playroom storage on a budget

I needed a storage unit that was low enough to the ground that the kids would be able to put the storage bins back by themselves.  Too many times, they would pick up their mess and then leave the bins on the ground or they would bug me in the middle of something important to pull certain toys down.  This was my previous solution....

You can also see that it wasn't very safe for my three year old to be hiding up in the shelves!  These bookcase shelves were originally from an entertainment center I had purchased in college that held a TV in the middle.  I don't have any photos of it but it was HUGE!  Years ago, I figured out I could take the thing apart and make nice little storage shelves for bins.  One problem though, my husband HATED it!!!

He coerced me to self them on craigslist so I put out an ad and I got so many offers to fast.  I begged and pleaded with him to keep them.  He let me reluctantly.  Around 2am the other morning, I was staring at the bookcases and started hating them myself.  While everyone was asleep, I began working on my brilliant idea!  With a drill and handsaw, I turned the two shelves into this....

Now I know it's not the greatest picture!  But I'm also not done entirely.  I want to paint the unit white and top it with a mahogany stained top.  I'm in the middle of redoing their play table right now and it would match beautifully!  This is what I've got so far on the play table so you can see what I'm talking about...

 Again, it's not a great picture but I was too excited to wait for good light!  Keep checking back for the finished product on both projects!

More refurbished playroom stuff...

After redoing the flash card holder, I couldn't stop there.  I had to redo the bins I's started as well.
With this....

I made these using the same method of painting and modge podging on bird silhouettes out of craft paper...

Please excuse the mess in these photos too!  The house is really undergoing its largest transformation now!  If you are curious about what shelving unit the bins are in now, continue reading on in the next post!

Play Room (more)

I am STILL trying to get that playroom together and solve storage solutions like this:
Puzzle and game pieces strewn about due to broken boxes!



But, never fear! Remember this: twin sheet I used in the other playroom project?



And I'm sure you now what this is: Modge podge, (ignore the roll of wrapping paper; it was a bad idea), foam brush, and FREE flat rate shipping boxes



I just modge podged the fabric right onto the boxes after I glued them together and sealed them up.



I still need to come up with a pretty label for each box but they look like this when you're done and they match all the other projects so far in the playroom:

Play Room

I worked until the wee hours last night getting the playroom organized. I'm not ready for the final reveal but here is one of my favorite storage solution to date and I made it with things lying around the house! I have a huge problem with messes. I don't like pieces and parts floating about. I do love flash cards but hate the mess that comes along with them. The little cardboard boxes don't hold up and they end of here and there and everywhere. I found a bag of these plastic clips while I was unpacking. I also noticed they were sitting close to and empty picture frame and I picked one up and got to wondering what to do with the flash cards as I whirled the clip around in my hand on a nail. DING!!! Idea!
I took and old set of sheets and used the fabric to create a nice pretty surface over a piece of cardboard the same size as the back of this poster frame. Then I just nailed holes in an orderly way, sorted the pile of cards, clipped them together and here we have my storage solution!





I decided I like the idea of the sheet as fabric so much, I cut more fabric off the sheet and started gluing (with fabric glue) the same material to my existing baskets for a different look.