Dreaming of an ideal AG storage system - suggestions please!

[Sakurako]

Here's a couple of generic suggestions. First, take the door off the room and replace it with a door quilt or bead curtain or something that is flat and doesn't need to fold back against the wall. Behind the door is valuable wall space. If the space behind the door is long enough to fit doll beds into, then buy stacking "parsons table" style shelving and put them in your newly acquired space. You can store your books there but also you can make up beds for dolls who are out of the action on the shelves. I started collecting doll beds before I had AGs so used this type of shelving to hold 5 beds -- saved lots of floor space! Next, if you have a regular clothes rod in the closet, plan to store the doll clothes in there. You can find doll clothes hangers that go on regular clothes rods on ebay (ask the seller first to be sure). Then straighten out wire coat hangers and bend them at the bottom to support straight "snap-fit" curtain rods. Put the hooked part of a hanger at each end of the clothes rod distanced to support the curtain rod from the bend at the bottom of the hanger. You could get at least three rows of doll clothes storage this way. Flat clothes like tshirts, sweaters, pajamas, jeans, shorts, etc. can be stored in cardboard boxes, with labels on the ends and side as to what's in them. Or you can use the clear plastic Sterilite storage boxes, but usually cardboard ones are free. The kind that come filled with office letterhead stationary are ideal. So are the boxes that fundraising chocolate bars come in -- they even have a handle! Save shoeboxes for dolls' shoes, boots, hair curlers and other small accessories. If you have woodworking skills, build platforms for the doll rooms with storage shelves underneath for these boxes. If you don't, folding card tables work well for doll rooms and you can still find stackable storage units to go under them. You can make a longer, wider floor space for doll rooms by putting a piece of plywood across two card tables with a space between them -- most lumber yards will cut a piece of plywood for you to your specified measurements. The plywood I used for my S&S's in my apartment was about 42 by 54 inches and that gave me enough room to stage just about any activity that included up to 8 dolls.
I agree with not locking yourself in. Scenes & Settings are fun but a plain draped fabric backdrop works fine, too. If I were designing a room from scratch, I would install either a strip of corkboard along the top of two adjoining walls or some sort of curtain rod system, so I could change the backdrop fabric easily. In the kitchen corner in my apartment, I had a folding screen behind the table where my plywood floor was balanced and used straight pins to secure my backdrop to the screen. Then I thumbtacked the far edges on each side to the walls (why cork board would be nice). You want an angle in the center of your room if you use S&S because they don't open out flat without popping their binding. By using fabric for "wallpaper", you can change it every season by getting new fabric: Halloween, Christmas, Easter, etc. I often draped the plywood floor with a complementary seasonal fabric -- wait until about 2 weeks before the holiday occurs to get the slashed fabric prices.
If your daughter enjoys playing on the floor, it should be OK to have the doll rooms on the floor instead of on a table. Then you might want to pick up some inexpensive bathroom mats so you can change the look of the room by changing the "rugs".
If you can sew, Vogue has patterns to make several rooms full of doll furniture using fabric and foam, including a sewing room with a sewing machine and an ironing board! I think McCall's or Simplicity may have similar patterns. Cardboard boxes covered with contact paper can make good kitchen appliances. Styrofoam packing that comes around computers is great, too. It takes acryllic paint well. I built a space shuttle out of it, as well as a fireplace with a mantel and hearth.
It sounds like you will have a blast! Enjoy!

[dianasmama]

Tracy, you are more than welcome to come and help anytime! Organize away!!!!!

Laurie

[mom_to_an_americangirl]

Tracey- Come to CT and help me get my junk in order and I will take you to AGPNY.... no kidding. I am buried.

I love clean sweep but my husband is a pack rat. We need to keep everything his family gave us including the junky 1950's beat up (gouged by his grandmother's wheelchair) faux cherry coffee table. I have four twin sized bedframes in the garage- all need to be refinished or at the least repainted and I can't get rid of any. I did draw the line at the old mattresses-UGH!!!

My vice is my doll collection and the children's baby things. I have no problems selling or donating anything over a size 2 but the tiny baby clothes give me issues.

HELP!!!