A day's fix

I had the luxury of time to give our kids' study room a fix last Sunday. I badly wanted to because of the mess that is almost incomprehensible. The kids, and adults, just shoved things here and there allowing this unsightly thing to transpire. Tapes are everywhere, I do not know where to find this and that, my kids keep asking about their stuff. It's becoming time consuming and stressful to just locate a sharpener or paint brush.
So how did we do it? First, we took out everything, throw a lot of papers away, sort and sort, took some containers, and done quite a lot of labeling.

Throw away. I asked the kids to check which toys can be discarded. We can donate those that are still okay and throw the rest away. I also went into the piles of school works, old quizzes, and projects. I did threw most of them after consulting my kids. It's so nice that they cooperated and participated in the sorting. They actually did not realize how many small things they got.

Sort. I took out some filing boxes and sorted the kids' stuffs accordingly. Test papers go together, sorted by subject and put in separate folders.
Identical containers make a blast. Plastic bins are amazing organizing buddies. Buy identical ones so that when you put them together, they create a nice effect. These should not be too big so they can easily fit into the shelves. Later, if you wish to change the positions, you can always do so because the size of the bins is not limiting. For very small things like pins and clips, you can use identical plastic containers (disposable picnic containers are okay) and put them alongside each other.
Label all bins and file boxes. Label, so that you will be able to look what you are looking for because everything has a label. Get a fancy tape or sticker that you can use like the one I used below. Make it uniform as well for a nice and neat look.
Experiment. Update the look of your shelves by putting on a wallpaper or gift wrapper. Here, I used a wrapper to hide the stickers. A wallpaper will definitely do better.

For the test papers in the current quarter, I took some folders and labeled them on the side with my pretty tape and labeled them.

In the coming days, we will build-up one side of the room for the blackboard and other posters. This part is still a work in progress. I will share the developments of building this particular wall soon.

So, here is an effort to make a difference, I captured the before and after. 'Better than before eh? For now, this is okay for a day's fix. :)
BEFORE AFTER
Related post: How to organize your kids' closet
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