My picket toolbox gets fresh on me

I love red. But not just any red. I like the deep rich primitive tones that speak of all things heritage.

So when blog friend Heidi from The Red Dollar House broadcasted that she had a sign that she had ideas of sending me, I nearly fell over. It was rustic, looked exactly like something I myself would make, and it was deep red!

I wanted this baby to pop in just the right place soooo...

... when these pretty flowers were a done deal, it was time for a fresh look once again.

My ever changing picket toolbox sits on my back patio.

I'm having the most fun changing this thing out! That's the beauty of fresh flowers. They're a little more labour intensive to keep up with, however the change is also fun.

A broken twiggy wreath became a nest of sorts to start things off. Love the extra texture.

Mix in 3 cups of water, an ounce of of creativity and a few fresh blooms and you get...

the perfect backdrop that makes your gifted Fresh Cherries sign pop!

Heidi did an exceptional job with this sign. I love how she lowered the upper case characters as well as visually centering the center parts of the text. This girl is good with typography which pleases me to no end! Because there are indeed tricks when playing with text. The two toned border makes the text pop too. It's absolutely perfect! And I have only 101 ideas for it, this being the first.

Thanks Heidi! I love my sign! 

And dear friends, it's time for a little R&R with my son. We need to go forth and splash, giggle, play board games, create new adventures and downplay electronics for a short spurt. I'll be checking in over the next week, but it'll be sporadic.

Thanks for continuing to be interested in what goes on in my little neck of the woods! SNS will still run as planned with the theme being FJI inspired projects. I can't wait to see what you bring! :)

Happy Summer!

Junky picket phone organizer

I seem to collect pickets. 

I found two really large pickets at the curb last year. One of them was used for my picket toolbox.

Picket toolbox... do you name all your projects strange names too? Maybe it's just a junk thing...

Anyway, here's the other. HUGE.

What's that thing stuck to it you ask?

It's an old door hinge welded into this position. I had it on another project and it proved to be perfect for my new game plan.

This is my sign shop office downstairs. And I know how to make a paperwork mess like the best of them.

So in order to clear up some desk real-estate, I decided I needed to hang my phone list and notepad on the wall somehow.  And that itty bitty wall space would prove to be just right.

Ohhh... isn't he handsome? :)

I love this old style clipboard. The metal works AND woodwork are absolutely gorgeous.

So I thought this would be a great place to hang my phone list. The clipboard is really meant for notes, but I have my own special system for notes that's more efficient I'll tell ya about in a minute.

As luck would have it, I found this old relic at a thrift. It's a hole puncher I paid a whoppin' buck for that fits the antique clipboard! YES. No more hole alignment guessing.

Perfect. :)

In order to protect some personal numbers, I'm just showing you a blank page.

Phone list tip

I build my phone list in a word processor on the computer, then simply print it out. It's easy to change, easy to read and when they get crapped out, easy to freshen up. I also place the list inside a page protector so I can walk around with it.

Every phone has the same list as well as one in my vehicle.

A little lightweight rope sealed the deal for hanging the notebook. An S hook works even better but doesn't look quite as cool. :)

Note book tip


My secret weapon for staying organized beside the phone are thick spiral notebooks. I date the top, then proceed to take messages. When I've dealt with the new entry, I draw a line through it.

With this method, your notes never disappear on you. The reference is avail at the flip of a page. I have a notebook beside every phone and every computer. And one in my truck. It's saved my bacon countless times.

That rusty hinge is now a very handy junk style pen holder.

The system is so simple it really doesn't even deserve a post.

But sometimes the simplest ideas can also be the best. :)

Guess I've been on a phone organization binge lately cuz here's the upstairs variety.

Very different yet equally effective.

How do you organize beside your phone?