OK, it’s spring time in Tucson, meaning the weather is PERFECT for tackling any kind of DIY projects round the house in general, or the garage in particular.  Interestingly enough, between some situations going on at our house as well as discussions with some friends about what they’re trying to deal with, I’ve been involved in some great conversations and brain-storming sessions about ways to organize things effectively (which is not naturally my strongest trait).

By doing a bit of reading online, I came across a number of really good articles that helped send me on my way.  Maybe, hopefully some of these can be of some help to you as well.

The first one came because my buddy was talking to me about the best way to convert his garage into his “man cave”.  While I was able to give him some professional advice and share a few pointers based on variations I’ve seen over the years, the following article turned out to be helpful for him as far as coming up with some ideas of his own.

image from remodelaholic.com

Adding Storage and Style to a Manly Space

I thought it would be a fun challenge to give Kevin a family-friendly man cave. That might be an oxymoron, but I’m going to give it my best shot. Here we go!

As always, I like to start off by scouting out some inspiration photos. Kevin asked for shelving so I found loads of fun images to get my creative wheels turning. While there are so many options for adding storage around a fireplace, I kept my focus a bit narrow for this project, opting for a more masculine look. To me, a rustic-modern style is perfect for a space like this, so I kept an eye out for open shelving, rustic finishes, and man-cave vibes. Not all of these images fit into all of those categories, but it’s a good starting point for the look I had in mind.

Read more at http://www.remodelaholic.com/adding-storage-style-manly-space

Coincidentally, the timing of the conversation with my friend about creating his own “man cave” and the subsequent internet research for him, led me to another article that I wouldn’t have expected to be ‘for me’, but it actually was.

It was the first paragraph that grabbed me (about living in close quarters with 4 dogs), because I could relate to it so much.  From there, while the author was discussing more of a ‘girly’ closet situation, once I put aside the rediculous macho stuff, I realized she was making a lot of sense. Not only for how I could create the most from my remaining space in our closets at home, but also how to thing about organizing my garage.  Brilliant!

Easy Tricks to Create More Closet Space

My life is a little bit on the crazy side right now (whose isn’t?!)- my husband is in training for 5 months and I am living in with my parents. And our 4 dogs. In the bedroom I grew up in. Oh boy.

We sold our first house in a day (woo! and ohmygosh!), so when I moved in, it was in a bit of a rush. Fast forward a few months and I still couldn’t find things in the closet, couldn’t fit anything in my dressers and was an all around mess. It was time to organize.

Read more at http://www.remodelaholic.com/easy-tricks-create-more-closet-space/

What I’ll be doing exactly is still a bit up in the air, but these to articles really helped me pull a few ideas together.  I’m hoping it may have helped you in the same way, too.