Friday, July 20, 2012

Do your kids collect trinkets the way mine do?  You know what I mean ~ the teeny, tiny pieces  that come in the form of party favors, value meals, school "treasure chest" awards,  you-did- great-at-the-dentist-prizes, and sometimes I swear just appear out of nowhere?   You know what I mean, right?

Here’s how I am managing (and lightening) my kids’ collection:

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My kids LOVE their trinkets.  And, I have girls.  So on any given day aside from trinkets, there are also about 50 of these all over the house:

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And I have three nephews, so you Boy Moms out there can substitute hair bands for Legos, Matchbox cars, and Transformers.  I feel your pain, too.

My goal was to find a way to corral my kids Tiny Toys. First, I tried using see-through shoe boxes:

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It worked for awhile, but I didn't like that it took up space on their bookshelves, or workspace at their desks.  Or that it overflowed.  Or that it just looked like a hot mess.    I wanted their Tiny Toys to have a "home", and this wasn't cutting it.

So I went with Plan B:  The Hanging Jewelry  Keeper.  A trip to Home Goods was all it took.  (And really, who doesn't love a trip to Home Goods?!)  Mine were $14.99 each.

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(Note to Boy Moms:  the ones in the stores are pretty feminine looking with Vera Bradley-ish fabric.  But, Amazon has
some with 80 pockets and in solid colors!)

I bought one for each of my girls, and they’re working out FABulously!  They're two-sided AND they swivel, so they can flip it over easily.

I hung each one on a Hercules hook because with a lot of swiveling I thought a nail might too easily pop out of the drywall. 
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Close up of the hanger on the Hercules hook:
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Plus, there's LOTS of pockets, so they can really fill these things up.  There are larger pockets at the bottom for sunglasses, wallets and even Barbie dolls. You can buy some with zippered pockets, too.

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Now we are all happy.  I love them soooo much, I may or may not have bought a third one for my own jewelry (smile).

The girls can see all their trinkets and take one out or put it back easily. No dumping out the entire shoe box of stuff looking for the glow in the dark wrist band from last Halloween that they need RIGHT NOW for an impromptu puppet show.

And with our new jewelry keepers came one very important new rule:  once it's filled up, any new trinkets are welcome, but they must replace an old one.  The old ones then disappear*.  (Virtual high fives all around!)

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So, Momma's happy too.  Did I mention I hung these on the wall inside their closets at kid-level? 

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Out of sight, out of mind.

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Next up, I’m putting in a couple of these hooks.

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Because we also have tons of these lying around.  And they seriously need a home. In the closet.

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Have a organized day!
- Lori
*Our toys “disappear” into a box we have labeled “South Africa”.  We recycle toys all year long, and then send it with our church missionaries when they visit less-fortunate children in South Africa (or elsewhere) each summer. It’s a win-win for everyone.  =)

Sharing with the readers over at Chic on a Shoestring Decorating.
and
HomeStoriesAtoZ 
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