Monday, February 4, 2013

Legos, Organized


If you haven't checked out our "Meet the Family" tab
or the "Legomania" tab on the home page, 
you may not realize how important Lego 
is in this household.
We have a major Lego Master living in our midst.
I'm not kidding, this kid can build.
 (It ain't braggin' if it's true.)

Not only is he creative beyond belief,
it's one of the few things 
that he can concentrate on for hours
without being distracted.  
There are times when he doesn't even want to stop
to eat a meal or take care of other needs, 
if you get my drift.
He sometimes reminds me of Fred MacMurry
in The Absent-Minded Professor.  




We're all about encouraging gifts, 
talents and interests.
Our home is however, small by comparison.
Lil' Guy has his own room, but no designated area
in which to produce his amazing creations.
We wanted to not only give him a building sanctuary,
but allow him to keep everything orderly 
so that he could find exactly what he needs 
to bring his ideas to fruition.
(And let's face it, the lack of organization was driving me nuts!)



 

Our first solution was this set of containers,
which are garage bins that traditionally house
screws, nuts and bolts.
They held all kinds of bricks,
solids, specialty parts, wheels, just everything.
It worked well for a while,
but we needed bigger containers for some items
which he uses for his detailed innovations. 
 Plus, I didn't like them being on the floor.




So we hung them on the wall, 
giving him floorspace on which to work.
Still not an ideal set-up.





A couple of rolling bins were purchased
and placed underneath the overhead bins.
I needed to come up with something better,
more efficient that would still give him the room
he needed to create, build and explore.


At a visit to The Container Store while on vacation,
there were several options for Lego storage.
They might be efficient for some folks,
but they just weren't practical 
for our Lego craftsman.
We came up with a different solution
that happened to be much more affordable.





Four of these drawered bins were purchased 
and two were placed next to each other.
The top four drawers 
give the solid-colored bricks a home.



Each drawer was labeled.



There's still room to grow.



The lower drawers hold larger items, 
like these base plates.



We're still using the garage drawers.
 When the solid bricks were transferred 
to the new bins,
it allowed us to use these for the specialized parts.



They're off the floor and within easy reach.



He's got his own names for these pieces,
so he knows exactly where they belong.






We even have a few empty bins 
in case we have an overflow
(and you know there will be).


   
 Wheels were one particular part that were taking up 
lots of these little bins.


They come in various sizes, 
some of which barely fit in the smaller bins.



So we used one of the larger drawers 
on the new cabinets to contain them all.  
It's easy to see them all 
because they're not so crowded.



Need wheels?
We got 'em!



The other part of the solution was to give him a building surface.
We got this door at  
Big K cut it to fit the space and VOILA!  
Instant worktop.





It fits easily on top of the rolling bins,
and with the smaller cabinets right on top,
everything is in one place.
The exercise ball gives him a place to sit
and helps with kids who are restless or fidgety.
It may not look like it, but it's SO comfy.



His room has been rearranged a bit,
which will be featured in an upcoming post.
It feels good to have accomplished this task.
He's able now to have a workspace 
and everything he needs right at his fingertips.
Let the building begin!




A Bowl Full of Lemons




This Is How We Roll Thursday Button 


  ABFOL One Project at a Time



Repurpose My Life

8 comments:

  1. Wow! How cool! That is such a nice setup. I bet it makes his Lego time so much more fun. I don't think I've ever seen so many Legos!

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    Replies
    1. I hate to tell you this, but that was just a portion of his collection. I'll be sharing the rest of his room in a later post. Thanks for visiting, Tammy!

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  2. Wow...look at all those legos! Great idea! I found you on the Barn Hop and I would love to have you join the fun on my Creative HomeAcre Hop!
    http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/02/the-creative-homeacre-hop.html

    Hope to see you there!

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  3. This is one of the most amazing Lego setups I have seen! Kudos to you! And thanks so much for sharing! Love love love it!

    xo,
    Jen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your kind words, Jen. Getting things organized brings joy and comfort to my heart!

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  4. Nicely done! I love getting organized. That's some serious Lego action. I expect we'll be there someday soon!
    Love habitat restore! Thanks for sharing at repurposed ideas weekly!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for hosting, Marlo. I like being able to share ideas with others and see what other folks are up to!

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Thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts!