Funky creation alert: pen and paper solution.

Do you have a messy pen and paper issue near your kitchen telephone? We sure did! I've tried several different ideas for a quick pen drop but the jar or what have you always ended up overflowing with all kinds of things other than pens, making it hard to find what you wanted in a jiffy. So this is what I invented.

I found a little bookshelf at the thrift awhile back, and painted/glazed it.

Here is my new stache of quickie sticky house numbers for a whoppin' .20 each from the local thrift. You can never have too many of these on hand!

(look at that tool box I scooped for $1!! I'm going to copy it and make a bigger one someday. The handle is a copper pipe! worthy of it's own post.. coming soon!)

The numbers were stuck on some wooden flower pots I had on hand, then painted, then glazed.

Notice they aren't the standard schmandard perfectly aligned 1234? Funk it up! Each one got it's own little twisty personality with a different position. Bouncing the numbers around created more fun to look at.

For glazing, nothing fancy was used. A deeper house paint colour was lightly spread over and quickly wiped off with a wet rag.

The components look like they were made for each other!  I still can't believe how perfect those pots fit on the shelf. I love the black interiors and left them as is. Now, to put it to work to see how efficient it truly is.

Oh yes. Liking it very much! And the white look fabulous against the dark countertop.

BUT, I now need a quick solution for dropped off papers and a notebook.

Tip for notes: I ALWAYS keep a bound notebook by the phone for new messages. I date the top and keep entering and cross off when I don't have to deal with the message any longer. This keeps all your notes in tact and easy to go back on time and time again if you forgot something. I've done this for years and have a notebook by every phone.

I had an old vintage blackish textured cookie sheet that fit the bill perfectly. Little felt liners are stuck to the underside for easy sliding.

Bingo! Easy to see, easy to contain, and easy to slide back in place. And the dark tray somewhat disappears against the countertop which is cool.

The new little phone center is working wonderfully! The separate sections keep things neat and easy to grab, and offers you the ultimate organization in an eye catching way. I had this set up without the numbers during my Christmas show and I overheard chatter on what a cool idea it was so the feedback was good! And I'm here to tell you, it works!

Too bad it's just one of a kind. This ought to be massed produced I tell ya.

For another off the beaten track kind of pen storage, see what I did with these rusty little guys.

What about you? How do you deal with pens and paper near your telephone area? If you have a creative solution, I invite you to leave your link in the comments. I'd love to peek. :)

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Dec 17 2009

Dec 17 2009