Christmas is my favourite creative time of the year. Uni takes on a different personality while the students have their long break. We’re busy getting everything tidied up from last year and ready to go for next but somehow it just seems more relaxed. Maybe it’s because I’m taking the summer off from my studies too.

So I have time for recreational reading and craft!

Here’s what I’ve been doing.

with thanks to Pinterest and Etsy for the inspiration!

Pinterest

I have just discovered Pinterest! I love it!!! what a great way to keep a record of all those ideas you find whilst surfing to supply inspiration for those creative dry spells AND negate the need for an actual pin-board (which my family had every right to hate because mine was sooooo messy).

I am finding so many uses for Pinterest. I can keep a record of books read and TBR and I have virtual collections to match my actual ones (like for my Royal Albert collection) so I can enjoy them even when not at home.

there are some clever people in the world, aren't there?

poor little blog

my poor little craft blog is languishing whilst I work on my masters. Don't worry ittle blog I'll try harder! Soon!!!

so to sum up

                                         Before

          

after

                               

            

it was hard work but I am one happy lady!

the big shelf dilemma

The only two stipulations from MGM (once I told him it would all be done on a shoe-string budget) relating to the shabby chic thing were that it not cross the ‘D’ demarcation line (the line at which, should the shabby cross it, Divorce papers would be filed) and that I not touch the big shelves (which are actually fine & expensive pieces of furniture).

My dilema... what to do with all that chocolate brown in my lovely pastle room? So I tried the de-clutter thing that worked so well with the other shelves by using my AFD boxes to store the big stuff and some smaller boxes in stacks look great painted white too.

I put the ephemeral leftovers into journal boxes (yes, painted white of course) that I ‘rescued’ from the recycling bin at work.

I even painted the spines of my big folders, and added some pretties from my fav scrapbook shop Fred the Needle 

Painting the containers rather than the shelves is a compromise that, in the end, makes me quite happy. I don’t have very good pics of the before/after scenario but this gives you the idea…

and now for the real challenge

The solid blue wall just had to go!…

 

 

 

 

You think this looks cluttered and chaotic! Wait ’till you see the mess created by moving the furniture to get to that wall…

 

                                                                   can you believe my son moved that bookshelf
WITHOUT taking
all the books off first!

Between coats on the wall I started on my desk shelves.

before                                                                 after

before

                         after

 

 

 

 

all together now…

from this

              to this          

furniture next

Next I turned my attention to the furniture. This was a little bit daunting so I started with the smallest piece on this wall.

    this one

    which is actually in two bits,
a cheap-as-chips CD rack from
the $2 shop which was never
much use because I had the
printer stuck in front of it
and
a 30 year old bedside table
that I got when I first moved
out of home.

 

I painted everything white, stuck a bit of beading on the edges (painted pink), made a fancy bit for the top from my scrapbooking supplies and moved the ugly printer…this is the result…

Next I replaced the manly blue, heavy drapes with some light and filmy ones we had hanging in the house 25 years ago (hoarding DOES pay of!). I wanted a beaded fringe for the pelmet but at $60+ per metre (for 5 metres!) that was right out so I made one for under $50  -yes I know it wasn’t part of the spend-no-money plan but just look at it! so the result is

Before                                                  after

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EDIT: Becca pointed out, and rightly so, that I forgot to mention the glass knobs on my drawers…lookaren’t they g.o.r.g.e.o.u.s! I got them whilst shopping with Renae & Becca at our wonderful local vintage shop after having eyed them off for about 6 months and saving for about as long. They’re all different – I was going for the eclectic look. The shop keeper didn’t think it would work but Renae, Becca and I agreed that it would and it DID. I get a ridiculous amount of pleasure from these little pink glass beauties.

shabby chic: before & after

I know I haven’t been a very faithful blogger but I have a bit of time on my hands right now so I thought I’d amuse myself with some before and after posts showing my journey towards a shabby chic craft-room.

Hope you get some pleasure out of them too. I am sooooooooooo happy with my little craft room, I find myself stopping as I pass by just to admire my handiwork.

My aim was to be as cost effective as possible, so I started by gathering some boxes and baskets
that were doing various jobs all over the house and then raiding the storage cupboard for all our old paint

I used up all our old white paint!

my Aussie Farmers Direct boxes came in handy.
my boring old brown baskets became something
new and not-so-boring

I did lash out and buy a few baskets too when my good friends Renae & Becca pointed them out on sale (how could I resist!)

see you tomorrow for some more before & after snaps.

merry Christmas and little break

Dear Blogland dwellers thanks for popping by to We Cerate from time to time, it’s been great being here, getting all sorts of creative ideas form you all. I’m having a little blog-break but would like to wish you all a wonderful blessed Christmas…see you all in 2010!

Here we go…

craft apron 

 

 

         boxes/baskets to paint

    
                                                                       pretty fabric

 

 

paint from the garage…

 

yuck not so white 5 yr old paint          

          hang on… that’ll do

                     here we go

paint on boxes (not an easy photo to take)

& furniture…                    I’m starting small one corner at a time