"Hanging" in there

Thanks to everyone for their comments and support.  It has been a extremely odd week, but ultimately it's resulted in some wonderful family time, rest and catching up.

The Boy and I are back home, (or we were.. now he's in Alaska) and once again my idle, horseless hands are starting to twitch from the lack of a giant beast to groom, tack to clean, and grime to become inexplicably covered in...

I certainly can't claim boredom.  Between family occasions and a continuous fight with contractors over actually finishing our house (I kid you not they are redoing the floors today for the fourth time. 4th, four. cuatro)

Anyway, since I can't move in, can't ride my horse and can't sit still, I'm creating new projects for myself as quickly as I can.

Current task?  Mini Tack Room in the garage...

When I was little I insisted on keeping my saddles safely in my room.  Although my dad had cobbled together a pretty good tack area in my little barn, it wasn't totally climate controlled and it was all I could to do to keep green mold from exploding all over anything left alone for more than 12 hours..  god bless the northwest.

Ever the handyman, Dad quickly hammered together a rather impressive, legit looking saddle rack to be bolted to my bookshelf which would allow me to not only safely store my prized possessions, but also keep my quarters looking plausibly more like a bedroom than a barn (something my mother greatly appreciated). 

The saddle rack quickly became sacred and has since made a home wherever I have been: college, apartments, my cute loft, my parent's basement and most recently, our new garage!  Although there's only space for one car, there are fantastic giant shelves, an alcove for a workbench and the perfect little corner for me to claim in the name of horsey-crap.  Dad wasted no time in installing the saddle rack and transporting my saddles from his basement to my new horsey corner, but my random pads, blankets, bridles, and bits are still heaped in a pile.

Since I still keep my tack significantly cleaner than I keep my kitchen, a heaped in a pile will not do.  Consequently, I've been dreaming up the perfect hooks and racks and shelves so that I might have a little mini barn sanctuary tucked away in a corner of my garage. (there's also this little walled off closet that currently has brooms, and paint and a few other items in it that might eventually be re-purposed into a legit tack space.. but that's more of a project...)

Here's the rack, as it currently stands.  Two saddles (not in use.. tear) and pads are tucked in the shelves beside.

I plan to keep the shelves dedicated to blankets and tubs 'o things, but I also just ordered some decently polished looking bridle hooks and blanket bars to help organize the heap of headstalls and nosebands and to also give a bit more "equestrian" feel to my little corner.

As of this morning, these babies are on their way:

 I went for the all brass version.. Nothing over-the-top-creative or fancy, but I like the brass casting.. dresses up the everyday bridle hook...

Also, we snagged a couple of these bad boys:

They're significantly more than I would spend if I were outfitting an entire barn... but for a few nicely placed bars, for some (nicely cleaned) pads and sheets... I like 'em.  Although, maybe I'm just going through withdrawals from our former BO's stunningly equipped tack room... sigh.

It's not much of a project, but it's keeping me occupied with browsing websites while the mare lounges and plays and wiles away my dollars on her recreation.

Aside from my sacred-saddle-rack, I've never really organized my "home collection" of tack and things beyond miscellaneous tubs of out of season blankets and such... anyone out there have a mini tack room? Tips? things to consider?