We ordered 42 crates from a local saw mill. They came full of sawdust, so our maid, Micaela, and I swept them out.
The wood slats came in different thicknesses, which made them wobbly to stack on their sides for shelves. We had to put in little pieces of wood to stabilize the stacks. But oh, how nice it is to have two "closet" walls in our bedroom and finally move out of my suitcase.
Due to limited space (our upstairs apartment is only about 400 sq. ft.!), we donated some of the crates in our bedroom to Barbies so the girls could have a place to play. Their room is filled with bunkbeds and crates with clothes and books, so there is only a tiny bit of walking space left.
Some of the crates went to the kitchen to use as "cabinets." You can also see the table and chairs that our carpenter made and the curtains for the windows that I sewed. I also made some fabric covers for the crates with local Guatemalan fabric. It is finally starting to look a bit more organized.
Some of the crates went to the living room.
And only a few crates were left over for the storage room. It is so nice to have a place to put things!
But even having only rough crates instead of nicely finished shelving is a blessing compared to our neighbors in a one-room shack with a dirt floor and only a fire pit inside to cook on. Something to think about.