Homemade Organization Tips for My Teen's Room

Crafty Organizing

• Put your sewing or crafty talents to work. Knit or crochet a pencil case, makeup bag or toiletry organizer. You can also use a sewing machine to sew pockets on an old garment bag, place a hanger inside, and then mount it in your teen's closet to place accessories in. If you're not handy with needles, use fabric tape for these projects instead. Use colors that go with your teen's room, and add patches, wording or graphics with iron-ons, or draw it on your own.

Boxes and Bins

• Bins and boxes offer convenient storage for items your teen wants to access quickly but don't want laying around. Use a set of hat boxes for keepsakes, paper, storing electronics or winter clothing. Let your teen decoupage the box with magazine pages, fabric or stickers if she isn't crazy about the old pattern. Do the same with ice trays to store jewelry or small items like guitar picks or erasers.

Repurpose Things

• Start with looking around your room, the garage or attic for new homemade organizers. Place an old nightstand drawer on its face, and your teen will have a makeshift bookcase. Place heavier books flat on the bottom to keep it from being top-heavy. Leave the handle on the top, or remove it so she can place small items on the top. Hang a vintage tray tin on your teen's wall, and use magnets to post reminders, important documents that need her attention or inspiration for school and art projects. Hang up an old peg board, and install hooks for a jewelry organizer.

More Ideas

• Look for ways to reuse glass jars from the kitchen to organize items. Place baby food jars in your teen's top vanity drawer to sort eye shadows, small jewelry pieces or tiny miscellaneous items. Place jars or plastic cups in a caddy or wooden tool box for paintbrushes, pens, markers and other study area supplies. Organize her electronics cords by clamping large binder clips on the back edge of her work desk. Thread unplugged cords up through the tiny hole in the binder so your teen can plug her laptop or cellphone quickly.