Fabric Stash Storage!

Hello friends! It rained yesterday, really rained and the kids and I were stuck inside but since I like to be home it was nice, I didn’t have great weather to feel guilty wasting;) So I hung out in my sweats and set off to tackle the ever growing baskets of fabric scraps that have accumulated in my craft room. Here is the after picture:

Now, if you are brave…or kind…or a highly functioning hoarder like myself watch the video and see how I got my mess under control. Don’t mind the glittery sweats, we are all friends here right?

I have to say I am rather pleased with myself. I did not spend a penny and my fabric is neat and tidy and ready to use and best of all I can get the piece of cloth I want without messing up the rest of the stash.  The best part was that I was able to toss stuff I was given that I did not even like but felt like I should keep anyway. I am stopping that madness! The small scraps of fabric and felt I still like have gone into a bag and I will use it with my kids craft class next month. Tackle the stash, make it usable, toss the stuff you don’t want, make a plan for the rest! BTW if you have cloth you don’t want contact your local Project Linus and they will use the fabric to make security blankets for children in need or maybe turn the stash into a lovely quilt or blanket to donate, that way you can enjoy the cloth, create, destash and feel good;)

Have a great weekend and til next time happy crafting!

WOYWW: Ask a Crafter Week 4!

Hello there! Time again for another peek at my workspace. I finished up a bunch of projects over the weekend and took everything off my big bench and re covered it with brown paper, man, that feels great! Then I put my cutting mats back and hooked up my torch which hadn’t seen use for the past few months! I have my watercolors out because I just filmed a video on using watercolors to stamp, it will be up by tomorrow at the latest;)

You can also see the legs of my tripod in the photo, yep, it is time for another episode (yes, Lindsay’s having an episode again!) of Ask a Crafter where I answer the questions left on my last WOYWW post and ASK a Crafter Video, here goes!

So if you have a question ask away in the comments section and I will answer it next week! If you want to see more crafty desks pop over to Julia’s blog the Stamping Ground and see the big WOYWW party! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

WOYWW: A Splurge, a Bargain and a Tower of Tools!

How is that for a title, eh? It’s Wednesday again and time to have a look-see at my desk and join the fun that is What’s on Your Workdesk Wednesday (or WOYWW for short!) We are supposed to get 4-8 inches of snow tonight so I expect the kids might have a snow day tomorrow so I need to be extra nose-to-the-grindstoney today and get some stuff done.  I’ll keep it shot and sweet! This is how my desk looks today:

I took my MIL out to lunch yesterday and afterward we went to BAM! (books-a-million) bookstore, I had never been there before. I found an amazing (yet ungodly expensive) magazine that I could not live without, it had jewelry made from wire, clay, quilling and lamp-working.  It is one of the UK publications so I am going to see if I can subscribe in the states. I was recently able to subscribe to Cardmaking & Papercraft for $24 a year USD and I am very happy with that (because that too is $10 on newsstands) so I am hoping I can subscribe to this publication as well.  Speaking of the UK my twins’ girl scout troop has picked England as their country for thinking day! They have been learning about scouting in England, prepared a skit and made swaps! I was tasked with coming up with a make and take for our booth and we are going to teach the other 100 girls who attend how to make rolled “English” roses. I’ll have a tutorial on that later, you can see some of the attempts scattered around my new craft loot. Oh and I almost forgot, check out the deal I got on the Gel sticks (they work, look and feel just like gelatos by the way, I can’t tell the difference!) You get 2 sticks for $5 at the craft store and I got a 12 pack for that price, score! If you live near a BAM! you might want to go grab some.  It is funny how quickly my desk changes. I took this photo yesterday before shopping:

I wanted better access to my tools, I spent countless minutes searching for round nose pliers or tweezers and I decided enough was enough! I had another rack like I used for my water media and it was empty so I hot-glued it to the top of my iris card and loaded it up with my tools! I can see everything I have, no more random pails of junk! I did keep my altered soup can for my scissors though.

Underneath the rack it is hollow so I can store my long ring mandrel and my stampin-around wheel guide and other unruly items. I truly feel like I am sitting in the cockpit with all of my tools within reach. Why didn’t I think of this before?

That’s all for today, if you want to see what other crafters have out on their desks go to the Stamping ground to check it out! Til next time happy crafting!

It’s Hip To Be Square! {and Awesome Yarn Storage!}

Happy Saturday! Yesterday I was determined to learn how to crochet a granny square (boy, my ambition was just staggering this week, wasn’t it?) And I am happy to report that I succeeded!

I love these colors and the yarn was a dream to work with. I do not know the brand because I grabbed 3 skein packs at Mardens for $3.99! The content was Wool/Bamboo and it was made in Turkey which is known for its fabulous yarn. I bought a couple of packs and tried it and promptly went out and grabbed more. I bought enough pink to make a sweater but…well you might remember how that project turned out…if not you can find out here. So, anyway I wanted to share my new yarn storage, my librarian was going to throw away a paperback book spinner rack and she asked if I wanted it (crap about to be tossed, oh yeah, I’m in!) so I took it home, dusted it off and oiled the spinner part and it was as good as new!

I crammed all of the little wire baskets with my yarn, it was chock-a-block, stuffed to the max 2 weeks ago so you can see I have used some, yay! I can see what I have so I will actually use it. Full disclosure: I still have some yarn in a tote, in my bedroom closet and in a basket..OK 2 baskets…but it basically all fits in here. I’ll try not to buy any more yarn until all that I own can fit on this rack but if I come across $1 wool skeins at Mardens I make no promises! I am taking on another knitting group too so I’m sure I will knit through some of my stash with my students! Well that’s it for this Saturday, we have a pretty low-key weekend with basketball, cheering and a birthday party thrown in so there should be plenty of time for some more granny square making… any idea what I should make with my squares? BTW I have put the video that I watched to teach me this technique here, It is not me of course but it’s I great video! I think the “trebble” crochet she uses is what we call a double crochet in the states but don’t worry about the names, watch her and you can follow right along:) Til next time happy crafting!

WOYWW: How to Fix an Unstuck Inkpad!

So, yesterday was not so productive…I had a kid home sick (that seems to be my theme song lately) so my desk looks this with my lovely re-glued and properly functioning ink pads on it! Why and I showing you my desk you ask? Because it is What’s on Your Workdesk Wednesday of course!

I made a video showing how easy it is to fix ink pads where the pad has come off. I used the new single use tubes of Gorilla Glue for that. One tube was enough to fix all of my pads and fix a broken wagon I had. I would always waste so much when I bought a big tune because I could never go through it before it cured!  Here is the video if you want to see how it is done:

I checked the wagon and it is perfect now, i think I might use it in my craft room for storage/decoration! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Let’s talk about Craft Hoarding…

I think many of us feel the need to hang out head in shame at this topic. We collect supplies with the best intentions or we stock up when we find a good deal or we go a bit overboard when we start a new hobby. I am not judging, I am right there with you. Then we find that we spend as much time sorting, organizing and storing out supplies as we do creating with them. What’s worse is when we find a supply so amazing that we can’t bear to use it up on just anything so it sits there on the shelf looking pretty. The tragic thing is that many of our art supplies have a shelf life, just like food, and you have to use it or lose it!

I live out in the willy-wacks and I don’t like to shop so I keep a well stocked craft room. There are many staple items you can keep on hand that will last indefinitely with proper care and conditions (out of direct sunlight, stable temperature between 55-70 Fahrenheit, low humidity):

Watercolor paint

Oil Paint

Ink (refills (shake pigment inks often!), ink pads and spray inks if you clean the nozzles)

Canvas

Paper (if acid free and out of sunlight)

Beads/buttons/plastic stuff

Polymer Clay (store away from heat, be sure to properly condition it before use!)

Acrylic Felt and Yarn

Natural Fiber Yarn and Cloth (Kept in ceder)

Hot Glue sticks

Rubber stamps

Paint brushes and well maintained tools (keep humidity low and oil on occasion)

Ribbon and trim

Styrofoam

Matt Board and Foam Core (If kept dry/low humidity)

Plaster (if kept dry!)

Wax/soap base and wicking (fragrance will go stale after time)

Glass

Colored pencils, crayons, pastels

Mylar glitter and Mica powders (some metal glitters may tarnish)

But many craft items have a short shelf life:

Markers and pens

Resin (6 months)

Glue and other adhesives (2 years)

Embossing powder (varies with heat and humidity and if oxide metals are present)

Acrylic Paint (tubes will last longer than bottles) (2 years is stored properly)

Light sensitive materials such as solar print paper, photo emulsion, photo-polymer (you can greatly extend the life of these by keeping them sealed in a dark drawer or shelf!)

Copper foil tape and metal wire and items than can oxidize (you can keep these much longer if humidity is controlled!)

Friendly Plastic (after 2 years it becomes brittle, you can still use it but it will not be as easy)

But sometimes the supplies you buy are bad from the start so it is important to check everything out within 30 days of purchasing. Avoid ordering polymer clay in the summer, sometimes clay is “truck baked” en route. If you don’t check on this you might end up with solid bricks of clay when you go to start a project, if you check and report it in time you can get a refund. Acrylic paint and PVA glues shipped in the winter can freeze en route and you can end up with chunky paint or glue, check it as soon as you get it. Tube acrylic paint (artist quality) is usually designed to survive 5 freeze/thaw cycles so that problem is not common with the tubes but craft acrylic sold in bottles will get chunky in a  few years despite good care so don’t buy more than you can use. Also check rubber stamps to make sure the image is clean, I can think of 3 times I purchased stamps for various companies where the red rubber was flawed and they all replaced the damaged stamps BUT I let them know as soon as possible!

So, if you are buying supplies that you cannot bother to check or try within 30 days of purchasing maybe you don’t need them right away? Art supplies are not for collecting, they are for using! We buy these beautiful bits and baubles with the dream of what they may become. Play with your supplies, enjoy them, create! Turn the craft hording guilt into creative rapture! If you have any items on the shot shelf life list challenge yourself to use them up so they don’t go to waste! I bought a jug of resin before I realized that it had a shot shelf life, can you guess what I’ll be playing with next? Also be a smart consumer and check all of the materials you purchase to make sure they are in good working order as soon as you buy them. That also goes for tools and machines, get them out, try them and make sure they work because if you wait you will be S-O-L my friend:)

I’d love to hear what you think on craft hoarding. I think as creative people we tend to see the potential in everything from discarded wine bottles and soup cans  boxes, fabric, stones, glass, wood, odds and ends and bits and baubles. We are the magpies of the word and we see potential in everything…come to think of it, that’s pretty great! But we need to make sure that we do more than imagine and save, we need to create, otherwise we will just leave a bunch of junk behind for our loved ones to toss when we die. Now that’s reason enough to make cool stuff! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

WOYWW: Juggling Kits!

Happy rainy Wednesday folks! I have been crafting like a crazy lady {what’s new, right?} to get ready for my craft fair on Saturday. I spent the last two days sewing. I whipped up 14 batches of juggling balls and 38 sets of felt hand-warmers. Here is a pic of my desk as it sits this morning:

I packaged up the juggling sets in tin-tie coffee bags from Papermart. It was a bit of serendipity that I had that funny juggling stamp. So I simply stamped the bag and placed in 3 of the juggling bags I made, instructions and a business card because I’m sure once people get the juggle-bug they will want to buy them for all of their friends. I am an avid juggler, bordering obsessive at times, and the great thing about juggling is that it is impossible to worry about anything when you juggle. I think instead of taking drugs like Prozac and Zoloft doctors should teach their patients how to juggle. The world would be a happier place!

Thanks for stopping by! I have to take a break from crafting today and get groceries or I will have to dip into our SHTF Zombie Apocalypse food stash and nobody wants that. If you want to join the WOYWW fun pop over to Julia’s blog the  Stamping Ground and see what other crafty peeps are up to this week! It’s so much fun! Til next time happy crafting (and juggling!)

WOYWW: Random Painting & Projects

Howdy folks and happy Wednesday! You (hopefully by now) know what it is time for…What’s on Your Workdesk Wednesday! I have had a plethora of projects on my desk this week…well, just have a look:

I have been painting! I am happy with the bird and lily painting but the one at the bottom of my desk is an epic fail…it was looking a bit too stark so I decided to use some spray mist and stencils however I was too impatient to wait for the paint to dry and ended up with a big ugly blob which I dumped some glimmer eye-shadow on and then smooshed some plastic wrap into the puddle. It’s like I ran out of bullets and I threw the gun. I thought about pitching this in the trash before I took the picture but I didn’t want anyone to think I never make mistakes…OK you can STOP laughing now…really. Stop. Oh, shameless plug, I have a couple new watercolor painting kits at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff this week!

On the other side of my mayhem I have some cleaner crafts. Some fun candy-colored plastic beads that my daughters sorted for me and some cute tags I made so I can price some of my loose necklaces and bracelets I have made for the craft fair (because I was a doof and forgot to buy the stick-on ones!)

But luckily I have a tiny tag punch (splurge from a stampin-up party last summer) and my new yummy baker’s twine from Papermart and I made my own! I think my jewelry might just sell due to the cute tags! Quick tip: This tag punch does not have a hole in it so make sure to punch 1/8″ holes first and then punch the tag upside-down so you can center the hole in the circle because you will not be able to punch the hole after you punch the tag, it will get stuck in your punch!

Well, there you have it! I do have herbal tea (instead of coffee) on my desk as I am trying to be healthier, I even took a spin on the treadmill today (highly unpleasant but being able to watch Torchwood on my kindle made it tolerable) so, yeah, woo…go health. That’s sarcasm by the way 🙂 Oh, here are the two paintings I didn’t mess up…

I am going to mat them and sell them as well at the craft fair…boy don’t I sound optimistic!

You can check out more crafty desks on Julia’s blog, the home of WOYWW. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

WOYWW: Eat Your Heart Out!

Hello WOYWWers! For those of you who don’t know WOYWW stands for What’s on Your Workdesk Wednesday, a weekly crafty party where we all snoop around to our fellow crafter’s desks (so we don’t have to feel so bad about our own hording and messes LOL!) You can join the fun on Julia’s blog, don’t be shy now! OK, on my desk today are some goodies that just arrived from Paper Mart:

I will be using these products in many upcoming video tutorials. When I saw the Baker’s Twine at Papermart I fell in love, their big spools (notice the brand, it’s The Twinery, yep, the same brand the scrapbook stores sell for $15 a spool) cost between $8.60-$10.75 a 240 yard roll. The cool thing about Paper Mart is that you get discounts the more you spend so I recommend going in on a shipment with a friend or two so you can save big! I also got some coffee bags, tags and flat tins. I can’t wait to whip up some Christmas cheer!

I want to wish a happy Thanksgiving (in the US) and safe travels to everyone! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!