Vintage Storage Ideas

I am lucky enough to have a studio.

It is my garage.

It is my space and I love it.

I love utilizing vintage finds for studio storage.

I thought I would share some of my favorite vintage storage from my work spaces.

Each works hard in its own way.

I store most little items for mixed media, jewelry and such in vintage mason jars.

I collect them whenever possible along with zinc lids for on them.

My cupboards are filled with them.

My husband found, bought, loaded and helped me clean this vintage card catalog.

It holds a ton of essentials. 

I love that I can change the contents and the tags in a minute.

  I can send my daughter to the studio to find something and she can quickly locate it.

Yay!

You have to love a piece that hard working.

I have been thinking maybe some day I will paint it...

I have always love little divided shadow boxes.

This one had some splits in some of the dividers so I did not want to use it for shows.

It makes the perfect home for my hand crafted polymer clay beads.

As I use them and make more, it looks different all the time.

Just seeing the beads inspires me to use them.

These fun little tins were thrifted finds.

I use and buy some tins to use in jewelry designs but these are perfect as is.

They are such a pretty way to store things.

Printer's trays are my kryptonite.

I have to buy them if they are reasonable and in good shape.

My daughter has pointed out more than once that I do not NEED any more.

She is right, of course.

They are so handy though.

I usually use them for booth displays but now I use them in the studio.

Bits and baubles are right there...

This little green drawer unit was last spring's splurge from Lucketts.

It also holds tons of essentials.

It helps me find things.

And it looks cool.

Old luggage makes great storage.

I love that these suitcases hold my yarn supply out of the way and keep it dust free.

These cases are also full of yarns and fibers.

They are missing their handles so this is the perfect use for them.

Last summer my daughter spray painted a vintage ceiling tile to use as a memo board.

This fun color really makes it pop.

My neighbor dropped off this rusty cart one day.

I transformed it into a great little storage piece.

I use this ceiling tin in my green house as a magnetic memo board.

This vintage box is the perfect booth display for bangle bracelets.

Wooden crates are both storage and booth display.

Is your studio space sleek and sophisticated or full of vintage storage pieces?

Thanks for stopping by....

Linking up with these great blogs.

A Rolling Cart Makeover

My neighbor periodically rolls into the driveway with goodies in the back of the truck. 

 This summer he pulled in with this ratty metal cart in the back which I quickly took.

It was covered in contact paper which someone has spray painted green.

I picked my paint colors and did not want to ruin the look of the finished piece with contact paper lines.

So I began trying to peel the paper off.

Not going well...

I spent about 30 minutes and only got off about  6 x 8 inches of contact paper.

I was even using a razor blade to get under it.

Now here is a killer tip for removing old contact paper.

Leave it in the direct sun for 30-45 minutes.

Now start to peel it.

After warming in the sun, I was able to remove all the rest of the contact paper in about 15 minutes.

Once warm, it easily peeled off in big sheets.

Those green strips were the metal, not contact paper.

So first I painted the posts in the corners.

I used Krylon Color Master  Paint + Primer in Almond.

I did 2 coats.

Then I used newspaper and painter's tape to tape off the posts and wheels.

You can see my daughter's tin ceiling tile from its makeover

in the background.

We both painted the same day.

Then I sprayed the shelves with several light coats of Krylon Color Master Paint + Primer in Island Splash.

I love that color!

I especially like that the paint and primer are all in one.

  I like a quick project.

Then I pulled off the newspaper and painters tape...

As much as I love the colors, I feel like it is not quite where it should be yet...

Break out the DecoArt stencils.

Their new line is my favorite...

A little bit of painters tape and some chalky finish paint in Primitive...

Here is my confession...

I am stencil challenged...

I think I load too much paint on the brush or swirl it too much or something.

So I am feeling some apprehension at this point...

I can't really tell with the stencil on still...

Deep breath...

Here goes...

Hey!

Not bad!

I love this stencil!

There is some texture where the cart was a little rusty.

You can see it under the paint but I am still pleased.

It looks so much better.

I wanted to make it so the bottom can be hidden storage.

I took a burlap coffee sack my daughter brought me and cut it to fit on the cart.

This was a No-Sew project.

See  how I just cut the bag and then used clothespins to clip it together....

I love the makeover.

A quick couple of coats of Krylon Clear in Satin to protect the stenciling.

Now it is all ready for whatever I want to use it for.

See it on the back porch here...

I think it is going to move around quite a bit...

Thanks for stopping by....