**Squeal!**

I made major progress on the studio this week. In fact... I've. Been. Sewing!!

I'm working on window treatments for our family room. Nothing too fancy, but it feels so good to be working with my sewing machine again.

And, rediscovering all of my supplies.

I thought I'd share a few pics of the progress that I've made - all carefully shot to hide the mess that's really there.

**wink-wink**

  

Those are my grandmother's hats hanging on the side of the shelf. I used non-permanent 3M hooks. LOVE those!!

See my Tiffany box peeking through? Yeah, it was just a T & Co plate, but the box made it sooo special.

 

I bought this gorgeous wrought iron blanket stand several years ago and I've always used it for fabric storage - usually hanging the fabric that I'm working with. Right now, it's full of vintage goodness that is screaming to be used for summer fashion.

And... above my working table...

There is still much to be done, but I'm so inspired. I have a lot of momentum behind me and things are moving along.

I'll gladly take the small victories as they come along!

Hope your weekend is lovely, restful, and full of recuperative peace. Take care!

One of my most popular projects are these little bags.

I love seeing them pop up all over the internet, tagged with the ideas that people have for using them in their own lives.

One common theme that I have noticed is using them for wrangling hats and mittens.

Until my recent move, I didn't understand how out of control these necessary winter accessories can get.

I totally get it now. Good grief! They are like socks in the laundry room... how does a pair get separated?! Why can't you ever find what you need when you need it?!

So, I spent some time this weekend setting up "Command Central" in my home to gain control over the clutter building up on my countertops, benches, and any other surfaces that welcome collections of stuff.

Here's what I'm using.

Magnetic board. I covered an Ikea board in burlap using the tutorial that I shared for my Art Wall. The magnets are the same set that I created here.

Coat rack. Just your standard rack that you can purchase at Lowe's or Home Depot. I've had the one pictured above for years and it keeps reappearing in different capacities with each move we've made.

Wire Baskets. I found this set on Amazon and fell in love with them. They are the perfect muted finish. I'm using the smallest here as a catch-all for hats and gloves. The other two are being used upstairs.

Mail shelves. By far the biggest mess in my kitchen comes from the accumulation of mail that needs attention. I keep recycling these spice racks from Ikea. I have a set that I painted to use as bedside reading shelves. These were actually used for spices in my pantry in the last house. It just made sense to use them here for mail.

 

I used my Silhouette to make the wall decals. As always, I'm happy to share the Silhouette files that I create if you'd like to use them for yourself!

All in all, a great use of space! That is, as long as we use it...

The good news is... we've finally moved into our house!

The bad news is... I feel like I'm still ages away from rejoining all of my creative friends.

Take a look at the state of my new studio space.

 

I feel like this needs to be the last space that I organize so that the rest of my family can exist in peace. But, I can see into the future and I think this will be a great room to work in!

There are two beautiful skylights and plenty of natural light.

I'll be sure to share pics as I make progress. I'll also share the changes we're making to the house that we purchased. The list of to-dos is LONGGGGGGGG...

More on that in just a bit.

Hope you're staying dry and warm during this weekend of extreme winter weather!

So, after I completed my magnetic storage tins, I realized that I needed some way to know what was inside - at a glance, rather than by opening each to find what I am looking for.

I knew that I didn't want something permanent, as I'm constantly repurposing!

My solution? Little magnetic markers utilizing scrap ribbon, buttons, and... SHRINKY DINKS!!!

If you're familiar with my blog, you know how I love a Shrinky Dink project.

I opted for the regular frosted sheets, rather than the inkjet version, because my printer is out of ink.

{Note to self: Must buy printer ink!}

I used my Martha Stewart 1 1/2" circle craft cutter to punch my tags and wrote on the slick side of the punched circle with a permanent ink pen typically used for scrapbooking.

You can see that I tested one first to ensure that my ink would adhere properly. It did!

I watched the magic unfold in my toaster oven...

By the way, I keep a toaster oven in my studio. It has become just as important as my sewing machine! This is an older one that we own, but it works great for my crafting purposes!

I cut little flags from a piece of scrap ribbon...

Layered my buttons and Shrinky Dinks using E6000 adhesive...

Cut small strips of magnetic vinyl to add to the back...

And, that was it! A perfect, non-permanent, fun solution for labeling my magnetic storage tins.

I can change my mind about the tin's contents and have no problem swapping the labels to reflect what's inside!

I just love the effect, too.

In my previous post, I mentioned that I am revamping my studio space. As part of that, I covered an Ikea magnetic board with burlap and mounted it to the side of my bookshelf with 3-M picture hanging strips.

Here's the finished product.

Click here for instructions about how to personalize an Ikea magnetic board with fabric.

I made a few other magnets with glass tile project fails. They are perfect for adding personality to this magnetic board!

I'll be working on my creative space this week and hope to share the results with you. Now that my classes are over (for a month), I'm doing what I can to usher in peace and calm to my surroundings!

I hope you have a great week ahead! As always, I'd love to hear about what you are working on!

Did anyone pick up on the Nirvana reference? Is that past your time?

{I'm on a 90's grunge rock kick!}

Speaking of the late 90's... I used to love Brighton jewelry! I still do, but my jewelry trends have changed since then.

My husband loves to indulge me when he's familiar with something that I really love - and, for him, he was comfortable going to the jewelry counter and loading up on Brighton.

Brighton earrings. Brighton necklaces. Brighton belts. Brighton shoes. Brighton purses. Brighton sunglasses. Brighton hair accessories. Brighton... lip stick holder...

I just love that man.

Along the way, I've amassed quite a collection of Brighton tins.

I knew I should save them. They are so darn cute and functional!

I'm in the process of reorganizing my studio and had the sudden idea to turn them into magnetic board storage!

This was all that I needed to make it happen.

{By the way... E6000 is the best adhesive ever! Forget super glue! Just a small drop is all you need.}

I used three magnets on the backs of the smaller tins and five on the backs of the larger.

My next step was to gather the small items to store in my cute little heart shaped storage boxes.

That presented another dilemma... how would I ever remember what was inside of each?

That solution will follow in my next post!

Well, this has been one of the darkest and dreariest weekends that Georgia has seen in a long time. Tornado warnings, golf-ball sized hail, torrential rain... we've had it all.

I had grand plans for the project that I was going to tackle this weekend, but had to revise things a bit because I couldn't work outside. Instead, I decided to start on my kiddos' art center in their playroom.

{Note the word "start." I didn't finish everything, but wanted to share my progress.}

Here's the before.

Nothing much to look at. Nothing inspirational. The art supplies are in a closet around the corner - out of sight, out of mind. My oldest son has outgrown the little table. It's a space in desperate need of a makeover! 

So, today I created a wall system for their art supplies. A place where all of the colors, markers, and paints can be seen and used.

To make 2 of these wall units, I used:

• 1 8' 1"x4" board - to be cut into 2 lengths
• 2 woven baskets
• 4 large Mason jars
• 4 small Mason jars
• 8 hose clamps
• A variety of wood screws
• 6 small washers

So, here's where I started... 

No, it's not the scene of a horror movie.

{Having said that, it might be the scene of a horror movie once my husband discovers I shared a photo of this mess.}

These are leftover materials from the construction of our house. I saved them all from the dumpster. Just think of the project potential!

I found a suitable board (MDF, actually) and laid out my basket and jars to determine how long each board needed to be cut. 

For my design, I needed 2 36" boards.

{Whoo-hoo! Who's the chick working the compound miter saw? Yup. Power tools are my friends.}

Once I had my boards cut, I went to work on 2 coats of white paint. This step was a bit painful for me because I had to work indoors due to the weather. {Do you like how I improvised with the Mega Blocks?}

While the paint was drying, I measured my hose clamps by tightening them around my jars. {Improv again! Who needs a flat head screwdriver?}

I marked the center back to determine where to create a hole for mounting the clamps to the painted board.

To create the screw pilot holes, I used a heavy duty nail and hammer. Tap, tap, tap, WHAM! Instant hole.

The boards dried quickly so I mounted them to the wall studs with 3" wood screws, using washers to reinforce the screws (not necessary if you are using REAL wood).

I then added my clamps, baskets, and jars with 1" wood screws.

I secured the clamps around the large jars as tight as I could get them, but left the small jars loose so that the kids could easily remove them.

I tossed in a few of the art supplies and, instantly, my kids wanted to color.

I mentioned that I built 2 of these. I'll be sharing the final photos next weekend. I have a few more elements to add to the wall and some new (old) furniture coming in.

It's going to be awesome! Be sure to come back for the reveal.

Have a great week ahead!