Homework HQ

We are BACK-TO-SCHOOL after what was one of the best summers on record. It's hard to get back into the busyness of the school year, but we are trying to stay ahead of the curve for as long as we possibly can. WHICH. Is why we have been doing some back-to-school related projects.

I have had this 'Secretary' since I was little. It has had a few makeovers, as seen here.  I am still using the part inside of the desk door for my packaging supplies [notecards, stickers, bakers twine, etc.], but the bottom 2 shelves continued to be a nightmare. They were filled with coloring books, kids magazines, then a basket or 2 crammed with the kids school work, forms, newsletters, artwork, mail, even things I had found in magazines such as recipes, cool ideas, etc. It was a free for all. I won't mention any names, but 'someone' enjoyed putting things in the baskets. And since the baskets were never 'defined' with a true purpose, the other 'someone' never knew to look in there. A couple field trip permission slips got lost in there. And the day of, mom or dad had to go up to the school to sign a new form before they were allowed to go. Not a good system.

So before school started, Kyle & I discussed things we wanted to fix & this area of our dining room was one of them. The dining room is not only where we eat, but also where the kids do their homework. To do it right, we decided NOT to use the baskets we already had. We took measurements of the height, width & depth so that when I went shopping, I would know if they would work or not. 

I found these baskets at Target [had to call around to find the 4th at another location!]. Originally, we wanted a more shallow basket where the papers could be placed flat. But based on the dimensions I had, I knew these would look more streamlined since they would fill the space. I'm not crazy about the pattern & color on the fabric, but I know I can always make new ones or even dye the fabric. 

I debated whether to do numbers or letters [B, D, L & T for Twenter as the family's basket], but decided numbers would look more organized, less busy.  I wanted to do stencils, but didn't have any, so printed out some numbers for tracing, instead. Then I was going to fill in with some paint. Until ... 

... I discovered how easy it was to use the colored pencils on the baskets. Because ...

 ... the baskets were made of paper. [duh.] I had fun creating the perfect 'color', which actually turned out to be a blend ... of lime green, brown, orange & yellow. So easy & fast. And so much easier to control, than paint. [LOVE.]

 Each child gets their own basket & the #4 is the one we use for the family.

I have a feeling that soon the whole piece will be turned over for Homework HQ. Inside the door would be a great place for notebook paper, pencils, rulers, a dictionary, etc. But until I'm convinced the kids will not lean on the door when it is open ... I have some safety concerns. So cREaTe's 'Packaging HQ' can continue to lease out the top half for now. :)