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I took a few hours off from working on my wip this weekend to help reorganize my kid's rooms. Both my daughter and my son need shelf space. Who doesn't, right?!
Since I wasn't real excited about going shopping for something new, I thought about rethinking/reusing stuff we already had. I poked around the garage and saw this old wicker set of drawers collecting dust and rust. It wasn't being used very well so, I emptied it out, dusted it off, and thought the drawers would make great box shelves for my son's room. All it needed was some wooden backboards that I cut out and painted and--that was it!
Since I wasn't real excited about going shopping for something new, I thought about rethinking/reusing stuff we already had. I poked around the garage and saw this old wicker set of drawers collecting dust and rust. It wasn't being used very well so, I emptied it out, dusted it off, and thought the drawers would make great box shelves for my son's room. All it needed was some wooden backboards that I cut out and painted and--that was it!
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| I cut out wooden backboards mainly to make it easier to nail into the drywall in my son's room. |
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| Pretty easy and I really like the result. |
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| Weaving using leftover twine I had in the garage. |
But then, I was left with this metal frame and a daughter who still needed shelf space. I thought about cutting more wood panels but my ribbon saw won't cut wide enough to fit the frame and you really don't want me anywhere near a hand saw! So, I picked up some twine and tried weaving it into the frame to see how it would turn out. Well, I liked the result and if I had had more twine, I would have woven the rest of it the same way. But, I didn't. I did however, have a bag full of brightly colored leftover yarn my mother had given to me a while back...humm...I tried the yarn and ended up using that for the rest of the shelves. The neat thing is, it really didn't take that long to weave. One shelf took me about 30 minutes to finish and that included the countless times I dropped the ball of yarn and had to stop to rewind what had unraveled. Grrrrr!
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| Anyway, here it is finished! I liked it so much, that I spent 10 minutes trying to convince my daughter she really didn't need it. Yeah, that didn't work. |
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Here it is set up in my daughter's room before she put her books in it. The only other thing I added, was some plastic laminated sheets on top of the yarn to give it a little more rigidity. And Voilà! (: |
Now, back to my WIP. *crack!*
And Happy Father's Day to all you great dads out there.
Have a wonderful day!
(((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))
Hi Elise - wow! I love it all :) I do a lot of upcycling/renewing whatever you want to call it on my blog - I'm not surprised your daughter didn't want to share LOL
ReplyDeleteSuzanne @ Suzannes Tribe
Very creative! Bet your kids thought they were getting something special.
ReplyDeleteLook at you go, recycling away and saving some dough. Never know when something could come in use.
ReplyDeleteVery impressive and you're very crafty...in a good way, of course! :)
ReplyDeleteHope you're having a great weekend!
Wow you are so clever, if I tried anything like that I'm sure it would be a disaster! Hope your weekend is going well.
ReplyDeleteThose look amazing! LOVE what you did with them :)
ReplyDeleteVery cool. Any time we can reuse or rethink, we're helping our environment.
ReplyDeleteYou're an excellent re-user/recycler. I like recycling old furniture and things. You obviously have some skills with a saw as those back pieces needed to fit. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteNo wonder you did such a great job creating mini-Alex. Hope you have a great Sunday!
Awesome crafting, girl! Really great results. Thanks for the jolt of creativity, and I hope that wip is going smooth :)
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, I LOVE those shelves! Way to put your creativity to work! On a random note: I need to go buy some yarn. Lol!
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, the name 'Martha Stewart' springs to mind? If you feel insulted, I'm afraid to say you'll have to hunt me down in order to punish me ;)
ReplyDeleteBut on a more serious note - there's nowt more satisfying than turning something mundane, and considered redundant, into something bright and useful, especially with your own two hands :)
You go, Super Girl!
Oh no you didn't! ;)
DeleteJust goes to show that your creativity isn't limited to your words. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteI'd say you were pretty brilliant with that... except that you couldn't figure out a way to keep the shelving for yourself! :) Don't you love it when you put your heart into making or getting something for someone and then you don't want to give it up. Well, at least they're close by and you can peek in at them whenever you want. They sound like they were fun projects as well. Writer’s Mark
ReplyDeleteWow... from mini-Alex to shelves, you're pretty amazing!
ReplyDeleteSure your middle name isn't IKEA? :)
Hi Elise .. very creative - what a wonderful achievement .. two sets of shelving from one battered item in the garage .. love the ideas here - and it must have made a good change for you ..
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the WIP .. cheers Hilary
Using your writing skills to create in real life, nice
ReplyDeleteWow, how creative! Love it.
ReplyDeleteIt's very Martha Stewart. I love how your eye just found those things and put them together. I think you're a born artist. I also enjoy your sense of style.
ReplyDeleteYou're so crafty! You're more than welcome to come and roam my garage any time:)
ReplyDeleteWow! Those are lovely!
ReplyDeleteYou're so crafty. :)
My daughter makes yarn out of plastic shopping bags. She's pretty crafty, that nerd!
ReplyDeletenow, isn't that just delightful!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! And I love reusing.
ReplyDeleteI love that! They look fantastic!
ReplyDeleteYou're like a French Martha Stewart! Just without the jail time or the meanness.
ReplyDeleteYou are one smart lady! A Jill-Of-All-Trades...
ReplyDeleteWhen you are in my neck of the woods, you are welcome to rethink, reuse, recycle, re-model, re-craft to your hearts delight... I'll provide tools/yarns/paints and any other necessities...
You can bill me thereafter. LOL
Writer In Transit
How very clever.
ReplyDeleteThose are awesome!
ReplyDeleteI love the shelves, but I love that beautiful stone wall behind them even more- what a house you have, Elise!
ReplyDeleteYou are so crafty, Elise! I'm seriously so impressed. And a little bit jealous. :P
ReplyDeleteI love crafts! I have a whole box of projects that I've got ready for my new apartment. I'm loving the wicker basket shelves...may have to steal that one ;)
ReplyDeleteElise, I made a new friend on my blog that translated the whole trailer I posted today. So if you really wanted to see it, it's in English now! The power of the blogosphere stuns me!
ReplyDelete*Taps fingers* "Where is that amazing Gary? I do so eagerly wait for one of his highly collectable comments!"
ReplyDeleteRelax, Elise, I have finally arrived. Yay! :) I really do admire your ingenuity, your creativity. Perhaps we could have a blog hop showing off our creative talents. That would be good. What's wrong with me? Help! LOL
Gary :)
Dang, girl, that's pretty danged ingenious of you! Gorgeous, clever, *and* crafty! ::seethes with envy::
ReplyDeleteWell done, you. :-D
Some Dark Romantic
That's awesome! Really love how they both turned out, and totally useful too!
ReplyDeleteNow that's creativity at work. I especially like the hanging shelves.
ReplyDeleteYou did a wonderful job. Your kids are so lucky to have such a creative mother.
ReplyDeleteSo cute!
ReplyDeleteThere are never enough bookshelves.
OMG!!! I WISH I was that crafty. Those are AWESOME. And forget the handsaw - I shouldn't be near anything sharp.
ReplyDeleteWow, you are so creative! You made beautiful, special things for your children. You have such a talent! Great job. I'm sure your children are thrilled and proud of their ingenious mom, too!
ReplyDeleteAwesome ideas. Wonderful craft. I love it and I'm definitely going to try it.
ReplyDeleteNas