Let's get organized {part 3} - scraps of paper

Friday, January 28, 2011


I'm still organizing and cleaning ... with a little crafting tossed in to make it fun! Here's a couple of other projects that I came up with for my studio to organize all of the scraps of paper with notes and information that I have in my desk drawers and around my office.

I have been collecting American Art Pottery over the years and found that I had a couple of plain ones in a cupboard that were not very expensive and a good size to use on my desk. I turned the one pictured above into a piece of art that would function as a place to store computer and reference information.

I used vintage pottery that was not really valuable and plain ... you can find these at antique shops and shows and sometimes if you are lucky, at a second hand store (for a fraction of the price).

This project was a great way for me to get some vintage pieces that I love out of boxes so that I can see and enjoy them. I used a number of vintage elements: a photo, stamps from a postcard from Paris,  pieces of rhinestone jewellery, a metal light reflector and words from an old book. I also used some newer materials from my paper crafting supplies: paper flowers, fabric measuring tape and metal embellishments.
I used gel mediums (regular and heavy) to attach everything. I started with the fabric measuring tape and metal light reflector. I save my wooden stir sticks from Starbucks for projects like this ... it is so much easier to apply the gel medium ...
I removed the stamps from the back of the vintage postcard using steam from my kettle ... work slowly and carefully so that you don't burn yourself. I scanned both sides of the postcard to use digitally later on. I adhered the stamps to the pottery with soft gel medium and added a coat of gel to the front. The vintage photograph was purchased years ago at an antique show ... I'm always attracted to these for some reason ... and love the way that they are mounted on beautifully embossed cards. I don't know who this woman is but I'm calling her "Aunt Amy" after one of my favourite Great Aunts that I remember from my childhood. 
Next I layered a few paper flowers for colour ...

... added a piece of text out of a book ... this one came from the Cat In the Hat book.  It felt right on this piece as I'm trying to be a little more "fearless" this year!

And then my favourite part - the bling! I removed the pin back from the rhinestone brooch before I adhered it with heavy gel medium. The size and shape were perfect for this piece. Small rhinestones with added to the flower centres. I added a Tim Holtz metal crown to the photo to make "Aunt Amy" look like a princess. 

Another bling element was added to the space betwen the stamps and the fabric ... some distressing ink to age and then I set it aside to dry for a few hours.
When it was dry and I sat it up I realized that the back with just the ribbon and the original paper pottery label looked a little plain so I decided to add three vintage buttons.  
The pottery fits library cards and blank index cards (sideways). I made a couple of space dividers with mailing labels decorated with vintage buttons, bits of lace and trim and of course, a bit more text from The Cat in the Hat. 
I used another pottery piece to hold more index cards ... these cards have many of my website addresses, user id's and passwords - stuff that isn't "confidential" (like banking and credit cards). I didn't decorate this pottery because I knew that the two items would be together on my desk ... think simple black dress and killer shoes and jewellery.

I dressed up the index card dividers with distressing inks, alpha stickers and glaze drops. If you don't have glaze drops you can used Inkssentials Glossy Accents to get a similar effect on the letters. The index cards were about 1/8th of an inch too big so I cut them all with my paper cutter to fit the pottery ... so if you try to make one of these for yourself don't get too hung up trying to find a container that works.
And now my computer desk in my studio has a new look. My desk drawers are neat and I have all of my reference information at my finger tips!

I hope that this inspires you to get organized and be creative doing so! Have a great weekend!

       

10 comments:

  1. Wow, this is so creative! I love how you worked on your American pottery, and it turned out so beautifully.

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  2. I love it! See this is what I love...when I see things like this. I don't do them, but still, I love them. The index cards with buttons are adorable too!

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  3. Oh, if only you saw my studio/home office/homeschooling headquarters! You do inspire me, but I think I need to hire a professional organizer!

    Thanks for sharing such great inspiration...I do like the idea of using pottery for storage/organization.

    Blessings!

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  4. Neat! You organize so creatively... love it!

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  5. I love the idea of your files for passwords and stuff. I keep mine in a notebook and it takes too long to find them in there.

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  6. So pretty... love the idea of making organizing pretty! I love that you can use gel medium on pottery. That is awesome. I have a growing pile of all those index cards... user id's and passwords. I need something just like you made for them! So glad you shared with us for the first 'sneak peek' of the year! :)

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  7. I think it's so nice to make organization pretty. I love adding words, also. Your desk looks so nice and organized. You should see my disaster. It's a constant pile moving parade.

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  8. so much inspiration in one post ... I love this idea of getting organized and the white pottery makes everything feel so clean ... I will read a few more of your getting organized ... then I off ... on this saturday to make it happen!

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  9. Fabulous idea and you transformed the pottery into a useful, work of art! Thanks for sharing!!

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