Much as I love natural containers like baskets and wood boxes, and use them at every opportunity, there are times when there is just no denying that breaking down and resorting to some plastic storage containers is just plain tidy and convenient.

I had been using wooden boxes to organize the art supply area, and although I prefer the old containers, they did not organize the supplies nearly so handily.  And I can’t say I’m sorry to trade in the teetering pile of puzzles for two tidy drawers full!

Can I just mention here that what was really chapping my behind is the fact that a lot of the puzzles and multi-piece toys came in boxes FIVE TIMES BIGGER than the item within?  Melissa and Doug seemed to be among the best at creating packaging that actually reflects the size of the toy inside.  I used some plastic storage containers from the dollar store to replace the originals- they’re still sturdy, you can see what’s inside, and I could fit them into the bigger drawers or, as you see here, stack them neatly. I thought of plastic zipper bags, but stray plastic bags just look like trash to me and I’d rather not deal with that.

Now when Ian wants to play with one of these toys, I don’t have to dig through whatever cabinet is big enough to hold their crazy boxes, he can point to which one he wants and I can get it down for him.  Then, when he’s done, we pack that one back up and he asks for a different one.

As always, a natural consequence of rearranging the toys is that Ian is playing with things he hasn’t even looked at in ages.  Everyone wins.