Accessory Organizational HELP!

[mlpgirlmd]

Does anyone have a good way to organize and identify pony accessories? There are just soooo many! I have a whole tote of them and I just need some organization! I am afraid to get rid of things because I know that some babies accessories, combs ribbons ect are the same colors! HELP! I am also trying to get a leg up on this box before the MLP Fair so I can get rid of stuff if I need to.

Thanks!

Beth

 

[Gingerbread]

What about one of those plastic things with the pull out drawers, I've seen them at Walmart. You could have a drawer for shoes, brushes, clothes...One thing I did for my playset accessories that was helpful was I have a big ziplock bag for each playset and I have typed checklists with all the accessories that go with each one. That way I know what items I need without having to go through them all again. Then I have a rubbermaid container that I put all my extras/duplicates in. I also printed out the combs/brushes list from the Dream Valley website and mark of the ones that I have so I know which ones I still need, or don't need. I think they have a ribbon list and accessory list. Anyway, good luck, hope this helps

 

[Juniper Jade]

I was just thinking about this the other day! I don't have many accessories, but man, I've started to really look for them. Some are just so cute!

I've just been putting them in zippy bags and labeling the bags as to what ponies they belong to. But I just don't know what to do with the zippy bags, hah.

 

[Ms Twilight]

I've just been putting them in zippy bags and labeling the bags as to what ponies they belong to.

I do that too. I bought some of those cardboard 3 drawer sets at Ollies and Walmart for $4 each and I put all the baggies in that.

 

[ashlyne]

I use plastic tool bins (found at Kmart and Target, Lowes, etc) and they work phenominally for small accessories:

I used to bag everything but it got to be a hassle digging through a box of bags and opening them up whenever I needed to get to them. I like the drawer system much better. Depending on how many accessories you have, it can get expensive though. They cost $8-12 per drawer set. Here's how I've organized my things:

Barrettes: I write the name of the pony the barrette belongs to on a tiny piece of paper and clip the barrette around it. I'll put one or two sets of clips per drawer.

Baby Accessories / Adult accessories: I'll put similar accessories in each drawer (stacking toys in one, big brother hats in another). If they need to be labeled, I use a small piece of acid-free matte tape with the name of the pony on it to tag each accessory.

Brushes/Combs: I sort them by comb style (bear brushes in one, moon combs in another) and I usually only keep one of each shade unless I know it came with a specific pony. Then I tag it with a tape label before putting it in the bin.

Ribbons: Special ribbons (princess, flutter, SHS) are bagged separately and treated like special accessories. Normal ribbons are all together in one drawer. I'll tape lable the ones that I know came with a specific pony.

Ponywear: One outfit per plastic baggie, a couple of baggies per drawer.

Larger accs / Playset accs: I bag and box up baby furniture and playset accessories since they're too big for the drawers.

An excellent guide for baby accessories and ponywear is Lady Twilight's site (greatponies.com). I used that source as well as mylittleponycollector.com and dreamvalley to organize my stuff.

 

[babyapplejack]

I use plastic tool bins (found at Kmart and Target, Lowes, etc) and they work phenominally for small accessories:

I used to bag everything but it got to be a hassle digging through a box of bags and opening them up whenever I needed to get to them. I like the drawer system much better. Depending on how many accessories you have, it can get expensive though. They cost $8-12 per drawer set. Here's how I've organized my things:

Barrettes: I write the name of the pony the barrette belongs to on a tiny piece of paper and clip the barrette around it. I'll put one or two sets of clips per drawer.

Baby Accessories / Adult accessories: I'll put similar accessories in each drawer (stacking toys in one, big brother hats in another). If they need to be labeled, I use a small piece of acid-free matte tape with the name of the pony on it to tag each accessory.

Brushes/Combs: I sort them by comb style (bear brushes in one, moon combs in another) and I usually only keep one of each shade unless I know it came with a specific pony. Then I tag it with a tape label before putting it in the bin.

Ribbons: Special ribbons (princess, flutter, SHS) are bagged separately and treated like special accessories. Normal ribbons are all together in one drawer. I'll tape lable the ones that I know came with a specific pony.

Ponywear: One outfit per plastic baggie, a couple of baggies per drawer.

Larger accs / Playset accs: I bag and box up baby furniture and playset accessories since they're too big for the drawers.

An excellent guide for baby accessories and ponywear is Lady Twilight's site (greatponies.com). I used that source as well as mylittleponycollector.com and dreamvalley to organize my stuff.

Thats AWESOME ashlyne!!! What a great way to organize your accessories. I always love seeing what you have and can't wait until you post your whole collection!

 

[glory78]

i use tackle boxes (the kind fishermen use). they work really well.
glory

 

[mlpgirlmd]

Ashlyn! You are my accessory goddess!! :wink: That is awesome and a great inspiration! Thanks so much! Sometime I will have to come and check your stuff out! I am in Terre Haute, Indiana so not too far away and I used to live in Plainfield while going to school in Indianapolis!

Thanks again everyone for the great ideas!

 

[Dava]

Wow, Ashlyn! I'm impressed with the way your organized your accessories!

I've got, without exaggeration, thousands of accessories that I use for my comic, and not just MLP accessories. I keep most of them in single row trading card boxes, each labelled thematically. Like, I've got an "electronics box," and that has all my miniature TVs, CD players, laptop computers, etc. My "kitchen box" has all my mini dishes and appliances, and so on. It works really well for me.

 

[Beanie]

*jaw drops* OMG, Ashlyn! Wow!

I don't have that many, so all of mine are in a smaller plastic, three-drawer organizer I got from Target. I don't really know who goes with what so they're all just jumbled in there.
The G3 brushes are baggied by set (approximately - if I have a set and two of them have identical brushes, I split the identical brushes up) and have a notecard in the bag indicating which set it is, and which pony goes with what colour brush. Those and all my other G3 accessories are actually stored in the popcorn tin from Wal-mart a few years ago. =P It doesn't make for a very good way to find anything as they're all thrown in together, but I so rarely get them back out...

 

[elphaba]

ASHLYNE!!!

I bow at your feet. I'm SO impressed! I love it! My collection is probably MUCH smaller, though, so I don't have nearly that many accessories. WOW. *drools*

I just bought these wooden boxes from Hobby Lobby; they are maybe 9" wide by 4" tall and 5" deep. ish. Since I display my ponies in pretty much chronilogical order on bookshelves, I can put 3 ponies on top, 3 in front, and all their stuff in the box. But, I admit - it's not bagged up or labeled or anything. Ashlyne, does the tape you're talking about leave any gummy gunk on the plastic after a while? I'm always paranoid about that - but if it doesn't, can you tell me what the brand is so I can go find some myself?

I put together a checklist of all the ponies, accessories, playsets, puffy stickers, etc. from My Pretty Pony though maybe year 3 or 4. I kind of Frankensteined it together from Dream Valley and another site... maybe MLP Collector? It's a PDF file that prints out half-size pages and fits in a little binder I'm not ashamed to whip out at a pony meet or Goodwill. Anyway, I keep track of what I have with that thing. And since I don't think I'll EVER get all the sea ponies' clamshells, I'm stuck in year 4 and will probably NEVER have the need to move on and finish out the checklist! *sigh*

-elph

 

[ashlyne]

Thanks for the compliments guys! I LOVE accessories but I was going insane trying to keep track of them all, so this works well for me. The tackle box idea is a great idea too. They also have craft boxes that are sectioned out too. Sewing boxes would work well too. Here are the rest of the images from my drawers: http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/ashlyne/ACCS COLLECTION/ I've actually gotten 2 or 3 more sets since these pictures! It just keeps growing!!

I am in Terre Haute, Indiana so not too far away

I didn't know you were that close! I'd love to have you over, but the rest of my house isn't quite as organized as my accessory collection I don't have display space to show off the ponies properly but when I do, I'd love to host a pony meet sometime

How do you keep your paper MLP stuff organized?

I use 3-ring binders and sheet protectors. You can get sheet protectors that are divided up into different sized pockets (2-pocket sheets for 5 x 7 photos down to 9-pocket sheets for trading cards). These work great for all those different sized pamphlets. I use full-sized sheet protectors for the backcards I have. The ones that are too big, I have a scrapbook with large sized sheet protectors. It's a little bulky, but it works for storing them at the moment.

does the tape you're talking about leave any gummy gunk on the plastic after a while? I'm always paranoid about that - but if it doesn't, can you tell me what the brand is so I can go find some myself?

I use Matte Finish Magic Tape by Scotch. It's just in the regular aisle with the other tape. It's low tack and I've never had a problem with it leaving a sticky finish. It pulls off easily and is easy to write on. I always fold over one end to make an easy-to-grab tab so I don't have to break a fingernail if I need to get it off

 

[Snowflake]

This is the box, where I store my MLP-accessories.

It´s a doublebox for nails, srcews and such. Its great but now I need more space. I don´t get in more accessories.

**Snowflake**

 

[sam234uk]

Wow, Ashlyn! I'm impressed with the way your organized your accessories!

I've got, without exaggeration, thousands of accessories that I use for my comic, and not just MLP accessories. I keep most of them in single row trading card boxes, each labelled thematically. Like, I've got an "electronics box," and that has all my miniature TVs, CD players, laptop computers, etc. My "kitchen box" has all my mini dishes and appliances, and so on. It works really well for me.

I would LOVE to see YOUR accessories