Repurposed Craft Supply Wall Organizer

I found this item in my parents' barn. My dad said I could do whatever I wanted to it.

"What is it?"
My dad explained it was a radiator cover that was in my great-aunt's apartment. She passed away approximately 25 years ago, so I have no idea why anyone saved this custom-designed radiator cover for an apartment in which she no longer lives.
Whatever the case, I saw great potential for repurposing it into the craft storage unit I've always wanted.

To start things off, I took a tiger saw and removed the grate from the front. Then I
sanded (a lot) to get the peeling paint off.

This was before my dad mentioned that it was probably lead paint and I should be careful of the dust and fumes.

Here is a picture of the whole thing clamped on its side post-tiger sawing:

My dad helped me cut some cleats and dowel rods (the cleats are “u-shaped” and hold the dowel rods up) to use for ribbon and paper storage. I attached them with Gorilla Glue and some screws.

I later coated it with antique white glossy spray paint. Then I masked the sides, top and bottom of the shelves, like I did for the bookshelf, and sprayed the back of the shelves with flat lilac spray paint.

Here is the finished product! Notice how perfectly it holds my spray-painted yogurt containers? How about my rescued metal recipe boxes? Everything is color coordinated!

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Unloading the Dishwasher

Could there be a more boring title for a blog post?

Anyway, just wanted to share some tips I've been using to make the task of unloading the dishwasher go faster. I personally hate this quick chore.

1) Open all your cupboards and drawers in the kitchen and leave them open til you're all done putting away the dishes.

2) When loading the dishwasher, put all the forks in one of the utensil spaces in the utensil caddy. Do the same with the spoons and knives. That way you just take them out and plop them into the drawer. No sorting necessary. (My husband instituted this one in our home.)

Do you have any time-saving tips for doing dishes?

Old Bra=New Accessory! (Guest Tutorial)

This tutorial was created by a friend of mine from Ohio! She has two adorable kiddos and we were in MOPS together.

May I just say that if you are a mom of pre-school children (ages 0-5), you must find a MOPS group to join. Hope you enjoy Katie’s tutorial!~Jen

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Hi, I'm Katie and Jen has graciously allowed me to share a super fun project with all of you. So just a quick background before we get started... For nearly 5 years straight my breasts have taken on a life of their own, through 2 pregnancies and 41 months and counting of breastfeeding. As a result, the girls have changed over the years and my once well-fitting bras, well lets just say their day has come and gone in my wardrobe. So, while going through my clothes in an effort to condense, purge, and donate items I came across 3 very lonely bras. Upon seeing them, 3 things came to mind:

1. Who would really want my used bras? (Although I have donated them to Goodwill in the past.)
2. I can't throw away gently used clothes- not even bras!
3. How can I repurpose them?

Hair Accessories! I love hair bows and headbands. They have the power to make you look and feel so feminine in a nanosecond. One problem: My bra cups are, eh hem... small. And I didn't have enough fabric to make a proper hair bow.

So I opted to make a Bra Broach... ta-da! I hope you'll enjoy this mini-tutorial. By the way, I'm really no Martha so please forgive me and my asymmetrical cuts!

I hope this project got you thinking outside the cup. Another idea of how to use fabric from an old bra... sew it into a sports bra to hold an mp3 player or cell phone! The possibilities of reusing items is endless! How have you recently reused fabric or a household item to create something special?

I'd love to hear from you on Twitter @kbevan4 as to how you plan to repurpose an old bra. I'm no longer a bloggy dog, but if you care to read any of my past thoughts, check them out here-- mama-kate.blogspot.com.

Peace,

Katie

Parting with My Creations

This blanket, hat, and stuffed hippo are all on their way to a friend of mine in Maine who just had a baby girl around the same time we had our new little guy!

Sometimes it’s hard for me to part with things I’ve made. But I’m so excited a little girl can finally use some of the girly things I’ve made and stockpiled. They’ve sure served no use to my boys!

What's in the box?

Stuffed Hippo

Ribbon Edged Baby Blanket

Newborn Hat

Want to Make: Toys for Kiddos

Magnetic fishing game

I love bunnies…how about a bunny bowling game???

Magnets with really cute fabric

Scrappy color book

A Quiet book.