Any parent knows how difficult it is to keep their kids toys organised. It can be very costly sourcing storage solutions for toys, so check out this hack. I explain how I re-purposed an old IKEA PS TV cabinet to store my daughter's messy toys and craft supplies.
I encourage everyone before they go and purchase new storage solutions to see what they already have. Be creative and think outside the box.
I purchased this red IKEA PS TV Cabinet years ago, prior to kids. It had been sitting there in a room collecting dust, unused. I really didn't fancy the bold colour anymore and wanted something more neutral.
What I love about this cabinet is that it's lockable which means anything that is considered "messy" can get locked away. Messy products include: colouring in supplies, pieces of Lego, Barbie doll accessories, paint, stickers... you get the idea.
So after deciding it would be useful to keep and revamp, I decided to give it a spray paint to make it fit in with the colour scheme of my house. I wanted a neutral colour so I went with this Etch Primer by Dy-Mark from Bunnings mainly because I liked the shade of grey. It has a very matte finish and is not glossy at all. Another reason why I used it was because I already had some bottles in the garage so it meant I wouldn't spend too much on spray paint. I only needed a couple of cans!
After disassembling the cabinet and slightly sanding it back with some sand paper I applied a few coats of the Etch Primer and allowed it to dry thoroughly. Surprisingly it dried super quickly and I was able to put the cabinet back together within a few hours.
This BESTA box in grey was also from Ikea, and I could comfortably fit four underneath the cabinet. These are the perfect size and are a soft material, perfect for toddlers to pull out themselves and soft enough do they don't hurt themselves. I decided to keep these under the cabinet and place any toys in them that I don't mind Little Miss making a mess with without my supervision.
In these boxes I store: dinosaurs, figurines, electronics like headphones and you'll notice that the fourth box is intentionally empty! Just because you have the space doesn't mean you need to fill it. I think it's great leaving some empty space in there because as you know, kids are always receiving gift and new toys so it allows room for more toys in the future without the space overflowing.
I've decided not to label these boxes because the contents will change over time depending on her interests.
All the other "messy toys" get locked away. So if she wants to play with any she needs to ask me, and I unlock it with the key. If she wants to play with something else, she needs to ask me. You might think this is crazy, but any parent will tell you what is more crazy is cleaning up at the end of each day when you're tired and just want to sleep. You feel me?
I sourced these Kmart Handled Fridge Baskets, and I could comfortable fit four within the unit. I categorised the messy toys: Lego, Barbie, Shapes and Trains. These baskets are the perfect size and easy to be pulled out by little hands.
The plastic is a smooth and perfect finish for applying vinyl labels. I decided to make my labels myself with my Cricut Maker Machine using the Cricut silver glitter vinyl.
The LUSTIGT Arts And Crafts storage box from Ikea also was the perfect addition to the space as I could neatly store all Little Miss' pencils, crayons, erasers, sharpeners, pens and A4 paper. What I loved about this was that it has a handle, and I can just grab everything at once and place on a table for Little Miss to draw or colour in.
The coloured storage boxes on the right were from Costco and came in packs of four. I labelled each: Learning books, Stickers, Water Paint, Painting, Colouring Books.
The plastic is a smooth and perfect finish for applying vinyl labels. I decided to make my labels myself with my Cricut Maker Machine using the Cricut black vinyl.
I have also noticed that Ikea have the same cabinet in other colours, I particularly like the white, but they also have it in blue.
I have friend who found this cabinet second hand and purchased it for $25, there are some good deals out there if you keep your eyes open.
Sitting on top of the cabinet is the DIY letterboard from Kmart, along with a tin from a craft store which I already had, and an old wooden alphabet toy. (I am sorry I cannot remember where I purchased this from)
Item and price list:
Ikea BESTA box 4 x $15
Costco coloured storage boxes $25 for 4
I hope this post inspires you to reuse an old piece of furniture you are no longer using, and think outside the box. Good luck!
