Stuff I've read that you'll love...

So I'm stealing another one of Cupcakes and Cashmere's blog ideas, which she calls "Links I Love." Being the avid blog reader that I am, it's only fair that I share these five posts with you loyal readers. This week's theme is organization.

1) You can never have too many baskets around to organize and corral stuff, especially if you have children who litter it everywhere. Knight Moves has been kind enough to showcase a nice selection with online sources in tow. Love that.

2) Arianna Belle shares how she manages her magazine clippings. As you know, I'm a magazine hoarder. During my renovation, I kept several inspiration binders organized by room and topic. That has since gone by the wayside. I guess I should resume that practice. Because let's face it, my book shelves aren't going to look like this anytime soon.

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3) I love the way Arianna organizes her handbag too. I'm getting a card cubby.

4) One of our family traditions is collecting sea treasures from our beach trips. I have managed to save them in jars, plastic bags and bottles with the location and dates enclosed. They would look so much nicer like this -- from Vreeland Road. I spy a Rosemary Beach jar. On my project list.

5) Styling bookcases is always a challenge. Local designer Sherry Hart makes it look easy from start to finish. Also on my project list.

Living in legoland

When we renovated 3 years ago, we asked our architect to carve out a study space for our sons. Here's what it looks like now.

Upon closer inspection.

As you can see, not much work gets done here. It has become the home of a fraction of the Legos we own. The problem with assembling let's say the $150 Harry Potter castle is that the finished product needs a place to rest. We just don't have that kind of real estate to spare.

An aside: After agonizing over what counter surface to use, we chose dare I say: laminate. It comes in a variety of colors and is virtually indestructible -- an important consideration in this household. Not a great photo, but it looks like granite or soapstone. Faux I know.

I recently read about IKEA hackers. Do you all know about it? I found a multitude of ways to create Lego play surfaces, as well as storage, using IKEA products. Brilliant. Let's take a look at some.

This project used a wall frame and tubs with coordinating fabric curtains that blend in with the room's decor.

Look what's hiding inside:

This table is perfect for assembly, storage and display.

Don't have any floor space? Set up wall storage.

DIY blogger -- centsational girl -- made this good looking unit with the IKEA Lack table.

So as you can see, the possibilities are endless. No worries if you're not handy. You can pay someone to hack it for you. That's what I'll have to do if I can't persuade the creative geniuses across the street (you know who you are) to help me out.

Are you an IKEA hacker? Please share.

21 day organization challenge

Not surprisingly, my 30-minute-a-day cleaning regimen is not going well. I am transitioning to getting my house organized. It's a good thing Holiday Sparkle has already planned it out for me. Love this.

In addition to the plan, there is a check list to keep you honest.

I have checked numbers 6-7 off my list. This weekend, I plan to tackle the basement, which is a huge undertaking. Could take weeks.

If you have garage organizing on your list, hop on over to Simplified Bee for a Monkey Bars Garage Storage Systems giveaway and discount.

Have a good weekend!