Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Storage Solutions!

As an AG collector, I am certain that I love the process of storing and organizing my collection as much as the dolls themselves. As my collection grows, I have to continually strategize how to store all of the dresses, shoes and accessories. I am fortunate to have some closet space (and two armoires) that I am actively converting into storage space for my collection.

The largest of these spaces is a spare office closet.


I installed and painted the wooden shelves myself. My sister assisted me in measuring and installing all of the smaller sized wooden rods and metal cups.


The wooden hangers are from OnlyHangers.com and were a great investment. Surprisingly, their cost is on par with the prices that AG charges for their plastic hangers.

The left side of the closet hides a giant stack of mini plastic drawers (by Sterilite). The tower is surprisingly stable, as it is supported on two sides by the closet walls.


The mini drawers are a brilliant find by my sister. Each individual drawer fits on average one outfit, such as a set of pajamas with slippers. 


I also use these to store outfits and accessories which do not store well on a hanger, such as swimming suits, towels and accessories.


I was able to store the majority of Isabelle's leotards, tutus, shoes and accessories in three sets of mini drawers plus her dance case.


Finally the right side of the closet has a hidden wooden rod for extra hanger space. I may also put a few hooks on the blank wall space above in order to hang some hats or other items.







11 comments:

  1. Fabulous ideas! What are the dimensions of the mini chests? Where did you buy them? Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Hi Shana!

    The mini plastic storage drawers are made by Sterilite and I found mine at a local Target. I have seen similar ones in black plastic at a CVS. The dimensions of the three drawer chest are 8 1/2 x 7 1/4 by 6 7/8 inches.

    Searching "Sterilite" and "3 Drawer" brings up this item at Amazon and other places, though be certain to check dimensions as there are larger versions of this piece in the 14"+ range.

    I love these mini drawer sets. Most basic AG outfits (like a pajamas set) fit one outfit to a drawer--almost as if the mini storage unit was made for such a thing!

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  3. where do you get hose tiny wooden hangers?

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  4. Hi! These are made exclusively by Only Hangers (http://www.onlyhangers.com/Prod-31-1-298/.htm) and are really top notch in quality. Surprisingly, they are not much more expensive than the white plastic hangers currently for sale on AG's website. AG plastic hangers are 67 cents each (12 for $8) while the basic wooden hangers from Only Hangers are 80 cents each.

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  5. Absolutely fabulous ideas! This will make storage so much easier---right now I have cheap bookcases from Target or Walmart (forget which) and I've been using small tension rods that fit AG hangers inside the bookcases but.....if you put too many outfits on the rod, it slides down. Wooden rods and metal cups are a better idea, plus the small plastic set of drawers from Target answer so many questions and keep outfits & related gear together. Thank you sooo much!

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  6. What GREAT ideas! I have a question though, about the Sterilite containers......will they hold outfits plus the shoes? I noticed the rows of boots on the shelf and was wondering. One of the outfits I have is the jeans and roller blades and then one has a surf board, etc. would those things fit one drawer? I like to keep things together and it's driving me crazy! Thanks so much!

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  7. The small sized Sterilite drawers do hold an outfit plus most shoes--definitely slippers, tennis shoes, loafers, etc. If the boots are tall they need to be stored on their side in the drawer and it is a bit more of a jam once adding the outfit itself. I visually enjoy the boots being out on display, so didn't consider this. I will do an update with boots!

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  8. Hi Laura, I'm SO impressed by this that I'm creating my own, much smaller version out of a bookcase. I've noted the Sterilite containers and the hangers and I've got some properly-sized wooden dowels, but I'm wondering if you can tell me where you found the metal cups to hold them? I can't find them anywhere. Thanks again for the inspiration!

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  9. where did you get the flat boxes?
    thanks
    Jannett

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