Organizing Side Effects!

This weekend I started my Spring cleaning in the basement storage!  It was hard work, but something tells me it won't be the hardest room I plan on conquering!  In the midst of that project I was reminded about 2 side-effects of organizing:

1.  Organizing encourages creativity.  I was taking a break after removing everything from the basement storage, and in the big pile of stuff I saw these two items, a black crate and red ribbon (in the Christmas box):

 I suddenly had this idea to weave the ribbon through the crate.  Here is the result:

No, it's not the prettiest thing ever, but I put a piece of cardboard in the bottom (which could be covered with wrapping paper), and now it can house smaller objects because they won't slip through the cracks.  If I was actually planning it, I could purchase cuter ribbon (wouldn't a black and white polka dot be cute?)  I plan to use this for storage in my daughter's room which is decorated in ladybugs.  It will probably be stored away in the closet, but at least when she pulls it out to play with its contents it will match her room! 

2.  Organizing may require compromise.   Even though my dream is to have unlimited funds for organizing, that's just not realistic!  I have more than 10 spaces to work on.  Buying new containers for every single one can get quite expensive!  So I started using the items I already have  in the house.  I was originally going for a symmetrical look in this space, so I put a shoe rack on either side:

I quickly realized these were inadequate!  I wanted to put more on these shelves, but the shelves were too narrow and not sturdy enough to hold everything!  What I realized I needed was a tall bookcase, but the only spare one we have is black, not something I would pick in such a small space . As I told my husband my dilemma, he made a request of me.  He asked that I would use the black bookcase for a few weeks to find out if that is really the shelving that will work, and if so I can buy a bookcase in the color of my choice.  I said yes because I'm organizing these spaces to make my whole family happier, not just me!  So in addition to being an "after" picture, this is a picture of compromise: