Organization |

DIY Fabric-Covered Jewelry Display Board

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Christy

About a month ago, I snagged a gorgeous frame at Goodwill for $3. As often happens with thrift store scores, it sat in my garage for awhile because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with it.

My daughter, Annabelle, and I were in Target last week (this happens far more often than I’d like to admit), and she fell in love with a jewelry display board, which I refused to buy her, saying, “We could make that SO easily!” Because Annabelle would like to start her own blog (but we won’t let her at the ripe old age of nine), and in the interest of keeping her writing skills sharp during summer vacation, I asked her to jot down a few paragraphs for y’all:

“I saw a jewelry board in Target and fell in love with it. The frame was white and it had a peachy pink fabric. I said, “Mom, I want this in my room,” but we (unfortunately) left without it.

When we got home, my mom pointed out a frame that looked just like it! [Mom's note: This was the Goodwill frame, of course.] We then went to Hobby Lobby [Mom: This also happens far more than I'd like to admit!] and got a fabric with Paris writing on it. I am going to have a Paris-themed walk in closet when we move!”

Well, why not? Her room will have a walk-in closet, and if you’ve followed us for any amount of time at all, then you know that I have no problem decorating closets!

To make our own jewelry display board, we started with the thrift store frame and a can of spray paint. Isn’t it a pretty frame?

Next, we assembled the French script fabric, two layers of quilt batting (because that’s what I had in my craft closet), and a piece of foam core board that we cut from an old science fair project. Since we were scrambling to put this together on the same day that we were leaving town for a week at the beach, I had to go with what was readily available!

Annabelle helped with every aspect of this project. I had her cut out the batting and the fabric.

We picked a nice area of the fabric, centered it, and made a sandwich: fabric (right side out), two layers of batting, and then the foam core. We folded the edges of the fabric around the foam core like a package, and then I used a hot glue gun to secure it. Another alternative would be to use very thin plywood and a staple gun, but again, we were using what we already had.

After checking to make sure that everything was straight, centered, and smooth, I glue-gunned the fabric “sandwich” into the frame.

Not bad for about $5 and 15 minutes, right?

We had to find a spot for it right away, but after we move it will go into her closet.

We borrowed these cute little jewel-tipped pins from her mannequin, but I think we could make some pretty easily [crazy glue + beads + pins]. Maybe that will be our next summer project!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Posted in Children's Activities, DIY, Organization | Tagged board, display, diy, fabric, Jewelry, summer activity | Leave a comment

One-Day Reorganization Project–My Hubby’s Closet

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Christy

A few months ago, when we put the house on the market, I embarked on a weekend mission to tidy every. single. closet in the house. I had already done mine, well before the move, in pink with a cute chandelier {read about that HERE}, but everyone else’s needed help, too.

My husband and I have his and hers walk in closets in our master bedroom, which is a first for us. We’ve been blessed to have walk in closets in the past, but we’ve always had to share one. The two closet doors face each other and I used the Kvill frame from Ikea on each door to label them “Hers” and “His.”

My husband’s closet was already a tan color…if we weren’t moving, I probably would have done a brown 9″ vertical stripe in there, but it just seemed more important to get things tidy and organized. I picked a weekend while he was away for work, although I promise I didn’t give anything away without his approval–he had a stack to go through when he got home!

One of the best ways to make clothes look organized in a closet is to use one kind of hanger. I bought several big boxes of wood hangers and hung everything up, organized by color and season because that’s the way I roll. I have the slimline velvet hangers in my closet, but the hubs likes wood ones, so that’s what I used.

Would you believe the wicker baskets on the top shelf were originally on my kids’ changing table? We have about twelve of them because I ordered extra–they’ve organized lots of closets over the years!

I decorated the wall that holds his pants with a metal golf sign that was just collecting dust in the attic…he is QUITE the golfer!

I tried to use all wooden hangers for his slacks, but it looks like a metal one has crept back in.

I had enough room left over after organizing and re-hanging his clothes to put a shoe organizer on the floor, with our laundry basket in front of it. Mens’ shoes take up so much space, so it saves room to use a vertical organizer rather than to line them up on the floor.

I also had enough space to create an area for his valet box–it’s full of watches, cuff links, bow ties, suspenders, and hundred of tiny little Army uniform thingies. I try not to get involved in all that! The empty bourbon bottles are from a couple of single barrel batches that his unit has ordered over the years. He might uncork them and sniff when he needs strength–who knows?

I also hung a few things in here that weren’t being used in his office or elsewhere in the house, to make it feel more like a library than a closet. His commissioning certificate is over the valet box:

And his master’s degree is on the wall where I hung his Australian hat and his tie rack. Lest you think I’m dissing his accomplishment, I’ll have you know that mine is covered with spider webs in the attic!

The back of the door is an underutilized area in a closet, so I put some hooks on his:

And that’s it! It only took about a half day, but it made a big difference in how functional his closet was for him. I wish I’d done it sooner–all those Army uniforms take up a bunch of space, and organization is key to getting everything to fit.

Thanks for stopping by (and thanks, honey, for letting me show your closet to the world!).

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Posted in Before and After, Closets, Organization | Tagged closet, his, ideas, man, organization | 10 Comments

From the Archives–My Very First Post Ever–Week-at-a-Glance Wall Chalkboard

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Christy

I thought it might be a little fun this Friday to repost my very first blog post, ever, from November 27, 2010. My, how things have changed since then! Bear with me on the formatting and pictures, but it’s still fun to see how much 11 Magnolia Lane has changed along the way. My Type A/OCD tendencies haven’t changed at all, though!

Happy Friday!

Week at a glance wall calendar

I am an organization addict. Combine a Type A personality with only-child syndrome and throw in a touch of OCD, and this is what you get! I have owned every Day-Timer and Filofax ever made, and for awhile there I was really good about keeping my schedule in my Blackberry, but now I am back to a good old-fashioned wall calendar that gives me the month at a glance and allows me to plan WAY far in advance (a must for every military wife and homeschooling mom). But for the current week, I have–drumroll, please–my chalkboard calendar on my kitchen wall!

Everyone laughs at my wall calendar, but I know that they are secretly jealous. They feel flattered if they “make” the calendar and then get to see their names prominently displayed in my kitchen. Since I have to write down every move that I plan to make or I will forget it, lots of people make my chalkboard in a week’s time!

The panels are simply chalkboard-style Wallies, the peel-and-stick wallpaper that can then be easily removed when the time comes. By the way, I haven’t tested that claim yet, so I am hoping that when we move they do peel off that easily, because I already will have enough nail holes to fill! Anyway, I bought the Wallies online from Amazon (click HEREto order them through our affiliate program), and I just measured and stuck those puppies on my wall. I suppose you COULD use tape and chalkboard paint, but that would obviously be a more permanent approach and our frequent moves make me more of a “temporary” than a “permanent” person.

Since there are eight panels but only seven days in the week (I know you know that, but sometimes I schedule enough for eight!), I have one panel left over for NOTES, where I keep a handy running to-do list of things that I have really been putting off for a long time (like make a new will and schedule our flu shots). My real, daily to-do list gets written on paper and stuffed in my purse, but that’s another post for another day! I also start my week on Monday, even though my pastor tells me that Sunday is the first day of the week, because I need to see the weekend days together. Of course, the beauty of the chalk board is that on Sunday, I wipe the whole thing off with a wet paper towel and get to start it all over again.

I should resolve that I will put more things on my calendar like “massage” or “lunch with the girls, “ or my personal favorite, “shoe shopping,” but unless someone creates that eighth day in my week, I’m not sure if I’m going to have time for those things before January!

Thanks to wordpress for featuring this post on FRESHLY PRESSED and for everyone who visited us from it!

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Posted in Office, Organization | Tagged calendar, chalkboard, organization, wall, week at a glance | 4 Comments

How to build a {DIY} Giant \ Huge \ Wall Chalkboard

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Amy

This is hands down my most favorite project in my house.

Maybe ever.

It wasn’t hard, nor expensive and it provides not only organization for me but fun for my kids. And it’s most certainly a “conversation” piece.

Last summer I built this giant chalkboard for my wall between my dining room and kitchen, across from my butler’s pantry. I had to hold off showing it on this blog thanks to the interest of a lovely magazine scout, but since our house will likely sell before we could fit in a photoshoot {sniff sniff}, today I am revealing it in all its glory!

I think the hardest thing about this project is finding a large empty wall to use.

This space wasn’t large enough for any shelving so putting up a giant chalkboard was the next logical choice, right?

{Maybe not if you had asked my husband!?}

Obviously there are easier ways to do this project then the route I went. If you are lucky enough to have flat walls, you could tape, prime and paint chalkboard paint on the walls and then just trim the space out. I had to go the extra step and prime, paint and tack up a smooth chalkboard-painted piece of wood thanks to my ultra-textured walls which there is no way you could write on. It’s also good in that I can pull it down in case the next owners of my house don’t want a giant, huge chalkboard. I don’t really know why they wouldn’t though?

So, I used a very thin, lightweight plywood board {cut to size at Home Depot}, primed with spray primer then covered it using a foam roller with multiple coats of chalkboard paint.

There was one obvious issue with the space I had in mind. The lovely thermostat right in the middle of the wall.

I used a jigsaw to cut the hole in the board, I measured several times to make sure everything would line up correctly. School was out, so I had a great helper.

I then primed and cut to size some lightweight molding to trim around it. If you are intimidated by a power saw I can tell you that I used a miter box to cut the trim. Its a bit of an arm workout, but anyone can do this, no power tools (or gym trips that day) necessary.

My plan was to cut trim to build a frame around the thermostat, but in an effort to save myself anymore sawing, I decided to search my attic for a frame that might fit instead. Luckily, I had one that worked perfectly–it fit like a glove, it’s not even glued on–and it probably looks more polished than one I would have built.

We make great use of this space: for coloring, for lists of things to do, or inspirational quotes. I am refining my “chalk art” skills and while, of course, I aspire to have lovely works of pinterest-inspired chalk art on it, in actuality, it’s a great space for the kids to color and receive gentle reminders for them from me.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Tutorials & Tips at Home Stories A to Z, Tuesday’s Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Wow Us Wednesdays at Saavy Southern Style.

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Posted in Children's Activities, DIY, Home Inspiration, Organization, Projects & Printables, Real Spaces | Tagged chalk paint, chalkboard for textured walls, diy, diy chalkboard, frame a thermostat, giant chalkboard, hallway decor | 13 Comments

Moving Tips & Tricks and How to Stay Sane!

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Amy

***OK FUN STUFF FIRST—the Shabby Apple $50 gift certificate giveaway ends tomorrow, if you haven’t entered click HERE to be entered to win some fresh spring fashion!***

Well, OK the staying sane part while moving might be a stretch but I am going to try my best this time. I am getting ready to move, and Christy is also getting ready to move so I thought it would be a good time for us to try to come up with a post of tips and tricks.

source image

Ya’ll kicked in your suggestions via facebook and email and it was great! I am already making use of so many of your tips. On this topic, I know that our military spouse (a crown Christy wears as well) readers know that of which they speak. Thanks for the input, everyone!

In case you missed it, we’re packing up our current home and moving “home” in a few weeks. Being that this move is our choice as well as long-distance, we don’t have the budget for a crew of trained packers to come in and wave their magic wands and leave me with all our belongings nicely in boxes. I am that magic fairy, and I am going to be working hard these next few weeks! So, again, any way possible to make it easier will be a HUGE help.

So here is all the great advice you all gave me when I asked, such great tips!

Take everything off the walls and keep together. Label boxes with each room. Live off paper plates and paper products. Pack up the kids room leave out only a few toys. Pack and stack boxes in your garage while kids are at school. Pack suitcase of clothes for each kid and yourself and live out of and wash only that. Pack the rest. Use towels to pack breakable vases and such. ~Megan (9 military moves)

Pack your bedding in the dresser that goes in that bedroom.~Suzanne

I put all our clean clothes into those giant ziplock bags with dryer sheets, that way they stay reasonably folded and clean and don’t have that cardboard box smell. The movers just put the bags into boxes and also strange men aren’t pawing all the clothes. This has made unpacking the clothing of a family of 5 way easier on the other side. Good luck, we are up this summer, moving to Germany! ~ Allison {Thanks Allison, Good Luck to YOU!}

Go around the house now, open every drawer and closet and photograph- will really help if your whole shipment disappears or, more likely, you have a few missing or damaged items.~Mary (11 military moves)

Pack silverware and kitchen utensils in gallon ziplock bags and they stay clean….just empty into the new drawer at your destination.~Kate

Give the house a good cleaning before you start packing or packers and movers show up! Everywhere should be exactly where it’s “supposed” to be before you start packing (even if it hasn’t been in the right spot in years lol) It will keep you motivated and bring your stress level down when everything seems a little more organized and clean to start.~Tianna

Put all your breakables that are treasures in one spot, like on the dining room table. Have the packers pack them first when they are fresh for the day.~Lezlie

One of the best helps I’ve come up with is having 2 boxes. ONE for bedding and any household supplies, packed and ready to use upon arrival AND a box that I mark “PARTS”. Every top of a lampshade, every screw, every key, plug, wire etc etc etc goes into that box. Both boxes are LAST on the truck and first to come off. ~Kathleen

Christy gave me her tips {below}, these from the girl that if you visit her two weeks after she moves in, will already have her house perfectly squared away and probably be painting her cabinets. Trust me, I know.

I always try to pack and LABEL a box that has a hammer, nails, drill, picture hanging hooks, drywall anchors, doublestick tape and Command hooks, spackle and putty knife, etc. so that I can start hanging stuff as soon as I unpack it. And last, but definitely most important, keep your corkscrew, shaker, and coffee maker out because alcohol (and caffeine) consumption spikes sharply during a move! ~Christy {11Magnolialane, her 8th military move is coming up}

I am going to add in a few more tips, believe it or not we’ve moved nine times and we’re not even military. The first tip I always utilize originally came from my cousin-in-law, Mary, who was a military spouse. She said to put all the contents from each linen closet in a clear garbage bag, then pack it in a box. Then, when you unpack you can just drop the garbage bag in the closet and toss the box, that way you can unpack at your convenience but everything for the closet is already where it needs to go. Brilliant!

Here is my number one moving tip: prior to all of my moves, I take the kitchen layout, pour a cup of tea and sit down with a pencil, I plot and plan where my kitchen items will go. It saves a ton of time when you actually are unpacking not to have to think on the spot what cabinets to put the glasses in, what drawer for the silverware etc. My Mom was sweet enough to help with my last move and she could also reference my plan instead of asking me over and over where to put things, it was a great help.

Above is my diagram I did prior to moving into my current home, sorry, I know it’s hard to see as I wrote in pencil so I could adjust things accordingly. I used my cabinet layout provided by our builder, but this time I will work off a picture of the kitchen and just draw it out, then label where I think things should go.

I am a huge fan of the moving supplies at Home Depot {though no they aren’t sponsoring this post } but they have boxes super cheap, and I have found this green plastic shrink wrap works wonders. I shrink wrap what I can together, like these glass plates, and it keeps things from moving as much during the process and seems to help.

Also, I found these adorable labels {Via Pinterest} from onlinelabels.com to use on you boxes. I may not quite get as far with the “cute” factor this time, but had to share them none the less!

OK! I am off to pack boxes now…but thank you so much to those who shared tips, and for any tips we’ve missed please leave them in the comments section so that this will continue to be a great resource for all facing the FUN task of a move.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Posted in Organization, Projects & Printables, Tips & Tricks | Tagged military movinng tricks, move organization, moving, organization, packing, tips | 6 Comments

Quick and Easy Kids’ Artwork Wall Display

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Christy

I spent my weekend removing moldy caulk from my shower and recaulking, and replacing the ripped screen in our porch door, but you don’t want to see any of that, now do you? I know–boring! So, instead, I’m going to show you what I did on Friday to display some of my daughter’s artwork. The disclaimer is that I did not come up with this idea on my own; I’ve seen it all over Pinterest and the internet. However, after looking at five or six web sites, I can’t seem to figure out who really came up with the idea. So, forgive me for not crediting anyone specifically for thinking this up! Also, Amy did something pretty similar HERE (I get all of my best ideas from her!). As is true with most of my “tutorials,” it’s really too simple to be called a tutorial! Here’s what I did:

Kids wall artwork display

I started with 1″ x 8″ fingerjoint board, that I had left over from building my PANTRY shelves. Because I had two pieces that were about 34″ long, that’s what I used. I cut them to make sure they were the exact same length, sanded the edges lightly, and primed and painted them. Here’s the paint and primer I almost always use (it’s available at Home Depot):

Prime and paint 1" x 8" fingerjoint board

Harley is safely in the background. He likes to join me out back when I’m spray painting, but he does NOT like the hissing sound the paint makes. Maybe it reminds him of an annoyed cat?!

This is my high-tech spray painting station. Jealous?

Prime and paint fingerjoint board

When the two boards were dry, I simply glue-gunned bulldog clips onto them. I spaced my bulldog clips about 16″ apart, and I used three per piece of wood. Obviously you could use a different number of clips based on the length of your board. I’m telling you that they’re bulldog clips so you don’t have to look like an idiot at Hobby Lobby or an office supply store (like I did), asking for “those clipboard clip thingies without the clipboard.” I got my bulldog clips at Hobby Lobby; they looked like this:

Bulldog clips from Hobby Lobby

I then took my smallest drill bit (7/64″) and drilled a hole at each end of the board. Then, using 2″ wire brad nails and a level, I hung the board on the wall. The reason I chose this method to hang it was that I wanted to do minimal damage to the wall. Two small nail holes will be easily patched and painted when we remove the display. Here’s a close-up:

I later took a white paint pen and dotted paint on the nail head to make it less obvious. Also, when there’s artwork hanging on the end clips, it covers the nail as well.

I wound up hanging one board in the kids’ bathroom, and one on the half wall just outside of their bathroom, right at the top of our stairs. I considered putting them both in the bathroom, one on top of the other, and would have done that except that since we have board and batten in the bathroom (read about that HERE), I think the display boards would have been too high. Here are some “after” shots:

Did I ever show you the mirror after I framed it out? See above, if not. I think it’s a great way to dress up a contractor-grade “wall of mirrors.”

My daughter is the only one who brings me artwork anymore; my son is 12 and just not that into art anymore. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to have one board for each kid, though? You could swap their art out seasonally. Stick them in the hall, the bathroom, the kitchen, even their bedroom.

We’ve discussed “paper management” before, but do you have any great ideas for containing the paper trail that comes with having children? Let us know!

Thanks for stopping by.

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Posted in Crafts, Kids Rooms, Organization | Tagged artwork, display, Kids, wall | 4 Comments

Laundry Room Makeover

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Amy

I didn’t start with an ugly laundry room by any means, but when you spend SO much time in a space, I figured there wasn’t any reason not to make it more enjoyable!

Here is the laundry room as it was when we moved in. We were lucky to have a tile floor, cabinets and even a chandelier but it was just a little boring.

As I mentioned in our Home Goals post I also wanted to make it more functional, it goes without saying that with three kids I do quite a bit of laundry.

Here is the AFTER {I won’t make you scroll down!}

Its hard to see in the photos since the room has no natural light, but I painted the walls a pale blue color. I used my ironing board cover {Homegoods, purchased several years ago} for inspiration.

To give the ironing board a place to hang, I painted a wood plaque from Michael’s, drilled holes and installed cabinets knobs to hold the ironing board up. We did the same thing {except with hooks} for my Mom’s Craft Room.

The biggest need the room had– after painting it reduced the “boring” factor –was I wanted a large space to fold and sort laundry. Front loaders have disadvantages, but they make up for it by having all that great space on the top.

I measured the room wall to wall and purchased cabinet grade plywood which Home Depot cut to size. I attached simple wood molding to each wall to support the shelf.

I also used a molding strip along the back wall, as well as installing some inexpensive 13″ metal shelf brackets {I don’t have a picture} underneath so the wood would have some extra support in the middle.

I tacked a piece of molding across the front of the board so it looked a little prettier, and don’t be mistaken by the cleanliness of these pictures, the shelf is put to daily use with piles of laundry!

On the other side of the room, I hung some IKEA brackets {the come black, but I spray painted them matte silver} with some standard small ready-made shelves from Home Depot.

Underneath, I added a coat rack {also spray painted} to use to hang things to air dry. These shelves hold the laundry once its been folded and is waiting to be put away.

I added a few decorative touches, like this little sign which seemed appropriate for jobs that can get boring very quickly! {printable to come}.

I will admit that this room is so much more functional now, but it also makes doing laundry a little nicer…and since the laundry doesn’t seem to end, I think it was worth the effort!

So tell us, what projects are you all working on these days?

**Don’t forget to enter our current organizing giveaway HERE**

XO,

Sharing at ~

Monday FUNday

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Posted in Before and After, Home Inspiration, Laundry Room, Organization, Real Spaces | Tagged diy, folding shelf, ironing, laundry room, laundry shelf, organization, shelves | 23 Comments

New Years’ Organizing Giveaway

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Christy

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

We ran a giveaway a few months ago with almost exactly the same items (shelf paper and chalkboard labels), and it was so popular with everyone that we knew it would be great to have a re-run in January, the month when everyone is organizing and tweaking their decor. So, here’s what we have for you this week:

Two packages of turquoise-blue chevron shelf paper (four rolls, total), and twenty chalkboard vinyl labels. Tell me you can’t think of a thousand ways to use these! These are the same exact chalkboard labels that I used to organize the shoe boxes in my closet:

Of course, you don’t have to organize your shoes with them. Maybe you need to label toy bins in the playroom, or organize batteries and lightbulbs in the closet. You might want to use them on flour, sugar, and other dry goods in the pantry, or to label your laundry supplies. I could go on and on! You’ll soon realize that you could use hundreds.

The chevron shelf paper is like this gray pattern that I used in my dining room on the panels of my buffet (but obviously, it’s turquoise):

Amy used the same pattern, along with a turquoise quatrefoil, in her pantry:

And then she used a gorgeous black quatrefoil in her butler’s pantry:

Amy S., who just happens to be a good friend of mine, used the rolls that she won in the last giveaway to line the back of a gorgeous antique cabinet, and it looks awesome. One of our readers, Nicole B., told me on Facebook that she used some to cover her KitchenAid mixer. That is probably the most creative idea I’ve heard yet, but I’ve also used a different roll (brown zebra, if you must know) to cover a drum lampshade, a round wooden tin, and the door panels on my daughter’s armoire, because I’m reworking her room once again. The fabric under the giveaway goodies is her new duvet comforter, by the way.

So, of course you want to know how to enter. You can enter up to five times, depending on how “connected” you are/want to be. Here’s what you do:

1. Sign up for email updates, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter or Pinterest. All of that is on the right sidebar and gets you one entry. Leave me a comment below telling me you follow/like us.

2. Share the giveaway link on Facebook, 1 entry (leave one comment)

3. Mention the giveaway in your blog, 1 entry (leave one comment).

4. Pin the giveaway on Pinterest, 1 entry (leave one comment).

5. Tweet about the giveaway, 1 entry (leave one comment).

So, you can leave up to five comments below. Make sense? Let me know if not!

The giveaway runs now through Tuesday, January 15th at 12pm CST. We’ll announce the winner via email and on the blog on Wednesday, January 16th. Good luck! Can’t wait to hear what y’all do with these goodies!

Thanks for stopping by.

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Posted in giveaways, Organization | Tagged giveaway, organizing | 86 Comments

Christmas Organizing {Printables}

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Amy

First…ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY FOR A $50 HOMEGOODS/TJMAXX GIFTCARD HERE! That would be a great way to help organize Christmas and the holidays wouldn’t it?

By now everyone is in full Holiday “mode” right? Today we’re sharing some of our favorite printables to help get you organized for the season.

To start with…A printable “Gifts to Buy” list.

{click image for printable PDF}

And a holiday “Things To Do” List.

{click image for printable PDF}

And a holiday Menu Planner to help avoid a last-minute meal crisis!

{click here for printable pdf}

And last but not least…perhaps the most important of all, a printable “Letter to Santa”!

{click for printable pdf}

Enjoy!

XO,

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Posted in Christmas, Holidays, Organization, Projects & Printables | Tagged Christmas, dear santa, holidays, organizing, Printables, santa | 1 Comment

Updates & Wrapping Station in the Craft Room

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Amy

So last summer, with help from Terry, I made over a room in my parent’s basement as a birthday gift for my Mother.

This is her new craft/sewing/project/wrapping room.

{Read the full “after” post HERE}

Up until a few weeks ago, the ‘wrapping’ part wasn’t working so well for her since I never finished that part of the project! My sweet Dad has been hard at work building her a custom wrapping paper holder for her special room. He designed and built it all himself and I was able to take some pictures during my last visit.

I didn’t get any in progress pictures so I can’t offer a tutorial, but he worked off my very clear– I am sure– instructions to just “build a square the size of the wrapping paper rolls then drill holes so we can run dowels across it. (The dowels I had purchased at Michael’s).

He ran with it and even added the beadboard to the back and finished everything off nicely. One trick he came up with was cutting the dowels down to about 6 inches for each side so they don’t actually run the full length of the roll. They still hold the wrapping level, but if she needs to replace a roll she just pulls from one side rather then threading the dowel through the whole roll, they say it’s much easier.

He also hung a new ironing board for her. I purchased the fun cover for her HERE last summer.

We are still working on covering a separate table to wrap on to go under the wrapping station but I think she is still enjoying her room, and that makes me so happy

Thanks for stopping by!

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