Doorknob pocket! An easy storage solution for small spaces.

If luck is preparation meeting opportunity, then craft luck is stored-up inspiration meeting someone with a bag full of shrunken wool scraps - at least if you want to make an over-the-doorknob hanging storage pocket.  This project was carried out on a sunny winter afternoon using scraps of wool from old sweaters that were being repurposed into mittens by a very crafty lady in Cambridge.

Step 1: Find wool scraps of suitable shape and size, measure for desired width.

Step 2: Convince wool-scrap donor to also sew your pocket pieces together on her awesomely restored vintage sewing machine.

This project involved a grey wool backing and two fun striped pieces for the pockets. The sewing consisted of a few straight lines, making this an easy project for any sewing experience level.

Step 3: Trim away the excess wool on the sides, and cut a hole for hanging the pocket over the doorknob. Note: start with the smallest hole possible, you don't really expect to be moving your new hanging pockets around too much.

Step 4: Store handy items in your new over-the doorknob pockets!

Happy freestyling!

A long-empty frame inspires a flurry of action

On a trip back to lovely snowy Cambridge I visited some old friends.  Not just any old friends, but people who were still living with some of the freestyle finds I had collected while sharing their apartment.  One such example was this gold metal frame with red matting and glass. A heavy old thing, and with mystery spots on the front that I had never managed to remove.  It hung on the wall for many months, framing a piece of living room space in its reflective silence.

  Whether it was the sunny afternoon, the inspirational powers of crafty ladies assembled in the same room, or the hustle and bustle of people coming and going, something made that the day the frame got used for something like its intended purpose.

Step 1: Apply miraculous goo removal substance.

Removing sticky bits on the glass

Step 2: Rediscover rolled-up poster that was otherwise going in the recycling bin

 Put poster into new cleaned frame.

Step 3: Admire.

Also admiring those mustard yellow pants.

Happy freestyling!

Wooden Side Table - evolution in slow motion

Early on in this apartment adventure we had very very little furniture.  We still don't have much, but at one point in the spring I felt the urge to grab this side table from the loading dock.

Despite the scratched top...

Former owners not too keen on preserving my finish.....

Despite the fact that it had a file drawer that was not useful for a living room.....

It was a free side table!

I'm ok, you're ok

So as a side table it served for many a month.  It did a perfectly blandly fine job of side tabling, but really wasn't achieving its full potential. I just wasn't sure what to do, then creativity struck after a good night's sleep. The solution, turn the drawer front into a shelf!

A little dis-assembly time (which is really one of my favorite parts)...

Drawer front removed from drawer frame, along with roller fixtures.

...followed by re-use of the components.  The drawer front that was going to serve as the new shelf wasn't the ideal length, just a smidge too short. I screwed a piece of wood (originally attached to the drawer front) to the base in the back to extend the shelf support. Shout out for pre-drilled holes!

Full disclosure, as much as I tried, the wood screw on the right side just wouldn't go in far enough to be flush with the surface. Sigh. So I put a little bit of tape over it to reduce the risk of unpleasant surprises.  If you have a better idea, or a more powerful drill, I'll all ears.

With a little bit of casual measuring, reuse of existing components, time with a power drill & hammer, and quite a bit of fun, I got a new shelf for our living room magazines.

Ready to display all of the reading materials!

Happy Freestyling!

Autumn Gold Lampshade and Black Stand: The not-so-much-adventure continues

Although they arrived in the apartment at different times, and there was a bit of a detour for the lampshade on a different base, the autumn gold lampshade has finally decided to rejoin its original stand.  

The original base is matte black, with a square bottom, kind of heavy looking, but it gets the job done.  Not bad for a loading dock find late at night.

This isn't a long post because there was nothing that needed to be done to this freestyle, just find a bulb and plug it in!

Simple.

Happy freestyling.