Day 4 - Metal Baskets Storage

Day 4. Today we'll be looking at how I organized my fabric without sacrificing any space in the office by using a space I hadn't paid any attention to before.

I like to sew. Especially bags and things for the house. I'm always looking for cheap fabric to use for my projects/gifts but didn't really have a good way to organize or store my collection. I actually have quite a bit of fabric lying around my house at any give time and it's just kind of a mess. I’ve been looking for a fun way to store it and finally found the answer. Earlier this summer I found this metal basket at a yard sale for $1.00

And this one for $0.50

The second one was a little rusty so I cleaned it up before using it for my fabrics. I'm sure there is a right way to go about that, and I'm sure this wasn't it, but I started by wiping off any loose rust. Then I laid some scrap fabric in the bottom of the basket (that's where most of the rust was) to protect my fabrics.

I sorted my fabric and put my smaller scraps into one basket and medium sized pieces in the other. I love that it keeps my fabrics tidy and still lets me see what's in there so I know at a glance what I have to work with.

Then came time to find a place for the baskets. With all that fabric, they were too pretty to hide in the closet. So I decided to use one of the open spaces in the room - the top of the book cases! Here they are before...look at all that space for the taking.

 And here are my basket all nice and tidy. I'm going to find some art or maybe a clock to hang in the space between the bookcases. 

Project Cost Breakdown: 

$1.00 - basket

$0.50 - basket

$0 - space to fill!

Total - $1.50

I think I missed using that space because it's above my eye level, and I just never looked up there! I'm glad I finally did so I could put that unused space to good work. And now seeing all my pretty fabric makes me want to break out the sewing machine. Real bad. :)

Maybe I should go check out the rest of my house with a new perspective - looking up and down and all around. How about you? Found any hidden potential in spaces around your home?

Day 3 - Use a Book

Do you have an old book laying around that you probably won't read again? If you do, get it out because we'll find some good ways to use it today!

Even if you don't have a book on hand, you could get one pretty cheap at a yard sale or thrift store. I had an old Reader's Digest novel sitting around that I used to make the mobile in Baby B's room. I used a combination of my mom's Cricut and good old fashioned scissors to cut out bird silhouettes from the book pages and colored card stock. I sandwiched the two kinds of birds together to get two sided birds to hang for the mobile.

When I finished the mobile I had this little pile of leftover birdies. I threw them in a box of craft supplies where they sat until I thought of a way to use them, which finally happened yesterday.

I've been working on (very) slowly filling in my picture frame gallery wall. I actually only had three frames filled until yesterday, when I made it four.

I just popped a trio of birdies in a frame, added a mat, and put it up on the wall. A very simple project, but I think it turned out really cute. And I'm glad I'll have a reminder of Baby B's mobile someday when he outgrows it. Because I'm sentimental like that.

Project Cost Breakdown:
$0 - birdies (left over from mobile)
$0.50 - photo mat (I just found out you can get mats at Dollar Tree, and they come in multi-packs!)
$0.25 - frame (from a yard sale)
Total: $0.75

You can also use music sheets for cheap decorating projects, like when I used my husbands old viola books to make over a light.

And if you want some more fun decorating ideas using book pages, here are a few inspiration projects I pulled from pinterest:

How about a book page wreath?

Or using them to line drawers.

Or on the outside of drawers.

Or a pumpkin, perfect for fall.

Or why not cover a whole wall?

Who knew books had so much potential? I'll probably be tackling more projects like this in the future because I love reading, and love having decor that reflects that. So, what kind of projects have you done with book pages? Do you use books that you love, or can you not bear to cut them up? (I can't!)

Day 2 - a whole new chair

Welcome to day 2 of my October series!

I thought I'd start us off with chair makeover I just finished. A chair is a great way to add a little color and interest, and it's super functional. It never hurts to have an extra seat around! I picked up this chair at a yard sale earlier this summer (the one with the black seat. I didn't get a picture of it by itself), and decided it was time to dress it up a little and uncover its potential. I used things I already had as much as possible to save some serious $$$.

I started by taking off the seat and giving the frame a quick rub with some sand paper. Then I used the left over spray paint from my salt & pepper shaker project to turn it a beautiful blue. This is after the first coat.

I did a couple coats to get the wood to stop showing through, but it used less than a can of paint. I still have a little left! Here it is finished.

Then it was time to address that ugly black seat. I found the fabric I wanted to use and also pulled out some fleece batting to cover the seat with just to smooth things out a little and freshen up the feel. I started by laying my fabric face down, then my batting, then the seat. I trimmed the extra fabric and started pulling it around to the back and stapling it on.

I was careful to avoid any wrinkles on the front and and then trimmed the extra once more.

Then all that was left was putting the seat back on!

Total project cost:
$1.50 - chair from a yard sale
$0 - spray paint (left over from another project, $5-6 if you don't have any yet)
$0.50 - fabric from a yard sale (I also used it to make a bag)
$0 - batting (left over from other projects, about $6/yard new, but wait for those 1/2 off coupons for Hobby Lobby!)
Total - $2.00

And just for fun, here's a before & after comparison:

How about you? Do you have a chair sitting around that could benefit from a makeover? Go find that hidden potential!

31 Days of Hidden Potential

I’ve enjoyed reading through themed posts every October over at The Nesting Place. This year I decided to join the fun with an October series of my own! I was debating a few themes, and finally settled on this one. I'm so excited to get started!

Have you ever seen the HGTV series Hidden Potential? It’s a favorite at our house. The premise of the show is a designer helps a family find a home, but he chooses houses that are below their budget (and usually in need of improvements). He then shows them drawings of what the house could look like if they make the improvements and the family usually finds they can get the house they always wanted for less than they thought. It’s a super fun show, and was the inspiration for my 31 days.

So without further ado, I would like to introduce you to - “31 Days of Hidden Potential - finding beauty in you home on a budget!” My goal is to do the best with what I have and spend as little as possible to make my home prettier and more functional. Because we all want a beautiful home without breaking the bank. For the rest of this month I will be finding the hidden potential in things and spaces all around my home, and I hope I will inspire you to do the same. 

I'll add a link here each day so you find  the posts all together once it's over:

Day 1 - Introduction
Day 2 - A Whole New Chair
Day 3 - Use a Book
Day 4 - Metal Baskets Storage
Day 5 - Tray Makeover
Day 6 - It's All Fabric to Me
Day 7 - Making a Gallery Wall
Day 8 - Colored Glass Vases
Day 9 - Throw Pillow Change-up
Day 10 - The Eye of the Beholder
Day 11 - Look to Nature
Day 12 - Paint it
Day 13 - Have a Sale
Day 14 - Re-purpose
Day 15 - The Tale of an Old Shirt
Day 16 - Shop the House
Day 17 - Dress-up the Ordinary
Day 18 - Build It
Day 19 - Bulletin Boards
Day 20 - Making Room
Day 21 - Add Some Art
Day 22 - Looking Up
Day 23 - Know Where to Shop
Day 24 - It's the Little Things
Day 25 - Knock it Off
Day 26 - Closet Space
Day 27 - Flashback
Day 28 - Pinspirations
Day 29 - The Cover-up
Day 30 - Put in the Work
Day 31 -Reflecting

Wow. That's a long list. But I'm gonna go for it! If you are interested in following some more inspiring journeys this month, head on over to the Nesting Place. You can see The Nester’s series as well as the other themes being contributed this year, or link up a series of your own. And don’t forget to come back here every day for more Hidden Potential!

Happy October!