One of my favorite blogs is Vicki Chrisman’s This Art That Makes Me Happy.
Vicki has a wonderful vintage, scrappy chic style that I adore. I began following her when I discovered she was the designer of an Accu-Cut die that I fell in love with and I have been following her ever since.
In addition to her creations, Vicki often shares her flea market finds and how she alters, displays or uses them. Since there aren’t many flea markets in my neck of the woods, I enjoy hearing about her adventures and seeing the treasures she discovers.
So, inspired by Vicki, I have started searching for my own treasures at our local Goodwill store and a couple of resale and antique shops. Most of the time, I leave without finding anything (which is OK because the hunt is part of the fun and it makes my husband happy when I don’t spend any money), but sometimes I find awesome storage pieces for my studio.
A few weeks ago, I discovered this old canning jar. I fell in love with the lid and knew it would be perfect for the hardware I recently collected. Jars are pretty easy to find, so I’m sure it will have companions before long. In fact, there are a pair at the antique store that I have my eye on …
Yesterday, I found the most adorable little black metal bucket. I love that it is rectangular and that the sides are straight (unlike baskets that are usually larger on the top than on the bottom.) I thought it would be perfect for my Tim Holtz dies, so I brought it home.
It holds my dies perfectly — with space for a few more. My previous die storage was awkward and traveling with it was difficult. But with this, I can just grab the handle and go!
My husband thinks it might be an old minnow box that someone painted. I would like to know so I can search for another, but in the meantime, I am loving my little black box.
candy scraps 
lovin’t that old black bucket! I’ve also followed Vicki for several years – love her style!