Project Time: Crafting On The Go

Anyone who knows me has come to the realization that I absolutely LOVE thrift stores. Go ahead, call me all the names you want...I don't care - thrift stores rock. So, a few weeks back while I was perusing a local thrift store I ran across this gem. When I first saw it I had flashbacks to making mix tapes and thought, "Oh my word, think how many Boyz II Men mix tapes you could fit in there!". Errr, I mean, I picked it up and was SHOCKED that they were only asking $2.00 for it. But wait, it gets better. When I checked out, the elderly woman behind the counter told me that purple tags were 50% off. Excitement. This beauty was mine for a measly $1.00. Wahoo!! I brought it home and had so many fun ideas of how to use it, but finally settled on having one semi-organized place to store all of my crafting supplies & tools. And how great that it could be mobile. Again, major score.

Well, in my free time (*snort* - refer to this post to read about my luxurious life that provides me with countless hours of free time) I started my project.  When I opened the briefcase I found it was partially covered in a burnt orange velvet. How glamorous! Ish. I ripped that out and cleaned up the inside to make sure it was ready for it's makeover. Next, I measured the inside dimensions and found some scrapbook paper I'd had laying around for, oh, ya know, 3-4 years or so. I cut my paper to size and then glued the pieces to the inside panels of the case. After that I had a genius idea - a while back in the dollar section at Target they were clearancing out organizational items for 75% off. I decided to use the little accordion organizer and attach it by putting velcro on the backside of it and then adhering the other piece to the inside of the case. This way I can pull the organizer out if I want to look through it or reorganize anything. I figured I could store a bazillion types of things in this, so I was super excited at how well it worked. Another one of my clearance bargains came in handy to attach to the top of the case, too. Last fall when Target was clearancing out their back to school stuff, I found a bunch of fun items I'd been waiting to find a use for (see photo below). Well this was the PERFECT project to use the Post-It pockets - talk about a cool way to be able to store paper scraps, felt, etc!

After I had my organizers attached, I began pulling together all of my supplies...and then I realized I needed some sort of container to put my scissors, exacto knife, fabric cutter, mini-stapler, etc. But have no fear - a few years ago I bought a big pack of batteries at Sam's Club. The batteries came in this slim rectangular container that snapped shut. Once we used up the batteries I just couldn't bring myself to throw the container away, so it's been in my office with a bunch of random junk in it. Well this bad boy fit like a glove inside my new 'lil crafty briefcase...but I didn't like that it said ENERGIZER and had that obnoxious bunny on the top of the container. Naturally, I took some leftover scrapbook paper and covered it up so it matched the inside of my case. Yay! I finished gathering the last few of my supplies, figured out the best way to organize everything in the case and VOILA! I've now got myself a pretty schnazzy little compact case of craftiness just waiting to be taken along wherever my little heart desires. I seriously am giddy about this - how stinkin' FUN!!!

Thanks for reading my ramblings...I better run, I'm sure there's a child or two to pick up, a client to call, and lots of housework to be done. Yikes. Until next time.

Posted in: Project Time