Storage Galore

In the process of 'doing up' my spare room I have been adding lots of Storage. I don't have a lot of money, being a student and only working part time, so tend to try and find cheap but pretty items. I opted for the simple 'Billy' bookcases from Ikea in white, as they provide lots of extra storage space, but also allow a fairly neutral colour scheme and allow you to blu tack cards and so on up the sides to add some extra colour. My main want though was storage boxes, as I have lots of things that need boxing up and keeping together if possible (art supplies, magazines, sewing kit etc.).

Anyway, here are a few cute and pretty ones that I have found recently and that fit in quite well with my general bluey theme for the room.

First up is these boxes from B&M:

The turquoise and white one is the 'medium' size box (£1.99) and the purple and white the 'small' (99p). They are a pretty good size (the medium one is holding lots of my A4 paper and notepads) and fit perfectly onto my shelving. I also have the large version of the turquoise one (£2.99), but sadly, that does not fit on my shelves, so is just sitting on the floor at the end of the bed at the moment. The boxes have big press stud like things on the corners to allow you to assemble or dissemble them really easily and have ready made lids.

Next up was the most expensive box, at £3. This one is from Asda and such a good size. It is the right size for A4 paper again, but really deep.

It doesn't strictly go with my colour scheme but has a beautifully summery feel to it (it reminds me of beach huts and deck chairs with the stripey pattern) and actually folds down really easily. You simply insert a thick rectangle of card (included), into the bottom of the box to make it retain its shape, and then take it out when you want to fold the box down. It is made of a plasticy fabric, which sounds horrible, but actually feels pretty nice to the touch. A must for a girly room I think :)

Last up is these two beauties:

The little drawer unit is perfect for jewellery or nail varnishes and the box can have pretty much anything in it, of course. My mum actually bought these for me today and does not know the exact price. They are from Wilkinsons and the estimated price is around £3 for the drawers and £2.50 for the box. I love Wilkinsons anyway, as they tend to have bright, lovely things, that are relatively inexpensive. Their stationery section is normally my weakness, but I am glad my mum spotted these as the drawers are just what I have been looking for to go on my dressing table.

I also have some plain grey storage boxes that were in the sale in Dunelm and are really useful. I am thinking of covering them in some nice wrapping paper, but do quite like the muted, plainess of them against the other brighter boxes. I don't think Dunelm have my exact boxes in stock at the moment, but I have had a quick look on the website and found some nice decorative boxes starting at £3.99. One type of box from their site that I will definitely recommend and vouch for though are these:

At £1.99 they are a good price (plus come in a range of colours, from black to bright green or pink) and perfect for storing shoes in. I can fit one or two pairs of heels or a pair of heels and a couple of flats in one box. They are made of fabric, but have a good frame to stay in shape and are secured by velcro on the side.

So there you go- my storage solutions, as found in the shops at the moments :)