I can't handle shoes.
I mean, I like shoes. I wear them. Daily. Yet, I'm not a shoe-a-holic (should my shoes match my purse?!), nor do I have a shoe for every occasion (unlike some people who shall remain nameless but his initials are H.U.B.B.Y.).
Once you have kids, you start adding tiny shoes into the mix. Then you realize that Dang, four people create a lot of shoes. Like. A lot. I have a reasonable amount of shoes, Hubby has what I would deem a large amount of shoes (ahem). And somehow, Chica and Bug have a daunting shoe collection all on their own.
So seeing that we almost always enter and exit the house through one entrance (conveniently located in the kitchen), the shoe traffic starts to pile up. It's just. so. easy. to take your shoes off and throw them right by the door.
Then one pair of shoes becomes four.
The seven.
Then twelve.
Then a monstrosity that rivals a real live mountain and is an eye sore that taunts you whenever you walk into the kitchen.
This is what it looks like (on a GOOD day):
 |
| Let's note that more than half the shoes pictured here are Hubby's. Ok? |
This isn't even BAD.
I thought putting a shoe rack there would help contain the mess. "It'll make me be organized!" I told myself. I thought, naievely, that having this little rack set up would force us to truck shoes upstairs (where they belonged), save for 2 pairs that we used the most.
LIES.
I believed the lies.
Not long after we got the shoe rack, the shoes started piling up again, this time erupting shoe lava from it's mountainous top.
Something had to be done.
I knew I wanted something to contain the mess, something that closed and I wouldn't have to see the shoes. I considered a seated bench that opened (something akin to this), but the spot where we'd need to put it isn't very big. Anything too large would hinder us opening the door. A few months ago I was bemoaning my problem, and my friend Rachel shared this post from Young House Love, who apparently were dealing with the same shoe trials as me. I liked these Ikea storage drawers, but due to the location (near a window and there is a ridge on the wall as you might be able to see in the picture above), I didn't think the dimensions would work.
::le sigh::
Fast forward to yesterday. I'm
And these:
Yes, I spied the Itso storage system. The idea being that you buy the cubes, rack them together with the included pins, and then buy cutesy drawers to put in the cubes.
Consider me SOLD.
The price was awesome (each cube and drawer was a mere $9.99 each), and there were different colors and designs to suit your pleasure. I picked up 2 cubes and 2 drawers (I loved the polka dots, so I got 'em) for just under $40.
Last night, Hubby and I put them together and started filling the drawers with shoes.
All the shoes.
Every last shoe fit.
Then the heavens opened and trumpets sounded and angels started singing.
Isn't it pretty?
BOOM.
That's because they are all nicely hidden inside these stylish cubes.
So when I walk in the door from a long and arduous drive with my kids, I am not immediately sent into a blind rage over the compromised state of my kitchen.
Now if only they made house-sized storage systems so I could organize the rest of my life.
How do you manage your shoes?
Leave a comment - I'd love to hear your shoe solutions!
