How do you organize tons of kids chapter books and 18" doll stuff?

[ang79]

Since the girls got lots of nice new toys for Christmas, we are now trying to figure out where to put everything and cleaning out their bedrooms. They each have a small space for their 18" dolls (they now each own two). Will probably be getting some doll bunk beds and they also have a clothing wardrobe and trunk. Now they have doll beanbags and other little accessories that we need to figure out where to put (and stay organized). Any tips? Also, DD1 (9) reads tons of books and has quite a collection of chapter books. She has a bookshelf in her room but that is mostly full of favorite picture books she still looks at sometimes. I can store the chapter books she has finished reading in the basement til DD2 is ready to read them, but there are some favorite series she wants to keep in her room. We are just out of space though. Her bed has drawers underneath it filled with clothes and her closet is tiny. Any creative tips for organizing chapter books? My goal in the next few weeks is to try to decluter and organize so that we can put our house back on the market.

[maestramommy]

Put all the picture books in the basement unless DD2 is still reading them. Or divide them in half and put one half that doesn't get much traffic in the basement. Trust me, if either wants to look at them, she'll go into the basement after them. You can put them in a box that she can get into easily. BTDT.

My older two have an 18 inch doll and each has those Hearts for Hearts dolls, and a million stuffed friends. They stay on their beds. They've made beds and wardrobes out of cardboard boxes, and they just live on the floor along the wall. 2 kids share a large dresser and one has a smaller dresser. Each has dresser space that is piled rather high. Once in a while it gets purged. there is one tallish bookcase in this room and is against the "head" of a bunkbed. Picture books and infobooks on the bottom two shelves, chapter books on the top two shelves, transition books in the middle shelf. One uncle/aunt must've bought from every scholastic book order their 4 kids brought home, which we inherited, so I get it about the books. And we do keep buying sometimes because there are always new series.

ETA: oh my, just saw you want your house to be show ready. Put as many books as possible in boxes in the basement. Then put all the really necessary books on the bottom of the bookshelf, and "display" the doll stuff that will fit on the upper shelves. Dolls on the bed, unless you are worried about theft.

[BunnyBee]

Smaller paperbacks fit in a Container Store Multipurpose Bin with the spine against one long side of the bin. I think it's the large size, but maybe medium? The measurements are listed online.

[abh5e8]

Could you pass on some of the books, and get them at the library?

We love the Billy bookcases for chapter books, from Ikea. I have doors on the bottom half, so it is very clean looking. You could get the half height Billy's, cover with door s and set the dolls and big accessories on top of the shelf. I also have an Ikea kalyax, some baskets for small things and some open shelves for bigger toys.

[WatchingThemGrow]

ours is by no means show-ready...but american girls are in a drawer in her armoire, with all their stuff in container store multipurpose bins inside the armoire. Chapter books - a small 3 shelf bookshelf in her room holds some, but if the house were going on the market, that would be the first thing to go. Can you just stack a couple for "now" reading and promise a new bookshelf in the new house?

for the billion scholastics from book orders, I use magazine files from walmart, and now amazon, in a 2x4 expedit (kallax) and they are grouped by theme. http://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-Techfile-Plastic-Magazine-40406ROS/dp/B004E2S1AQ There's an avery label that fits on the front to tell what they are.