How To Make A Soft Toy Storage Shelf (No more mess!!) • Grillo Designs

One of the biggest struggles parents often face, is how to keep their children’s soft toys organised. This DIY soft toy storage shelf is a practical solution to storing and displaying soft toys. Its simple to build – and also has a cute modern looking vibe to it!

Hi! It’s Amaryllis here from Ohoh bog.

With three kids of different ages, the toys in my house are multiplying fast. Because of this, I’m always on the look out for practical toy storage ideas (see here for IKEA toy storage hacks).

I decided to tackle the soft toys mess in my daughters bedroom first. Instead of keeping them in your average big container, I decided to build this hanging soft toy storage shelf just above her bed.

I love that all the soft toys are now in sight, making it easy for her to choose a toy (and to put back in place when she’s done). The soft toy storage shelf is quite simple to build and you can customise it any way you like (here is another space saving idea for toy storage if you’re interested)

MATERIALS NEEDED TO MAKE A SOFT TOY STORAGE SHELF

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¼ of 12mm plywood board
1 lumber of 1in. X 2in. X 8 ft
10 ft. of rubber band (or bungee rope as some call it)
A wooden ring – bought here
1 ft. of rope
Wood glue
white paint – this is a good brand

TOOLS NEEDED:

saw
drill
staple gun
trigger clamps
ruler and a pencil
pair of scissors
Paint brush

HOW TO MAKE A HANGING SOFT TOY STORAGE SHELF:

Step 1

You can make the soft toy storage shelf any the size you want. In most of the hardware store they sell a quarter of plywood boards (which is what I used for this project)

To make the shelves, you will still have to cut the lumber into 4 pieces that are the length of the plywood panel width.

Step 2

Once the shelves are cut, sand them to remove splinters and then paint them. I chose white but you can pick any colour that matches your kid’s bedroom or playroom.

Step 3

Once the paint is dry, you are ready to fix the shelves to the board.

Start with the lower shelf. Apply wood glue to the edges of the shelf piece, making sure to align it with the board edges.

Hold with trigger clamps while the glue dries. Dont worry, the wood glue is strong enough to hold the weight of soft toys.

Place the second shelf above the first, leaving a distance of 10 inches between each. To make it easy, measure and trace a line on the board 10 inches above the first shelf.

Step 4

Put some wood glue just above the line and place the second shelf on the board. Align the bottom edge of the second shelf with the line to be sure everything is straight. Hold with trigger clamps.

Repeat the same steps to place the third and the fourth shelves- always leaving a distance of 10 inches between each.

Step 5

Once the shelves are glued, its time to place the rubber band (bungee rope) that will hold the soft toys in place.

Measure 3 inches distance from the shelf and ½ inch from the board edge and drill a hole into the board, make a second hole at the other end of the shelf.

Step 6

Pass the rubber band through the holes and staple it on the back of the board. You need to stretch the rubber band in order to hold the soft toys.

Repeat step 5 and 6 to place the rubber bands above the 3 other shelves.

Step 7

I wanted to decorate the top of the board with some lettering. I choose “peluches” which mean soft toys in french. Another great option is writing your kid name.

You can print the word or the name on a sheet of paper and cut out the letters with a exo knife (learn how to make your own stencils here)

Step 8

Place the paper stencil on the board and hold with some masking tape.

Using a foam brush apply the paint little by little. As the stencil is made out of paper you have to go slowly.

Once you are done painting, wait until the paint is dry and remove the paper.

Step 9

To hang the this soft toy storage shelf on the wall, Drill two holes to each top corner of the board. Take centre of the rope and make a loop to attach the wood ring to the rope.

Pass the rope ends though the board holes.

Step 10

Make a knot on the back of the board to attach the rope ends together. You can add some staples to hold the knot for a little extra safety.

Step 11

Hang the board on the wall. I used a cup shaped hook to hold the wood ring. I just wanted to be sure the board would stay in place no matter what the kids wanted to do with the soft toys.

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK? WILL YOU BE TRYING THIS SOFT TOY STORAGE SHELF IDEA? HOW DO YOU NORMALLY STORE YOUR KIDS SOFT TOYS?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amaryllis is a DIY addict and the creative mind behind Ohoh Blog. She likes to make home decor, lighting, and furniture projects. It could be painting, sewing, drilling…no matter the technique! Whatever she has on hand is inspiration to create—feeding her serious addiction to upcycling.