dress up storage

Not that Sadie has a TON of dress up stuff yet, but I had this idea to make a dress up storage thingy, and it wouldn’t leave me alone. The idea, that is. Don’t you love (hate) ideas like that? just kidding, I really liked this project, really.

Rory cut all the wood out and put it together last weekend (I helped!), and I spent the week painting it. (not so fun while 8 months pregnant, but oh well. It was well ventilated while I painted, so don’t worry) I did figure out all the measurements. yah me.

(please ignore our nasty walls…we’re painting them…someday)


It’s really simple, two sides, a bottom, sides for a box on the bottom…and a dowel, all screwed together. We were able to make it with wood left over from our kitchen counter tops too, so the wood was free! (Rory disagrees about it being “free”, but was it being used for anything else, Rory? huh?) 😉

I painted the letters on the side with some craft paint. Not free handed (yah right!), I traced the letters using a font called Dream Orphans. (weird font name, huh?) The two S’s are a little too far from the “e” and it BUGS me! not enough to do it over though.

I did buy the blue paint, and used about half a quart, so that was $5. Also bought two hooks for the sides (which I screwed in myself, thankyaverymuch), another $6. The dowel was $3, so our grand total was under $15! nice!


Now I’m anxious to make some fun dress up outfits to fill ‘er up! Ok…I’ll take it easy. I do want to make a Cinderella dress I’ve been thinking about for ages…

Ok, for those who asked and who maybe want to try one of their own, here are the measurements I came up with.

All wood was 3/4 inch plywood. The bottom piece is 14″x36″, the two side pieces for the box at the bottom are 34 1/2″x9″. The two side pieces are 14″x36″, and the dowel we cut at 34 1/2″ and screwed in from the sides. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions!


Check out the plans on Ana White’s website! She contacted me to check for permission to use my idea and then drew up her own plans. Super cool!


Also featured on Oh Dee Doh,


and Babble!

Comments

  1. Jess! that is so so cute. what an awesome idea and the way you did it is so cool. We need to work on our dress up collection around here. 🙂

  2. Will you give us the measurements that you used? For those of us too lazy to do math. 🙂

  3. I love it! But I doubt my little boy will be needing a place to hang his princess dresses anytime soon. 😉

    • I love this idea for my son. I’ve already began to buy role play gear, i.e. chef, firefighter, cop, doctor. Not only for girls. Try it out!

  4. Love it! Need one!

  5. what a great idea! I think I could make something like that….

  6. This is adorable, I may have to make one for my daughter!

  7. It’s so fun! What a great idea!

  8. That is really cute! What a great idea!! : )

  9. that is awesome!!, my son has a tool box the same shape (only smaller). really really cool!!!!!

  10. Yes, yes, measurements please!

  11. how super cute is that!!! love it! you are just too good girlie!

  12. WOW!!!!! Thats. amazing!!! I LOVE it!!! Well done Jess, you never cease to amaze!

  13. Holy SMokes! I needed that idea about a month ago! Very cute

  14. Well done – it looks great – I really should try making one of these myself.

  15. That looks awesome! I have been dreaming about making something for my girls, but haven’t gotten to it yet, thanks for the dimensions!

  16. Gosh I love this! So much nicer than an overflowing box (our current solution)and has definitely got me thinking!

  17. Thats fabulous. I’ve been trying to think of something to store my girls dress up clothes in/on. I may borrow your idea. x.

  18. I”m loving it! Super creative idea.
    (and I like that your “ss” are farther away from the “e”).

  19. All I can say is…AHHHH! So cute!! Brilliant…seriously, brilliant!

  20. What a great idea! I just ended up buying a bigger plastic box, but yours is so much cuter.

  21. That is absolutely adorable!!! LOVE IT!
    Andrea @ TheTrainToCrazy.com

  22. That’s an awesome project – good job!!! I just wish my daughter’s room wasn’t so tiny…

    And I just have to say – when I first saw the pics, I thought it was doll-sized (like holding barbie clothes)! I have to really work at it to “see” it life-sized. Weird!

  23. Awsome, I am going to make Dad make me a bigger one for the attic! Dont tell him though, I gotta make him think it was his idea!

  24. What a wonderful, truly great idea idea. Thanks for sharing it…

  25. Love it–thanks so much for the idea! I made one for my daughter’s Christmas present!

  26. This is AWESOME! My daughter turns 2 in a couple weeks and I’ve been thinking about making her a dress-up chest for months. I think I just found my answer 🙂 Thanks for the idea.

  27. oh I LOVE this, so simple, why didn’t I think of this?! perfect for my boys…. Thank you!
    Ali x

  28. I love this. My four and six year old daughters would love it even more! And I like how you painted it blue so it would be perfect for girls AND a boy’s room. I think I’ll give this one a go. Thanks so much! 🙂

  29. I’m looking at this, and seeing the PERFECT solution to storing newborn clothes. DD already shares her room with grandma, so the new baby will have to be in mommy & daddy’s room for a few months… In a house short on closet space this will be a GODSEND!

  30. I’m putting my dad to work on one right away!

  31. I love this! So cute. I love Ana’s blog and I am a new follower of yours!

    Denise
    Extreme Personal Measures

  32. what! My boy totally needs one of these! Very very cool!

  33. Featured your dress up space today! Love this!!
    http://threeyearsofdeath.blogspot.com/2011/11/pin-it-on-friday.html

  34. I might just have to do this! I think I’ll add cloth pockets to one end for smaller accessories 😉

  35. Jess, this is adorable. I made my granddaughters’ dress-up clothes for a couple of years and then got the great idea to shop the day after Halloween. Last Christmas I was able to give them each 8 different costumes for not much money. Just show up at Target and at Walmart EARLY on November 1!

  36. I’m going to use this design and adapt it for American Girl doll clothes for my granddaughters! Thanks for the idea : )

  37. I like this dresser. This is so cute for the cute dresses.

  38. so perfect! pinning right a way!

    http://www.wewouldlovetoadopt.blogspot.com

  39. Is it large enough to put a mirror on one side? Then it’d be perfect! We’re currently converting a spare bedroom to a playroom in our home, and this is a great compact idea for our small room! Thanks for sharing!

  40. Superhero costumes? Cowboys? Indians?

  41. Stefanee says

    Not crafty here! Do you sell these? Thanks!

  42. Wow what a fantastic idea. Thank you for sharing. I made my daughter one from this.

  43. What an awesome idea. This looks much nicer than anything available for sale online.

  44. What a cute idea! I am sharing this on Pinterest.

  45. it looks AMAZING! I wish I’d added a shelf!

Trackbacks

  1. […] es de Craftiness is not optional, me encanta el color y la tipografía que ha […]

  2. […] a way to neatly organize those play dresses and shoes with this dress up storage. There is also a link to plans, so you can build your own […]

  3. […] Copenhagen. 2. Suburble. 3. Petit Sweet. 4. El tornillo que te falta. 5. psikhouvanjou. 6. Etsy. 7. Craftiness is not optional. 8. Instagram Lisalovesherlife. 9. Petit-On. 10. House to Home. 11. Apartment […]

  4. […] Do you have a little actor or actress in the making? How about a dress up rack to keep all those costumes neat and orderly? Source […]

  5. […] to store all the Frozen outfits and Teenage Mutant Ninja suits. This was made by Craftiness is Not Optional but you could get a carpenter to easily make it for […]

  6. […] Source: craftinessisnotoptional.com […]

  7. […] It was fun to go through them, but one definitely stood out. When I saw this dress up box from Craftiness is Not Optional, angels sang. I have ZERO power tool ability. Staple guns make me nervous and mine isn’t […]

  8. […] Dress up Storage from Craftiness is Optional […]

  9. […] Dress Up Storage from Craftiness is Not Optional […]

  10. […] Dress Up Storage from Craftiness in not Optional […]

  11. […] We currently store our kid’s costumes in one of the tubs in our Kallax shelving which is getting a bit full. Source […]

  12. […] DIY Dress-up Organizer by Craftiness is Not Elective […]

  13. […] DIY Dress-up Organizer by Craftiness is Not Optionally available […]

  14. […] DIY Dress-up Organizer by Craftiness is Not Non-obligatory […]

Leave a Reply to Dixie Cancel reply

*