LEGO… it’s a love/hate relationship. You love that those colorful little bricks get your master builders thinking outside the box, but the failed attempts to keep them all in one place is almost as painful as when you step on one… with bare feet… in the dark (Psst! The two are related!). That’s why we’ve gathered the most clever LEGO storage solutions we could find. From the ultimate table to hardware store hacks, there’s a fix for your brick explosion here. photo: Heidi Kundun via Happiness is Homemade Forget fancy organizing systems. Get yourself to the local DIY store, pick up a package of plastic bins and just like that, you’ll have an easily accessible solution to your kid’s brick collection. We love the way Heidi over at Happiness is Homemade used her err… block, when it comes to LEGO. Get the detailed list of what you’ll need here. Tackle the Tiny Stuff Ever notice that LEGO sets come with a bit more, well, stuff, than when you were a kid?
Using a tackle or jewelry-making box (snag one at your local crafting store) with tons of tiny compartments makes it easy to have a place for each little accessory: from food to sidekicks, tools and more. photo: B Inspired Mama The creative blogger at B-Inspired Mama uses vertical storage and wall space (instead of your kiddo’s bedroom floor!) with this fun way to store LEGOs. Using materials that are a cinch to grab from the hardware or discount store, label each bucket with a white paint marker and then sort, sort, sort! Get the how-to at B-Inspired Mama. photo: Kristin Gentry via Kojo Designs This incredible building/storage combo table looks a lot harder to recreate than it really is. Combine a trip to IKEA with the most sticky glue you can find and you’ll be on your way. Want to know what you’ll need? Skip on over to Kojo Designs for the how-to. LEGOs are something kids love all the way through up to middle school and beyond. When Michelle from That Mommy Blog was looking for a storage solution for her son’s exploding brick collection, she came up with this ingenious Adjustable Height DIY Lego Table and Storage Unit, which can be used forever!
We love the fact that Michelle covered one side of the shelf with green baseplates, and left the other smooth for the option of building without baseplates. For the step-by-step instructions, visit That Mommy Blog. It’s a Type A’s dream. After listening to her boys say they wanted a color-coded sorting system, Jen of I Heart Organizing looked around and decided the IKEA Trofast system was the best way to go. Those nifty little labels are made with paper and Mod Podge. Get the full rundown over at I Heart Organizing. photo: Meredith Rowley via My 4 Misters & Their Sister Now that all the bricks have a place, find a spot for those building manuals, too. Believe us, once one of those suckers disappear, the chances of re-building that set are slim to none. We love the simple but brilliant idea from My 4 Misters & Their Sister. Even busy parents (meaning all of us!) can manage this one. Find out more over at My 4 Misters &Their Sister. photo: Abby Banks via 4 One More
If your LEGO-loving kid wants a way to proudly display his favorite minifigs, take notes from mom Abby over at 4 One More. She upcycled a few frames from the local thrift store, had her kids pick the paint colors and, with the help of one incredible tube of glue, made a super clever and chic way to store LEGOs. Get the details on how to make your own over at 4 One More. photo: HGTV / I-Beam Design Can you imagine the look in your little one’s eyes if you turned his or her bedroom into a wall-to-wall LEGO haven? Designers Lena Seow, Vrinda Khanna and Suzan Wines of I-Beam Design did just that. LEGO boards cover the walls of this room, from floor to ceiling, so kids can build with or against gravity. Plus, every creation becomes an integral part of the play space architecture until a new construction is made. How cool is that? Lay Out the LEGOs Designed by a mom and dad who needed a solution to cleaning, containing and controlling their kids’ LEGOs, this amazing bag acts an activity mat, cleanup, storage and carryall solution in one.
It comes in three sizes— a lite 18-inch, a larger 44-inch and a large 5-foot size. The smaller sizes work great for travel and bringing LEGOs to and from the bedroom and kitchen table. Bonus: You can wash it and it comes with a shoulder strap for easy transport. , $21.95 to $64.95. How do you organize your little builder’s LEGOs? We would love to hear your ideas. Leave us a comment below! — Kristina Moy & Gabby CullenIf you’re looking to buy away from the big name chain stores this holiday season, Etsy is a treasure trove of small sellers and handmade goods. Here are some of our favorite beauty, fashion and jewelry stores from 2012. However, bear in mind that many Etsy stores sell several different kinds of goods so it’s worth checking any out that might appeal. Part two of our Etsy guide will be up in a few days’ time featuring even more of our favorite stores.This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links.
to report an issue. Nerd Alert skirts have been featured all over the internet lately but they just had to be included here too. These skirts use unique fabrics to create the ultimate geeky look, from Avengers to Zelda. You can also order custom skirts; send in almost any picture and it will then be made into a custom fabric and finally into a skirt for you, great for those of us in less popular fandoms. GeekMom Melissa loves the beauty products from Mirasol Farm. They have a lovely Sweet Orange Calendula Cream made of coconut oil, calendula, cocoa butter, shea butter, and chamomile. The unscented Naked version is also very nice. She also loves their Lemon Chamomile lotion–wonderful scent and their lip balms make terrific stocking stuffers! A lot of geeky clothes are only found in male sizes, but Sceene Shoes offers something just for the girls. Their hand painted bras might not be on show to everyone but just imagine the looks in the communal changing room when you reveal your Ninja Turtle bra to the other shoppers!
For Jewelry, GeekMom Sarah enjoys the items offered by Comic Salvage. Sue Smith uses old comic books to create wonderful pieces for every geek in your family. From Cufflinks, to necklaces, to paperweights, there is something for everyone whether your tastes run to Rainbow Brite or The Hulk. Grandma Thunderpants has to be one of the most oddly titled Etsy stores and it definitely sells some unusual wares. I love the necklaces, especially the BFF designs where you can give half away to a friend or partner, there are some great pairings including Hawkeye and Black Widow, and Captain America and Iron Man for Avengers slash fans. There are also some great Christmas ornaments such as a Santa hat wearing Grumpy Cat and Flying Spaghetti Monster. You can get someone a watch at a department store, and they all look the same. Or you can shop at ORLOGIN with GeekMom Rebecca, and get a truly original and inspired piece of art to tell time. I’ve never worn fake nails but Kawaii Deco make me want to start.
The detail on the designs are amazingly intricate, my favorite set are possibly the Portal icons although it’s a close thing with Wall-E. GeekMom Rebecca loves Madame Scodioli’s store that sells “Hand-Made Soaps, Perfumes, Whisker Wax & Lovely Curiosities for One And All.” They cater to men too which is far less common in the handmade beauty products world. #If you’re a fan of corsets then Castle Corsetry might be your thing. They sell themed corsets to aid in your cosplay along with some plainer designs and other accessories. Their themed designs come in both long line and waist cincher styles too. If you ever wanted to geek up your housework, Haute Mess Threads offer a way to do so. Their aprons (both half and full sizes) include nerdy patterns and full on costume designs; some even include capes. GeekMom Kelly loves Cutebricks who turn the tiniest LEGO bricks into fun and eye-catching jewelry. At Cutebrick’s store you’ll find shiny heart and octopus necklaces, flower rings, cufflinks, and more, all fashioned out of LEGO bricks, but the dangly cascade earrings are the real charmers.
Laser cut acrylic jewellery is becoming quite commonplace these days, but the designs at Lickety Cut really make their pieces stand out. Portals, Arc Reactors and Cutie Marks are among their designs but you can also find lesser spotted designs such as Magic The Gathering mana symbols. There was a time when point hats and capes were just for Wizards and Elves, no longer! Thanks to Etsy sellers like Blue Moonlighting you can bring a touch of the cosplay into your everyday apparel. GeekMom Sarah uses her velvet lined cape on a weekly basis and it made the perfect Winter coat at nine months pregnant! There’s something about cute little cupcakes that seems to appeal to all of us, but mix them with geeky references and there’s double the appeal. The Bird and The Bee make adorable cupcake pendants in all kinds of themes from Disney to Doctor Who but they also make other designs such as Daenerys’ dragon eggs and the KeyBlade from Kingdom Hearts. Dreamed Designed is a Victorian-inspired shop for goggles, bags, and jewellery that GeekMom Rebecca finds just gorgeous!