Wildcard Wednesday: Where Do I Store It All? {Part 2}

Last week I showed you my kitchen {where I keep my often-used & most favorite dishes}, as well as my formal dining room {where I keep my wedding china, some crystal passed down from my grandma, & some of my "good" flatware}. 

But as I said, that wasn't the half of it!  So are you ready for "Where Do I Store It All?" Part 2?

Since I left off in the dining room last week, with my wedding china & crystal, I think I'll begin in the guest bathroom today!  That's right, I keep a few dishes in the bathroom cabinet.  While it's definitely not my preference, there is a very large floor-to-ceiling cabinet in there, & not enough towels to fill it! 


So the top two shelves hold dishes & accessories. . . . . .

but you'll only get to see the top shelf for today.

{I know, it's kinda mean of me, but this post is already REALLY LONG, so I'm thinking this is gonna take a part 3!  You'll just have to check back next week to see where I keep some of my centerpiece items & other accessories!}

Oh, & just like last week, there will be multiple links throughout, showing you how I've used some of the items in tablescapes, so feel free to browse. . . . . .

Okay, so back to that top shelf. . . . . .

It's where I keep the rest of my "cheap" crystal & glass jars & containers {you might recognize those crystal bowls from my recent Flowers~N~Flutters tablescape}........


 . . . . . . .along with some china that once belonged to my grandma. 
{Look for it in an upcoming tablescape sometime this month!}

The plan is to eventually get a bigger buffet in the dining room, as well as corner hutch, & when I do, this china will be the first to be given a new home, but for now this is it's home. . . . . . .

To help protect the china, it's wrapped in bubble wrap & placed in 2 large baskets.  This makes it much easier to access.  All I have to do is take down the baskets & take 'em to the table!
{By the way, I LOVE these baskets from Hobby Lobby!  They come in 3 rectangular sizes & 2 round sizes.  I have them all throughout my house. . . . .my utility, my living room armoire, here, & a few more you'll see in a bit.}

Okay, so next I'll move to the hallway cabinet, which I've turned into my tablescape linens & utensil area!

{Since it's in the hallway, I couldn't back up enough to get a full shot, but as you can see, it's pretty much floor-to-ceiling as well.}

Starting with the top cabinet. . . . . .

The first shelf contains 12 photoboxes {I chose them because the size was perfect for the space}, holding napkin rings, place card holders, spreaders, small forks & spoons, & a few other miscellaneous items.

The front row of leopard print boxes holds my napkin rings {except for the silver ones you saw last week in my dining room}, while the back row of zebra boxes contains place card holders, spreaders, small forks & spoons, tablecloth weights, and a few other miscellaneous items.

I numbered the boxes & put together this little inventory so that I can see at a quick glance which box something is in & how many I have. 

{I keep a copy in the cabinet.  It's also saved on my computer for easy updates!}

Here's a little look inside one of the boxes.  {You might recognize these napkin rings from my kitchen storage in "Part 1."  I decided to move them to be with the rest of the spring napkin rings.  I prefer to have them all in one place if possible!}

Of course, some napkin rings are just too bulky to go in the photo boxes without getting smashed, so they're contained in re-sealable gallon size bags resting on top of the photoboxes.

I've stored my napkin rings & placecard holders a few different ways over the years, & so far, this has worked best!

Okay, moving on. . . . . . .The second shelf holds my tablecloths & a few other linens.  I would love to have a place to hang them, but since I don't, this is the next best thing.

My go-to neutral tablecloths are right up front, with the ones for my kitchen nook table on top, & the ones for my formal dining table on bottom.  This makes them easy to grab.

But when I need a little color, I simply move these out of the way, to reveal my colored & patterned tableclothes.
 {I have a thing about putting things in color order. . . . .you know. . . . .ROY G BIV.  It's the perfectionist in me.  Plus, it just looks so pretty!}

To the right is my miscellaneous table coverings. . . . . . .some material & tulle I used for a baby shower, a few sheer table toppers, some table runners, & even a couple of scarves I've used for tables!

Okay, enough about the tableclothes.

Moving down to shelf 3. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .this is wear I keep my napkins.

The baskets go 3 deep (for a total of 6 baskets on this shelf), with each containing a different color
 or colors . . . . . .again in ROY G BIV order.

A basket of red, one of pink & orange, another of yellow/gold, & one of green are hidden behind these front two baskets.  {Okay, so I have 2 baskets of green napkins, which is why there's one up front, too!}

Here's a little peek at the yellow/gold basket in my second "layer" of baskets.

I love being able to just grab the basket of the color I'm needing & head to the table.  Plus, I've found that putting each type in a resealable bag not only keeps them together, but also makes them easier to return.  The slippery plastic helps them to slide right back into their appointed spot.

After re-organizing my napkins several times, this is the best system I've found for my space!

Each bag has a brief description & the number of napkins for that type written on it. . . . . .I got tired of having to count napkins to see if I had enough for a particular tablescape!
{At some point, I might do an inventory for my napkins & tablecloths as well!  I'm thinking all of those baskets could use some cute labels, too!}

Okay, the next shelf contains. . . . . . . . .

What, more napkins?!  Don't worry, just two more baskets. . . . . .these containing my black, white, and neutral napkins. 

But simply move the baskets out of the way & you see my placemats!

My bamboo placemats are rolled up on the right.

One more shelf to go. . . . . .

It holds all of my chargers {well, except for my Gracious Goods chargers, which are in my kitchen with the rest of my Gracious Goods stuff, & 2 ceramic sets that are in my garage}. 
Do you recognize those antiqued white chargers?

Here, let me move a few of these out of the way so you can get a better look at what's behind.  Hmm. . . . . you've seen those bird nest chargers before, & that large stack in the back contains my frequently used black rhinestone chargers.

Oh, I almost forgot. . . . . .what about that drawer in the middle of the cabinet?

It holds the rest of my flatware {other than my Gracious Goods & "good" silverware, which were revealed last week}.

Recognize that acrylic flatware that I use so often?  {It used to be in the dining room, but with recent addition of my antique silver flatware, this is it's new home.}  What about the colorful flatware at the back?  The bee flatware & bamboo flatware are hiding in there, too.

I keep this flatware in plastic bags, too. . . . . .for one it makes it easy to grab & go, & for another, it takes up less space than a flatware caddy, so I can fit more in the drawer!

Okay, so that's the first half!

 I know what you're thinking. . . . . . .that was a full post in itself. . . . . . . .I probably should have split it up into two posts, but I really wanted to reveal it all at the big party this weekend! 

So. . . . . .if I haven't lost you by now, I saved the best for last! 

Here is today's grand finale.  Are you ready?  You might need to take a deep breath.  It can be a bit overwhelming.

You see, I used to keep all of my seasonal & extra dishes in tubs, all stacked up.  It was so much trouble to get to them that I actually rarely used them!  But when we built our house 4 years ago, I noticed this little recessed nook in our garage, and I thought it would be the perfect place for some dish cabinets.  After running it by my husband to be sure he didn't need it for work space, he agreed to have some cabinets made for my birthday a couple years ago. . . . . . . .that might have been one of the best presents ever!

So here they are. . . . . . .floor-to-ceiling. . . . . . . .almost 9 feet tall, 5 feet wide, & 2 feet deep!  After they were built (& before the doors had even come in), I was so excited to finally have the storage space, that my husband & I quickly painted them.  I think they weren't dry more than a few minutes when I started piling in the dishes!  I had them completely filled before the cabinet doors even arrived!

And as you can see, even after a couple years, we have yet to paint the doors!

Okay, are you ready to see what they look like with the doors open?

Now don't judge. . . . . . .I know some of you have more than I do!

Okay, it IS a lot, but I openly admit that I'm a dishaholic!

I'll start from the top left & work my way down.

The top shelf holds a lot of my stemware. . . . . . .sorted by color, of course.

Do you recognize those green goblets?

The next shelf holds my Christmas dishes & some red & green glassware. 
{You haven't seen most of these yet because I just started blogging at the end of January, which obviously was after Christmas!}

The right side of the 3rd shelf contains red & lime green dinnerware & my "girly" & "fun" Christmas dishes in the back.   I like keeping the lime green & red up front because I use them for other occasions, too.

The left side of the shelf holds my patriotic dinnerware, including my navy blue plates that you've seen a time or two & some boat bowls that you'll get to see tomorrow!

I know those tumblers look tacky with the paper, but they tend to stick together without it.  I even recently broke one trying to get them apart! :(

Here's a look behind the tumblers.

Moving on down to the next cabinet. . . . . .

The top shelf holds all of my "Mexican" dishes, including my mosaic ones, as well as some summery (is that a word?) dinnerware, including my tropical fruit plates.  I even have a few "Italian" plates hiding back in the back.


The left side holds my yellow talavera dinnerware. 
{Tip: For handled bowls & mugs that don't stack well, a small piece of cardboard makes a great shelf!}

The shelf just below holds my colorful serving pieces. . . . . . .

. . . . .while the bottom shelf holds some melamine dinnerware. . . .some bright, some black & white. . . .and a bunch of coordinating serving pieces.

One side down. . . . . .moving back the the top of the right side. . . . . .

The top shelf holds more stemware. . . . . . . .mainly golds & silvers this time. . . . .and you can't really see it, but there's even a little extra space on the left to add another set!

I also have a stack of 50 glass salad plates in the right back corner {these have been great for big events like baby showers}, along with a few mugs.

The 2nd shelf holds my black & white dishes. . . . . .zebra, Bon Voyage, black dinner plates, etc. . . . . . on the right. . . . . .

. . . . . . .and a few spring dishes {remember those cabbage plates?} on the left.

The next shelf continues the spring theme, with a few pink & green dishes, as well as some "blinged out" cream dishes, including those cream chargers & tiara pitcher I recently used.

Behind all that pink & green are some coral & green dinner plates, and behind those are my "girly dishes"
. . . . . you know, the ones with shoes & other girly accessories......doesn't everybody have "shoe dishes"?

One more cabinet left to go. . . . . . . .hang in there, we're almost done. . . . . .

The top shelf contains some springy/summery dishes. . . . .my Tracy Porter Vivre collection, along with some cabbage plates & flower plates.  My ceramic leaf chargers bu Tracy Porter are in the back.  I also have some green stemware down here for easy access, as I have used it often.  {Plus, I had a little extra space on this shelf!}

The next shelf holds my fall dishes, as well as a few miscellanous dishes. . . . . .my leopard print plates, my Kings Road Redux plates, some turquoise plates, etc.

And finally, the bottom shelf holds all of my football & golf dishes, as well as a few "movie & popcorn" dishes.

Although the cabinets may look a little messy, there really is a method to my madness. . . . . .not only sorted by theme/season, but also putting the ones I use more frequently toward the front.  Of course, I also had to arrange them to be as space-effecient as possible!

So as you can see, I am pretty much out of space, which means I only have 3 options:
1) Build a bigger house. . . . . . .that won't happen for a VERY long time!
2) Stop buying dishes. . . . . . .that probably won't happen either!
OR 3) When I find some more dishes that I absolutely have to have, I either need to have a plan for where it will go or be willing to get rid of something to free up some space! 
{To be perfectly honest, I have donated/sold many dishes the past few years, just so I could have room for new ones!}

Well, that's the tour for today.
Are you worn out yet?  I know I am!

Sorry it was such a long post. . . . .just so much to show! 

Be sure to come back next week {I promise it will be a much shorter post}, & I'll reveal a few more hiding spots, including where I keep my candles, vases, & a few other centerpiece items.  And if you haven't checked out Part 1, feel free to click on the "kitchen" link at the beginning of this post!

I plan to link with the following parties:
Amaze Me Monday @ Dittle Dattle
Organizing Mission Monday @ Organize with Sandy
Show Off Your Cottage Monday @ The House in the Roses
Blue Monday @ Smiling Sally (There has to be something blue in there!
We're Organized Wednesday @ Organize Your Stuff
Open House Party @ No MInimalist Here
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Rednesday @ It’s a Very Cherry World (There's red in there, too!)
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home


And of course, "WHERE DO YOU KEEP IT ALL?" at THE TABLESCAPER"S 2nd Blog-iversary party!