Tried and True Tuesday--Sticky Situation

Seems like everyone in our neighborhood is trimming their trees back.  And (after silently wishing they wouldn't) I have a compulsion to want to curb-pick all the branches.  They're just beautiful in their own right.  I gave in to my compulsion recently and found something to do with the sticks.  Appropriate because I'm from "the sticks."  Maybe that's why nature always inspires.

I found a neat little project to try on More Design Please.  It's a top notch design blog with some fun DIY ideas. Here's what I made using many varying size twigs, an old cd, brown cardboard, a glue gun, and some fishing line.

The concept of the project is very easy.  Cover the cd with something brown, and glue a bunch of sticks to it.  It was easy but suprisingly time consuming, taking a couple of hours to complete.  But maybe that's just me, calculating the stick's sizes and arrangement too much.

When the wreath was finished, I loved the result.  Here, I used fishing line to hang it in front of a mirror.  But, I think it would look even better as a grouping of three.  Hoping I'll eventually have time to make a set.

Blessings!

Keepin' It Together

If you can call repurposing a hobby, it would be one of mine.  I am passionate about it.  My vision for my home is that of chic, reused and repurposed items, spruced up with love.  This is at my core and don't envision that it would change with an enlarged bank account balance.  I believe stuff is just stuff.  You need some stuff to live and some to make life more convenient.  It's all God's.  He allows us, though, some freedom in life to which stuff we have.  My treasures are not laid up in stuff, but while I'm picking, I like old stuff.  Stuff with a past.

On that note, here is some old stuff and what I've done with it.  First idea was thankfully inspired from Pinterest (you can follow me on Pinterest by clicking the link at right).

This is a spice-rack-turned-nail-polish holder.  I got it from a thrift store for $2, painted it blue, and sanded the edges.  Now, I am dying to have a couple for my acrylic paints.  Here is the artist who inspired me from Pinterest:  http://www.thespeckleddog.blogspot.com/.

Here is Spice Rack's new sidekick, Lazy Susan.  She holds those things you can't bear to take off the counter:  lip glosses, lotions, and makeup brushes.  Old votive holders keep q-tips and glosses.  The long-loved basket got a coat of the same paint.  It's so fun to take something with a dark finish and rag on paint in a lighter color.  Help me out if you know the technical name for this.  Here is a link to a Pinterest artist who also loves a lazy susan:  http://www.creativeorganizing.typepad.com/ .

Here, I had a spare dish drainer and needed somewhere to organize my paper goods.  This project isn't much to look at, but the two married beautifully.  Thrift stores almost always have a couple of these on hand.  I have also heard of dish drainers (probably metal ones) being used to hold children's books.  Sounds neat.

What are you crafting or organizing?  Blessings!