Quick Lift to the Toy Room

 

 So the latest and greatest...We've been working in the toy room hard core this past month. Its not done, but it is getting so much closer. and I'm very excited about it. I found this cute pink rug at Shopko for $49. It was perfect for the little art table.

The Table itself Jilly got from Santa 2 Christmases ago. I'm pretty sure Santa picked it up from Korey's best friend Andy since he makes tables exactly like this. :) The top of the table is white board. Its so great to let the kids color to their hearts content. No paper to throw away. we take pictures of the picasso's and the kids enjoy wiping away the art as much as they do drawing it in the first place. It's also a great little table for snacks or lunches/dinners when we have cousins or friends over. The table is just their size and that as you know is very important.

This cute bucket I picked up at Target for a couple of bucks. The fairy on the outside shows us what lives in this home.

Why Fairies of Course!!

 

I should probably start by the front door...I love the set up we finally came up with. there are hooks on the wall for jackets and purses. Permanent homes for Jilly's &

temporary resting places for those of her friends and relatives when they come to play.

We lose less jackets this way.

Next we have the shoe bins. I know it looks kind of messy but its CONTAINED messy. Much better than tripping all over them all over the house. And parents appreciate that there is a place to put kiddo's shoes where they will be found at then end of their visit. I am also happy since I no longer have to keep an eye out for random shoes...well most of the time there is one stray pink sandal that I think belongs to my niece who lives in New Mexico. But it is only one random stray shoe, and that my friends is progress. I'll take it.

Next is the window. We used a storage box that Korey built and turned it into our little faux window seat. I found these awesome pillows at Tai Pan. One had a small defect so it was $12. The other one was $14. I was VERY happy with this find. I had taken pictures of them on my phone and thought about them for 2 days. I went back to get them before this perfect find was gone. I still loved them, and I had Jilly with me this time and she loved them (pink...need I say more?) So we got them. The bins in the slots underneath have the baby dolls and baby doll accessories inside of them.(the fairy bucket hang here by the window)

Now we've come to our big beautiful bookcase that Korey and his BFF Andy built into my wall. LOVE IT! I gave them one crazy design and they made it happen. Thanks guys! perched on one of the outward shelves are Jilly's travel bears. We like to collect them as souvenirs of places she has been.

We don't always find them but when we do 

they have a happy home to rest their weary traveling legs on.

What is a toy room without dress up clothes? (Especially when the primary resident of the room is a little girl...a theatrical little girl and no I have NO idea where she gets that from! ;) You can barely see it in the picture but we have a tote just for dress up shoes that fits nicely in the bottom of the pink dress up chest. Again it looks kind of messy, but controlled messy. Anything that the kids can put away themselves is a good idea in my book!

 

The pink chest slides perfectly under the bookcase. Evey thing has found a bright cheerful home!

Doll set from Christmas this past year has a nice cozy home on the other end of the book case. Complete with swing, highchair, changing table/sink combo. But no, we do NOT put water in the sink. That is a nice for pretend thing.

Under the  bookcase on the right side is one of my absolute favorite homes for some previously homeless items that found their way all over the house--you know the toys that migrate like lemmings--and you find them in the most inopportune times and places..like under your bare feet...or when a visitor gets a strange look on their face and pulls something up out of the crevice of the couch...Yes I'm talking about the lite brite. The marble games, and the play dough. The puzzles and candyland, the 3D version. all those pesky games which are so much fun but a vacuums nightmare. Well say goodbye to that heart sinking crunch as you wonder what you sucked up now...

TADA!!!

These bags are a god send! I was put onto these by my cousin Sarah who is a preschool teacher. She showed me the bags and how she uses them and then she said some wonderful magic words..."I found them at the dollar store" and that is where I found them as well. Now all the play dough as shown above here is all in one place. The lite brite and its little pokey friends have a home where they can all be together! and no more gingerbread men from candy land hiding under my bed!

This fun guy I found at Ikea. His mouth always holds some fun treasure.

 



Storage bins are on the shelves providing homes for the tea sets, the barbies and their accessories as well as all the paper books that just fall all over and get torn to shreds. 

A home for everything and everything in its home...

 for the most part.