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Spring Organization: Workspaces

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I’m so pleased to introduce our newest columnist, Sarah Simpson. She’s going to be writing on organization and simplification of your life – something we all need. Please welcome her to Try Handmade and let her know of any topics or shops you’d like to suggest to her in the comments!

Spring is here! (I bet so many of you have been dying to finally get to say that). What better way to lose those winter blues and clear you mind than to get your workspace de-cluttered and organized? Organization doesn’t necessarily have to mean sorting your belongings into those horrid plastic bins. It can be functional, beautiful, and…earth friendly!

The desk caddy pictured above, by PegandAwl, is handcrafted from reclaimed wood from antique floors in Philadelphia homes built in the 1800s. Holes varying in size are drilled to hold all kinds of office supplies and keep them within easy reach. Use it at home to sort crafting supplies, at your work office for pens and pencils, or even in your garage to organize tools and hardware.

One of my favorite office “must haves” right now is a good old fashioned chalkboard. Chalkboards are EVERYWHERE right now. They’re convenient, they’re adorable, and they’re very easy to make. Just about anything with a non-porous surface can be painted with chalkboard paint that you can pick up from your local home improvement store. Having a visible “to-do” list near your workspace will de-clutter your desk and your mind. Check out these beautiful handmade chalkboards made from re-purposed cabinet doors from FunkieFinds.

Whether you use your workspace for office work or as a studio/crafting space, your most often used items can be sorted and organized so you always know where to find them. To add some color and flair to your space, use an assortment of handmade pottery dishes from TheMudPlace to organize paper clips, thumbtacks, beads, and so on.

You can find so many unique items online, at flea markets, and at seasonal crafts shows to help create a well sorted workspace in no time. Use your imagination and design a custom space that allows you to keep everything in order with as little effort as possible.

Organization for the Little Artist

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Teaching children about the techniques and pleasure of art is a truly wonderful thing. Finding ways go keep their own art supplies in order…not so much. Here are a few handy items to keep their paints, pencils, tools, and even their completed projects in order.

The bright and cheery art clips pictured above are handmade with child and earth in mind and are available in a variety of colors and themes. These wooden clips, created by Wanda at Maple Shade Kids are eco-friendly and can be used to display inspirational pictures in a creative workspace, hang projects to dry, organize papers, and so on. Take a look at their shop for additional designs and other adorable items for your child’s room.

In whatever area you choose to designate as your child’s creative space be prepared to have containers around to sort supplies that will be used on a regular basis. The art bucket shown above features a convenient handle for easy transportation and individual side pockets to hold up to twelve markers. Mom N Mia Quilts designs these handy little buckets for your creative toddler. Don’t worry about spills – they’re machine washable!

If you already have designated buckets for your supplies, don’t forget to add labels. Created by the graphic designers at The Sticker Hut, these mini chalkboard labels give you the freedom to erase and re-label over and over. Let the kids get creative and write out the labels themselves. They add a little personalization and simple creativity to your space.

Share some of your idea with us!
Link to photos of your child’s creative workspace below.

Simply Shabby: Redefining Your Bathroom

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A clean bathroom is a happy bathroom. A stylish one is even happier.

This week’s post is a little “how-to” session on creating a well organized, shabby chic style bathroom. While everyone has a different style preference, I believe that adding a few rustic, natural elements is just good for the soul.

First off: take time to pamper yourself. Make your bathroom a place to relax; a sanctuary. The handmade soaps pictured above from DirtyDeedsSoaps are beautiful and come in a variety of scents and colors. Display them in a decorative dish or arrange several in a crate as shown in the photo for a creative accent of color in your space.

If space allows, add a chair or bench to your room. Furniture adds a bit of luxury to a bathroom. You can use it as decoration, holding stacks of neatly folded towels and baskets of toiletries, or you can use it functionally as a place to sit and lotion your legs or to paint your toenails after a relaxing bubble bath. Keeping with our shabby chic style, this handmade bench made from reclaimed wood, from brandmojointeriors, serves as a perfect example.

Burlap accents have been making an appearance in a variety of decorating styles lately. It adds a bit of texture to your decorating scheme and compliments a rustic theme perfectly. Check out the creations of Mary at hoganfe handmade originals. She sells all kinds of handmade accessories for your home (and even your wedding!), including the adorable organizer bin below. Use them to organize and sort your odds and ends or use them to hold a festive floral arrangement.

You will soon enough notice a Mason Jar trend in my posts…I simply LOVE them! They fit well with any decorating style and have limitless organization possibilities. I have some things in the works for future posts, so stay tuned! In the meantime, check out GneissSpice‘s bathroom magnetic storage solutions. Use them to store your cotton swabs, make up applicators, hair ties, bath salts, and much more.

Create your very own handmade-inspired retreat with these few simple steps!
What sort of organizational solutions do you currently use in your own bathroom today?

Organize Your Pretties: Jewelry Displays

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I find that one of the most difficult things to organize is my never-ending pile of jewelry. A jewelry box is functional, however, I have found that openly displaying your jewelry can be even more beautiful and can even serve as a piece of artwork within your home.

The handmade jewelry organizer pictured above is from a wonderful shop called BlueBirdHeaven based in Louisville, Kentucky. The artist, Jessica, is a sustainable architectural designer who is the original creator of these jewelry displays made from vintage printer’s drawers. She is passionate about finding ways to reuse the distinctive and beautiful things that surround us. Visit her shop to see all of the different colors and styles available to fit any decorating scheme.

This whimsical little butterfly jewelry display can be found at Hook and Line. The idea for the artist’s designs came from her daughter’s growing love for jewelry and the need for a place to store it all. You can display all sorts of earrings styles on this simple picture frame style organizer. What I love about pieces like this is that you can see all of your earrings at once, so it makes selecting a pair that matches your outfit incredibly simple. No more digging through jewelry boxes, no more searching for that missing earring.

This last jewelry display helps you to organize not only your earrings, but your necklaces as well! Frank and Marla of New Dimension Wood Design have a jewelry display line called Jewelry Holders For You where they specialize in their one of a kind, elegant displays suitable for home use or in a boutique setting. Frank is a professional wood craftsman with forty years of architectural woodworking experience and creates truly beautiful works of art.

Find these and many other jewelry display ideas online, or have fun coming up with your own unique designs! As always, feel free to share your ideas with us!

Handmade Beds for Pets

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[hLaurie]

I love the idea of pet beds – specifically dog beds, in my case, since that’s the only kind of pet I’ve had. I bought my dog a few beds over the course of his life, from the tiny basket that I brought him home in to a cozy padded fleece version that I thought he would love. He didn’t. No matter how enthusiastically I patted the bed and mimed how lovely it would be for him to sleep on it, what he liked was a mattress, and sleeping with me, or with any other human being in the house who would indulge him his ability to expand his 22-pound self enough that he took up the entire bottom of a queen-sized bed. Meanwhile, his beautiful bed sat idle, used as a repository for his toys when I decided to pick them up and organize them for the five minutes they stayed that way.

But perhaps you’re a better alpha than I am, or at least have better boundaries. Maybe you have an intolerant partner who can’t stand sharing space with an animal, or you are that intolerant party. Whatever the reason you decide to set bedtime boundaries for your pet, there are tons of sleeping options for pets of all sizes and needs, including some very cool hand-crafted choices.

Cody’s Creations – custom apparel for pets – features items like this cool “take me along tote” and travel bed. I like the camo version in particular, for the pet who’s trying to keep a low profile.

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Vintage Renaissance believes in “recycling, upcycling, repurposing and reviving older styles to work for design today,” including cat beds fashioned out of vintage suitcases. If I had a cat at the moment, I’d own one of these pronto – and whether they actually sleep in it or not, it’s an excellent conversation piece.

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For smaller pets who like to snuggle, Toni’s Desirables makes the Pawket Blanket in different shades of faux fur. Very sweet, very warm.

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AngelCats offers hand-crocheted cat beds made with a cat’s need for a cozy space to curl up and a supposedly keen aesthetic sense.

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Have a small pet like a rat or a small rabbit? Tree of Life has just the indoor hammock for them, made from two layers of alpine fleece.

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