Tool Time Tuesday...What's In Your Medicine Cabinet?

Hello everyone...this Tool Time Tuesday has some organizing ideas and some sewing storage tips, but all the ideas are from your medicine cabinet.

Here's a picture of a closet in our back hallway off the kitchen. It's not visible from the kitchen, but the hallway is used a great deal. I removed the doors for easy access and used cute baskets to keep it clean looking. I am trying to buy a few baskets at a time of the oval shaped ones so they'll all match. Right now I'm just using baskets from around the house.

It's so much easier for everyone to find something in the medicine cabinet if things are labeled. I've shown this idea before, but I just use name badge holders and printed the name of what's in the basket.



Here are a few examples of the baskets in my medicine closet!!

And now to steal a few things out of this medicine closet for this week's Tool Time.

Do you have a daily pill case hanging around? If not they are available in any drug store.

How about using it as a travel case for your bobbins. Great to take it with you to a class or when you're going on a retreat.

Don't forget another Tool Time idea of using the mini hair scrunchies to wrap around each bobbin. They hold the thread in place so it won't unwind. Click here for that post.

All safe and sound in the case.

This is a big pill organizer case that was my mom's. It's a weekly box that has morning, noon, evening and bedtime spots.

A great case to hold ALL your bobbins.

Here's a rectangular pill case

with longer compartments.

Perfect to hold all your different sized needles.

Half could be machine and the other could be hand sewing needles.

Label it with the size number of each needle.

Save all your old empty pill bottles or the bottles from your prescription pills.

Label it clearly with "OLD NEEDLES" or "BROKEN NEEDLES"...much safer to store them all in a bottle and then just throw the whole bottle away once it's full.

Here's a another tip...go through your medicine and dispose all the expired medication. Not sure how your city or state disposes of old meds, but find out where...don't throw them down the drain into the water supply!

This medicine has expired , but the bottle is great. Dispose of the medication properly and wash out the bottle. When the soapy water is in the bottle, squirt it out of the sprayer to clean that out. Do this a few times until you test it on white fabric and it comes out clear.

Mod Podge some cute fabric over the label and you have the cutest travel water spray bottle for classes or retreats when you are ironing and want some extra steam!

and here is the measuring cup from Pepto Bismol...I'm seeing a little pin cushion in this little guys future. You can use this tutorial as a guide.

So my advice to you is clean out your medicine cabinet, organize it and save all the empty bottles and containers. Wash them out thoroughly. You never know what you can do with them.

Don't forget the Accuquilt Go Fabric Cutter give away ends tomorrow...Wednesday, September 1st at 6pm eastern time. I will pick a winner and announce it later on that evening. You can still enter HERE.

Have a super duper Tuesday,

~Karen~

An Empty Nest...

We moved our 2 daughters into their college dorms this weekend...miss them already.

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Tool Time Tuesday...Tea Ball Pincushion

Most weeks I already have an idea about what I'm doing for Tool Time. I even have a TTT box of things I collect. This weekend was busy and Sunday was a computer (blogger) nightmare. As you can see, I changed my header. I thought I would just remove the picture, try another and then put the original back. To make an 8 hour story (with a few tears in there) very short, this is my new header. It's temporary, because my very talented daughter Courtney designed me a new one. I won't be using it for a while...I can't take another computer adventure right now.

What does all that have to do with this week's TTT. Well, my old header had a tea for one tea pot and an antique tea ball. I was roaming around my sewing room Monday morning trying to find some inspiration when I spotted all these...my little tea ball collection.




I love tea, tea balls and tea pots. Here's a picture of my favorite tea pot. Disney is our favorite place on earth and this little Minnie teapot sits on my desk!



So, after all that blah, blah, blahing, here is my little inspiration. I wanted to make something sewy (is that even a word), because last week's was the Washer Toss Game. There's nothing sewier than a pincushion!!!

Here we go...

This is a mesh tea ball. Tea leaves go inside to infuse the water for a nice cup of tea. Yah...right, not on Tuesdays!!

Open it up and clamp it on card stock.

Trace the shape.

Cut it out and make sure it fits the circle.

Now here's the part where you're probably going to say..."she's nuts".

Take a small ball of fiber fill...

Place stuffing in one side of the tea ball.

Cover with the card stock circle.

and glue in place. I just used a little hot glue all the way around the rim and a dab in the center of stuffing.

Here you have it... A pin cushion. Woo Hoo!

Quick, easy and cute...but wait there's more! Sew Much More

See that top part? It's empty. What better place to store something for sewing.

A bobbin of thread of course.

Just pop it in...

but before you close it, thread the thread through the wire mesh from the inside to the outside.

Now it's perfect. Needles and pins on one side...thread on the other. The thread is safe and sound in there. You won't lose it and it stays nice and clean. Just pull the thread out through the wire and the bobbin spins inside the tea ball.

but wait there's more...

Take a key ring that hinges open.

Hook it to the ring on the bottom and add your favorite little scissors.

You can also add a badge clip to the bottom ring too. Just clip it any where on your clothing so that it's always where you want it when hand sewing...especially in the car. Never lose your thread or scissors again.




You can find these mesh tea balls in most kitchen sections. I did a search on Amazon under Mesh Tea Balls and a bunch came up. Prices ranges from a $1.75 on up. There were some small mesh balls that weren't the clamp style, but the ones that hang from a tea cup with a chain. Those would work great too.

Now lets go make a ...a what? What to name this. How about a "tea cushion" or a "sew ball" or how about "sew meshy".

What ever the name, make one for yourself or a friend. Great gift idea too.

Happy Tuesday Everyone. I hope you have a magnificent day! I'm going to go have a cup of tea.

~Karen~

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Don't forget to enter my Accuquilt Go Fabric Cutter Give Away...click here.