lots of thoughtful updates.  Things that, especially in the kitchen, will just make life a little easier.  I have a little note on my phone, and I add to it every single time I think "I wish this house..." or "In my dream house...".  You'd be surprised how many times we've found that we can add a certain feature to our current kitchen.

Exhibit A:  the tip-out trash can.

One thing that this house is sorely lacking in is a logical and convenient place to stash the trash and recycling.  Our city has a great curbside recycling program where we don't even have to sort the recyclables, and our recycling bin is the same size as our curbside trash can.  It's great!

But that means that we recycle everything we can, and I was spending a ton of time running out to the garage or to the recycling bin.  No buenos.

For a few years we had a standing trash bin, and then I decided that I hated the concept, and so we keep it under the sink.  When we remodeled our cabinets, I really wanted a trash system...some type of custom tip-out or pull-out trash and recycling.

I Pinterested around {totally a legit verb}, and found a few ideas.  This plan from Ana White {basically my hero} really caught my attention.  Rather than creating a standing unit, though, I modified it to fit our situation.

Really, it was simple.  Shopping for the perfect trash cans was honestly the hardest part.

So for starters, I installed the hinges on the bottom of the cabinet door, rather than the sides.  Had I just left it as-is, the door would fall to the ground when you opened it.  So I got super classy and busted out some child safety hardware that we don't use {because we like to live on the edge}.  I thought that it just might catch the edge of the cabinet, which would stop the door.  It worked!  Much better than having to find/buy/install some type of specialized hardware.

So at that point, we had two doors that tipped out and stopped, but we needed trash cans.  Like I said, this was the most challenging part.  Schlepping two kids in and out of Target, Wal-Mart, Meijer, and then Lowe's...I finally found the perfect size.

Next, we needed to attach the cans to the doors, so that the cans would tip out with the doors when they were opened.  First I tried Command Strips.  Sad to say, I use these things all the time and this is the first time they've failed me.  I guess the weight of our trash was just too much for even the heavy-duty stuff.  Enough said.

So Nic came up with this system of installing old brackets we had, and then hanging the cans on the brackets.  We used a screw that can be removed so we can take the cans out for cleaning.  Not exactly super-professional, but I think we get points for cost {free!}, and creativity.

We use a standard trash bag for the trash side, and then a leftover paper grocery bag for the recycling side.  Works for us, and makes life in the kitchen just a tad easier, and it makes everything feel a little bit fancier and more custom.  And it makes me enjoy being in the kitchen just a little more.