Little, cheap projects.

After I managed to rake the entire autumn out of our backyard this week, I was stuck in the house due to the cold weather again. That and the threat of ice that still hasn't come. So I've been working on some little projects, organizing and cleaning. I did manage to get us another desk for the study that I lurve, even if it is brown.   :-P

Here's our entryway:

It doesn't look like much, but that's what we wanted. All we really need is somewhere to put our keys, place to keep mail occasionally, a wipe board and somewhere for the dogs' leashes. The white piece on the bottom is Umbra's Magnetter, and it is so cool! It's curved from the wall so you can put letters or whatever there, and the bottom has really strong magnets inside to hold your keys.

The top is a wipe board I made from scratch. I really like this one from Crate and Barrel, and one day I'll upgrade, but I just needed something cheap right now. It's just a $2 frame from the Goodwill I spray painted white and I spray painted the back of the glass white as well. Voila, $2 wipe board!


It really does, too bad the markers I got are too faint.

The only thing left is to get something for the leashes. Apparently I sold the really cute leash holder we had, so now I have to get another one from IKEA. Yes, it's the doggy butt one. Sigh...I miss living within 20 minutes of an IKEA.

 And here's our new fruit basket....

It was one of those old brass numbers I found in my parents barn the last time I visited. Cleaned up and spray painted it aqua for the kitchen. Good gosh, I love it! I guess this technically cost $3-4 for the paint? It really comes in handy having a family that never throws anything away...for 50 years!

Slight Storage Dilemma

I need two things. Well, today I feel I need two things: an entryway organizer/message center and jewelry storage. I think I've got the entryway figured out, I'm just waiting for Amazon to deliver the main component. But the jewelry storage...yikes! Please understand, I own a bajillion pieces of jewelry and maybe five of those pieces are actually nice. So what do I do with a lot of huge earrings and long, clunky necklaces? I wish I could just pin them up on the wall, but I couldn't subject my husband to waking up every morning looking at that much femininity. But I wouldn't mind displaying some of my collection. So here's some ideas running through my head (in pictures!):

via MarthaStewart.com

There's the standard china in a drawer holding it all, which would allow me to display some pieces on the wall. But I don't have the dresser room and I can just imagine with my clumsy fingers it always being destroyed. Maybe they could be on a pretty serving tray? Meh.

via Apartment Therapy

I love this! Not that I would ever be able to find a vintage bolt and nut holder...

via Martha Stewart

And I love a cool bust for holding necklaces, buuut my necklaces tend to be too long for something like this. Keep trying...

via StyleHive

via Apartment Therapy

There's always the twig idea that's become popular and I kind of like it. Or the old accordian jewelry holder like my grandma has. Or random interesting hooks or knobs. Or, if I could find one, an old spool holder would be really cool! Guess I need to start looking out for things that might work when I'm hitting up the thrift stores.