Pegboard Broom Closet

I love pegboard. I love how it can easily be adapted to fit your current needs. I love that you can change the configuration of hooks, shelves and holders on a whim and do not have to worry about filling holes and creating new ones.I even love the style of it, with the little peg holes in perfect rows.

I have been waiting to use pegboard in the house for some time now. I had started to collect pins to get ideas of where it could go and how I could use it.




Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Tanya on Pinterest

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Tanya on Pinterest

The opportunity finally arrived after an impromptu renovation of the basement stairwell (started with replacing the side-entrance tiles and ended up with patched and painted walls, and a new wall cap, and new handrail). So after removing the old and ugly hooks that were used to gather random items that found their way in the side door, we were left with a blank wall that needed something a little special. At the same time we need a broom closet. The kitchen didn't have a space for brooms and other items, and they often got lost in the basement among everything else that gets thrown there.

This was a perfect spot for pegboard. This often wasted space can be difficult to make functional with the sloped ceiling and narrow depth. But with pegboard each item can be arranged to fit the space.

For this project we required 2 sheets of mdf pegboard, trim (important for uneven walls), paint (I used what I had leftover from the living room) and a pegboard accessory kit. Luckily the kit came with spacers to help hang the pegboard and allow for space to insert the hooks. We also found similar small plastic spacers with other hardware.

Pegboard Broom Closest

Baskets to hold smaller items

Conclusion:

I love it. It was easy to install (though a little tricky to cut with the ceiling) and holds everything perfectly. We even have some extra space that I am thinking of adding the pegboard shelf. Everything is also easily accessible and easy to find.

Since we had extra leftover we even used it in other parts of the house.

Pegboard in Storage Closet

Pegboard Tools

This is also a cheap solution. Though I did not remember to keep my receipt, I think the whole project was around $40 (using leftover paint we had).

Greek Yogurt Chocolate Cake

I have seen a lot of posts lately for 2 ingredient cakes or other variations on the boxed cake recipes. Now, I have never found the regular 2-3 ingredient boxed cake recipes that difficult to make. So alternatives that offered shortcuts did not seem that exciting.


Source: hungry-girl.com via Tanya on Pinterest

But I did end up saving this pin from Hungry Girl that contained a collection of these recipes. Not because I finally got tired of the 3-step cake mix, but I often find myself missing eggs, one of the 3 main ingredients needed. 

Or, as happened the other day, I have an ingredient that I need to use. After finding a container of Greek yogurt in the back of the fridge that I wanted to use I decided to give one of the recipes a try, Cake Mix + Fat-Free Greek Yogurt.

Result: Not surprisingly it does work. The cake was a little more moist than the regular version but was still a good result.

Conclusion: Not the best cake ever, but more than editable, and great if you need to use up some ingredients or in a pinch if you are missing oil, eggs or water.

Backpack Storage

Our house has very little storage, and a lot of our DIY projects and renovations around the house are based on creating more and better storage solutions. I saw this pin a week or so ago and loved it. It provides multi-use storage and does not take up much room. But I really didn't have a place for it.

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Tanya on Pinterest

The front hall closest is one area that causes problems. We always seem to have more than we can fit in. Our recent problem is all of our bags for the gym and work. They pile up and often end up spilling out on to the floor.

Looking for a solution I remember this pin that offered a solution for keeping bags off the floor. Even more perfect I happened to already have the IKEA grundtal bar and hooks that were not being used.

So after gathering everything I needed I set to work, and 10 minutes later I had it installed and the bags off the floor.

Before

After

It may not be the final solution for our lack of front hall storage but it will hopefully keep our bags in order.