A little later than usual but our monthly edit is back! If you are new to the blog, each month we choose 12 of our favourite items…from toys to furniture, kids books to something for you!
This month, we’ve rounded up toys we have, the blanket we used in one of our rooms, our favourite lunch box and more.
2021 has officially begun and that means new routines and fresh starts for many. I love hitting the reset button at this time of year and setting plans in place for the year to come. Many of those plans revolve around getting more organized (at home and in life!) and today, we are sharing how to get started in organizing kids play items.
Bright & Fresh Playroom Project
As we all know, life with kids can become messy quickly! When you scroll Instagram or Pinterest, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the perfect images you see of all kids toys put away and playrooms that look unrealistically clean. Spoiler alert: many are! Designers and bloggers are often shooting rooms before the children have ever played in them and let’s be real, sometimes unsightly toys are pushed out of the frame just for the photo!
While those things are true, we have found some key ways to keep toys, crafts and books organized.
Start with the biggest toys first!
While built-in storage is the ultimate dream (see above!), custom storage (especially in kids’ spaces) is certainly not in everyone’s budget. Think about what type of closed storage you already have. Is there a closet near where your kids’ play? Could you keep your child’s favourite cruiser vehicle there and pull it out when needed? Use this to store big items if you can.
If not, there are some excellent ready made choices, like this storage unit, that house a large number of toys and crafts, and is streamlined and versatile enough to suit many different families and their needs. This unit is particularly great to have when kids are young as you can keep craft items up high (and out of reach) and use the surface on top of the drawers as a play area for toddlers to pull up on. To add a custom touch, consider changing the handles like we did in Kase’s playroom project, below.
From there, think medium sized toys. Play farms, toy towers, puzzles, games or any plastic toy that you’d rather not view after the kids are in bed, I like to put in the cupboard sections in the unit above (or similar) or big baskets. Our favourite baskets come in 3 sizes, with the large one fitting a giant fire engine toy amongst other things. Size large is HUGE, trust me, and also perfect for dozens of stuffed animals that you may prefer not strewn all over the floor. A set of these baskets is so versatile that you can use them for a play space, but they also come in a more neutral colour if you want to incorporate one in your living room (blankets, pillows)or anywhere else in your home (laundry hamper!). I love items that work for a variety of functions like this.
This next step is all about grouping like items together. Pull out your child’s toys and start to group them. Magnatiles? One bin. Have a set of Paw Patrol figures? Put them together in a basket. Blocks? Another basket. A set of cars? Another. You get the idea. See our post about best baskets and bins for pretty options if you like. Yes, it takes time to separate and organize everything, but once it’s done the first time, it’s much easier to teach your little one to put their toys back in the right place. At first, it will definitely be you picking up the toys and putting them back in their place, but starting this system helps to create some much needed order as kids grow. If you’re lucky enough, you might even have one kiddo who LIKES putting things away in an organized manner. It’s highly possible that you won’t though (there’s a mixed bag over here!) but at least it helps to know where things actually belong.
From there, go smaller. Add hooks for a place for dress up clothes, and think vertical (book wall or shelves) for displaying little figures or toys cars.
If you are finding you have toys that don’t fit in these categories, comment below and I’ll reply so everyone can read. If you are on an organizing roll, I’d love to see. Tag me on Instagram and I will share my favourites with you all!
HAPPY OCTOBER! With Autumn in full swing and the crunch of fall leaves beneath our feet, it’s time for cozying up with our sweet families in the comfort of our homes (ok, ok, I know…we’ve been doing that all year, haven’t we?!). With that, here are our picks of the month from furniture to toys, eco-friendly finds to clothing and more.
Our newest and girliest playroom reveal is here!!! I am beyond excited to share Sophie & Minji’s playful, fun and pastel-hued playroom.
This project started before drywall was even up and I have loved seeing it come to life right from the beginning.
When an unused area in a basement becomes designated for a children’s playroom, the sky really is the limit. The girls’ playroom is full of all the things that dreams are made of; loads of art supplies, books and activity kits, toys, games, giant bean bag chairs and a TV lounge area for relax time.
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These white wall shelves are so practical: they store baskets full of toys, act as a display case for treasured pieces and are the ideal set up for rotating toys as children change and grow through development stages.
The high impact wallpaper completely changed the space the moment it was put up. This large scale print works perfectly for this basement playroom and the colours and pattern add SO much fun to the space. These simple white shelves (a favourite from my own girls shared room) work beautifully in many spaces and function as a gallery for art and toys that can easily be rotated. This shorter size is ideal here!
While a large art table was the focal point for one side of the room, the TV lounge area formed the focal point for the other. Working around a large TV in a children’s space can be tricky, so we used the IKEA Besta unit for added storage in this area and an opportunity to pull a few playful elements, like the globe, into this space. The play kitchen is a highly recommended toy in any playroom and this one is a firm fave for these little clients.
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The built-in nook is a storage area for arts and crafts supplies and the book shelves provide the perfect spot to rotate books. The large baskets underneath hold blankets for snuggling up!
THE PLAYROOM NOOK AT THE BEGINNING…
THE PLAYROOM NOOK AFTER!
And finally, the book wall! A good book wall will forever be one of my favourite ways to display kids books.
IF YOU LIKED THIS, YOU MAY LIKE THESE TOO…
With the official start of Autumn this week I have to say I am loving the crisp morning air, crunchy leaves and warm afternoons. While we’ve never really been a family with loads of traditions, as the kids get older I realize they live for special moments and eagerly await the months with holidays.
So, even though September and October are busy and full months with school starting and the change of weather, I have thought about ways to make these months special and the little things we’ve done over the years that have become traditions for our kids. They now ask and look forward to them.
Here are a few ways that we celebrate fall:
Every year we head to the same place with big trees and lots of leaves. While the photos are a lovely way to capture the kids growth each year, jumping in the leaves is a memory I hope they remember forever (I know I will!).
2017
2019
I don’t know about yours, but our kids STILL looooove play dough. Each fall, I make a fresh batch and get out the seasonal cookie cutters. I love these fall leaf and acorn ones for September and this Halloween set for October.
When it comes to seasonal home decor, I would say that I keep it light. I love to change things up by adding a few little white pumpkins on the table, some grasses in a vase and a fresh doormat at the front door. That’s it! Traditions can be as complicated or simple as you make them.
After having the oven off for most of the summer, there is nothing better than warm fall baking. My go-to’s are breakfast crumble (dessert for breakfast basically!) and our favourite pumpkin muffins are a treat muffin that the kids honestly ask me to make them as soon as the temperature drops.
This is a brand new tradition for our family! I saw this idea online and loved its’ simplicity right away. Starting October 1st (or whenever you like!), you add new words of things you are grateful for to a pumpkin (or in our case, we’ll do a mini one each!) each day. Thanksgiving is in October in Canada so this is a great way to acknowledge all that we have to be thankful for, while steering at least some of the October attention away from the excitement of Halloween. ;) If you decide to start a gratitude pumpkin, I’d love to see! Tag #WDgratitudepumpkin on Instagram and I’ll share my favourites. Who wants to join the fun?
Do you have a special tradition in your home? I’d love to hear in the comments if you do!
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