Storage Wars in the Rocket City
The holidays are behind us and if you are like me, the photo above is now your reality.
That was my playroom this morning. We have the double whammy of my daughter’s birthday three weeks after Christmas which means around here, it has been all Barbie, all the time. I am in the middle of my yearly Purge and Deep Clean, and it is s-l-o-w going.
Today, I am going to share a few organization tips that has made housekeeping a little less painful.
1. Storage Ottomans
Perfect for that surprise guest. Toss the Pet Shop in the ottoman and no one will ever know that just minutes before, your house looked like Toys R Us exploded inside.
2. Buckets
I am a big fan of the Lego bucket. The coat hanger idea is genius. I have also seen storage buckets hung from a curtain rod attached to the wall. Buckets can be used for any small toy. Is it just me or are toys getting smaller? What is a Squinkie and why is it the size of my fingernail?
3. Barbie Storage
$9 Target black shoe organizer + hot pink ribbon from Hobby Lobby = cheap and cute way to store Barbie dolls. My daughter and I are currently working on this project.
And what about those tiny Barbie shoes that you are always stepping on in the middle of the night? I have three words for you: Hanging Jewelry Organizer. It works like a charm. I can still hear my dad ranting and raving in our living room after stepping on miscellaneous items from my Barbie Dream House.
4. Hanging Bath Organizer
Don’t you hate it when your child’s bath toys get all moldy and funky? I usually do not realize that a toy has collected mold until bath time when I hear “Ewww gross, Mom! What is this black stuff?” Fantastic. This hanging basket will help wet toys dry out between baths.
5. Crate Storage
Even if your family is past the toy stage, chances are that your kids still collect a lot of STUFF. Sports gear, dance bags, lunch boxes…..you know of which I speak. If you are a crafty sort, these milk crates are a creative way of keeping track of shoes and bags and what not.
6. Creative Closet
If you are short on play space but have an extra closet—what about a makeshift closet fort? I love this idea. The possibilities are endless and it is relatively inexpensive to execute. If the closet is big enough you can still use it for toy storage, which would clear up living space.
So you have purged and cleaned and removed all of your children’s old, outgrown stuff. What to do now? If you live in the Madison area, the Asbury Thrift Store on Hughes Road will accept toys, household items, clothing… pretty much anything that is not broken, toxic, or hazardous to life. They even have a drop off area in which you can pull your car up to their dock and unload. It doesn’t get any easier than that.
Do you have any storage secrets? I would love for you to share them. Seriously. I need help.
All images can be found on Katie’s “A Place for Everything & Everything in it’s Place” board on Pinterest.
Katie Davis Skelley is a Tennessee native who moved to Madison with her family in 2009. Katie enjoys gardening (when not combating her mortal enemy, the Japanese beetle), fitness, singing in her church choir, traveling to exotic lands such as Orlando, and to the consternation of her husband Marc, frequently redecorating rooms in their home. You can read about her adventures in parenting over at Team Skelley and follow her on twitter at @katiedskelley.