Getting the Car in the Garage

As I think it is with most garages, 

mine was a mess and a car wouldn't fit in it.

Some of the items- like the windows and new toilet and sink-

are there until they can be put in their new homes.

Other stuff was just tossed in there

(mostly by me I admit)

because I didn't know where else to put them.

So because we were in for a big snow storm, 

Big E and I decided to tackle the mess.

We needed to get things moved and organized 

so my car could fit in the garage in the event

the snow emergency went into effect.

The stack of wood on the right in the photo below

needed to get moved to the loft storage area.

Some of the plywood we were saving for various future projects

(like chicken coop repair/expansion),

and some pieces were slated for the burn pile.

We also wanted to get the counter tops in place

for Big E's work space.

We salvaged the cabinets from the old upstairs kitchen,

and moved them into the garage.

They'll make nice storage for Big E's tools,

and a nice area for him to get working on the projects I have for him.

The cabinets were all hung already

with the help of our friendly neighborhood Eagle Scout.

We just needed to move all the floor cabinets into place

and attached the counter.

We also saved the old "kitchen table" from the downstairs kitchen.

It was just a cabinet with a counter top.

We decided to use this as a little potting table for me and my plants, 

and a place to store all my gardening stuff.

For now, we used cinder blocks to raise it high enough to use, 

but Big E will eventually build a platform so the counter tops will be level.

For now the plywood for the new bathroom subfloor

and the items needed for the new bathroom

need to be pushed to one side, so it looks more cluttered than it is.

The area for my car was cleared out, 

and just in time as it snowed about 15 inches 2 days later.

I'm looking forward to getting all the tools moved to the garage 

to free up some space in the attic.

Putting up the Cabinets

Last night, Big E and I worked on the garage some more.

We adjusted the plans a little bit and made some room for gardening tool.

The empty space next to the cabinet below will eventually

have some shelves for me to store pots and trowels and what not.

A big thank you to our neighbor's son 

who came over and helped with the largest cabinet

(the one on the far left below).

I wouldn't have been able to hold it in place myself.

I'm anxious to get the tools moved out here from the laundry room

so I can get that finished.

So much to do, so little time.

The Office Continued

Here we have a photo showing the majority 

of my scrapbooking supplies all together in one place.

All that's left are a couple of bins and a stack of completed books

at my parents' house,

and some odds and ends up in the attic.

Since i have to go over to the homestead to get the hens ready

for the polar vortex this weekend, 

I'll grab what's there.

Big E (the husband) will be working on the desktop next.

I can't wait to have my own little space again.

In other news, I think I changed my mind about painting the walls.

I think white is a good choice,

so I'm going to go ahead and priome the walls and leave them like that for a while. 

he white will help brighten the space up considerably, not to mention it's easier to match curtains to white than to gray/blue/brown paneling.

DIY: Magazine Files

Because I have limited space in my new place,

I have to make use of as much vertical storage space as possible.

So I had Big E install some shelves above the desk in our room.

But because I still wanted the room to look nice

(as nice as it can with the nasty paneling and ugly carpet)

I wanted to use magazine files to hide all the computer paper,

clip boards, binders, spiral note books and magazines.

Unfortunately the nice magazine files are pricey.

So I happened to find a way to make my own.

First, you need boxes.

The USPS is nice enough to offer them for free.

Really.

Just walk in and get them from the display.

You'll need to make sure that a magazine will fit.

I used 2 different sizes, one that just fit the 8.5 width of a magazine

and one larger that can hold binders and such.

Put your boxes together and tape them shut

just like you were getting ready to ship it.

Now it's time to cut the box to the right shape.

Measure about 1.5" from the front edge

and draw a line

(as seen on the left side of the box above)

then draw a line from the corner of the box to the end of the line

(this makes the diagonal cut)

Use a box cutter to cut along the line

and your box will then look like the one above.

On the inside of the box, tape down the loose flaps so they don't snag anything.

Then you have a magazine file.

But it's ugly.

I tried using wrapping paper to cover them, 

but was less than happy with the result.

Then I had an idea.

Decorative duct tape.

Just run the tape down the box.

I left about an inch on the ends to fold over the edges.

At the corners, 

cut the tape so that it lays flat and neat.

And here you have the finished product.

Because the pattern is so busy, 

I didn't really worry about lining it up 

and it looks fine. 

(I promise to take better photos next time!)