I’ve been spending a lot of time in my craft room lately making costumes, working on party decorations, and generally working on my blog posts. This all equates to a huge mess in the craft room and the mess has even spilled over into the guest bedroom! Yes, I let the craft room get out of control when I have project tunnel vision which is often!! I knew I seriously needed to get it cleaned up for my own sanity! So, in the process of cleaning up the mess and placing items back where they belonged, I thought wow I use a lot of vintage enamelware for storage in my craft room….hmm. Can you see the light bulb going off above my head? I got to thinking I could write a post on ways to use those vintage finds as craft room storage. As the idea is percolating in my head and I’m still cleaning the craft room and tidying up around the house, I realized…whoa! I have an enamelware obsession! The stuff is in almost every room of my house! So the idea of a blog post on how to use enamelware as craft room storage has now grown into how enamelware can be upcycled and used everywhere in your house!

Let’s start with my collection…

The enamelware is stacked into each other in such a way that it’s hard to get a real sense of how much is here. You’ll get a better sense as you keep reading!

I’ve been collecting this stuff for many years. I even picked up some of the pieces at flea markets while I lived in Germany when my hubby was in the Army.

 

This piece is from Yugoslavia!

I would pick up any piece that appealed to me and I had to have it. Now I only buy those rare finds that I’ve never seen before or that I can use practically. Some of these pieces I will defiantly have to give you some background on! Most of my pieces are authentic vintage enamelware but I don’t discriminate! I like the new reproduction pieces and have a few of those as well. After I took the picture above, I still found more enamelware that I had missed in the roundup.

Ok, let’s get started. I gotta start with the base of the stack….

This table probably got a lot of use before I owned it and I know that it is now weathering the storm that is called Lacie! I have to admit I’m a bit rough on the old thing but that’s what I bought it for! To use it! It’s the perfect worktop for a craft room. I’ve gotten paint, glue, glitter, tape, every thing stuck to this enamel table and it all comes off!

I’m getting a little ahead of myself. First, let’s delve into all the uses of enamelware for the kitchen….

I love the look of enamelware as kitchen decor. I’m not a beige and neutral kinda girl. I like color! My house is filled with it! I like to mix up my vintage items and make groupings to display my treasures! You know what they say…one woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure! Well, I think they say man but in my mind woman sounds better!

I placed an old Sears Roebuck scale with a framed up Good Housekeeping Magazine cover from 1931, a Stanley Ovenette, some vintage utensils, a couple newer enamel canisters and a giant rolling pin together to make this vignette.

In this picture you can see all the ways I use vintage enamelware in my kitchen. The cake stands are enamel cups with pie plates placed on top. The lunch box holder is a way to get the lunch boxes off the counter and as you can plainly see it’s really a vintage enamelware bread bin. (It’s one of my all time favorite pieces and I have 2) The vase is really a coffee pot.

The Utensil holder is…wait for it…a medical irrigator. I just turn it around and know one is the wiser. I have this piece right by my stove filled with the utensils I cook with the most.

You gotta see what the cake dome actually is! I found this item recently and thought I would never use it for it’s original use but I knew my sister-in-law would totally use it to cover cakes, cookies, and pies! (Brandy, if you are reading this, don’t tell your mom! It’s her birthday present! Ugh! I have to wait months to give it to her! I’m terrible at waiting to give gifts! LOL!)

It’s a Stanley Ovenette. It was made by West Bend and is a stove top baker. It’s one of my cooler finds! I removed the burner portion and set the dome portion on a cake pedestal. Voila! Cake Dome!

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Here are some creative ideas for vintage enamelware upcycling in other areas of your home.

Laundry Room

Porch or Sun Room

We cannot forget about the craft room!

I seriously use a ton of enamelware in my craft room. It’s great for holding your sewing notions, scissors, patterns, anything you can think of! Most of these pieces are fridge boxes. I try to only purchase the boxes that have lids. Sometimes you can find just lids to buy and try matching your existing boxes. Open boxes work great for items you need easy access to. The cup in the picture holding the scissors is actually a medical measuring cup.

I think the measurements are a cool feature. The possibilities are endless with what you could use this piece for.

I know this isn’t enamelware but since it was in the backdrop of the Sewing Storage Upcycle Picture, I just had to share it anyway!

My grandmother gave my mother this Boye Brand Needles, Shuttles, and Bobbins Case Dispenser. She told my mother that it was to go to me when my mother felt the time was right. I received this dispenser from my mother about 8 years ago. My grandmother originally obtained this piece from an old Hardware Store in my home town. It’s really something. You turn the middle dial to select what needle, shuttle, or bobbin you want, then open the door to find what you need. It has little wooden tubes with the product inside. It appears that the patent date on mine is 1929. I found a bunch of interesting information on this commodity cabinet at Needle Bar. I absolutely love this thing! I always wonder what it would have been like to purchase simple sewing supplies from a different time when I look at this dispenser. It has also become a wonderful decor addition to my craft room. My grandmother picked the right person when she chose me to have this amazing piece of Americana.

My craft room isn’t just used for sewing…

I store tons of scrapbooking materials, paint supplies, and craft supplies in vintage enamelware.

I love the big trays. I actually have these setting up as magnet boards in the craft room. If I start getting an idea in my head for a scrapbook page, I will put up all the materials on the magnet boards. No losing that train of thought! I store stamps, paintbrushes, glue sticks, scrapbook adhesives, and much much more in my enamelware. The enamelware plates and pie pans are great for working with acrylic paints. Just make sure you wash soon after your done for easy removal.

I took craft wood that I purchased at Hobby Lobby and painted it, then I wrote what the container would hold and hot glued magnets to the back. Each container has a label of the contents.

I know what’s in what and where to put stuff back.

I use this enamelware piece for all my craft room trash…that is till it’s a huge mess and I have to pull out the over sized Hobby Lobby bag!

This one holds the cat’s food…

I use enamelware containers in the bathroom to hold makeup and bath products too! I plant succulents and flowers in enamel strainers in the summertime. The possibilities of upcycling vintage enamelware are endless! I’ve had a great time sharing some of my vintage enamelware upcycling ideas with you. Do you have any ideas to share? Actually, I could use your help…

I could use your ideas on some practical uses for these pots. Share away! Suggestions are welcomed!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope these ideas can make things a little more Easy Peasy for you!