Working backwards {for suspense}...
[Davis told me if he put those frogs there [above], that people would go "What the heck?" :) ha Honestly, I don't know if you would have noticed them, so I wanted to be sure and point them out.]
I have had these oak file cabinets since I was probably in junior high. When I got married, they moved all around with us. At some point in time, most of the metal bars for the hanging files were lost. Then they just became annoying because the sides of the file drawers are no more than 3 inches tall & all the files slouch down to the bottom since there's no support. Annoying with a capital A. These file cabinets just became sad little nomads that just moved their way around the basement. They were in such great shape besides the fact that they just couldn't live up to their FILE CABINET title.
Well, Kyle had to work all weekend so I took on a project I called USE IT OR LOSE IT. My cREaTe area was just out of control. So, my system was to pull everything out & then slowly put things back if they met my criteria. If it was an item I used all the time or frequently enough, it could stay. If I hadn't had a chance to use it yet, but I knew exactly what I was going to use it for, it could stay. If it was an item that was just past its prime or I'd held on to for far too long with nothing to show for it ... I had to say goodbye. See? USE IT OR LOSE IT.
After years of thinking the file cabinets were annoying with a capital A ... I finally decided to give them the heave ho. But those suckers are heavy. Good quality oak. So after a few steps of trying to haul it onto the "discard" side of the basement, I started to look at it from different angles, with new eyes ... for different ideas.
3 hours later, the drawers & drawer hardware had been removed, cabinets were painted with 2 good coats of "bluebird" semi-gloss [in our paint stash]... and the kids had not only a new place to store toys, but a new place to sit. Sort of a "Wii dug out", if you will. :) It's so sturdy, I can even sit on it & it won't give. Not even a fraction of a millimeter [and I would totally fess up if it did]. They make the most perfect bench ... and I will LOVE seeing how many people can figure it out. [Would you have known?]
This was definitely the most exciting product of my USE IT OR LOSE IT weekend ... but I'm not done. :)
6 comments:
i had a "simplyfablewis" work area overhaul this weekend, too. great minds think alike. my mrs. grossman's sticker collection is either about to head to a very happy preschool director, a lucky son or a stranger on craigslist. i'll show you pix later.
VERY creative use of the file cabinets. Aren't you glad we bought them so sturdy!
And, the frogs were definitely shooting me with ????? I thought maybe they were your muse!
Oooo, Rachel...you are good. I never would have thought to put them on their side! Super clever!
Oops, forgot to put my name on the previous quote...I am not Anonymous, I'm Beth. :)
You would've had me guessing for awhile...
what the heck? Oh, hey-he was right!
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