Kid's Artwork Organized!!

When we finished our basement there was room for a large walk in closet in our basement guest room. We also had pretty ample storage space we left unfinished down there as well.... So, what does one do with the kinda closet space that no guest is going to fill up?!? 

I had an idea one day as I was putting the kid's clothes away in their closets and I was staring at years worth of artwork piled up on the top shelf above their clothes. The basement closet needed a tall stack of over sized, built in drawers to organize each kid's artwork that was wide enough to lay the pictures out flat!! I cannot believe the amount of art they bring home in preschool years-some of it with just one blob of paint on it!!  And I am surely not the only mom who has been busted carrying the trash out in a see through bag with a piece of two of artwork exposed!:) 

We made each drawer 19x39 and 8 inches deep.  The entire cabinet is 58Hx47W. We also left space above the drawers for bins to put all the stuff they got from the hospital & adoption process- basically baby book stuff I have neglected to get into their books:)! I plan to also make a birthday bin for each kid, with cards, invites and any small decor memorabilia from parties. 

Notice how much smaller Vince's bin is. I am not jaded about the fact that you collect way less the third time around!:)  I am third born myself and have the paper thin baby book that sits next to my older sister's 4 inch wide journal of their lives! Vince should know straight up and early on...the cold truth:)

We have 5 drawers total. It worked out that way because of the size of the lumber pieces with trying to keep the lumber cost down.  So, that left a preschool and an elementary drawer for both Harris & Stella since they have both been through preschool years and are now in grade school. 

Vince got one drawer since he still has a year and a half left of preschool and I am not sure we will be in this house long enough for him to get very far in elementary. Maybe I should get him a bigger box or else he may really have a complex!! 

Here is the inside of one of the drawers. You recognize all this stuff right?! All the materials that are hard to keep looking good when they are stacked up and crammed onto a closet shelf!! This drawer stack was one of the most practical and useful, well second to the bar:), that went into the basement! I cannot believe how much stuff they have created thus far! They love to look through their stuff every once in awhile too which is pretty cute:) 

Enjoy & Cheers! {Laura}