Friday, July 25, 2014

33 Garage Update: Outdoor Toy Organization

This has been one of those projects that seems to drag on FOREVER.  I was looking up old posts and we started finishing our walls back in August of 2012 when we installed our sports station!  That is almost two years now that we have had a stack of beadboard paneling waiting to be installed on our walls and trimmed out.  Well, one wall is finally done!  I guess waiting two years makes the celebration process that much sweeter.


You can catch up on our garage story and progress here.  Long story short, the entire space is getting brand-spankin' new storage so that it is simple to maintain.  We built in boatloads of overhead storage which I will share when I finish painting it up.  That will get a lot of the larger items up and off the floor and tucked away out of sight.  All we want left out on the walls is the items we use daily, such as lawn toys / games, sports equipment and bikes.

As soon as hubby finished caulking up the last hole in the beadboard, I couldn't wait to get to work on the newly empty corner of our garage.  The corner previously held our gardening supplies, but we actually put our garden shed to use, and that left this corner as the ideal location for outdoor toys.  In fact, it is right near the opening of the garage, making it super simple for the boy's and their pals to access everything they need for a day of outdoor play.

After we had ripped out our previous walk-in closet a few years ago, we saved a few pieces of the track shelving system (which I believe was purchased at Menards back in the day).  It was the perfect solution for this nook, as it is durable and the open shelves prevent too much dust build up.  I also love that they are adjustable to allow us to customize each shelf to our needs.


Installation is simple and only requires locating the studs in the wall using a level to make sure the top rail is installed correctly.  It went up in a jif!

You may recall that in the chaos of the garage, I had dumped their items onto the front porch.  Then we cleaned that up and moved them to the backyard until storage day.  


Before filling up the shelves with all of the boy's belongings, I took inventory of everything and gathered bins and baskets from around the garage and home.  I began sorting everything down by type, and made a list of the labels that I needed to create.

For any bin or basket with a flat surface, I cut word labels with my Silhouette die cutting machine.  For everything else, I painted up some unfinished wooden tags, and affixed the vinyl lettering to those.  In typical Jen fashion, I went a little label crazy. 


My entire thought process was sticking with what has worked well for us in the past.  I break the toys down by type and put everything into portable bins.  This allows the boys to grab a bin to take out to the yard and easily return the bins and contents to the shelf when they are done. 


For outdoor storage, I always select finishes which are weather friendly.  Galvanized steel, plastic and outdoor rattan were all used for this project.  That way if anything is left in the rain, no worries.  These finishes also make for easy dusting and cleaning.


The teal and green plastic totes were purchased at the dollar store and are lightweight and portable, which is perfect for quick trips to the park.


The green metal pails are my favorite.  They are from IKEA and remind me of the adorable versions from PB Kids. 



For all of the random sized balls that are used for impromptu neighborhood dodge ball matches and kickball games, I found an oversized wire basket from Target.


Bike gear remained in a bin we were using previously in another area of the garage.  It just received a sweet new label.


Squirt guns, life jackets and other water gear is in a portable plastic tote which is ideal for day trips to the beach.  Didn't those labels turn out darling?  Happy sigh....


There is a step stool nearby for the boys should they need anything higher, and for the items we didn't want little hands to reach, they we placed in bins on the top shelf.




Sometimes it is the quick and easy projects that really motivate us to continue on with the less fun items; like installing the rest of the beadboard and trim and finishing up the painting of the overhead cabinets.  But oh the difference the beadboard walls are making to the entire garage.  It is like ten windows were installed with how open, clean and bright it feels.  And we also have plans to update the lighting, build a new step and paint the doors.  One day at a time my friends, one day at a time...

I couldn't even finish getting everything in bins and on the shelves before half the neighborhood kiddos were down grabbing things and playing in the yard with the boys.  I love that leaving everything out and easy to access really promotes instant play.  A total summer saver for sure!


Sandbox toys are stored in our outdoor bench in the backyard, you can check that out here.

33 comments:

  1. Love this idea & perfect that you have the little nook right next to the garage door!

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  2. I love that you added some color to the garage, and love the labels on everything!! Great idea!!

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  3. Great job!! This gives me a boost of inspiration for our outdoor toys and how to store them!! Quick question, how did you attach the red wooden labels to the outdoor rattans??

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    1. Thank you Kristin! I attached the labels with simple bakers twine. Worked great!!

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  4. LOVE LOVE LOVE! And it seems like you finished it all up on the cheap. My kind of organizing. Thanks for the continued inspiration!

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  5. Love the open wire shelves and great use of vertical space!
    I've been working on our garage space for, ahem, years now ;-)....we have already defined quite a few "zones" and things are generally in the correct spots now. But this helps provide inspiration to see if I can create a more cohesive look for better organization.

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  6. Love this idea! I think I need to do something similar in my garage. My sons outdoor toys are scattered everywhere and I hate it!

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  7. We were organizing our garage, too, but we live in NC. We are going to wait until the heat dies down a bit :) Great job, though- I have some of those Dollar Tree baskets in my own garage :)

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  8. Hi,
    Do you get a lot of dust in your garage? It seems like our garage is always dusty and dirty (we live on a gravel road)'. Love your blog.

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    1. We are fortunate enough to live in town with paved roads and driveways so we don't get much dust. It is only when we project in the garage with saws and tools that we have a problem, so we will just have to cover items with tarps while we work.

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  9. This is fantastic, such great inspiration as we're really struggling with order and organisation with our outdoor toys! x

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  10. I Love how organized this is! And I especially love the blue and green bins and baskets. My boys' toys are all in the same green colored crates and I wanted to add some fresh color. Did you recently buy the blue baskets and bins from the dollar store and IKEA?

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    1. Hi Sydney,

      The buckets were purchased from ikea earlier this spring and the baskets were purchased from the dollar store a year or two ago. I linked to the buckets in the post so they might still be available in stores and I have seen similar style baskets at the dollar store quite often. Hope you can find what you are looking for! :)

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  11. i love this! i can only imagine how nice the bead board looks!

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  12. Where did you purchase the large plastic tote for the water guns?

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    1. I found it at Target at the beginning of summer in their seasonal department. :)

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  13. I have to go and snap up the plastic totes for my bf and I, we're big kids :)
    xo
    Jamie @ SnapGinger Blog

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  14. It looks great Jen! I wish we had room on the sides of the garage for shelving like that. Our toys are in a deck box under the deck. I like your system better. Unfortunately, our garage is only wide enough to get the headers in for the garage doors. One of these days (years, LOL) if we can get the basement sheetrocked, we are contracting out the taping and mudding of it all. We will have them do the garage too. We at least managed to sheetrock it.

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  15. Was it expensive to cover your garage in beadboard?

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    1. It is definitely not the cheapest route when it comes to wallcoverings for your garage {simply finishing them with sheetrock would be much less expensive}. It is something we have been planning on doing for many years now and began purchasing the beadboard a few years back. We were looking to finish the walls in something that is easy to keep clean, yet will also brighten up the space and act as an extension of our home since we do so much entertaining in the garage. Not a traditional finish, just a personal preference. :)

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  16. Where did you get the baskets that look like rattan? Gorgeous. Great job!

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    1. Hi Michelle,

      They are from Target as well. I found them in the patio department earlier this spring and have been using them all summer to tote things around. Love them!

      xoxo!

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  17. I love how you've organized the kids toys! Super simple and easy to care for. :) I am so frustrated with my kids toys all over the floor...may have to try something simple like this! Thanks for sharing. Your blog is always inspirational! :)

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  18. If anyone is as obsessed with that oversized wire basket as I am, I found it on the target website. It's the Circo Zig zag wire basket.

    http://www.target.com/p/circo-zig-zag-wire-basket-white/-/A-15022342

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  19. Great organization tips! I adore those tags you made.

    -Sayeh, The Office Stylist
    http://theofficestylist.com/

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  20. Great post! The Mister's "honey do" list just got a little bit longer, poor guy. Could you explain how you labeled/stenciled the PB-like buckets? I love the font! If this is posted elsewhere on your blog, my apologies -- I came here in search of a different topic, but got VERY sidetracked by your garage!

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    1. Thank you! The labels on the buckets were cut out of vinyl with my Silhouette die cutting machine {it is a craft machine that cuts lettering and graphics out of vinyl and paper products}. The vinyl lettering was then adhered to the buckets and can be removed down the line if the buckets ever have a new storage task.

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  21. How I love all of your DIY ideas! Thank you for taking the time to make it look so easy and simple! Another project definitely worth your time!

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  22. I love this…the garage can be a very messy and unorganized place but this looks great!!!

    xo, Taylor

    --adorable labels as well;)

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  23. I love the colours on the your kids sporting goods storage. Fantastic idea!

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  24. Where did you find the plastic "bag" like basket with handles on the second shelf from top?

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    1. Hi Mandy,

      I believe I found it at Target in their seasonal department (near picnic and kid's outdoor toys). It's one of our favorite outdoor baskets!

      xo!

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