Operation: Organization 2014 ~ Organizing Dress Up Costumes

I can’t believe we are already at the last day of our Operation Organization Series. I hope everyone has enjoyed it as much as we have!

Today is my day to share an organizing project, and when trying to decide what to write about, at first this project didn’t even cross my mind. But, as the mother of any girl between the age of maybe 3 and 9 (?) knows, dress-up costumes can take over your life! So, right off the bat, for those of you with just boys or grown children, I apologize for the narrow focus of my project today, but know that I do plan to re-purpose this wardrobe in a few short years to a bathroom to hold towels.

In the meantime, here is how I finally organized not just all my daughter’s dress-up costumes but her doll clothes as well. Corralling all these costumes, accessories, jewels and tiny doll shoes has been a major accomplishment in my life 🙂

If you’ve been reading our blog for awhile you may recognize this armoire. I used it first in my office to hold office supplies, then re-purposed it into a gift-wrapping station as seen below. 

I didn’t have space for it in my new office, and in trying to decide where to put it next I was inspired from reading to my children the C.S. Lewis story The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.  I wanted to give my daughter some sort of dress-up wardrobe she could use all her creativity with. Not to mention, keeping her growing costume collection in one place.

 

So, here is the in-between picture. I kept the outside white, but painted the inside with a quick coat of some leftover pink paint.

 

 

I also lined the drawers and bottom with some pink damask shelf paper. My favorite part is the labels on the drawers which I made from some inexpensive plastic frames I found at the 1$ aisle at Michael’s.

 

I just pulled the frame backing off, and used some white spray paint to tone down that PINK and they were perfect. I made some quick labels on my computer, and glued them both to the front of drawers.

 

It wasn’t just her dress up clothes that needed a home, but my daughter is in  full-blown American Girl love. The upper part of this wardrobe was perfect to store her growing collection of doll clothes and accessories.

 

One of the doors has long been painted with chalkboard paint, the other side I added more pink paint. I attached a small mirror so she could see herself in all her finery, and added another “looking glass” type one on the other door.

 

And, the best part is once everything is put in the dress-up wardrobe, I can just close the door.

 

 

So far, she has done a great job at least getting the clothes back in the armoire–maybe not quite as neatly hung up as they are for it’s ‘photo’ op but we’re working on it. For now, it’s serving its purpose, and I am enjoying still having a little one small enough to pretend to be a Princess, its not going to last much longer!

See our ENTIRE (woo-hoo!) Operation Organization Series Below:

Thanks for stopping by!