I was a Target the other day and they had a wicker unit that was much like those plastic three drawer units, but not as ugly/cheap-looking. I've also seen the same concept with a wooden case and wicker drawers, but I don't remember where I saw it, maybe Pier 1.

Another idea, you could get one of those cushioned ottomans that open for storage and keep it at the foot of your bed.

Bonnie

OK, I posted this earlier, and then I crashed. Here I go again.

I wrote a story about "the dress-up box" once, and my expert called me especially to say, "don't use a box. Use shelves, hooks. Clothes jumbled and crammed in the bottom of a box are not appealing to play with."

Here's my idea!

Go to Target, get the shelf I put the link in for below.

It's a floor cabinet, designed for a bathroom. Has a door, and a drawer at the top.

Then, attach WOODEN PEGS (or better yet, an expanding wooden peg rack--paint it white to match) or METAL HOOKS to the SIDE

Using a peg rack would mean only about 2 or 3 holes, and you get a lot of pegs. You could keep them close together and mount it horizontally, or mount them vertically (again, keep them kinda close together). She could hang pocketbooks on the bottom hooks, and dresses on the top.

You can add an extra shelf or two inside, if you like--might be best, since the cubby-hole effect will be more useful that stacking stuff in a jumbled mess on the shelves.

On the shelves, she can put shoes, pocketbooks, hats, even scarves. A stole, since it won't hang well.

You can add organizers on the inside of the door, too--get a shoe bag, and cut it down, and staple-gun it to the inside. She can put scarves, shoes, & jewelry in there. Or put some hooks there, for jewelry or small pocketbooks (just be sure the pocketbook hooks are LONG enough, so the pocketbooks don't fall off)

If you choose to add your own hooks, make them actual hooks that curve up, and are generous enough that little kid can actually succeed in getting something to stay on it.

It'll take up less floor space than a bin. Oversize hats can sit on top.

It'll look nice (though of course, it'll be all colorful on the side where the stuff is stored in an orderly manner).

But most of alll, it'll be easy to use, and easy to put stuff away in. And it'll look FUN to her, I bet!

That's my big idea. Hope it gets you thinking, even if you don't actually use it.

(I found that cabinet by doing a Froogle.com search on "bathroom" and "cabinet"--add "floor" and it might be even more helpful. A jelly cabinet or preserves cabinet might be useful, too, but it won't have a drawer. It'd be taller, which might be nice for hanging stuff)

Here is a link that might be useful: floor cabinet for bathroom--it's $50

These are some awesome ideas!!!!

The wicker version of the drawer unit would work really well without being unsightly in my room.

The storage cabinet is a beautiful idea. I'll have to keep that in mind for the future maybe when we move my daughter to the bigger bedroom. After all these posts I started re-evluating the way I have some things oranized & while my playroom is still a dilema I did come up with some ideas for daughter's room. She has a prettier pink plastic 3 drawer unit currently in her bedroom. 1 drawer has little cars she rarely plays with so I'm either going to get rid of them or tupperware or ziplock them & put them in the toy chest. Another drawer has baby puzzles, so I can put those away too. That will leave me 2 empty drawers - one of which we can use for the Build a Bear clothes/accessories which we currently keep in the bear's cardboard box on the bedroom flr & then the other drawer can be for the fake American Girl clothes & accessories, so that'll clear out some space on her flr. She'll be getting a bed & hair salon chair for Xmas so I'll have to find a place for those too.

I also reorganized the bottom of her closet & can probalby now fit antoher 3 drawer unti in there & I'll put her dress-up stuff there & this way I don't even need to have it in my room---yeah!!!!

All these posts are inspirational - keep 'em comin'!!!!

Thanx
Michie

Talley Sue,

Before I looked at your link, I read your message and thought your bathroom cabinet would be one of those cabinets that go over the toilet, (don't remember what they are called) with long sides that rest on the floor, yet the cabinet with doors is about head height. Wouldn't that be a great idea to get a couple of those and screw them together, add a few hooks to the inside and put them in the entry for kids coats. You could even fashion a bench on it so they could sit to put their shoes or boots on.

You are an inspiration!

Bonnie

ooh, Bonnie, that's a GREAT idea! Wow, what a way to improvise! It would work beautifully. If your entry area is skinny, like mine, and you don't have room for a bench that permanently sticks out, you could get a stool, and slide it under, next to the boots.

I don't know for sure what they're called, either. I had a neat looking wooden one that was one of the first ones I saw, and it looked very nice. In a rental apt., where you can't hang stuff on the walls, that was really nice! it didn't have doors, the way some of them do now, but it was still very useful. I can't use one in my current home--a window 0ver the toilet in one bathroom, and a cabinet on the wall in the other--so I donated it somewhere.

But what a neat other use for them! You could add hooks to the sides, or even get those double hooks to hang from the underside of the top section, just like the cubbies at day-care have!

Michie, there IS a wicker cabinet like that (search "preserves cabinet")--it's a bit more money, and doesn't have a drawer. But that drawer is a teeny bit high for a short kid.

The reason I didn't point you to that cabinet is, it's hard to attach hooks to the wicker, and I think the hooks are important--hanging the clothes up means she can see what she wants to use. You could use a freestanding coat tree, though. Do a Froogle.com search on "coat tree" + child's, and you'll see lots of them, in prices from $20 to $80. The only think I'd think is, there are only 4 hooks on most of them--not a lot, but better than nothing. I also don't trust clothes trees not to fall over.

Another reason NOT to put dress-up stuff in a big box: when they're trying to find the necklaces that have slide to the bottom, they dig EVERYTHING out and throw it on the floor.

(how old is this kid? And are you gonna have any money--or ROOM--left to get her presents *next* Christmas? My kids are 10 and 6, and I've realized that too much at Christmas is a bad thing. When there's a lot of stuff, it just doesn't register. It's disappointing to me to scale back, but it's necessary. Plus, there are so many OTHER people giving them presents, it's just too much STUFF.)

Good luck!

how old is this kid? 3

"And are you gonna have any money--or ROOM--left to get her presents *next* Christmas?"

I guess around this time next yr I'll be wondering the same thing I am now.

"too much at Christmas is a bad thing. When there's a lot of stuff, it just doesn't register."

I haven't had that problem so far BUT I did on her bdy when she had 20 kids at her party & when she came home & was exhausted & still had to open them all up. When things are in pkgs & cant' be played with immediately it isn't fun so I usually unwrap everything & have it ready for play before I gift wrap it.

"Plus, there are so many OTHER people giving them presents, it's just too much STUFF."
I wish but we have a very small family so she only gets gifts my my sister, my Dad & my friend who I'm godmother to her daughter, so the gifts are mainly from us.

I really do appreciate everyones suggestions. I'm on an organization roll right now. Of course some advice I'll take & some I won't, but it's nice hearing everyones ideas.

Michie

Oh, this IS an EXCELLENT idea!

How about fitting a fold-up bench in place of the TB, over the shoes? It may not work for adults sitting there to put on shoes, but it should work for kids... Although, now that I think of it, why is a bench necessary to put on shoes, kids could just kneel on one leg to tie shoe strings...

Maria

Maria, my kids just sit on the floor. Bending over when you're sitting is actually very squishing for the tummy--I don't do it that much, either.

And there's not room to sit on a bench, in my entry way--mostly we just need a place to STASH them.

Other people are lucky to have that kind of room, though.

And Michie could use one of those cabinets, too, in her playroom, and the space underneath could provide a "parking spot" for the strollers, etc. they're not out of sight , but their PLACE is marked.

Maria,

In our area, a bench wouldn't really be needed in the summer/fall, but in the winter/spring, the foyer is often wet from snow and/or rain so it's nice to sit on a bench instead of a wet floor. I try to get the kids to wipe up the wet when they come in, but . . . they're kids. Often they just run in and out to either get dry mittens or to tell us something exciting about what's going on out there. In the winter, even though we stomp and brush the snow off our shoes/boots, it doesn't always come off and then when they sit in the warm foyer, the snow melts. It's a never ending problem in the winter.

Bonnie

While I loved many of the ideas for displaying & organizing daughter's dress up you'll note in my previous post that I found a way that works for us & the clothes are now out of sight & daughter knows where to find things.

Michie

Bonnie, I missed your post--have you considered a boot tray to catch the snow that melts off the boots in the foyer?

I've actually been eyeing a wicker and wood bench hamper at Target to put by my door for shoes.I like to remove and store them at the door.The current system is a wooden bench next to a large wicker basket for the shoes.The house is small so it would be more visually pleasing.