Upcycled packing becomes mantel decoration

Remember the accordion cardboard packing I mentioned at the end of the last post? It became a lovely spring mantel decoration. I confess I don't usually get too seasonal on the decor when it's not Christmas. But this lovely is getting me through until the snow fades.

Used Mod Podge to cover with Sassafrass "Nerd Bird" paper alternating with an old stash postcard print. Oh, first I inked the edges with CTMH "Pacifica" ink.
Next, I cut out Michael's Recollections poppy flower paper. Then I used my Cuttlebug and Tim Holtz elegant flourish die to get these lovely spring green accents.

This was the only new product I used ~ bought K&Co Susan Winget die-cuts & acetate. The colors were so beautiful and light. I put a little bee on each panel. :-)  Doodled with Sakura gel pens and the ribbon is stash from Petaloo.

The finished product on the mantel.

Organizing the small things

So I finally got this tote I've had my eye on as good storage for brads and buttons. It will also be easy to grab quickly to take to crops. 50% off coupon of course!
 I love the individual trays that slide right out.

This is what I started out with and the plan was to get all the brads out of the big drawer and into the tote.

And yes, I did have more than I remembered. Here are my neutrals.

Colors

I have a 3rd drawer partially filled with specialty/odd sized brads, and a 4th empty drawer to fill. I especially like this top storage area for sets of brads and my tweezers. Why the tweezers? Easier for me to pick things out of the teeny sections without having to dump anything out!

While I was doing this, I found a few things I had been missing that were stuffed in the original drawer...so it's good to go through your inventory every now and then. Now I have to think about what else I can get in that tote....


The other thing I've been puttering around with lately is a spring decoration for my mantel. I'm using this cardboard folder that was packing for an item we received at work. Recycling! Stay tuned for how that turns out.

So, Happy Groundhog Day! Regardless of shadows being seen, I always feel like we're moving towards spring when we get through January (such a looong month). And the sun is out here, which is a good thing.

Also finished up my holiday paper bag album at last Saturday's crop. I created this mainly with the Bo Bunny Rejoice line, with odds and ends from my stash. It's kind of nice to have a photo of myself in an album. Thanks Mom!

My question is ~ how do you store or display your various small albums? I love making them for gifts, but I seem to have ended up with a certain percentage of them accumulating in my own house.