Practical Matters -- Gift Bag Organizer

It's not like there's tons of discretionary storage space in an 

old house.  It's not like there's any at all, really.  

So, when it became blaringly obvious I needed to "condense" my gift wrapping supplies I went to town. 

 

I made a gift bag organizer for the inside of one of my closet doors.  It takes up very little space and it holds a boat load of stuff.  I crammed 46 bags in it with room for more.

 

I started by sorting my gift wrapping supplies, taking measurements and making a sketch.

Okay -- so I skipped the decorative rod and, well, the tassels were a no go as well, but it was  going in a closet, ladies, and 

I just couldn't make myself do it!  

 There's a pocket at the top edge for a wooden dowel and pockets for gift bags, tissue paper, tags and ribbon.  For roomier pockets, each is pleated at the corners. 

There's room for 7 rolls of ribbon.  Each pocket has a small gap in the stitching at the bottom edge to allow the ribbon 

to be pulled through it.  

I'd love to say my scissors are always hanging right here....

I know that's where I put 'em...

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French Chair Wall Art

I love old books.  Not just for decorating but because they're often a good read.  My favorites were written in the 30's and 40's and may not be great classics but more times than not they are sweet little stories.

It's hurts me to tear one up but I'm a no-nonsense kind of gal who believes sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do and let it rip.  I do have standards when it comes to sacrificing books.....they can't be first editions, they can't be something I'd like to read someday, they can't be a good color -- I said I had standards, not that they were all noble.

So yes, lately I've been tearing up a lot of books and doing a lot of projects with their innards.  Here's my latest...

I took these outside pictures without the glass to avoid the glare...

 It only took a few minutes flipping through some old magazines to find several 

different chair options for patterns.  I didn't even have to resize the picture. 

I always cut my picture/pattern and my paper at the same time - it's quicker and more accurate.

I added a few little details with a Sharpie, backed it with burlap and...

 
...framed it in an 11''x14'' frame I grabbed for $2.99 at, you guessed, Goodwill.

And, that's all she wrote!

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TV Tray & Loveseat Redo

This ho-hum of a TV table comes from Walmart and sells for about $9.99.  I'll bet they sell millions of these things a year and SOMEONE  makes a mint on an item (I'd like to be the ho-hum TV table provider for Walmart but they never called me back) that's not even cute.

 I've got one cuz I'm guilty of sometimes sitting in the TV room in front of the TV to eat.  I've been hiding it away but I wanted to spiff it up a little and leave it out.  

I finally got around to it...

 After a coat of spray paint, I added the monogram with a stencil I used on a chair in an earlier post.  I dry brushed on a little olive green and antiqued the whole thing.  Then, I added drawer pulls.  They add a little something to the table and should also come in handy.

Just a little back story -- the loveseat was made from a antique bed belonging to my husband.  It was old and rickety and really wasn't sturdy enough to be used as a bed any longer. So, I took it apart, had the footboard cut in half (I thought I was going to throw up) and I put it all back together to make this cool loveseat.  Before, the kids were drawing straws to see who was going to have to take it when we're gone...Now, they're fighting over who gets it!

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*To see the PARTIES I link to and to join in the fun,
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500 Follower Giveaway!

*This giveaway is closed*

Pinch me, please...

Yes!  Cottage Hill now has 500 fantastic followers!

I'm thrilled and want to celebrate with a Giveaway...

I'm hand painting another bird pillow just for you!

Road Rules for getting up to 4 entries...

1. Become a follower (or if you already are one) - leave a comment letting me know. 
2. Leave a comment.
3. Grab my button and leave a comment letting me know.
   
4. Blog about the giveaway on your blog linking back and leave a comment letting me know.

Good Luck!!!

This giveaway ends Sunday, October 24th and the winner will be 

announced Tuesday, October 26th. 

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Love At First Sight

 

  

It was love at first sight when I spotted these three 1960ish wire bread baskets at a yard sale.  The funny thing is -- 
I never even considered using them for their intended purpose.  
It was obvious to me they were meant to be picture frames.  

It would have been useless for them to resist...

So, after a light coat of black spray paint to freshen up the color...

and the addition of a fancy hanger....

I added 4"x4" close-ups of the kids I printed on card stock....

And, there you have it... three really cute kids 
in three super simple frames!

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