Kate over at Centsational Girl has asked the question – Where do you blog? 

If you have been following me for some time- then you have seen the room which I call my studioffice.  It is where I spend 80% of my blogging and creating time, although my hubby would beg to differ as I am sure he sees I have stuff over the entire house.  Sometimes though – when the studioffice gets to be big mess, I move out to my kitchen table.  There is a big sunny window and lots of light and right now since I am still pretty wiped out from being in the hospital I can lay down on the banquette.  I have fallen asleep here twice since I have been home.  I also sit here when I come home from work every afternoon.  I need to be in the kitchen to get dinner started and keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.  I go through my reader and catch up on every one’s post and do my blogging admin work.  After dinner I usually move into my studioffice to get the creative work done.

Blogging at my kitchen table

I wrote about how this banquette was constructed, here.

 When I am not cooking or falling asleep every hour – this is where I blog 80% of the time.

My desk in my studioffice that I wrote about - here

I grew up sharing a bedroom with my two sisters.  When my hubby and I bought our first house, my main goal when decorating was to create a space for me - a creative spot, a hideaway,  a space I could finally call of my own.   I had read and loved this book,  A Room Of Her Own, by Chris Casson Madden.  It was very inspiring.  I think I memorized every page, but it helped me accomplish what I had been yearning for –  to set aside a space in my house where I could create and call my own.  The book  is out of print now, but you can still find it at used book sellers. 

 If you want to see lots of great creative ideas for creating your own “creative or blogging” space,  check out  Centsational Girl’s link up, here.    I am sure you will be inspired by all the personal and creative touches everyone puts into their space to call the space their own. 

My best- Diane

I can’t take credit for this very clever way to make your own French enameled tags.  Rachel at One Pretty Thing  found this project and shared it on her site.  I read the post and loved, loved, loved the tags and couldn’t wait to make them to label my kitchen baskets.  Gail, at Can’t Stop Making Things came up with this project.  She used brass key tags and stamping supplies to make perfect replicas of the enameled number tags that the French use in winemaking.    She has an excellent and easy to follow tutorial on how-to make them.  They are very easy and if you are a stamper- super simple.   

 These wine tags were Gail’s inspiration.

Gail noted that she bought the tags at Ace Hardware Store.  That is the only place I found them. Lowe’s and Home Depot do not have them.  If you have an old-fashioned hardware store in your town they may carry them also. 

 I took her advice and used clear stamps for perfect placement of the numbers on the tags.  You also need a  Black StazOn stamp pad and clear embossing powder. I found these at Michael’s.

I thought these tags would be the perfect detail to hang on a set of baskets I have in my kitchen.  You can see more about them here, in a post about my kitchen make-over.

Here they are-

 Before 

And with the added detail of the enameled tags

After

I think details really do make a difference -that added special little touch that gives something more character and interest.

 I love them.

You will find Gail’s step-by-step tute, here at Can’t Stop Making Things.

I am linking this project to:

Today’s Creative Blog

Under The Table and Dreaming

I Heart Naptime

Keeping It Simple

Making The World Cuter

The Girl Creative

Skip To My Lou

It’s A Blog Party

All Thingz Related

I am a visual girl…I like to see things, pretty things, tactile things, organized things.  I love office, stationery, and art supplies.  I am not a tech-ie and don’t want to have everything including the kitchen sink in my computer files.  I like connection, hands-on to all my contacts, links, codes, passwords, urls, user names, etc, etc, etc… I love the Rolodex system and this one I found on Brian and Kristen’s Photostream on Flickr makes my heart go pitter-patter.  Ohhh la la … I want it…BAD!  It is handcrafted and so colorful. 

I have always used a Rolodex, but since I started blogging, I needed a bigger one and found one that I think I can transform to look similar to the one I am drooling over above.   Having something so pretty, neat, and organized and in my own style makes me want to work at my desk.  I could leave the Rolodex I found plain and boring, but by adding some stylish touches to it will elevate the time spent working at my desk into an extraordinary experience.

I found this Rolodex at a local discount store.  I got two, one for me and ONE FOR ONE OF YOU to add your own style to it.  Details at the end of this post on how to enter the giveaway.

Here is what my new Rolodex looked like right out of it’s clam-shell packaging.  Very business like and practical, not my style,  so I took it apart.  The little blue logo on the front comes off easily.

This is the base that holds the cards.

These are just your ordinary brown lunch bags that I ripped up to used to decoratively cover the base. You could use just about any paper to cover the base. Other options to consider - maps, pages from an old phone book, gift wrap, paper place-mats from your favorite diner – let your imagination and personal style guide you.

I used a 1″ paint brush and Mod Podge to apply the ripped up lunch bags to the base.  I kept the runner for the cards free of the paper and Mod Podge so that the cards would still go up and down the runners smoothly.

and I let it dry for about an hour on a foam plate.

No, it is not a toaster!

This is the best part -as it is free, but shhhhh! - don’t tell anybody.  I went to the paint store and picked out paint chips in all my favorite colors to make the tabs.

I made 1,2,3 templates – right , middle, left tabs out of one of the Rolodex cards and taped a tab I made onto each one to use as tracing templates.

I found graph paper and colored index cards at Wal-Mart for a few dollars to make some decorative cards like Brain and Kristen used.

I then sat in front of the TV and traced and cut until my finger’s bled I had enough to fill my Rolodex.  I mixed the plain cards that came with the Rolodex with the colored and graph paper cards to place behind each lettered tab.

I then went to my junk jewel stash and found a belt buckle.

I made my monogram on my computer and sized it to fit in the inside circle of the buckle.  To protect it, I covered it with clear acetate that I cut from the clam-shell packaging and glued it to the back of the buckle.

And glued the monogram buckle to my new, colorful, and pretty Rolodex.

I used a piece of textured wallpaper on the front tab.

I am in love.  Thank you Brian and Kristen for providing the inspiration.

Now onto the giveaway.  To win this Rolodex.

Leave me a comment telling me how you would add your own style to it. 

If you would like more than one chance, you can follow, subscribe, tweet, fb about this post and giveaway.  Just leave me another comment telling me you did so. 

I will draw the winner on Monday.   Giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for all the comments.

Good Luck-  Diane

I am linking this post to:

The DIY Show-Off

Under the Table and Dreaming

Tatertots and Jello

Finding Fabulous

Frugal and Fabulous Design

Somewhat Simple

The Shabby Chic Cottage

Funky Junk Interiors

The Shabby Nest

Tidy Mom

I wanted to thank everybody for leaving me so many nice comments and e-mails about my studioffice.  A few of you asked how I made the pencil holder.   I responded that I would try to find the instructions.  I had SUCCESS.    I had to figure out where I filed it.  I looked in my files under -  instructions, project directions, and DIY ideas.  No luck.  I never throw instructions away and started thinking maybe I gave my dad, who made it for me, the only copy.  I kept searching under – Art Supplies, Resources, ….then there it was - filed  under “Artist”.  As I said, I didn’t make it, I handed my dad these directions with a photo.  He loves woodworking and happily went right to work on it.  I paid him with lots of hugs and kisses.  The fact that he made it for me makes it all the more special to me.  

I also wanted to tell you that my blog designer,  Dionne, at Studio Chic Design came up with a new blog button for me. I wanted something with a little more color. I just love what she did – she captured my style perfectly.  Thanks, Dionne.   I found her on Etsy back in September when I first began blogging.  If you would like to see more of her work, you can find it here, Studio Chic Design.  The new button and code are over to the right in my sidebar. 

Now for the pencil holder directions.  They are from The Colored Pencil Solution Book, by Jamie Gildow and Barbara Newton.  The book  is still available on Amazon. 

Here is mine.

Here is the back view to show how the hinge is attached.

Almost Perfect Pencil Holder

This pencil holder is made of four sections.  Each section is made of two pieces of wood, hinged together at one end to made a V section that opens like a book.  You can make one or many V sections depending on the number of pencils; one section holds thirty-two pencils, sixteen on each side.  ( Mine only has 15 holes on each side.  I also put a tin can in the center to hold other supplies and graphite pencils.)

To make one section-

Gather

2 pieces of pine or other wood

-  3 1/2″ – high x 8 1/2″ – long x 3/4″ – thick   and the other piece  3″ high x 1′ – wide

Light gauge butt hinge or piano-type hinge with 3/8″ screws. (Piano hinges can be found in hardware stores, they can be cut with a hack saw to desired length)

Drill with a 5/16″ drill bit or larger.  (Check the diameter of your pencils)

Use a graphite pencil to indicate the placement of each hole, spacing them 1/2″ apart at center along the 3/4″ -thick side of the wood. Drill the holes 1 1/2″ deep to hold the pencils upright.  After drilling the holes, sand lightly and attach the hinge to join the two pieces of wood together at one end.

Four of these V sections fit nicely on top of a 21″ Lazy Susan that turns for easy access to pencils and small tools (erasers, etc.) stored in the V of each section.  My dad,  love him – custom-made  my Lazy Susan to fit the pencil holders. 

I am one of those people who is not afraid to stop my car on the side of the road to pick up other peoples cast-offs.   I find it very adventuresome and love transforming my finds into functional pieces.  Best of all – it doesn’t cost me a thing.  I found this hollowed out dresser in a field on the way to the supermarket.   Lovely, isn’t she?  She has nice lines.  I saw potential.

Before

The transformation begins with a trip to the dollar store for 17 white plastic baskets.  I would have loved wicker baskets, but 17 of them would be a bit pricey for my budget.

Also needed:   my computer, printer, and card-stock to make some labels.  I  chose a font size that would fit in the label holders I found years ago.  I cut out a piece of acetate from a transparency sheet to use as my see-thru cutting template.

Vintage looking label holders and labels I made.  If you don’t have any label holders you can see my post on how-to make wipe-off labels.

I used a pair of pliers to attach a label holder to the front of each basket.

I cut plywood to fit into the hollow dresser to create shelves.  There were 8 sections and a small lip where the drawers used to be that I screwed each piece of plywood into.  I then gave it a coat of white paint.  This is a rough piece.  Even after sanding and buffing the front edges still looked raw with the plywood and screws showing.

I cleaned it up as best I could and figured it is going to go in my mudroom so it doesn’t have to look perfect, just functional.  Lots of sanding needed.

After

I also bought white thumb tacks at the Dollar Store and used two different colors of ribbon from my stash to hide the  ugly front edge of the dresser.   I measured the ribbon and placed the purple on top of a wider white grosgrain.  I attached the ribbon to the dresser with the thumb tacks.  I think I am going to add more tacks, so it looks like nail-head trim, but I ran out.  I will need to take another trip to the Dollar Store to get more. 

This dresser sees a lot of action as it is right in the door from our garage where we enter the house.   It is where we place keys, mail, library books, handbags, backpacks, etc.  I have the baskets labeled – Sunglasses, Goggles, Sunscreen, Mittens, Hats…the things we use on a daily basis that I want easily accessible, but I don’t want to see laying around.

I love how it came out.  Not too bad for something I found on the side of the road.

I am linking this post to:

Day 6 - The Give-A-Way

Stylish Rubber Gloves

+

Turquoise Crystal and Button Earrings

To Win :  Leave a comment telling me your best cleaning tip or a great product you use that makes the task of cleaning easier. 

 To leave a comment, just click on the word “Comment” at the end of this post. 

If you are a follower, you will be automatically entered, but please feel free to leave a comment for a second chance to win.   This give-a-way will end Thursday April 1 at 12:00 midnight. 

  
I know, I know cleaning  yuck – O,  not fun,  but I have bunnies everywhere and I am not talking about Easter bunnies.  DUST bunnies under my desk, in the hall, the mudroom, and under the guest room bed. I need to clean!!!

 Spring + Cleaning  just go together and when combined doesn’t just mean cleaning.  Spring Cleaning is also about purging, organizing, and feeling re-freshed when you are all done.  I know I need to do it, but  I need motivation to get me into “cleaning” mode and figured if I enlightened some of my senses I may just get excited, going.  Let’s start with sight.  I need some new supplies and found some at my local Dollar Store.  Black bucket with rope handle, 2 microfiber cloths,  green microfiber duster, Spic and Span, and a scrub brush all in delicious spring time – motivate me colors!  Visually I am set. 

Next up:  Motivating Sound -  Radio, stack of favorite CD’s, or an I-Pod played with the volume turned up.   I am almost good to go.

Touch:  Microfiber changed the way I clean.  I am not big on using chemicals.  With microfiber cloths, sponges, pads you don’t need chemicals.  They can be used dry or wet and the  best part is that they are good for the environment as you toss them in the washer and re-use. 

Some tried and true products that don’t magically clean for you, but will make the task a bit easier.

Get your kids to help you clean, no really I mean it -  they just might if you give them a pair of these  microfiber slippers to clean your floors.  They can dance, skate, and shimmy your floors clean.  The slippers, not your kids can be tossed in the washer to be re- used again and again.   These may be the best way to make cleaning - FUN!

I love these magic erasers.  They take off every mark, smudge, and spot on all types of  surfaces.  These are the generic form of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers.

Pet hair is GONE, GONE, GONE with this Scotch Fur Fighter. I think it works so much better than the Pledge Roller for pet hair and it is better for the environment.  There is only the yellow sheet to toss, not the entire roller.  The yellow sheet sticks on to the tool like velcro, when it is full of hair, you rip it off and toss.   I have a hard time finding the refills, but when I do – I stock up. 

After you have cleaned and purged all of your rooms, remember before you toss unwanted items in the trash that ” One person’s trash is another’s treasure”.  Contact the following organizations where you can donate your unwanted items.

General items:

freecycle.org

craigslist

Electronics:  earth911.com

Used Furniture:  nationalfurniturebank.org

Shoes:  soles4souls.org

Used Non-Prescription Sunglasses:  uniteforsite.org

Cellphones:  gazelle.com or ncadv.org

Prom Dresses:  donatemydress.org

Check you local yellow pages under Thrift stores and call to see if they are accepting items. 

 In my area The Purple Heart has curbside pick-up.

http://www.glad.com/demos/forceflex/forceflex_game.php

A few of you commented on my organized drawers in the post, Happy Colors.   Well, I may have a few clean and organized drawers, but dust and dirt have taken over elsewhere in my house.  I am off to tackle this…  

Thanks for celebrating the 6 Days of Spring with me.  

Enjoy

I am linking this post to:

Tip Me Tuesday – The Tip Junkie

Earlier this week as I have been sitting in front of the television watching the Olympics, I made some decorative items.  I had stuff, supplies, and trash all over the place and thought – there has to be a better way to bring all my crafting supplies next to the sofa in a neat and orderly way.  I needed a cart of some sort.  

So with that in mind, I went to Target to see what they had. 
I wanted something pretty, not just a plastic drawer cart.  I wasn’t finding anything, until I came across these wall cube organizers for closets for $20.00.  Inspiration struck and I happily went to the check-out with a smile on my face and a plan to create a craft cart on wheels to easily roll around my house so my supplies are easily accessible to me in whatever room I happen to be working in.
 

On my way home I stopped at Goodwill to see if they had anything I could use for my cart project.  I  found this basket and silver tray. 

 The cube organizer went together very easily.  I just followed the enclosed directions.  I found wheels at Lowe’s for a few dollars a piece and pre-drilled holes to attach them to the bottom of the cube.

I used 16 screws and a power screwdriver to attach the wheels to the bottom of the assembled cube.

 Since the cube was designed to mount on a wall, the back had unfinished edges.  I just dabbed some white craft paint on to cover the bare particle board.

Wheeeeeee, but I am not done yet.  
 

Remember the Goodwill basket above?  I spray painted it white and distressed  the edges just a bit.  Using a power drill, I drilled two holes into the basket and the top of the cube.  I put a screw through each hole and used a wing nut with each screw under the the top of the cube to attach the basket. 
 

  I made my monogram on my computer and printed it out on card-stock.  I laminated it with a self-laminating sheet so it would stay clean.  I also wove a piece of ribbon around and through the basket, tucking the ends under each other in the back of the basket.

 I used Mod Podge and black and white illustrations that I cut from an outdated travel book to Paris to cover a piece of cardboard that I cut to fit the bottom of the basket. 

I put a cup hook on the back to hold a clipboard with clippings, ideas, and project directions.  It can also be used as a place to hang a trash bag.

 My completed craft cart. 

Zoom… Zoom -  Now I have a neat and organized way to house the materials I need to complete the mindless parts of decorating and craft projects while I watch television.  I even plan to use it as a place to gather paints, brushes, and other supplies when I paint a room. 

 Notice the right front wheel has a break on it.  This will help once you get your cart situated, you press it and the cart won’t move until you release it.

  I am linking this post to:

Fingerprints On The Fridge

Funky Junk Interiors

Cottage Instincts

Between Naps On the Porch

Twice Remembered

Making the World Cuter

Motivate Me Monday

Market Yourself Monday

The DIY Showoff

The Girl Creative

A Softplace to Land

Today’s Creative Blog

Make It Monday

What can your do with a soup can, curtain hooks, those pesky advertising inserts from magazines, and a few beads? 

You will soon find out.

One of my favorite blogs is  Blah-to-TADA.blogspot.com.  Claire writes for a newspaper and was asked to write a column about how you could take stuff you would normally throw out and make something desirable from it.  Her blog was inspired by her newspaper column.  Her tag line – a crafty recycling blog.   Her posts are presented in such a simple effective format - only a few photos and text.   Before is Blah  and after TADA.  Check out what she did with a Whole Foods bag.  You will be inspired.   Her Bag of Tricks post, here  

 This is my attempt at creating a Blah-to-TADA post. Look back at the photo above.

Cut advertising insert to the height of the can.  Roll tightly around a pencil and hot glue edge down.  Remove pencil. 

Make a bunch so you have a pile like this.

 
Put a line of hot glue on the seam edge of each rolled tube and attach to the can, making sure to keep each roll straight .

Put a bead on each curtain hook.

 Push each hook between two tubes along the top edge of the can.

TADA!

I also hot glued big beads to the bottom as decorative feet.  For the bigger can I used an old calendar to make the tubes.

Claire, and anyone familiar with Blah to TADA, How did I do?

I am linking this post to:

Tip Junkie

Strut Your Stuff  at Somewhat Simple

Blue Cricket Design

We Are That Family

Penny Pinching Party – The Thrifty Home

The Shabby Chic Cottage

Finding Fabulous

Kojo Designs

I had promised back before Christmas that I would post about the other half of my studioffice.  This is the area across from the partner’s desk that I posted about here.  Now you can see how this room’s other half lives.  This is Part 1 of the creation of my work table. 

 The room is a rectangle with two windows in the front and a double door on the opposite wall.   There is also a single doorway where I am standing to take this photo.   Since no craft table is complete without electricity,  my husband, Ed put an electrical outlet in the floor for me.  The armoire is a hand-me down from my in-laws.  It is very old and comes apart like a puzzle.  It used to be painted orange when we first got it and I used it as a pantry closet.  In another house it became my actual clothes closet, because there were no closets in the bedrooms.   Presently it holds all my craft supplies.  The two bookcases on either side are from Ikea.  Under the round skirted table is my sewing machine table.  I can easily get to it by lifting off the round top and placing it on the floor when I need to sew.  I only sew on occasion so this works fine for me. 

 
These two cabinets used to be in my dining room.  When I got new dining room furniture I didn’t know what to do with them, until I got the idea to use them as the base for my work table. I plan to transform them with paint and molding- that will be Part 2 of this post.
 

I covered a hollow core door that I purchased at The Home Depot with black shiny vinyl.  I stapled the excess to the underside.  I found the vinyl at a local fabric store for $1.00 a yard.  At that price I bought the whole roll – about 12 yards.  I only needed 3 yards for the table.  I am not sure how I will use the rest yet, but it was such a great find I couldn’t pass it up.

I cut a piece of a rug liner to place on top of the two cabinets so the door would not slide after being placed on top of the cabinets. 

I simply placed the door on top of the cabinets.

I attached decorative ribbon around the edge of the covered door with brass tacks. 

I attached an electrical strip to the back underside of the table with screws and plugged it into the floor outlet. 

On half of the table I placed a piece of homasote and a rotary cutting mat. I also placed a measuring tape along one side of the table and secured it with packaging tape.  This is the side I glue, cut, and paste on.  If I need the whole length of the table – the components can be easily removed. 

This is Trax, my daughter, Kelly’s cat that she brought home with her after she graduated from college.  He was raised in a frat house and thinks he can hang out anywhere he pleases.  Notice the collar.  He just had surgery because he ate a button and it got stuck in his stomach.  It cost Kelly- $1000.00 for the surgery. 
The vet asked her if she wanted to keep the $1000.00 button and frame it.   His stitches come out tomorrow.

This time curiosity did not kill that cat. 

Part 2 - Coming soon
 

I am linking this post to:

The DIY Showoff

Make It For Monday -Cottage Instincts

Metamorphosis Monday- Between Naps on the Porch

The PersimmonPerch

Twice Remembered

Making the World Cuter

Todays Creative Blog

A Soft Place to Land 

Reinvented

Tip Junkie

Poppies At Play

When paging through the  Ballard Designs catalog a few years ago I came across little enameled re-writable name plaques.  They were white and outlined in black.   They were Oh, so French, and Oh, so expensive!  I thought of so many uses for them, but knew I couldn’t afford them.  Not wanting to feel deprived of adding this stylish detail to my things, I created a less expensive, practically free alternative using paper and self-laminating sheets.    They will make it easy to find everything.  The hardest part will be gathereing all of your “stuff “ to put into your new labeled boxes. 

 If you want to be able to wipe the writing off the label, use dry erase markers, otherwise use permanent markers.  I have included a pdf. document of my designs for you to print out.  You can easily resize them by taking them to a copy machine that enlarges and/or reduces. 

Gather:

Label Pattern (download link below)

Cardstock

Laminating Sheets- any kind with or without a laminator

Brass Fasteners

Dry Erase Marker or Permanent Marker

—-  

1.  Print pattern on cardstock on your  printer.

2.  Cut each label out.

3.  Following manufacturers directions, laminate each label.

4.  Trim excess, but leave a small border of lamination.

5.  Punch 2 holes on either side of label, then attach with brass fasteners.

6.  Write on label.

You can print out onto clear acetate sheets, paper, or cardstock.   You can re-size on a copy machine , if necessary.

 
Attach to presentation folders

Use a cookie cutter to cut out a flower pattern to use as a gift tag. 

For another use – See the label on the  lidded basket in the center photo in my blog header

I am linking this post to:

Blue Cricket Designs

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