It's located in our family room, which we are fortunate to have lots of cupboards in there!
For kicks, here is what this looked like when we bought the house - just to give you an idea of what some paint and new handles can do.
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| Those knobs were ridiculous! No one could open the cupboard with the knob smack-dab in the middle of the door! |
And here it is side by side:
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| We took off the doors of two of the cabinets, ripped out the intercom system {and a bunch of other junk behind the cupboard doors}, and painted like crazy! |
It's shocking really...okay, so on with the cupboard. I took out the games and {oh shocking, I know} many were torn and tattered.
I used packing tape and scotch tape to mend them.
Our Monopoly game was especially a mess as I pulled the lid off!
And here you thought I had perfect kids, right? Ha, ha...no, they didn't exactly put things back where they belonged. But, when I organize things, I always try to make it the easiest way possible to put things back the way they belong - simply because there is never an excuse!
I used snack-sized ziploc baggies and labeled them. Whala!
If you can't read, then you shouldn't play Monopoly! So, I'm not using pictures to label that stuff! I also have a couple of classic kids games in these great "Game Saver" boxes I got from The Container Store a couple of years ago, although I can't find them there anymore so Amazon.com has them!
Anyway, I put everything back in the cupboard and stacked things according to size and by age of kids or adults! I even have a basket in there for all the card games and pieces of games that get out - you know, when you find a piece laying around and don't want to drag the box out again. Just toss it inside the basket and put it away later!
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| This is the inside of the basket, after I cleaned it out! Looks good now - and nearly empty! |
Because our family room not only serves us as a family, but it also serves as my "waiting area" for my piano student's parents and siblings, I know that visiting kiddos don't always put things back where they belong - simply because they don't know where they go.
So, I take pictures of each area, and then I print them up {this time on cardstock paper for durability} and attach them to the back of the door.
When you open the doors, you know exactly where to put it back and can use it for reference! It's worked well for many years.
There's no excuse to say "Mrs. B, I didn't know where it went so I just left it out." Nope, not in this house!
See, even if you're not my kid, I still expect you to put things away! I'm so mean!!
Oh, and just to add...we have a great game table right next to our game cupboard. It's our old kitchen table.
You don't have to have a cupboard like this to have a place for your games. You might use a shelf in your hall closet, an underneath the bed container, or even a couple of shelves in an armoire or TV stand. What have you been organizing lately? I'd love to see it!
Parties:
Iheart Organizing
Organize and Decorate Everything
Delightful Order
Tidy Mom
Serenity Now
Organizing Junkie
Tatertots and Jello
Iheart Naptime
Thrifty Decor Chick
A Bowl Full of Lemons
Women Living Well
