Spring Sweep-up: Kids’ Art Supply Organization and Storage

Every spring I seem to get the organizing bug. It’s almost as if I know we’ll be spending all our time outside when the weather gets nice and I won’t be getting anything done in the house, so I want to get everything ship shape before we get there. This year, I’ve got a bee in my bonnet about the kids’ art supplies, in particular. Because this has happened:

The mess you see here is mainly a product of trying to keep things available to my big dude and UN-available to my little dude. It’s like a game of Jenga, and we are not winning. The end result is that nobody can find anything, ever, unless they cause an avalanche. Then, things fall down under the furniture where the only one who ever finds them again is- you guessed it- the little dude. So I’m looking for inspiration. In case you need some inspiration as well, here are some of my favorites. (And I’ll show you my “after” at the end, too.)

Iheartorganizing brings us bright and functional garage organization in this post. Obviously, the author is organizing much larger objects than I am, but I love the way the area is made to look tidy by pulling everything together with color, and the sturdy and practical use of cable ties has totally sold me.

I really like the basket and hook storage in this family room from Young House Love. Surface space is always at a premium around here, so I am a fan of this idea to make use of wall space. (And I adore that they used Command hooks, so that they can move these as their daughter grows and not have to spackle the holes.  Love it, love it, love it.)

This collection of art supply ideas from paperblog is a treasure trove of inexpensive and DIY ideas for keeping things together. My personal favorite is the bucket organizer- portable, compact, and easy to secure from the busy, busy toddler.

I also like the very frugal toilet paper roll and shoe box pen organizer by DIY & Craft. It’s a no-fuss way to divide a larger container into smaller sections so Mister can find what he wants without having to dig to the bottom of the box. Because “digging” turns into “dumping” and “dumping” turns into giant messes that he says he “can’t figure out how” to clean up.

Blissful Homemaking will sell you on the idea of using clear shoe pocket organizers for kids’ art supplies. Once again, here is a perfect way to make use of wall space and not surface space. It also makes it possible to put it on the back of a door, meaning it can be accessible to my big guy (open the door) and secured from my little guy (close and/or lock the door depending on how busy your little busy person is.) which is great. You can’t carry the organizer from place to place, but it’s a great solution for the less commonly needed items.

As for my art supply area, I managed to turn it into what you see here in the after shot.Well, it’s a start. (The dinosaur is the littlest dude’s contribution.) What you see are some caddies from the dollar bins at Target, a small carrying bag with handles in the back, also from the dollar bin at Target, Sterilite drawers you can get nearly anywhere, and some thrift store finds. There’s also a roll of easel paper from Ikea in the back there, if you look closely. This was strictly a use-what-you-have triage job, so I didn’t wallpaper the back of the cabinet, add downlights, or create professionally scrapbooked labels. Maybe next spring. (Totally kidding. Ain’t nobody got time for that.)

If I were being brutally forthcoming, I’d show you the cookbooks I stacked on the dining room table to make room for the art supplies in this cabinet… Happy Spring Sweep-up to you and yours.