Playroom Makeover

The Organizing Junkie does monthly challenges and I finally decided to participate. (Wha?...did you challenge ME? Oh, I don't think so...)

This project came just a few days after I decided I needed wanted some sort of organizational contraption for our playroom. Then POOF! Target generously put the perfect item on sale at the perfect time. It's exactly what I wanted! I put it together and filled the canvas drawers right away, but quickly realized that they needed to be labeled because no one could remember what was in them. I printed pictures of what was in each bin, put contact paper on them and tied them on this morning. How cute do they look!?!?! I realize the pictures are small, but I just love these cubes. The before and after are not that different, except that what's inside is no longer a mystery.
That little project totally got the ball rolling. I seriously couldn't stop. After having 2 new friends over for a play date this week, "stuff" was officially all in the wrong places...100 times worse than usual. During naptime today, I tore through the open bins we've had since we moved in (also a Target find - this is where everything gets tossed when the kids are asked to clean up) and took out all of the stray legos, lost tinker toys, train track pieces, parts to other random toys, game pieces that didn't make it back into the board game box, things like that...and put them all in their proper homes. I realize things won't stay "put" for long, but right at this moment, there is not a spare anything out of place. I think for the first time ever, actually! Ahh...what a great feeling. Below are pics of the closet (except the basketball hoop pic...that's in the corner of the room). I put shelves up shortly after we moved in because everything got SO lost in there. I was cursing all of the space that the walk-in closet provided until those shelves were put up. Now they're a life saver! I put most of the groups of piece-y toys (train tracks that should theoretically stay together, coloring books and crayons, Mr. Potato Head, etc) in the bins with the blue lids around the time that I wrote about this post.

I also wanted to show off this brilliant idea of mine. (oh yes, I am patting myself on the back!) I couldn't figure out what to do with all of the balls that we've accumulated. They don't stay where you put them, they're constantly under foot, and are a neusance when not being played with. Until now! I found a collapsable, stand-up laundry holder at Walmart recently for $4.99 and it fits all of the balls perfectly. They're contained, can be easily dumped then put away again...I feel like I need some sort of organizational trophy for coming up with this idea all by my little self. Is it just me or does this idea rock???

For more playroom organizational ideas, see the links to all of the other moms who took the challenge at the bottom of her post.