I love to browze flea markets and thrift stores for things to re-purpose. I don't know what gives me a bigger thrill, the hunt and seeing all those cool vintage treasures just calling out my name..or finding a treasure and having that "light bulb" moment that says, "AH HA!!!" I know what I will use this for... Often times I will alter it with Mod Podge and pretty scrapbook papers to keep my space tidy. Well... at least try to be tidy.. most of you know that crafters aren't always the neatest people but we try:)
Some cool finds to alter and use for storage are:
Spice racks!!! I adore old wooden spice racks. I love Red. I love to crackle paint them a vintage red. You can add Mod Podge and pretty scrapbook papers and make it fit your style for your space. I keep embellishments such as buttons by color family, and eyelets, brads etc. This also works great for people who make jewelry or bead work. Some of you know of tobacco chewers that use those
chew cans. Only use the plastic or metal cans so you can wash an sterilize them. This would be great to use if you need to store things on the wall or inside cabinets. First you would decoupage them with scrapbook papers, Put a label on them and affix a thicker heavy magnet on the back, (both positive and negative) glue gun one side of 1 magnet to the can and then glue the other magnet lined up on the wall or inside a cabinet. Of course you probably wont find these in a thrift store. but its a great storage idea. You can also do this with empty Stampin up plastic brad/ button cans.
Another fun thing to find in flea markets or thrift stores are the
old glass canister's that sit at an angle usually in wood rack. These were very popular in the 80's when country decor was hot!. I love to crackle paint them as well. You can store stamp supplies, sponges for inking, foam stamps and so many other uses such as scrap ribbons and fiber, glitter glues or more.
Old wooden lazy susans work great for everyday tools such as scissor, pens, brushes,etc.. You glue tall soup cans and other assortment of cans to the lazy susan. Make sure you alter them before you do this.
One of my recent finds is an
old wooden tape cassette holder. I keep Sizzix dies in that and mounted up against a wall. You can also store ink pads in these too. I have yet to alter that as you will see in the pics. However my favorite find was a rare
HUGE map cabinet made of solid wood. It can hold two huge rows of Stampin Up stamps. I am so grateful that hubby took it from the friend who was gonna toss it. His friend thought it would be good for storing tools. Its too shallow for that. I also store pens and scissors in little metal pails I got at target for a 1.00 each. I saw that idea on the creating keepsakes magazine a few years back. I store my pattern paper in a
old TV rolling cart like the old ones from the 70s. My husband modified it and built a box within the frame of it and took out the old laminant that was originally in it. I store pattern paper in upright plastic files by crop in style. However you can use Priority shipping boxes that are about 11x12 and cut them at an angle. Of course you will want to make it pretty so it gives you another reason to either paint or decoupage..
If you see an old dated
wood shelf in the thrift store- don't pass it up.. you can alter it to make it pretty and then put little jars on top to store ribbon scraps and a dowel underneath to store ribbon by the rolls. If you don't want to mess with installing a dowel, you can add a tension rod or wire. If you use wire you can also purchase curtain rod rings with the clips on them. and you can store long yard lengths of ribbon clipped up and hung by color family.
When I organise, I try to think where and how I will use an item. I keep all my sponges, inks, paints, chalks etc in the same area- basically anything you color with goes together- to include stencils, and masks for scrapbooking. I keep my tools handy and close to work station. Some of the items you use often you will want to have close. I keep bulky tools with in reaching distance of my work area. These items could be Making Memories Slice machine, Sizzix, and Cricut.
Of course we all have clutter that can be unsightly. I hide mine under a
table skirt I
made. I fastened it with velcro so I can pull it off to wash if need be. If you don't sew, keep in mind you can find
cafe style curtains and mount them underneath your table to hide clutter such as totes and craft bins..
You may even want to alter you
old ceiling fan. My worked great. It just needed a face lift. So of course you know I grabbed the Mod Podge and pretty vintage papers and went to town adhering, sanding the edges of blades then inking them up on the edges. You know I couldn't stop there... I looked at these cut glass globes and then I had another light bulb moment. The Ranger came in to rescue these ugly ducklings. The Ranger industries alcohol inks.. what fun was this! It looks like depression glass now. If you think you will want to wash them in soapy water you might want to treat them with some kind of glass sealant. I just love how my little finds add personality and charm to my room. I hope you will feel inspired to look at flea market and thrift store treasures and give them a second life in your hobby room.
If you have any questions about some of my storage solutions feel free to post your question here in the comment section. I love to hear about your ideas as well. Thank You for stopping by and checking out my blog!
This layout was created for entry for Doodlebug Design team! (note: The darker dimensional flowers were cut from Doodlbug paper). See How easy it is too coordinate your papers and flowers now? 
