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 & Fun with Epoxy!

Howdy crafters! It is still Tuesday night here but in Jolly Old England it is Wednesday and that means it’s time for What’s on your work desk Wednesday! I was sent a tube of 5 minute Epoxy from the Gorilla Glue company and I had a ball all weekend using it to make pendants that will be turned into pins and necklaces at the craft fair I will be doing in December:

 

I had always been a little intimidated to try two-part epoxy but it is really easy to use, sets up fast and is super-duper strong when it is cured, you can even use it for resin charms but it is best as a glue because it is really thick. Here is a video to show you how I used it…be warned, I’m even more giddy than usual {but that might just be the glue fumes LOL!}

Here is a peek over at my other work surface, recently cleaned. I had been cutting a lot of glass over the weekend so I needed to wipe down the counter and vacuum all of the glass dust and shards:

 

Don’t you dig this awesome caddy?  The local hospital gift shop closed and my friend Glenna (she’s a nurse) snagged 2 of these awesome displays for me to use in my craft fair booth of for studio storage! Thank you sweetie!

 

Currently my gelatos are in there along with a few odd completed projects that I will share one I get them packaged up all pretty 🙂 Well, this is a bit long-winded for me (I’m a faster talker than typer) so I will wrap it up and direct you to The Stamping Ground if you want to have a peek at other great crafty desks…maybe next week you will join us, eh? Till next time happy crafting!

Look What I Made with a Slim Jim Box!

No box is safe around here, LOL! When my kids finished up the box of Slim Jims (Yes, I know, not healthy) my son asked me if I wanted the box. I did! And here is what I made with it:

 

A party favor dispenser! I used YES! paste to adhere this lovely American Crafts paper (It is a couple of years old from the “Dear Lizzy” line) to the box. It was really easy. I did not cover the inside of the box or the little tabs that you can see when the door is open and I think it looks just fine. I stamped “party favors” using the Soda Pop large alpha from Pink Persimmon and the die cut mat is a leftover cutout window from mt Royal Whimsy SVG set.

 

Believe it or not I try to have a healthy household, that’s why for my daughters’ birthday I wanted to give out a party favor that was not candy OR cheap plastic toys that would fall apart before the kids even got them home. I found a box of foil wrapped packets containing a small coloring book, box of crayons and stickers. Eureka! The perfect party favor and it fits in my altered slim jim box!

 

This project took about 15 minutes and I can use it over and over again. I like to make party stuff that I can build on and use again year after year and this box is not too young-looking. One note, you might want to cover the box so you can fill it from the top. I did not think of that until I was done and I had to fill it from the bottom. This would be great done in more neutral colors and could be used to dispense packs of trading/baseball cards! Have a great Sunday and til next time happy crafting!

DIY Craft Desk & WOYWW

Howdy folks! It’s funny how after a few days away from home you can look at your surroundings with a fresh eye. When I went down to craft yesterday my desk was so uninspiring. My binders of unmounted stamps were hard to pull out and I didn’t feel that I had room to work, also I had left my craft area in a bit of chaos so that didn’t help either…so…I spent $5 at the lumber yard and transformed my workdesk from this:

 

To this:

 

Here is a video to show you how I revamped my workdesk. Now, don’t go expecting a “Bob Villa” quality project here, we are talking saw horses, cinder blocks, an old door and boards but I am thrilled with the results, have a look:

See, how easy, anyone can do it! I wonder if I can get a guest spot on This Old House? Nah, you probably have to at least break out a hammer 🙂 I will say that I did measure everything and sketch out a design before I underwent this re-do. It probably saved me an hour of moving stuff around because I had a good estimation of what would fit. So my tip is make sure to measure to stuff you want to contain on your desk shelves!  Here are so more after shots:

 

…and now for something completely different…

Now, I realize that my studio will never be featured in House Beautiful but it is a WORKING studio and I need to be able to make a mess, hose it down and make another one. It works for me! So head out to the lumber yard, pick up a few cinder blocks and let’s get this party started!

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Pssst…wanna see more crazy tables? Head on over to the Stamping Ground for What’s on your Workdesk Wednesday or as I affectionately call it  ‘my craft hoarding support group’ you will get an eyeful of creativity and it is so much fun!

WOYWW: The Kid’s Art Space!

Lat week I said that I would share my kids’ art area on What’s on Your Workdesk Wednesday. I had the best of intentions to organize it and make it all snazzy before I took photos…well, that did not happen. I walked downstairs this morning and just started taking photos (luckily it was clean due to a basement tidy yesterday) so you can see how a real mom provides a real space for her kids to create in a real basement craft room. Something tells me that this won’t be on Pinterest anytime soon 🙂 But, it works for us and when the kids craft momma gets to too!

Just like in my craft space almost every thing here has been scavenged for other parts of the house, yard sales or “free on the side of the road” finds. I used an old banquet table and an old computer desk to make an “L” shaped workspace. I have an old low bookshelf under the banquet table for bulky storage. I have shoeboxes and bins with stamps and stickers under the computer desk and a basket of ink pads there too. Markers and pens are in mugs and plant pots. Nothing fancy but they can find everything and more importantly put it away when they are done!

I got a couple of the $5 bookcases at Big Lots and they are great for paint!

When my twins were little this set of canvas cubbies organized their toys, now I have art supplies and odds and ends in here for them to make art with! (Thanks Kathy-we are still using this storage solution!)

I love cheap plastic storage drawers for holding unruly craft supplies. I have play-doh and molds in the white one and the kids have who-knows-what in the black one, they each have 2 drawers to keep their own supplies that they don’t have to share with their siblings…They pretty much share everything tho, they are good kids.

When it is time for a break the kids can play a game of pinball on my vintage Spirit of 76 machine (this used to be in my kitchen of my old apartment but we decided it did not belong in the kitchen of a “Grown-up” house so it is in the basement along with my makeshift ping-pong table (there is a pool table underneath for versitility!) and the kids can use the ping-pong table as an extra work surface if need be!

I’m glad my kids have a place to make a mess too! It is great that they don’t have to take over the kitchen table each time they want to get creative. It does not take a lot of money to make a fun art space for the kids, just a little time and creativity! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

By Request: Clay Flower Tutorial & WOYWW!

Happy Wednesday folks!  Last week I posted a recipe for Hybrid Art Clay and I had lots of sweet comments on the tutorial. I also had a request for a video showing how to make the clay roses. I decided to film a tutorial on how to make them as well as these simple Calla lilies:

 

That would also be pretty for Mother’s Day! I’ll also show you how to make the fluffy stamens from wire and styrofoam!

Here is a look at the roses you will also learn to make in todays free video:

The video is shot in frame (gasp!) so you can actually see what the heck I am doing (I really hope you appreciate this because I had to re-shoot it LOL!)

Because it is What’s On Your Workdesk Wednesday I’ll show you a picture of my clay drying rack I made from old wire storage cubes. Do you remember those?  They used to always go on sale for $10 a set at Ames about 10 years ago and I probably bought 5 sets ha ha! I like how you can re-configure them in minutes and then take them apart and store them in a flat stack. I explain how to make it at the end of the video but in case you don’t make it that far I’ll recap. Assemble a 5 sided cube with the metal sections and corner connectors. Use small binder clips or zip ties to place as many shelves as you need inside. I used binder clips (you can get packs of 12 clips at the dollar sore) so that I can quickly take it apart. The clay is light so the clips are fine. If you want to use this for storing paper you can, just use zip ties instead to make it strong enough. I lined the shelves with window screening (you could also use sheets of plastic canvas) so the clay does not fall through but also so that air can circulate from all sides preventing warping and hastening drying time.

I did a little research and found that you can still get these but the price is higher. Target has them for the lowest price, around $25 online but I’d call before heading out to your local store to make sure they carry them and that the price is good. They were $44 at other stores online like walmart. Or wait for a yard sale, for some reason people like to get rid of these, little do they know how handy they can be!

That’s all for today and til next time happy crafting!

Free Embellishment Storage!

This embellishment cube has 48 containers for beads and embellishments and the best thing is that I made it for free!

 

Let me clarify, I used a 5 cent glue stick. Also I used a craft knife I already had and some paper from an American Crafts pack a friend gave me, so nearly free 🙂 My brother-in-law works at a paper mill and the electrical tape they use comes in these little round containers (pretty wasteful if you as me but not if you pass them along to a crafter!) I should have taken step-by-step photos as I made it but I thought of it too late. Below you can see the box the containers come in:

 

I took the box and cut one side off each then glued 4 of the cut boxes together. I turned each one so there would be an open row of containers on each side because I thought it looked nice but you can set it up however you like.

An adaptation…

I realize that you might not be able to get these awesome tape containers and boxes BUT you can still make something similar. You can buy a 10 pack of mini square or round food containers  at the dollar store. If you buy 4 packs that would give you 40 containers to put in your cardboard shelf (4 column of 10 containers.) You can make custom boxes from cardboard and tape, it is really sturdy and if you cover it with pattern paper it is beautiful. I’m telling you, most of my storage in my craft room is made from cardboard (or foamcore) tape and hot glue. It’s good stuff, not to mention nearly free!

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Rubber Stamp Organizing {clear & unmounted}

 Again?!? (OK I can hear the collective groan) Yes, I have another craft organization project LOL! I think I enjoy organizing my crafting supplies as much as I like creating with them! This week I decided to take the plunge and re organize my clear and unmounted stamps.

 

Prior to this endeavor I had my stamps stored my manufacturer. I have been regularly submitting my artwork to magazines for the last seven years so I figured if I stored my stamps this way I could keep track of them better since magazines need to know who made the products I’m using. That was fine in the beginning when all the stamps I had were made by a handful of companies but as my obsession…er, hobby grew I realized it was impractical to continue to store my stamps this way. To compound the insanity I had some stamps in binders, some in CD cases and newer sets tucked hither and yon waiting to be used. Ack!  So I got brave and hauled all of my stamps out, sorted them into categories that made sense to me (every stamper would make different categories and that’s OK) and put them back in a much better system. I did this over the course of 3 days working 2-3 hours at a time. Here is my journey 😉

So, are YOU ready to tame your stash of stamps? Here are my tips for corralling your clutter:

1. Buy matching 3″-4″ sturdy 3 ring binders. Unless you already have a bunch of binders, in that case use what you have. I wish I had bigger binders but I did not want to waste what I had, it would be nice if they all matched but I bought new binders as my collection grew. Sometimes Staples has a 100% rebate on binders so that is a great time to get them cuz free is GOOD!
2. Pick up a large package of heavy duty page protectors and slip cardstock in them. Each will hold 4 of the 4″x8″ stamp sets (the kind from Inkadinkado and TPC) or 2 of the larger sets. Also grab a pack of baseball card holders and 4″x6″ divided page protectors for the smaller sets.
3. Don’t be afraid to break up the sets! That was my biggest fear. I did not know what to do if a set had a frame, a border, a background and a robot. Unless the stamp set is really meant to be used together go ahead and break it up. I decided whether or not to break up a set on a case by case basis. I needed a lot of counseling from other stampers to get to this point so don’t be afraid if the thought of breaking up a set gives you a panic attack 😀
4. Do it in small sessions. After 3 hours of sorting stamps I was questioning my sanity. “Why did I start this?” I took a break and came back the next day, I got my categories in binders but I was not sure I was better off so I quit for the day. The third day I went through my binders and got ruthless about breaking apart sets and really organizing it right! There is no way I would have been able to break apart sets on day one LOL!
5. If you need to know the stamp manufacturer you can write it on the page protector the set is stored in or you can write the name on the back of the UM stamp with a ball point pen. Best of both worlds I’m telling you!

Thanks for sticking with me though a long post and video. If you have any questions about my stamp storage please leave a comment and I will get back to you! Happy crafting!

 

Tutorial: 12×12 Scrapbook Paper Folders!

Happy Friday! I wanted to share a little tutorial with you today but first let me remind you that everything at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff is 40% off now through Sunday!

12″x12″ Scrapbook Paper Storage Folders {How-To}

I needed a way to transport some 12″x12″ paper to a craft class without damaging it. I had purchased a package of 12″x12″ paper folders in the past but they were expensive and they were all currently in use so I tried to think of something I could cheaply make. “Ah-Ha!” I thought, I will make some file folders out of poster board! White poster board was on sale 5/$1 last week at ACmoore and I bought 5 sheets (I wish I bought more LOL!) Here’s how to make the folders:

1. Cut the 22″x28″ posterboard in half so you have two 14″x22″ pieces. I simply fold it in half then roughly cut along that line with scissors.
2. Score the poster board at 12″ and 12.25″ and fold. The second score line is optional, it will give you a gusset for a thicker stack of paper. While it is folded you can use a heavy-duty paper cutter to trim 1″ off the rough edge.
3. Round the corners and insert your papers. Since the front of the file folder is shorter you can see your papers!

If you want you can trim your folders on the edges so it is 12″ wide but I like having the extra protection on the edges for my paper. If you are feeling fancy you can stamp or collage on your folders to make them very chic! I love that these look good, do the job and only cost 10 cents each to make if you get the poster board on sale!

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!