Spring Tide-y

Something terrible had to happen for me to finally get down to the business of tidying up and organising some of the worst hot-spots for my mess. And most fittingly it did so on the second day of spring (in Ireland), on Saturday. I had to tidy up my messy desk, and as I was already at it, I went straight on into my bedroom to finally tackle the mess on my dresser. I had been meaning to do that for a good while, and now I can finally show off my latest re-purpose: a really handy and easy-on-the-eye jewellery organiser:

I love costume jewellery, particularly earrings. Lately I had acquired so many of them that my previous way of holding them was proving ineffecient. I had them hooked over a plastic cup.

Moreover, my dresser in the bedroom was becoming a dumping ground for all sorts of crap. That, in turn, didn't make dusting any easier, and so the dresser and the bits and bobs were finally vanishing under an ever thickening layer of dust... Something needed to be done. And while I was tidying up the study, I realised that my shelf-gone-ribbon organiser had lost its function and would make a much better jewellery display than a ribbon organiser. Here's a little before-and-after of my ribbon shelf (you can read about it here)

I realised the former towel/ribbon holding bar was ideal for hooking earrings over; and the hooks were great for hanging my collection of hardly ever worn necklaces. Plus, the shelf could hold trinkets, rings and bracelets.

I moved the shelf to the bedroom and then arranged all the crown jewels on it. It works absolutely fab - the earrings are in reach and can easily be chosen; the necklaces are behind where I don't need to get at them that often. And rings and bracelets plus stud earrings are on the shelf.

It looks quite well, too, doesn't it? I got all excited about the little thing and took lots of pictures, playing with the dof of it and all...

If you want to recreate that but haven't got a ready-made shelf like this, I am sure it would be easy enough to copy. In fact, I had to put in the little holding rod myself, when I gave the shelf the initial make-over. It is merely a piece of doweling. Just make sure it is not too thick to hook your earrings over.

For posterity, here is a before/after of the whole dresser. Now, that looks better, now, doesn't it?

Best,




PS: Linking to Monday Fun Day Link Party @ Creatively Living

Tidying up Loose Ends - Ribbon Organisation

Hi everybody. Are you still there? Sorry, I vanished for a short break to Bologna. What a beautiful country Italy is - I was so impressed by everything. The antiquities, the food, the friendliness of the people. The Italians certainly know ARS VIVENDI. If you want a couple of impressions from that beautiful place, check my flickr set "Bologna".

But now back to blogging and crafting. Or in reverse order - there is crafting first and then there is blogging. It's been a while in coming, but I finally managed to get rid of the mess that was my ribbon box. I forgot to take a before-picture, but believe me, it was not a pretty sight. Scrunched up ends of ribbons, bows, and bobbins all squashed into an old shoe box in my kitchen cabinet. Something had to be done. And this is what I came up with - not only a made-over shelf, but also some ribbon organiser:

You will recognise the shelf from my earlier post about the poor little shelf I rescued from the garage. With a bit of elbow grease, care and paint, I revived the thing and finally hung it up above my desk in my study/craft room. I love that I have my ribbons all handy now, and a place for the scissors to hang. And some display space to make the room where I increasingly spend most of my time prettier. 

The bobbins feed onto what used to be the towel rail. The hooks behind it will house my scissors and assorted bits and pieces that can be hung up. On top I have placed a glass jar with short ends of ribbons. They are too pretty to be hidden in a box - and I always have an overview over the available ribbons when I am wrapping presents or crafting. 

And finally, Basil, my sweet little teddy, gets the prime spot to look down upon me from his "pedestal".


So here is a proper before-and-after. Definite improvement, I think.

 Best,

 Linking to:

SPCF - Save the Shelf

Let's start a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty against Furniture! I mean, honestly, sometimes it is just too mean what people do to lovely pieces of furniture, carefully crafted by some craftsman and then cruelly neglected or sadly misused!!! Take, for example, this lovely little shelf/towel holder which was found in this sorry state and completely outside its usual habitat:

The poor little thing had been cruelly ripped out of its usual habitat, a warm country kitchen, and been transplanted into a cold, dirty and untidy garage/workshop. To add insult to injury, it had been stripped bare of its fur towel and was used for storing paint tins and decorating paraphernalia. Some brute left burn marks (of a cigarette?) on its coat top. Clearly this once-loved shelf (indicated by the little pink heart) had once served its purpose beautifully and well, but now it was tired and needed help.

Cue the rescue squad (aka Queen of Crafts Sonja). I had previously already rescued the shelf from my grandfather's basement, together with this lovely specimen (see left). I decided to cocker up the little darling with a bit of care and gloss.

First of all I sanded down the discoloured paint and gave it an undercoat of white paint. I also cut a piece of dowelling to size which I found among its tormentor's things in the garage in order to replace the towel hanging rod. I had to drill a hole into it so that it still hinges and allows to slide something onto the rod.

Then it was ready to be painted again with white gloss. And I fixed the rod back into its slot, using a nail on which it could hinge. I was a bit distressed that I had to go at it with sandpaper, but I distressed it all the same...

It's back to its former glory now and will be placed in its new home, soon. But you will have to wait for another day to see where it is going and what it will be used as. To be continued...


Best,