You're So Resourceful

Pottery-made Toothbrush/Hairbrush Holders and Soap Dishes

2012-03-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

We have a toddler and we have to share our bathroom with her. She's very proactive when it comes to brushing her teeth and loves to reach across the counter to grab whatever she can. Keeping the big, fragile, handmade toothbrush/paste holder on the counter quickly became a precarious proposition!

Likewise, we have a matching handmade pottery bar soap holder. I just love it - the colors, the way they swirl - I could design my entire bathroom around these artsy pieces. However, keeping bar soap by the sink with Miss Precocious running around is asking for trouble.

I really want to keep these pieces, but have nowhere to store them. So I repurposed them, if only slightly:

The toothbrush holder:

Pretty self-explanatory, don'cha think?

The toothbrush holder is now a hairbrush and comb holder. It sits on the dresser in the adult bedroom, where only The E.P. and I can reach it. This way I can still enjoy it on a daily basis, and it won't be forgotten when we un-childproof the house in a few years. Look, the lint brush fits nicely in there too!

The soap dish:

Next to our new, easy-clean, unbreakable toothbrush holder is the soap dish -- now in use as a toothpaste tube holder. Here is it in "presentable" form. Often I push it back and rest the tubes against the wall. It may seem rather silly to use it to prop up toothpaste in the corner, but it serves two purposes:

She can't reach that far back in the corner. Which is great, because I'd rather that the paste stayed in the tubes.
This is the type of sink counter top that collects water when one washes their face or completes other common sink tasks. Water always pools in the corner.

It's much easier to clean the bottom of the soap dish than to allow the toothpaste tubes to wallow in puddles all day, potentially growing mold or other bacteria. That is just disgusting, and I won't have it if I don't have to.

Have you ever used a toothbrush holder for an alternate purpose? Pencil/pen holder, something else? Share it in the comments!

Eclectic at it's best. Or rather, because it has to be -
I've nowhere else to put this stuff. ;)

Old/Storage Dining Chairs as Kitty Castle!

2012-03-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

This idea is perfect for anyone with extra antique chairs, cats, and the desire for people to comment on their home. Trust me, this is a real conversation starter:

The lower chair is NOT resting on the bookcase.
We moved the bookcase there some months after the chairs were placed.

The chair on top is part of on heirloom set on the E.P.'s side, which we hope to have repaired someday. The other chair is inherited from my grandfather and I love it. But our current home is so small, we have no where to store them. We already have a couple chairs lined up along one wall in a corner we never use (under the TV).

I combined my determination to keep these chairs with the cat's need for somewhere to climb and play, and somewhere safe to sleep out of the toddler's reach.

So Resourceful's Guide to Hanging Chairs On the Wall

If your chairs have a straight back that is perpendicular to the floor, then hanging them can be as easy as putting a hook or two in the wall and hanging them up, like a coat-hook for furniture. I see this method in antique stores regularly. However, I did not have any large hooks to use, nor did I want to put large holes in the wall. I also did not want to drill into the antiques.

Materials Used:

A wooden chair
2 hooks per chair - Make sure they are suitable for your wall type (drywall, stud/wood or one of each!) and they they will bear the weight of the chair, chain, and cat(s). I like these.
A drill to start the drywall hooks per package instructions
A yard stick or any strong straight edge
A pencil
A length of decorative linked chain (such as one uses for hanging baskets). I went to my local hardware store and bought a remnant length of decorative chain with links about an inch long. If you need to buy chain, I recommend purchasing 4 or 5 feet - you'll use more than you expect, and the leftover can be saved for a future use. Do not use a chain with links smaller than an inch unless you have verified that it will be strong enough to hold both the weight of the chair plus the pressure exerted by your cats leaping onto/off of it at full speed*.

*Note: I only have one cat. I am reasonably certain the chairs can handle the weight and actions of my one cat; if you have 2 cats, I recommend doing some math to determine the likely full weight that will be born by the chain and hooks when all your cats are jumping onto the same chair. You may need to link the chain, or chains, to additional hooks to distribute the weight.

Method:

1. Select how you will hang your chair(s); upright or upside down: Spend a few minutes holding the chairs up to a wall. Just sit them against an open wall, and push back on the top of the chair until at least two points touch the wall. Flip the chair over, legs-up, and do it again. Note the places on the chair that touch the wall. Does the base of the seat touch the wall before the top of the back? Or is the back angled so far out that the seat never reaches the wall? I chose to hang the brown chair upside down because it brought the cat's perch up closer to the ceiling. Cats like height!

Here's a bad photo of how it originally looked , before the
brown chair broke and we needed to swap it out. Also notice the
lack of bookcase - they really are hanging unassisted!

BEFORE YOU START ON THE WALL, make sure you have a way for your kitties to get to their Castle. My cat reaches the lower chair via the back of a large wing-back chair. If I ever move the chair, I'll be sure there's something else nearby from which my cat can launch himself up to his special space.

2. Determine how best to use the chain: Experiment with the chain to find the best way to use it to hang the chair by playing with it. This part can be fun! Try looping the chain around the legs in different ways, around the back, over or under the seat base. Take the center of gravity of the chair into account. Because its weight is at the bottom, I would never have hung the white chair by the seat as I did the brown chair. Do NOT shorten the chain - at least not yet. See the collage below for ideas.

3. Determine where to place hooks: Find a place on the wall several inches above the point where the chain will be bearing the weight of the chair. I recommend this spot be at least 5 inches further up on the wall. If the chain is too short, additional force will be exerted on the hooks that may eventually lead to the collapse of Kitty Castle. Your hooks will be placed at this height.

Measure the distance down from the ceiling to your selected hook-height. Use the straight edge and level to find two points at that height for your hooks, and mark them with the pencil. As for hooks' distance from each other, have them be approximately the same width as the chain will be across the back of the chair.

Note how I angled the hooks to match the angle of the chain. Oh, and you better notice kitty too.
Or he'll take a swipe at you as you walk under the chair.

4. Apply the chain and hang on the wall: Thread the chain and hoist! Hang it almost as tight as you can. Check for wobbliness - you may need to lengthen the chain to ensure a non-tipsy fit on the wall.

5. Shorten the chain: Do this after you have hung it on the wall or you may find yourself in a bit of a bind.

6. For slick and sloped kitty surfaces, consider their tread: I put a rubber-lined mat on the white chair to give my cat some extra grip.

Contemplating a jump onto the chair below.
Or your death, whichever seems more amusing to kitty at the time.

7. Place kitty in their new Castle and present treats: Make sure kitty knows it's perfectly OK for him/her to explore this new space. I had to bribe my cat up to the brown chair with treats; now he's confident in his Castle and I regularly lift my toddler up to place treat up there for him. I also tied up a short ribbon, just long enough for him to play with bit not long enough for him to wrap himself into. Because that would be bad.

Hey you! Yes, you! Feed me now!

Nom nom nom....

Disclaimer: I may have forgotten to mention something here or there, or I might not have taken your particular circumstances/materials into consideration. Please be sure to think creatively about this or any project before you start, to make certain it will work for you. I can't be responsible if it doesn't turn out well.

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2012-03-10T12:30:00.002-08:00

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Resourcefulness at its.... Best? No, that can't be right....

2012-02-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

I'll help! Look, Mommy, I repurposed myself!

About This Blog
This is going to be a how-to blog featuring creative ways to repurpose stuff around the house, turning the space-takers into space-savers. Read this blog for tips and tricks on how to reinvent household items for maximum convenience, even if the results are a bit wacky.

About Me

I'm a re-purposing fiend. I am constantly trying to take what I have and work it into something better. I like to save money, so rather than buy something new, I first look around the house, see what's on hand and create. I also try to find a suitable uses for items I love but no longer need for their original functions. When I have time on my hands, I like nothing better than a creative household project that requires 5 fun trips to the thrift store, because I can make what I need for less than I can buy it.

I currently live with my mom, my Evil Prince, and my toddler in a small 3-bedroom apartment. Being in such a small space has forced me to think with even more invention, and while most of my projects are not suitable for the vast majority of people, they may be useful to some in similar circumstances. At the very least, I hope my projects are amusing - I do some pretty silly stuff on an everyday basis.

Back Story
On of my first dates with the Evil Prince, we were waiting in a long line for hours to see a mega-blockbuster at our favorite movie theater. When it started to rain, and I'd grown tired of carrying my stuff, I rigged a keep-dry rack for our belongings on the railing next to us using my purse strap and an umbrella. "Wow, you're resourceful!" he commented. The thought had never occurred to me. Ten years later, the E.P. is still amused by the clever, smart, and loony solutions I come up with around the house.

As a kid, I once flipped a shoe box upside down and nailed it to the wall next to my bed. Finally, I had the little wall shelf I'd been wanting for ages! Mom made clear that she was not impressed, but she let me keep it until it feel apart. Little did she know that my shoe-box shelf was only the beginning. "Resourceful", I've learned, is one of my strongest traits.

My other blogs:

...Because We're All at the Center of Infinity (thoughtful essays)

WholePup: Mind . Body . Spirit (healthy living and recipes)

Puppyshine (a family blog and occasional mom-blog)