A place to keep your craft

Craft supplies tend to reproduce if you don’t watch them carefully. This blog was created as a result of paint procreation that I allowed to get out of hand. Unfortunately, my hoard is not limited to paint. It also includes fabric, ribbon, paper ephemera and recently I’ve noticed that my washi tape collection is multiplying.

I know I’m not the only girl out there with this problem, so I decided to make some wall organizers that address the specific needs of crafters. This piece is the first of four organizers I’m building to help prevent craft overload.

The left side of this organizer has two small wooden tea crates that are perfect for holding stickers, small scrapbook pads and SMASH book pads. They could also hold markers and pencils.

Beneath them is a washi tape holder I made from a little box I picked up at an estate sale. The dowel is removable so you can add or subtract rolls as needed. It will hold at least a dozen rolls which is more than any one person should have (at least one normal person….I’m not talking about tape hoarders).

The right side of the organizer has a medium size mail holder that I made from an old speedreading text book. The lining was made from a vintage cotton fabric and the book is decorated with black felt ribbon and two flocked resin roses. It hangs from two s-hooks hanging from two vintage drawer pulls. It’s the perfect size for journals or sewing patterns.

Along the bottom of the piece is a galvanized steel shelf that I made from whatever the heck this thing is……..I have no idea. It’s really sturdy and the perfect size for craft paints, glue and bottles of glitter.

On either side of the shelf are two wrought iron hooks I bought at Kobey’s swap meet. They look rusted, but I sprayed a clear topcoat on them so the rust won’t rub off on to anything.

Around the top section I’ve attached an old metal folding ruler, just because it looks cool. All the wood moldings are salvaged, but the paint finishes are new.

It’s a great little piece and I’m really happy with how it came out. It would look great in a craft room or above a childs’ art space. It’s available in my Etsy shop now.

One down, three more to go!

Inventory used: latex paint, craft paint, Stain & Seal

Repurposing Trash

Okay, so I’m kinda cheating by showing the ‘After’ picture first…..just trying to get you to stay on my blog for more than 12 seconds. What’s the rush?! Okay, okay, I’ll move on…..

My friend was looking for a piece of furniture to use in a photo shoot and I found this sewing table in my neighborhood on trash day. It had great mid-century modern style, and no rats living inside, so I threw it in the back of my car.

I painted it with Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint and it looked great in the photo. The thing was, I painted it in what I call “Photo Lazy Style.” Meaning, it was painted so that it looks good in a photo, but not good enough to be used in real life. The inside and back side weren’t painted, because they aren’t seen in the photo.

This piece is actually a sewing table, so the top opens up and it has a hole for a sewing machine to be stored in (I know that seems obvious, but I’m just trying to keep everyone in the loop). The wood had a heavy varnish on it that was damaged and chipping away. I used Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint in Barcelona Orange to make it photo ready, but the inside was left for me to do later.

I sanded the wood with an 80 grit sandpaper and then stapled a plastic liner around the edge of the hole. (This ended up being a bad idea…..so stay tuned)

Because I thought the black plastic around the edge looked tacky, I quickly cut a few pieces of trim to cover them and nailed them down. I had also hoped that they would help keep the plastic attached (totally didn’t work…….keep staying tuned).

 

I used Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint in Provence for the inside. Annie Sloan’s Chalk paint is popular for many reasons, but mostly because it will stick to nearly anything without need for a primer. Typically she does it with brushes without smoothing out the brush marks. I wanted this to be smoother so I rolled it………okay, okay, I did it with a roller cuz it’s faster……sheesh!

This is the piece done with two coats.

When working with questionable topcoats or veneers they recommend always priming it with shellac. When I did the orange on the outside I did it right and sprayed a layer of  shellac before I painted and it kept all the old nasty stuff from seeping through the orange paint. This piece is destined for the outside and I want it to look weathered pretty quickly so I painted it without a primer. I bumped up the contrast on the photo so you can see the discoloration coming through the paint. Just wanted you to know why you prime if your goal is to have a pristine piece of furniture.

Here it is after I put the plants in and placed random objects on it to make the photo prettier. (Cuz people regularly wrap books in burlap, leave adorable tea cups out and place their gardening trowels just so………whatever, leave me alone)

So here’s the story behind the story (thanks for staying tuned): The plastic lining started to tear when I got the plants and soil in. I had a bad feeling that would happen. I had initially planned on using chicken wire first, but that seemed like overkill, turns out that would have been the right amount of kill. When the plastic started to tear I grabbed a piece of muslin and laid down underneath the table and stapled it to the underside of the table as a reinforcement. I have a feeling that will rot away in a few months and I’ll come out in the morning to an empty table and a pile of dead flowers on my porch. Whatever, at least I got a good photo today, and I think it’s adorable.

I did a lot of things with this piece that I wouldn’t have done if I had planned on using it inside or if I was going to sell it. Please keep that in mind when you read through the process. Since it was rescued from the trash, and being used as a planter, I skipped a lot of steps. Please don’t judge my painting ability by this post. I’m way more anal with stuff that matters….ask anyone that lives with me.