Kids' Toy Closet Decluttered

This blog is inspired by Simple Mom. So thanks!
 

We have a closet in a small room that will hopefully by the end of the year (fingers crossed!) be a nursery for our first child. In the meantime, it hosts a ton of toys, games, and bedding for the twin bed in that room. My husband and I are a bit childish (I prefer the terms awesome and retro, actually) and have kept a lot of toys from when we were young (legos, pogs, micro-machines, you name it!), and love board games. Lucky for us, we have 2 nephews that visit and the toys aren't just collecting dust!

Here are the before pictures:

 As you can see...it is a disaster. When my nephews come over. Everything is just pulled out and a mess is made. That's okay though, since we are a cool Aunt and Uncle that won't make a fuss about such things. But alas, it is sad to look when they leave. There is just too much stuff in there. I usually am afraid to open it for fear of being crushed by a TOY AVALANCHE. (Seriously! It has happened before!)

Especially with this pile of games. We love board games, but this is crazy. The most used ones are hard to get at and all the card games are thrown up there too.

Yeah, I don't even know where to start here. There are sheets for the bed, a railing, tons of stuffed animals and other toys. You can't see it, but there is even a toy wheelbarrow in there! Good thing, too, because I have a feeling I am going to need it! 

Let's just move on to the after pictures! These are too embarrassing. 

Here is the top shelf of board games. The lesser used ones are on the bottom, and there are 3 piles that are easier to manage. Also, all the card games are gone. 

I bet you don't even recognize this space! All the cars and plastic toys are in the bottom tote. The top tote is only stuffed animals. I found a shelving unit in the basement (who knew!) and adjusted the shelves so that the wheelbarrow and other big toys can fit underneath. There is a shelf for sheets, making them much easier to find. I got 2 canvas totes from the Dollar Tree. They have little toys and books in one and the other houses all those card games. 

With only $2.10 and some re-purposed shelves, I am much happier with this toy area! Hopefully it will stay looking this nice! One can only hope, right?