Finally...Friday's Organizing Item!

Today's Agenda:   Trying to get back to normal a little bit each day.  After my last post {which seems like ages ago!!}, I trucked up to NYC {okay, I bused up there...love the Bolt bus -- wifi!} and worked on a new project helping a client/friend put together a New York 1 bedroom apartment from soup to nuts.   We sat on every sleeper sofa couch in the city {if you need recommendations let me know!} and the West Elm Chelsea folks became our fast friends -- it was a ton of fun and we got a lot done in a few days.  Unfortunately, when I got back I ended up going to the hospital to treat cellulitis that I had been dealing with for awhile.  A trip to urgent care, the ER and my first ever hospital stay were the high points of last week.  I have been staying off my feet {which is hard for me to do} and trying to rest since then.  This little episode definitely made me thankful that I have been so healthy my whole life.  I'm feeling a little better, definitely sleeping better and getting back into the groove of the life I love...

I've been dying to show you a couple projects I finished last year {isn't it still funny to think it is 2010??} but I still need to get myself organized and edit the pictures and pull the sources.  I did show you a preview of my DIY project in my last post -- the ribbon organizer and that is today's Friday's Organizing Item!

A home office client had a beautiful collection of ribbons from various wedding projects she has worked on.  The ribbons are gorgeous colors and fabrics but as those things go they are also odd sizes and didn't fit in those "handy dandy ribbon organizers" which, maybe it's just me, but I feel like they never really work.  You know the ones -- with the holes that you daintily leave the ends of ribbons hanging out of.  I just end up lifting the box and grabbing the ribbon I want, cutting it and put it back.  Basically, it's an expensive box.  Anyway, I thought about those wood shelves with pegs on them and I liked the idea of the peg -- you could put two or three spools on them and they would be uncomplicated and easy to get at.  After looking at a couple of stores {kid stores/sections are good for this kind of stuff} I didn't really find anything.  So, off to Home Depot. 

One peg board, 20 dowels, 1 can of spray paint, 1 thing of Gorilla wood glue, 2 handy peg board baskets, and 1 black picture frame later I was off to construct my ribbon organizer... 

...and, here is the final product!

It was pretty easy to do.  Here are the steps I took.

1.   Have dowels and peg board cut to the size you need.  {Note if Home Depot doesn't do this or have a self-help area where you can do this or you don't have an area at home to do this, try Lowe's.  My wonderful husband/unpaid intern actually did this step for me and it was a huge help!!}

2.  Spray paint peg board and dowels.  {I used a high gloss black which looks great.}  Be sure to lay them on a plastic surface or large piece of cardboard.  Towels or any surfaces where leaves or dirt can blow in are bad.

3.  Let dry overnight {or at least a few hours -- some spray paints have a faster drying time than others}.

4.  Attach peg board to open frame.  I went to the picture framing section of Michael's and bought 1/8" fasteners that you just screw on to the sides of the frame.  It's not a tight fit but for this project worked well.  You could also go to a framer and ask them to insert the framing staples to secure the peg board.  Just depends on where you are hanging it {I was just going to lean it against a wall on the floor} and how much time you have.

5.  Lay peg board/frame down and begin to fill in each hole with wood glue and insert a dowel in each hole.   {Note that you can't put too much weight on each dowel but for other projects you can find a hook that fits in the size peg board you have purchased.}  The Gorilla glue expands to fill the hole which let to some dripping -- you could spray paint over that or by laying it down flat avoid that.

6.  Let dry overnight. 

7.  Go to town organizing!!!

It also has me thinking of how else I can use peg board, especially with a high gloss spray paint and a fantastic frame {love some flea market or Marshalls finds!} -- you could do so much! {I also want to know what else can I spray paint -- the spray paint available now is amazing! Lamps, vases, chairs, desks, etc.!}

* What about a silver ornate frame with a fresh aqua paint in a bedroom -- for necklaces and bracelets!

* Or a white simple frame with a high gloss white in the kitchen-- for colorful spoons and tongs, etc. in the kitchen!  Ooh, maybe tangerine colored utensils...against a light gray wall...

* Or gold frame with high gloss red or emerald green in a dressing area -- for your black bags or fun evening bags!!

* Or a cute little frame and peg board in a high gloss yellow for your keys -- a cheery way to start the day!