Clever, creative storage solutions for 10 tricky storage problems from LEGOs to jewelry.

Now that my house is overflowing with too many toys (thanks to very generous grandparents), it's time for some serious storage solutions. I'm desperate for some organization for all those Rainbow Loom bands, LEGO pieces and  American Girl doll clothes, just to name a few. So, here's a list of some of our favorite storage ideas, from kids' stuff to your stuff. Storage Solutions for LEGOs (above) The one toy our readers keep trying to figure out how to best store are their LEGO collections. Do you sort by color? By kit? All in one huge bin, which gets dumped on the floor and I inevitably step on missed LEGO bricks in the middle of the night? I think the perfect solution might be the Swoop bag (at top). Kids can spread it out and play, and when they're done they just scrunch it up and stash it away. If you still feel like storage boxes are the way to go, you might like these Box4Blox LEGO storage containers.    

Stylish Storage for Toys in the Living Room Everyone knows that cute toy bins make for great storage in kids' spaces. We love the 3 Sprouts storage bins and the P'kolinos monster storage bins which are perfect for nurseries, playrooms. and older kids' bedrooms. But the reality is, unless you have a dedicated playroom (and kids who will actually stay there and play), you're destined to have toys in the living room, the dining room, the kitchen. and beyond. One of my favorite solutions for keeping kid stuff out of sight in grownup spaces are these recycled book storage bins. You can easily hide blocks, trains, dolls, or even video games and controllers in plain sight and it still blends with your decor.

   

 

Storage for Bath Toys Let's be honest: bath toys get moldy and gross pretty easily if they're in a regular bin with no drainage. So I love, love, love these adorable hanging bath toy storage bags for the bathroom from 3 Sprouts. This walrus just makes me happy, and I might not even mind having him hanging there in my shower (which my kids insist on using) because he's so darn cute.

Another option is the Boon Frog Pod which Cool Mom Picks discovered years ago, and it's since become a staple for thousands of parents. The bottom becomes a scoop for easy gathering of the toys, then you just hang and let the water drain until the next bath.      

Clever Storage for Doll Clothes and Accessories If you have dresses, hair bows, and bloomers in miniature stuck in drawers and corners throughout your house, you need to check out this awesome IKEA Hacks post on Storing American Girl Doll Clothes. At IKEA prices, you can make as many as you need instead of shelling out $79 for a dresser that holds like two things. I'm also loving the idea from Doll Diaries to use a hanging jewelry bag for storing doll shoes. That is, should your children have a collection of doll shoes large enough to warrant it.      

Cool Storage for Art Supplies Art supplies are not necessarily something I want to relegate to a cabinet or drawers; seeing all those bright colors make me happy. So I'm crazy about this DIY for converting old jars into art supply storage by gluing some of those random figurines lying around the house to the lids, then spray painting them in fun, inspiring colors. The supplies can stay out in the open, but they're still organized and neat. Perfect for beads, rainbow looms, markers, pencils, stickers--you name it.      

Storage for Beads and Rainbow Loom Bands Our kids are totally obsessed with Rainbow Loom bracelets, friendship bracelets, and beading. But the bands and beads are everywhere, and it's making me a little bit crazy, I must admit. This post on storing rainbow loom bands has lots of great options, including these super-cheap fishing tackle boxes. I love how you can move the dividers to make larger or smaller sections, for when your kids favor a few colors and end up with tons of white or green bands left.      

Storage for Video Games If you're like me and you'd rather not have Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto boxes nesting on your bookshelf next to Pride and Prejudice--or even Twilight for that matter--then check out these really cool printable video game covers you slide in your video game cases. They're designed to look like Penguin Classics, but you can customize them with the names your kids need so they don't open every single one looking for Rayman. Check the Cool Mom Tech post on 6 creative ways to organize video games for tips on controllers, discs and accessories too.      

Storage for Board Games This tutorial for framing your board games is so clever. While it's not for everyone, it's better than dealing with cheap, broken boxes on the shelves which fling play money and dice everywhere when you pull them out. Here, you just stash the game pieces in a ziplock bag behind the frame. When you're ready to play, you can do so while the board is still in the frame, then hang it right back up again. Plus the boards double as cool art in a kid space.

     

Stylish Storage for Jewelry This DIY hanging jewelry storage idea from BHG combines mid-century frames and fabrics to make for a stunning arrangement in your bedroom. Your jewelry is like a miniature collection of fine art anyway, right?      

Storage for Cookbooks I love the idea of displaying your cookbooks out in the open in your kitchen rather than stashing them inside a cabinet somewhere. It makes for quick and easy reference while you're cooking, but it also provides some fun color and makes a statement about your thoughts on food. If you're not in the market to do a complete kitchen redesign, see if you could update one section of cabinets (like this island designed by David C. Fowler) with a bookshelf and new countertop. Or just put in our favorite foundational storage piece, the Expedit shelves from Ikea, somewhere near the kitchen.