New projects

Some of the new projects I'm planning will help organize some of the old ones. This cigar box is going to be painted up like the dala horse wall art I did recently and it's just the right size to store all of the little wooden dala horses that we're carving and painting in when they're finished. Making or having a boxed set of wonderful ornaments appeals to me and it could be left on display year around.

The partially painted box behind it is going to be done up to store, display or give the last of the miniature furniture that I paint from time to time.

 As I plan my design I try to work with the embossed and burned areas to disguise the flaws and make it work for me.

Easily Distracted on the Way Down

I've been trying to "Downsize", sort things out and get organized for the last 25 years or so and because most of us are so emotionally invested in the things we have there are a lot more decisions than Keep, Toss, Repair, Donate. Sorting things that way helps.Finding the right storage system or containers is a good start but as the old saying goes "the devil is in the details". Everyone has their own approach to what to do at that point.

People without hobbies have a lot less stuff in their way to begin with and the rest of us have materials that could be turned into any number of projects so even if we've decided that we don't need them for one thing, instead of getting rid of them like most people would we keep them because they can be used on something else.

After a quarter century of this the only thing that I've really learned is that sometimes the things that we decide Not to do are as important as the projects that we Do and often there's a fine line between them.

I just finished another patchwork bag!

 I like the first side a lot better but was too tired of cutting and piecing to do the same on the back (as well as being out of most of the other fabrics)

I'm using this one for a set of art books,workbooks and sketchbooks that I've been working with.

I like this view of the bag best and as you can see it's really big and strong so it should handle the weight of the books fine. The nice thing about this photo is that it shows you the boxes that I wrote about earlier.

3 generations and 8 place mats later

 The little piece you see around the edge and a couple of much smaller ones are all that remain of that fabric so this project worked out just about perfect.

 Yes,those are the place mats. This fabric (which seems to be some sort of canvas or heavy twill) was just printed on one side. It would have been great in a sun room, porch or on a patio if there'd been more of it this time around.

 The last time I had this fabric out I made tote bags with it.

I'll be finishing those place mats today, there are still 4 of them at the sewing machine. Getting that project done cleared out almost 1/2 of the box I'd stored the fabric in so I'll be sorting and re arranging some of those smaller plastic boxes and should come out of this with one or two that I can use for other projects as I move on through the debris field here. Each project leads to the next or builds on it but I'm so busy sorting it out that I can't really see where it's leading, I just know that I'm moving forward and even slow progress IS progress.

Company for Tea and the attack of the creeping craft monster

I've been cleaning and organizing the house trying to get ready for friends that are dropping by this afternoon and as always there are a hundred distractions from the task at hand.

Still, I kept at it and then I thought it would be so much nicer if I had some pretty place mats. Not having any cash or transportation didn't really slow me down as I headed to the lair of the "dreaded creeping craft monster" (otherwise known as the 17 by 36 inch front hall closet where a lot of my supplies "live" these days. )

I'd already "found" the box I keep my patterns in some days ago so so getting to the 3 boxes of fabric I had left only required moving 4 other projects out of the way.

What a relief! I often expect everything to come tumbling out and start taking over the house...again...

Bravely I stack and stuff and beat it all back into place. Another small victory over the "creeping craft monster" that is my companion here, sometimes my nemesis, and often my comfort.

All that remains now is to see if I can get those place mats made in time for tea or whether I'll get caught up in a bunch of other projects as I sort through the bins in search of just the right fabric for them.

Creative Solutions to Storage and Organizing

Anyone can throw money at the problem of storage or finding ways to organize their "stuff". They hire people, buy or rent places to put it in or simply move into a larger place.
That's not a reality for most of us so the smartest thing we can do is look in the bins we've got and try to find better ways to make that work for us.

Question #1. Does the bin or other storage container cost more than the items that are in it are worth?
Question#2. Is there anything I really need, want or use in here?

The solution of course is to pull out the things you don't need or want and give them to someone who might. This will create more space for FREE.

The best things about all of this are:
 1.That you still keep the things you want, need or use .
2. You didn't spend any money.
3.It gave you something to do with your spare time.
4.You gained more storage space.
5.You rediscover your treasures.
6.You can donate the things you pulled from your bin to charity.


When you play the game this way, everybody wins.

Recycle, Re Use

 I got this toothbrush holder full of toothbrushes a couple of months ago at the dollar store.

 Since I use them one at a time and like to keep mine in an individual case I decided to pack the rest of them away.

 The case was just perfect to use my watercolor brushes in.

The cover comes in handy for storage and you can use it as a tumbler to rinse your brushes in when you set up to paint...now that's what I call "getting some bang for your buck"

Storage and display ideas for Art

I was hanging up as many of the paintings as I can to avoid the damage you get when they're just sitting around or stacked anywhere.

I decided to use that last little bit of wallspace to mount this magazine rack that I'd painted and it holds all of the 8x10 inch canvas panels that I'm in the process of doing paintings on.

This was an old magazine rack and an assorment of old wooden cut outs. The trim on the top is actually a row of hearts with the thin ones peeking over the back and the large one mounted on the front.

Fast and Fun Recycle Project: valance into storage or gift bag

I made this valance a couple of weeks ago and decided that I didn't like it but didn't want to take it apart either.
My Solution?
1.fold it in half and sew the side and bottom. (be sure to leave an opening in that side seam to run a tie through the casing)
2. find something to thread through the casing to tie the bag closed (a piece of old cord from mini blinds, a fabric tie from an old dress, almost anything will work)

I make these little fabric tubes whenever I've got strips of fabric left over from anything. They come in handy for making pony tail scrunchies (when elastic is run through them) or as handles for tote bags. there's always something they come in handy for so this time I've stitched a couple of them together to run through the casing of this bag and tie it closed.

OK, it isn't beautiful but would come in plenty handy to pack or store things in. I'm assuming you've got better taste in decorating and fabric selections so yours might be gorgeous.

Thinking Outside The Box

The reality for a lot of people these days is that we live in small spaces that need to be multi-purpose and able to multi task. If you have a lot of hobbies there's a good chance that many of your supplies are packed away in boxes. Here's what's up with one of mine. About 15 years ago I had a painted chair in a magazine so when I found all these dollhouse chairs in a dollar store it amused me to start making Christmas ornaments out of them to celebrate the fact. I finished several that year, gave several as gifts and even sold a few before tucking the rest away and moving on to other things. I'm not just sure where these have been all this time but they recently turned up again and I've decided to go back to work on them.
 There are also a number of other interesting things in that box that I'll get around to later. Meanwhile that old Kingston Trio song runs through my mind (something about tiny boxes) and I've gone back to crocheting pot holders...or hot pads...or whatever they're calling them these days. I've just taught 2 more gals how to make them because they're fun, fast, easy and you only have to count the first row so it makes it a great project to start with. As you can see I managed to get it all packed up and put away in time for supper and of course the next project after that...