Stuffy SlingIn response to the explosion of stuffed animals in children's bedrooms there has blossomed a growing market in ways to store stuffed animals.  If you are like us, your child may have a carpet of animals in their bedroom.  There are so many options, it is hard to know what to buy.  We've spent some time exploring the options and have the following information to help you in your search.

ANIMAL STORAGE OPTIONS

Stuffed animal storage generally comes in five categories:

1. wall hanging storage
2. floor organizing storage
3. shelving or bin storage
4. ceiling hanging storage
5. furniture disguised for storage

 THE BEST ANIMAL STORAGE OPTIONS

We have tried a number of methods and have finally decided that wall hanging storage has significant advantages over the others.  It tends to be the most cost effective per square foot, the most accessible, the best way to free up floor space, and the best way to show off the collection with a minimal amount of time invested (i.e., quick clean up when vistors come).  There are generally two types of wall hanging storage on the market:

• hammock storage
• bag storage

Bag storage tends to be deep and requires some strength and visual attachment from above the bag into the wall.  Because wall bags tend to be so narrow, they restrict the actual amount of toys/stuffed animals you can get into them.  Also, most of the bags are opaque which means the stuffed animals are not on display; they are hidden in the bag.  However, the wall bags do offer the most efficiency in storage while freeing up useable floor space.

Wall hammocks usually come as corner units that must be installed with a three point wall attachment system.  They tend to be a little more flat which means they cannot hold as many stuffed animals.  They also tend to project into the room too far and can minimize the access to floor space.  However, they do offer the best display of the stuffed animals.

THEY HYBRID WALL HANGING DESIGN

We like the designs that are a hybrid of these two.  A flat wall hammock/bag that allows for maximum visual display with minimum floor interruption.  When buying one of these, you should look for the following:

• a double layer of material for extra strength
• transparency of material so you can see the animal collection
• strong wall attachments that easily anchor into wood studs
• unique attachments that are hidden so they don't distract from the collection
• a design that is beautiful and offers room color coordination

OUR HYBRID DESIGN

We have designed a new hybrid to meet this criteria and we offer it in our store.  We took the best of the bag and the hammock and created a new, better wall storage for stuffed animals.  We call it the Stuffy Sling.  It is essentially a flat wall hammock that combines a great deal of storage capacity like the bag with the maximum display capacity of the hammock.  Our unique design combines a dual tulle hammock with a hidden hook and ribbon hanging system that is beautiful and strong.  It is designed to hang on standard wood studs in most homes, making it one of the strongest on the market.  And because it is made of a double layer of tulle and organdy ribbon, it is one of the most beautiful as well.

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