Talk About Quality with Betsy Skagen

Way back in 2015 I made a storage unit for my art studio table. At the time, I wondered how well a storage caddy made from chipboard would stand up to daily use. Would it be worth it to pay for a unit made from cardboard? Four years later, I can assure you that the answer is a resounding yes.

I used a kit from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts (which at the time was called Gina's Designs) to make this rotating hobby organizer. You can go back and read the tutorial here.

Maybe you are thinking that it isn't impressive for a storage unit to last four years. If you knew how I used mistreated it, you would probably think differently. Not only do I use the container regularly, I do not treat it gently. It is crammed full of (sometimes leaky) bottles, paper, sharp implements and a mish-mash of art tools.

Here are some snapshots of it sitting on my desk today.

I store many of my daily go-to supplies here plus assorted bits and bots that I need to tuck out of the way of my workspace.

In two of the drawers I keep my receipts until I pull them out at tax time. Since I am extraordinarily talented at procrastinating on taxes, the drawers end up getting crammed full.

Honestly, it is in as good of shape as it was the day I made it. I have not had to make a single repair to it. So if you have any hesitation about durability in creating something from Gypsy Soul's many storage options, you no longer need to worry.

Have a great weekend! -Betsy

Great Stuff
Rotating Hobby Organizer
Beacon Fabri-Tac
Decorative paper
Drawer pulls
Washi tape

Circus Themed Craft Organizer

Hello everyone, happy Saturday! I want to share a fun circus themed organizer I just finished using the GSLRotating Hobby Organizer. The finished size is a generous 13 by 10.5 by 9 inches. I can't wait to start using it in my craft room! Let me walk you through the assembly.

 

I found all of the drawer pieces and set them aside. There are four drawers total, two for each side of the organizer.

I located the four largest pieces, the largest being the base of the organizer. I glued the two 10 x 9.75 and the 8.75 x 6.25 inch pieces together then into the base piece using tacky glue.

 The drawer spaces look like this. They have a front (flat) and back (notched) side.

When they are glued into place, they make the slots for the drawers.

There are two pieces that measure 6 inches and have both a flat top and bottom. These get glued into place to enclose the top of the organizer, leaving you with two storage spaces up there.

 The side pockets are glued in place next.

 Next, glue the four drawers together and take a minute to admire your accomplishment!

The papers I used were from both the Graphic 45 Le Cirque and Mother Goose collections and the Bo Bunny Carnival collection. They were super easy to cut to measure as the organizer is made from a series of rectangles. I inked the edges of the paper with vintage photo Distress Ink to soften the look.

 

I knew I wanted to have fun knobs for the drawers and decided to make my own. Using a utility knife, I cut some miniature plastic animals in half then drilled a hole to insert a screw. I used a small piece of wood with a hole drilled in it to function as a washer.

Here's a photo of an installed knob, looking down into a drawer.  I considered using four different animal fronts for the knobs but decided it would be more fun to have the front end of an animal on one side and the back end directly opposite on the other.

The lazy susan hardware is included with the organizer and was easy to attach to the bottom with Crazy Glue.

T0 finish off the circus theme, I glued some fun animal figures from BoBunny's Carnival Noteworthy collection.

 Thanks for stopping by!

 

Gypsy Soul Laser Items Used

Rotating Hobby Organizer

Other Items Used

Graphic 45 paper -Le Cirque & Mother Goose

BoBunny paper - Carnival & Carnival Noteworthy animal cutouts

Tacky glue

Super glue

Plastic circus animals

Screws & woodscraps

Distress Ink

Tool Caddy

Hi folks, it's Angela with you today with a simple tool caddy. It is incredibly useful for putting in those bits and bobs you use all the time like scissors, pokey tool, pens and a ruler. Just put it on the desk whilst working and pop it back on the shelf when you have finished (you all tidy up when you have done don't you? ha ha)

First I layed out the pieces on the desk so I knew what I had.

Next I took the 2 number 5 pieces and inserted them into number 1, I then ran a line of glue along all the "lines" on piece number 3 before placing the assembled bit onto it.

Next I took the 2 number 2 pieces and layed them against the base to apply a line of glue along the joins. I find it easier to do it this way as you get glue exactly where you need it without too much mess.

All that was left for assembly was the end pieces (number 4) and here you have the assembled piece:

Here is the covered version:

and here it is sat in the rotating hobby organiser where it fits perfectly:

Supplies used

GSL Cuts Tool Caddy

GSL Cuts Rotating Hobby Organizer

Beacon 3 in 1 glue

Graphic 45 Botanical Tea paper.