on September 16, 2014 One of the most under-appreciated kitchen counter items is your paper towel holder. It stands on the counter or is hidden away until called upon for action after a spill or some other kitchen cleanup. This kitchen fixture is very versatile and has many uses outside the kitchen with a little creativity and thinking outside the box. Speaking of outside the box, we're unrolling we're unrolling a few ideas on ways to create your own holder from upcycled items that might be lying around your house. In a previous blog post, we wrote about how interior décor is all about creativity and now we are offering you a few more ways to creatively organize your belongings. About Latest Posts Latest posts by CubeSmart (see all) 8 Organization Tips for Your Desk Inspiration for Cleaning and Organizing the Refrigerator Pet Costumes to Put in Storage for Future Halloweens 4 DIY Weekend Basement Storage Projects Next: 4 DIY Weekend Basement Storage Projects Measuring Up: 7 Crafty Ways to Add Rulers & Yardsticks to Home Décor

Previous: Measuring Up: 7 Crafty Ways to Add Rulers & Yardsticks to Home Décor20 DIY Garage Storage Ideas Finally get a handle on all that outdoor clutter. A garage is more than a place to park your car. Sure, developing some DIY garage storage strategies will help clear up space to get your vehicle all the way inside, but it will also make your life a little easier. Imagine finding exactly what you're looking for when you go into the garage!Think of your children finding what they need without making an even bigger mess -- or coming to ask you for help! "The key," says Cassie Freeman, the creator of Hi Sugarplum!, "is to get everything off the floor. Use the walls, and even the ceiling, for storage space."These ideas will get you started:Storage Ideas for Parents Hang CordsThe Family Handyman shows you how to use a coat hook and chain to hang extension cords on the wall. Stash PaintHang a shoe holder on the wall to hold cans of spray paint, as seen on Hi Sugarplum! Use Kitchen GearInstall a paper towel holder on the wall to store your roll of black trash bags, like Princess Pinky Girl does. 

Don't Forget the CeilingHang up wooden tracks set apart the width of a plastic tub, suggest Wendi and Kern Lodwig, owners of Total Quality Maintenance. "Slide the tubs into the wood tracks and write what's in the tub on the bottom," Wendi recommends. Learn how at Family Handyman. Repurpose FurnitureReplace the mirror on an old vanity dresser with pegboard, as seen on Shelterness. Store garden supplies or tools in the drawers and hang smaller items from the pegs. International Window Cleaning AssociationOrganize Small ItemsUse a pivot screw to attach a metal muffin tin under a shelf like Lushome does. Best Cat Food To Stop VomitingUse each section of the muffin tin for screws, nails and other small items. Best Type Of Flooring For Uneven Floors

Corral Large ToolsUnexpected Elegance shows you how to turn a wooden pallet into a place to stash large lawn tools. Keep Small Items OrganizedKeep nails and screws sorted using Chez Larsson's jar system. Install PegboardPegboard can be customized for any amount of storage. See a stunning example at The Creativity Exchange. Use MagnetsSmall tools can be stashed on strong magnetic strips, like Apartment Therapy demonstrates.Storage Ideas for Children Stow Sports Equipment"Ball baskets are great!" says Wendi. Make your own with bungee cords and directions from Designed to Dwell. Hang BikesDream Green DIY shows you how to secure heavy-duty hooks to the ceiling or walls in the garage and to hang bikes out of the way. Make CubbiesPlace a cubby with several sections on the garage wall, and your kids will have a place to stash smaller items, such as baseball gloves and water toys. Head to IHeart Organizing to see an example. Add a RackInstall a rack with hooks right outside the door leading into your home, like East Coast Creative did.

This is a great place for your kids to hang backpacks and jackets so they don't clutter up the house. As a bonus, everything will be ready to grab and go in the morning. Store Flat ToysCut pie plates in half, screw them to the wall and you'll have an instant place to store your kids' Frisbees, discs and other flat toys. Learn how on Family Handyman. Protect the Paint JobGive kiddie cars their own garage with this DIY from Mom Endeavors. Label BasketsUse interlocking baskets so your kids have a place to put bottles of bubbles, sidewalk chalk and sand toys. "Label the storage baskets so everyone knows what goes where," suggests Freeman. Find out how on I'm an Organizing Junkie. Stash ScootersKeep scooters from toppling over with these DIY garage storage ideas from Simplistically Sassy. Make a Ball RackEhow shows you how to make an inexpensive PVC ball rack. Hang SkateboardsIt's easy to get skateboards off the floor with this DIY rack from Documama.Sara Ipatenco is a former elementary school teacher turned stay-at-home mom and freelance writer.

Ipatenco holds a bachelor's degree and master's degree, both in child development and elementary education. Ipatenco has been published in "Teaching Tolerance" and "Family Fun" magazines. Like what you see here? community for free and meet others like you. Few bathrooms have enough places to hang towels. Stacking towel bars behind closed doors is a great way to remedy the shortage and use space efficiently. Combs, brushes, and toothpaste take up considerable space when laid horizontally on a shelf. Flat-backed, self-adhesive cups on the inside of the cabinet door hold them more efficiently. Before pressing the cups in place, line them up between the shelves. To ensure the door can close, put thin items on the shelves in the spots where the cups will take up some space. Clear off bathroom countertops by storing toiletries in a hanging organizer. To make one, just stitch a few seams in a hand towel. Keep bathroom items neat and accessible with cubbyhole shelves for large items and surgical jars for small toiletries and accessories.

Get these Bathroom Remodeling Tips Keep the bathroom tidy by hanging towels from the rungs of a progressive or apple-picking ladder propped against a wall. Or use a towel ladder on a porch for beach towels, so sand isn't brought indoors. To prevent the ladder from slipping, attach rubber tips made for chair legs to the ladder's feet. You can also secure the top of the ladder to the wall with hooks and eyes. Uniform plastic bottles not only look better than the usual shampoo and soap containers, but they also fit more neatly in storage devices, such as the hanging wire basket installed in this shower stall. It's always helpful to identify bottles with laminated labels, adding either the names of family members who prefer their own products or else listing the contents of the containers. Sometimes you have to think behind the box. This medicine cabinet became more efficient after it was affixed with a sheet of precut galvanized steel to its interior with construction adhesive.

Magnetic hooks now hold scissors and a mirror, and small plastic cups with magnetic bottoms corral small necessities, such as rubber bands and hair clips. If you can, choose cabinets that offer separate spaces -- preferably one for each person who uses the bathroom. On this refurbished antique, the bottom drawer contains the kids' bath toys, while the top one holds mom's hair-care essentials, plus a first-aid kit. Lazy Susans make accessing toiletries, stored in pretty clear containers, a snap. Bathroom drawers are second only to junk drawers in their potential for messiness. It's too easy to toss grooming products in there pell-mell. Wooden boxes and trays help categorize the items and are available in various sizes and materials, so they can be mixed and matched to fit any sort of drawer. Central bathroom cabinets can be fitted with roll-out wire trays, the kind used in kitchens. One contains a first-aid kit and miscellaneous toiletries. A pair of hooks fastened to the inside of the doors hold a hair dryer and a flat iron.

In the adjacent cabinet, a second sliding track holds the bathroom's trash can. For a guest bath, mount a streamlined hair-dryer unit to the wall beside the sink. You can find them online through suppliers of hotel accessories. Soap in a Sponge Put soap shards and leftover hotel soap bars to good use. Use a utility knife to slice into the center of a natural sea sponge. Then insert soap and lather up. Every last bubble will be surrendered. The soap will stay in place as it shrinks, adhering to the fibers of the sponge. Vintage planters are a playful spin on more traditional bathroom accessories. Displayed on a metal-and-glass table, they hold bottles of shampoo and liquid soap, sponges, bar soap, and hand towels. Tuck a new toothbrush, soap, and a washcloth into a planter and put it in the bathroom cupboard -- you'll have the perfect guest package ready at a moment's notice. Your family and guests won't confuse their white towels if you color-code them with hanging loops.

Suspended from pegs, the towels will dry quickly and stay neat. Stow spare rolls of toilet paper in a clear glass vase or umbrella stand; it's a sleek way of stacking them, and you'll know at a glance when you need to refill the supply. Make space for supplies over the bathroom door so that they'll be accessible when they need to be replenished. Use wood screws to secure a pair of wooden shelf brackets to either side of the door frame; screw shelf to brackets. The shelf should rest on top of the door molding, which will help support the weight. Keep small bottled items and toilet paper in handled boxes. Bars of soap can be stored, unwrapped, in an airtight glass container. A wooden flea-market cupboard makes a great towel cabinet. Use the top of the cabinet for extra storage. Keep your regular supply in the glass-fronted cabinet. Having all towels visible makes it easy to keep track of your inventory. Open shelves on the sides hold glass jars full of cotton balls and soaps.

When you need first-aid supplies most, you're usually not in the best frame of mind to search for them. A well-stocked first-aid kit keeps the items you need easy to find. Walls in bathrooms are often underutilized. To make towels and washcloths handy for bathers, install a hotel-style multitiered rack on the wall next to the tub. Bathrooms require frequent cleanings, so keep a plastic bin with all the necessary supplies in the largest cabinet. You should store a season's worth of toilet paper in there, so guests never have to make an awkward request for more. A properly folded towel has a neat, fluffy appearance and hidden edges. An extra seat in the bathroom is always welcome, even though moist conditions may limit appropriate options. Try draping a wooden folding chair with a thick cotton-terry slipcover, and suddenly you have an inviting perch for a manicure, a blow-dry, or bathroom accessories. For a generous source of lather and to put an end to searching for the soap on the bottom of the tub, slip a soap bar into a pocket made from a luxurious terry washcloth.