Accessorizing our craft room.

After I organized, it was time to decorate the room!  Almost nothing was purchased for this space- most things I already owned and some I refurbished, the rest were thrifted. 

The big picture in the middle was thrifted a few years ago for $2.50.  It's also identical to a picture hanging in the kitchen of the set of Malcolm in the Middle!  I noticed that during a marathon this past winter.  The framed leaves were maybe from Target, but I can't remember. 

I whittled down my button collection to make this heart on a fabric covered board.  I added a stack of movies, although, these will likely change depending on my mood. 

I repainted this little shelf with spray paint (it used to be navy) and put up some little knick-knacks.  I love this picture of the girl and her kitten; it says "Friendly thoughts keep hearts in touch."  39 cents!

This pincushion was my grandma's, along with the brown pitcher in the bottom right corner.  The little animals are from the antique mall.  I planned on putting them in a terrarium, but might leave them here for now.  Little craft bottles for whatever.  Oh, and the vase; it matches the tablecloth you'll see in a minute, so I had to add it to the arrangement.

Another shelf I repainted.  And yes, those are kittens having a tea party.  My mother knows me so well!

I wanted to add a few plants, so I put some clippings I'm trying to root in vases.  The hanging one is rosemary (smells great!) in a little glass bottle with tiny blue beads in the bottom.  The orange vases from Ikea are wrapped in hemp and beads.

The table cloth I'm using was $2 at the thrift store.  I really wanted something to put over the old plastic table top, and something that would be easy to clean if I accidentally splashed paint.  As much as I used giggle at my grandma's old vinyl cloths, I knew that's what I needed.  I really lucked out when I found this one- the print is perfect!

So there's the craft room!  There are a few other details I wasn't able to get good pictures of or have since added, but this is most of it!  I hope it gives people some ideas for how to decorate and arrange their own space on a budget!  I learned that it may take time to create a new space, and it may not be perfect right away, but that's alright!  I mean, I might as well use the craft room to create things for that space!

Feather bottle earrings

Recently I  bought a bunch of little bottles at the craft store and have been trying to think of nifty ways to incorporate them into jewelry.  First, I made a little mushroom pendant.  Then I wrapped up two matching bottles for a set of earrings.  I wanted to add something small inside, so I searched bead stores and antique shops, but nothing was tiny enough. 

So, feathers!  I had a bunch in a bag, so I trimmed a few to fit in the bottles.  I trimmed, and trimmed, and trimmed the feathers until they were small enough. 
 

Although they're not waterproof (I'd know, I forgot to take the mushroom pendant off in the shower), they're definitely more durable than other feather earrings.  Perfect for the end of festival season!

Craft room organization

After the walls were painted and the furniture was moved in, it was time for me to organize my supplies.  Once again, I opted to use things I already had to make the space my own.  I mean, our own.

I sorted through my supplies and made sure everything had some sort of space or organization.  Well, I tried at least.  Thread, needles, pins, etc. went in the antique sewing box my grandma gave me.  Felt into a $5 sewing basket from Goodwill, complete with vintage fabric lining and built-in pincushions.  Yarn in the basket my aunt made. I tied together a stack of fabric scraps.

Since I'd already filled up my table space, I stacked up boxes and baskets between my desks and garbage can.  The gray travel case was another heirloom from my grandma.  It's filled with odds and ends, like old jewelry I plan on cutting up.  The bottom box is beads and wire.  

I used an old plastic crate as a tabletop shelf for craft books, sketch pads, and canvases.

After moving from my apartment, I hung onto a Hello Kitty toothbrush holder that's perfect for scissors and crochet hooks.  Colored pencils in a jar from Toby Keith's I Love This Bar (don't ask... it was a truly painful experience).  I got that adorable little crayon box at the thrift store for $2.

So, there's my initial organization of the craft room!  There's sure to be more as I find more things that belong in the room and I've already decided on a few things to change.  How do you organize your crafts?  Are there any things you struggle with finding a good space for?

Glass hangers for house plant propagation

As if we didn't have enough houseplants already, I've been taking cuttings from a few and putting them in vases around the house.  Yes, I want the house to be a jungle.  Someday, maybe.  Anyways, there was an accident with one of the vases that resulted in two of Mark's carboys for brewing beer breaking, and the dollar vase from Goodwill being totally fine.  My solution: hang the cuttings. 

Two of the bottles I used were from American Science & Surplus in Milwaukee.  I picked them up on our road trip for something like, 50 cents a piece.  I wish I could find them on the site, but they don't seem to be available online.  

The other, the longest one, was from an oil lantern that I lost the main piece to.  

I wrapped them with wire and beads in various ways and voila!  Hanging propagation bottles for my cuttings. 

I'll likely make more if I find more bottles.  You could probably do something similar with other bottles or vases, but what I like about these is that they don't have flat bottoms and don't sit upright, so they need to be hung.  Each is different, and they look pretty in the bay window in our dining room.  I love looking at the roots as they grow.

Mushroom bottle necklace

So, we were at the craft store the other week and Mark found a package of nine little bottles that are perfect for pendants and other jewelry projects.  I decided to make this little one first... in the smallest bottle.  It seriously took a few hours to make, but I really love how it turned out after many attempts and many mushrooms that were too large for the bottle.  

I made the moss with felt that I shredded and stitched back together with thread so it would look grassy up close.  The mushroom stem is a wooden bead and the cap is felt and seed beads.  After that was done, I wrapped the top with wire and put it on some green hemp. 

 

I love the way it turned out and love wearing it just as much.  Now I need to pick some projects for the remaining eight bottles!  I'm thinking there's a least one pair of earrings to be made...

Weekend thrifting

Well, my favorite little thrift/antique store down the street (The Mall of St. Paul) had a sale this weekend. I had a few items I was keeping an eye open for: a jewelry box, a flour sifter, patio furniture, unique jars (for the boyfriend), and a larger floor-sitting cantilever sewing box like the awesome one in Elycia's post. Even if I didn't find any of those items, it's still always worth a visit to see what's new.

I saw loads of cute stuff.

I love vintage cooking canisters, but I have a full kitchen, so no more for me.




Jars, jars, jars.




Embroidered artwork is my favorite, but when I saw this one I had to smile- it was $30, but we got the exact same one at Goodwill for $3! What a bargain! Yeah, I'm not sure what the picture is (a monk and a church?) but the colors are great!




Kitties!




Old coffee grinder with a little drawer where the coffee comes out. Cute, but I must admit, modern technology is a very necessary before my morning caffeine.




What I came home with:


One big fancy jar for Mark and a glass mushroom. The cap of the mushroom comes off and one suggested use on the old piece of packaging was a terrarium. I've been looking for the perfect terrarium container for a while and this is it! Now to find a tiny plant and some moss for it!

Jar: $7.50 at 15% off = $6.38
Terrarium: $7 at 15% off = $5.95