Thursday, May 31, 2012

Sharpest Pencil in the Ice Bucket

For AGES and AGES I have been struggling with the girls craft and drawing, struggling with it being spread from one end of the house to the other, struggling with their individual craft boxes they were given as presents by a well meaning family member. These boxes, while much loved, have finally given up the ghost, with sides ripped and lids lost. Their loss has given me the perfect opportunity to bring some order back into at least the colouring in stuff.

On my last trip into the largest town nearby I popped into the Bag a Bargain $2 shop (you know the ones I mean where you can find anything from feminine hygiene products in brands you've never heard of, to really tacky ashtrays with the Australian Flag plastered all over them) to see what I could find. The pencil tins and pots I had been thinking of were all gaudy with decorations that would quickly fall off and annoy me no end. I then happened upon these lovely 'mini champagne buckets' as they were labelled. They were just what I was looking for and the Muddy Kids love them. So much so, that next time I'm in town I plan on picking up a couple more to further organise the craft area.

The added benefit has been it has kept the Muddy Girls entertained for hours (literally hours) sharpening pencils and sorting crayons, deciding which ice bucket to put them in, and 'Is it sharp enough' as they sharpen them to within an inch of their life. They've been re-inspired to get back into the colouring in, and it has been a daily activity ( several times throughout the day). I'm now looking for new storage ideas for the rest of the craft paraphernalia and am looking for any suggestions as to how you keep order in the chaos of craft.




11 comments:

  1. Oh Nat. A classic post. I hear you, my friend! We are about to start a huge overhaul of our 'craft cupboard'. We have really deep shelves but need drawers the pixies can pull out so they can access their 'supplies' themselves! J x

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is a messy business isn't it, in seven years of parenthood I am yet to find a solution, but only to let the creative process occur and not get too strung up on the mess, think the champagne buckets are a great idea, pencilcases just aren't practical. I use pillowclips over the back of chairs for colouring in/activity books, other than that, everything else (especially paint and glue) is up in the cupboard for rainy days and available on request!:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. By the way, I meant pillowslips!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Same issue here Nat. Big time! I love those buckets, excellent solution, will keep an eye out for them. We've had everything from old biscuit tins to instant coffee jars which aren't practical being glass. I put paintbrushes in a big silver Milo tin but need something for the pencils. Oh, and I'm ordering an electric pencil sharpener :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh yes, the craft explosion is a messy one. I literally have bits of everything strewn all over the house. I need ORDER! The paint type craft is locked in the kitchen cupboard with all the poisons (hmmm) and I have textas & crayons in numerous pencil cases. We've always got stickers and paper on the dining table and kitchen bench. And some of it ends up in the storage ottomans too.
    Love that the girls are into sharpening pencils, I remember being exactly the same way.
    Cute photos xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  6. It is a perennial question at our place too. Currently we use an old wooden box to house our pencils. It isn't ideal (lots of tipping the whole lot out to get to the one of the bottom) but it certainly goes okay. I like these ice buckets! Could be a total winner.

    You will find heaps of organising ideas on blogs like The Organised Housewife, Planning with Kids and Childhood 101.

    Good luck!

    Are you back at work yet??

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am loving these little buckets and honestly I just adore the sight of buckets of freshly sharpened pencils. Must take me back to school days or something and kinda explains my stationery fetish a bit ;) xx

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have bits and pieces of art materials all over the place. I wish I could help you, but I'm at a loss for a solution. How about old shoe boxes?

    ReplyDelete
  9. now the trick is to keep all the pencils in them! But you could always keep some glass jars for the extra pencils that are accumulated :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am definitely in that same war BUT I'm sad to say that purchasing a little lazy susan of "mini champagne" buckets has not solved my problems. As soon as I tidy it up Charlotte un-tidies it. Oh well, at least she's using her craft stuff, right? Have you seen the lazy susan that I mean? They're ADORABLE! Ours might be a constant mess, but I still love it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. We have craft crap, I mean art work everywhere in our house. I have yet to get it under control, but you have inspired me. Next time I' at the $2 shop, I'm getting buckets too!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your comment. It means so much to know you're reading and have taken the time to comment. Have a wonderful day.