If there's one thing I organize over and over again in this house, it's the Cs' stuff! No matter how many times I declutter, they always manage to accumulate new things (cough*grandma*coughcough 😉 ), outgrow toys, or just create mayhem in general, causing me to have to repeat the process all over again.
So today I thought I'd give you a little tour of our current play area and talk about what's working for us right now as far as toy organization goes.
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So our "playroom" isn't actually a dedicated room. We have a long, narrow living room, and one half houses our couch/TV/sitting area and the other half is toy central, which you can see above. This area has changed over and over as the Cs have gotten bigger and their toys have gotten bigger right along with them! The last time you saw our EXPEDIT bookshelf, for example, it looked like this:
I actually liked the iron-on bin labels for a while, but there were a few things that were bothering me about this storage solution. First, the bins were black, and with the EXPEDIT already being dark, I felt like that side of the room was looking a bit like a black hole. When I was making the labels, I also didn't think about the fact that we would be looking at them all the time since they were in our main living space, and they really made the whole area feel more child-like.
The main reason I changed them out, though, was that the labels were permanent. Soon after I made them, the Cs stopped playing with trains, and it started to get confusing because we had all of these "Trains" bins holding other types of toys.
To remedy the situation, I found these Threshold bins at Target that happened to be exactly the right size but were a lot lighter and brighter than the bins we had been using before.
I still wanted to use labels to keep us organized, but I made them more discreet than the last ones, using adhesive bookplates with labels I made on my computer.
I used these same bookplates on the fabric bins in my office/craft room, and they're still going strong a year later, so I thought they'd be a great choice for the toy bins too.
All of the smaller toys, games, and books are housed in this storage unit, but when the Cs started accumulating larger toys, we had to come up with a solution for those too. After Christmas, we decided to bring in two GORM shelves and whitewash them, and they ended up being the perfect spot for big toys.
Yes, there are days I wish the Cs' toys were in a separate room so I could just shut the door and not see them, but I really think we've made the most of the space we have... at least for now. 🙂
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Thanks so much for visiting! Have a wonderful week!
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Loving this series, fellow boy-mom! You have mad labelling skilz... those new labels are just perfect!!
Thank you, friend!! Hugs!
~Abby =)
I agree the lighter bins brighten up the space. Amazing how small things can make such a difference! Cute toy storage ideas 🙂
Thank you, Ann!! Hope you're having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
This room looks great. I like how it feels great for kids, but since it is in the living room it still feels appropriate for a family living space. The kids and their stuff can overtake a room so quickly! We have a art, homework, book area off of our kitchen. It was where our dining room table was. But, I did a swap and put the dining room table in the formal room. Where the kids stuff was. It made a huge difference in my home, because now in the main living area (living room, dining room and entryway) there is little to no visible kids stuff. Well aside from some strategically placed bins under things. I also redid the feel of the kids area and made it feel like a family hearth room with just brighter colors. It still functions for the kids, but we can sit and enjoy ourselves in there. It is so nice to feel like I have a space for kids and adults!
That sounds wonderful, Emily! A dedicated toy room is definitely on my "must have" list for our next house! Hope you're having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
With three kids in our house, I feel that I have not yet found a system that effectively calms the toy monster. I'm excited to give this one a try, though. I love how a clean room instantly calms me down and helps my kids relax, too. Thanks for the inspiration!
That is so true! I know I feel a lot more "at peace" when the clutter is under control, but that toy monster is most definitely a rough one to tame! 🙂 Hope you're having a great week, Sarah!
~Abby =)
This is such a beautiful--and FUN--space, Abby!
Thank you, Kristi! Hope you're having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Hi Abbey
I m totally impressed with your talent of organising. I have a question that how you organise Lego’s which kids already built. How to keep them in their room I mean do you have floating shelf where you display them or how to store them? Thank you looking forward to hear from you 🙂 xx
Hi there! We keep them in the closet in their playroom, which has shelving to display them! You can see photos of that here: https://justagirlandherblog.com/lego-organization-strategies/ . Have a great day!
~Abby =)
I like your bin labels. It allows me to organize the toys by type. Where did you buy it?
Hi, Lulu! I wrote all about the labels in this post: https://justagirlandherblog.com/taming-the-clutter-organized-toy-bins/
Thanks!
~Abby =)