I’m just a few days shy of celebrating two wonderful months with my little red barn (thanks, Tuff Shed and 26 supportive friends!) and thought you might enjoy a peek inside.

I was determined to only use found or donated or upcycled shelving in here. It just seems wrong to run out and purchase materials or pre-built shelving for a storage space that was built by and houses only donations for creative reuse. But here’s a glimpse of what I’m able to store, using what I’ve got, and I know I could be using the space better (ex: adding a loft). Plus, some of my materials are too heavy to put on the kind of shelving I have now. So, I’m pondering my options, but grateful I can’t really do anything about this until spring (and who knows what kinds of shelf-making materials I’ll have rescued by then).

For now, here’s a quick tour. (Note: you can click on any picture to get a better/larger view)

Such a lovely assortment of plastic, tin, and cardboard containers. The cardboard boxes you see are the well-made, incredibly sturdy kind, with flap-lids that tuck in when closed (thanks, Susan G). One donor gave me more than 20 empty (and clean!) plastic peanut butter jars. Every coffee can you see has at least one other, smaller container nested inside it.

Of course I have toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, tissue boxes (thanks, Kim) and if these aren’t used by teachers in the spring, I know they’ll be helpful for summer camps at the Arts Center and any classes I teach at Yew Dell Botanical Gardens.

In case you missed them, see those stacks of boxes in the corner? I have 150+ discarded hymnals (thanks, Jenni) to use and share. Music makes wonderful collage art. I’ve given a few to friends who want to get a headstart on next year’s handmade Christmas gifts, but the rest are just waiting for the right project.

Oh, and I’m still being gifted with the purple, plastic boxes (thanks, Susan H), which I now know used to hold disposable pipettes (love that word).
Each of the drawers you see holds 16 boxes in a layer and my collection is now three layers deep. It won’t be long before I have enough to give an entire “grade” at one school.

Mailing tubes were a popular donation last month (I have at least a dozen) and won’t the classic Lincoln Logs be fun the next time I’m teaching assemblage art? (thanks, Janice) Note: No usable Lincoln Logs will be harmed in the making of any art. The box you see is only a third full a well-worn, random pieces.

All of this is what I think can withstand the changes in temperature and conditions in my little red barn. Later this week I’ll post pics of what’s still stored inside my house.