The storage closet...

or as I like to call it "my junk room/freezer room".  I attacked that room and boy do I like to collect things, I complain that my parents are pack rats but deep down I am too BUT I am okay with that as long as I can keep it under control.
Are you lucky enough to have a storage room/closet to keep those items you just can't give away or the place you store gift bags and bows? Luckily when my husband developed our basement I specifically asked for a small room to keep the freezer and extra pantry items,  and intially all our christmas supplies ( I will tell you all about my place for those items later)

Freezer... check
Extra pantry items... check
Gift bags and bows...um yes check

Now I wish that was the extent of it but no it is not, much to my darling husbands delight (insert sarcastic tone).  I have 2 children who have taken numerous art classes and completed wonderful works of art in school and home, so what do I do with all this fabulous stuff?  I have 2 boxes, one for each of them which holds the many items received and collected. But I cannot keep every piece of art and every sculpture and every bit of creativity in my home, it would literally fill my house up, so I have to purge. 

Yes I do purge my children's art work and you should too.  But here is the genius of it all, take a picture. Quite honestly it will last longer than the art work itself, especially if you are a scrapbooker like myself. Hey devote an entire album to your children's art work if you like, takes up less space than the boxes of art you will collect over the years.

Now I am not saying to garbage all their art and just have pictures, although the thought of it sounds kind of nice. But what I am saying is you do not have to keep it all, hold dear the ones that are extra special and pass on the rest to grandparents and aunts and uncles.  What a great gift for the grandma who has everything but a framed copy of your daughter's lovely flower she painted. Or the clay caterpillar your son made at art class, wouldn't it look great on his uncle's shelf next to his picture? Great idea as my brother has a birthday coming up soon.

Take a photo of some of the precious items and place them in an album or frame, keep some things but toss the rest.  No you do not need to keep your daughter's math work from grade 3, maybe the odd workbook, but will you look at it in 10 years and fondly remember fractions? Probably not.

What else do you use a storage closet for?  That depends on your needs, I like my storage room as a place for those extra Costco items on sale or when Safeway has their toilet paper on sale or whatever. It is a place for my gift bags and the bin with extra toys and gifts for the unexpected occasion.
But remember, just because you have a storage room does not mean it is a junk room. It too can be a neat and orderly part of your home.