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How to Organize Toys, Crafts and More: 10 Creative Storage Ideas

Published on: March 11, 2013

 

Letter Caddy

Shipping Station
Oh, how we love a clever idea! Check out this dish-rack-turned-shipping-station over at Live Laugh Rowe. Mama Kelly picked up an inexpensive dish rack for less than $20 and instantly she had a place to store shipping supplies for the family: envelopes, tape, stamps, and more. This sure beats the overstuffed junk drawers we have at home!


 

Chalkboard Paint Dresser

Daring Dresser
Chalkboard paint for the win! And chalkboard pen, where have you been all our lives? This adorable idea for a custom DIY dresser over at McBaby Bump will have your kiddos learning where stuff goes in no time. McMama Chelsea lets her son add his own scribbles with regular chalk, and she adds the fam’s letter of the week and other learning words on the sides of the dresser. A genius way to organize kids rooms and clothes.


  

Upcycled cereal box dividers

Upcycled Dividers
If empty cereal boxes are taking over your house, then check out the I Heart Organizing blog for the perfect solution – drawer dividers! Simply use your drawer as a guide to cut the dividers just so, slap on some decorative paper, perform a few Tetris-like moves to get the finished dividers to fit, and it’s organization central. Head over to the full post to check out the tutorial for organizing drawers.



DIY mini clothes rack

Life’s a Stage
Do you have a junior fashionista walking the runway (hallway) in your home? We love this idea featured at Armommy for making a “mini”-mized DIY clothes rack for your little starlet. With a few simple materials (pine wood, metal piping and pieces, paint) and a little handyman know-how, you can bring clothes down to the kiddos’ eye level for unlimited hours of dress-up fun and clothing organization.


  

tiered caddy

Stand Up
We’ve seen dozens of iterations of this project idea on the web, but the version over at The Crafting Chicks wins the prize for most inspirational. Ready? Old cake tins. Candlesticks. Heavy-duty glue. Paint. That’s it! Chickadee Kirsten spent $6 in total, and the result was the perfect after-school companion for organizing art supplies, crafts and snacks.

 


Re-purposed bookshelf to bench

Bench (Im)Pressed
Here’s a crafty idea for a repurposed bookshelf featured at All Things Campbell. Creative blogger Lisa took an ordinary Ikea bookshelf, hopped it on its side, and dressed it up with some decorative moldings and a cushy fabric seat. What a great place to store all of those bedtime stories and snuggle up with the kiddos. How much easier could it be to organize a book collection?


 

Fabric storage bins

Round Bottoms Up!
We scream from the mountaintops , “More storage, please!” With this idea for how to build DIY fabric storage bins over at Film in the Fridge, you’ll never have to buy a boring, overpriced container again. Head over to the full post for the step-by-step sewing tutorial. You can customize the bins for each family member, and you’ll finally get all the unruly toys, clothes, and books under control.


 

Flower planter as storage

Plant-a-Toy
DIY storage ideas are hiding in every aisle of your local home improvement store if you have an open mind. This idea featured at Lolly Jane takes common planters and turns them into the perfect corral for organizing stuffed animals. What common objects have you repurposed for storage in your home?


 

Upcycled can storage

You Can Organize
Paint cans, mason jars, food cans – all can be given new life when jazzed up like this project over at Domestic Art. Wrapped with some fancy paper and stacked into a pyramid, the cans are a great addition to a little artist’s table. No more loose art or craft supplies cluttering up your spaces!


 

Dressed up boxes

A Boxy Transformation
Cardboard boxes – we’ve all got ‘em. Save them from the recycling bin and make a set of storage boxes like these over at Positively Splendid. With a little love, you can give regular boxes a display-worthy makeover (this example uses sturdy diaper boxes). Finally! Toys can stay stored in the living room – undercover-style.

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