Saturday at the ReStore

Saturday morning.

 Time for errands.

 And a stop at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

These old library card catalog drawers were only $5.00 each.

Remember when we actually used them to find books?

They'd make great craft room storage
or display pieces for collections of vintage postcards or Valentines.

 

Repurposing ReStore Finds

I love the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.  I try to stop in at least once a week to see what's new. Well, not exactly "new" . . . I'm usually on the hunt for old things that can be repurposed.  Like this clamp I bought for 50 cents.

It will be perfect for holding down sections of paper and cardboard while the glue dries during book-binding projects.

This little screwdriver was 50 cents too. I bought it to add to my little craft room toolbox. 

 

 I sometimes need to tighten a screw in a space with no room for the screwdriver handle and end up trying to complete the task with a coin or credit card. This will be a big help.

 

My favorite find was this antique hammer for $2.00. The head is hand-forged and I love the color on it. I seem to be drawn to antique tools; they tell a story.  I haven't decided how I'll display or repurpose this yet but I definitely don't want to use it to pound nails!  Too predictable.

Any ideas?

 

 

10 Beautiful Things to Have In Your Craft Room

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."              ~William Morris

Welcome back to my craft room!

In my last post I had some fun thinking about the perfect craft space. I looked around my own craft room and came up with a "Top 10 List" of items in it that I find to be the most useful. Today I'm thinking about how to make a craft space so beautiful that it inspires you to sit right down and start making something.  So, here's my . . .

Top 10 List of Inspirational Items to Have in Your Craft Space:

1. Natural light

You can't top this one. Not only does natural light help us to see what we're doing (and at my age, that's becoming more important!), it allows us to really appreciate color and texture.  In addition to a big window, my craft room has a skylight located right above my work table.

 Ott light over my sewing machine

If you don't have the luxury of natural light in your craft space, or if you do a lot of work at night, an Ott light may be able to provide you with task lighting that approximates natural daylight.

2. Color



I believe in surrounding yourself with your favorite colors. I love orange and turquoise, my friend Mary Elizabeth loves pink . . . our personal spaces reflect the colors we love. Who cares if no one else likes it? Who cares if the rest of the house is "builders' beige"? This is your room; it should make you feel happy and inspired.




3. Words that inspire

I love words and find them both soothing and encouraging as I work in my space.

These words were stenciled on the wall in my sister Nancy's yellow and red Mary Englebreit inspired craft room.

4. Objects found in nature

The shapes and colors found in natural objects inspires a sense of balance and design.

 

This strange looking piece of bark is on my craft shelf because it is shaped like a goat's head (?). Call me crazy but I'm saving it because someday I hope to make something out of it for a friend of mine who owns goats and makes beautiful things from their wool. (Yup . . . you know who you are!)

the view of Casco Bay from the bottom of Applegate Lane always inspires me

5. Things with interesting shapes or textures

Who knows what these things will become . . .  or not?  Right now it is simply their textures and shapes that make me covet them.

 6. Old Things

What can I say besides . . . bring on the rust . . .

and chipped paint, and beautiful wood, and faded lettering, and steampunk goodness!

7. Collections

 Sometimes I think I have too many strange collections lurking in my craft room, but . . . I love them so, there it is.

 

 

 I collect sea glass, buttons, door knobs, sand dollars, rusty tools, old keys, scrabble tiles, beads, vintage postcards, clothespins, tie clips, girl scout patches, miniatures, wooden spools, belt buckles, vintage linens, magnets, children's blocks, vintage Shiny Bright ornaments, old dolls . . .

oh, my!

 

 

I also have quite a collection of Cat's Meow buildings depicting some of my favorite places.

DH attached molding high up on the walls of my craft room so that I can display these without having them in the way when I work.

 

8. Books that teach

 

I love my craft books even more than I love Pinterest. Call me old-fashioned but I like to hold them, come back to them again and again, and have directions and photos right next to me as I work. Thank goodness for my local bookstore and, when that fails, for Amazon Prime.

 

 

9. Things that evoke memories

 

My craft room shelves are chock full of things that bring back happy memories, like this old Patsy doll, with her steamer trunk full of organdy party dresses.

 

 

And my Mom's buttons. Many of them came from clothes she made for my sisters and I when we were children; she would remove the buttons to use again.

 

 

 I love being surrounded by my favorite family photos . . . even the silly ones!

 

 

10. Handmade things

 

Having a few completed projects on display in my craft space reminds me that I really can finish what I start, frustrated as I may get with a project at times.

 

 

And displaying  things that others have made for me just makes me happy when I look at them. This amazing 3-dimensional book was made by fellow blogger, Paula Clare, from Paula's Palace of Altered Art.

 

 

 

So, to recap, here are my Top 10:

 

1. Natural Light

2. Colorful things 

3. Words that inspire

4. Objects found in nature

5. Things with interesting shapes or textures

6. Old Things

7. Collections

8. Books that teach

9. Things that evoke memories

10. Handmade things

 

 

 What are the things that inspire you the most in your creative space?

 

 

 

This post is linked to:

Party Junk at Funky Junk Interiors

Nifty Thrifty Sunday at Nifty Thrifty Things

Weekend Wrap-Up at Tattertots & Jello

Flaunt It Friday at Chic On a Shoestring

Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Amaze Me Monday at DWELLINGS

 

 

10 Useful Things to Have in Your Craft Room

There was so much positive feedback on my recent post about friend Mary Elizabeth's  "Craft Room on a Budget" that I thought I'd post some photos of my craft room and share a "Top 10 List" of what I've found to be the most useful items in it. I feel lucky to be able to spend so much creative time in this space, which we completed last year when we moved to our retirement home on Applegate Lane.

 

Welcome to my craft room!

My "craft table" is a hollow core door which I painted and placed  over two two-drawer file cabinets, providing lots of work space and storage. I started with the table against a wall and soon learned that in order to function well for cutting fabric and other large projects, it needed to be positioned so that I could walk all the way around it. I tacked 98 cent yard sticks from Lowe's along the edges of the table for taking quick measurements.

I hesitated showing you my craft shelves because they're definitely not staged, but, here they are! As you can see,  I use every inch of them for storage and display. I like that I can just swivel around in my desk chair and reach almost everything I need.

 

 

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

~William Morris
 

My craft room is full of useful things!

 I like keeping my own  tool box (or two!) in the space in order to eliminate the distraction of trips back and forth to the garage during a project.

A simple roll of paper towels comes in handy in the craft room, too. I use them for everything from sopping up paint spills to Windexing glass to cleaning my hands. DH mounted a big roll of craft paper in the room for me too. It's perfect for covering the table before messy projects, cutting into patterns and stencils, or even using as gift wrap,

On each trip to Boston, I seem to bring back another load of these simple storage boxes from IKEA. I use them all over the house but they are especially useful in the craft room.

My friends kid me about my crazy love affair with attachment to my label maker but it really makes finding supplies quick and easy in a room that is used for many different kinds of projects . . .

Like sewing, felting, bookbinding . . .



and collage.

 

 

For additional storage, I love jars of all shapes and sizes, both old and new.  Goodwill and garage sales are great sources for these. This one stores baker's twine and raffia.

A pegboard, painted to match the wall, works well to hold a clock, ribbons, large embroidery hoops, quilting rulers, scrapbooking scissors . . . and a silly photo of my sister!

DH built the perfect storage unit for (some of) my rubber stamps . . .

 

And two bulletin boards provide space for color samples, display, notes-to-self, motivation and memories.

 

Here's my Top 10 List of "Handy Items to Have In a Craft Space":

1. A big open work table, accessible from at least three sides.
2. Lots of storage (under tables, on the wall, on shelves, in closets, from the ceiling?)
3. Jars, boxes and baskets of all sizes and shapes
4. A tool box containing basic supplies for measuring, cutting, gluing and nailing
5. A big clock that's easy to see from everywhere in the room
6. Proximity to a computer and printer if possible (my office adjoins my craft space)
7. Bulletin board & pegboard space
8. A "wheely" chair  (or two?)
9. Paper towels for messy work
10. And, yes . . .a label maker (although the glue gun comes in at a close second!)

Tomorrow I'll post photos of some of the 10 most inspirational and, to paraphrase William Morris, "beautiful" items I enjoy having in my craft room.

 

Hope you'll stop back!

 

 

 

 

This post is being shared on the following blogs:

Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

             Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home

Frugalicious Friday at Fabulous by Design

                                     Creative Girls Blog Hop at The Blog Creative

                                     Flaunt It Friday at Chic On a Shoestring
                                     Link Party Palooza at Tattertots & Jello
                                       Amaze Me Monday at DWELLINGS
 

Decorating Elmer's Tool Box

In a recent post, Tool Caddy Triplets, blogger Donna from Distressed Donna Down Home showed how she transformed three vintage tool caddies. When I saw her post, it reminded me that I had stored this funky old tool caddy in the attic above the garage when we downsized last year.    

Here it is. I have no idea who Elmer was, but I love his tool box.

Stored in it were some rusty old tools I had collected over time: a broken saw from the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore (I liked the handle), the tines from a well-used rake, and part of a rusty bridle I dragged home on the plane from St. Augustine last year.

A Nor' Easter has been blowing through Maine all this week with dark skies, wind, rain and heavy surf . . .just plain depressing weather. So, I decided to light up Elmer's tool box with a string of lights from the screened porch at our former home, Winn Farm.

Then the tools went right back in . . . along with some little pumpkins and gourds.

And voila . . . after rearranging the gourds more times than I care to admit, it's done!

 

Tonight we're going to lower the lights in the living room, ignore the rain and wind, binge-watch Netflix . . . and enjoy the ambiance of the little white lights in Elmer's tool box.

TGIF,

(and Elmer)

 

 

This post is linked to:

Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home

Simple & Sweet Fridays at Rooted In Thyme

Party Junk at Funky Junk Interiors

Show & Tell Saturday at Be Different, Act Normal