Sometimes I feel super overwhelmed by the things in our house.  The stuff that accumulates little by little.  When I look at a place that was once organized, I freak out, clear everything out and start fresh.  Well, that happened last week when I put towels away in our linen closet.  Here’s the before:

Sorry for the bad coloring in these.  Overcast day + dark hall + bad flourescent light = terrible white balanced photos.  Some things were still grouped together, but we had random toys, a light fixture, and stacks of pillows tossed around.  About an hour of purging, grouping, and shuffling around, I had organized my way to happy.

I’ve wanted to add labels for a long time and thought about my best option for our bullnose shelf fronts.  Something pliable seemed best, so I dug out a scrap of light cream leather.  Cut 3/4 inches wide (to match the shelf thickness) I wrote with a plain Sharpie.  Spray painted small gold nails hold each label in place.

Oh, and I painted the shelf fronts the color of the year, Emerald.

It’s just a fun splash of color to brighten up a dark utilitarian space.

While I had the gold spray paint out, I unified the small metal bins I had.  Then used the bins to store pillow covers and cases.  No more throwing old pillow covers to the top shelf.

Even this little hanging wire basket.

Now everything has a labeled place with room to spare.  Least used items at the top, out of reach.  I know this is a very small change, but fun little additions make me smile.  And if I can smile while putting away laundry, it’s worth it, right?

Have you incorporated Emerald in your home?  If so, how?