Tool Time Tuesday...Sewing Soap Dish

Sewing Soap Dish...What?!? You know me, I'll find anything to transform into something else and this time it was in the bathroom section of the hardware store.

I think a better name for it is Armchair Sewing Table...

Here it is in it's original state. It's a soap dish that hooks onto the edge of a bath tub and holds your soap. I'm thinking armchair, but if you do any hand sewing in the tub...this will work great for that too, LOL!!

Here's my thought process...you need a few STRONG magnets...not the crafty ones. They sell strong ones in the hardware store too.

Put the magnets on the bottom of the soap dish. They stick on their own because teh dish is metal

I found some of the strong silver magnets too.

The magnets on the back of the metal dish make the top part magnetic to hold your pins and needles in place!

If that doesn't work for your soap dish, use my ever popular magnetic business cards. You know I use these a lot. Click HERE for other projects using these magnets

The magnetic business cards have a sticky side...

and a magnetic side.

Peel and stick it to the top of the soap dish.

Now it holds your pins and needles too.

Now onto more fun with this idea. These clips are name badge reels. They hold a name badge and they also pull out with a string like a tape measure.

I found these in the office supply section of Walmart...4 for $1.88.

Clip the reel to the handle of the soap dish.

Open up the name badge holder that has a snap closure and add your little scissors.

Now you can pull the reel to clip your threads, but never lose your scissors in the chair.

Ok, here's where the demise of this idea came for me :(

See that arm of the couch off to the left...that's where this adorable soap dish WAS going to fit. WAS is the operative word here. The couch is fairly new and I forgot that the little brown pillow is "attached" to the arm of the couch, so my little sewing helper doesn't fit here.

Works on the pillow though. I will find a place for this...seems like the armchairs in my house are a little too big.

Still wanted to share the idea though, just in case the soap dish, armchair sewing table, thinga ma bob might work for you.

It is great to have all your sewing needs in one place when you are doing your hand sewing and you'll never lose them in the couch!!

Happy Sewing,
~Karen~

Laundry Room..Not Big, Not Pretty, Not A Room, But Organaized

Laundry Rooms...Would I love a big room to wash, dry, fold all in one place? A laundry "room" to paint, decorate and make look like my dining room? Absolutely!! I love all the laundry rooms I see online filled with baskets and beautiful glass jars filled with your cleaning essentials.

However, I have a laundry closet and I love it just as much! I sooo appreciate that my laundry closet is upstairs right off my kitchen. Would I love it in my master bedroom closet...YES, but that's not happening any time soon either! So when you have ordinary like me...make it FUNCTIONAL and ORGANIZED!!

Here she is in all her glory! Our washer broke down so we bought a new one. Then the dryer went 6 months later. They changed the design of the set in that 6 months, so now they don't match :( 

In the past it would have bothered me, but now all I care is that they wash and dry for me!! LOL

Here's a little walk through. Maybe you can use a few of the ideas in your laundry space! Notice I said "space" not room.

The shelf on top holds all those things you looks for in the basement or the "Junk Drawer". The far left has plastic storage boxes and the middle has wooden wine bottle boxes.

The boxes hold all different kinds of things...labeled so everyone can find stuff.

All different lengths of extension cords...

Batteries...buying batteries to my husband is like buying fabric to me!

Phone accessories and computer cords...

mouse traps / ant cups and timers...

The wooden wine bottle boxes hold flash lights, surge bars and bug sprays.

I also added a small piece of peg board. Did you know they come in pre-cut smaller pieces at the hardware store?

The peg board holds all the little tools that you might need for small projects, but don't want to go in the basement or out in the garage to get them!

One tip...for tools that don't have something to hang them with...just add a string or zip tie. Hangs easily from the peg board now!

Every square inch is used. Added small shelves to the sides to hold soaps, bleach etc.

The under the shelf basket is for...you guessed it...the missing socks! What is up with that?? Where do they go? I can't throw them out either, because I keep thinking they'll turn up in some one's drawer, under their bed or in their gym bag!

The other side hold dryer sheets and the light bulb boxes. Again, my husband's other buying habit...light bulbs.

Well, it's not a room, it's not pretty, but we know where stuff is and our clothes are clean!! LOL

How's your laundry room, closet, area doing?

Happy organizing if you get the chance,
~Karen~

Tool Time Tuesday...Recycled Milk Cartons For Storage

Happy Tuesday everyone!! Today's Tool Time is a mixture of recycling, hardware store finds and jewelry findings. We all need storage for various things...whether it's for our sewing, crafting or in other parts of our home, we need storage. My first thought is...I don't want to pay for anything to store my things in! Here's where milk cartons come into play.

My kids go through milk so fast, we should own a cow. However, with the girls away at school, the rate we go through it has slowed down. It's taking me longer to save the containers, but I only need a few more.

Do you remember this idea from one of my sewing room posts? It's the back of my cutting table. I use a conduit pipe with brackets attached to the table. It holds my rolls of freezer paper and Heat & Bond.

Old curtain brackets attached under the table.

Conduit pipe is found in the electrical section of your hardware store. An electrician would run wires through this pipe. Me? I use it for rods to hang things on...it's super cheap, strong and comes in so many pre-cut lengths.

The star of the show...plastic milk cartons.

You'll need to cut out the top, front portion of the carton. You need to keep the handle section intact with the bottom.

Cuts easily with scissors.

Here are the few I've collected so far.

Lots of storage in there.

They slide easily onto the pipe through the carton's handle.

Perfect for storing all your scrap fabric that you cut up into certain sizes.

***Here's a tip for you...when you are cutting up fabric for a quilt and have left over pieces, cut them up into usable squares right then. You are more apt to use the squares in the future if you cut them now verses throwing the fabric in a box to cut up later.***

If you want to label your fabric squares, just print your measurements and cut them out.

I used a die cutter.

Next, punch a smaller hole at the top of the tag and use a large jewelry jump ring to attach to the milk carton.

I used an awl to make the small hole in the top part of the carton's handle.

Add the jump ring to hold the tag on the carton.

2 1/2 inch fabric squares all in one place!

Great for a quick project when you know what size the squares are.

The gallon jugs fit 5 inch charm squares perfectly!!

Now for your children or grandchildren...

Holds pens, pencils, crayons, markers, colored pencils etc...(I didn't change the label names in this picture. Still says the square measurements)

Add a roll of paper so the kids can unroll the paper across the table to color or just rip off a piece to draw some where else.

This roll of  paper is in the painting section of the hardware store. $2.49!!

They use it to mask off areas for painting, but it's perfect crafting paper for kids. It comes in different widths too!!

Supplies are organized and easily accessible for kids.

Whether you use this idea in your sewing room, kid's craft room, husband workbench or in the garage...it's a great way to organize and recycle!!

I'm thinking there is going to be a lot of milk used up this week. You'll be making pudding, eating cereal, drinking milk shakes etc just to get that milk carton.

Have fun!!
~Karen~