Changes In My Studio

Are you planning on participating in the "Where Bloggers Create" link party on July 15th?  

This great event, hosted by Karen @ My Desert Cottage, not only gives you a chance to show-off your creative space but it also allows you to take a virtual tour of creative spaces all over the world.  Last year there were over 300 people who shared their creative spaces and I'm sure this year will be just as big.  

I'm planning on joining again this year but I have a lot of cleaning, sorting and organizing to do before my room will be ready.  

Today I thought I would give you a sneak peek of a new addition to my studio that is going to help me get organized.

 I found this wire shelf at a local antique store and knew it would be perfect to hold some locker baskets that I have had for a couple of years.

 The shelf can hold eight baskets with a little room to spare for a couple of small boxes.

I love having everything visible in the baskets.

I am forever forgetting where I put things so I think this storage system is really going to keep me organized.

 That's all I'm going to show of the room for now.  I need to save the rest for the 15th.

On a different note, I wanted to show you a picture of my husband with his new wheelchair.  

 He has been anxiously waiting for this chair and it finally arrived on Friday.

So Friday evening we took it for a spin around the park.

The chair can go up to 6.5 miles per hour, it has an "elevator" that can raise Bruce up to bar height, and it can do a full recline (which Bruce took advantage of at the park)....all with a touch of a button.

This chair has given him so much more freedom to get out and about.

Today when I was returning home from running some errands I saw him about a mile from home cruising down the road.  I think I'm going to have to get one of those big hazard signs to put on the back!

Have a great week.  I can't believe it is already the last week of June!

Jane

Oak File Cabinet - Part II

In yesterday's post I showed you the bottom part of an old oak file cabinet that I found at the thrift store.

I pictured it with some vintage suitcases on top for a nightstand for my guest bedroom.

When I originally purchased the cabinet I was not intending on using it for a nightstand.

At that time I was most interested in the drawer.

Looking at how the cabinet drawer was made I thought it would make a cool shelf.

 The face of the cabinet drawer is now the bottom of the shelf.

Lots of room for display.

 And the wood slider piece in the drawer that held the files in place......I anchored it with a couple of screws so that it could be used as a mini shelf.

 Now I have to decide.  Do I use the drawer as intended in the cabinet for my nightstand?

Or do I keep it hanging on the wall as a shelf?

 Well....I love the drawer as a shelf so it's going to stay on the wall for awhile.  It can easily go back into the cabinet if I tire of it hanging on the wall.

OK, now I have a big opening to fill in the cabinet.

I guess there will be a post called "Oak File Cabinet - Part III.

I'm linking this with Debra @ Common Grounds for Vintage Inspiration Friday.

Have a great weekend.

Jane

Would You Buy It Wednesday

It's time once again for "Would You Buy It Wednesday" hosted by Stephanie @ Junker Newbie.

(I know, I'm a little late to the party).

I love the idea for this party.....post about something you bought at a thrift store or garage sale, etc. and then have your blog buddies weigh in on whether they would have purchased it.

So here's my "Would You Buy It Wednesday" item.

The bottom section of an old oak filing cabinet.

Cost: $5.00

 It has one drawer.

 And no top.

 It didn't matter that the piece was topless because I had a couple of vintage suitcases that were a perfect fit for the top.

It's not in it's permanent spot yet but I think this is going to be my new bedside table in the guest room.

I do have another idea for this piece and I'll post about it tomorrow and have you weigh in on that idea too.  There was no time tonight because I got sucked into watching "So You Think You Can Dance".  Yeah, I think I can dance.....it's just that nobody else does.

Hope you had a nice evening.

Jane

Today my work colleagues and I got the opportunity to volunteer in Joplin, MO to help with their tornado relief efforts.

It has been 30 days since the devastating tornado hit Joplin.  Areas of the city are unrecognizable.  As we drove through town I snapped a couple of photos with my cell phone.

The pictures don't begin to tell the story.

Several different distribution centers have been set up in the city to aid those that need help.  We worked at a center today that was distributing food, toiletries, paper products, baby items and cleaning supplies. 

If you have ever wondered if the items you donate to relief efforts get to the people that need it, I assure you they do.

Pallets of food and supplies arrived from all over the U.S.

These items are carefully and thoughtfully organized so that people can "shop" for the items they need.

As volunteers we uncrated boxes, distributed items to the proper tents, restocked the tables and made sure that people knew it was OK to take all they needed.  

It was amazing to see families that lost most or all of their possessions worry about taking too much.  They wanted to make sure that there was enough for everyone.

I am very thankful to my company for giving me the opportunity to volunteer.  It was one of the most fulfilling days I've had in a long time.

Jane

    

Wood and Bolt Picture Stand

I'm knee deep in laundry right now so I'm going to be less wordy in this post and let the pictures do most of the talking.

I took a block of wood,

and these three bolts.

I drilled three holes in the block.

Then painted it white, added a rub-on phrase and inserted the bolts in the holes.

The head of the bolts are now the feet of the picture stand.

Just slide a picture or frame between the front and back bolts and your display is complete.

I'm linking with some Monday parties:

Masterpiece Monday with Mary @ Boogieboard Cottage

and 

Metamorphosis Monday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

Have a great week.

Jane

Magnets, Magnets and More Magnets!

After I posted my "Vent Turned Into Photo Holder" project last week (posted here), I got a few e-mails asking what kind of magnets and glue I used on the hinge magnets I made for that project.

The magnets I use are from Walmart and come 50 to a package for $5.99.  They are pretty strong magnets and work well for most of the pieces I want to turn into magnets (and the price is right too).

The adhesive I use is Scotch Maximum Strength Adhesive.   There are a lot of adhesives that I'm sure would work, this just happens to be the one that I have had good luck with.

 Since I had both the magnetic buttons and adhesive out I decided to scour my studio and find some things to turn into fun magnets.  If an object has a flat back that the magnetic button can be adhered to and it isn't too heavy, it will make a great magnet.

Here are some of the magnets I came up with: 

More hardware....this time an old slide lock.

 An old wood handled stamp.

 Metal stencils.

 

 Old game pieces.

 A watch face.

 A decorated key.

Vintage earrings.

 Old locks.  

 To give you a better idea of the size of the locks, here's a larger photo of the locks on my "model", a vintage metal suitcase.

 For the seamstress of the family I made some sewing related magnets.

A small vintage doily and a button.

 A zipper pull.

And the tops sawed off of old wood spools.

And last, but not least, a 1" piece from an old yardstick.

After I cut the old yardsticks for my yardstick star project (posted here) I was left with a 1" piece from each yardstick.  The pieces were sitting on my workbench and magnets were a perfect use.

I have to admit, it got a little addictive looking for things to turn into magnets.

Do you have any other ideas?

I'm linking this with Debra @ Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday.

Have an enjoyable weekend.

Jane