Recycled film canisters are transformed into pretty and practical storage

Another cool inside peek and fun recycled storage idea from:

Art Making & Studio Spaces

Unleash Your Inner Artist: An Intimate Look at 31 Creative Work Spaces

By

Lynne Perrella

Art Making & Studio Spaces is a visual studio tour, an opportunity to turn the key and discover the inner workings of artists in their ultra-personal, unique workspaces. The mission of the book is to look inside studios in progress, amidst the throes of the artmaking process, and to investigate the thoughts of the artists within.

This book reveals the interplay between artist and studio, and explores how each workspace reflects a different, distinctive creative journey. Photography by Sarah Blodgett, plus contributed photos by some of the artists, combines with personal insights to provide an incomparable studio tour that will inspire you to create your own private work space. Pages from Lynne Perrella's art journal are included, to give further insight into this bottomless topic of "art and where it happens."

Lynne Kendall Perrella is a mixed-media artist, author, designer, workshop instructor, and incurable collector. Her interests include collage, assemblage, one-of-a-kind books, and art journals. She conducts creativity workshops in the United States and abroad and exhibits collage in galleries throughout the Berkshire Mountains. www.lkperrella.com

 

Click on the image to enlarge and read about the very talented artist Keith LoBue.

As you can see, Keith transforms recycled film canisters into pretty and practical storage. I have done this too. Here in Los Angeles all you have to do is make friends with the camera crew and you are very likely to score film canisters if you ask nice!

 

To keep things organized within the film canister, I recycled bottle caps in two of them for tiny chain and findings. For another, I cut a toilet paper tube into about 1/2 inch sections and pinched them into "eye" shapes so I could fit more compartments into the canister. This is good for organizing larger chains and bigger bits. I didn't glue anything in place but if you are in the habit of knocking stuff around you might want to secure all the little bottle caps and toilet paper tube sections.

Holiday Goodness Giveaway Time!

Here's how it works:

• We ask a question each weekday.
• You leave your answer in the comments section each day to the question (and you can enter each day!).
• We will randomly pick a winner each day to send a free book to!

Today is DAY 10 of 19!

Question:

What is your favorite storage container? Do you use the modern plastic style stuff or have you come up with a fun way to recycle some other type of container? If so, SHARE! We all love to get great ideas on new ways to store our stuff.

My answer:

Film canisters are my fave, but I also use cookie tins and cigar boxes, both cardboard and wood. I do love the convenience of clear plastic totes, drawers and Zip lock baggies but I don't love the way they look.

Be sure to read the comments of others; maybe you can pick up a good idea, a new place to find your inspiration, or just a good giggle!

Comments

[Kathy M]

My favorite storage containers are cigar boxes and other interesting cardboard boxes. I'm also fond of old oak file cabinets with lots of drawers. I, too, love the plastic storage containers but can't stand the look or smell.

[Tania]

I hate clear plastic storage containers! I use vintage, fabric lined glove boxes, old card file boxes, pretty vintage hat boxes, etc. I make little hang tags for each box so I know what's inside.

Tania

[Jan Lopez]

I like to use watchmakers tins ( from Lee Valley Tools)for small parts, single beads and pendants. They come in various sizes - are metal and have clear plastic tops, so you can see inside. I arrange them on cookie sheets or plastic food trays (dollar store). I can stack them if I keep the watchtins to one level or spread the trays on a table, so I can see what I have at first glance.

[wendy]

Lots of cardboard boxes, some plastic (I need the strength to hold all the paper and cardstock). For smaller stuff I recycle - mint tins for beads and other tiny things, larger gum containers (the ones that are supposed to fit in your car's cup holders) for Scrabble tiles, etc. And of course, coffee mugs for pencils, scissors, and other tools.

[cozyvan]

not the most practical, for seeing what's inside, but i just love old, wooden boxes. apple crates, craft "cheese food" boxes, and i store buttons, wool roving, ribbons, snappers, etc. in ball canning jars of various sizes. pretty, pretty with all the colors!

[Sandy Sapienza]

I love Iris boxes (clear plastic portfolio boxes), I use them for printing blocks and stamps, for sorted collage images and papers. However, my favorite storage things are baskets. You can find all shapes and sizes .... and of course you can make your own if need be.I especially like them for them for oencils and pens.

[Julie Bowman]

At my office, we get fruit from Harry and David every month or two. Those boxes are perfect for alcohol inks, reinkers and some acrylic paints. I also love flat cigar boxes for Twinking H2Os.

[CindyB]

I found some wooden cassette boxes that work perfectly when turned on their side to store ink pads. Now I can see every color I have and they are neat and orderly.

[Gayle Richmond]

I wish I lived in L.A. to score some of those film canisters but as boring as it is the majority of my storage containers are the clear plastic shoebox sized tubs. Of course, I have my share of tins and decorated boxes for my special supplies but the clear tubs keep me organized and on track. I got tired of all the shelves and shelving units so I got rid of all (well almost all) of them and replaced them with a beautiful dining room hutch I found in the classifieds. I love it. I keep my pretty and special storage in the top to show though the glass and store the plastic tubs on the enclosed botton shelves. The drawers are perfect for my ribbons. I wish I had thought of this years ago.

[Jane Farr]

I love the rectangular, hinged Altoid tins. Anytime I receive those thin magnets people use for advertising, I save them and then line the inside, top & bottom of the Altoid tins with them. I use the tins to store my calligraphy nibs. The nibs stay nicely in place. They would also work well for sewing needles and other small metal pieces.

[Pattyjo]

My husband was working with ceiling tiles recently and had these long boxs left over, with the lid attached. He was throwing lots of them away. I grabbed about four or five and I knew they would work for my files. I have tons of paper things I save all over my craft area. I am always cutting things out of magazines and newpapers anything I see that I love, gets cut out and saved. So I alphabetized them and used plastic ziplock bags to put the pictures etc. in each bag and these discarded boxes were just the right size for my bags and files. It has helped me out so much. I am now able to locate almost anything in just moments.
Pattyjo

[Pattyjo]

I bought some new rain gutters and had my husband mount them on the wall. I have three long rows of rain gutter, like shelves. They are just the right size for dis-carded baby formula cans (from my daughter). I have removed the labels and covered the outside with decorated card stock. I have all my loose things (beads, game tiles, etc.) in each of the cans. I have "one of" (each item in the can) mounted on top so I can easily see what is in the can. It kind of looks like a knob on each can. I just love this idea and have saved so much space, and can finally find what I want in an instant.
Pattyjo

[Esmeralda]

Sadly I use plastic bins for some of my stuff, but I also use cigarette boxes and shoe boxes...some of them have some really lovely illustrations on them.

[Kathy Scholl]

It really depends on what I am storing. I use the little school pencil boxes for colored pencils and paint brushes and I like the long pencil boxes for various rulers etc. I keep punches in a tool box. I am not at all opposed to the plastic storage boxes because I have so much "stuff" the real trick is being able to finding it.......no matter what kind of container it is in.

[Mamta]

I use shoe boxes & packaging boxes for my craft supplies storage.

[Janice]

OMG I have so much stuff. My craft/sewing room looks like a room from the A&E show Hoarders (according to my son). I don't think it's quite that bad but it is definitely like trying to get 10 gallons into a 5 gallon pail!!! I use so many different things for storage from shoe boxes, chocolate boxes, cookie tins, plastic storage containers, anything that will sit flat on a shelf and do the job. I'd love to gut the room and start over but I don't see that happening anytime soon!!

[Alison Liebman]

My favorite storage containers are the photo boxes you can get at AC Moore, Micheal's, or Joann's. They are acid-free so you can store photos and/or paper. I also store finished greeting cards in them. Thanks for the chance to win!

[MonkeyGurrl]

I love all types of storage containers - from the lowly cardboard box, to the Crate-n-Barrel-esque apothecary-type cabinets. And in my fantasy world, I would use them all. Unfortunately, space and budget relegate me to the the ziplock and plastic storage bin reality. Sigh.

[Jan Castle]

Actually, I have two favs: 1) I store all my wood rubber stamps in pizza boxes...have over 50 labeled boxes...thse are stored in my garage on shelves, so easy access. 2) copics, stickels, glues, embossing powder, ink pads, re-inkers, alcohol inks, etc. stored in plastic snap togethers whih vary in size.
Jan Castle

[MAry Anne]

Lee Valley Tools sell some wonderful watchmakers cases - little lidded tins inside of a rectangular box. They come in several different sizes and are perfect for storing beads. I like that they have clear tops so you can easily see what's inside.

[julie m]

i use a little bit of everything, ranging from containers from the dollar stores to plastic workbench storage drawer sets to iris carts.

[Bev Baird]

I have to agree with Julie. I use whatever I can find - usually from thrift shops and yard sales. So I have plastic, wood, even glass containers. I use mugs,cigar boxes, film canisters, baskets - whatever I can find and find interesting. Major storage is in big tubs.

[Roberta]

I've always loved the embroider floss caddies because they are portable and they keep things separated when you close the lids and when you travel. I love them for sorting all my ephemera.

[whitney]

I like to use pretty colored baskets to brighten up my studio.

[Rebecca Jones]

I use everything I can. I don't like the look of plastic, but sometimes that's all that will work in a damp climate.