The Small Stuff

Most of my "redos" involve larger pieces of furniture. Truth be told, it's what I love best, but from time to time I run into a small item that catches my attention, and I just cant pass it by. Hence the title, "The Small Stuff".

The small stuff is usually what sells at craft shows. People want a little piece of pretty, for not too much money. One thing I do is always add embellishments to things, jazz 'um up a bit, and these little pieces are no exception.

I added "Imagine" to the small mirror, because it made me think of my 3 girls. I wanted them, or any other lil' girl, to be able to look into this mirror, and imagine all the possibilities, all the things they could be! I didn't want them to see what the world told them was there, but what they envisioned themselves looking like.

This larger mirror, was one of those mistakes turned cool piece of art.

We had a cheap $5 mirror that hung on our wall in the hallway, and one day the white plastic trim pulled of, well when we went to replace the mirror, half the sheet rock came off with it, leaving a big plaster repair job, that neither Maggie, nor I, had time to tackle. Instead, I did have time (because it's funner) to decoupage this extra craft wood, and created a really cool frame for the mirror, hiding the eye sore, and creating a great conversation piece for the hallway.

So, the next time your out at a thrift store or even about to throw out that little "whatchmacallit" think again at how it could be reinvented and put to good use!

Busy With Boxes

Its been awhile since I wrote, and that's because I have been busy making boxes!  Originally, I wanted to call my business "Out Of The Box" not just because I'm always thinking that way, or rather living my life that way, but because I love to make boxes. 

Well, actually, Maggie builds the boxes and I just make them pretty (but that's a whole other story; Maggie never gets any credit for her hard work building things, because people just see my "pretty work" and say I love your work, and Mags feels left out! So, to all that are reading this...Thanks to Maggie for being such a great builder, without her my work would have nothing to display itself on, or would never get shipped out, patched, sanded, or fixed for that matter! Man she does a lot!)

Anyway...our box venture, all started out of necessity.  We have dogs, and along with dogs, comes large bags of dog food! But who wants unsightly bags of dog food laying around, or in places where the dogs can help themselves (even after you have fed them 5 times already that day).

Like everything else in our life, Maggie and I came up with a very creative alternative to this dilemma.  She built the box, I blasted it with funky colors and voila, this really cute storage box.  I have done many of these, for our own home, as well as individual customers.  I never run out of ideas.  Every box is like an empty canvas screaming, "PAINT ME!" Sometimes customers help, and suggest their own creative ideas, which is great, and sometimes they give me a theme to work with, allowing me the creative freedom to make something totally unique.

The thing is, these boxes, have REALLY branched out! We have come up with so many other ideas! Dirty cloths, toys (for kids & pets {funny how those to groups always wind up together; kids & pets} LOL!) they can be used for doll clothes, extra diapers, food storage; potatoes, rice (not sure who eats that much rice? But you never know) man the list is endless!

Here are just a few of the many that I have done!  Look for more of them on this page as well as my Etsy page. What could you use a box like this for!