Absurd Amount of Craft Organization Pictures

I finished organizing my half of the "studio" last week but never got around to posting pictures. There's a bunch of them, since I needed proof that everything was not just shoved into drawers. I went through and purged an entire bags worth of stuff, including the organizer I posted about earlier - it just wasn't working for me.  Here goes:

~ My area - you can see the top of my desk!! And my new lamp from Urban Outfitters, now I can see what I'm working on!


~ Stamps and mini stacks in bottom drawer. The top drawer holds cardstock and middle holds 12x12 stacks.


~ Cleared the clutter off the side of the filing cabinet! Filing basket is up top.


~ Two jelly jars I picked up at a thrift store, top one holds all my grommets, bottom all my brads.


~ Faux book from my sister that holds all the misc pieces to smash or scrapbook. It goes in the front of my cubby next to two notebooks and my repurposed Crisco jar that holds large ribbon, and reused TJ's caramel container holding non-fun supplies (you can see it in the top picture).


~ Ceramic egg holder used for lens cap, USB stick, other small things. Behind it is a bamboo organizer tray from Costco (came in a set), use that for my distress inks, frequently used wooden alpha stamps, stickles, and tools (measuring tape, plastic tailor tape, matches, regular tape)


~ Broke my favorite tea cup from my grandmother, so now it holds all my buttons.


~ Added a new bike (packaging from a Farm Chicks vender) and made the little tape banner for fun!


~ New fav, purple canning jar from thrift store, holds my mini clothespins.


~ Stickers and mini letter stickers in drawer. Thickers in open cubby on the right, easier just to have the drawer out. In the top pic you can see the extra drawer sits to the left and holds all my scrap paper and extra cardboard including 12x12 plastic envelopes for large pieces sorted loosely by color.


~ Drawer full of punches


~ Basket holding yarn, twine. Orange box holds cards that are done and ready to go. Sits up high where the cat won't notice it!


~ Small box holds pictures for current projects, helps to not be constantly searching through all my photos when working on trips, also convenient for traveling.


~ Inside the Bits and Pieces box, has a clear top which is handy.


~ The back of the cubby, various glues in tupperware, Also use the container to clip clothespins onto when they are being painted. Salt container is for a eventual project. Various large ugly items get hidden back there :)

And that's all... whew! Finished my frame wall today, so pictures of that up next!

Older post here on craft desk organization.

Work Space

Yay for a newly organized work space! Since apparently I'm trying to kill time today, thought I would list all the updates to my work space! I'm finally making some progress in here... it's so much easier to get motivated when your stuff is all in place. This picture is of the organized side (still have a few more corners to tackle). I thought this might be more interesting to all you crafty ladies out there than my organized fridge :), hence two posts in one day.

1. My made over frame is now holding photos so the pictures aren't cluttering up my work area.
2. Metal bin I found for $2 at Value Village, holding paints, paint palette, glues, other crafting stuff I use regularly but not scrapbook specific. Love this one because the sides are straight.
3. New laminate board from Home Depot, cut to size, which gives me a little cubby in the middle to stash stuff, infrequently used stuff in the back and cute containers up front, plus my paper cutter.
4. All time favorite blue glass mason jars, storing twine, ribbon and bling from an old candelier.
5. Kitchen organizer from old apartment, fits my 2 photo boxes up top and my paper container below. Everything slides out easier without having to move everything else.
6. Wire hanger that used to hold ribbon (that didn't work out so well, the cat unraveled it all). Was about to pitch it yesterday, then decided it would look cute covered in scraps (inspired this lampshade made by Ashley here). Painted some mini clothespins and voila ~ a clip up organizer!
7. Garage sale basket, holding yarn, finished cards, and other bits and pieces.
8. Little laptop case I found on sale at Pottery Barn that I use to store my *Smash book stuff, so it's all ready to go when we travel.

Clean Fridge = Ridiculous Post

It would not be an exaggeration to say that I'm super happy we finally cleaned out our fridge. ... and no, I'm not going to gross you out with any before pictures. Just some proof that it's done! We cleaned, we organized and then labeled the shelves and pockets on the doors! For labels, I just used green masking tape, a sharpie and some deco scissors, may do something better when we figure out which categories work well for us. We also designated a shelf just for leftovers, since we've been trying to cook more in bulk so there is food for lunch the next day at least. 

Here it is all clean and organized...


And the funny find of the day, apparently we have enough hot sauces for their own dedicated bin... is that crazy or what? Like father, like daughter. Maybe we should start a 'Bring Your Own Hot Sauce' rule for family dinners...

Some Progress in the Office

Yay! Making some progress in the "Office". Since the days of less light are fast approaching, I decided since I was going to organize I might as well rearrange while I was at it to make it fit our needs better. I wanted a reading area and a more comfortable chair. So I ended up rearranging the entire room. (Sound familiar anyone who knows me?) Half the room, well a third of the room is clean, so I decided to post some pictures to keep me motivated to finish the other half. Kinda hard to get decent pics when it's this dark but here goes...


I really wanted to paint the back of the bookcase but couldn't settle on a color. So I cut some burlap-ish fabric to cover the back instead. Doesn't show up well in the picture. Brought in the rocking chair that was needing a good home. I love it, have the rocker from one grandma right next to my sewing machine from my other grandma.


DIY'd myself some free art. Found the picture in a magazine and threw it in a frame that was repainted after a second thought about what needed to go to Goodwill. Makes me smile :)


Kitty in his personal chair overseeing the progress.


I finally "de-blinged" the free chandelier I found on the side of the road. My gray candlestick got some free jewelry!

Quick Projects

The dust is finally settling around here. Its been a whirlwind of a month with my sister's shower, then the wedding, our trip to Oregon, two trips to Seattle, then getting sick. Whew... I've got a few more days off before getting back into the full time work routine and hoping to get a bunch of cleaning done around the house and hopefully finish up some projects before the nice weather goes. Thought I'd share a couple quick projects though.

For Rachel's "bachelorette" party we went to Polka Dot Pottery downtown, I know, we're a pretty cRaZy bunch. I finally went and picked up my mug yesterday, just in time to sit down and enjoy a cup of my favorite tea, Egyptian Licorice. Yumm.


During some down time, I ran across a picture on pinterest using clothespins to organize embroidery thread. And since today's mission is to organize/rearrange "the office" figured I'd try it out. I picked up 33 new jars yesterday at my local thrift stores, 5 blue ones and 28 regular canning jars. (Yes, I know I have a problem...) I decided they need to start being useful before someone starts getting cranky about me collecting more "stuff" that sits around and collects dust. That's it for now!

Finished Pinterest Project

When I first saw this on Design*Sponge, I thought it would be perfect for a monthly to do list of sorts. I pinned it to my "Crafty Inspiration" board and it sat there for awhile. I've been trying to think of a good way to organize monthly tasks that always get forgotten. For example, when to fertilize the lawn, when car tabs expire, when the fridge was last vacuumed under, when to change the oil, etc. So when I found this at Anthro, I knew it was perfect for this project. I hadn't found a disposable one yet, and I love ceramic things that look disposable.

Here's my version. I didn't have any vintage postcards on hand, so I dug through my scraps of paper, I picked ones that loosely coordinated with each month. Then cut out some little tabs for the tops, since my I don't have a notecard for each day like the example above. 

I did label the cards with the month using a date stamp, so if it gets pulled out, I will know where to put it back. Then I will just fill them out as I think of things that need to be done on a yearly, bi-yearly, quarterly basis, etc. 

Happy Labor Day weekend everyone! Enjoy your extra day off (or extra holiday pay if you're working)!


P.S. Kitty is still on "house arrest" while his paws heal up. He's turned into quite the little helper, now that he can't be outside terrorizing bugs all day. His favorite art tool is the paintbrush, he likes carrying mine all over the house. 

Greek Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is really easy to make, all you need to know is how to cook noodles and chop veggies! I pulled out the recipe today thinking of Amy's post on what to do with radishes.

- 1 bag pasta, cook according to directions on package
- 1 bottle Girard's Greek Feta Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1 package Crumbled Feta Cheese
- 1 jar pitted Kalamata Olives
- 2 small jars Artichoke Hearts, chopped
- 1 Yellow Pepper, chopped
- 3 Tomatoes, chopped
- 1 Cucumber, chopped
- Bunch of Radishes, sliced into thin pieces

The binder above is how I organize all my recipes. I decided to get rid of the journal, type everything in Google Docs and then print and put it in plastic sleeves. It works better because 1) the pages are easy to wipe down if you spill, 2) if friends want the recipe you can just print it or email it to them, 3) I can access the recipes from anywhere with internet service (that has come in handy many times) and 4) if I find a recipe I like in a magazine, just tear it out and added it, no copying involved :)

I love Mondays!

I love Mondays, they're my Saturday! Its raining outside, so yard work is waiting until tomorrow! I love rainy days like this with some Frank in the background, sleeping kitties, a couple candles, a nice cup of tea and lots of creative energy. For all you *regular* readers out there, sorry for the lack of posts recently. Its been super busy around here, we went to Joe's bike race in Ephrata, had my in-laws and my best friend from Seattle over last weekend, I just finished up a five day stretch (of work), we picked up a new reel mower, and have been doing lots of little repairs and tons of cleaning. When Jenn was over she helped me clean, organize and rearrange my "office", I love it now and its still clean 10 days later!! When I saw the before and after pictures of Amy's scrapbook room, I was inspired to finish cleaning up and take some pics!

I recently picked up some pinking sheers, so today I finally made a banner with some scrap fabric I had, thats been on my "want-to-do" list for a looong time. When Jenn was over we moved the table in front of the window, stacked the storage boxes and moved the old sewing table in for some more storage. I hung up my "clothes-pin frame" in here too.

Value Village tray with a new coat of green paint, dollar store basket, little blue egg holder and canning jars, keeping all my "junk" contained :) All my string is kept in enclosed storage so Mal can't eat it. 


Picture with my sewing machine out, this used to be my Grandma Lolita's. I love it, it's a little beat up but it gets the job done. When you're done, it just folds back up inside the table - really handy! I use all the suitcases to keep my material in. The old Samsonite in the back was my dad's when he was a kid, he got me the suitcase boxes recently. ... and in case you're starting to think I'm an expert sewer, errr, seamtress, don't worry I'm not. The skirt on the bottom is to cover up the computer server, cable box and all those associated wires. 

Its Finally Spring!!

Spring has finally reached our neck of the woods and I am so glad, winter was getting old. That is why I love having four seasons though, its always changing.
Proof of spring - the 1st crocus (hopefully many more will be popping up soon)

I love these, they might be my favorites!

  Some more proof - finally have the sun roof open again.

On a totally unrelated note - I cooked 3 meals today (I know, I know... shocking). Anyways, we're trying to be more healthy around here, hence the brown rice and oatmeal on the counter. Hope everyone has a good week, heading underground, I mean to work for the next five days.

Put a cork in it...

Joe and I have been finding ourselves doing a lot of things with cork in the last week from a new cork board "wall" above Joe's desk for hanging prints of his photos, to a new cork board in the kitchen cabinet to a large cork coaster for the "cold beverage dispenser" that we got at World Market.


New cork board in the kitchen, inspiration from Young House Love, my new favorite blog! They have the best home ideas and they know what a budget is (which is super cool and helpful!).


Bottle cap tacks I made for the kitchen.


New cold beverage dispenser (got it for $15 on sale), a steal compared to the $50 version at Crate and Barrel.


Sea glass and candle centerpiece in the dining room to match my new placemats (also from World Market).


And a summery lime pix :)