Yesterday there was a lovely comment made by Tara at Fiddle Mama. (Thank you, Tara 🙂 She also mentioned that she just made the Quick Craft Basket. She was delighted that now she has all their crafting supplies in one spot, and when the creative juices start flowing in her wee ones, she isn’t riping the house apart looking for supplies, they’re all in a basket, ready to go.
It made me think of a couple of PERSONAL truisms:
First, if something is left out, I am more apt to use it. If I have to dig through cluttered cupboards or stand on step stools to get supplies and toys, chances are they won’t be used as frequently as items laying about.
And, if I deem something ugly, I tend to hide it.
So, over the years I’ve learned to hide crafting supplies and toys in plain site. For me, the secret is to have lovely containers to hold my supplies and to own beautiful toys, made with natural materials, that become part of my decor.
Like my Gnome Home…
And my knitting baskets…
And the play silks with changing colors for the seasons…
And a table that holds wooden toys which I rotate frequently to renew interest…
A quick look at the cupboard at the top of the post, and you see an Autumn display. Look closer and you’ll find knitting supplies, toys, and yes, the Quick Craft Basket. (Notice in the corner of the room you can see a three tiered basket holding other crafting supplies for children along with their books and magazines.)
Throughout the house I have bowls, baskets, boxes and shelves that are both functional and appealing to me. Storage does not need to be unsightly, but it can become a beautiful addition to your room. Instead of trying to hide everything or resigning myself to look at unattractive containers, I am always looking for ways to display art supplies, yarn, and toys in a manner that I find pleasing. If you are tired of looking at the clutter that children inevitably create, try hitting garage sales and resale shops and see just how creatively you can hide supplies in plain site!
Everything looks so pretty. I certainly need some reorganizing and decluttering. You are very inspiring. I want to live in your gnome world, hehe.
That is so true. Oh, how I love this post. One of the essential items that I recommend for my students is a fiddle stand so that they can keep their fiddles at the ready for when they have a free moment. It’s amazing what a difference it can make to be able to just grab it and play instead of unbuckling, unzipping, putting on the shoulder rest, etc. Thanks for the sweet mention too. 🙂
I’m all about keeping it handy. Toys that are out-of-site get played with far less than those that are easy for kids to get to. Watching your blog over the past couple of years I’ve often noted the way you display things in your house. I’ve slowing been picking up baskets for toys and hanging pegs around the house for bags of small pieced toys. I’ve yet to come up with a cool way to display our silks. Unfortunately, I don’t have a convenient stairway like you do 🙁 Everything looks so beautiful and fallish. I noticed your bolga basket. I’ve gotten 3 since you introduced me to them a while back. Aren’t they great?
I want to come live at your house!
Hello,
Your house is wonderful ! Ta maison est magnifique, si chaleureusement du00E9coru00E9e ! J’aime beaucoup ! I love it !
this is a great post…I love all the photos and creativity….your blog is one of my most favorites to read…so much inspiration and thought…I thank you so very much for your kind words. They mean so much to me:)
hugs and hugs and hugs!!!!
Where did your fabulous tree house/gnome home come from? I’d like to get my girls something like that for Christmas.
Tim and I made our gnome home using branches from our backyard. Bella Luna carries a very nice gnome house, too. Here’s the link to hers. http://www.bellalunatoys.com/wooden-toys/wooden-dollhouses/treehouse-toy-fairy-house-tree-blocks.html
A friend just told me about this website. What wonderful ideas, and I enjoy the blog with your readers’ comments so much.
Thank you, all of you, for adding joy and optimism to my day!!
Oh, Iu2019m so glad she sent you our way. There is a lovely, global community of people that hang with us. If you have a Facebook page, make sure you visit us there, too. It is a very active and very chatty group of people! Welcome and we hope you kick off your shoes and make yourself right at home. ((hugs))
~Kimara~
Oh, I’m so glad she sent you our way. There is a lovely, global community of people that hang with us. If you have a Facebook page, make sure you visit us there, too. It is a very active and very chatty group of people! Welcome and we hope you kick off your shoes and make yourself right at home. ((hugs))
~Kimara~