Scraps, Scraps, Scraps!

Everyone has a bin or basket of fabric scraps, and mine has finally reached the point where it needed some organization.  I've used lots of scraps for the do. Good Stitches blocks, but the last time I went scrap diving it was kind of a pain to filter through.  There are so many great ideas for scrap storage, like vintage wire baskets at The Cottage Home (visit to see a studio worth drooling over!) or a handy over the door shoe organizer like the one at Elsie's Girl  but my favorite is the large canning jars that I saw at I Like Orange Too. She did a whole tutorial on making the lids match the scraps - click on the link to read more.

courtesy of I Like Orange Too blog

I got these large Ball jars at my local Ace Hardware and spent just a few minutes sorting the scraps.  The jars came in a set of 6, and I thought that was probably enough to start with.  After a wee bit of sorting, we have a Red & Pink jar, an Orange / Coral / Yellow jar, a Green jar, a Blue & Purple jar, a Whites & Creams jar and a Black, Brown & Grey jar.  Easy peasy, organizing squeezy!

I haven't done the lids to color coordinate, because I think the colors may come and go in different jars, depending on what I'm making.  But these are a fun way of seeing what I've got to work with and its like using your stash as art.  (Ignore that stack of wall art that's wrapped up in vintage sheets behind my table, won't you?  This little house just doesn't have enough room for all my stuff.)

Anything that was more of a strip or about an eighth of a yard just got folded and stacked back in the basket.  There's scraps, and then there's scraps, you know? 

How do you organize your scraps - do you separate out the tiny bits from the 'less than a fat quarter' bits?  Got 'em out where you can see them?

Fresh!

There is something terribly rewarding about finding an item and giving it a new lease on life.  Even when it's as simple as a fresh coat of paint.  After much internal debate on whether to go with colors that are predictably me or strike out into new color territory, my heart finally landed on a color for the new-to-me dressers that will be part of my guest room craft storage.  Although I was open to fate leading me down her path via the oops paint, I didn't find anything inspiring so I went to the paint chips and chose a color called Pink Grapefruit.  I must admit that I am intrigued by how many gallons of black or almost black paint that had been returned to the store.  Don't you wonder what colors those DIY'ers ended up with instead?  Oh, if a gallon of paint could talk.  But ... I digress.

To me this is a rich coral and will add a lovely, almost bold pop of color to the white room.  Its not bold in the sense that designers use the term these days (its not orange!) but its bold for me since I normally choose pale shades.  Here we have the tall dresser with two coats of fresh paint as it waits patiently for some new drawer pulls.  Shucks - I must go shopping!

As I painted the second coat this morning, I was listening to An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon - the latest in the Outlander series.  I have loved it from the beginning, and its very easy to get lost in the story.  She does a wonderful job of describing everything from the signs of the times to some serious character development and Davinia Porter brings the characters to life with her narration.  I can't recommend the series enough to everyone I meet!  Ms. Gabaldon must do an incredible amount of research - I feel like I have learned so much about life in the late 1700's as she takes us from Scotland to France to the Caribbean and finally to America.  No spoilers here, but I will tell you I'm listening to the events of mid-1777 and oh, how intriguing they are!

Unfortunately I was enjoying the rhythym of painting and listening to the audiobook so much that I ended up an hour late to work.  Oops!  More to come.

Crafty Cabinets - before

I love my new little house, but since I don't have all of my furniture with me yet I went out in search of some cabinets or bookcases to use in the meantime.  I'm going from a 3 bedroom plus office home into a 2 bedroom plus sunroom home so there is obviously going to be some downsizing and consolidating.  Another big challenge is that my bedroom storage is reduced closet space - horrors!  Instead of whining, I'm off to the races with this adorable set of dressers that I found at a local consignment shop for peanuts. 

Since I'm renting, I'm not going to paint the walls in the guest room so I will need to add some fun color through my 'stuff' - the comforter, artwork and furniture!  My old guest room was in a soft peach with a gorgeous floral comforter and a general sea shell theme to the room and guest bath.   I've chosen a pink flamingo theme for the guest bathroom, but I really think one room of that is sufficient, don't you?  (And yes, I realize most people would say one pink flamingo room is one room too many!)

I'm thinking a brighter peach, or perhaps coral?  Coral would be girly but a little more tropical.  If I want to use the space as my studio for HotPinkPeonies, then I might want to go with a sky blue with hot pink accents.  That would be cute, but not a very good 'welcome to the beach' color scheme.  Decisions, decisions.  I've thumbed through some photos of beautiful craft rooms online and on Ravelry (because of course one must go there first), but mostly I see where people have added color to their craft rooms or studios on the walls, and used or created white furniture.  I'm sure sure which direction I'll take, but its fun to have a new project!

Anyway, here's the "before" photos :