Up off the Counter

One day long ago I went to a thrift store and bought every single metal candlestick they had. At less than $1.00 a piece why not? At the time I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with them, only that I had just been introduced to the wonders that spray-paint can accomplish so I figured I'd give them new life with color.


Then Pinterest happened (yes, I've had these candlesticks for that long). And when I found this fruit/cupcake tiered stand, I knew exactly what I would use my candlesticks for!

Mary Janes & Galoshes

Here's what my collection had become, minus a few that I've already converted to useful items.

Candlesticks have been a cinch for me to find. The pie tins are another story-maybe I just don't know where to look, and I suppose you can buy them brand new; I've found four without looking too hard, and they've all been purchased at antique or thrift stores. My first step is placing tins on top of sticks until I've found that perfect match up for what I had in mind.

I spray painted the candlesticks a shade of blue, the pie tins I gave a white coat, and then I used an odd sort of metal putty called SteelStik that completely hardens after a while and secured the pieces together. The guy at Lowe's advised me to use this.

This metal glue stuff STINKS. It smells just like this town called Sulfur Springs in Texas that I used to drive through on the way to Tennessee. I was hilariously amused to read the packaging where it stated that this stuff is from none other than....Sulfur Springs, TX! Sorry to anyone out there reading who has a love for this East Texas town...

So here they are, painted, stuck, and dried.

I'd planned to use the big tin to hold hand soap, lotion, and a dish brush to keep next to the kitchen sink. The smaller tin was the perfect size for bar soap for the bathroom sink. 

I also laid a doily at the bottom of the larger tin just for something extra and I found a teensy porcelain bowl for the dish brush to sit in so it'd look fancy and wouldn't drain onto the doily or spray-painted surface.

I love how everything is contained together, just how it would be directly on the counter, only somehow this elevated dish makes it look cleaner....and gives me back that little bit of counter space.

Next, I'm definitely going to make a tiered piece for my jewelry, and eventually I'd love to make something for fruit and to have on hand for little treats or cupcakes at a party. Something like this...

So there you have it, a creative way to get your necessities off the counter but still at arm's length!

Joy vs. Escape, & Pegboard

Recently, my ability to create has been re-established. I've been thinking a lot about the difference between escape and joy; during which I've learned a lot about myself. 


The past 10 months have been a wave of change, bringing about tremendous, heart-stretching amounts of growth & stagnation, anxiety & elation, irritability & contentedness, and any other oxymoronic pair of emotions you could conjure. Quite possibly, I'm delving into topics unrelated to blog-worthy territory...all this to say: life requires a lot more of me lately.
I've realized that I have the unhealthy knee-jerk response of escape when dealing with major life alterations. I'm embarrassed at how many countless minutes I've spent becoming lost in things that are truly meaningless, and equally embarrassing are the countless minutes spent anxiously wondering what I can accomplish to fill my free moments. 
Escape is something I do to remove myself from situations. Example: Finn's down for a nap, so I'll watch Secret Life of the American Teenager (What? Seriously?!) for 1.5 hours.

Joy is never found in my escape. Joy is a gracious gift that can't be received by an unwilling heart. My heart has been closed tightly to try to protect against the discomfort of losing my life for HIS sake to save it.

Because I continuously chose escape over joy, I've had to learn what it is that brings me joy and allow those things to enter back in.
Creating is one of those joy-filling gifts. It's never the easier choice to bring out the spray paint, painting tray, rolling brush, stencils, ruler, etc. But despite the mess I make and the effort it usually takes, choosing what brings me joy over what will offer escape is always worth it.

Which brings me to...pegboard! 

I really love this stuff, especially when it's been spray-painted. I even love the way pegboard smells, something about it reminds me of kindergarten. I love how Lowe's has almost a whole aisle dedicated to pegboard organizational accessories. 


So, here's the kitchen stand-alone cabinet purchased at the beginning of March (I think, time flies) before adding pegboard to the wall space.

And here's the pegboard, spray-painted and mounted to the wall.

My favorite part: finding a spot for all of these cooking supplies that freed up space in the kitchen drawers! Ah, love it!

On the other side I thought it'd be good to make a "stash away" zone for random items, including commonly referenced books, my journal, sunglasses and glasses, keys, wallet, etc.

I'm not quite finished with this side, still looking for more storage items. I was super proud of the shelf I made with the pegboard shelf brackets and old book.

This is what this open area of our kitchen looked like before I decided it'd be a smarter use of space to get a free-standing cupboard. Note: this might look like a great idea, but this picture is deceiving. I never sat at this desk, I've always preferred our kitchen table, and it became an evil magnet for all sorts of unimaginable clutter. 

Storage space of any kind has become like gold in this house since we lack a basement, attic, and have very minimal closet space. So, naturally, I am definitely happier with the present state of this little piece of kitchen.

Thanks for giving me an outlet to further share one of my delights in life!

Thanks to my amazing parents, tomorrow morning, our great friend, neighbor, and general contractor (all one man!) is breaking ground on our shed to give it some new life. Concrete instead of dirt floors? Yes please! A garage door so we can free up a whole room in our house that we've been using as tool storage? Yes, yes yes please! I am elated!

DIY Spice Jars

My white vinyl finally came so I could complete what I thought would be a speedy project! Ta daa!

They're so cute aren't they? I used magnetic knife strips and screwed them into the top of our cabinets. Then I filled 1.5 ounce glass hexagon jars (bought here)with the spices I use most often (or the ones I thought would be prettiest on display).

Finally, I labeled my jars with lettering cut from the good ol' Silhouette SD.  

Don't mind the messy countertops...is that spilt flour?

I did think this would clear more room out of our spice cabinet, but the 1.5 size jars are pretty small, and only fit all of the spices out of those teensy containers. So needless to say, I still have half empty spice bottles hidden around. The good news is I relocated those to a different place and at least now there aren't spice bottles falling out every time we reach for kosher salt...

My inspiration for this project came from GneissSpice:

I'm linking this project up at these wonderfully creative sites:

I Joined the Challenge!

Hey everyone! If you're feeling already the slightest bit motivated to begin Spring cleaning or start organizing...or at least motivated to find motivation, then join the Bowl Full of Lemons Cleaning & Organizing Weekly Challenges!

Each week A Bowl Full of Lemons will present us with different challenges. Some very challenging, and others totally conquerable. The best part is that this is a great way to stay motivated and held accountable, while at the same time you aren't required to complete each weekly challenge.

I think this is a great idea, because I know there are things that need cleaning and organizing in my home, but usually I spend more time just sitting and thinking about what to do next! I'm hoping this opportunity will point me in a constructive directions!

Find all the details here & challenge yourself to join! It'll be fun! (hope this optimism sticks through the process!)

In Anticipation

I am so excited about my next project idea that I thought I'd give you all a little sneak peak hint!
This project involves:
Glass Hexagon Jars, the Silhouette, spices, and two magnetic strips.

Any guesses? Go easy on me now...sometimes I think I'm being tricky, when in reality I'm probably not!

If this project is a fail then I have totally set myself up for having to blog about it anyways! But I'm choosing to be optimistic and it will all turn out grrreat! :)

Project begins as soon as the glass hex jars are on our front porch! Hopefully Friday!

Jamie's Craft Nook

When Jamie sent me a picture of her newly created craft nook in her just finished basement, I had to share it with you!

The desk she picked up from an old dorm room in college-perfect for the sewing machine! And check out the storage case on the side, just right for holding magazines. The hutch hanging above the desk was a Craigslist steal from Birmingham. It adds so much to this area and even more functional space. The rug is from Ikea...a great buy for just $20! And the lovely yellowy golden chair in the corner? A thrift store gem! I love the gray and yellow theme-looks perfect and so well put together!

Jamie kept the hutch looking clean and simple by adding a few mason jars and an M for Montgomery!

And who knew a paper towel holder could be just as functional for craft storage??
Head over to Jamie Montgomery Photography and check out her growing talent!

Anyone feel motivated to make a creative space to call their own? I do!!