Repurposing an Elevator Locker into Bath Storage

Hubby and his friend brought the vintage elevator locker into the house this weekend. Hubby wanted it out of his garage, and when he's motivated, he finds help!

Unfortunately, I was not as prepared, e.g. I did not power wash the greasy beast before moving it into the main level bathroom. So today, the locker and I bonded, over a bucket of soapy water.

Here's the pics of what will be our new bathroom storage cabinet. Pics of the interior of the locker to be revealed after I figure out how to hang shelves on metal. Any ideas?

Finding Local Inspiration

What a weekend!


Not only was the Denver-Metro temperature in the 60's, but treasure hunting was at its best! Below are my finds, and my Pindie Pinterest Challenge entries.


1. I'd never been to an estate sale where the police AND local news were in attendance, until this weekend. Thanks to Ashley of Dingaling Vintage, guest blogger over at The Horseshoe Market, I found out about "The House That Time Forgot." And who could forget this estate?! Packed to the brim with vintage clothes, paper ephemera dated early 1900's, and original art, the sale, hosted by Cobblestone Too!, was quite the adventure in treasure hunting and history.


I picked up this wood lined, antique suitcase marked W. J. Gibbs, Boulder, CO, No.7.

And a simple Colorado badge to add to my growing 'all things Colorado' collection.

2. If the estate sale wasn't enough, this weekend was the beginning of artisan market season too! So I headed over to the delightful Sugar Plum Bazaar and found a couple more goodies to call my own.


Colorado is a dry state, and I don't mean sans liquor. I mean the air is deadly to skin. So I was on the lookout for some lotion or salve to feed my parched hands and face, and found the delightful Elizabeth of Amber Bath ready to help me out. Not only does Elizabeth embody the indie artisan spirit, she was a joy to talk with as well. Check out her website, as well, her line is available at choice Whole Foods grocers. I walked away with the following frappe, SALVEation, and soap (the soap a freebie because I liked Amber Bath on FB--thanks Elizabeth!).

As you might expect amongst the artisan vendor crowd, Elizabeth was kind enough to introduce me to Sara of Make My Notebook--a line of hand silkscreened notebooks made to order based on color, filler paper, and binding. I love her simple yet bold designs. In addition to her notebooks, Sara had some garden planner binders for sale. I had to pick one up since I'm falling behind on my own garden planning!

So there you have it--my take-aways from the weekend! Thanks to all the artisan vendors who continue to inspire me on my creative journey!

Pindi Pinterest Challenge!

Pinterest is addictive. It is so addictive that many of us Pinheads have put aside our own projects while we pin and repin other peoples' creative works. This is wrong. Fortunately, I've found support groups out there for folks like us.

Logo of The Pinterest Challenge
@ pinterestchallenge.com

In fact, there are quite a few Pinterest Challenges circling the blogosphere--asking Pinners to get off their heinies, unplug, and actually make something from one of their boards. (Hmm, I bet I've pinned one of the challenger's DIY projects on my Spud Projects board. I guess that doesn't count though...) 

An estate sale find--
a Dover Locker originally used to house elevator wires &
with a little elbow grease, I'll have new bathroom storage

So as a means to get (myself) motivated (but not quite require power tools) and in lieu of debating whether or not we are supposed to pin our own content, I challenge all Pindie readers to PIN YOUR BEAUTIES! 
Pin what makes your day-to-day more beautiful, inspiring, and creative, including, but not limited to:

• ANY THING you treasure (got an estate sale or artisan market this weekend?)
• ANY PROJECT that engages your creativity (yes, you can be an over-achiever and pin your 1-day DIY kitchen remodel, if you must...)
• ANY ONE that makes you smile, laugh, or cry with joy (think animals, kids, strangers...)
• ANY PLACE that feels like home or calls for you to stay, just a bit longer (e.g., a garden, chicken coop, park, etc.)

Take your picture (or pictures), pin them on Pinterest, and share your pin link/s back here at Pindie before by Monday the 12th so we can repin, share the love, and get motivating together! (And we can get the power tools out for the DIY on the next challenge :).)




Disclaimer: Pinterest is not associated with this Pindie Challenge. 

Pinning Away...But Who Really Cares?

You know a phenomenon is gaining traction when the critics come out. Yep, some folks out there don't like Pinterest. I kid you not.


What's at issue you ask?


1. Self-promotion.

My spuds' homemade crayon valentines
inspired by a Pinterest pin

Just this morning at Mile High Mamas, Joann faulted Pinterest, "You're not supposed to pin your own things." She explained how the pictures she and her husband have taken truly ARE her inspiration. Great! 


Though I still don't see the problem. 


As the site states, "Pinterest is designed to curate and share things you love. If there is a photo or project you're proud of, pin away! However, try not to use Pinterest purely as a tool for self-promotion."


Who wouldn't want to get behind that philosophy? Don't we have enough social media opportunities with our blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, and RSS feeds to self-promote our ideas and wares? Sometimes I feel like my on-line existence is a virtual billboard advertising myself. What relief to inspire AND be inspired by others' art and creativity simultaneously. 


In other words, pin your stuff AND pin others stuff. Karma baby, karma.


2. Liability.


Undeniably, we live in a litigious state. And the boundaries of ownership on the net have yet to be totally defined and sanctioned. Pinterest critics worry that copyright infringements are only multiplied by the rampant pinning of uncredited content. In effect, they say, pinners are stealing images.

Kal Barteski’s Campaign to
Educate and Protect
Online Content and Creators

As a former academic trained to pay homage to original sources, I'm not blind to the unchecked pinning and repinning of non-credited pics on Pinterest. I can empathize with Liz, who wrote over @ ScoutieGirl, of her growing uneasy using Pinterest. 


While Liz took great pains to credit sources, including using description fields to cite creators and double-checking original links, she worried these steps were not enough. The nagging feeling remained, for her, because once she pinned something, that pin's future was out of her hands. 


To be sure, Pinterest states that a pin can be removed at any time if it infringes on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. Further, repeat Pinterest offenders may be prohibited from pinning any new content. But all it takes is a cursory look at a sample of boards and one finds that, indeed, many pins are not properly linked to the original source. So what DOES this mean to creators? to pinners? to copyright on the web?


In the end, critics are upset that they can't pin their own images or can't (safely) pin others' images. They simply can't be bothered with another social media site when they are already overwhelmed with the tweets, pokes, and tumbles found elsewhere on the web. They don't get the point. Why pin in the first place?


Yet, I see value. The lure of the filled pinboard remains stronger than the risk of liability (or the risk of self-negation). I see potential. Potential for supporting artistic commerce, for example.


But since I'm not pinning my own collections just yet (I want to complete The Makerie photography class first!), the critics have raised an important issue--do local artisans want to be pinned at all?


What's your reaction to being pinned on Local Pindies?