Ribbon Organization and a Treasure Hunt of Sorts

My grandma has a cool basement.  It's not cool because it's finished and has a big screen TV or an in-home gym.  It's cool because it's full of interesting and vintage things.  My grandma fully believed the "She who dies with the most fabric WINS!" ideal and was really in the running for first!  Since she hasn't been sewing for a while, we've stolen most of her stash (she calls it our inheritance and is happy to see us use it while she's still here).  A few years ago I got her ribbon stash and the button box that was my great grandma's.  In tackling my basement studio and trying to bring some order to it, I started sorting and organizing the ribbon stash.  I found some cool stuff. 

The top two here are vintage velvet ribbons.  The bottom one is a deep purple color.  I love them both.  I can't wait to ask my grandma if she had these for a special project.

My mom and I couldn't remember if we got this for my Cleopatra Halloween costume (in middle school) or hers (probably around the same time).  Either way, it brought back good, but a little bit traumatic memories of my first costume Halloween party where my blue underwear showed through my white toga.  Darn!  Oh well.  I probably remember that more than anyone else - hopefully! ;)

This was a cool purple , red and olive paisley ribbon.  I imagine it was bought around the late 60's/early 70's, but it's in great shape and it's so pretty in person.  I was thinking it'd make a fun trim for a little girl's pillowcase dress. 

This is from my stash.  We bought my wedding dress the day before I got married (It wasn't a shotgun wedding, but it's a long story!) and it needed a tie to "cinch" it up.  We got this ribbon to do the job.  Apparently, we bought a lot extra as I gave the dress to Goodwill a long time ago.  Maybe if I ever have a little girl, I can use this ribbon for her baptismal gown, or something else that I'll she'll want to keep for a long time. 

I didn't take a picture of the before, but it was basically all thrown together in two plastic bins.  I'm happy to have the ribbons on display and the plastic bins available for other storage.  Also, I think the ribbons are happy to live with my great grandma's buttons. 

PS - I modified the clothespin idea found at Lu Bird Baby and used large popsicle sticks when I ran out of clothespins.  I used glue dots on the ends instead of pins.  Easy, but time consuming. 

PPS - I have more sewing/crafting space organization coming...I'm just still in the middle of it ;)

PPPS - Sorry for the bad pictures...that place has NO good lighting!! :(

Repurposed M&M Minis Containers

I'll admit it. I bribe my son with M&M Minis to get him into his carseat. Not every time, thank you God! But, as a last resort. We've tried a few different carseat styles, a few different cars (We didn't actually buy a different car for this purpose; we just got a different car.) and he still really dislikes car trips with Mom. I think it's mainly because we're either on the way to drop him off for the day or to run errands, of which there can be many. Does anyone else struggle with this?

Back to the point of this post, I hate to throw things away, so I started collecting these little Minis containers, thinking I could repurpose them for something. I've used them to hold dried cherries and other snacks, but I have enough of them that I started brainstorming about alternate uses. They were sitting next to my sewing machine the other day when my son had stolen the bobbin saver for the millionth time. He steals it off my sewing table, and I don't always that he's got it until it's too late. He likes to take them out and there ends up being thread everywhere! It's not a fun mess to clean up as it takes a long time for this thrifty gal to re-wind those bobbins to avoid wasting thread.

Bobbin Saver

But, since these little minis containers were right there, I saw that they could easily fit the bobbins inside. Thus, these bobbin cases were born! (Holden hasn't yet figured out how to open these. I know eventually he will, but I'm hoping that the time delay from him grabbing them to getting them open will be long enough that I'll be able to get them from him before a mess ensues! Wish me luck in this!)

Anyway, this is a super simple project and could be used for lots of little sewing or crafting notions. I just used some scrapbook paper (3 ½" x 4") and an adhesive tape runner. These are both Stampin' Up! as I used to be an SU demonstrator and I had them both in my stash. You could use any adhesive that will hold quickly or a glue stick (wrap with rubber bands until it dries). I don't think it's technical enough to require an actual tutorial, but let me know if you need further clarification on anything!

What else could you use these for?






PS - If you don't have to bribe your child with mini M&M's you could eat them yourself. I never do that though ;) [Somewhere, my mom is reading this and laughing!]

PPS - I didn't take a picture of my bobbin saver, but I wanted to put one up.  Imagine my surprise when I found these bobbin storage tubes on sale for $0.69 here.  I think I paid about that and mine came with M&Ms in them - LOL!  Isn't that crazy!?!?!  I guess someone else had the same idea :)

Jewelry on Display

Okay guys, so I OBVIOUSLY haven't fulfilled my New Year's Resolution of taking pictures...Please just pretend that these are fabulous pictures, k?  Thanks! 

This is my hanging jewelry box before I cleaned it out and got rid of some jewelry that I almost never wore.  I was looking at it when I cleaned it out and thought, I should totally show everyone how to make one of these...They're SO easy!  Pottery Barn used to make a glass front jewelry display just like this.  It was about $100!  Too pricey for me...

My friend Kathryn told me she was going to make one with a shadow box and I thought it was a great idea, so we did it together.  This was a few years ago now, so I don't have a tutorial per se, but it's super easy. 

Start with a front loading (This is the MOST important part!) shadow box.  We got ours at Hobby Lobby (like pictured above).  They come in 2 or three colors, I think.  I know for sure they have black and white, but I think they also have a more natural wood finish.  This is the 16" x 20" size, which is regularly priced $49.99.  We got them when they were 40% off.  Gotta love Hobby Lobby!  At the time, I wanted mine to go in our bedroom which was very nautical, so I bought fabric to go with that.  You could just as easily leave it the oatmeal like colored fabric that comes in it - or choose a fabric to match your room.  Get a piece of fabric at least 18" x 22" or so, as you want some overhang to keep it from coming out.

You'll use a screwdriver to remove all the backing screws.  Once you do this, the backing piece comes out pretty easily.  You can then cover the backing piece with your fabric.  We used two pieces of coordinating trim to hang earrings from.  If you're using a backing fabric, put it down first.  Then, put your coordinating trim pieces down on top of that.  I taped both of these taut to the back of the black backing piece.  Then, you put all of these layers back into the shadow box frame.  While holding them into the frame, check the front for wrinkles and positioning.  When it looks good to you, replace the screws. 

You can use glass headed pins to hang necklaces from and hang earrings with the hook style post on the coordinating trim pieces.  The bottom ledge can accomodate earrings and watches that won't hang somewhere else.

Then, since it's front loading, you can open it while it's hanging on the wall and pick out your accessories for the day!  I moved mine to the basement stairway which is right by my coat and the door to the garage.  This makes it super easy to pick some accessories on my way out!  Plus, since I like to be super casual at home, it makes it easy to return them to their proper place...meaning my husband doesn't get mad at me for having jewelry all over the house.  Now, if only I can figure out a system for everything else I leave all over the house.  Well, another day, right?

Please let me know if you need further instruction or more detailed how-to's on this one.  It's a VERY quick and easy project!  If you wanted to glam it up a bit, you could even monogram your initials into the glass :)  Pretty!

-Heather

PS- Sorry for the picture weirdness.  I tried editing them in Picnik and got a few different effects.  I really will work on picture improvement sometime soon!

I'm linking up at Frugalicious Friday's where there's already over 100 cool projects!  Check it out :)

Blog Swap with The Girl Creative

Hey Lucky Star Lane readers! It's Diana from The Girl Creative! I'm so excited to be swaping blogs with Heather and Erin today. They have a great blog, don't they? Don't forget to go support them over at my blog today. It always nice to see some familiar faces. :)

This is my first time doing a guest post so I hope you'll bear with me if I start to ramble and talk in circles!

Let me tell you a little bit about myself and then we'll get to the fun stuff. I'm a Christian by faith and happily married to my hunky police officer husband, Tim. We have 2 very, very busy little girls, Emilee, 6 and Gracie, 3 1/2 and an insane dog, Buster. I'm really blessed because I get to stay at home and raise my girls. While our life is pretty ordinary, I feel like I'm living my dream life. When I'm not doing housework (which I avoid on a pretty regular basis and my husband surely puts up with those shananigans!) I like to spend my time crafting and blogging.

I've been blogging for a few years but this is my most recent blogging adventure. I just wanted a place to blog about my little creations (and copy cat crafts) so in October of 2009, The Girl Creative made her appearance in blog land. Every Monday we have a link party called "Just Something I Whipped Up" so I hope you'll stop by and share your projects with us.

Alright, now that all that boring stuff is out of the way, let's have some fun. At my house we have this shelf above the sink that seems to be the dumping ground for anything kicking around the kitchen that does not have a permanent home. Since our kitchen is the main hub I often find myself taking my receipts from the grocery store (and Hobby Lobby!) and tossing them up on that shelf. As you can imagine it gets very cluttered especially since I'm somewhat of a shopaholic! I came across this little project the other day and thought it would be the perfect thing to store my receipts in. I made a few little changes to make it my own but it was really simple.
If you can't tell what it is, it's an accordion envelope that hangs on the side of your fridge. The perfect little out-of-the-way place for your receipts.

The Supplies:
12x12 Scrapbook Paper (I used Amy Butler double sided paper which worked great)
Paper Cutter with Scoring Blade
Double Sided Tape
Velcro
Magnet

The first thing I did was cut my paper down to 12x9. You will need the extra 3" inches so hold onto it.
Next I took my 3x12 piece of paper and cut it in half. This will become your "acordian".

Then I took my 2 halves of paper and folded them like a fan.

Next take your 9x12 sheet of paper and score it at 3", 5" and 8" and fold.

I then took my accordians and attached them to the envelope using double-sided tape.



I noticed that my cover flap (not really sure what to call it!) was a bit longer than I wanted it to be so I trimmed some of it off. I wound up using it on the front of the envelope (the opposite side of the paper so that there was a contrast) to break up the pattern a bit. I know, I'm rambling, but I did warn you! ;)

Next I added velcro inside the envelope so that it would stay closed.

Then lastly I put a magnet strip on the back and hung it up on the side of my fridge.

And there you have it. :)

Thank you so much, Erin and Heather, for having me at your little place on the web. I had a blast!!

Thanks Diana! It was great having you and thanks for sharing your readers with us! We hope you'll all come over to The Girl Creative and check us out...and we really hope you'll keep coming back!

A Scratch "N"Dent Turned Useful

My Mom and I found this bookshelf at an upscale children's furniture store and it was marked down because it was missing a shelf. We loved the quality and lines of the bookshelf so she decided to buy it for me for my son's room.

I found these baskets at Target that came in a set. The shape is perfect for books. They were also the perfect size.

My mom also found this hand painted stool that matches the shelf. She is the master shopper.
I love this bookshelf and I bet my kids will have some fond memories of it someday!

I hope your day is a wonderful one...and I wish you luck finding some scratch "n" dent treasures of your own.

Erin

The Eternal Mess of the Creative Mind

The pictures are HORRIBLE!  But, they'll at least give you some idea of why I've been away...I've been organizing my studio/craft room/son's playroom!  The worst part of this has been that the pictures are of where it's at now.  I'm mortified, but in what I am hoping is a "I will never let it get this bad ever again if I show this to the entire world" feeling. 

 

 

Our basement has been my craft room (though I like to call it my studio to feel fancy) for a few years now.  For a while, it was like a showroom or a store...it was SO cool!  We have that Owens Corning Basement Finishing system (came with the house) and the walls are sort of like cubicle walls, you can stick pins in them.  So, basically my studio is like a giant pin cushion.  I can stick pins in the wall and hang things up or stick pins through things into the wall.  It's kind of cool. 

 

 

The problem is that when I got pregnant with my son, my husband wanted to clean everything out - in our whole house.  Now, we don't argue discuss money like some couples.  (My husband hates it that I think it's arguing.  He says we're just discussing things.)  We've got a nice little system for money.  We "talk" about how clean and cluttered everything is.  You might think that you do the same thing with your husband.  You tell him to pick up his socks three million times!  But, you'd be wrong...because I am the messy one!  It feels so counter-cultural to be the messy wife.  Aren't I the one who's supposed to be nagging at him because I'm always cleaning up his messes?  I don't really like to go against the grain of this gender stereotype, but it all comes down to a few things:

 

1. I don't like to clean.
2. I'm a bit spoiled sometimes in that I think I work hard and have to work away from my family (though I'd like to be a SAHM) so I should get to do more of what I want and less of what I don't.
3. I'd rather spend time playing with my little guy than cleaning.
4. I can justify it to myself that it's more important to play with him than clean.
5. I'd rather spend his nap times making stuff.
6. My mom didn't really make us clean.  (Sorry Mom.  I love you.  I don't really blame you, because I'm nearly 30 years old.  I should've been able to figure this out by now...I'll get it by the time I'm 50.  I. hope.)
7. I have a bit of ADD...especially when it comes to projects of any kind.
8. I'm really bad at keeping up with things that need to be maintained...other than my little boy.  I can do kids (and cats, mostly), just not inatimate objects.

 

Okay, that ended up being more than a few things.  I could go on.  In addition to my messiness, I'm also great at self justification and procrastination.  (Which reminds me, I'm totally going to post my New Year's resolutions...I've just been putting off finalizing them. hehe)

 

 

 

Anyway, I'm trying to change.  I'm trying to force myself to put things where they belong, when I'm done using them.  But, this room has been forcing my hand.  How can I put things where they go, when I don't know where that is? 

 

 

 

I decided to tackle this problem head on.  I've been sorting and cleaning and purging for about a week now.  I know, it's been a week and it's still this bad?  I'll admit it.  It was a pit!  I had started doing all of my crafts upstairs, bringing all the supplies I could find up there and working on them in my living room.  Being the person I am, I would absentmindedly leave a piece or two behind in our main living space, again driving my husband to tears (not really, but it's almost that bad). 

 

 

 

The funniest part of all of this is that I'm really a good organizer.  I can make quick decisions (when in this mindset) of what needs to be kept and what can be thrown/given away, and what kind of space I'll need for what's left over.  I'm good at remembering that I should put like items together and close by where they'll most often be used.  The problem is that I'm no good at keeping it in that lovely state of order. 

 

 

 

However, for the benefit of my marriage, my son's ability to clean up after himself when he's older and my own creativity/sanity, I vow to do better.  I'm going to whip this room into shape and keep it neat.  You have to confess before you're forgiven, right?  Well, I'm going to check that off my list.  Since I also work full time, I'm going to take it a bit slower than I would like, to make sure it's done right.  I'll be getting back to you by the end of the month, Saturday, January 31st, to show you the result.  I promise!

 

Here's a few more to remind you of how much you've got your life/household together:

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Heather

 

PS-If anyone wants to confess that they're the messy one, I'd totally heart you forever!

 

PPS-The pictures were taken on my iPhone.  There is no natural light in my basement whatsoever.  I was too lazy (after a day of cleaning) to go upstairs and get my camera.  Sorry folks. 

 

The One Time My Craft Room is Organized

My craft room is a spare bedroom upstairs. Nothing in it is new or was bought for the space. It just ended up here and I like it that way! The dresser was mine growing up. I keep my larger pieces of fabric inside. I found if I fan it across the drawer I can see all of it and am more likely to use it. I don't have it any color order, but it would help if I could accomplish that someday.

This is a ribbon memo board I made for my old laundry room about 4 years ago. It has now migrated to the craft room.


I like to keep some supplies handy like glue, scissors, pens, and buttons. Do you like my scissors holder made from a can and a sweater sleeve?

I would love to replace this card table for a small, counter height table with two stools. I saw one at a discount store for $139 I am saving up to buy someday.



I do have a comfy chair in here for now. Great place to read about blogland.


I used some cool fabric to line the drawers.

These are my completed hair accessories I sell on etsy.

Meet Uniboob. She is a friend who followed me from when I worked at Talbots. ( They decided to get mannequins with two boobs.)

This is the closet closed. It looks much better than the next picture.

I Linked this post at Finding Fabulous, a thrifty decorating blog I found today.