Creative Mama Collage

Creative Home Solutions

Welcome to TheCreatingMama.com, a collaborative blog that inspires mothers to use their creativity to enrich each day. We discuss ways you can creatively organize and decorate your home, to keep it warm, welcoming, and under your control. That includes information about storage products that help you manage a lot of stuff in a small space. It also encompasses furnishings that maximize your comfort while keeping your home looking great. And we talk about other aspects of your family life that will help you be the best mama you can be.

Kitchen

The kitchen is probably the room in the majority of homes that will benefit by adding storage solutions. That is because kitchens are filled with items of varying sizes and purposes that need to be on-hand but not in the way.

Food storage is one of the primary needs in most kitchens – ways to orderly store condiments and ingredients before preparation, and leftovers after the meal is done. With the right pantry storage systems in place you can avoid being buried by food waiting to be prepared, and having the proper airtight containers will help you keep your leftovers ready for reuse.

Dishes and utensils also need a home in a well-organized kitchen. To do that there are trays, racks, shelves, and carts to keep your kitchen clutter free.

Utility is not the only factor to consider when evaluating kitchen storage solutions. Organization can be decoration, and many beautiful kitchens show off their herbs and spices in decorative jars and containers to enhance their visual appeal. The same goes for dishes – if you have beautiful or rustic pots and pans, you might want to store them out in the open to free up space and set the tone in your cooking space.

And speaking of cooking – don’t forget all the tools and utensils that need to be stored. For example, cookware sets include a lot of pieces that can take up some significant storage room. And that also portable cooking items as well, like the ones in our review of portable induction cooktops.

Beyond storage, there are plenty of other appliances and pieces of equipment that are invaluable in the kitchen. For example, having a quality water filter pitcher is necessary for keeping your water free of toxins and heavy metals. Alternatively, you can boil your water, which will require an electric tea kettle. Good meat slicers will save you time and money while making your own lunch meat. If your kids like breakfast, having a Belgian waffle maker is absolutely essential. Speaking of breakfast, if you love coffee in the morning you should check out our list of espresso machines under $200.

If you are an avid cooker you will be a fan of our reviews of electric pressure cookers for fast meals, air fryers for healthier frying, and the top food processors to quickly blend solid foods.

If you have kids you will no doubt have to prepare lunches for them. Our pages on bento lunch boxes and kitchen knife sets will help you here.

For those of you that are fans of bread, we have excellent advice on bread machines. There is nothing like fresh bread toasted with butter. To help you with that, we found some of the toaster ovens under $100. If you are into making toasted sandwiches, be sure to check out our page on panini presses.

If you are health conscious, you will be a fan of our review of high quality juicers.

Water

As water is essential to life, we find water systems integrated all over our homes. From the kitchen to the bathrooms, and even the garden hoses, water runs through them. Since we come into so much contact with water, it is important to make sure that it is of the highest quality. Filtering out toxins, debris, and unnecessary minerals can be done with complex systems or small portable filters. We compiled a list of reviews that will help you condition the water inside your home:

Closets

Clothes have a way of accumulating and taking up all available space. It doesn’t seem to matter how spartan you are with your wardrobe – eventually your closet will be busting at the seams.

The solution to shoe and clothing creep is a properly organized closet. There are a variety of closet storage systems available to help you make the most out of your usable space. The better ones allow for variable configurations, meaning they can adjust to fit your life and space, rather than the other way around.

Hanging storage is perfect to get some items up off the floor and into an organized array. Things like shoes, belts, scarfs, and ties all need a home if you are going to keep the overflow out of your bedroom. And plenty of accessory storage systems are out there to make sure everything is decent and in order among the components of your wardrobe.

In some cases where closet space is at a premium – or even non-existent – you need to turn to non-traditional solutions to give your clothes or bedding a home. Under-bed storage containers can give you extra space when you need it, and so can hope chests and other free-standing bedroom storage options.

Bedroom closets are not the only ones that need help – utility closets, hallway closets, coat rooms, and linen closets also can get overwhelmed with stuff. Thankfully there are some very ingenious storage systems (like entryway storage benches, for example) that can keep your brooms, mops, towels, sheets, overcoats, and mud boots neatly and safely stored. Cleaning supplies like vacuums for stairs can easily be stored here as well.

Garage

garage storage

People that do not have a garage often are envious of others who get to store their cars inside. While that is a tremendous benefit – especially in colder climates – the reality is many people with a one or two car garage cannot store their vehicles in it because their garage is too full of stuff.

Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be that way. There are a number of systems available that can safely store your stuff and still leave space for your car.

Hoist systems are one such solution – there are hoists for storing canoes, kayaks, bikes and other large garage dwellers safely up on the wall or ceiling and out of the way. You will be amazed at how much space you will gain by lifting a few large items. There are even unique systems like jeep top hoists and jeep door hangers that can securely give you back valuable floor space.

Overhead garage storage racks are another option to keep items like beach umbrellas for wind stored in your garage out of the way.

Smalls also take up a lot of room in most garages. Tools are one type of small item that can be easily stored in a good tool chest or above a work bench on a peg board. There are also jars and containers for screws, bolts, nuts, connectors, washers, and all the other little things that need to be kept in a way that can be found again.

If your garage gets too cold in the winter, installing a pellet stove possible will keep it plenty warm.

Larger items like rakes, brooms, shovels, and garden tools also clutter many garages. There are wall hangers and free-standing racks that can keep all your hand tools at hand but out of the way.

Bathroom

bathroom storage

The bathroom is an important room any home, and most of them serve a number of different purposes beyond just housing a toilet. Sinks, tubs, and showers all require soaps, shampoos, shavers, and scrub brushes to serve their purposes. And all of that stuff has to be kept somewhere that will not impede their use.

Bathrooms often double as the home for cleaning supplies, which means that most will benefit from under-cabinet storage solutions. Some also do duty as the laundry room, so that calls for an entirely different set of storage needs.

But do not fear – there are devices available that can help you keep laundry soap, towels (like towel warmers and bathroom towel racks), cotton balls and Q-Tips stored (and in some cases displayed) in ways that will restore functionality to your restroom. Shower caddies are a good example of this.

And those are just a few places in the typical home that will benefit from storage solutions. Attics and art rooms, cellars and sewing rooms – all have unique storage requirements. At TheCreatingMama.com we cover them all, and more – like our review of composting toilets. While they typically don’t reside in your bathroom, they ensure your time in your bath or shower lasts as long as you want.

Furniture

chairs

One of the key elements to making your house seem like a home is furniture. The rest and relaxation that people get at home generally comes while they are sitting or sleeping, so having the right kinds of seats and beds can make all the difference in the world.

There are so many different kinds of chairs available that it is hard to list them all. Recliners are great for watching television or catching a catnap, and a massage chair can help remove the stress of the day. Beanbag chairs are perfect for portable sitting spots, while a good gaming chair (be sure to check out our review of gaming chairs for big guys) is great for people who like to pass the time playing video games. And picking out the right bar stools can make or break your breakfast bar and man cave.

There are also lots of different options for people who need to work from home. Kneeling chairs are perfect for keeping your posture correct, and exercise ball chairs also are good for your back. If you need to fix body aches, yoga is great for that (check out our list of yoga mats for hot yoga).

Of course, if you are looking for the ultimate in relaxation, nothing beats a hot tub. If you’ve never tried one, an inexpensive way to get an introduction is with an inflatable hot tub. It is the ultimate in home relaxation at an affordable price. Another way to relax is having the right aroma. Be sure to set the scent right with essential oil diffusers for large spaces. It can be hard to sleep if the room doesn’t smell right, so be sure to pick up an air purifier for smoke.

If you are having a hard time sleeping there are a variety of ways to make your bed more comfortable so you can rest. If you have pain while sleeping, be sure to check out our reviews of pillows for neck pain and memory foam pillows for side sleepers. As well, if it is too dry in your room you may have trouble sleeping. You want to get a cool mist humidifier to keep your sleep environment at the optimal humidity. These simple items are amazingly effective at helping you relax and drift off to sleep.

You want to make sure your baby is safe, so be sure to get a video baby monitor you can afford. Knowing your child is safe will enable you to sleep soundly at night.