Of all the things in our house that people ask about, the card catalog is top of the list. I mean, it’s obviously amazing and gorgeous and just 
…But people also want to know if we actually use it and the answer is yes, actually. At least, some of them!
We currently have about half of the drawers filled I’d guess but the wonderful thing is that it will grow with us.
Here are the top 6 things we store in our card catalog:
1. Memory drawers.
This is the primary way we use our card catalog and it’s my absolute favorite way to store memories now. Starting with the year Wyatt and I got engaged, we label a drawer for the year and add bits and pieces to help us remember important events or sweet moments. Things like report cards, ticket stubs, drawings, birthday cards, letters from friends and family, or anything really. Then, every New Year’s Eve we try to take time to go through the drawer and remove items that we don’t need or want and tidy things up a bit, but mostly it’s to relive some special memories.
We also added extra memory drawers for trips we’ve taken, as those souvenirs would have totally filled the “regular” drawer for the year.
The one downside is that the drawers aren’t very big (index card sized) so we have to fold larger papers and we can’t include larger items like clothing. Although I do have newborn diapers and socks!
2. Wine storage
Did you know a wine bottle fits pretty perfectly in a card catalog drawer? We have a few special bottles of things we’re saving for the future tucked away. Recently, Wyatt and I met another couple when we were on a date and they gave us the idea to count out the future years of our life (special anniversaries and birthdays, etc) and add a wine bottle to that drawer ahead of time so when it’s time to open that year’s memory drawer, it’s there waiting for us to celebrate. What fun to open a bottle on New Year’s when we get ready to start the year’s new memory drawer!
3. Coupons and gift cards
I used to keep all of these in my purse (too many to keep track of!) or in another cabinet all tucked away (I always forgot about them) or on the kitchen counters (no thank you to the clutter!) and this has been the perfect tucked away spot. It’s also where we keep passes or other ticket type items (like our zoo passes) so they are always there and ready to go.
4. Kid stuff (tattoos, stickers, fidgets, etc.)
The bottom drawers are slowly filling up with little toys the kids stash in there. Have you ever seen a family with more bouncy balls?!
And the drawers are also great for keeping our collection of “water bottle stickers” and temporary tattoos all tidy and easy to access.
5. Electronics and chargers
This has been the best recent addition to our card catalog drawer usage—cameras, chargers and other items that need a home other than the kitchen counter or a cluttered junk drawer (or our kids’ bedside table!) They fit really well in these drawers and they are safe and easy to find when we need them. I love that these drawers are literally supposed to be labeled–unlike the drawers in our living room side table and the kitchen cabinets!
6. CDs
Ok, I know CDs are a thing of the past, but after Wyatt’s life collection of CDs was stolen (they were in his car when it was stolen last year), I set out on a mission to rebuild his collection as best I could and that’s great but now we have a ton of CD cases to store (until we decide to toss them? He didn’t keep most of the cases he originally had opting to have the CDs in a travel case). But they fit great in card catalog drawers so we’re good to go for now at least!
There are tons of other ways card catalogs can add really beautiful and really functional storage to your home. Other ideas include address labels and stationary/stamps, bills, keys, batteries, and seed packs, fabric scraps, art supplies or other junk drawer items. This cabinet is my favorite piece of furniture in our house so I would love it even without all the extra storage we’ve been able to squeeze out of it. But it’s just such a good feeling when form and function go hand in hand, right?
Would you want a card catalog in your home? Or if you have one, what do you store in it?
P.S. When taking the photos for this post, I found ANOTHER drawer of bouncy balls! Good grief!
