Card Catalog Makeover Tutorial: A Love Story

This is the card catalog from my school.

The elementary school I teach at.

Built in 1950.

I have drooled over this piece of

 solid wooden goodness

ever since I first laid eyes on it.

8 years ago.

I brought my class in the library.

 As they swarmed around the computers

this lovely little dish sat alone on the wall.

alone. unoticed.  untouched.

So when it was time to renovate the library I knew it was my time to pounce.

I walked in the library one day and literally saw it on the {take} table.

I checked with the librarian and ran to get the custodian to hide it for me

{I didn't want to take any chances.}

And then skipped around all day with a card catalog song in my heart.

One problem: my studio was packed to the max with stuff, stuff, stuff.

As was my garage and the rest of my house.

I knew I could not keep both her and my husband

unless I already had a cleared out space for her

and I could show that she could actually save space.

So I had to purge & clean my studio

And almost a year later, here she sits in my studio.

True love.

Card Catalog Makeover Tutorial

First, I took the big metal rods out

and covered  the front of the drawers

with text from an old book

and, of course Mod Podge.

I filled the little name plate part

with a piece of card stock.

When all of the drawers were out

I painted the whole thing with black acrylic paint.

I added a little white paint with a paper towel

and mushed it around to make it more interesting.

Then I added a trim of text with Mod Podge

and a little collage of paper to add color to the side.

And I filled it with supplies.

And Vwah-lah! She's done.
This same collagey make over can be done with
just about any piece of furniture.

I used the same process for my recipe box tutorial.

Pretty soon anything that doesn't move will have a

 layer of paint, Mod Podge & paper...

Linking up with



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Art Studio Makeover Part 2: Function before Form

Art Studio Makeover Part 1: Time to Purge

***I'm so excited to be featured over at My Messy Manger today.***

Take a look.

So now that I have gotten rid of piles and piles of stuff

I'm finally ready to organize this room to be:

 functional

(above all else!)

efficient

simple

and ultimately...

inviting & inspiring

I'm not an organizer by nature,

so this is brain surgery for me.

I divided my room into 3 separate stations:

***1.Creating***

{My bulletin board for ideas, pegboard for paint, and my 35 things for inspiration.}

{Getting my paint & supplies off of my workspace

and up on the wall was a huge space/clutter saver.}

{This is not pretty, but it gets the job done.}

***2. Wrapping & packaging orders***

{This is still a work in progress.}

{I put up a bulletin board for inspiration,
a calendar, and a board for orders & to dos.}

Ribbon storage before...

Ribbon storage after...

{Plus it has a little shelf to hold more stuff.

Painted pots are a cheap & easy way store stuff.}

***3.all things computer & paper work***

Honestly, the best organizational strategy for me has been

getting stuff off of my workspace and onto my walls.

and using every inch of my vertical space.

My drill has been my best friend.

{This skinny bookshelf sits on the table,

but it helps to use the vertical space.}

Also, I found these affordable baskets at WalMart for $5.00.

These have been a life saver for miscellany.

It seems no matter how much I purge and organize,

there is always that random stuff that just doesn't fit.

They are not the most attractive things in the world,

but they are functional, so I was really excited when I found them.

And I saved the best for last. Don't hate.

This is my organizational, vintage, antique, artist, studio dream come true:
The real live card catalog from my school. Built in 1950.

I have to save our love story for another post.

It's too good to pass up.

 I'm almost there.
I still have a few more projects
to finish up so I can finally start painting again.

Art Studio Makeover Part 1: Time to Purge

I'm making progress on the spring break list.
 I  finally decided to get serious about organizing my studio for productivity,

instead of making it a dumping ground for all things miscellaneous.

Up until now I've just kept adding stuff to the room

where ever there is  had space.

But now that I know I'll be here a while

I'm trying to:

A. Purge.
Anything I haven't used for the last year.
I could write several posts on this.
How tough it is at first,
how good it feels to let go,
and then I wonder why I held
on to it so tight in the first place.
surrender.

B. Organize stuff for efficiency.

Think function first.
Make it pretty later.

C. Make it pretty.
finally. the fun part.
inspiring. creative. beautiful.

Of course I have to fight the urge to do it in the opposite order.
Right now I just need to get rid of the stuff that is getting
in the way of making the art I want to make.

I keep asking myself
Do I love this?
Have I used it in the last 6 months?
Do I need it in order to create the art I want to create?

I can always make it pretty later.
Right now I just need to let go & simplify.

The biggest thing I let go of was this monster day bed.
I was saving it for my little girl.
We're not having a little girl.
Hard to let go.

Then I finally put up some blinds and added a little color to the curtains.
I went out of order. I know. I couldn't help it.

Got rid of piles and piles of stuff.

 Brought in the hutch with the

printer for paper work.

Covered some storage boxes with text.

Fixed the cluttered, falling down shelves.

FIlled in all of the holes I've made in the last 2 years.
I was left with a wall full of spackle.
And, being 7 months pregnant,
I can't breathe the fumes of regular wall paint,
plus I just didn't want to deal with the hassle of it.

So I used my acrylics to paint the wall.
I started with paint brushes
and then switched to paper towels.
Don't worry. I have a plan. I can see it.

Art Studio Makeover Part 2: Function before Form
Organize my work stations to be
functional.
efficient.
simple.

and then make them pretty.