Some of my favorite organizational ideas...

Last week, I shared some amazing ideas for beautiful crafting areas that are well organized, functional, and comfortable. Of course, not all of us can afford to go out and purchase furniture or specialty containers to create designer looks. Like so many, I live on a very tight budget and would much rather spend my small crafting allowance on supplies rather than storage. So, being creative, I look around my home and see what I can make or recycle.

One of my favorite way to store loose beads - everything from tiny seed beads to larger beads - is to recycle glass jars. As we finish off a jar of pickles, mayo, maraschino cherries, or whatever we have in jars, I start the process of making them storage containers. I rinse them immediately, run them through the dishwasher, and then soak in a sink filled with hot soapy water to remove the last adhesive residue and odor. Once they are dry, they are ready to be filled and stacked on a shelf.

Speaking of shelves, one of the centerpieces of my craft room is an antique kitchen cupboard given to me by my mother-in-law. I couldn't use the piece in my kitchen, so it makes great storage for my paper crafting supplies. Take a look around your house and find furniture you already have that can be moved to your craft area. 

If you don't have a room and do most of your crafting at the dining room table, being able to keep your supplies organized and packed away is vital. I love my clear plastic totes, particularly the ones for shoes. They stack easily, keep things organized fairly well, are inexpensive and can be gotten in multiple sizes.

Organization can be difficult to maintain, but it is so important in order to keep your crafting area functioning and you happy. That being said, it's also important to remember that organization doesn't have to expensive. Get those creative ideas flowing and get organized. Please share some of your favorite organizational ideas.

Tiny Teddy

This tiny little teddy bear is a needle-felted creation that has been waiting several months to get finished. He needs his little feet finished, pads added to his paws and to be put together. Needle-felting is a bit more detail oriented, especially when working on this scale. You can see the quarter next to his little head for scale.

Ultimately, this little guy look a lot like his brother when he's done. When seen side by side, they are quite similar. I'm hoping that when he is done this little teddy will have a personality all his own. But first I have to finish him!

Happy Crafting All!

Wall Hanging...

I love doing needlework on road trips. It's a compact hobby that can produce some beautiful results. A couple years ago I started a wall hanging to commemorate my relationship with my husband. It consisted of squares depicting important memories from the time we were dating through our wedding.

I've had the needlework and piecing done for more than a year now but have never found the motivation to back, quilt and hang the quilt. Until now. With my attention being turned to my UFOs, this one is at the top of my list of things to actually finish. It realistically should not take long to complete. In fact, I bet I can have it done by the end of the week.

Happy Crafting All!

UFOs abound...

As crafters, we all have them. Those projects that we start and never finish. UFOs - UnFinished Objects. I have lots of them and this week I'm going to put a spotlight on them. Some can be finished quickly, others will take more time. But the whole point is to show that they can be finished.

So this week, I'll be showing you four projects that need to be finished, projects that can be finished with just a little focus. (All providing my internet will stop giving me trouble.) Why not pull out some of your UFOs and start working on them.

Happy Crafting All!

Simple Clip Magnets

Aren't these clip magnets adorable? They were sooo easy to make too. All it takes is some wooden clothes pins, pretty papers (I used a photograph on the front printed on plain white paper and scrap scrapbooking paper on the back), some .5" magnets and Modge Podge.

Use the Modge Podge to adhere the papers to each side. Once dry coat the paper and side of the clip with Modge Podge to seal; when dry coat the side. Be careful to open the clip between each sealing coat - it will get stuck closed but should easily be opened again. After the Modge Podge as completely dried, I used a gel LocTite Super Glue to adhere the magnets. And that's it! Super simple, super quick. I plan to make these for shows next year. Each magnet should securely hold 2-3 sheets of paper without the magnets giving out.

Happy Crafting All!

The Importance of Taking a Break

We all know how easy it is to get burned out on work, cleaning, driving, taking care of a family - all of those things we have to do in our daily lives. When we get burned out on the responsibilities of life, we turn to our hobbies - crafts, sports and other activities to take our minds off of the stresses of life.

It is so important to have these hobbies to help us keep our sanity. When we can't take a break from the things that add pressure and stress to our lives, there are a lot of negative consequences. The stress and unhappiness is soon reflected in our relationships, our disposition and, if not dealt with, our health.

For some of us, our crafts are our jobs. There have been times that I can't stand to look at a bead or my sewing machine because I have simply been working too long a particular project or I've put too many deadlines on myself for a show or getting my shop taken care of. When I get to that point, I know it's time to take a break and go for a drive. It's time to deal with something that has nothing to do with work. When I do come back to my project, I feel refreshed and excited about it again.

We can not forget to have some kind of healthy fun in our lives. It is something we need, whether we want to admit it or not, we need that little bit of fun, that break from the normal routine.

Happy Crafting All!

Free Crochet Patterns

I'm always looking for new and fun patterns to work from. And free patterns are the best! Recently, I came across a great resource for crocheters in search of fun, functional patterns. Free-Crochet.com has a diverse collection of patterns for crocheters of all skill levels. Patterns are searchable and downloaded in PDF format, which makes them easy to keep track of and print. I love browsing their selection and downloading patterns for future use.

Check out their site: http://www.free-crochet.com/

Happy Crafting All!

Stocking Up

I love Back-To-School time! There are so many great sales going on that it's hard not to stock up on some of the basic supplies. This is the time of year that I will stock up on everything from glue, glue sticks, colored pencils, card stock and printer paper to organizational supplies and seasonal items.

It seems every store has a sale and that is the best time to shop. It seems we are all on budgets these days, some tighter than others. With two teenage boys, my budget stays pretty tight - as my mother-in-law would say, I turn a nickel three times before I decide to spend it! I know it's rough out there. That's why I love sales!

These next few months is generally when I will stock up on everything I might need for projects next year. I look for material in bright spring and summer colors and prints - fabric stores want room for the seasonal tones and patterns of fall and winter. I stock up on scrapbook papers that are marked down to $0.10 for 12"x12" sheet. I watch for the summer themed beads to go on clearance, along with any other summer-themed items that can be used. I think about some of the new things I want to try and start gathering supplies. (I tend to shy away from the fads though - I don't want to spend the money on the supplies and then not be able to sell what I make.)

This is also the time I start thinking about Christmas gifts. My mother loves lighthouses and ocean themes - things that can get difficult to find in the winter months. I start making lists of what I might want to do, and then watch the sales to see what will be least expensive to make. I have a large family to make things for, I need to do it cheap!

Of course, I am a power shopper year round - shopping the sales, clearance aisles and discount stores for supplies. This is how I've accumulated my stash of supplies, my inventory of goodies to create with. Thanks to this time of year, I will usually have what I need (or most of what I need) on hand before I begin my project!

Happy Crafting (and shopping) All!

Is It Time To Learn...

...To crochet? I love crocheting because I can create some really great gifts for the people who mean the most to me in my life. We have one friend of the family that still raves about the afghan I crocheted him for Christmas last year. Whatever you choose to make, the recipient will be touched that you made something by hand. The first step in making something, though, is knowing how to crochet.

So to help you get started, I've found some great teaching links. These sites offer detailed instructions on how to crochet, for the beginner!

http://learntocrochet.lionbrand.com/

http://crochet.about.com/od/learnbasics/a/beginners.htm

http://www.learntoknit.com/instructions_cr.php3

http://crochet-mania.blogspot.com/
This site offers instructions and patterns!

Happy Crafting All!

Why We Craft...

One thing I love to ask people, regardless of their profession, is why? Why did they choose that particular line of work? Why do they keep doing it? It's not to make them question themselves or their decisions, but my own curiosity. I like to know what drives people to do what they do, whether it's something to just pay the bills or something they truly love.

For myself, I craft because I love to create. It is only been in the last couple of years that I have tried to sell my creations, even though I've been doing one type of craft or another for as long as I can remember. Some skills I've learned in an effort to make money - like my jewelry making, photography, and (someday) quilting. Others I do just for myself, that other people are generally not allowed to see - my painting is a perfect example. I am a horrible painter, I know I am, but it is something that I truly love because it relaxes me. So when I paint, it is for me and I typically don't show people what I create.

I am always fascinated to hear why crafters choose their various disciplines. The reasons usually have to do either with a love a particular aspect of the craft or just to make money. Whatever the reason, creating something with your hands nearly always gives a person a sense of accomplishment that is intensely gratifying. And it seems the more difficult the process, the more gratifying it is.

So why do you craft?

Happy Crafting All!

A Fair Challenge

At the beginning of August, the community I live in held it's annual county fair. I will admit that I was surprised to see some interesting exhibits that I really did not expect to find. Beyond the carnival rides and food, the animal displays and largest vegetable or flower competitions, there was also a wide variety of home arts and crafts on display.

The quilting, jewelry, photography, knit and crochet displays were amazing. There is so much talent in this area that doesn't always get noticed. The sad thing is there weren't many entries in each of the home arts categories. So I decided to challenge myself.


I made the decision to enter next year's fair competitions in as many categories as I can. (The more I enter the better chance I have of winning! hehe) I am going to start with a crochet piece. I choose the lovely 1949 afghan pattern above as the first thing I will make. If I am satisfied with how it turns out, I may enter it. If not, I will make something else and go from there.

I have about 10 months to make as many items as I can and then decide on which should be entered. I will try to update everyone on my status about once a month, and I may even ask for your help in the making the final decisions.

Happy Crafting All!

The Importance of Failed Experiments

Whenever I decide I want to try a new crafting discipline, I do my research. I read a lot of how-to's and instructions, try to find instructional videos, look into the cost of supplies and try to determine whether or not it could be sold at shows or in my online shop. The final step before jumping fully into a new craft is the experimentation.

I personally believe that the failed experiments while I'm learning a new skill are more important than the successful experiments. When I fail, I learn something, whether that it's a particular method just won't work for me or, as is the case with the pictured ring, I will need a lot of practice before I try my own designs for something. The ring is a result of finding beautiful jasper tube beads that I thought would make a lovely ring. Unfortunately, the limited experience I have with wire wrapping resulted in a failed experiment. But I'm not about to give up. I am going to continue working with wire until I can make the ring the way I envisioned it.

Sometimes a failed experiment will even teach me that I would rather appreciate someone else's hard work than try to make something myself.

Ultimately, no experiment is a complete failure if you learn something from it. The end result may not be what you wanted, but if you learned something about the skill or yourself, than it can not and should not be called a failure.

Happy Crafting All!