Toy cars are like potato chips - you can't just have one. In fact, it seems like you can't even have less than a few dozen. My son inherited a bunch from his father which are unceremoniously living in a little suitcase. But I do love these diy ideas which not only house, but also display toy car collections.
1. Magnetic strips: The Land of Nod recently featured this car image in their catalog and added some instructions about how to make it on their blog using long magnetic strips. It's similar to the idea of using magnetic knife strips, but on a much greater scale. They warn that some newer cars don't have enough actual metal to attach magntically so you should test yours before investing in this project. See more: Honest to Nod
2. Picture Ledges: Interior Designer Lacey Carroll did a playroom makeover for a client whose son had lots of toy cars. She decided to display and store them using picture ledges. See more: Lacey Carroll Interiors
3. Hanging Organizer: Chris who blogs at Pick Up Some Creativity created this hanging car organizer. It's similar to a hanging shoe organizer, but with smaller pockets sized for cars. Of course, you could also just purchase a shoe organizer and put multiple cars in each pocket. See more: Pick Up Some Creativity
4. Open Shelf: A dad at Lumberjocks built his own open shelf to hold about a hundred of his son's toy cars. He used poplar and walnut wood and tilted each shelf slightly to make the unit as much a display piece as for storage. See more: Lumberjocks
5. Paper Tubes: This idea, at Family Fun, is clever but perhaps not as sturdy as the other ideas since the paper tubes are held together with glue. It looks like they used some heavy duty paper tubes, but you could also try empty toilet paper rolls. See more: Family Fun
MORE TOY CARS ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• Matchbox Cars: An Ode to Old School
• Look! A Toy Car Collection Parked in a Window
• Look! Toy Car Wall Art
(Images: 1. Land of Nod 2. Lacey Carroll Interiors 3. Pick Up Some Creativity 4. User lyxdexic/Lumberjocks 5. Family Fun)
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My little brother probably has 100 Hot Wheels cars in shoe boxes. I'm going to show him this article. :)
If you like the paper tube idea, you could make it more durable by using small cans or plastic food containers (yogurt cups?) of some kind. Hot glue, and voila.
I've seen posts and comments from people who have tried the magnetic strip project from Land of Nod and it hasn't worked at all. Newer cars and many older cars will not stick to the magnetic strips as they are. It look super cute, but wouldn't work unless you want to glue washers or something that'll stick to the strips onto the bottom of each car. (NOTE: this might impede them working on tracks or other accessories, check for clearance if you go the washer route)
I'd go for one of the other options.
Yeaaah. Tried the Land of Nod idea. Loved it, so cute! It didn't work. :) http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2012/10/big-fat-project-fail.html?m=1
(By the way, when I tried it the disclaimer about using old cars was not on the post.)
I have my favorite ones from when I was a kid in a simple glass hurricane on my mantel. It's a nice pop of color and a great reminder of my childhood.
I like the picture ledge and the tube ones the best.
I think that Lumberjocks shelf is beautiful.
Saw the following on AT a few months back and pinned it. It is obviously for a much smaller collection but fun nonetheless!
http://pinterest.com/pin/2111131044842952/
i wonder if the magnetic strip thing did not work because it was flipped over? did anything magnetic stick to it. it might be the wrong way??
i wonder if the magnetic strip thing did not work because it was flipped over? did anything magnetic stick to it. it might be the wrong way??
The magnetic strip didn't work because, like everything else in our disposable society, 'they don't make 'em like they used to'. My [ahem, now vintage] cars from childhood stick great. G-son's, on the other hand, not so much.
With his, I did something similar to Salvie's glass hurricane idea, minus the glass for kid-safety. I actually bought a plastic gallon jar of cheese puffs JUST to get the jar. (Attack me for buying plastic if you must but don't judge me for eating every last cheese puff all by myself. Sometimes, aesthetics require sacrifice:) The jar full of cars looks great on the bookshelf & it's safe for g-son to grab & dump for play time. Makes cleanup a breeze too.
I will never show my 4-yr-old this article so he doesn't know someone CAN actually have these many toy cars... I told him once he filled up his boxes, no more cars.