Thursday, January 5, 2012

Wooden boxes

Last year around this time my flight back to Ireland was cancelled due to snowstorms. While we've been spared the ice of previous years so far, there is a storm raging outside right now - hailstones and snow included -, and I am holed up in a room upstairs in my mother's house burning lavender oil to get rid of the headache I got in response to the changing weather. Running is cancelled today, as is, sadly, a trip to see my older sister and her husband (due to the weather, not my head).

My holidays are coming to an end. I didn't get to read all the books I'd planned to, and I didn't finish the illustrations I am working on (and haven't started the new ones - well, there are still a few days left), but I am content. Spending time with my family is my priority.

While I used up all the yarn I'd brought with me, I haven't tackled any of the more complicated patterns and ideas that are gathering in my notebook. Instead I got distracted by storage for craft supplies.

At home I have a perfectly sized box to store long knitting needles, but my mum has this cute wooden box for circular needles (the cover slides off), and another one for crochet hooks, and I am inspired to make something similar:

 


They must be from the 1970s. I love how they are decorated. They are functional and pretty - I always aim for both with practical things. I don't think I own a single item of plastic storage. 

While most of the stuff in my house doesn't require elaborate storage solutions because I keep it to a minimum, my art and craft supplies are growing and therefore I frequently reorganise my space. If I keep things in containers that are nice to look at, they can be displayed - I store a lot of food in kilner jars on the kitchen counter, for example, and they are decorative as well as practical. I also like having things within easy reach and view, especially when it comes to art and crafts materials - that way I will use them more, and the added benefit is that I feel more creative in a home that displays the tools needed for creating.


2 comments:

  1. This stormy weather made me cancel my running two days in a raw now :( I don't mind the rain but the wind is crazy!
    I love your storage solutions. I don't like plastic containers either.
    I want to take up crochet, my gran taught me a million years ago but I can't remember a thing, can you suggest me any good book to get me started?

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  2. Thanks, Angeliki. I agree, rain is fine, but if it's stormy, it can be tough.
    I'll ask my sister re crochet books - she has several. I think I only have one, and it's in Ireland - will let you know when I'm back there next week!

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