All the outdoor chores I needed to get done before the winter chill arrives are just about complete. My thoughts have moved inside, ready to fluff my rooms for comfortable evenings at home on a cold night.

One of those rooms to fluff would be my craft room. I sat down last night to create some birthday cards and ended up bringing the supplies into my family room. I have a craft space in the basement of our house. It's really two folding tables from a warehouse club with my craft supplies stored randomly nearby. It's workable... but last night when I was watching the Nate Berkus show on my DVR while working on my cards, I was longing for a warm space on the first floor where the goldens could keep me company and I didn't feel so isolated.

I've begun checking out different craft rooms and storage ideas online and started a board on Pinterest with a few of my finds. While clicking along, I came across a planning tool and furniture designed by who else, but Martha Stewart, on HomeDecorators.com



All of this furniture is very pretty, but what I would really like is to integrate the craft storage into my current family room so that I can stay in that first-floor space, enjoy the DVR and the company of my goldens, and still have my craft supplies close at hand.This top room is my favorite. I love the table that holds all the magazine dividers, and it's neighbor with the wrapping paper rolls is pretty awesome too.



I don't really want my space to look like a craft space... so I just need a few elements. A desk of course, a comfortable chair, and then storage. Lots of storage.



I like this furniture, but I was trying to improvise with what I might already have on hand. For instance, the armoire in the picture above... I have an old armoire my sister gave me. It's not quite as big, but it looks right at home in that room and it could store a lot of supplies.




I just gave my daughter a desk I used to have in the entry. That would have been perfect behind a sofa to use as a kind of sofa table/work surface. Instead I'll have to make do with another piece of furniture. Perhaps my farm table from the office {nope, it's too big}or a smaller desk I have used to hold a sewing machine upstairs.This last room would be my ideal design office... at work, but not for home.

Open storage in pretty jars and such is nice for a dedicated craft space, but this wouldn't fly if I was going to use my family room. Is it possible to have a space to craft that also functions as a family room? Not sure.. but you can bet I am going to try!

Here's my favorite links from last week...


Wigs are often the most expensive part of a Halloween costume, but you can make your own Jack Sparrow hair... the tutorial is here on A Couple of Craft Addicts!
I just can't resist these pictures of kids ready for the big day... This Hulk costume is fabulous, and you can tell this little guy feels the same way! See how the costume came together over at The Sasse Life!


This last link is not Halloween related at all... but the colors of the creation are true to autumn and the words are most definitely the star. Check out this post over at Bonita Rose to see her beautiful collage but most importantly, read the message she shares.



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Let's get this week's party started! Link up the best of your blog and be sure to link back to the party with a button or text link. If your post has been removed because there wasn't a link back, add the button below or a text link and link up again. Most importantly... mingle... click around the other links and get to know this fabulous group of partiers!

I filled my vintage salt and pepper shakers this afternoon.  These are some of my favorites. Of course the round one steals the show--it holds some of Martha Stewart's crystal glitter.

I decided not to shine the tops of the shakers. Although some of them are dark and dull, the glitter and the glass steal the show.


Even though I usually look for silver tops, this pair had such pretty glass texture and shape I couldn't resist. I decided to fill them with white and black glitter, traditional salt and pepper colors.



Of the colored glitters, this light green is probably my favorite. I put it in a special bottle, this one is quite shapely and the cut is really pretty.



I made little paper funnels to get the glitter in the tiny openings. It was a little messy, but in a sparkly kind of way, so that was fine with me! I usually end up with glitter on my clothes and then it gets on my hands and face... but I really don't mind. It beats the dirt after working in the garden.



Some of the shakers are so tiny, but glitter really lasts such a long time and I have lots in little plastic bottles that I was so happy to repackage.

Carrie at In the Hammock, Miss Char and Ann@A Sentimental Life all made comments about the silver tray I featured the glitter on in my Glitter Shakers Part 1 post, so I decided to keep them displayed this way. It will make my studio craft space so much more glamorous! A girl's gotta have some fun, right?

What have you been doing this week? Scroll down & ink up the best of your blog on Share the Love Wednesday! I'll be featuring some of last week's participants on Thursday of this week since this glitter shaker post was so long.

Check out the parties I'm linking this post to here.

 

  
 
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What's better than glitter? Glitter in pretty containers! Vintage salt and pepper shakers are the perfect solution to store  your sparkle. I look for clear glass bottoms {or crystal if I get lucky}, and prefer silver tops. The pair of red ones was so inexpensive I couldn't resist them and I did need a few more containers.

There are two large ones in this week's bundle which I love--especially the big round one. It's also the most intricate shaker, I believe it might be crystal... sure is heavy enough!

I also have to make sure that the holes in the tops are big enough so that glitter will shake through easily. I found some great deals on shakers recently and these are ready to be cleaned and filled.



I'll start the cleaning process with a vinegar, baking soda and hot water bath for them. A few hours soaking in this mixture should help loosen the scale and debris inside. If you try this, be prepared for an initial fizz of the vinegar and baking soda combo. When they come in contact with each other there will be foaming over the top! I'll get my bottle brush out next and try to get them really clean. I have also used denture cleaning tablets (the cheapest brand works fine) but I am out of those at the moment.

I can't decide if I will leave the tops shabby or shine them up. Hopefully I'll have some filled with bling to show you later in the week on Part 2 of this post

Check out my favorite link parties I've linked this post to