10 Clever Ways To Display Your Plush Toys - That Don't Include Shelves! - For Kids AND Collectors

 I don't care how old you are, I bet you have at least a good arm-load of plush toys lying around, right?

 

John and I love our squishy collectibles. Catbus, E.T., my Firey from Labyrinth, reader-crocheted Epbots and pony avatars... we've got our share for sure. I like to sprinkle them around my office and John's game room, though, so we don't really have a dedicated display spot. However, the last few weeks I've been doing research to help some friends and readers who have a LOT of plushies -  an amount you can no longer "sprinkle" - and I've found so many clever display ideas and storage tricks that I have to share. Whether you're a parent wrangling your kids' toy haul or a collector looking to show off your main squeezes, I think these will be relevant to your interests.

So here we go, 10 of my favorite NON-SHELF ways to store and/or display plush toys:

1) Re-Purposed Curtain Rods:

I love this because it's clever, functional, and cheap. Why dedicate a whole shelf or bookcase when all you need is a simple bar? You could stack these on a wall in place of a bookcase, or put them end-to-end all around the room.

Plus, these can look REALLY high end:

(Blabla Kids Toys)

Especially if you're displaying a collection or grouping by color.

Oh, and you can also use towel bars, not just curtain rods!

2) A Tension-Rod Hammock:

 (Bowdenisms)

Use two tension-mount curtain rods to make a hammock between the wall and a dresser or bookshelf. Courtney sewed her fabric, but you could use an existing valence for a no-sew option: just slide the 2nd curtain rod through the bottom hem of the valence, and you're good to go.

3) Wire Basket Nightstand: 

(Addicted To Bargains)

You probably won't find a "lid" that works as perfectly as this angled tray, but all you need is a tray that's larger than the top edge of your laundry/trash bin. Just add some cabinet bumpers or grippy foam shelf-liner to the bottom of the tray, so it won't slide off.

4) End Table Bungee Cage

 

Take an existing side table or plant stand and add bungee cords, like this:

We Made A Small World Clock! And It's SO SPARKLY

John and I have some readers-turned-friends, Chris and Brandon, who just bought their first house. They love all things Disney and mid-century modern, so when Chris asked if we could make them a Small World clock for the dining room, I jumped at the chance.

Here's a sneak peek to tide you over while I explain how we did it:

At first I thought we'd make the clock from scratch, but then, how to ship it? I wanted something big, at least 20 inches, and that meant finding custom packaging on top of the cost to mail it cross-country.

That's when John had the brilliant idea of buying an existing clock from Amazon - which ships free with Prime - modifying it, and then re-using the original packaging & box to mail to Chris & Brandon. Boom. No need to buy the wood, clock guts, OR the shipping box.

It took a little hunting, but here's the clock I finally purchased:

23" Round Decorative Clock

It's nearly two feet across, and don't let the wood "planks" fool you: the entire front of the clock is really a printed sticker on a solid piece of wood. Perfect for our dastardly plans. (Ok, so our plans aren't all that dastardly. I just like the word dastardly. Dastardly dastardly dastardly.)

First we removed the clock hardware and added a few coats of white satin paint with a small foam roller:

Foam rollers (like these) are the best option when you want a perfectly smooth surface; even spray paint can leave spatters and sagging areas, especially when you're working on large areas. And I hope this goes without saying, but NEVER use a brush if you want a perfectly smooth surface on top of another perfectly smooth surface; it'll leave brush marks galore.

John did the super tedious work of cleaning up the best Small World clipart we could find to get it ready to cut with our Cricut. This took 3 or 4 tries, as he kept going back to smooth out more lines, but eventually, it looked like this: