Playroom Toy Organization & Let’s Meet!

And just like that, it’s back to Monday again! Some weekends just fly by and this was one of them.  I started working on Jordan’s “transitioning to the crib and sleeping through the night” post, so I’ll have that to you soon!  Since it’s been several weeks now, I’m starting to feel like it’s not a fluke! #praisetheLord And guess what?! She’s five months old today!  I can’t believe it!  I just wrote her 3-month old routine yesterday! 
This weekend, we did manage to create some toy organization in the playroom/media room that I’m all giddy about.  You saw the change the paint made there and now it was time to bring back in the toys and get them all organized.  Seeing things all pretty and organized just makes me so happy!  This was a really easy project since we already had the shelving unit and the toys were pretty well separated by category – I just needed to get the bins labeled.

The Ikea Kallax shelving unit was previously in my old office, but it got the boot when we redid my office decor and I moved it into here, knowing it would make great toy storage.  This unit is the big, tall one, with 5 rows across and 5 rows down.  I’ve had it for many years now and it keeps things all neat and tidy with those 25 compartments.  They even make doors and drawers for the Kallax now, but we are old school and use the bins.  
My son has a red lacquer 8 unit shelf in his room for books, and I see they have a yellow lacquer one now too that’s really bright and cheerful. 
My Dad’s old motorcycle toy sits on top. It’s similar to the one he rode while he was still well enough to do so. #love
I used the Ikea SKUBB square bins on the bottom two rows but I can’t remember where I got the gingham bins.  These are similar at WalMart.  The SKUBB bins fit the space perfectly as they measure 12 1/4 x 13 1/2 x 13.  

They actually hold a lot of toys! 
These kinds of bins don’t make for easy labeling since they are fabric and you can’t put a sticker on there, so I figured I’d tie labels to the handles.  I found these round labels and twine at Michael’s.  
To make it really easy, I just hand wrote the labels.  I could have gotten fancy and used a label maker or my computer to print perfect labels, but I honestly didn’t feel like going to the trouble!  I did have to make sure I didn’t misspell anything, I only had 10 big labels and no extra! 
Then I just tied the labels to the handles.  They should stay out of the way of little hands grabbing the bins.
My son is very good at putting things away when he knows where they go, so having the bins labeled like this makes clean-up a snap.  If he needs “help” I’ll just put the timer on 3 or 4 minutes and say, “ok, put all the legos away”  then the “cars”, etc.  We make it a race to see how fast he can do it and it goes so quickly this way.  
He’s like me and very specific about putting the things in the bins they are designated for.  To cure the “but that doesn’t go there” I labeled one bin “toys” for those smaller things we don’t have enough of to dedicate an entire bin to. 

This is a great start to the room, but we’re still stuck on seating.  I thought we could find a small loveseat but my husband is saying he wants gaming chairs!  Not what I had in mind!  We’ll see . . . 
As a fun way to celebrate the Nordstrom sale together, and say ‘thank you’ for making HWH part of your day, I wanted to do a giveaway.  I’m giving away a $250 Nordstrom gift card and will announce the winner on July 21, the day before the sale opens to the everyone.  I’ll overnight the gift card (US and Canada residents only please) so you can get your shop on right away!  Enter the giveaway here!

I couldn’t stay away this weekend and went back for one.more.peek since the store was so crowded on Friday.  I’m glad I did though, because I found this hat (under $20), these Kate Spade sunglasses $116 now, later $175 (really cute on!), and my watch, curvy skinny jeans and white tee (with pocket) are also on sale!

Not pictured is the bag I got.  #adore!!! I was considering this crossbody bag, but they didn’t have it at my store so I couldn’t see it in person.  If you want it, better scoop it up, looks like the tan sold out and now the black is backordered!  Now I’m debating on these booties, what do you think?? Somebody better seriously stop me before my husband kills me and/or I go broke!

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And, if you’re in Houston, please join me in two weeks (Saturday, July 30 from 11am – 1pm) at the Palais Royal in Meyerland at their Back to School Party!  I’d love to meet you and it will be a blast, with a live DJ, refreshments, photo booth and pictures with the Texans mascot, Toro.  My son is super excited for that!  We’ll kill two birds with one stone because I can shop for his school uniform there too!  Hope to see you there!

Have a great week friends!
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keep in touch! 

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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

9 Comments

  1. We are looking to purchase the Kallax for our playroom – it seems like a popular choice, and love that it's so inexpensive so I won't have to worry about a nice piece of furniture getting all beat up, lol!

  2. We love our Kallax for toys. Just remember to anchor it to a stud as it's a tip hazard. I'm sure you know that but I always like to remind people 🙂

  3. Love it Megan! Always feels so good to get the toys under control. 🙂 Oh my word.. I bought the Rebecca Minkoff bag and now it's sold out in every color! I can't believe how fast that went. I also bought the booties you mentioned at the end in black and LOVE them. So comfy! Sorry.. I know.. one more thing you have to buy! Our husbands can commiserate together. 😉 xo

  4. Looks great Megan. It always feels good to get those toys off the floor. We always loved labeled bins when our girls were little. It makes clean up so much easier for both mom and kiddos.
    If that is the piece you've had in your office for awhile it is probably the Expedit, the Kallax came out a couple years ago. The sides are quite thinner, but it works just as well. And I know you would have already thought about it, but agree with Lindsey and anchor it. Ikea has recalled a few products lately due to tip hazards. Gotta keep those little ones safe.

  5. Forgot to mention…I know how you feel about trying to find the best furniture for the room and to please all.
    From our experience, we purchased a really comfy sleeper sofa with down cushions, slipcovered, and with an additional ottoman. We literally just gave it away last year. We found the sleeper to be a great option for sleepovers when the kids get a bit older, and is great if you have extra guests. We didn't have a designated guest room per say. There were times the kids would just pull it out and watch movies too for a fun night in.

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