Tool Time Tuesday...Magnetic Frame- Picture Perfect Organization

Happy Tuesday! Today's Tool Time is a combination of a post I did last year and some new ideas too. This Picture Perfect Organization frame below is in my sewing room, but the ideas or the concept can be used in any room. I will mention a few other uses for this idea at the end of the post.

I'm Guest Posting...

Madame Samm at Sew We Quilt @ Stash Manicure invited me to guest post today! I would love it if you could hop over for a visit. I have tips for organizing your stash and a tutorial for an endless scarf...quick, easy and uses one yard of fabric. Great to start making those gifts for...dare I say...Christmas!

Stash Manicure is a great site filled with guest bloggers and wonderful ideas from Madame Samm, so have fun roaming around!

Here's the link to the Stash Manicure blog...click here

Here's the link directly to my post...click here

Have a great day,
~Karen~

Tool Time Tuesday...Ribbon Organizer

Hi Everyone! Wow do Tuesdays come up fast or is it just me? Today's TTT is from the curtain rod section of the hardware store. I'll be using a tension rod for a ribbon organizer. Do you remember this post below? I used galvanized spikes to organize my ribbon. You know me I love anything galvanized, but thought I would change it up a bit to show you another option.


Here is a tension rod. If you are not familiar with them, they narrow metal curtain rods that are spring loaded. You can untwist them to any size to fit your window.


They have small rubber cups on the ends to not only protect the surface they are up against, but to prevent the rod from slipping. To fit to your area, all you do is untwist it a little larger than your window and then push in to fit. The spring loaded tension keeps it in place.


Here is where I am storing my ribbon now! This idea would also work great on a shelf with something already on it...like the shelf to the right of the ribbon. See all those jars of buttons? I was going to store the ribbon in that unused space above them, but I had 2 rods. Just remove the rubber tip and slide on your spools of ribbon.


I added a yard stick that I cut to fit the shelf. Easy to cut the right size ribbon for any project.


I used my favorite 3M Command stickers to keep the ruler in place. The white tab sticking out onto the shelf bugged me, so I colored it in with a black marker. I know ridiculous, but it's the little things that make me happy! You can just barely see the 3M tab sticking out in the above picture at the 18 inch mark.


Always looking for your scissors? Well, not any more...I tied them (with a ribbon of course) to the tension rod, so they are always there to cut the ribbon.


This is just a close up of the rubber cups up against the side of the shelf to show how it stays up with the tension of the inner spring.


I use this for all my satin ribbons that I use for craft projects, but this would be great to hold all your ribbons for gift wrapping too. Perfect temporary organization for a gift wrap station for the holidays. If you have a shelf, cupboard or bookcase near your kitchen or dining room table, just clear it out for your gift wrapping marathon and keep all your ribbons up and out of the way while you're wrapping the packages. Then the ribbon is right there when you need it...easy to unroll just the right amount of ribbon. There are so many other uses for tension rods that I've done in the past.

Do you remember the window design wall and the doorway children's theater? Just click the high lighted links for a peek back at those previous posts.

Happy organizing and have a great Tuesday!
~Karen~

Tool Time Tuesday...Holiday Place Card Holders

It's Tuesday again and you know what that means...fun things to make!! I'm trying to make these next few weeks of TTT holiday crafts. I know I'm early, but I never have time to make anything the closer it gets to December, so why not join me in some early handmade gifts or things for your home. I'll have gift ideas to put together at the end.

I am going to clarify one thing before I begin this post. I LABEL EVERYTHING...even my coffee pots. You'll see in a minute. We have most of the holiday functions and parties at our home. Both my family and my husband's family get along so well and have a great time together. When we have everyone for Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter there can be over 45+ people. To keep things flowing and organized, I label the food and the drinks.

Here are a few examples of Holiday place card holders that you can make to label your next party. If you have a small dinner party, having place card holders for each person is great. For me, with that many people, I just label the edibles LOL!!

Let's make our first set from ornaments. These are from Walmart. They are the plastic non shattering kind.

Added A Few Things To My Sewing Room...

The title of this post should have been...

How To Fit 2 Pounds of Crap in a 1 Pound Bag!

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(psst...there's also a reality check photo at the end)

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This first picture was when I first moved into my sewing room last year. Click link for last years post.

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This is my sewing room today...now that's a lot of crap, oh sorry "stuff".

I changed the blue accents to red and added some more furniture.
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You may remember some of these ideas from an earlier post,

but I'll share again for new comers. This is my cutting table.

I painted an old mug tree for all my scissors and rotary blades.


I use a plate rack to hold all my quilting rulers.

This is a BEFORE of the blue boxes of "stuff".

This is today with the boxes covered in black and white polka dot.

Everything is labeled and filled with "can't live without" stuff. lol
I know you have that stuff too!

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Here's a before of the blue boxes.

Now cute in black and white.

and filled with computer ink.

Remember I used pipe straps for the handles. So cheap by the bag!

They just screw into the box.

Don't forget...all the boxes are from cases of water.

This is the before of the supply cabinet.

This is today with a touch of red and some Tool Time Tuesday projects.

Click link for all TTT projects
See I really do use those ideas!

Love my label maker!

The before of the wall unit...

And today with a few more red things.

Painted my Sew Many Ways...

and added some plastic popcorn bins to hold scrap fabric in the same style.
Like 1930's in one, civil war in another, Moda in another.

Here's my desk. Moved it from the other side of the room and covered the blue cork boards.

You've seen this chair in a current post.
This is the best addition so far.

Everyone, especially my hubby, comes in and visits in this chair.

Next to the chair and on the back side of my cutting table

is an old sofa table that I painted black...what else!
This is my mailing center.

I mounted a curtain rod to hold paper and all the tape.

Perfect scale to weigh the packages too.

This is a price chart for postage all over the world.

An old leather brief case holds all my boxes and envelopes.
The cans hold packing peanuts and bubble wrap.
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The third table is a crafting table...gluing, painting and all the messy stuff.
That's Hallie the cat sneaking around under there.
She's actually carrying a packing peanut around in her mouth.

Here's a old antique school desk for my GO cutter.

and here's my new desk that I just posted about yesterday.

I have a little tip for you. When you are sewing and need to iron as you sew,
lower your ironing board to your chair level...you won't have to get up!
A lowered ironing board also helps to hold the weight of your quilt as you are machine quilting.

Here are the last 2 pictures of my room a few weeks ago. My "keeping it real" photos!
I may be organized, label every thing and have every thing in it's place,

but when I'm working on several projects at the same
time...my room looks like THIS!!

Holy Mackerel...what a dump. I won't even try to explain myself on this mess.
I do think I need a new philosophy though.
"FINISH ONE BEFORE YOU START ANOTHER"
This is my new motto

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I think I'm really going to try to act on this new concept of finishing something, now that I have a nice clean sewing room to start out with.

We'll see how that goes (wink wink)
~Karen~

Tool Time Tuesday...New Sewing Table

Tool Time Riddle...

What do you get when you cross a

Hollow core door with...

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wire and some...

Dryer vent tape?

Well, a new sewing desk of course!


My sister gave me these 2 side tables a while ago. Thanks Colleen!

They've been in different rooms throughout the house...
now they're in my sewing room. They were different heights, so I removed the legs from one and the base from the other.

I gave them a fresh coat of black paint. I officially hate painting.

My theory is, if you don't see it...I don't paint it!

I added some left over stainless steel knobs that I had.

The 2 drawer pulls were an odd size that I didn't have.
I improvised with some wire.

To make your own drawer pulls, just take heavy duty wire, a rod or dowel and wire cutters.

Wrap the wire around the rod until your desired length.

Slide off, but leave the 2 ends long enough to thread through the holes in the drawer.

Insert through the front and twist off the ends inside the drawer.
Wrap the ends with duct tape if you need to.

Very easy...

and cute. Kind of looks like it's smiling at me!

Here's the other base. Put them all together and you have a...

brand new desk. You could always use 2 filing cabinets for the supports too.

See that edge? I wanted to use something different to cover it.

I bought wooden trim, but decided to return it.
I was going to use yard sticks, but didn't have enough that matched.

This one I really brainstormed over.
I walked all over the house, in the basement, my husband workshop...
looking at this and fiddling with that.

Until I found this! Ahhhh (insert angelic singing voice)
This little wonder is dryer vent tape!
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You know that silver tubing that sticks out from the back of your dryer?
Well, this is the tape that you wrap around it.



Since it's Tuesday...we won't be fixing dryers any time soon.

Just peel and stick. It wrinkles easily, so work carefully!

Smooths out pretty well.

Some spots I should do over, but it's just my sewing table!

Isn't she pretty?

I actually put a clear coat of polyurethane on the other side.

I didn't like the color once it dried, so I left it natural.

Here are a few tips for things on top.

That white thing with the scissors in it is a tooth brush holder.
I bought that for the girl's bathroom.
I hated it...and I'm a dental hygienist. How could I hate a tooth brush holder?
The brushes kept slipping off the bottom plate and sliding out of the holder.
Great for my scissors now!!

That holder off to the left is from the office supply store.
It would hold your papers if you were typing something on the computer.
Well, for me it keeps my quilt or sewing pattern up off the table and easy to read!

How about an antique tool box to hold your thread.
I have 2 of the wall mount thread racks, but I don't have any wall space.

This desk only cost $20.00 and that was for the door.
The side tables were hand me downs, the paint I already had from painting the front door, the knobs were from another project and the wire and silver tape I stole (oops) borrowed from my hubby.

Now that you are armed with the tools to make your own desk, I'm sure you could find things that could work for you. How about:

• 2 filing cabinets
• 2 saw horses
• planks of wood attached together
• pre made and pre sized Formica counters. They sell them at Home Depot or Lowe's
• an old kitchen table cut down to the perfect height. My sewing table is 24 inches high. It's the perfect height for me and great on my back and neck. I'm only 5' 2" and 3/4. (had to add the 3/4"...I couldn't round up to 3 inches, because it's just not there)!!

spaceNo matter where you sew, make sure it's good for your back and neck.

Have a wonderful Tuesday,
~Karen~