CRAFTS

wallpaper

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Turn a gum ball machine into a lamp. Using a lamp wiring kit from the hardware store and a store-bought shade, you can transform a vintage gum ball machine into a unique lamp, perfect for a kids’ room or fun living room. If you are not comfortable working with wiring, ask your electrician or handyperson to put it together for you.

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Rig up bar shelving with old crates. Alternating between open side out and back side out makes this arrangement of wooden crates especially appealing. Hung behind a bar or kitchen counter, or above a bar cart, these shelves provide rustic storage for your best bottles and an assortment of mason jar glasses.

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Put an old door to work. On its own, a wooden door in a fun color works as unique wall art; add a row of hooks to the bottom to make it functional, too. You could even string a grid of ribbon between the openings where glass once was and use it as a message center.

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Reupholster vintage chairs with burlap sacks and blue jeans. From the same creative Portland homeowner who hung the map in the last photo, here is a great budget-friendly upholstery material: old blue jeans and burlap coffee bean sacks. Start saving up your family’s old jeans instead of tossing them (or pick some up cheap at a thrift store) and ask your local coffeehouse for a few burlap bags.

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Use discarded apartment building mailboxes as storage. When hung on a wall instead of flush mounted, a row of old mailboxes makes a unique little storage unit. Hang it in the kitchen and keep spices in it, or put one in the entryway to sort incoming and outgoing mail.

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15. Remove a door and create a hideaway office. Even a tiny closet can be transformed into a workspace. Replacing the door with a curtain will help the nook feel more inviting and give you a bit more space — and you'll still be able to close off the room.

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14. Fill an unused frame with fabric-wrapped cork. Cobble together a pinboard with whatever supplies you have lying around: A roll of burlap, fabric scraps or even an old tablecloth can be used to cover your board. No cork at hand? It may not last as long, but in a pinch you can even use foam-core board (like the kind used to display science projects).

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12. Reuse glass jars for flowers. Embellish small glass jars with colorful washi tape to make an instant collection of bud vases. Line up three, five or more down the middle of your dining table for an easy, casual centerpiece.

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10. Style your open shelving. If you have glass-front cupboards or open shelving in the kitchen, consider it a styling opportunity not to be squandered. Take a look at your shelves as they are now, putting function aside for just a moment. Can you spy any clashing colors or patterns? Remove those first, then step back and look again. Do you see a theme emerging among what's left? White and silver, for instance, or blue and white would work well. Search your other cupboards and storage areas for objects you use that fit the color scheme, and work them in.

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9. Hang artwork on your shelves. A favorite of decorators, this simple trick can make a room feel more sophisticated in an instant. A small painting allows you to still access the books around it.

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7. Color code your bookshelves. Bookshelves looking a bit boring? Spend a winter afternoon rearranging your tomes by the color of their spines rather than the contents for a change. Bonus: It will give you an excuse to peruse all of your favorite old books!

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6. Revamp old jars as fun storage. Have a tiny bit of paint left over from another project? You'll need only a dab to bring color to an assortment of jar lids. Use open-top jam jars to hold pens or paintbrushes, and larger jars for storing anything from buttons to laundry soap. Gluing small plastic animals to the lids is the perfect finishing touch if you will be using them in a child's room.

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Painted Large Ribbon Storage Rack - $47.00 » This slim caddy is a great option to keep ribbons in a cabinet or shelf and then can be easily pulled out when working on your project.

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Shannon posted this fantastic idea of using straw holders to store ribbon spools on her blog, The Wight Family. She found them on sale for $5 each at Bed Bath and Beyond. She trimmed some of the larger cardboard reels in order to make them fit in the dispenser.

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Homeowner Jessica Young says of this laundry room and gift wrapping station, "You can use different colors [of wrapping paper] for different people during the holidays. It's nice to have a variety to chose from. Storing it in the laundry room is convenient, saves space and keeps everything neat."

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Organization is key when it comes to efficient wrapping — and this gift wrapping and crafting haven stows and shows with style and organization in mind.

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This laundry room and wrapping station lets you choose from ribbons and paper between laundry loads.

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This gift wrapping station has layered lighting, from the ceiling and under the cabinets — perfect for late-night wrapping jobs and holiday card writing. The best part of this command central for holiday wrapping is the chalkboard door, which makes writing names for a gift list and crossing them off that much easier.

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2. Store wisely. Clutter does not benefit studying or creativity, so set up proper and organized storage. “Keep frequently used tools and materials in open containers for easy access, and keep anything extra or items used only occasionally to dedicated shelves and marked boxes,” says interior designer

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