Yarn Storage Revamp Project Complete

My vision has finally come together with the completion of this project.  It was a rather labor-intensive project.  It was, however, ridiculously inexpensive and fairly simple to execute.  So here's a little DIY tutorial for any other frugal crafters out there...

Hanging Bucket Yarn Storage

What you'll need:
*buckets
*straight power saw
*power drill (with 1/4" bit)
*power sander (optional)
*1/4" eye bolts (with 2 hex nuts each)
*S hooks
*screw eyes with ceiling anchors
*1/4" bolts of various determined lengths (with hex nut)
*sharpie
*ruler/tape measure (I used both)
*screwdriver (to install anchors and screw eyes)
*wrench (to tighten hex nuts/bolts)

I used ten 5-gallon pickle buckets and five 3-gallon pickle buckets that I got from my younger brother's fast food restaurant.  They're super easy to get completely free because they are considered trash once empty.

Step 1: Rinse the buckets.  I rinsed mine by hosing them down in my parents yard.  I only did a quick rinse to start because I knew I'd be losing several inches of bucket (why clean it if you're not gonna use it!?)

Step 2: Mark the saw line.  I used my fabric tape measure to wrap a straight line around the bucket just below the handle hinge and marked it with my sharpie.

Step 3:  Saw the top of the buck off along the drawn line.  This step was extremely difficult for me.  I was sitting on an extra upturned bucket in my parents' driveway for a solid portion of the day.  I had to make a starter cut with a utility knife at 1 of the 2 hinge points to put my saw blade through.  Once I got going, I fell into a stride but I can honestly say that not even 1 of my cut buckets has a nice straight cut.  At least I can say I did it all by myself.  My dad held the first bucket while I sawed but he was fixing his gutters and didn't really have time to help.  This and the next step I would definitely recommend doing outside.

Step 4: (Optional)  Sand the edges.  I wasn't going to but my dad offer his power sander so I straightened up the edges a bit.

Step 5:  Clean the buckets.  After taking off about 4 inches of bucket off the top of all 15 buckets, I felt this was a good time to clean the pickle stink off the buckets.  I hate pickles so it was nice to scrub the gross smell away.  I used my Norwex cleaning paste to scour the insides and outsides of every single bucket.  It took away most of the smell and all the stickers from the outside of the buckets.  My dad says bleach will take the stink out of them but I don't use chemicals in my home and I wouldn't want the bleach to affect my fibers.  I'd say if you're comfortable using it to clean your house, you could use it to clean the buckets.  The smell is NOT permanent; you CAN make it go away :D  I let my buckets dry in the sun.  When I got them home I wiped them down with an enviro cloth and sprayed them a few times with odor eliminator and now they smell fine.

Step 6: Arrange buckets into desired pattern.  I chose this layout from a handful of drawings I did because it seemed like it would best suit my needs.  I arranged them upright on my living room floor so I could accurately measure where the joins needed to be.

Step 7:  Take measurements.  You may want to do some of this ahead of time if you're working with limited space like I was.  I measured the space I wanted to put it and determined that I had a little over 50" to work with.  My 5-gallon buckets measured 11" in diameter so I decided to make the widest point of my storage unit 5 buckets wide (55").  I already knew I wanted the entire unit to hang from at least 2 buckets so my design fell into place pretty quickly after that.  While the buckets were laid out in the desired arrangement, I measured how far apart my 2 hangers would be (also the points for the lower hangers) and marked all the points of intersection for the buckets plus the hanger points.  I took measurements of the buckets themselves to determine what length bolts to get.  At the top, 2 buckets together measured 1/4" so I got 1/2" long bolts.  At the bottom, the buckets were 1/2" apart so I got 1" long bolts and used a spacer (cut to length from a rubber hose).  I used the join markings on the top of the bucket to mark the holes on the side with a ruler.  The back join was 1" from the bottom of the bucket and the front join was 7 1/2".  The smaller buckets had different measurements so I used different size hardware.

Step 8:  Get hardware.  I got most of my hardware from Macs because it is very reasonably priced.  I made a list of exactly what I needed beforehand by taking all the measurements but I still ended up making 4 different trips to the hardware store just for this project.

Step 9:  Drill join holes in sides of buckets.  I used a flat board as a drop cloth of sorts for the plastic shavings that fell off in this step.   I made sure to drill ALL the necessary holes at this point.  For the larger buckets, this included all 30 join points, the 4 top holes for hanging hardware. and the 4 lower holes for additional lower hanging buckets.  The smaller buckets had 14 join points and 4 top holes for hanging

Step 10:  Attach buckets together.  I added one bucket at a time joining them first at the back to install the spacer, and then at the front with the shorter bolts.  I intentionally built my unit in 2 halves to that the 1 intersection point between the 2 could be added after both pieces were installed.  I added bolt eyes to the top points.

2 halves standing next to each other awaiting installation

Step 11:  Install hanging hardware.  Using the measurements I'd taken to determine where the hangers would be, I plotted points on the ceiling at 1" and 7 1/2" from the wall.  I used heavy duty ceiling anchors and installed the screw eyes, and then added S hooks.

in the middle of installing the lower bolt eyes

Step 12:  Install unit.  I hung up one piece at a time from the S hooks installing the last join bolts afterwards.  I also added the lower bolt eyes once the unit was on the wall.  From those I hung 2 sets of S hooks (necessary because of the bucket size difference) and installed the smaller lower unit.

Installation Complete!

Adjust any hardware necessary and stock with yarn!

I apologize for not taking any other progress shots of this project but the portions of it that took place at my parents house were all gritty and outdoors so it wasn't very conducive to taking snapshots.  And really, there wasn't much to see through most of the project.

Remember that one blog that inspired me: 

  

Thanks YarnBombLove for inspiring my crafty yarn storage revamp!



****Altogether, this project cost me less that $10!!!!!

Small Table Facelift

I just finished up a sort of little, sort of time consuming project that weaseled it's way onto the to-do list for my extended weekend.  My mom and dad's neighbors had this table on rummage but wouldn't take a penny from them, just told them to give it to me.  So I made this drab little table with tons of potential a sweet facelift.

Before:

And After!!!

Check #3 off my to-do list...

Our trip to Ace was extremely fruitful in terms of my weekend creative to-do list.  I got some screw eyes for the yarn revamp though I still need some bolt eyes and short bolts with nuts.  I also got zip ties for the 2 milk crate projects.   I had thought about bolting them together for a more permanent hold and maybe I will in the future.  But for now, zip ties will definitely do the trick.  I was able to get the plastic spray primer for the milk crate bench seat (on sale!).  I got a couple other random items off the dollar tables.  As aforesaid, the trip was very fruitful since we hit the grocery store after that.  Sky absolutely had to help me with the milk crate plant stand project I decided to start after lunch.  Once I put her down for her nap I was able to install it out on the deck. 
Here's a few shots of our afternoon endeavor:

dookie face

Plant stand installed*

My cute little deck with newly installed clothes lines...

and hand-me-down grill (Thanks Dad!)

*Once I got the stand in place and all the zip ties tightened, I snipped the ends.  I like the clean look.  It's a little sparsely clad right now but I'd say the project was a success.  Next spring I'll be planting herbs and other little whatnots for use in the kitchen and I'll have plenty of space to grow them on my sweet milk crate plant stand. 

I said "we'll see if this happens".....pfffffft, I squashed this project off my to-do list!

Todotodotodotodotodo

I've been meaning to make a to-do list of projects I'd like to tackle during my 6 day vacation from work that starts Friday.  I have sort of a long complicated love/hate relationship with paper lists that I won't get into right so I've decided to make this one on my blog.


1.  Yarn Storage Revamp Project:  Right now, I store my massive yarn stock in old plastic milk crates I got back in my Wicker Park JJs days.  I'm looking to use those crates for other various projects so I need a new alternative.  After combing Pinterest for ideas that could work for my specific needs, I found one picture from a fellow blogger that inspired my revamp project:

 

Pic courtesy of YarnBombLove

The blog doesn't say how the storage is made so I've done some creative problem solving which will be economical and free!  My little brother manages a fast food restaurant and has access to plenty of 5 gallon pickle buckets.  I found that a good scrubbing with my Norwex cleaning paste takes the gross smell out of the buckets.  I plan on sawing the rim of each bucket off just below the hinge part that holds the handle so that it's flat outside all around.  Plus shortening the bucket brings it closer to the actual size of a yarn skein.  It looks to me like this blogger used something like large pieces of pvc pipe and brackets to mount them.  I like the idea of my tubes having bottoms so that I can potentially take them down and transport them upright.  I also think that I'm going to bolt the tubes into rows of 3 and will likely hang them from the ceiling rather than the wall.  I will probably hang them in some sort of pattern, calculated in some way.  I'd thank this blogger for the great inspiration and look forward to posting pics of my successful completion of my Yarn Storage Revamp Project.

2.  Milk Crate Bench Seat:  3 of my (17) milk crates have already been reserved for this project for Sky's room.  Another project that I cruised from Pinterest which will of course have all of my flare.  I'm not easily finding the source of this pic but the link to the pin is here.  My crates are a variety of colors so I want to prime them white for this project and possibly do a bright coordinating color to match with the rest of Sky's room.  I already have a piece of the pink gingham from the window treatments measured, cut and pinned to size for the cushion.  I either need to stuff it with white stuffing or cut a lining for it because the gingham has an embroidered flower pattern with holes.  I'll probably attach it with a ribbon or strips of the leftover gingham.  I'm going to bolt the 3 crates together.  I already have baskets to fit in the crates that match other basket storage in her room.  The successful completion of this project will mark a near completion point on Skylar's bedroom decor.  I've been excited about this project for quite awhile and I'm looking forward to it.

3.  Milk Crate Plant Stand:  This project may not happen over my vacation time, but a girl can dream can't she?  I saw someone posted a pic of a shelving unit made from 5 milk crates in a sort of W shape on their edges.  I'm not really set on any particular pattern yet, I just want an economical layout that will allow plant life to flourish on my little deck.  I have to complete my yarn storage revamp before the crates will be free for me to play around with layouts.  For the time being, I don't really feel the need to prime or spray paint the crates I'm using for the outdoor shelving but eventually I'd like to do them right.  I plan on just bolting them together into the best suited pattern and putting them to use right away.  We'll see if this happens...

4.  Family Picture wall:  I have a wall that I've designated for my family pictures in frames but I have yet to put any of them up because I need to get my wall shelves from DJ's place.  Once the wall shelves are up I'll have space for all the table top frames and can determine where to put the wall frames.  This is one of the last move-in details (though more seem to pop up daily) that I want to get taken care of.  This has to happen...

5.  Outdoor family name sign (for Aaron and Terri):  I plan on spending some time at my folks house while I'm sawing buckets for the yarn project so I figured it would be a great time to cut down a piece of wood for a project I meant to do months ago for my older brother's family.  I did one last Christmas for my little brother's family.  His just had our last name in simple font burned into a long narrow piece of walnut.  I had some nautical hooks I painted to look aged and my dad helped me attach them along the bottom of the sign.  I covered the rest of the board with sand and seashells from a family vacation years ago.  For the new design I plan on a more fancy or Gothic style font and a softer wood that will burn more easily.  I don't have hooks for this one but I still plan on using the same sand and seashells.  That will be extra special for them since it was the family trip with their beach side wedding proposal.  For the most part, I just want to get a jump start into this project.  Just having the surface in my possession will help me start moving forward with it.

6.  Sky hooks:  Another project to just get a jump on since I'll be sawing it up with my dad.  I want a cloud shaped piece of wood to mount the wooden letter SKY hooks that I got earlier this year on mega clearance at work.  I just want to paint the cloud and the letter hooks, mount the hooks on the cloud and then mount the cloud on an over-the-door hanger for Skylar's bedroom door.  I don't think the total project will take long once I have the cloud shape but it's not a major priority on the to do list.

And a few little 'tweeners:

*work on my Pink Project: I'm several layers deep already and looking forward to slowly building it up

*work on Aaron's pirate ship tattoo drawing: He wants to get the tat done in early September so I want to finish it up before the vaca is over.

*make baby hats:  it's never too early to get a jump start on my inventory for winter craft shows.  I've made a few hats over the past week or so up to the point of assembly.

That's it, I think.  Ready? Set?

Gooooooooooo!

Completed Window Treatment

I finished Skylar's bedroom curtains the other day and assembled them with the valance on the wall.  I'm very pleased with how they turned out:

 

Some progress shots:

Center curtain panels and completed valance

The purple panels are made from a set of old full size jersey bed sheets.  The jersey was a bit warped in places which required repinning and sewing to get rectangular panels.  I decided to line the center panel with the accent green tulle.  With the remaining tulle I lined the top of the 3 original panels.

The valance is made from 3 layers of foamboard taped together, wrapped in pink gingham and pinned in place.  It is a lightweight decorative accent to hide my curtain casings and the curtain rod.

With additional outer panels (later added 2 more purple panels)

 I had a scrap of the pink gingham left which made perfect side panels.  However, they still didn't have the total window coverage I'm looking for.  So I made 2 more jersey panels to fill them out a bit.

Close-up of valance corner: pearl head pins are decorative and functional!

My sewing isn't amazing but I think my curtains are great but I absolutely love my sweet awesome valance!  It was actually pretty easy to make and beautifully hides the sewing flaws in my curtains :D

Window treatments

Another boring day at work left me craving some craft time when I got home.  So after a hasty late supper of leftover egg bake I decided (since Sky's at her dad's) to work on her curtains.  I had thought I was done but upon seeing them up on the window I decided they needed some more work.  The basic construction I have so far is 3 purple panels that are adequate in length but don't have sufficient coverage.  I initially added 2 slightly longer, narrower panels in the pink gingham that I used to cover the valance.  I didn't have enough of the gingham to make any more additional panels from it.  So this evening was spent measuring, cutting, and pinning 2 new purple panels to fill them in a little.  I embellished the center panel with a folded layer of green tulle down both sides and used the rest of the unfolded tulle to embellish the casing at the top of all 3 original purple panels.  Now I'm wondering if, once these 2 new panels are sewn, will I need to get more tulle to go along the casing?  Or would it look stupid if I put the 2 new panels on either side of the center panel therefore staggering the tulle embellishment at the top?  The question I should be asking is why I'm staying up so late when I have to work so early...at least I can fall asleep brainstorming a solution to my crafty conundrum.

And yes, there will be pictures of the curtains...I've taken a few so far but I'd rather save the big reveal until they're completed and hung with the valance (which btw is awesome!).

Button frame mirror

The other day I was finally able to put up Skylar's button frame mirror.  I made it for her room back when I was still living with her dad and then it went into a box for about 6 months.  It was just waiting to become part of her totally awesome bedroom decor.  I think I nabbed a pinterest tutorial for this one but I can share how I actually created it for anyone who might like to try it.

Materials:
12"x12" tile mirror (I got mine at Ace in college...I bet you could still get them there)
duct tape
buttons (mine came from work: the $1 bins at Michaels)
ribbon (again with the $1 bin)
tacky glue

Instructions:
Line the edge of the mirror tile with duct tape, 1/2" or less showing on front.  This will keep the raw edges of the mirror from slicing you or anything else.  Glue the buttons in irregular fashion around the edge of the mirror, taking care to cover the duct tape.  Continue adding buttons until the desired width of "frame" is achieved.  I used Aleene's Quick Dry Tacky Glue, though it didn't appear to shorten the dry time of regular tacky glue.  Once all the glue is completely dry, determine which side is the top and how you'd like to hang it.  I chose to attach a ribbon for the hanger with tacky glue and then reenforced it with duct tape.  That's pretty much all, but I had to go one step further...

My hanger needed some embellishment so I concocted this crazy idea that I could make a massive bow with a collage button center out of 3 narrow ribbons.  I tried every tutorial I could find on making bows but couldn't find one that would look like I wanted it to.  So I tried layering multiple partial "hair" bows of various sizes, sewed them together and topped them with my glued collage button center.  It looks pretty much exactly how I wanted it to look but the construction was so confusing and catastrophic that I must share some progress photos for you to grasp its complexity.

And the totally finished product now hangs between Sky's closet and bedroom doors:

New apartment woes.

I discovered that the dino-dryers don't actually get clothes dry... My first load ended up going through the dry cycle twice.  Because I didn't bring enough quarters down to dry 2 loads, my second load went out on the deck.  The third load, into a different dryer which still didn't get them dry so it and the fourth load ended up on the deck.  So now, I've decided that hanging my clothes out on the deck is a perfectly respectable way to dry them until it gets to0 cold to.  So my next task is making clotheslines that can take up the entire deck (since I do 3-4 loads at a time, every time), but can be taken down easily.  I think I will do a little surfing on Pinterest for some ideas.  But I'm sure that I will come up with something crafty and clever.  Cuz hey, I'm crafty and clever, and I've been especially such lately.  Just wait until I post some pics of the curtains and valance I've made for Skylar's room over the weekend.