I freely admit it: I hate jewelry boxes. I’m one of those people who needs to see it all spread out before me, and then make my accessory choice. This posed a bit of a problem as I tended to spread my jewelry out all over the bathroom counter (and led to lost earrings more than once). I may have found a solution with this Statist tree from IKEA. It’s crazy cheap — just $4.99! — and comes in several cute colors. The base is a little wider than I’d like, but it fits fine in my closet organizer, and the only thing I haven’t figured out how to hang on it is post earrings. I’ve already spotted it displaying necklaces at Fancy Pants, one of my favorite local stores, so it must be cool! - Mary T.

I’m so embarassed! I blog about homes and my desk is a mess. I want to make it more functional. Writing for three sites, keeping a day job and paying the bills probably shouldn’t be done on the couch, but I find myself there because I can’t make my desk work. I need to organize the top. How do I keep it clean and modern, while allowing for a calender, my charging station (the brown box) and all the other odds and ends? — Kim B.

If you’ve found yourself contemplating the lovely folders and notebooks at See Jane Work, but haven’t been able to justify the extra dough for the pretty office goods, click on over to their sale! You’ll find folders (like these from Caspari, above), magazine holders, Jonathan Adler-designed journals and more — all half off!

“Sorry,” we said, when the Circuit City guy who hooked up our new stereo-dvd-tv “system” told us a universal remote would be $500. Here’s our regret: We have remotes coming out of our ears! For lack of a better place, they hang out on the couch, where too often Buster sits his furry butt on them, setting off a complex system shutdown that takes experimental button-pushing to correct. Obviously these pesky controls need a better home. Where do you keep yours? — Megan K.

We recently redid our basement (Hurray for comfy, carpeted space!) and one of the highlights for me is the West Elm-inspired shelving designed and built by our talented friend Seth Keller. As the rec room was framing up, I envisioned built-ins that would be an eye-catching focal point while also serving a need for storage. In less than a week, Seth drew up a plan and pulled it off! Then I played with the set-up. I filled a mix of cloth storage bins from Target with toys, blankets, and magazines; and planted my laptop in the lower middle cube with the outlet. But the display is constantly changing—even my little Mia takes a turn! — Megan K.

Click through for a basement before shot, plus more on Seth. (more…)

After two apartments and seven years of throwing our mail on the dining table, my husband finally had enough of the clutter. The solution? A cute sorter from Pottery Barn. They have a very complicated “entryway” apparatus here. We purchased just the mail cubby in cream instead of the whole shebang. (In this picture, that’s the section on the far right.) Of course, now that’s pretty full. But at least we don’t have to push bills and magazines to the side before we sit down for dinner…. What’s your mail storage solution? — Beth J.

Our Daily Candy email this morning was about Pure Nomade’s Hotel Boxes. We’ve spotted them in British mags, but didn’t know how to buy — ’til now! These stackable boxes come in eight different groovy patterns (our favorite is White Blonde — white lace on black print) and are the perfect thing to stash your ever-growing shoe collection. They arrive flat, and stay that way until you snap ‘em into shape. A dust-lid in front seals the deal and ensures your goodies are easy to find. They can support up to 11 pounds of weight and be stacked up to 10 feet high. Available at Yoyashop.com for $25 each. Pricey, yes. But think of it as a multi-functioning art-installation for your room.

Ok. This was not on my to do list this week!

At 5 a.m. the other morning, Chad and I were woken with a terrible noise. It seems the top half our closet decided to collapse, sending boxes filled with photos and receipts, sweaters, out-of-season purses and the like down with a loud tumble. We have been meaning to dedicate a weekend to re-doing our closet: Having a good purge and customizing it with some sturdy, space-efficient Elfa Shelving. Luckily the Container Store is having a 30% off sale! Perhaps this will turn out to be a happy accident? We’re gonna try to work on it this coming weekend. In the meantime, if anyone has any brilliant closet advice to share, now’s the time. — Angela M.

They say a woman can never have too many shoes, but I suspect they have never tried to live with another grown up in a small one-bedroom apartment. In the spirit of both giving to others and comfortable togetherness, I elected to weed through the pile of shoes growing on our closet floor and get rid of some that I no longer wear (and in some cases NEVER wore) for one reason or another. We’re shipping off our box of sneakers, flip-flops, flats and pumps to Soles4Souls, an organization based in Alabama and Utah that specifically collects shoes from around the country and gives to those who need them. You can read about their good works here on their blog, such as the amazing million-plus they gathered to help Katrina victims last year. To learn more about how to make a donation, log on here for an instructional PDF. — Angela M.

Here’s what Ellen wrote in a recent email to us. “We hate wicker baskets and have semi-modern decor (vintage modern — sort of) and PLASTIC baskets are, well, what I used for laundry in college. I am looking for something cool to collect the toys in the living room. We have a play kitchen there and we need SOMETHING to hold those wooden pork chops. Any help would be great!”

We hear your pain, Ellen and have thought the same thing ourselves. Here are a few suggestions. First off, Beth keeps some natural canvas boxes from The Container Store in her living room for Iris’s toys. I have an Ikea LACK shelf, turned on its side like a bench, with The Container Store’s open cloth bins. We keep a ton of unslightly piles hiddden away in there. But here’s something a little more exotic: containers from the British company MeBox, above, which we read about in Living Etc. They make colorful boxes with perforated grid holes. When you punch them out, a constrasting color shows you through. You can create your own design, or order a set of numbers or letters. There’s only one U.S. contact listed, but it’s worth a shot. Email: mnorthrop@thestarrdesigngroup.com if you’re interested.

Does anyone else have suggestions for Ellen? Let us know! Or, do you need help with something in your home? Tell us about it at letters@shelterrific.com.