My New Place to Create.....

It's "Do It Yourself Day", so here's my latest project. If you're a crafter, you know how much "STUFF", I mean supplies, you can accumulate. I have it packed in every extra drawer. I had plans of taking over my oldest son's room when he left for college. Well my plans are on hold. He received a scholarship to a college in the area and will be living at home for another year. So that file labeled " CRAFT ROOM IDEAS" has been set aside. You know the file, the one with all the wonderful ideas....The chandelier in the center of the room, the big desk to work on, the beautiful memo board to display creative ideas and all the accessories that finish off any dream craft room. I have a vision in my mind. So for now, I'm just going to transform my little corner of the house to hold all my "STUFF". I have a computer armoire that no longer holds the computer. I now have a laptop computer so all I have in it is the printer. There was extra space, so I claimed it , and then transformed it. Here's what I started with....

Here is how the transformation began..

I really didn't like the big black area behind the printer. I knew I wasn't finished. What to do?

I decided to cover a piece of foamcore board with some silk fabric I had in my "stash". It was the perfect color. I just measured the size, cut the foamcore and hot glued the fabric to the back of the board. Then I stuck it behind the printer. It still need something....

I knew that Hobby Lobby gift certificate I got for my birthday would come in handy. Oh ya, and it has a leapord print to boot! I had to hang the frame when my hubby wasn't home. If he heard the hammer pounding he would have asked, "What are you doing NOW?" Then I would have had to tell him that I was pounding a nail into the computer cabinet. I don't think that would have went over very well. So while he was on a trip to Home Depot, I quickly hung the frame. Isn't it just perfect.

Now for the doors of the cabinet....

I made a template by taking newspaper and tracing the shape of the opening. I transferred that onto a thin 1/4" sheet of plywood and cut out the shape with my jig saw. No help from my husband, I love using power tools. After the cutting was complete, I wrapped the board with batting and some of the same silk I used earlier. I added some decorative gimp and covered buttons in the silk.

I tried heavy duty velcro to attach the boards, but it would not hold. So I had a good idea, so I thought.... I would screw the board right into the door. I decided to do this under where two of the buttons were, so that you wouldn't see the screws. I found screws that were not to long so that they would go through the entire door and puncture the front of the door. Everything worked out great until the last screw was going in. I pushed a bit to hard when I was using the power drill, and I heard a crack. The screw went right through the front of the cabinet, cracking the wood. Now this would not go over real well at home. I quickly searched for the business card I had saved for the furniture repair man. Years ago we had some furniture delivered and there was a slight problem. The furniture store sent someone out to fix it. He had done a wonderful job, so I asked for a card and boy was I happy I had it in my business card file. He came out the same day, and it looks like new. Here's some close-ups.... I still need to label the boxes so I can find the items when I need them. I'll share with you what I used for my transformation. Some wallpaper and scrapbooking paper... My favorite gold craft paint. I use this for everything I want to "Glitz UP". The glue adhesive I used. I like this much better than Mod Podge. It's thicker but more expensive. You can get it at Joann Fabrics. Don't forget to use your coupon! I purchased ordinary photo storage boxes from Joann Fabrics. They were on sale 2/$5.00. I bought them in black. I cut the paper to fit the sides and top of the box.

Covered the back of the paper with the adhesive gel.

Added the gold paint to the edges with a sponge.

And more gold paint detail. Can you ever have enough gold gram?

I also found other types of storage boxes marked on clearance at Michaels. They were 80% off!

Added some "Bling" with rhinestones and then found some cute tassels at Hobby Lobby. There were two on one cord, so I cut them apart...

and finished the tassel off with a button and rhinestone. Did I mention how much I love using rhinestones?

Some sheer black ribbon and more buttons embellished this box.

Before and After the rhinestone was added.

More Rhinestones....

A cute little can and a container used to hold wine are now my paint brush and knitting needle storage containers.

Just covered with decorative papers.....

More buttons and rhinestones.

Added some little frames and old photos from our childhood....

This was a photo when I was 10 on Easter morning with my mom and sisters.

I'm in the middle. We always had matching bonnets and capes to wear on Easter.

A pretty wired ribbon and button were used to hang the photos on the memo board. Another Easter photo with my younger sister. I was 5 in this photo.

A close up of the memo board...

The gimp and buttons....

Some treasures I gathered from around the house and used for the top of the cabinet.

Couldn't leave this lampshade just looking like a "Plain Jane". It was crying out for some beads and decorative trims.

The work space isn't as large as I would like it to be, but I love the look and it makes me smile when I am working on a project. Stop back later this week to see the rest of my office. I'd love to share it with you. Do you have a small space you can personalize and make your own? Take a look around your house. Maybe there is just the spot to make your heart sing while you are creating. Stop by Shabby Cottage Studios . Gail was so sweet to post about my purse in the Haute Handbag Magizine that hit the news stands on Oct. 1st. Look at all these interesting places to visit this week. I'll be linking this post to....

"I made it without my Hubby Party" @ Shanty2Chic

Thrifty Thursday

Transformation Thursday

Hooked On Fridays

Metaorphosis Monday