recyle

An Upcycled Bookstore Bookshelf

/ Jodi / 40 Comments

An Upcycled Bookstore Bookshelf.

Upcycle… DIY… Recycle… Repurpose – whatever you call it – I am thrilled with the job Hubby did (with a teensy bit of help from me in the painting department) taking this used bookstore bookshelf and converting it into a beautiful matting and gift wrapping station for my art studio.

This old bookshelf is one of the few items I received of my brothers after his passing recently.  It was from his bookstore, and his life’s passion was books.

This is what it looked like when we got it.

Hubby sanded it down and patched it up.  He added wheels to the bottom so it could easily be turned around since it was a double bookshelf on both sides, and he made a beautiful top for it.  I painted it with red chalk paint to fit into my art studio.

I put my mat cutter on top and boxes of matting board on one of the shelves.  It makes a great spot to cut and frame art work or photos.

I filled a bin with ribbons and bows and buckets with gift tags, tape, and scissors.


When turned around, I loaded the shelves with a variety of gift bags – plain, all occasion, birthday, wine, and holiday.  An old canning pot sits beside the bookshelf filled with rolls of kraft and wrapping paper as well as old maps (which make great wrapping paper too.)

I’ve long been wanting a special place to store supplies and have for wrapping gifts, and I am thrilled with how this turned out.  It is a great addition to my Creation Station/Art Studio not only for its purpose but for the memories and special meaning this piece has.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there today!  Enjoy your day – doing the things you love – with the ones you love – at life in between.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Creating a Nursery at Grandma’s House

/ Jodi / 57 Comments

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I am having so much fun creating a nursery at “Grandma’s house” for our new granddaughter.

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A sweet little haven for her to rest if I ever decide to let her out of my arms when she is at our home!

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I promised I’d show you how I turned bumper pads into a window treatment valance.  Didn’t it turn out great?!

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Almost everything in this room was a passed on from a friend, was given as a gift, is something I made, or something I re-purposed.

Thanks to our friends Sue and Rodney for “gifting” us with this beautiful crib they had outgrown from their two beautiful granddaughters.

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And thanks to our BFFs Jill and Todd who gifted us with this beautiful rocking chair when we learned we were going to become grandparents.  (Hope you don’t mind I painted and distressed it!)

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And thanks to our sweet Joyce and “Oh Rob” for this darling antique child’s art desk with paper roll that will be so fun in coming years!

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And a dear friend, Diane, who sent this sweet little hanging pillow months before our granddaughter arrived, but made me wait until her birth to open (and I really did!).  What truth there is in this message!  What joy!

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I’m looking forward to reading many, many books – over and over and over – in the years to come.

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And playing with the basket of toys generously passed down from a sweet friend and incredible young Mom, Stefanie.

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Sometimes I just walk into this room and smile… thinking of the memories that are going to be created and the love that is already there from the sharing of so many.

I remember the days when this was a little boy’s room with blue marbled walls and baseball trophies.  I reminisce about the two boys who shared a wall between their rooms and secrets I still don’t know about…  Two boys who were best buddies when they were little, didn’t like each other very much when they were teenagers, and are back to being each other’s “bests” as young adults.

Creating a nursery at Grandma’s house…
It is so very much
home sweet home.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi