Thursday 28 January 2010

Storage Solutions and an odd Thrifty Snippet!

Hope you are having a good week!
All very busy here - still busy with the 'Suitcase Project'! - hopefully be finished over the weekend. Its this nuisance thing of Hubby P having to go to work - when I heed him here to 'make things happen' with my Project!! Still I suppose we do need his wages for little things like food and stuff!!
Been having a bit of a sort out - you know - dragging all those boxes from under the bed and whatnot. Its amazing what you find! all that crafty stuff you had almost forgotten you had.
So rather than put it all back - under the bed, where it will stay (too much trouble to get out to use) I looked about for some 'Storage Solutions' - as they say in the ads.
Now the other week I bought 3 hat boxes from the carboot, you know the sort - they fit inside one another, or stack. They were not very pretty, but they were cheap - pennies I think, and I thought they may come in handy (as you do - I have a shed full of 'handy' things!).
So in 'cover/decoupage everything in sight mode - I set to! Hubby P says he dares'nt stand still too long for fear of being covered 'stuck and glued '- and covered in something jazzy!!
I like to use rather old, rough papers, I like the faded colours and textures.


I particularly liked this little chap!

I wanted to use these boxes to hold crafty stuff, the idea being that if it was easy to reach down off a shelf I may be more inclined to use it.
I have things like these wonderful wooden printing blocks - just begging to be used again!





I used to make all my own wrapping paper using the printing blocks. Just used children's poster paint on heavy tissue (Hubby P brings the most wonderful tissue paper home from work - its waste, they just throw it in the bin! Needless to say it finds a home with me!).
The wrapping paper looked really very pretty - I even cut some potatoes into stamps and used those one year - very effective.
Sorry I haven't any to show you - I must make time to do some more - now I have unearthed my printing blocks!



Boxes make a nice little stack!


Just a little 'Thrifty Snippet!'

Whilst doing all this sticking and gluing I used the last of a big bottle of PVA glue.




What a good, big, strong bottle thinks I - shame to just bin it, so I remembered something the 'Handyman' (who worked at the Laboratories when I was a Lab Tec) had shown me. He lived through the War and was full of thrifty ideas.




Cut a couple of inches down behind the handle.



And then across to meet your first cut. You can see its not hard - I'm using my bread knife, don't know that that's a good idea. Mind you it was my Grandmothers - she had it for many, many years, and I imagine she used it for all sorts of things. I distinctly remember her cutting down small shrubs with it - she sent me indoors 'nip and fetch the bread knife, that'l sort it!' - she say!



Anyway, back to the bottle - you should end up with it looking something like this. You can trim it up a bit with the scissors, I did.



You then have a handy -'Storage Solution' (can you see a theme here!) - and you can use it either way up - as it is here or lay it on its side with the handle towards you. Whichever way it sits best on your shelf/in your cupboard.
As you can see I am using mine to store my birdseed in, I am tired of loose bags spilling over in the cupboard. It sits nicely on the bottom shelf.
Bert - the Handyman had a shelf of these sort of boxes all labelled up, holding all his nails, screws, tools etc.
xxx That's all for now xx Take care xxx