WFMW: Unique Uses for Tool Bins (Updated)

I have a thing for organization. I really, really, really love organizing things. I'm pretty sure it's quite unhealthy, but gosh darn it, it's fun.

Just as I love to make substitutions in a favorite recipe in order to utilize what I have on hand, I, in the selfsame way, like to use what I have to create inventive storage solutions. Over the next couple of Works For Me Wednesdays, I'll show you some of my favorite ways to store our junk.

Featured here today are tool bins. If you shop in The Home Depot, Lowe's or a similar store, you may recognize bins like these from the hardware aisles. Most commonly, bins like these are used to store nuts, bolts, and screws. In my house, they're used to store fruit snacks, lint rollers, and glitter.

I acquired these tool bins a few years back when my mom worked with a hardware vendor. Every few months, she would have to reconfigure a display and replace the used bins with a new ones. When the used ones were in perfect condition, she would toss them in my direction, instead of just tossing them in the garbage. (Unfortunately, she no longer works with that vendor, so I thought my supply was cut off, but she recently told me she saw similar bins for sale at The Home Depot.) Moreover, while it may be difficult to see, inside the craft bins particularly you'll notice that I use other tiny tool organizers and office supply organizers to keep very small like items together.

[UPDATE: Gibee at Kisses of Sunshine found these same tilt bins for sale online as medical supplies. See? So many great uses! The bins pictured at this link are the smaller bins similar to the ones I store tea suppies in. (See below.) All the other ones I've shown are the size just bigger.]

I know there are many storage solutions specifically geared for the crafter and scrapbooker, but I've found many of the products that would be useful for me are sold at a premium because of the type of store they're sold in or how they're labeled. I prefer to store things on the cheap, and storage solutions for hardware or office supplies can often be found at garage sales or thrift stores for a low, low cost.

When it comes to organization, keeping my eyes and my mind open works for me.

Storing Snacks in the Pantry



This Storage Unit is the only good thing about the laundry room.
Down With Laundry!



Effective Storage for Excessive Hairbows
(Please disregard the wipes.)



Time for Tea
Tilting Bins in Two Smaller Sizes



And my favorite of all...
Craft Storage in the Scrapbooking Room



Kid Craft Supplies, also stored in the Scrapbooking Room


Appreciate the Label Maker Magic
My Favorite Label: Bric-A-Brac, because it's so fun to say!




(For more great tips, tricks, and ideas, check out Works for Me Wednesday hosted by Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer.)