organizing the little stuff

So, a few years ago, I was having a problem containing all of my pens, paperclips, thumbtacks, and post-it notes. It seemed that all of these tiny necessities were clogging up the work surface of the desk and were constanlty getting misplaced. Enter my-now husband into the picture, and the problem multiplied by like ten. As the desk became a breeding ground for paper clutter, the pens and scissors and checkbooks also started spontaneously reproducing and disappearing all at once! A black hole for office supplies, if you will. So, it was IKEA that came to my rescue as it has many times since then. The Fira tabletop drawer unit is the perfect containment device for such small office staples. However, with its nine identical drawers, it too can become an overgrown junk hotspot unless properly labled. Try letter or number stickers or stencils. My labels are made from mini scrabble letters found in the scrapbooking realm of your local craft store. If you are really anal retentive, you can even partition off the individal drawers to hold two or three different types of items. For some office flair, paint it a festive color to accent a piece of art or photograph hanging nearby. I applied a white wash to mine to keep it clean looking, but it just might be time for a little makeover! Maybe light blue?