Monday, June 3, 2019

Paper Storage


Space in a dollhouse is at a premium. Years ago when I first started out in an area under the basement stairs, I had no space for large ( 24 in x 36 in) sheets of paper. Himself was swamped with teaching days and nights and couldn't help me with a project I had in mind. His brother was between jobs and agreed to help me out.

I wanted a box that would hang on the wall and open up like a secretary desk. He said it could easily be done and he had most of the materials that he needed and could get the rest. So he made a wall secretary. He added two wood straps (one of them is an old yardstick) to hold the paper in place. I hadn't thought of that.



The unit folds up and is closed with hooks and eyes on either side.  He had thought about adding a hook and eye at the top, but correctly figured I might not be able to reach it even though I am tall for a Hobbit. The unit folds up and out of the way, and the depth of the box is approximately 3 inches deep. He even added a sheet of cork so the front can be used as a bulletin board. 

Bringing the paper storage up to the new studio/office was another project that never seemed to get done. I asked the handyman who cut the shelves for the bookcase and is painting the house if he could hang the storage unit for me. He did, and I'm happy dancing.

18 comments:

  1. Very cool secretary box. Your brother-in-law out did himself and I bet this works great. It reminds me a lot of that cliche that Necessity is the mother of invention! Enjoy the sun. hugs-Erika

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    1. It works great and keeps large sheets of paper clean and flat

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  2. What a wonderful idea,looks so useful. Lucky you to have such a clever brother in law. Have a great week, Valerie

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    1. I'm glad he was able to make the idea that was in my head. Yup, he's clever.

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  3. Cool! I don't use anything that size, but this wall-secretary is certainly a space-saver. And it's attractive, too, which is a plus. The murphy bed of the art world. There's a market out there for this :)

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    1. I don't normally work on pieces that large either. The largest I have worked on is 16 in x 20 in. I buy a large sheet and cut it down to size. Murphy bed of the art world :-D

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  4. Very clever of both of you! (I like the phrase too...'Murphy bed of the art world'! That needs to be the tagline of the company you start that sells these!) $$$$$ ;) Seriously, there's a need out there!

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  5. Gotta love this storage idea. Really clever and impressive design on yours and your BIL's part. Nice of the handyman to move it, too.

    To answer your question about ICADs. The first year, I tried to stick to the prompts, because I know Tammy puts a lot of thought into them. However, I learned I can't follow prompts because I can't draw and if I don't have something in my stash that resembles the prompt, I'm worthless. This year, I'm inspired by Cindy at Pink Bird Studio, Zsuzsa I "met" through WOYWW, and houses made from my own scraps. I'll sew a bit, too, of course. Thanks for asking.

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    1. I did the ICAD in 2015. Some days I followed the prompts and some days I didn't. Sometimes the prompts didn't spark joy

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  6. That is really a cool idea. I can see why you are happy dancing.

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    1. More because I don't have to run downstairs when I need a large sheet of paper.

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  7. What a great idea! I could see that really catching on!

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  8. Wow, what a great storage idea - I love it 😁. Happy and creative wishes! Jo x

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  9. That is such a great idea - so pleased it works so well.

    All the best Jan

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